TBD | The A.I. Data Center Push That Wasn't

When she was a staff writer at Breitbart News, Katie McHugh exchanged hundreds of emails with Stephen Miller, who is currently one of President Trump’s senior advisors. Then, McHugh was a champion of the alt-right and a supporter of white nationalist ideology. Now, she wants the world to know that those same ideas are what motivate Miller to craft hard-line anti-immigration policies. And she has the receipts to prove it.   Guest: Katie McHugh, former Breitbart staff writer Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, Danielle Hewitt, and Mara Silvers. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

2 Des 201927min

For months, White House lawyers have argued that many of the president’s aides can sidestep congressional subpoenas because of their proximity to Trump. This week, a judge rejected that claim, setting the stage for another installment in the House of Representatives’s impeachment inquiry.  Guest: Jeremy Stahl, Slate senior editor Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, Danielle Hewitt, and Mara Silvers. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

27 Nov 201922min

This summer, the explosion of vaping-related illnesses sent medical researchers on an urgent quest to figure out why teenagers were showing up at the hospital unable to breathe. Years before this became a public health crisis, federal regulators had the power to crack down on e-cigarettes. Why didn’t they do it? Guest: Desmond Jenson, an attorney with the Public Health Law Center at the Mitchell Hamline School of Law. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

26 Nov 201926min

In India, Muslims are watching the secular democratic principles of their country crumble. What is it like when your country rejects your family and shakes your faith in multiculturalism?  Guest: Rana Ayyub, a contributor to the Washington Post Opinion section and author of Gujarat Files: Anatomy of a Cover Up.  Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

25 Nov 201920min

With two weeks of public impeachment hearings in the books, how will the next phase of the inquiry take shape? Guest: Jim Newell, senior politics writer at Slate. Dahlia Lithwick, writes about the courts and the law for Slate. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

23 Nov 201930min

TikTok now has over 1.5 billion downloads, putting it in the company of social media giants like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. While all of these companies have faced scrutiny from lawmakers in one form or another, TikTok is getting attention for its Chinese ownership as some fear that Beijing could use data uploaded to the platform for counterintelligence purposes. Is there a real reason to be concerned? Or is this just fearmongering about a geopolitical rival?   Guest: Drew Harwell, technology reporter for the Washington Post.    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

22 Nov 201922min

The Federal Election Commission was designed to prevent the parties from going rogue with overly punitive campaign finance regulations. But what’s paralyzed FEC is something less partisan, and more principled: Democrats think the government should enforce campaign spending laws. Republicans don’t. Guest: Ellen Weintraub, Federal Election Commission chair. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. This episode originally aired in October 2019. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

21 Nov 201920min

Pete Buttigieg will take the stage at the fifth presidential democratic debate as the front-runner in the Iowa polls. His rise, while surprising for some, can’t simply be explained as luck. So, how did Buttigieg go from being the mayor of South Bend with a name nobody could pronounce to the Democratic front-runner for president in Iowa? Plus, how might competitors try to knock Mayor Pete off his game at the debate? Guest: Adam Wren, contributing editor at Politico Magazine and Indianapolis Monthly. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

20 Nov 201925min