Slate News

All around the world, scientific research has been put on hold to concentrate resources on one thing: a vaccine for COVID-19. The usual red tape that slows down these experiments has been removed. And at a lab in Baltimore, researchers are working around the clock to recruit trial participants, prepare vaccine doses, and study results. 

Guest: Dr. Kirsten Lyke, lead investigator on COVID-19 vaccine trials at the University of Maryland’s Center for Vaccine Development and Global Health. 

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The criminal case against former Trump adviser Michael Flynn has been full of plot-twists. But the biggest about-face came last week, when the Department of Justice moved to drop the case entirely. Lawyers who had worked on the investigation registered their disgust by refusing to sign the motion. U.S. Attorney General William Barr says he hopes history will look kindly on his decision. Critics say the move undermines any future attempt to hold the Trump administration accountable.

Guest: Dahlia Lithwick, legal correspondent for Slate and host of the podcast Amicus. 

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We spoke to Greta Privitera back in mid-March, a few weeks after she and her family isolated themselves at home in northern Italy. Now, with Italy taking baby steps toward normalcy, Greta says she’s enjoying her walks outside, she still worries about another surge in COVID-19 cases. And by the look of things, she's not alone.

Guest: Greta Privitera, a journalist living in Milan. Read her latest dispatch for Slate.  

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Ahmaud Arbery was shot dead on a Sunday afternoon in southern Georgia. He had been jogging a few miles from his home. The shooting happened on February 23. It took more than two months for officials to make any arrests. Why?

Guest: Christian Boone, public safety reporter for the AJC. 

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Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Susan Hennessey, national security analyst and executive editor of Lawfare to discuss the ramifications of the Justice Department’s decision to drop the case against Michael Flynn. Later in the show, Lithwick is joined by veteran Supreme Court watcher Linda Greenhouse to unpack the new format for Supreme Court arguments: a teleconference carried live on C-SPAN, with a close look at the birth control case you might have missed. 

In the Slate Plus segment, Mark Joseph Stern on how Flushgate could affect post-pandemic openness at the Supreme Court and which justice is crushing the conference calls. Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

Podcast production by Sara Burningham.

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Urban theorist Richard Florida joins the Slate Money hosts to discuss all sorts of questions around cities and coronavirus--such as how population density factors into the virus’ spread, why certain cities are faring better than others, and what our cities might look like after the pandemic.  

In the Slate Plus segment: The reaction to COVID-19 and climate change. 

Email: [email protected]

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

Twitter: @felixsalmon, @Three_Guineas, @EmilyRPeck

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Yesterday, New York City announced that it would provide 140,000 free antibody tests to residents who want to know if they have been exposed to the coronavirus. And New York isn’t alone: large-scale antibody testing is ramping up around the country.

But with faulty tests flooding the market and questions about whether a positive test really confers immunity are antibody tests really worth the bother?

Guests: Shannon Palus, staff writer for Slate, and Dr. Natalie E. Dean, assistant professor of biostatistics at the University of Florida.

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Yesterday, New York City announced that it would provide 140,000 free antibody tests to residents who want to know if they have been exposed to the coronavirus. And New York isn’t alone: large-scale antibody testing is ramping up around the country.

But with faulty tests flooding the market and questions about whether a positive test really confers immunity are antibody tests really worth the bother?

Guests: Shannon Palus, staff writer for Slate, and Dr. Natalie E. Dean, assistant professor of biostatistics at the University of Florida.

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Virginia Heffernan talks to Rolling Stone D.C. Bureau Chief Andy Kroll about the specifics around Jared Kushner’s mishandling of the coronavirus crisis, the role of Oscar Health, the group of Bush-era doctors and epidemiologists calling themselves “Red Dawn,” and the collective amnesia in Washington, D.C. that prevents us from tackling sizable problems.

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Emily, John and David discuss states reopening as numbers of cases continue to climb; this year’s election security challenges; and they're joined by guest Gene Sperling to talk about “economic dignity.”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment David, Emily, and John discuss how to save the summer. 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.

You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest. Tweet us your cocktail chatter using #cocktailchatter or post it to our Facebook page. (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.

Notes and references from this week’s show:

Nicholas Confessore, Andrew Jacobs, Jodi Kantor, Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Luis Ferré-Sadurní for the New York Times: “How Kushner’s Volunteer Force Led a Fumbling Hunt for Medical Supplies”

Jason Dearen and Mike Stobbe for the Associated Press: “US Shelves Detailed Guide to Reopening Country”

Emily Bazelon for the New York Times Magazine: “Will Americans Lose Their Right to Vote in the Pandemic?”

Mark Joseph Stern for Slate: “Trump Can’t Cancel the Election. But States Could Do It for Him.”

Economic Dignity by Gene B. Sterling

Gene B. Sperling for the New York Times: “Martin Luther King Jr. Predicted This Moment”

Jason DeParle for the New York Times: “As Hunger Swells, Food Stamps Become a Partisan Flash Point”

Harry Potter and the Sacred Text’s online classes

Spy Hop’s on demand art classes

National Karate’s online classes

This week’s cocktail chatters:

Emily: Richard L. Hansen for Slate: “We Cannot Hold an Election Without a Functional Post Office”; Strict Scrutiny: “Stay Frustrated”

John: The New York Times’ The Daily: “One Meat Plant. One Thousand Infections”; Mike Baker for the New York Times: “‘Murder Hornets’ in the U.S.: The Rush to Stop the Asian Giant Hornet”

David: Benjamin Wofford for The Washingtonian: “Sally Quinn Modeled the Erotic Hero of Her 1991 Bestseller on…Anthony Fauci. Yes, that Anthony Fauci.”; Perry Stein and Donna St. George for the Washington Post: “Despite Pushback, Sidwell and Other D.C.-area Prep Schools are Keeping Their Small-Business Loans”

Listener chatter from Dave Campbell @DaveCampbell116: Twitter thread from Rhodri Davies

@Rhodri_H_Davies about Irish people donating to a crowdfunding campaign to help Choctaw & Navajo people hit by Covid-19, in recognition of support given by Choctaw during Irish famine of 1845.

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