The Toxic Combo Behind Colorado’s Police Shootings

Colorado has one of the highest rates of officer involved shootings in the country. After looking at the data, reporters from Colorado Public Radio found that the problem is exacerbated by a complex mix of meth addiction, illegal firearms, and car theft. Guest: Allison Sherry, Reporter for Colorado Public Radio Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did Bill Barr Break the Justice Department?

Attorney General William Barr has lost the confidence of more than 2,600 former Department of Justice employees. We talked to one of them. Guest: Donald Ayer, who served in the Department of Justice under George H. W. Bush. Read his piece in the Atlantic, “Bill Barr Must Resign.” Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why Republicans Always Win

Republicans have relied on one organization in particular to help pass conservative laws in states across the country: The American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC. The kicker is that ALEC learned its tricks from public-sector unions. Guest: Alex Hertel-Fernandez, Assistant Professor of Political Affairs at Columbia University. Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, Danielle Hewitt, and Mara Silvers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WN TBD: Inside Facebook’s Supreme Court

After years of controversial content moderation decisions, from deepfakes to deplatforming, Facebook is trying something new. In January, the social network announced that its new Oversight Board, which will act as a sort of supreme court for controversial content, will begin hearing cases this summer. Could this independent board change the way we govern speech online? Guest: Kate Klonick, assistant professor at St. John’s University School of Law, and fellow at the Information Society Project at Yale. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Will a Union Spoil Bernie’s Chances in Nevada?

The Culinary Workers Union Local 226 has dominated Nevada politics for years. Last week, leaders announced that the union would not endorse any of the Democratic primary candidates before the caucuses this Saturday. Did union leaders make that call because of the tricky politics of Medicare for All? Are they just trying to preserve the union’s reputation as a political kingmaker? Or is the non-endorsement an indication of a deeply divided left? Guest: Steven Greenhouse, author of “Beaten Down, Worked Up: The Past, Present & Future of American Labor.” Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, Danielle Hewitt, and Mara Silvers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

How ICE Is Weaponizing Therapy

Unaccompanied minors at the border are required to speak to a therapist on a weekly basis. Now, officials with Immigration and Customs Enforcement are able to use what was once confidential against these young migrants in court. Guest: Hannah Dreier, national reporter for the Washington Post Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is Michael Bloomberg Sorry?

Since he launched his bid for the Democratic nomination, Michael Bloomberg has been trying to distance himself from the legacy of ‘stop and frisk.’ He says stops went down 95 percent by the end of his time as mayor. Darius Charney, one of the lawyers that helped bring down the policy, doesn’t buy it. As he tells it, there’s little evidence that Mayor Bloomberg means it when he says “I’m sorry.” Guest: Darius Charney, Senior Staff Attorney for the Center for Constitutional Rights Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Introducing: The United States of Anxiety

Every so often, the What Next team wants to share another great podcast with our listeners. This time, it's The United States of Anxiety from WNYC. In its fourth season, host Kai Wright is figuring out how the intense debates happening during the 2020 election can be traced back to a key point in American history. To listen to the rest of the episodes, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

WN TBD: Coronavirus Tests China's Surveillance State

Over the last month, as coronavirus spread across China, Xi Jinping’s vast surveillance and censorship infrastructure went into high gear. But with outrage growing over the death of a beloved doctor, and surveillance technology under strain, the virus is exposing the limits of the Chinese Communist Party’s techno-authoritarian network. Guest: Josh Chin, Wall Street Journal reporter covering Chinese politics and tech Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Trump Appointee on a Mission to Gut Medicaid

A few weeks back the Trump administration made an announcement. They rolled out a new health care policy called the Healthy Adult Opportunity. It’s a policy that would give states the option of reducing benefits for millions of Medicaid patients. This is only the latest in a line of attempts to scale back the Medicaid program by Seema Verma. Why is this such a priority for the Trump administration and Verma herself? And how are Republicans trying to square cuts to such a popular program in an election year? Guest: Dan Diamond, host of Pulse Check and writes the POLITICO Pulse — a morning briefing on health care politics and policy. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices