Elon Musk Tried and Failed to Buy the WI Court Race

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss liberal judge Susan Crawford’s sweeping victory in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race; Trump’s new, nearly universal massive tariffs; and the dangerously casual standards the government is using to deport alleged gang members despite acknowledged mistakes.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Katie Glueck for The New York Times (Analysis): ‘Big Psychological Boost’ for Democrats in String of Elections

The Editorial Board for The Wall Street Journal (Opinion), April 1, 2025 – The MAGA Backlash Arrives

Jonathan Martin for Politico: D-Day for Musk: Democrats in Special Elections Target Trump’s DOGE Chief

John Hendrickson for The Atlantic: Musk Is Still Paying For Political Influence

Megan O’Matz for ProPublica: How Elon Musk, George Soros and Other Billionaires Are Shaping the Most Expensive Court Race in U.S. History

Katherine Swartz, Nuha Dolby, and Claire Heddles for NOTUS: Money Didn’t Equal Wins in Florida and Wisconsin’s Elections

Juana Summers, Tyler Bartlam, and Patrick Jarenwattananon for NPR (All Things Considered): Sen. Cory Booker on his marathon, 25-hour speech on the Senate floor

Sarah Lehr for Wisconsin Public Radio: Voter ID requirement will be added to Wisconsin Constitution after referendum passes

Kristen Soltis Anderson for the New York Times (Opinion): What Should Worry Republicans the Most Right Now

David E. Sanger for The New York Times (Analysis): Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ Tariffs Are Coming, but at a Cost to U.S. Alliances

Eric Boehm for Reason: A Trade War Will Reduce American Exports Too

The Editorial Board for The Wall Street Journal (Opinion): A $6 Trillion Trump Tax Increase?

John Michaelson for The Wall Street Journal (Opinion): The Case for Tariffs

Nick Miroff for The Atlantic: An ‘Administrative Error’ Sends a Maryland Father to a Salvadoran Prison

Sergio Martínez-Beltrán for NPR: Advocates say flawed ‘checklist’ targets Venezuelans for deportation under archaic wartime act

Fiona Harrigan for Reason: Deported for Innocent Tattoos?

Judd Legum, Rebecca Crosby, and Noel Sims for Popular Information (Substack): Trump claims a Michael Jordan tattoo is evidence of Venezuelan gang membership

Andrew Eggers for The Bulwark: Morning Shots: A Noun, A Verb, and Tren de Aragua

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Stephanie Nolen for the New York Times: Millions of Women Will Lose Access to Contraception as a Result of Trump Aid Cuts.

John: Arthur Delaney for HuffPost: Emails Confirm Social Security Administration Canceled Maine Contracts As Political Payback; Fatima Hussein and Patrick Whittle for the Associated Press: Social Security’s acting leader faces calls to resign over decision to cut Maine contracts. Bodkin on Netflix.

David: Book Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space, by author Adam Higginbotham; Movie The Intern with Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway (official trailer on YouTube: The Intern); book Emma by Jane Austen (Emma ebook at Project Gutenberg; Emma at Jane Austen’s House).

Listener chatter from Emma in Lebanon, New Hampshire: Vermont’s ‘Mr. Maple’ Has Great Stories To Tell

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily talks with Annie Karni and Luke Broadwater about their new book, Mad House: How Donald Trump, MAGA Mean Girls, A Former Used Car Salesman, A Florida Nepo Baby, and a Man With Rats In His Walls Broke Congress.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, David talks with author Adam Higginbotham about his new book, Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to [email protected]. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Kevin Bendis

Research by Emily Ditto

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