Author: Slate Podcasts

For years, the Postal Service has faced financial turmoil. Now, facing a pandemic, mail volume has dropped off and the question has resurfaced: Can the post office survive? Devin Leonard wrote the book on the Postal Service and says how it got to this latest crisis is more complicated than it seems. With the post master general saying that the service could be financially insolvent by the fall, is this the government’s last chance to right the ship?

Guest: Devin Leonard, writer for Bloomberg and Bloomberg Businessweek. He’s also the author of Neither Snow Nor Rain: A History of the United States Postal Service.

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It all started when the weather took a turn for the better. Surfers and beachgoers flocked to Orange County shores, only to find them cordoned off, at the behest of Governor Gavin Newsom. Protestors took to the streets in Huntington Beach, demanding an end to the shutdowns. The demonstrations weren't huge. But, in the world of Republican politics, you ignore Orange County at your own peril.

Guest: Gustavo Arellano, writer at the Los Angeles Times and host of L.A. Times podcast Coronavirus in California. He’s also the author of Orange County: A Personal History.

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Last spring, Lucy Flores wrote in The Cut that Joe Biden invaded her personal space and sniffed her hair at a campaign event in 2014. She says Biden never reached out to her after she went public. Now, as Joe Biden faces even more serious allegations from a former staffer, what action does Lucy expect from the former Vice President?

Guest: Lucy Flores, Former Nevada Assemblywoman and CEO Luz Collective.

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As the coronavirus continues to leave people sick and out of work, alone and under stress, there’s one particular group of people taking special notice, extremists. It's not just the virus that is spreading. Extreme and violent rhetoric is too.

Guest: Hannah Allam, covers extremism for NPR.

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Today we're introducing you to one of our favorite podcasts, Code Switch!

Hosted by Gene Demby and Shereen Marisol Meraji, Code Switch offers some of the best stories and conversations about race you'll find anywhere.

On today's bonus episode you'll hear a fascinating story about what happened when Puerto Ricans were asked for the first time on their census form: "What is your race?"

The answer reveals a lot about the island's relationship with the US and, of course, our identities.

Don't forget to subscribe to Code Switch wherever you listen to podcasts.

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This week, the world’s largest tech companies posted their quarterly earnings. And—unlike most other companies in the world—things aren’t looking so bad. With the global economy reeling, and people sheltering indoors, the tech giants have an opportunity to reshape the way we live. Don’t expect them to wait on the sidelines.

Guest: Elizabeth Dwoskin, Silicon Valley correspondent at the Washington Post

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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.

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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

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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. 

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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. 

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