Slate News

This week, the FTC and more than 40 state attorneys general brought antitrust lawsuits against Facebook. And they’re not pulling their punches. They are calling for Facebook to spin off Instagram and WhatsApp into independent companies. In other words, breakup.

The lawsuits represent some of the most significant antitrust action in the United States in the last 40 years. Will they get results?

Guest:

Tony Romm, tech policy reporter at the Washington Post

Host

Lizzie O’Leary

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As his presidential term draws to a close, Virginia Heffernan does an overview of Donald Trump’s impact on U.S. foreign policy with Mieke Eoyang, senior vice president for Third Way’s National Security Program.

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Emily, John and David talk about the coup attempt, Facebook’s legal troubles, and which presidential norms to restore or discard, with guest Tim Wu.

It's conundrum season! Pass along your most pressing conundrums here: www.slate.com/conundrum. Our annual Conundrum show is coming soon.

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

Tim Wu for the New York Times: “What Really Saved the Republic From Trump?”

Zeynep Tufekci for the Atlantic: “ ‘This Must Be Your First’ ”

They Might Be Giants

Here are this week’s cocktail chatters: 

John: Dalya Alberge for the Guardian: “ ‘Sistine Chapel of the Ancients' Rock Art Discovered in Remote Amazon Forest”

David: Armando Iannucci’s The Personal History of David Copperfield

Emily: Esmé E. Deprez for Bloomberg Businessweek: “How Medela Lost Moms”

Listener chatter from Charlotte Hope, @charlottehope: Elizabeth Yuko for Architectural Digest: “How Previous Epidemics Impacted Home Design”

Slate Plus members get a bonus 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 David, Emily, and John consider a question from listener Daniela Koontz about ideal road trips.

You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest. Tweet us your cocktail chatter using #cocktailchatter. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

The email address for the Political Gabfest is [email protected]. (Email 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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As Joe Biden assembles his cabinet, he has an opportunity to remake America’s image on the global stage. What if the US was seen as a cooperative partner rather than a big-footed global leader? 

Guest: Peter Beinart, contributing opinion writer to the New York Times and editor-at-large for Jewish Currents. 

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Teachers unions are catching flack for obstructing a return to in-person school. The president of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, says teachers want to be in school. The question still is, can it be done safely? 

Guest: Randi Weingarten, President of the American Federation of Teachers. 

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As COVID ravages the American plains, the Cherokee nation stands alone – an example of how government might work to contain the virus. The tribe long ago gave up waiting for the federal government to come through on its promise of fully-funded health care, and invested in state-of-the-art healthcare infrastructure, just in time. But as winter sets in, Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr. worries his community can’t remain an island forever.

Guest: Chuck Hoskin, Jr. is the Principal Chief of the Cherokee Nation.  

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Since the beginning of the pandemic, the NFL has asserted that they would continue with their regular season this fall. They’ve kept their word. They’ve also had significant outbreaks -- and the virus keeps interrupting the season. What explains the NFL’s determination to white-knuckle it through the year? 

Guest: Bomani Jones, host of The Right Time with Bomani Jones podcast, from ESPN. 

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Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Jack Goldsmith, Harvard Law professor, senior Hoover Institution fellow, co-founder of the Lawfare blog, and co-author (with Bob Bauer) of After Trump: Reconstructing the Presidency. They unpack the presidential pardon power and try to figure out what Attorney General Bill Barr is up to with John Durham’s investigation of the investigation into the 2016 election. 

In our Slate Plus segment, Mark Joseph Stern joins Dahlia to analyse what’s been happening at the Supreme Court in the last 14 days, including last week’s religious freedom decision weighing public worship in the pandemic, the latest Census case, and Justice Samuel Alito’s eagerness to hear from Pennsylvania. 

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Podcast production by Sara Burningham.

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Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Anna Szymanski discuss Salesforce’s $27.7 billion acquisition of Slack, Nasdaq’s proposed plan to require more diverse boards, and Amazon’s big hiring spree. 

In the Slate Plus segment: Will we go back to the movies?

Email: [email protected]

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

Twitter: @felixsalmon, @Three_Guineas, @EmilyRPeck

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Ransomware attacks--when hackers break into digital systems, encrypt files, and demand payment to unlock them, isn’t new. But 2020 has seen an explosion in the frequency of these hacks, which are often targeted at schools and hospitals. Who is behind this recent spate of attacks? And is there anything schools and hospitals can do to protect themselves?

Guests:

Jessica Beyer, teacher at Baltimore County Public Schools

Dave Uberti, cyber security reporter at the Wall Street Journal

Host

Lizzie O’Leary

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