Author: Slate Podcasts

Somewhere in Washington right now there is a whistleblower. We don’t know who they are, what their job is, or if they’re a man or a woman. The only thing we do know is that they are in the middle of a political firestorm. So, how did this all come about? And will it be enough to push Congress to act?

Guest: Shane Harris, covers intelligence and national security for the Washington Post.

To learn more about the Hunter Biden story, check out our episode from earlier this summer: "The Cloud Over Joe Biden's Son."

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi held his first rally in the U.S. when he was elected in 2014. Now, he’s coming back to appear in front of 50,000 people in Houston, Texas. The other person expected to take the stage is President Trump. So, what do the leaders of the world’s two largest democracies plan to gain from the visit?

Guest: Milan Vaishnav, director of the South Asia Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

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A buzzy new drug to help treat people with a peanut allergy was recommended for approval by an FDA advisory board this week. It would be the first government-approved method intended to combat these kinds of allergic reactions. The story behind that drug helps explain how the cost of many prescription drugs ends up being so high.

Guest: James Hamblin, staff writer at The Atlantic.

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A star college athlete can help rake in millions for the schools they attend but never see a cent for themselves because of existing NCAA rules. California lawmakers just passed a bill that would allow collegiate athletes to profit off of their name, likeness and image in a step to rectify the discrepancy. The Fair Pay for Play Act is just a piece of the larger conversation about paying college athletes. Is the NCAA being pulled closer to paying its athletes?

Guest: Bomani Jones, Co-Host of ESPN’s High Noon and host of The Right Time with Bomani Jones

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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

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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

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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.

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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.

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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, "I offered to resign last night and President Trump said, ‘Let’s talk about it tomorrow.’ "

Whatever the case, again there’s a hole waiting to be filled on Trump’s national security team. What happened that pushed Trump’s fight with Bolton over the edge? And what does it mean that Trump is now 0–3 on national security advisers?

Guest: Shane Harris, intelligence and national security reporter for the Washington Post

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