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

In 2009, Department of Homeland Security official, Daryl Johnson, warned the government that right-wing extremists were building power. After his report leaked to conservative media outlets, the agency sidelined Johnson and his investigations. In the meantime, right-wing extremists have only grown their ranks. Guest: Daryl Johnson, former senior analyst for domestic terrorism at the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.  Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

11 Jan 202127min

This week, in the wake of violent protests at the Capitol, the social media platforms took unprecedented steps to rein in the president. Facebook banned his account at least through Inauguration Day. Twitter removed tweets and locked his account for 12 hours. Will these measures really make a difference? And how is it that two CEOs came to have so much power over the president’s reach? Guest:  Danielle Citron, professor at UVA Law School and vice president of the Cyber Civil Rights Initiative Host Lizzie O’Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

8 Jan 202119min

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 Dec 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 Dec 202025min