Slate News

Guest Cecilia Kang, technology and policy reporter for the New York Times, discusses President Biden's concerns about AI, the White House's plans for regulation, the limitations of watermarking AI-generated content, the executive order on AI regulation, international coordination for AI safety standards, and the government's tension with AI use and regulation.

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Nikki Haley’s progress and Ron DeSantis’s stagnation in Iowa, Donald Trump’s testimony in New York, and Dean Phillips’s campaign in New Hampshire; the first social-media cases of the term at the Supreme Court; and Ours Was the Shining Future: The Story of the American Dream with author David Leonhardt. And you can be a part of the show: submit your Conundrum at slate.com/conundrum.  Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:Brianne Pfannenstiel for the Des Moines Register: “Donald Trump builds on big lead as Nikki Haley pulls even with Ron DeSantis in Iowa Poll” Jennifer Rubin for The Washington Post: “Nikki Haley has a shot. But a really, really long one.”Jonah E. Bromwich and Ben Protess for The New York Times: “Trump Civil Fraud Trial: Donald Trump Jr. Resumes Testifying in Fraud Case Aimed at His Father”Geoffrey Skelley for 538: The curious case of Dean Phillips’s last-minute primary challenge538: “How popular is Joe Biden?”Jeff Neal for Harvard Law Today: “The Supreme Court takes on (anti)social media”Adam Liptak for The New York Times: “Supreme Court Lifts Limits for Now on Biden Officials’ Contacts With Tech Platforms”Amy Howe for SCOTUSblog: “Justices take major Florida and Texas social media cases”Ours Was the Shining Future: The Story of the American Dream by David LeonhardtEmily Bazelon for The New York Times’s The Morning newsletter, November 2, 2023David Leonhardt for The Atlantic: “The Hard Truth About Immigration”Peter Dizikes for MIT News: “Q&A: David Autor on the long afterlife of the “China shock””History.com: “A. Philip Randolph”Natasha Singer for The New York Times: “This Florida School District Banned Cellphones. Here’s What Happened.” and “New Laws on Kids and Social Media Are Stymied by Industry Lawsuits”Cristiano Lima and Naomi Nix for The Washington Post: “41 states sue Meta, claiming Instagram, Facebook are addictive, harm kids” Here are this week’s chatters:Emily: The New Yorker’s Poetry Podcast with Kevin Young: “Toi Derricotte Reads Tracy K. Smith”John: The Graham Norton Show: “Dame Judi Dench Masterfully Does A Shakespeare Sonnet”; BBC Radio 4’s Cabin Pressure; Endeavour on PBS Masterpiece; John Dickerson for CBS News Prime Time: “Grammy-winning artist Jason Isbell talks about the craft of songwriting and his latest music”; and Ray Bradbury in the Los Angeles Times: “’Ice Cream Suit’--Touchstone for the Past and Present”David: Sarah Zhang for The Atlantic: “Everything I Thought I Knew About Nasal Congestion Is Wrong”Listener chatter from Albert Fox Cahn: N’dea Yancey-Bragg for USA Today: “Advocates say excited delirium provides cover for police violence. They want it banned” and John Dickerson for CBS News 60 Minutes: “How a questionable syndrome, “Excited Delirium,” could be protecting police officers from misconduct charges” For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David talk about classroom cellphone bans.In the latest Gabfest Reads, David talks with Kristi Coulter about her book, Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career. Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth Research by Julie Huygen Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Prof. Mohammed Hafez discusses the history and ideology of Hamas, exploring national liberation movements, Hamas' origins and growth, the impact of the First Intifada, and Netanyahu's contribution to Hamas' rise. The podcast also touches on Hamas' seizure of power in Gaza and concerns regarding free and fair elections.

Ryan Reilly, justice reporter at NBC News and author of Sedition Hunters: How January 6th Broke the Justice System, discusses the crucial role of online sleuths in identifying Capitol riot suspects. The podcast explores their methods, successes, challenges, and frustration with the FBI's slow progress. It also delves into the difficulties the FBI faces in accessing certain apps and videos created by insurrectionists and highlights the potential impact of online sedition hunters in the future political landscape.

Mark Follman, national affairs editor at Mother Jones, discusses the ineffectiveness of yellow flag laws in preventing mass shootings and explores the importance of behavioral threat assessment. The chapter highlights the flaws in the regulatory system that allows individuals with serious mental health conditions to legally purchase firearms. It also emphasizes the importance of a multi-disciplinary team in threat assessment and discusses the effectiveness and bipartisan support for red flag laws as a means of preventing gun violence.

Guest U'i Kahue, cultural practitioner and co-owner of Maui Grown 808, LLP, talks about the struggles of the tourism economy and displaced residents after wildfires in Lahaina, Maui. Topics include living conditions and uncertainties faced by survivors, the deadly windstorm during evacuation, tension between residents and businesses, and the gradual reopening of Maui.

The hosts discuss people's perception of the economy, the recent GDP growth in the US, billion-dollar oil mergers, and the transition to clean energy. They also debate the pointlessness of coins, Taylor Swift's net worth, and trade restrictions.

Slate's Jurisprudence Editor, Jeremy Stahl, discusses the legal landscape of Trump's courtroom battles. They cover the civil and criminal cases involving Trump, absurd apologies in criminal cases, lawsuits related to election subversion, impact on Trump's reputation, and Team Trump's messaging strategy.

Nitish Pahwa, a business and tech writer, covers the trial of Sam Bankman Freed, former CEO of Cryptocurrency Exchange FTX. Topics discussed include Freed's defense testimony, FTX's treatment of customer assets, an interview about FTX's usage of customer deposits and bar lending, and the anticipation of upcoming events in the trial.

David Zipper, visiting fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School, explores the recent suspension of Cruise's permits and the implications for the future of self-driving cars. Topics discussed include questionable behavior of self-driving cars, expansion of services in San Francisco, issues with the DMV, and safety concerns surrounding autonomous vehicles.