Not long ago, the QAnon conspiracy theory seemed to have lost momentum. Social media mentions had decreased. 8chan had gone offline. But since March, fueled by the pandemic and social media giants, the conspiracy has taken on new life.What’s responsible for the rapid uptake of the movement? And now that QAnon has spilled over to the mainstream, how far can it go?Guest:Ali Breland, reporter at Mother Jones HostCeleste Headlee Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the early days of the pandemic, countries around the world invested heavily in new technologies that would help track the movement of the virus. Now, six months later, contact tracing apps are all but an afterthought in the fight to contain COVID-19. What happened? The U.K. provides some answers. The country put its faith in technology to contain the virus, and paid the price.Guest:Gus Hosein, executive director at Privacy International HostCeleste Headlee Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the early days of internet search engines, Google set itself apart by providing a simple service. A list of links, inviting you to explore the websites that best matched your query. It was a portal to the rest of the internet. But over the last two decades, that mission has changed.Does Google search still take you to the best result for your query? Or does it point users back to its own suite of products?Guest:Adrianne Jeffries, investigative journalist at The Markup. HostCeleste Headlee Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Over the past five months, city blocks have been slipping away. Bars are closed; restaurants are half-empty; retail is shuttered. As the country returns to varying states of lockdown, how long can these blocks hold on? This week: how one commercial strip on Chicago’s South Side is weathering the pandemic.  Guests:Nedra Sims Fears, executive director of the Greater Chatham InitiativeBrian d'Antignac, The WoodshopJaidah Wilson-Turnbow, Frances Cocktail LoungeZoie Reams, Brown Sugar Bakery  HostHenry Grabar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For the last four months, federal and state eviction moratoria have kept Americans in their apartments, even if they couldn’t pay rent. Now, with financial relief in question, and moratoria set to expire, the first of the month might look very different for millions of Americans.Guests:Emily, a resident of Chicago’s Northwest SideMark Durakovic, principal at Kass ManagementPeter Hepburn, analyst at Princeton’s Eviction LabHostHenry Grabar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

More than any other U.S. city, New Orleans banks on its culture. From music to restaurants to parades, the city relies on a steady stream of tourists to support its many artists and institutions. In March, those tourists stopped visiting. And without them, the fragile infrastructure of clubs, venues, and performances is starting to collapse. Can New Orleans survive the coronavirus?Guests:Patrick Williams, harmonica playerJesse Paige, owner of the Blue NileAsali DeVan Ecclesiastes, Executive Director of the Ashé Cultural Arts Center Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After months of coronavirus lockdowns, cities are taking stock of their finances. The situation is bleak. With plummeting sales and property tax revenue, American cities of all sizes may be facing a budget crisis. What happens when local governments have to cut their budgets by double-digit percentages? Will the federal government learn from the Great Recession and intervene?Guests:Minh Nguyen, owner of Cafe TH in HoustonChris Brown, Houston City ControllerMildred Warner, professor of urban planning at Cornell. Host: Henry Grabar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tens of thousands of people leave American cities every year. Normally, they’re replaced by new arrivals seeking jobs, education, and opportunity. But in a world transformed by the coronavirus, what happens if nobody arrives to replace them?Guests:Emily Badger, reporter at the New York TimesNatalie Moore, reporter at WBEZAmanda Kolson Hurley, editor at Bloomberg BusinessweekHost: Henry Grabar Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Since March, white-collar offices in major cities across the United States have stood empty. Now, with growing evidence that the workforce is equally effective at home, companies and designers are starting to rethink the office—what it looks like, what it’s used for, and if it’s really needed at all.But this wholesale reimagining of office life comes at a cost. How will the severe reduction of commuters transform American cities?Guests:John Capobianco, principal at IA Interior ArchitectsHannah Hackathorn, principal at UnispaceEllen Baer, BID president, Hudson Square Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Responding to protests around the country, the New York City Council passed the POST Act: Public Oversight of Surveillance Technology last week. The bill will require the NYPD to reveal the extent of their surveillance technology deployed within the city. For the first time, New Yorkers will get a clear picture of the technology being employed to watch and trace them. Experts say to expect the worst.Guest: Ángel S. Díaz, counsel at the Brennan Center for Justice. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices