Author: Slate Podcasts

In a little over a week, tensions in the Middle East have gone from high to fever pitch. What started with one American civilian contractor in Iraq being killed escalated to airstrikes on militia-controlled sites in Iraq and Syria, killing 24 people and wounding dozens more. Then, a siege at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad by pro-Iranian militia and a response by the Trump administration that killed Iran’s top military commander.

What went into the decision to assassinate Gen. Qassem Soleimani? And is the United States prepared for what comes next?

Guest: Fred Kaplan, Slate’s War Stories correspondent and author of The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War, out later this month.

Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now.

Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, Danielle Hewitt, and Mara Silvers.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a little over a week, tensions in the Middle East have gone from high to fever pitch. What started with one American civilian contractor in Iraq being killed escalated to airstrikes on militia-controlled sites in Iraq and Syria, killing 24 people and wounding dozens more. Then, a siege at the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad by pro-Iranian militia and a response by the Trump administration that killed Iran’s top military commander.

What went into the decision to assassinate Gen. Qassem Soleimani? And is the United States prepared for what comes next?

Guest: Fred Kaplan, Slate’s War Stories correspondent and author of The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War, out later this month.

Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now.

Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, Danielle Hewitt, and Mara Silvers.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

President Donald Trump was impeached in the House of Representatives just over two weeks ago. There’s just one hitch: The articles of impeachment that were passed haven’t made it to the Senate … yet. It’s part of a tactical hold by the Democrats seeking to ensure that the majority-Republican Senate holds a fair trial. What does that mean? And is Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ready to do that?

Guest: Jim Newell, senior politics writer for Slate.

Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

President Donald Trump was impeached in the House of Representatives just over two weeks ago. There’s just one hitch: The articles of impeachment that were passed haven’t made it to the Senate … yet. It’s part of a tactical hold by the Democrats seeking to ensure that the majority-Republican Senate holds a fair trial. What does that mean? And is Majority Leader Mitch McConnell ready to do that?

Guest: Jim Newell, senior politics writer for Slate.

Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now.

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Around the country, states are employing algorithms to help reduce prison populations and predict recidivism. This week, we hear from a Wisconsin judge with serious reservations about the algorithm used in his state. Also: a deep dive into Virginia's risk-assessment algorithm and the surprising results of its implementation.

Guests:

Nicholas McNamara, judge on the circuit court of Dane County, Wisconsin.

Jennifer Doleac, associate professor of economics at Texas A&M and director of the Justice Tech Lab. 

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Around the country, states are employing algorithms to help reduce prison populations and predict recidivism. This week, we hear from a Wisconsin judge with serious reservations about the algorithm used in his state. Also: a deep dive into Virginia's risk-assessment algorithm and the surprising results of its implementation.

Guests:

Nicholas McNamara, judge on the circuit court of Dane County, Wisconsin.

Jennifer Doleac, associate professor of economics at Texas A&M and director of the Justice Tech Lab. 

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Around the country, states are employing algorithms to help reduce prison populations and predict recidivism. This week, we hear from a Wisconsin judge with serious reservations about the algorithm used in his state. Also: a deep dive into Virginia's risk-assessment algorithm and the surprising results of its implementation.

Guests:

Nicholas McNamara, judge on the circuit court of Dane County, Wisconsin.

Jennifer Doleac, associate professor of economics at Texas A&M and director of the Justice Tech Lab. 

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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When President Trump passed his tax overhaul in 2017, Democrats and Republicans were excited about the prospect of one specific provision. ‘Opportunity zones’ were meant to spur investment in low-income communities. Two years later, it’s unclear if that has actually happened. Billionaires, on the other hand, are benefitting from the program left and right.

Guest: Justin Elliott, reporter at ProPublica. 

Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now.

Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, Danielle Hewitt, and Mara Silvers.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices