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

There’s a story unfolding in the courtroom of a small town in Kansas. It’s a story about runaway medical costs, aggressive debt collectors, and jail.  Guest: Lizzie Presser, reporter for ProPublica 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 Okt 201923min

This month, the New York City Council approved a plan to close Rikers Island in 2026. The jail has become a potent symbol for those fighting to reform the criminal justice system. Where do reformers go from here?  Guest: Aaron Morrison, senior reporter for The Appeal  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 Okt 201922min

Kentucky’s Republican Gov, Matt Bevin won a decisive victory in 2015 and has tethered himself to President Donald Trump ever since. But now, he’s up for reelection and his popularity has taken a nosedive—it doesn’t help that thousands of public school teachers have been aggressively protesting against his plan for pension reform. Can the Republican Party boost him through to a second term? Guest: Ryland Barton, statehouse reporter at Kentucky Public Radio. 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 Okt 201919min

We survey this week’s developments: the testimony from Ambassador Bill Taylor, a stunt at the SCIF, and what the founding fathers might have thought of our reticence to impeach.  Guests: Dahlia Lithwick and Jim Newell.  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 Okt 201920min

Over the last week, Facebook and Mark Zuckerberg have been under fire for declining to fact-check political ads. But a former insider says this is the wrong debate to be having—and it misses a more fundamental problem: Facebook’s business model itself.   Guests: Yael Eisenstat, former head of global elections integrity operations at Facebook and Charlie Warzel, an opinion writer at the New York Times. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

25 Okt 201920min

Syria is in the midst of a civil war, a refugee crisis, a war on terror, and a massive demographic shift. Why does Russia want a piece of it?  Guest: Deb Amos, international correspondent for NPR.  Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

24 Okt 201922min

Gabriel Zucman and his co-authors have become known for releasing these charts that go megaviral. In a new book, Zucman claims to have found that the 400 richest Americans now pay a lower tax rate than the bottom 50 percent of the country. This finding sparked outrage among the public, disagreement within the economics community, and debate among the democratic candidates for president last week. What do you need to know about Gabriel Zucman? And how does he envision fixing taxes in America? Guest: Jordan Weissmann is Slate’s senior business and economics correspondent. 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 Okt 201920min

Last Thursday, in the city of Culiacán, a massive gun battle between Mexican government forces and the Sinaloa cartel erupted in broad daylight. It was captured on cameras by residents across the city. For hours, residents took shelter as the Mexican forces detained the son of El Chapo, Ovidio Guzman Lopez, and tried to hold off the cartel. When it ended, El Chapo’s son was released. So why did the Mexican government give into the Sinaloa cartel’s demands? And what can be done on both sides of the border to stop such brutal violence? Guest: León Krauze, journalist at Univision and Slate columnist 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

22 Okt 201922min