Slate Debates

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Amicus | Sneak Preview: Unanimous Opinions Out Front, Desperate Dealmaking Out Back Jun 05, 2025

Show notes

This is part of ⁠Opinionpalooza⁠, Slate’s coverage of the major decisions from the Supreme Court this June. The best way to support our work is by joining ⁠Slate Plus⁠. (If you are already a member, consider a ⁠donation⁠ or ⁠merch⁠!)Also! Sign up for ⁠Slate’s Legal Brief:⁠ the latest coverage of the courts and the law straight to your inbox. Delivered every Tuesday.

Dahlia Lithwick hosts an 'Opinionpalooza' special of Amicus, covering Thursday’s decisions from the Supreme Court. She and Mark Joseph Stern dive into Ames vs. Ohio Youth Department, discussing Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s opinion on reverse discrimination, Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s refreshing nod to the establishment clause in the Catholic Charities case, and Justice Kagan’s narrow decision in Mexico’s lawsuit against US gun sellers; a decision that was not the win the gun lobby hoped for. Together, they reveal the strategy emerging from the court’s liberals this term. The episode wraps up with a deep dive into an uptick in dismissed cases and its potential link to audacious former Supreme Court clerks.

Want more Amicus? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes with exclusive legal analysis. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Amicus show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

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ICYMI: Kate Mackz Can’t Outrun Politics May 07, 2025

Show notes

Kate Lindsay and Candice Lim check in with the “Caveman Skincare” method and they pour one out for Skype. Then, they dive into the internet controversy surrounding a TikTok running influencer and White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. Kate Mackz is the host of a TikTok series called The Running Interview Show where she jogs with celebrities. Last week, Mackz — who up until this point, did not discuss politics much on her page — interviewed Leavitt for the series and it ended up creating a huge controversy. ICYMI breaks down Kate and Karoline’s video and why this collaboration was a possible failed attempt at being apolitical.

This podcast is produced by Vic Whitley-Berry, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim, and Kate Lindsay.

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Culture Gabfest | Seth Rogen’s Love/Hate Letter to Hollywood Apr 02, 2025

Show notes

On this week’s show, the hosts discuss Apple TV’s latest ode (tragic comedy?) to the movie industry with The Studio. Then, they step up to the plate and take a swing at the baseball film Eephus. Finally, they invite Slate’s Rebecca Onion to discuss the new edition to Panem’s dystopia: Suzanne Collin’s Sunrise on the Reaping.

Endorsements:

Dana: A French Village Podcast

Steve: “Personal Responsibility Under Dictatorship” by Hannah Arendt

Dan: Sky Daddy’ by Kate Folk

Podcast production and research by Vic Whitley-Berry. Email us at culturefest@slate.com.

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Culture Gabfest: Netflix’s Incel Tragedy Adolescence Mar 26, 2025

Show notes

On this week’s show, Slate’s Rebecca Onion sits in for Julia. The team discusses Netflix’s current number 1 program Adolescence and what it says about how the descent into incel culture starts young. They then invite Chris Molanphy to talk about Lady Gaga’s new album, MAYHEM. They close out with a discussion on Trump's continued assault against DEI, this time holding funding over the heads of public universities if they don’t end programs that they say advance "racial preferences and stereotypes in education programs and activities."

Endorsements:

Steve: Lauren Theisen’s review of A Streetcar Named Desire

Dana: “That’s Life” on the Lady Gaga album Harlequin

Rebecca: The Fall

Podcast production and research by Vic Whitley-Berry. Email us at culturefest@slate.com.

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Culture Gabfest: Cate Blanchett Is a Sexy Super Spy Mar 19, 2025

Show notes

On this week’s show, Slate’s Dan Kois sits in for Stephen Metcaff. The hosts discuss the new Mr. & Mrs. Smith-like film Black Bag, starring Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender. Then they dive into the “inconvenient” Hulu show Deli Boys. They end by discussing the legacy of Dave Eggers’ phenomenal memoir A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius.

Endorsements:

Dana: The television show A French Village

Dan: Stone Yard Devotional by Charlotte Wood

Julia: LATimes article “I'm a martini purist. Here's what is — and isn't — in the perfect classic cocktail.” by Bill Addison

Podcast production and research by Vic Whitley-Berry. Email us at culturefest@slate.com.

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Culture Gabfest: Meghan Markle Sprinkles Potpourri on You Mar 12, 2025

Show notes

On this week’s show, we throw a flower-sprinkled dinner party for a space clone (personal beehive not included).

