error message when downloading slate

[sdow1]

Started this morning. Slate won't download and I get the following error:

calibre, version 0.7.45
ERROR: Conversion Error: <b>Failed</b>: Fetch news from Slate (complete)

Fetch news from Slate (complete)
Resolved conversion options
calibre version: 0.7.45
{'asciiize': False,
 'author_sort': None,
 'authors': None,
 'base_font_size': 0,
 'book_producer': None,
 'change_justification': 'original',
 'chapter': None,
 'chapter_mark': 'pagebreak',
 'comments': None,
 'cover': None,
 'debug_pipeline': None,
 'dehyphenate': True,
 'delete_blank_paragraphs': True,
 'disable_font_rescaling': False,
 'dont_download_recipe': False,
 'dont_split_on_page_breaks': True,
 'enable_heuristics': False,
 'epub_flatten': False,
 'extra_css': None,
 'extract_to': None,
 'fix_indents': True,
 'flow_size': 260,
 'font_size_mapping': None,
 'format_scene_breaks': True,
 'html_unwrap_factor': 0.4,
 'input_encoding': None,
 'input_profile': <calibre.customize.profiles.InputProfile object at 0x10849fdd0>,
 'insert_blank_line': False,
 'insert_metadata': False,
 'isbn': None,
 'italicize_common_cases': True,
 'keep_ligatures': False,
 'language': None,
 'level1_toc': None,
 'level2_toc': None,
 'level3_toc': None,
 'line_height': 0,
 'linearize_tables': False,
 'lrf': False,
 'margin_bottom': 5.0,
 'margin_left': 5.0,
 'margin_right': 5.0,
 'margin_top': 5.0,
 'markup_chapter_headings': True,
 'max_toc_links': 50,
 'minimum_line_height': 120.0,
 'no_chapters_in_toc': False,
 'no_default_epub_cover': False,
 'no_inline_navbars': False,
 'no_svg_cover': False,
 'output_profile': <calibre.customize.profiles.NookOutput object at 0x1084a2590>,
 'page_breaks_before': None,
 'password': None,
 'prefer_metadata_cover': False,
 'preserve_cover_aspect_ratio': False,
 'pretty_print': True,
 'pubdate': None,
 'publisher': None,
 'rating': None,
 'read_metadata_from_opf': None,
 'remove_first_image': False,
 'remove_paragraph_spacing': False,
 'remove_paragraph_spacing_indent_size': 1.5,
 'renumber_headings': True,
 'replace_scene_breaks': '',
 'series': None,
 'series_index': None,
 'smarten_punctuation': False,
 'sr1_replace': '',
 'sr1_search': '',
 'sr2_replace': '',
 'sr2_search': '',
 'sr3_replace': '',
 'sr3_search': '',
 'tags': None,
 'test': False,
 'timestamp': None,
 'title': None,
 'title_sort': None,
 'toc_filter': None,
 'toc_threshold': 6,
 'unwrap_lines': True,
 'use_auto_toc': False,
 'username': None,
 'verbose': 2}
Python function terminated unexpectedly: expected string or buffer
InputFormatPlugin: Recipe Input running
Briefing url = http://www.slate.com/id/2065896/view/2057067/ 
PROCESSING SECTION name = Briefing
  >>> skipping You're invited to Slate's Political Gabfest in West Lafayette, Indiana! But you have to register for tickets. (title keyword exclusion: Gabfest) <<<

  >>> skipping Please join us for a live Political Gabfest on Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. in Washington, D.C. (title keyword exclusion: Gabfest) <<<

  >>> skipping Introducing Trending News Channel, Slate V's crowdsourced video newscast. (title keyword exclusion: Slate V) <<<

PROCESSING SECTION name = News & Politics
  >>> skipping Hu Jintao, health care repeal, and Joe Lieberman's retirement: The Political Gabfest for Jan. 21, 2011. (title keyword exclusion: Gabfest) <<<

PROCESSING SECTION name = Arts
PROCESSING SECTION name = Life
PROCESSING SECTION name = Business & Tech
PROCESSING SECTION name = Science
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/Applications/calibre.app/Contents/Resources/Python/lib/python2.7/site.py", line 147, in main
    return run_entry_point()
  File "/Applications/calibre.app/Contents/Resources/Python/lib/python2.7/site.py", line 116, in run_entry_point
    return getattr(pmod, func)()
  File "site-packages/calibre/utils/ipc/worker.py", line 110, in main
  File "site-packages/calibre/gui2/convert/gui_conversion.py", line 25, in gui_convert
  File "site-packages/calibre/ebooks/conversion/plumber.py", line 904, in run
  File "site-packages/calibre/customize/conversion.py", line 204, in __call__
  File "site-packages/calibre/web/feeds/input.py", line 105, in convert
  File "site-packages/calibre/web/feeds/news.py", line 734, in download
  File "site-packages/calibre/web/feeds/news.py", line 873, in build_index
  File "site-packages/calibre/web/feeds/__init__.py", line 337, in feeds_from_index
  File "site-packages/calibre/web/feeds/__init__.py", line 164, in populate_from_preparsed_feed
  File "site-packages/calibre/web/feeds/__init__.py", line 47, in __init__
  File "site-packages/calibre/utils/cleantext.py", line 24, in clean_ascii_chars
TypeError: expected string or buffer

[kovidgoyal]

There's a regression in 0.7.45 that broke a few recipes (ironically, the bug was introduced by an effort to make it more robust). I've uploaded fixed builds so either re-install or wait for 0.7.46

[sdow1]

Thanks. I'll reinstall ASAP.