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Welcome to The Authority, Slate’s deep dive into the world(s) of HBO’s His Dark Materials. Each week, Slate’s scholars of experimental theology Dan Kois and Laura Miller discuss the HBO series and Philip Pullman’s original trilogy. This week, they cover Episode 2 of Season 2, “The Cave,” in which Lyra meets Mary Malone, a theoretical physicist in our world. She, and we, make some major discoveries about Dust. Email: asktheauthority@slate.com Podcast production by Phil Surkis. Dan Kois on Twitter: @dankois Laura Miller on Twitter: @magiciansbook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virginia Heffernan talks to Jonathan Mahler, staff writer at the New York Times Magazine, about the possibilities for prosecuting Trump and the concept of “moving on” or healing from his crimes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virginia Heffernan talks to Emily Jane Fox, writer at Vanity Fair and co-host of Inside the Hive, about what will happen to Ivanka after her father’s presidency ends, her art collection and tackiness, who will stay in her social circle and who will snub her, and insights from covering her over the last five years. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to The Authority, Slate’s deep dive into the world(s) of HBO’s His Dark Materials. Each week, Slate’s scholars of experimental theology Dan Kois and Laura Miller discuss the HBO series and Philip Pullman’s original trilogy. It’s a new season, and Lyra and Will aren’t the only people who’ve traveled to entirely different worlds. We all have since the show’s first season ended in 2019. Can Season 2 recapture the magic? We explore the season premiere, “The City of Magpies,” and discuss the architecture of Citàgazze, the growing friendship between Lyra and Will, and the secret powers of witches. Email: asktheauthority@slate.com Podcast production by Phil Surkis. Dan Kois on Twitter: @dankois Laura Miller on Twitter: @magiciansbook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this Trumpcast Plus preview, Virginia Heffernan talks to Jack Goldsmith, Harvard Law School professor and co-author of After Trump, about why Donald Trump’s violation of norms come with more social or political penalties than legal ones, where his norm-crushing has potentially endangered us, and what reforms we can adopt to reduce those projected dangers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virginia Heffernan welcomes back Jacob Weisberg, founder of Trumpcast and CEO of Pushkin Industries, and talks about the outrageousness of Trump’s coup attempt—however ridiculous it may be—and why we’re still going to be OK, sorting out our feelings after election week, and a bookend to that fateful election night four years ago. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike is an average guy on a mission to change the state of Florida—specifically, to convince the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to stop overspraying the rivers and lakes with herbicides. As a fisherman, Mike cares deeply about the waterways in his state, but he’s struggling to break into the conversation and make a real impact. In this episode of How To!, we bring on Erin Brockovich, the citizen activist and inspiration for the Oscar-winning film Erin Brockovich starring Julia Roberts. Drawing on her new book Superman’s Not Coming, she has tips for how Mike can follow in her footsteps to enact environmental change. As much as Mike may want to keep shouting about his cause until someone listens, he may need to switch tactics to actually get people to hear him. If you liked this episode, check out “How To Save the Planet (And Still Use a Plastic Straw).” Are you facing a challenge that seems insurmountable? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz reflect on the election results, the upcoming transition, how senior Republicans are dealing with Donald Trump's loss, and what comes next for Stacey Abrams and Pete Buttigieg. You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest.  The email address for the Political Gabfest is gabfest@slate.com. (Email may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by June Thomas. Sign up for Slate Plus to support the Political Gabfest and the rest of Slate's journalism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virginia Heffernan talks to Ekow Yankah, professor of law at Cardozo School of Law, about those wacky Trump election lawsuits, the Republican attempts at voter suppression in the wake of close counts, and about how learning someone else’s language in order to sell them something leads you to become more like them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest.    The email address for the Political Gabfest is gabfest@slate.com. (Email may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank. Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virginia Heffernan talks to Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux, senior writer at FiveThirtyEight, about why we’re heading for a record gender gap in our presidential voting, issues for women voters and gender as a political frame, how differently individual voters interpret questions about issues like health care and the economy, and the drop in Trump support among white Christians. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Larry Nance Jr. is an NBA player for the Cleveland Cavaliers. He’s also a first-time voter. After the NBA players’ ranks exploded with activism this summer, Nance and his teammates realized that they could change their states, themselves. They were the political activists they had been waiting for. Guest: Larry Nance Jr., player for the Cleveland Cavaliers.  Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Episode Notes: Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, to discuss voting and the crisis of legitimacy facing a Supreme Court embroiled in politics, the election, and an epochal shift to the right.  In our Slate Plus segment, Dahlia is joined by Brian Fallon of Demand Justice to discuss the whys and the wherefores of court reform.  Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show. Podcast production by Sara Burningham. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virginia Heffernan talks to Benjamin Wittes, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and editor-in-chief of Lawfare Blog, about how Trump was able to fulfill a full term in office despite everything, and the concept of majoritarianism. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virginia Heffernan talks to Christian Picciolini, a former neo-Nazi skinhead and musician who now works to disengage others from virulent bigory and hate cults. He talks about his indoctrination into—and exodus from—the racist movement, neo-Nazi strategies of the 80s and 90s, the history of anti-racist skinheads in the U.S., and the psychology and needs of cult hoppers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Isabelle decided to spend her gap year as a political volunteer campaigning on behalf of Joe Biden. She’s been writing postcards, making phone calls, and even posting on social media. But she worries she’s not making enough of an impact, and is surprised by how many people are convinced their vote doesn’t matter. In this special bonus episode of How To!, we bring on Don Green, professor of political science at Columbia and co-author of the book Get Out the Vote: How to Increase Voter Turnout. He recommends the most effective way to connect with potential voters and convince them to actually cast their ballot. It turns out yard signs are overrated.  If you liked this episode, check out “How To Talk Politics Without Wrecking Relationships.” If you have a question, send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virginia Heffernan talks to Carlos Lozada, Washington Post nonfiction book critic and author of What Were We Thinking: A Brief Intellectual History of the Trump Era. They discuss a few of the 150+ Trump books Lozada has read; books from Trump sycophants and intellectual supporters; and thoughts on the books by Omarosa, Michael Cohen’s, and James Comey. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Slate's Political Gabfest will be published on Friday this week. Listen to this 15 second note to find out why! You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest. Tweet us your cocktail chatter using #cocktailchatter. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)   The email address for the Political Gabfest is gabfest@slate.com. (Email may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Virginia Heffernan talks to Kathleen Kingsbury and Farah Stockman of the New York Times editorial board about the publication’s weekend op-ed package making a verdict against Trump; Stockman’s experiences embedded with the Trump-voting working class for four years and how Democrats fail to reach them; and why seniority matters to them on the job. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode: Jamilah Lemieux checks in with four of Slate’s Ask a Teacher columnists to see how this very unusual school year is going. Brandon Hersey, Cassy Sarnell, Matthew Dicks, and Amy Scott talk about ways their teaching styles have changed, some unexpected positive outcomes, and ways parents can help teachers help their kids. Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on MADAF each week, and no ads. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Catch Jamilah’s Slate Live show The Kids Are Asleep every Thursday at 7 p.m. PT/10 p.m. ET. Stream it on Slate’s Facebook page or YouTube channel.  Join us on Facebook and email us at momanddad@slate.com to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we should talk about in future episodes.  Thank you to Brandon Hersey, Cassy Sarnell, Matthew Dicks, and Amy Scott for their insight.  Podcast produced by Rosemary Belson and June Thomas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices