Author: Slate Podcasts

To most of its 150 million American consumers, TikTok is a fun app. To some creators, TikTok is a job and their platform. But to members of the US government, TikTok is a national security risk. As the fight over TikTok’s future comes to Capitol Hill this week, what’s next for the embattled social media platform?

Guest: Emily Baker-White, senior writer, tech reporter at Forbes

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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Despite his campaign promises, President Biden has signed off on the Willow Project, an $8 billion plan to extract 600 million barrels of oil from public lands in Alaska. But how useful might this 30-year project be with the country continually prioritizing electric energy?

Guest: Ben Lefebvre, energy reporter at Politico. 

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Since last summer, it’s been difficult to fill an Adderall prescription. The shortage is driving some people to try other ADHD medications—causing shortages of those medications too—while others are sourcing their medication on the “gray market.” 

Why is such a common drug nowhere to be found?And why has the FDA been so mum on the subject? 

Guests: 

Ike Swetlitz, health journalist for Bloomberg News

Sheila McClear, writer for Los Angeles magazine

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The Atlanta Police Foundation’s $90 million police training facility, a mock-urban space with a nightclub, convenience store, and even homes, has drawn the ire of police reform activists, environmentalists, and even advocates for the homeless. The months-long effort by forest-dwelling protesters to prevent the construction of this facility has left an advocate dead, a state trooper shot, 35 individuals facing terrorism charges, and a community divided.

Guest: Madeline Thigpen, criminal justice reporter at Capital B Atlanta.

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This weekend, former President Trump warned supporters on Truth Social he could be arrested on Tuesday, and called for them to “TAKE OUR NATION BACK!” Although it’s unclear whether Trump is facing imminent arrest, many observers believe legal proceedings focused on Trump’s “hush money” payment to Stormy Daniels suggest an indictment is coming soon.

How strong is this case, and how likely is it that Trump will face real legal consequences? 

Guests: 

Dahlia Lithwick, host of Slate’s Amicus, and author of “Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America.”

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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, and Madeline Ducharme, with help from Jared Downing and Laura Spencer.

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Using just what you’ve posted to social media, generative A.I. can create a “puppet version” of your voice—one that’s close enough to scam your family into paying thousands in, say, bail money. And imitating public officials to create “deep fakes” who say whatever they’re told is even easier. 

Guest: Pranshu Verma, tech reporter for the Washington Post.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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The economy is doing well almost every but in tech, where headlines about layoffs have been replaced with news about Silicon Valley Bank’s demise. The collapse of “the central artery for the tech industry” looks like the end of an era. Where do venture capitalists, start-ups—and the industry writ large—go now?

Guest: Priya Anand, reporter at Bloomberg covering venture capital and start-ups.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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Podcast production by Evan Campbell and Patrick Fort.

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