Slate News

What Next: What to Watch While Watching Election Results Nov 04, 2024

The worst part about the election being tomorrow is knowing that we (almost definitely) won’t know the results tomorrow.

Guests:

Ari Berman, voting rights reporter for Mother Jones

Kadia Goba, political reporter for Semafor

Isaac Saul, founder of the Tangle newsletter

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Well, Now: Weed’s Growing (and Alarming) Side Effects Nov 03, 2024

Nearly half of states – 24 and Washington, D.C – have legalized recreational marijuana. As more people report regularly using it, physicians are seeing patients with alarming side effects related to their cannabis use.

On this week’s episode of Well, Now Kavita and Maya sit down with internist and pediatrician Dr. Brittany Tayler to better understand these conditions and who could most likely get them.

If you liked this episode, check out: Psychedelics’ Long Strange Trip to the Doctor’s Office

Well, Now is hosted by registered dietitian nutritionist Maya Feller and Dr. Kavita Patel.

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com.

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What Next TBD: u up? Go vote. Nov 03, 2024

Voters in swing states are being subjected to constant political messages—on billboards, commercials and, increasingly, via text messages. But are dozens of “make a plan to vote” texts you’re receiving going to make a difference?

Guest: Jacob Neiheisel, political science professor at the University at Buffalo

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Disclosure in Podcast Description: A Bond Account is a self-directed brokerage account with Public Investing, member FINRA/SIPC. Deposits into this account are used to purchase 10 investment-grade and high-yield bonds. As of 9/26/24, the average, annualized yield to worst (YTW) across the Bond Account is greater than 6%. A bond’s yield is a function of its market price, which can fluctuate; therefore, a bond’s YTW is not “locked in” until the bond is purchased, and your yield at time of purchase may be different from the yield shown here. The “locked in” YTW is not guaranteed; you may receive less than the YTW of the bonds in the Bond Account if you sell any of the bonds before maturity or if the issuer defaults on the bond. Public Investing charges a markup on each bond trade. See our Fee Schedule. Bond Accounts are not recommendations of individual bonds or default allocations. The bonds in the Bond Account have not been selected based on your needs or risk profile. See https://public.com/disclosures/bond-account to learn more.

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A Word | Star Man: Merlin’s Tour of the Universe Nov 03, 2024

Neil deGrasse Tyson’s life-long love of science led him to astrophysics and a career as the nation’s premiere voice on making science accessible for all. On today’s episode of A Word, he joins host Jason Johnson for a conversation about the new edition of his book, Merlin’s Tour of the Universe, Revised and Updated for the Twenty-First Century: A Traveler’s Guide to Blue Moons and Black Holes, Mars, Stars, and Everything Far. They also discuss the science in pop culture, the political history of space flight, and why he’s still proud to have led the effort to remove Pluto’s status as a planet.

Guest: Astrophysicist and author Neil deGrasse Tyson

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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Slate Money: Who Do Boycotts Hurt? Not Jeff Bezos. Nov 02, 2024

This week: Readers aren’t buying Jeff Bezos’ claim that killing the Washington Posts’ presidential endorsement wasn’t from his own business interests. Emily Peck, Elizabeth Spiers, and Anna Szymanski weigh in on how the move may or may not help Bezos and what the WaPo boycott can actually accomplish. Also: How would a trump victory affect the economy? Badly, economists say. Finally: Facebook laid off two dozen workers for abusing their free GrubHub vouchers as companies crack down on perk abuse.

In the Plus segment: The New York Times took a sympathetic look at the parents of Sam Bankman-Fried and other jailed FTX execs. Our hosts found it to be pandering to the anxieties of the paper’s white, suburban readers. How much sympathy do the parents of 30-something corporate crooks really deserve?

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

Podcast production by Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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Amicus | The Great Big Pre-Election Freedom and Democracy Show Nov 02, 2024

This week’s show is unapologetically long, deep, and hopeful. Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Yale history professor Timothy Snyder to talk about his new book, On Freedom, and to have the audacity to re-imagine freedom on the precipice of an election that could turn the United States hard right into tyranny. Next, Dahlia is joined by Rick Hasen, Director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project at UCLA Law School, for a gut-check about how the election might go, legally speaking, and a reminder that “too early to call” is a pro-democracy posture on election night—even as the former guy almost certainly claims victory before the clock strikes midnight—regardless of the actual results.

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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What Next TBD: What Elon Wants From Trump Nov 01, 2024

How did Elon Musk go from a poster to someone pumping millions of dollars towards Donald Trump? And what’s he hoping to get for doing so?

Guest: Max Chafkin, Bloomberg Businessweek columnist.

