Author: Slate Podcasts

Twenty-six-year-old Breonna Taylor was shot and killed by a Louisville Metro Police officer in March. Four months later, and in the wake of mass protests against police brutality, her case is still being investigated. What will justice look like for Breonna Taylor?

Guest: Tessa Duvall, reporter for the Courier-Journal

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The NBA has announced an ambitious plan to restart the season more than 4 months after it was abruptly halted due to the coronavirus. 22 teams have entered the COVID-free “bubble” at Disney’s Wide World of Sports in Orlando, Florida — a state with some of the highest cases of coronavirus in the country. As long as players and staff remain in the bubble, they will undergo regular coronavirus tests and face strict campus rules. So what’s life like inside the NBA bubble? And what does this experiment say about who gets access to coronavirus testing and results?

Guest: Ben Golliver covers the NBA for the Washington Post. 

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Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the NIAID and member of the Trump administration’s coronavirus task force, talks about the surge in cases, reopening schools and the White House’s recent attempts to discredit him. 

Guest: Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

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This weekend, disturbing video of unmarked federal agents detaining a protestor in Portland circulated on Twitter. Even the state government of Oregon was unable to identify the agents. Now, the state is suing the federal government. Oregon is seeking a restraining order to stop the unlawful detention of its citizens. Why is this happening in Portland?

Guest: Jonathan Levinson, producer for Oregon Public Broadcasting

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After months of coronavirus lockdowns, cities are taking stock of their finances. The situation is bleak. With plummeting sales and property tax revenue, American cities of all sizes may be facing a budget crisis. What happens when local governments have to cut their budgets by double-digit percentages? Will the federal government learn from the Great Recession and intervene?

Guests:

Minh Nguyen, owner of Cafe TH in Houston

Chris Brown, Houston City Controller

Mildred Warner, professor of urban planning at Cornell.

 

Host: Henry Grabar

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In the early hours of Tuesday morning, the Supreme Court authorized the federal government to carry out its first execution in 17 years. Daniel Lee was convicted back in the 1990s of murdering an Arkansas family in a white supremacist plot. Attorney General William Barr pushed for his execution to take place starting last year. Why have federal executions resumed under his administration and what does it mean for the future of the death penalty?

Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, covers the courts and the law for Slate.

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As fall approaches, the Trump administration is calling for a full reopening of schools. Now, districts across the country are scrambling to figure out if it’s even possible to safely bring students back in the classroom at all. 

Guest: Laura Meckler, national education writer for the Washington Post

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Swedish officials eschewed sweeping shutdowns when the pandemic hit. Some reasoned that Sweden could still power down if COVID-19 cases spiked. But the spike arrived, along with a high death rate, and still there’s been no policy change. 

Guest: Lena Einhorn, author, filmmaker, and former medical researcher. 

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