Slate culture staff writer Nadira Goffe sits in for Dana, and the hosts discuss the new Bong Joon Ho film Mickey 17, followed by Meghan Markle's uncanny homemaking show With Love, Meghanon Netflix.

Finally, we invite Slate writer Dan Kois to discuss his new cover story “How Giant White Houses Took Over America.”

Endorsements:

Julia: The Slate article “Cracking the Code” by Henry Grabar

Steve: The New York Review essay “Angles of Approach” by Sally Rooney

Nadira: Kelela’s album In The Blue Light

Podcast production and research by Vic Whitley-Berry. Email us at culturefest@slate.com.

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Culture Gabfest: Zero Day Makes Robert De Niro a Befuddled President Mar 05, 2025

Show notes

On this week’s show, no amount of star power can save a “screamingly stupid show.” (Sorry, Robert De Niro et al.)

With Sam Adams—Slate Senior Editor and Staff Writer—sitting in for Dana, the team talks about the Netflix political thriller series Zero Day. Then they remember the career of Gene Hackman and end with their thoughts about this Atlantic article on navigating optimism during times of crisis.

Endorsements:

Julia: Moist Peanut Butter Cake Recipe from Cakes By MK

Steve: The savage suburbia of Helen Garner: ‘I wanted to dong Martin Amis with a bat’ by Sophie Elmhirst for The Guardian

Sam: Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World by Naomi Klein (Again! After Julia endorsed it last week.)

Podcast production and research by Vic Whitley-Berry. Email us at culturefest@slate.com.

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Culture Gabfest: The Oscars Go Streaming Feb 26, 2025

Show notes

On this week’s show, we preview the Oscars and Trump’s demolition throughout renowned institutions of art.

Isaac Butler — author of The Method: How the Twentieth Century Learned to Act and host of the new Criterion Channel series, The Craft of Acting — sits in for Stephen Metcalf.

First, the hosts discuss I’m Still Here and the continued addition of non-English speaking films getting some of the biggest Oscar buzz. Then we tackle the latest Trump shakeups at the National Endowment for the Arts and The Kennedy Center. Finally, Dana and Julia sit down with the CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Bill Kramer.

Endorsements:

Dana: The documentary Pictures of Ghosts(2023)

Julia: Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror Worldby Naomi Klein, also discussed on Culture Gabfest in September 2023

Isaac: The film Z (1969), available on streaming

Podcast production and research by Vic Whitley-Berry. Email us at culturefest@slate.com.

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Culture Gabfest: Congratulations! You Finally Got Your Severance. Feb 19, 2025

Show notes

On this week’s show, Slate Business and Tech reporter Nitish Pahwa sits in for Julia. The panel discusses Severance season 2 from Apple TV+. They then talk about the Oscar-nominated film No Other Land – a Palestinian documentary following a young activist fighting his community's mass expulsion by Israeli occupation. They end by discussing Nitish’s recent reporting on Buzzfeed’s upcoming AI-infused social media platform, BF Island.

Endorsements:

Dana: The Severance Podcast with Ben Stiller and Adam Scott

Steve: The Children’s Bach by Helen Garner

Nitish: Work by the late author Tom Robbins, particularlyJitterbug Perfume, who recently died at 92

Podcast production and research by Vic Whitley-Berry. Email us at culturefest@slate.com.

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Culture Gabfest: The SNL 50th Anniversary Industrial Complex Feb 12, 2025

Show notes

On this week’s show, the hosts reflect on 50 years of music, culture, and comedy with the 50th anniversary of SNL and QuestLove’s new documentary Ladies & Gentlemen…50 Years of SNL Music. For that, the team is joined by Jason Zinoman, critic at large for culture at The New York Times.

Then they discuss the Oscar-nominated animated film Flow – where we follow the adventures of an unlikely group of animals led by a curious black cat.

Finally, Slate culture writer Nadira Goffe joins to talk about Kendrick Lamar’s “double whammy” of a Super Bowl halftime show. Read her article reflecting on the performance here.

In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, the panel invites Jason Zinoman back to discuss his article on standup comedy’s move to soften the punchline in exchange for a long, humor-infused setup.

Email us at culturefest@slate.com.

Endorsements:

Dana: Henry IV playing at the Theatre for a New Audience in New York and K.D. Lang’s SNL performance of Johnny Get Angry in 1989 (audio only, as the video performance has been removed) or this other performance of the song (with visuals) on UK’s Channel Four from 1991

Julia: Vulture critic Craig Jenkins’ halftime show review – Kendrick Lamar Is Not Your Savior and Pom Pom maker

Steve: Pope Francis’ letter to Vice President J.D. Vance

Podcast production and research by Vic Whitley-Berry.

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