Category: 3-DailySometimeCommentary

Pete Buttigieg will take the stage at the fifth presidential democratic debate as the front-runner in the Iowa polls. His rise, while surprising for some, can’t simply be explained as luck. So, how did Buttigieg go from being the mayor of South Bend with a name nobody could pronounce to the Democratic front-runner for president in Iowa? Plus, how might competitors try to knock Mayor Pete off his game at the debate?

Guest: Adam Wren, contributing editor at Politico Magazine and Indianapolis Monthly.

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

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

• In an epic 12 hour impeach-a-thon, four witnesses took the stand, including Lt. Colonel Vindman, Pence aid Jennifer Williams, former special envoy to Ukraine Kurt Volker, and Europe and Russia special expert slash spokesman for drinking milk Tim Morrison. We talk through the biggest takeaways.
• And in headlines: Epstein guards on trial, Madea’s big debate, and the new Cats trailer is not safe for human or animal consumption

Bolivia’s first indigenous president, Evo Morales, was pushed out of office this month after attempting to secure an unprecedented fourth term. Now, the country is consumed by a power vacuum and the economy is facing challenges. How did Bolivia get here, and how can it rebound?

Guest: Brian Winter, editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly. 

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

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

• The trial of Roger Stone has led Democrats to dust off their old yellowed copies of The Mueller Report, and broaden the impeachment inquiry to crimes Trump may have committed outside of the Ukraine ones.
• Joe Biden’s recent comments about weed as a “gateway drug” (thank you, Vice President DARE Mascot) lead us to examine different candidates’ perspectives on marijuana legalization.
• And in headlines: the US signs off on Israeli settlements in the West Bank, Trump backtracks on mango JUUL pods, and a tragic case of Jay against K.

Rep. Devin Nunes has been in Congress for over a decade. In those years he built up a lot of political capital in the Republican party–Nunes is currently a member of the Gang of Eight, a bi-partisan set of eight leaders in Congress who are briefed on classified intelligence matters by the executive branch. How has the congressman from California and former Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee changed over the years? And, why has Nunes’ approach to defend the president in the impeachment inquiry irked those in his own party?

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

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

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

• Pete Buttigieg is surging in Iowa, and Michael Bloomberg is kicking off his late-blooming campaign by apologizing for his racist “Stop & Frisk” policy. We discuss this and more in our 2020 primary update.
• Texas death row inmate Rodney Reed was granted an indefinite stay by the courts last week. We look at the evidence that Reed was falsely convicted, and discuss how his case gained traction.
• And in headlines: impeachment updates, the case of Lizzo v. Postmates, and a goodbye to Eddie Rispone.