Slate Podcast What Next

Last week the House Judiciary Committee voted along party lines on new investigative procedures the panel will use as they inch closer and closer to possibly writing articles of impeachment. So, has the impeachment conversation changed on Capitol Hill? And is today’s hearing with Corey Lewandowski the first test? Guest: Rachael Bade, Congressional reporter for the Washington Post Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now.

Last week the lieutenant governor of Texas, Dan Patrick, came out in support of modest background checks for gun sales. In the past, even the mere suggestion of tighter gun laws was a career ender for Texas Republicans. Are the political winds shifting on guns in Texas? Guest: Ross Ramsey, executive editor of the Texas Tribune Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now.

There’s a fight brewing between four auto makers and the Trump administration. This fight is largely about environmental regulations -- but it’s also about what kind of governance is required to have a thriving national economy. And the U.S. might be losing its edge. Guest: Tim Puko, reporter covering energy policy for the Wall Street Journal. Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, Danielle Hewitt, and Mara Silvers. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast...

Vice President Joe Biden still holds a wide lead in Democratic primary polls. Candidates who want to attack him at tonight’s primary debate do so at their own risk. Guest: Slate’s Jim Newell. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now.

President Donald Trump and his now former national security adviser, John Bolton, have had their differences. From North Korea to Iran, the two have been at odds with one another on some of the most important foreign policy decisions. That tension boiled over with the president tweeting, "I disagreed strongly with many of his suggestions, as did others in the Administration, and therefore I asked John for his resignation, which was given to me this morning." Bolton responded quickly saying,...

A group of unpaid miners has blockaded a railway in Harlan County, Kentucky. The goal? Stop a train car full of their former employer’s coal from going to market until they get what they’re owed. It’s a straightforward protest that has been going on for more than six weeks now. One thing that isn’t so straightforward, however? How to help coal mining communities, like the ones in Harlan County, confront a future with less and less coal. Guests: Gary Lewis, Harlan County miner, and Ken Ward...

Twice in two decades, the Electoral College has created great, big questions about presidential legitimacy. Is it time for a tune-up? Guest: Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now.

Last month, Representative Joaquin Castro tweeted out a list of Trump donors living in his district in San Antonio. Actress Debra Messing asked for an attendance list at a Trump fundraiser in Beverly Hills. Both efforts were likened to doxxing or blacklisting. Should political donors be named if they might also be targeted? Guest: Dahlia Lithwick, legal correspondent and host of the Amicus podcast. Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Danielle Hewitt. Slate Plus members...

Just weeks into his role as prime minister, Boris Johnson has kicked the U.K.’s Brexit drama into high gear. It culminated yesterday in a vote that would force him to delay Britain’s EU exit until Jan. 31, 2020, unless Parliament (in an unlikely scenario) votes to approve a new deal or support a no-deal Brexit by Oct. 19. Johnson has responded by threatening to call a general election in hopes of regaining a governing majority. Is a general election the answer to this Brexit mess? Guest:...

When Christopher Werth saw some paint chips falling off a radiator in his daughter’s New York City classroom, he picked one up and sent it to get tested. The results spurred him to launch a larger investigation into lead exposure in New York City classrooms. Just across the river in Newark, New Jersey, another city is dealing with its own lead troubles. Elevated levels of the metal have been found in the city’s drinking water. What do these two cases tell us about the legacy of lead in...

What would it look like if the U.S. Senate ditched its filibuster rule, allowing legislation to pass with just a simple majority? Guest: Slate staff writer Jim Newell. Podcast production by Mary Wilson and Jayson De Leon. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now.

How has Mexico President Andrés Manuel López Obrador changed his country’s approach to migrants heading north? Guest: León Krauze, Slate columnist, Trumpcast co-host, and Univision news anchor. This episode originally aired in April 2019. Podcast production by Mary Wilson and Jayson De Leon.

Back in March, Rep. Ilhan Omar spoke passionately about pro-Israel political forces that “push for allegiance to a foreign country.” She later apologized for unwittingly deploying an anti-Semitic trope. Why were Omar’s words so triggering? And is she making a fair point? Guest: Slate economics & policy writer Jordan Weissmann. This episode originally aired in March 2019. Podcast production by Mary Wilson and Jayson De Leon.

Henry Grabar explains why the global market for your trash collapsed, and how American recyclers are course-correcting. Guest: Meleesa Johnson, president of the Associated Recyclers of Wisconsin. This show originally aired in April 2019. Podcast production by Mary Wilson and Jayson De Leon.

Some of your favorite presidents have tried to pack the Supreme Court. So why does it sound like such an extreme tactic? And how did some of the top Democrats running for president come to embrace it? Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, Slate’s legal correspondent. This episode originally aired in March 2019. Podcast production by Mary Wilson and Jayson De Leon.

Joe Biden might be the favorite to defeat President Trump, but that doesn’t mean Biden would defeat Trumpism. Guest: Jamelle Bouie, New York Times Columnist. This episode was first posted on March 12, 2019. Podcast production by Mary Wilson and Jayson De Leon.

Over the past several months, tensions have escalated in Hong Kong, Kashmir, and the United States. Each for their own reasons. But what if all these headlines are connected? Guest: Josh Keating, international editor at Slate For more information about this episode please read: • “The Next Jimmy Aldaoud” by Chris Gelardi • “India’s Great Disenfranchisement” by Namrata Kolachalam • “Crossing a Line in Kashmir” by Nitish Pahwa

Henry Grabar fills in as host, surveying how the Democratic presidential candidates would try to fix the housing affordability crisis. What kinds of local policies have given rise to the crisis in the first place? Guest: Jenny Schuetz, a fellow at Brookings. Related: Watch Elizabeth Warren explain her plan to boost homeownership among black and brown families. Podcast production by Sam Lee with help from Danielle Hewitt. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds....

When it comes to pedestrian deaths, the Sun Belt is the most dangerous area in the country. Six of the 10 most dangerous metro areas for pedestrians are located in Florida. Nineteen of the top 20 are in the Sun Belt. How is the way we build our cities and suburbs contributing to the problem? And what can be done to try to reduce traffic deaths across the country? Guest: Angie Schmitt, writer Streetsblog USA

Activists invigorated by the Women’s March and the Me Too movement are expanding the definition of what it means to be a female political leader. Meet one woman who’s coaching them along the way. Guest: Chris Jahnke, speech coach to women working in politics. Podcast production by Samantha Lee with help from Danielle Hewitt. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now.