Decoder Ring | Cozy Autumn Mysteries

Testimony of a phone call between President Donald Trump and EU Ambassador Gordon Sondland has set the stage for a dramatic Week 2 in the inquiry. What does the revelation of that call tell us about how House Republicans are mounting a defense of the president? Plus, what should you be looking for in Gordon Sondland’s testimony next week? Guest: Jim Newell, senior politics writer at 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

15 Nov 201924min

Recently, Facebook filed a lawsuit against a little-known Israeli spyware firm called NSO Group. Facebook is accusing NSO of supplying technology that enabled a hack of 1,400 WhatsApp accounts.    But NSO’s reach goes far beyond a few thousand phones. Governments around the world purchase its powerful technology. Some use it to “lawfully hack” the devices of criminals and terrorists. But others use it more broadly, tracking the communications of activists, journalists, lawyers, and dissidents.   What does the WhatsApp lawsuit mean for the spyware industry? And why are governments lining up to buy these products? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

15 Nov 201921min

The latest round of elections in Virginia brought in a new Democratic majority to the state Legislature. It’s the first time Virginia’s government has been fully Democratic in 26 years. The question now is: What will the Democrats do with all that power? Entrench their newfound majority through partisan gerrymanders or seek a bipartisan solution to redistricting? Guest: David Daley, authort of Ratf**ked: Why Your Vote Doesn’t Count and the forthcoming Unrigged: How Americans Are Battling Back to Save Democracy. This episode is a part of Slate’s Who Counts? initiative. In the run-up to the 2020 election, Slate will be investigating who counts in the voting booth, who counts as an American, whose money counts in the democratic process, and whose doesn’t. And we need your help. Your support will let us assign more stories, travel to overlooked places, commission special podcast projects, and pay for reporting we otherwise would not be able to do. To learn more about this project and how to support our work, please go to slate.com/whocounts. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

14 Nov 201921min

Today, when the House Intelligence Committee comes to order to host the first public impeachment hearings against President Donald Trump, Michael McFaul knows better than most what will happen next. Not only did he serve at the State Department with several of the individuals publicly testifying this week, but he himself testified to the Adam Schiff–chaired committee just a few months ago. How is the former ambassador to Russia seeing this Ukraine scandal play out? And what does he have to say about the veteran diplomats taking center stage this week at the public impeachment hearings? Guest: Michael McFaul, former U.S. ambassador to Russia and author of From Cold War to Hot Peace: An American Ambassador in Putin’s Russia. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

13 Nov 201921min

Today, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in a case that could have an enormous effect on the lives of hundreds of thousands of young people known as Dreamers. Back in 2017, the Trump administration ended DACA, a program created by the Obama administration to protect Dreamers, by saying it was unlawful and unconstitutional, and that it could not be successfully defended in court. Now, with DACA getting its day in court, who are the key players on both sides of the case? And what is the actual issue justices will be weighing? Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, who covers the courts and the law for Slate. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, Danielle Hewitt and Mara Silvers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

12 Nov 201921min

Many past presidents have had a spiritual advisor. President Trump’s party faithful are an extension of his brand — white, evangelical. And his most trusted preacher is a wealthy televangelist who’s been investigated by Congress. Meet Paula White, the Mississippi girl who rose to prominence preaching piety, prosperity, and Vote Trump 2020.  Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, Danielle Hewitt and Mara Silvers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

11 Nov 201922min

This week, in impeachment inquiry news: Gordon Sondland revised his memory, Lev Parnas said he’d cooperate with inquisitors, and Donald Trump, Jr. insisted that we focus on the whistleblower.  Guests: Dahlia Lithwick, Slate’s courts correspondent, 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

8 Nov 201927min

California recently passed a law that would classify rideshare drivers across the state as employees, rather than contractors. Among many other benefits, they’d be allowed to unionize, collect overtime pay, and take sick leave.   So why are so many drivers against it?   Guest: Harry Campbell, former Uber driver and founder of The Rideshare Guy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

8 Nov 201917min