Is an Upset Brewing in Iowa?

In this episode April Glaser is joined by guest host Siva Vaidhyanathan, director of the Center for Media and Citizenship at the University of Virginia and author of several books about social media and the internet, including a recent one on Facebook, “Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy.” First they talk about the ongoing elections in India and how fake news and propaganda on Facebook and WhatsApp is wreaking havoc on an electoral process that’s otherwise celebrated for working quite well in the world’s largest democracy. Then they discuss Uber’s recent IPO filing and the litany of ways the company’s reliance on a contractor workforce and business in only a handful of major cities could destabilize the rideshare company’s hopes of ever being profitable. After that, author and WIRED writer Andy Greenberg joins the show to talk about the recent indictment against WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, threats the case poses to press freedom, and how Assange’s ideology has been much more fluid than his alleged co-conspirator, Chelsea Manning. Greenberg is the author of This Machine Kills Secrets: Julian Assange, the Cypherpunks, and Their Fight to Empower Whistleblowers.This episode of IF Then is brought to you by LinkedIn. Post a job today at LinkedIn.com/IFTHEN and get fifty dollars off your first job post. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

17 Apr 201939min

How did a March speech by Rep. Ilhan Omar get shrunk down to a single phrase and turned into an attack on her character?Guest: Aymann Ismail, Slate writer and host of the upcoming podcast, Man Up. Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Anna Martin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

17 Apr 201918min

President Donald Trump has floated the idea of nominating former presidential candidate Herman Cain and conservative pundit Stephen Moore to policy seats on the Federal Reserve’s board. Would Cain and Moore alone swing interest rates? Probably not. But their appointments could erode non-partisan standards that make the Fed one of the most important economic institutions in the world.  Guest: Jordan Weissmann, Slate’s senior business and economics correspondent. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

16 Apr 201919min

Last week’s Wisconsin Supreme Court race got ugly, fast. The Republican favorite, Judge Brian Hagedorn, eked out a win by about 6,000 votes. Our guest today says it’s hard to overstate the political fallout from this result. It could mean that conservatives dominate Wisconsin for years to come.Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, covers the courts and the law for Slate.Tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or sending an email to whatnext@slate.com. Follow us on Instagram for updates on the show.Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Anna Martin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

15 Apr 201915min

To understand what’s happening on the border, you have to look at the policies and leaders on both sides of it. So, how has Mexico, under its new president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, changed its approach to refugees and migrants fleeing north? And how has the Mexican president changed, himself?Guest: León Krauze, columnist for Slate, co-host of Trumpcast, and news anchor for Univision.Tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or sending an email to whatnext@slate.com. Follow us on Instagram for updates on the show.Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Anna Martin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

12 Apr 201916min

Here’s something you may not know. You (listener) are a member of the global trash trade. Every time you recycle a Coke bottle or throw a banana peel away, you’re entering a market of buyers, sellers, and fierce competition. Today on the show, why the market for your trash crashed and how American recyclers are course correcting.Guest: Meleesa Johnson, president  of the Associated Recyclers of Wisconsin and Marathon County’s director of solid waste disposal.Tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or sending an email to whatnext@slate.com. Follow us on Instagram for updates on the show.Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Anna Martin Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

11 Apr 201915min

April Glaser is joined by Gizmodo investigative reporter, Kashmir Hill, to talk about an ambitious British proposal to regulate content on social media sites. Then they discuss Airbnb’s efforts to kick White Nationalists off its platform ahead of a national summit in Tennessee. After that they talk to Pat Brown, CEO and founder of Impossible Foods, about his company’s eerily realistic fake meat products and his vision for a more environmentally sustainable food system.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 Apr 201939min

Bernie went from virtual unknown in the 2016 election to front-runner with the highest campaign contributions in the first quarter of the 2020 race. And while some things have changed since he last ran four years ago, a lot about his campaign looks pretty much the same. Do voters appreciate someone who sticks to the issues? Or will Bernie’s resistance to getting personal hurt him this time around? Guest: Slate politics writer, Jim NewellPodcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Anna Martin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 Apr 201916min