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Political Gabfest: Floating Island of Garbage Oct 31, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the final week of the presidential campaign; the threats to election integrity; and the consequences of not endorsing. Join us on December 4 for Political Gabfest Live in Brooklyn! Tickets are on sale now. And send us your Conundrums at slate.com/conundrum.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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

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What Next | Spoiler Alert: The People Policing Your Vote Oct 31, 2024

They believe they are the law. They believe the 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump. They’re determined not to let it happen again. Meet the constitutional sheriffs.

Guest: David Gilbert, reports on disinformation, online extremism and election hucksters for WIRED.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

We want to hear from you! Submit your answers to our What Next listener survey at slate.com/WhatNextSurvey.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: Spoiler Alert: Almighty Omaha Oct 30, 2024

It’s gone to Trump once and Biden once. Now, there’s a slight but very real chance that the entire election will turn based on how Nebraska’s second congressional district—with its singular electoral college vote—goes.

Guest: Paul Kane, congressional reporter at the Washington Post.

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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Outward: Building Movements with Gender Liberation March Organizers Raquel Willis and Eliel Cruz Oct 30, 2024

On September 14th 2024, thousands of people joined the Gender Liberation March in Washington D.C. to join the call to protect reproductive health, bodily autonomy, and comprehensive healthcare access. In this episode, Jules Gill-Peterson sits down with lead organizers Raquel Willis and Eliel Cruz to talk about the march and movement building during an election year. Raquel and Eliel share into their intersectional approach to organizing and how gender liberation frees us all.

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What Next: Spoiler Alert: Undecided Voters Oct 29, 2024

The hardest-to-reach portion of the electorate remains “undecided” at this point of the election cycle, but the outcome depends on which campaign can convince them to join their side.

Guest: Michael Podhorzer, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress (CAP) and author of the substack Weekend Reading.

We want to hear from you! Submit your answers to our What Next listener survey at slate.com/WhatNextSurvey.

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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Hang Up: Athletes Punt on 2024 Oct 28, 2024

Hosts Alex Kirshner, Lindsay Gibbs, and Ben Lindbergh examine the notable silence from major sports stars on this year’s presidential election. They also discuss Michael Jordan's legal battle against NASCAR, plus the first week of the NBA regular season. In the Bonus episode exclusively for Slate Plus subscribers, the panel reflects on the life and legacy of Fernando Valenzuela and his impact on the Dodgers.

A lack of political endorsements (2:48): LeBron remains quiet with one week remaining until the election.

MJ vs. NASCAR (21:35): The implications of Michael Jordan’s legal case against Big Race Car.

NBA (36:01): Bronny’s first few minutes.

(Note: time codes are only accurate for Slate Plus members, who listen ad free.)

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Disclosure in Podcast Description: A Bond Account is a self-directed brokerage account with Public Investing, member FINRA/SIPC. Deposits into this account are used to purchase 10 investment-grade and high-yield bonds. As of 9/26/24, the average, annualized yield to worst (YTW) across the Bond Account is greater than 6%. A bond’s yield is a function of its market price, which can fluctuate; therefore, a bond’s YTW is not “locked in” until the bond is purchased, and your yield at time of purchase may be different from the yield shown here. The “locked in” YTW is not guaranteed; you may receive less than the YTW of the bonds in the Bond Account if you sell any of the bonds before maturity or if the issuer defaults on the bond. Public Investing charges a markup on each bond trade. See our Fee Schedule. Bond Accounts are not recommendations of individual bonds or default allocations. The bonds in the Bond Account have not been selected based on your needs or risk profile. See https://public.com/disclosures/bond-account to learn more.

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What Next | Spoiler Alert: Jill Stein Oct 28, 2024

In a presidential race as tight as this one, a few thousand votes—in the right states—could be the difference. Is the Green Party candidate Jill Stein set up to be that difference, like so many Democrats believe she was in 2016?

Guest: Matt Flegenheimer, correspondent for the New York Times specializing in long-form profiles of political figures.

We want to hear from you! Submit your answers to our What Next listener survey at slate.com/WhatNextSurvey.

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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Well, Now: Puberty is Starting Earlier and Lasting Longer. Why? Oct 27, 2024

Puberty is changing, and we’re not talking about developing Adam’s apples and growing hair in new places.

It starts earlier and lasts longer.

Regardless of when this necessary stage of life starts, youth and their adults need support going through it.

On this week’s episode of Well, Now puberty expert Vanessa Kroll Bennett discusses the biggest ways puberty has changed for today’s youth and how best to navigate it.

She’s co-host of the podcast This Is So Awkward with Dr. Cara Natterson and co-author of This Is So Awkward: Modern Puberty Explained.

If you liked this episode, check out: Can Kids Be Healthy at Any Size?

Well, Now is hosted by registered dietitian nutritionist Maya Feller and Dr. Kavita Patel.

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com.

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What Next TBD: Facebook for the Dead Oct 27, 2024

He didn’t find his grandfather. But traveling to, photographing, and uploading his grandfather’s memorial stone gave him something else.

Guest: Tony Tran, senior tech editor at Slate and author of the feature “My Weekends with the Dead.”

