What Next: TBD | Tech, power, and the future

On Tuesday, after years of inaction, Twitter fact checked President Trump’s tweets for the first time. Six words were added below the original text, directing readers to outside articles refuting his claims.Two days later, the president signed an executive order that aims to change the nature of online speech, and the platforms that host it.Guest: Casey Newton, Silicon Valley editor at the Verge HostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the coronavirus shut down manufacturing across California in March and April, Elon Musk only wanted one thing: to start making cars again.So when local government officials in Alameda County got in his way, Musk took the fight public, and won.Guest: Kara Swisher, co-host of the Pivot podcast.HostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Every week, it feels like some new piece of coronavirus information dominates the headlines. Mysterious symptoms, changing government directives. This constant trickle of updates can quickly turn into a flood.How should normal people interpret this deluge of data?Guest: Emily Oster, professor of economics at Brown University and co-founder of COVID-Explained. HostLizzie O’Leary   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Yesterday, New York City announced that it would provide 140,000 free antibody tests to residents who want to know if they have been exposed to the coronavirus. And New York isn’t alone: large-scale antibody testing is ramping up around the country.But with faulty tests flooding the market and questions about whether a positive test really confers immunity are antibody tests really worth the bother?Guests: Shannon Palus, staff writer for Slate, and Dr. Natalie E. Dean, assistant professor of biostatistics at the University of Florida. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the world’s largest tech companies posted their quarterly earnings. And—unlike most other companies in the world—things aren’t looking so bad. With the global economy reeling, and people sheltering indoors, the tech giants have an opportunity to reshape the way we live. Don’t expect them to wait on the sidelines.Guest: Elizabeth Dwoskin, Silicon Valley correspondent at the Washington Post Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There are over 60 vaccines for the coronavirus currently in development. Four of them are already being tested in humans. As researchers move at breakneck speed to find a vaccine, they’re debating breaking (or at least bending) the rules that ensure the end product is safe.How do we balance speed with safety in the rush to develop a vaccine?Guest: Dr. Timothy Lahey, an infectious diseases doctor, ethicist, and vaccine researcher at the University of Vermont Medical Center. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Before the U.S. can start opening back up, states will need to put systems in place for “contact tracing,” or meticulous tracking of the disease within communities. South Korea’s extensive tracing program has all but eliminated the spread of the virus within its borders. What will it take for the U.S. to do the same?Guests: Raphael Rashid, a freelance journalist, and Dr. Mike Reid, professor at University of California, San FranciscoHostHenry Grabar Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As governments around the world try to predict the toll and duration of the coronavirus, they’re turning increasingly to a handful of forecasting models for answers. But many of the leading models differ drastically in their approach and methods. What do we need to know about these forecasts? And what are their limitations?Guest: Jordan Ellenberg, mathematics professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.Host: Lizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, workers at Amazon, Whole Foods, and Instacart have announced mass strikes across the country. Though demand for these services is high, pay and protection is low.What exactly do we owe to the delivery workers at the front lines of the pandemic? And with these companies hiring in record numbers, can the strikes succeed?Guests: Heidi Carrico, founding member of the Gig Workers Collective, and Johana Bhuiyan, tech accountability reporter at the Los Angeles Times. HostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence. Sign up now to listen and support our work.The United States failed to roll out widespread testing in the early days of the pandemic. Now it faces critical shortages of supplies as it scrambles to track the disease around the country.Until testing is available at scale, Americans won’t be able to return to their normal lives. So: what will it take to solve the country’s testing shortage?Guest: Robert P. Baird, contributor to the New Yorker Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.