The Discourse | TikTok Ban: The Final Loop?

On Wednesday, as Democrats celebrated wins in Georgia that gave them control of the Senate and as U.S. lawmakers convened to certify Joe Biden’s election win, President Trump addressed supporters gathered outside the White House. He told them to walk to the Capitol and tell Republicans to “take back our country.” Two Slate correspondents were there -- one walking with the violent mob as it stormed the Capitol, and another in the building as it went on lockdown.  Guests: Aymann Ismail, staff writer for Slate, and Jim Newell, Slate’s senior politics writer. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

7 Jan 202128min

Today, Congress will meet in a joint session to confirm Joe Biden’s election as the 46th president of the United States. Even though the process is ceremonial, some Republicans are using it as a last-ditch effort to vindicate President Trump and burnish their own Trumpist bona fides.  Guest: Jim Newell, Slate’s senior politics reporter. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

6 Jan 202123min

So far, the vaccine roll out in the United States has been underwhelming. States are scrambling to get doses out to patients before they expire. We won’t be behind schedule on vaccine distribution forever, but to make matters worse, a more infectious variant of COVID-19 has increased the urgency.  Guest: Apoorva Mandavilli is a health and science reporter with the New York Times. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

5 Jan 202126min

On Tuesday, Georgia voters will decide which party holds the majority in the United States senate. Activists like Nse Ufot have been criss crossing the state trying to rally new voters to the polls. Will this flurry of activity flip Georgia blue again?   Guest: Nse Ufot, CEO of the New Georgia Project  Cleve Wootson, National Political Reporter for the Washington Post Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

4 Jan 202127min

Larry Kramer always made sure you heard him loud and clear. He was a playwright, a novelist, but he was perhaps best known for his work as an AIDS activist. In the 1980s and 1990s, Kramer sought to wake up the world to the plague that was killing millions of people through provocative demonstrations, fiery essays, and righteous anger. A world class troublemaker, Kramer died last week leaving a body of work that could serve as a lesson for this moment in American history. Guest: Mark Harris, a journalist and writer at New York Magazine. For a closer look at the history of ACT UP check out: United in Anger: A History of ACT UP. This episode originally aired June 2020. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

31 Des 202022min

On Friday, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away at the age of 87. Her work as a lawyer and a judge forever changed how women are viewed under United States law. As the nation mourns, her absence sparks a fight in the senate about who is going to choose the next Supreme Court Justice.  Guest: Dahlia Lithwick, host of Slate’s Amicus podcast.  This episode originally aired September, 2020. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

30 Des 202025min

Over the summer, comedian Laurie Kilmartin took to Twitter to joke about something that wasn’t funny: Her mom was dying. JoAnn Kilmartin, Laurie’s mother, had contracted the coronavirus in her nursing home and was on her deathbed only a few miles from Laurie’s home in southern California.  Guest: Laurie Kilmartin, comedian and author of Dead People Suck: A Guide for Survivors of the Newly Departed. We’re re-running some of our favorite episodes from the past year. This episode originally aired in June, 2020.  Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

29 Des 202023min

Hybrid learning is a massive educational experiment playing out in schools across the country. No two classrooms are alike. We took a look at one teacher’s experience.  Guest: Christopher Pinto, a high school math and statistics teacher outside Houston, Texas. This episode originally aired in September, 2020.  Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

28 Des 202019min