Demolition Man
Slate Daily Feed
Slate
3.9 • 1.1K Ratings
🗓️ 25 October 2025
⏱️ 58 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Bulldozers and bulwarks are the twin themes of this week’s show, as Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Joyce White Vance, a longtime federal prosecutor and clarion voice in defense of the rule of law, despite its flaws. As Pam Bondi’s Justice department chases down the President’s opponents, Congress walks away from its constitutional duties, and the highest court in the land struggles to find a presidential demand too outrageous to rubber stamp, it’s no wonder many Americans are exhausted by the attempt to toggle between hope and despair. Lithwick and Vance discuss the many challenges to the integrity of the justice system and ponder what ordinary people can do to bolster vital democratic institutions under siege. Vance's new book, 'Giving Up is Unforgivable,' serves as a manual for citizens who understand that surviving this moment (and thriving after it) is a massive team project. It’s okay to huff a little hopium sometimes, but only if it’s the good stuff.
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Transcript
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| 0:56.2 | This is Amicus, Slate's podcast about the courts and the law and the Supreme Court. |
| 1:01.7 | I'm Dahlia Ludwig. It won't interfere with the current building. I won't be near it, it'll be near it, but not touching it. |
| 1:22.6 | And pays total respect to the existing building, which I'm the biggest fan of. It's my favorite. |
| 1:30.7 | In order to do it properly, we had to take down the existing structure. |
| 1:35.4 | When it comes to phase one of this project, the tearing down of the current East Wing structure, |
| 1:41.3 | a submission is not required legally for that. |
| 1:45.0 | And it's being paid for 100% by me and some friends of mine donors. |
| 1:49.5 | At this moment in time, of course, the ballroom is really the president's main priority. |
| 2:08.9 | Amid the deluge of dehumanizing imagery that flashes before our eyes each day, the demolition of the East Wing of the White House still managed to provoke shock. |
| 2:14.7 | The iconic historic buildings guts on display, a bulldozer's claw reaching to tear down more |
... |
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