Slate News

Back in April 2020, AstraZeneca was hailed as a frontrunner in the race to get an effective vaccine to market. A year later, after a series of trial pauses, communication blunders, and PR problems, the vaccine is on the cusp of FDA approval. 

By all accounts, the company succeeded in making a safe, effective vaccine. So why has there been so much confusion about its rollout?

Guest: 

Peter Aldhous, science reporter at Buzzfeed News

Host

Lizzie O’Leary

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Emily, John and David discuss immigration, violence against Asian Americans and how Amazon is shaping the American economic landscape.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Emily Bazelon for Slate: “Stop Telling Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Retire: It's Counterproductive”

David Leonhardt for The New York Times: “The Democrats’ Immigration Problem”

Nicole Narea for Vox: “Migrants Are Heading North Because Central America Never Recovered From Last Year’s Hurricanes”

One Billion Americans: The Case for Thinking Bigger by Matthew Yglesias

Slate’s Political Gabfest, “The “Rage” Edition” (with Matthew Yglesias)

Claire Jean Kim for Politics and Society: “The Racial Triangulation Of Asian Americans” 

How the Irish Became White by Noel Ignatiev 

Fulfillment: Winning and Losing in One-Click America by Alec MacGillis

Michael Corkery and Karen Weise for The New York Times: “Amazon Workers’ Union Drive Reaches Far Beyond Alabama”

Lina M. Kahn for The Yale Law Journal: “Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox”

The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson 

The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency by John Dickerson

John Dickerson for 60 Minutes: “Studying Coronavirus Spread in One Georgia School System”

Here’s this week’s chatter:

Emily chattered about her forthcoming article about the exoneration of Yutico Briley. Matt Sledge for The New Orleans Advocate: “A Man Serving 60 Years For Armed Robbery Is Free After Jason Williams Clears The Way For Release”

John: Howard Schneider for Reuters: “U.S. Covid Response Could Have Avoided Hundreds of Thousands of Deaths - Research”

David: Janelle Shane for Substack: “GPT-3 Tries Pickup Lines”

Listener chatter from Mathew Dicks: Philip Hoare for The Guardian: "Sperm Whales in 19th Century Shared Ship Attack Information"

Slate Plus members get great bonus content from Slate, a special segment on the Gabfest each week, and access to special bonus episodes throughout the year. Sign up now to listen and support our show.

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, David, and John discuss a wrong but unappealable call by high school basketball referees. 

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest, or email us at [email protected]. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank.

Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap.

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Colorado Rep. Tom Sullivan counts the number of Fridays since his son was killed in the Aurora theater shooting in 2012. The latest mass shooting in Boulder, which left 10 people dead, was yet another reason Sullivan says he’s continuing his quest to curb gun violence in the state.

Guest: Colorado State Rep. Tom Sullivan.

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After four years of President Trump’s harsh immigration policies, many advocates for Central American migrants welcomed a change in administration. But after two months in office, President Biden has given a clear message to people arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border: “don’t come.” Still, thousands of people, including an increasing number of unaccompanied children, are making the trek and forcing Biden to face his first big immigration test.

Guest: Adolfo Flores, national security for immigration correspondent at Buzzfeed.

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Welcome to Slate Money Goes to the Movies, a miniseries in which Felix Salmon, Anna Szymanski, and a different guest each week discuss popular business-themed movies. 

This week, Felix and Anna are joined by Niala Boodhoo of Axios to discuss the Paul Thomas Anderson oil epic There Will Be Blood. They’ll delve into the religious symbolism in the film, analyze Daniel Plainview’s family values and get into some of the history behind the story. 

Email: [email protected]

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

Twitter: @felixsalmon, @Three_Guineas

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Residents of Jackson, Mississippi, were left without water for weeks after a deep freeze hit the south, bursting pipes and forcing people to rely on bottled or collected rain water. But even though the water is back on, Jackson’s next water crisis might not be so far off.

Guest: Nick Judin is a reporter at the Mississippi Free Press. 

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On March 16, a white gunman killed eight people - six of them Asian-American women - during shootings at three different spas in Georgia. The shooter claims he was driven by a “sex addiction,” but his actions fall into a complicated legacy where race, sex, and the fetishization of Asian women all intersect. That legacy is now in full view as the nation grapples with this latest tragedy and a rise in anti-Asian violence. . 

Guest: Lisa Hagen is a reporter for WABE in Atlanta and the co-host of No Compromise, a podcast about a grassroots movement for gun rights.

Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now.

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Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon to discuss voting rights, democratic reform, and what it will take to get the For the People Act through Congress. This conversation was recorded as part of this year’s SXSW.

Slate Plus members have access to the whole interview. 

Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

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Economics professor Lisa D. Cook stops by to discuss her New York Times article on the wide-ranging economic impact of discrimination, the racist history of patents and innovation, and vaccine IP questions. 

In the Plus Segment: Mobile money. 

Email: [email protected]

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

Twitter: @felixsalmon, @EmilyRPeck

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Hey Trumpcast listeners! Your host Virginia has some big news. Her next podcast—After Trump—is a guidebook alongside legal scholars Jack Goldsmith and Bob Bauer—both former Trumpcast guests—to reforming our laws, norms, and ethical codes so we never get in that fix again. After Trump is coming soon to a podcast app near you. To learn more, go to AfterTrumpPod.com.

But first, Virginia is here to introduce an episode of a show she hopes you'll check out: What Next, a daily news podcast from Slate. In this episode, host Mary Harris talks to guest Jimmy Vielkind, Wall Street Journal reporter covering New York politics & government, as New York Governor Andrew Cuomo faces calls to resign over accusations of sexual harassment and allowing a toxic workplace culture to persist. To the people who know him best, it’s unlikely the governor will ever bow to those demands. 

If you like what you hear, subscribe to What Next. You'll get a short episode every weekday taking on ONE story, and going deep, behind the headlines. What Next is news you’re not going to get just scrolling through your phone. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen.

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