1A

"Big Tech have [...] become gatekeepers over things like commerce and speech," says reporter Cecilia Kang. "There are a handful of tech companies with tremendous power."

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Days before the election, we watched the final presidential debate. Judge Amy Coney Barrett now faces a full Senate vote for her Supreme Court confirmation.

Plus, we have the latest on protests in Nigeria against police brutality, Bolivia's election of a socialist president and Pope Francis' support of civil unions for same-sex couples.

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"Satire has gotten hard under this president. Every headline sounds like an "Onion" article. What we're competing with is reality," says comedian Hari Kondabolu. "There is always a need for comedy and politics to intersect," W. Kamau Bell adds.

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"There's a distinction between the public perception that politicians are trying to influence the agency and what's actually going on in the FDA's day-to-day regulatory work," says former FDA commissioner Dr. Mark McClellan.

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"Unless we start understanding the collectivity of us, and what makes us one...we risk falling into a pretty big identity crisis," author Paola Ramos says. She says exploring the term "Latinx" forces those hard questions.

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"Grassroots activism is so important for an issue like climate," says Kiera O'Brien, of Young Conservatives for Carbon Dividends. "What we've seen for the last 20, 30 years is a complete punt by our government."

Plus, we start the show with a trip to to the exurbs. They're a type of suburb that traditionally leans Republican. Are residents standing with President Trump? 1A's Sasha-Ann Simons and James Morrison talked with voters in Virginia and Michigan to find out.

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Trump and Biden answered questions at two separate town halls, while Amy Coney Barrett answered questions at her SCOTUS hearings. COVID cases rise in the US--and Europe--as the holidays near, causing France in particular to declare a state of emergency. Protests in Thailand grow unruly, and the UN welcomes some new countries.

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Danielle Elliott says it's a lot more difficult for teachers to engage with special needs students remotely. "My son does struggle with ADHD," she says. "I would think it'd almost be easier when my child gets distracted to just hit the mute button [...] and disable the camera."

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How can you reach someone who's starting to believe conspiracies?

"Part of QAnon is to completely reject reality ... you have to get to people before they get there," says NBC's Ben Collins.

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We broke down what Judge Amy Coney Barrett's nomination to the Supreme Court could mean for the future of the court and the country.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.