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Hear Me Out: The Iraq War Was a Necessary Evil May 02, 2023

Show notes

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… Mission Accomplished?

This year marks the 20th anniversary of then-President Bush’s infamous address aboard an aircraft carrier, declaring that the war had been won and Iraqis were free.

We know now, of course, that the war had not been won – and in 2003, it was far from over. Many thousands of lives were lost. With the gift of hindsight, can we see the war as anything other than a costly mistake?

Iraqi-American and President of Ideas Beyond Borders Faisal Saeed Al Mutar joins Celeste to argue that the war, while mismanaged, was a victory — and that the alternatives could have been far, far worse.

If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can now email the show: hearmeout@slate.com

Podcast production by Maura Currie

You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months.

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Hi-Phi Nation: The Problem with Gig Work May 02, 2023

Show notes

Willy and Heidi were both gig workers for Shipt, the fast-delivery app for groceries or same-day shopping. In 2020, they both realised: the pay algorithm had changed. Now, they couldn’t tell what a job would pay, or whether it would earn or lose them money. Instead of just taking it, they decided to fight back.

In the gig economy, companies like Shipt, Instacart, and UberEats all use black box pay algorithms to try and get workers to accept gigs but hide information from them to do so. Early in the pandemic, a rag tag group of gig workers tried to resist, and found someone at MIT to help them.

Host Barry Lam talks to them about the steps they took, and political philosopher Daniel Halliday (University of Melbourne) talks about the differences between wage labor and freelance labor and why he thinks the biggest gig economy companies are morally suspect. Then, we talk the future of regulation and worker-owned apps and delivery platforms.

Guests include Drew Ambrogi (coworker.org), Dan Calacci (MIT). This is an in-depth, longform version of a story originally done for WNYC studio’s Radiolab in their Gigaverse episode.

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Hang Up: Steph Curry Lights the Beam May 01, 2023

Show notes

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by the Washington Post’s Ben Golliver to talk about the Warriors’ Game 7 win over the Kings. The Toronto Star’s Bruce Arthur also joins to discuss the Bruins’ NHL playoffs flop and the Maple Leafs’ historic first-round victory. Finally, Extra Points’ Matt Brown assesses Deion Sanders’ gutting of the Colorado football team.

Warriors-Kings (3:26): How Steph willed the defending champs to victory.

NHL (6:08): Another year, another regular-season juggernaut that won’t win the title.

Colorado football (48:50): Are Deion Sanders’ roster cuts immoral?

Afterballs (1:11:20): Stefan on a Penn basketball star in the transfer portal and Josh on the time a German soccer club signed the entire Cuban national team.

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Slate Money: Succession S4 Ep6: Living+ May 01, 2023

Show notes

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Ed Lee of the New York Times for a spoilery recap of episode six of the final season of HBO’s Succession. They talk about Waystar’s investors meeting, Roman’s attempts to fire some people, and Tom and Shiv’s new game.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and an additional segment of our show every week. You’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Slate Money. Sign up now at slate.com/moneyplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Patrick Fort.

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Working: An Opera Singer’s Meticulous Pre-Show Routine Apr 30, 2023

Show notes

This week, host Isaac Butler talks to opera singer Ryan Speedo Green, who is currently starring in the show Champion at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. In the interview, Speedo shares the meticulous pre-show routine that allows him to portray the real-life boxer Emile Griffith in Champion. He also discusses the research that went into the role, the unique genre-bending qualities of Champion, and his specialization in opera and opera alone.

After the interview, Isaac and co-host June Thomas discuss their own creative routines and practices.

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Speedo talks about the opera roles he would like to tackle in the future.

Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com or give us a call at (304) 933-9675.

To see Ryan Speedo Green perform in Champion or to see a special screening of the show in theaters on May 3rd, visit metopera.org.

Podcast production by Cameron Drews.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Working. Sign up now at slate.com/workingplus to help support our work.

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Slate Money: “Traffic”: Ben Smith and the Death of the Social Web Apr 29, 2023

Show notes

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Semafor editor-in-chief Ben Smith to discuss his new book. They also break down Tucker Carlson’s departure from Fox News and the end of Buzzfeed News.

In the Plus: A throwback to the olden days of blogging.

Podcast production by Patrick Fort.

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Future Tense Fiction: Live. Love. Die. Repeat? Apr 29, 2023

Show notes

On this month’s episode of Future Tense Fiction, host Maddie Stone talks to David Iserson about “This, but Again.” The story follows Marcus, who is forced to relive his life over and over again in a never-ending computer simulation. Thanks to a glitch, Marcus already knows everything that will happen—but he can change almost nothing. That is until he meets Sara, who helps him break from the simulation’s script. But that, as you might expect, is not without consequences.After the story, Iserson and host Maddie Stone discuss what it would really be like to live in a computer simulation (and why it may actually be more hopeful than dystopian).

Guest: David Iserson, film and television writer-producer and author of Firecracker, a novel

Story read by David Iserson

Podcast production by Tiara Darnell

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ICYMI: Should We All Be Pirating More? Apr 29, 2023

Show notes

On today’s episode, Rachelle is joined by Sarah Marshall, writer, critic and host of the You’re Wrong About and You Are Good podcasts. The two discuss Marshall’s recent You’re Wrong About episode about Napster, the ill-fated peer-to-peer file sharing app that helped create the internet as we know it. They dive deep into the moral and ethical quandaries around pirating content in an age where corporations can disappear content from streaming services at a second’s notice.

This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Rachelle Hampton and Daisy Rosario.

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Hit Parade: The British Are Charting Edition Part 2 Apr 28, 2023

Show notes

Before 1964, British bands couldn’t get anywhere on the U.S. charts. Then suddenly, after a certain Fab Four broke, they were everywhere. By 1965, they had locked down our Top 10.

In 1981, a new generation of U.K. acts armed with synthesizers were largely shut out of the Hot 100 once again. But then a new video channel called MTV changed the game—helped by some very pretty men in dapper suits. By 1983, half of the U.S. Top 40 had a British accent.

What did these two movements have in common, besides screaming fans and impressive hair? Join Chris Molanphy as he dissects these two bloodless coups that rebooted our hit parade. These Invasions were about as easy as a nuclear war.

Podcast production by Kevin Bendis.

Make an impact this Earth Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to bring more parks to more people across the country. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.

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Dear Prudence: I Was Only “Verbally” Invited to a Wedding. Help! Apr 28, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Cheyna Roth (podcast producer for Slate’s The Waves) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer your letters about weddings: whether parents are obligated to pay for weddings they don’t support, whether a mean sister should get to attend an elopement, and whether you are really invited if you don’t have a paper invitation in hand.

If you want more Dear Prudence, you should join Slate Plus, Slate’s membership program. Jenée answers an extra question every week, just for members. Go to Slate.com/prudieplus to sign up. It’s just $15 for your first three months.

Podcast production by Se’era Spragley Ricks and Daisy Rosario, with help from Brandon Nix.

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