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A Texas Standoff Aug 18, 2021

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The Texas state legislature is at a standstill. A month ago, House Democrats fled to DC to prevent the passage of a restrictive voting law but as time ticks by it’s becoming clear that they might have to go back to the drawing board -- and back to Texas.

Guest: Ashley Lopez, Senior Reporter at KUT

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How Afghanistan Ended Like This Aug 17, 2021

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American forces are leaving Afghanistan after 20 years of fighting the country’s longest war. Following a hasty withdrawal of U.S. forces, the Taliban now controls most of the country, including the capital of Kabul. The U.S.-backed government has fled, leaving many civilians desperate to find a way out. How did things get so bad so quickly?

Guest: Fred Kaplan, Slate’s War Stories columnist. Kaplan is the author of The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War.

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Mask Wars and the Start of School in the South Aug 16, 2021

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Masks were uncontroversial for many state leaders at the onset of the pandemic last year. But now, masks have become politicized, and in Mississippi, Governor Tate Reeves has reversed his previous stance, refusing to order a mask mandate and leaving local school districts to fend for themselves during a massive surge in COVID cases.

Guest: Nick Judin, reporter for the Mississippi Free Press.

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TBD | What's Taking the FDA So Long? Aug 13, 2021

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Experts say that a “fully approved” designation for the vaccines could have sweeping effects. Broader vaccination mandates, inclusion for new age groups, and reassurance for those hesitant to take a vaccine without the designation. As calls for approval grow louder and more urgent, the Food and Drug Administration is yet to give its blessing. What’s happening inside the FDA as they work toward this milestone?

Guest: Sarah Owermohle, health care reporter at Politico

Host:

Lizzie O’Leary

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What's Taking the FDA So Long? Aug 13, 2021

Show notes

Guest: Sarah Owermohle, health care reporter at Politico

Host:

Lizzie O’Leary

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

When Your Town Burns Down Aug 12, 2021

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Last week, the northern California mountain town of Greenville was wiped out by the Dixie Fire, which has lasted for nearly a month and is now the largest wildfire in California history. Greenville residents have just begun to assess the damage to their homes and businesses. Is it safe to rebuild? Is it even ethical, when wildfires are only expected to get worse?

Guest: Margaret Garcia, also known as Meg Upton, reporter at Plumas News.

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A DOJ Lawyer’s Attempt to Overthrow the Election Aug 11, 2021

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We’re still learning the details about how Donald Trump and his supporters tried to get the 2020 presidential election results overturned. One scheme involved attorneys general across several states, and lawyers deep in the Department of Justice. This is the story of one of those lawyers, Jeffrey Bossert Clark, and his desperate attempts to keep Trump in power.

Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, staff writer for Slate on the courts and law.

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The Latest Blow to American Workers Aug 10, 2021

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For decades, Richard Trumka was the head of the country’s largest labor federation. Widely considered to be the face of the American labor movement while workers faced a surge in union busting campaigns, Trumka presided over an organization that was diverse and fractious. Last week, he passed away.

What is the state of the labor movement without its longtime leader? And how can his successor steer workers to safer waters?

Guest: Erik Loomis, a labor historian at the University of Rhode Island and the author of A History of America in Ten Strikes.

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A Doctor in the Middle of the Florida Surge Aug 09, 2021

Show notes

The delta variant is making its way through the country, becoming the leading strain of the coronavirus and increasing case counts as it goes. In few places is the crisis more severe than in Florida, where new daily case counts are hitting all-time highs and vaccination rates have leveled out around 50%. Gov. Ron DeSantis has refused to instate a mask mandate and insists that the spike is just a “seasonal wave” -- even as healthcare workers are pushed to the brink trying to care for ill patients.

Guest: Bernard Ashby, a vascular cardiologist in Miami and the Florida director of the Committee to Protect Healthcare.

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TBD | Can America Fix Its Trains? Aug 06, 2021

Show notes

America used to be at the vanguard of railroad technology. What went wrong? And can the new infrastructure bill fix our broken system?

Guests: Alon Levy and Eric Goldwyn of the Marron Institute at NYU

Host

Henry Grabar

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