I Have To Ask

Elif Batuman, is an author and staff writer for The New Yorker. She’s the daughter of Turkish immigrants and her first book, The Possessed, was about her experiences with Russian literature and her travels around the world. She sat down with Isaac Chotiner to talk about her work and her new novel, The Idiot. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Isaac is joined by Emmy Award–winning news anchor Chris Hayes, host of All In with Chris Hayes on MSNBC and author of the new book A Colony in a Nation, which argues that there are really two different Americas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the inaugural episode of Slate’s interview podcast, I Have to Ask, host Isaac Chotiner speaks with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer. Senator Schumer finds himself in a political climate unlike anything he has witnessed in his 38 years in Washington. The Democrats face a minority in both Houses and President Donald Trump has almost completely rebuked the protocols of his office, causing traditional politicians, like Schumer, to think differently about policy making and making their message heard.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As Slate’s resident interrogator, Isaac Chotiner has tangled with Newt Gingrich and gotten personal with novelist Jonathan Franzen.  Now he’s bringing his pointed and smart interview style to the new podcast “I Have to Ask.”  Isaac will talk one-on-one with newsmakers, celebrities, and cultural icons to help us better understand them and our world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices