Slate News

Emily, John and David discuss Tara Reade’s allegations against Joe Biden, the debate over reopening schools, and the three hosts are joined by astronaut Scott Kelly to talk through tips for living in confined spaces.

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment David, Emily, and John discuss the ethics of human challenge trials for vaccine development. 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.)

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

Michael J. Stern for USA Today: “Why I'm Skeptical About Reade's Sexual Assault Claim Against Biden: Ex-Prosecutor”

Brian & Eddie Krassenstein for Medium: “Biden Accuser, Tara Reade, Allegedly Stole from Non-Profit Organization”

Seren Morris for Newsweek: “What is 1 Day Sooner? Scientists Seek Volunteers to Become Infected with Coronavirus to Speed Up Vaccine Development” 

Peter Singer and Richard Yetter Chappell for the Washington Post: “Pandemic Ethics: The Case for Experiments on Human Volunteers”

Eminent Victorians by Lytton Strachey

Here are this week’s cocktail chatters:

Emily: Linda Villarosa for The New York Times Magazine: “‘A Terrible Price’: The Deadly Racial Disparities of Covid-19 in America” 

John: Kathryn Krawczyk for The Week: “Michigan Governor Introduces a GI Bill for Frontline Workers”; Rosalind Adams and Ken Bensinger for Buzzfeed: “After One Tweet To President Trump, This Man Got $69 Million From New York For Ventilators”

David: David’s new newsletter for Business Insider; Johnny Diaz for the New York Times: “Cities Close Streets to Cars, Opening Space for Social Distancing”

Listener chatter from Püblic Üniversal Fiend @UniversalFiend: Associated Press: “Dutch Students Complete Trans-Atlantic Voyage Forced by Coronavirus”

Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank.

Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired June 2019.

Notre Dame basketball coach Muffet McGraw wasn’t planning on making a speech about feminism and gender equality. But at a press conference before the Final Four tournament, that’s just what she did, launching into a screed about the dearth of women in government, politics, corporate C-suites, and sports. “We don’t have enough female role models,” McGraw said. “Men run the world!” The viral moment was a lifetime in the making. 

Guest: Muffet McGraw, head coach of the Notre Dame women’s basketball team. 

Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Ethan Brooks.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When the first known case of coronavirus in the United States was detected in a suburb of Seattle, the region quickly became the epicenter of the pandemic in the country. Now, almost two months later, Seattle has suffered only 500 COVID-19 deaths while New York has over 22,000. What choices led to such disparate outcomes? 

Guest: Charles Duhigg, Host of Slate’s How To Podcast

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Slate Money mini-series, Felix Salmon talks to guests about the economics of food.

This week, Tad Friend joins to discuss the growing alternative meat industry, the plant-based crusade of Impossible Foods CEO Pat Brown and the significant environmental benefits of ditching the beef patty.

"Value Meal" by Tad Friend for The New Yorker

Email: [email protected]

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Georgia has confirmed more than 24,000 cases of COVID-19 and tallied close to 1,000 deaths from the disease. However, Governor Brian Kemp is still allowing a number of the state’s businesses to reopen this week, citing an increased capacity for testing and hospitalizations. Employers, for their part, have been left in a lurch. How do small business owners reopen? Should they? And, if an owner chooses to remain shuttered, can it count on the government for help?

Guest: Christopher Escobar, owner of the Plaza Theatre in Atlanta. 

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With 26 million Americans filing for unemployment in the last five weeks, it’s obvious that the economy is still broken. However, Congress hasn’t been sitting on its heels—trillions of dollars of aid have been approved with billions more signed into law this week. The problem? It just hasn’t been enough. Now, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office forecasts unemployment could reach 16 percent later this year. So, what else can Congress do to resuscitate the economy?

Guest: Jordan Weissmann, Slate’s senior business and economics correspondent. 

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Colorado State Attorney General Phil Weiser to talk about how states’ rights fit into the picture of America that’s emerging in this pandemic. 

In the Slate Plus segment, Mark Joseph Stern joins Dahlia to talk about the big decisions that came down from the high court this week and what they mean for other, even bigger, decisions yet to come this term. Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

Podcast production by Sara Burningham.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Felix, Anna, and Emily discuss the price of oil, the Paycheck Protection Program round two, and the results of their informal poll on stimulus checks. 

Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on Slate Money each week, and no ads. Sign up now to listen and support our show.

In the Slate Plus segment: The United States Oil Fund.

Email: [email protected]

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

Twitter: @felixsalmon, @Three_Guineas, @EmilyRPeck

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are over 60 vaccines for the coronavirus currently in development. Four of them are already being tested in humans. As researchers move at breakneck speed to find a vaccine, they’re debating breaking (or at least bending) the rules that ensure the end product is safe.

How do we balance speed with safety in the rush to develop a vaccine?

Guest: Dr. Timothy Lahey, an infectious diseases doctor, ethicist, and vaccine researcher at the University of Vermont Medical Center.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are over 60 vaccines for the coronavirus currently in development. Four of them are already being tested in humans. As researchers move at breakneck speed to find a vaccine, they’re debating breaking (or at least bending) the rules that ensure the end product is safe.

How do we balance speed with safety in the rush to develop a vaccine?

Guest: Dr. Timothy Lahey, an infectious diseases doctor, ethicist, and vaccine researcher at the University of Vermont Medical Center.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.