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One Last Absurd Attempt to Overturn the Election Jan 06, 2021

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Today, Congress will meet in a joint session to confirm Joe Biden’s election as the 46th president of the United States. Even though the process is ceremonial, some Republicans are using it as a last-ditch effort to vindicate President Trump and burnish their own Trumpist bona fides.

Guest: Jim Newell, Slate’s senior politics reporter.

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The Vaccine Rollout Hits Some Bumps Jan 05, 2021

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So far, the vaccine roll out in the United States has been underwhelming. States are scrambling to get doses out to patients before they expire. We won’t be behind schedule on vaccine distribution forever, but to make matters worse, a more infectious variant of COVID-19 has increased the urgency.

Guest: Apoorva Mandavilli is a health and science reporter with the New York Times.

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All Eyes on Georgia Jan 04, 2021

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On Tuesday, Georgia voters will decide which party holds the majority in the United States senate. Activists like Nse Ufot have been criss crossing the state trying to rally new voters to the polls. Will this flurry of activity flip Georgia blue again?

Guest: Nse Ufot, CEO of the New Georgia Project

Cleve Wootson, National Political Reporter for the Washington Post

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Larry Kramer Wouldn't Be Quiet Dec 31, 2020

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Larry Kramer always made sure you heard him loud and clear. He was a playwright, a novelist, but he was perhaps best known for his work as an AIDS activist. In the 1980s and 1990s, Kramer sought to wake up the world to the plague that was killing millions of people through provocative demonstrations, fiery essays, and righteous anger. A world class troublemaker, Kramer died last week leaving a body of work that could serve as a lesson for this moment in American history.

Guest: Mark Harris, a journalist and writer at New York Magazine.

For a closer look at the history of ACT UP check out: United in Anger: A History of ACT UP.

This episode originally aired June 2020.

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Remembering RBG Dec 30, 2020

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On Friday, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed away at the age of 87. Her work as a lawyer and a judge forever changed how women are viewed under United States law. As the nation mourns, her absence sparks a fight in the senate about who is going to choose the next Supreme Court Justice.

Guest: Dahlia Lithwick, host of Slate’s Amicus podcast.

This episode originally aired September, 2020.

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

Grief, Comedy, and COVID Dec 29, 2020

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Over the summer, comedian Laurie Kilmartin took to Twitter to joke about something that wasn’t funny: Her mom was dying. JoAnn Kilmartin, Laurie’s mother, had contracted the coronavirus in her nursing home and was on her deathbed only a few miles from Laurie’s home in southern California.

Guest: Laurie Kilmartin, comedian and author of Dead People Suck: A Guide for Survivors of the Newly Departed.

We’re re-running some of our favorite episodes from the past year. This episode originally aired in June, 2020.

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Teaching Is Hell Right Now Dec 28, 2020

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Hybrid learning is a massive educational experiment playing out in schools across the country. No two classrooms are alike. We took a look at one teacher’s experience.

Guest: Christopher Pinto, a high school math and statistics teacher outside Houston, Texas.

This episode originally aired in September, 2020.

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A History of Violent Protest Dec 24, 2020

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The images are familiar now. The police in their face shields, armed with batons and cans of pepper spray. The protestors, sporting bruises, pouring milk on each others’ faces. What happened in the spring might make you feel uncomfortable and angry. Kellie Carter-Jackson says: that’s the point. And she says that a nice, peaceful protest may not accomplish the structural change America needs.

Guest: Kellie Carter-Jackson, PhD, a professor at Wellesley College and the author of Force & Freedom: Black Abolitionists the Politics of Violence.

This episode originally aired in June, 2020.

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He Saw the Coronavirus Coming Dec 23, 2020

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The coronavirus that gave rise to our present pandemic started in China as a bat virus that eventually made contact with humans. Researchers say this leap between species was highly predictable – so why were communities and governments caught flat-footed?

Guest: Peter Daszak, president of EcoHealth Alliance.

This episode originally aired in March, 2020.

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Finally, a Deal Dec 22, 2020

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Congress has agreed on another stimulus package, but to do so both Republicans and Democrats had to give up on high-priority demands. Why did this bill take so long, and why isn’t anyone all that excited about it?

Guest: Jordan Weissmann, Slate's senior business and economics correspondent

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