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Slate Money: Elon Musk’s Scheme to (Sort Of) Buy Trump Votes Oct 26, 2024

This week: How do you buy an election? Throw a sweepstakes! Emily Peck, Elizabeth Spiers, and Rueters’ Anna Szymanski (filling in for Felix Salmon) discuss Elon Musk’s scheme to get potential Trump voters to the ballot box and the maneuverings of the campaign finance industrial complex. Next, they discuss a French gambler whose massive bet on the election may affect Trump’s real-world odds. Finally: Many Americans report living “paycheck to paycheck,” even though they have savings and splurge on luxuries.

In the Plus bonus mini-episode: Keurig Dr. Pepper plans to spend more than a billion dollars on the Ghost energy drink company. The hosts discuss what’s powering the energy drink renaissance and how some hyper-caffeinated, sugary beverages are managing to brand themselves as health and fitness drinks — and what it’s doing to the Gen Zs swallowing the bait.

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

Podcast production by Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

Disclosure: A Bond Account is a self-directed brokerage account with Public Investing, member FINRA/SIPC. Deposits into this account are used to purchase 10 investment-grade and high-yield bonds. As of 9/26/24, the average, annualized yield to worst (YTW) across the Bond Account is greater than 6%. A bond’s yield is a function of its market price, which can fluctuate; therefore, a bond’s YTW is not “locked in” until the bond is purchased, and your yield at time of purchase may be different from the yield shown here. The “locked in” YTW is not guaranteed; you may receive less than the YTW of the bonds in the Bond Account if you sell any of the bonds before maturity or if the issuer defaults on the bond. Public Investing charges a markup on each bond trade. See our Fee Schedule. Bond Accounts are not recommendations of individual bonds or default allocations. The bonds in the Bond Account have not been selected based on your needs or risk profile. See https://public.com/disclosures/bond-account to learn more.

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Amicus | The 1798 Law Inspiring Trump’s Mass Deportation Dreams Oct 26, 2024

It’s easy to dismiss nativist rhetoric as mere Trumpy “locker room talk.” But when it comes to immigration, deportation and even detention, rhetoric about foreigners and violent invaders is actually a legal long game. Toward the end of the summer of 2023, Katherine Yon Ebright, counsel in the Brennan Center’s Liberty and National Security Program, noticed that rightwing anti immigration groups and the Trump campaign had started talking in earnest about using a very old law with a very dark history, in order to do very chilling things to immigrants. She started researching the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, the sole operative part of the notorious Alien and Sedition Acts. By October 2024, Donald Trump was invoking the statute in most of his stump speeches, saying he intends to use it to carry out the mass deportations of non-citizens, without due process and with domestic law enforcement deployed to full effect. We are already seeing Texas trying to use the language of “foreign invasion” to achieve exactly these ends. On this week’s Amicus podcast, Dahlia Lithwick asks Katherine Yon Ebright to help the rest of us catch up with her deep dive on this dangerous law, and to explain why we should take the threats to use it literally and seriously.

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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What Next TBD: Can TikTok Sway this Election? Oct 25, 2024

This election cycle, TikTok has evolved into a news-and-politics delivery mechanism. Will it make a difference?

Guest: Sapna Maheshwari, reporting on TikTok and other tech for the New York Times.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Disclosure in Podcast Description: A Bond Account is a self-directed brokerage account with Public Investing, member FINRA/SIPC. Deposits into this account are used to purchase 10 investment-grade and high-yield bonds. As of 9/26/24, the average, annualized yield to worst (YTW) across the Bond Account is greater than 6%. A bond’s yield is a function of its market price, which can fluctuate; therefore, a bond’s YTW is not “locked in” until the bond is purchased, and your yield at time of purchase may be different from the yield shown here. The “locked in” YTW is not guaranteed; you may receive less than the YTW of the bonds in the Bond Account if you sell any of the bonds before maturity or if the issuer defaults on the bond. Public Investing charges a markup on each bond trade. See our Fee Schedule. Bond Accounts are not recommendations of individual bonds or default allocations. The bonds in the Bond Account have not been selected based on your needs or risk profile. See https://public.com/disclosures/bond-account to learn more.

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A Word: Invisible Men Oct 25, 2024

As the race for the White House remains deadlocked, there have been growing Democratic concerns about whether Black male voters are solid in their support for Kamala Harris. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Brandon Tensley, national political reporter for Capital B News. They dissect the truths and myths surrounding Black male voters and the upcoming election.

Guest: Brandon Tensley, national political reporter for Capital B News

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

Want more A Word? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/awordplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Political Gabfest: The Disinhibited Fascist Oct 24, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Donald Trump’s fascism, disinhibition, and age; the state of young men in America with Rachel Simmons; and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the University of Michigan with Nicholas Confessore of The New York Times. Join us on December 4 for Political Gabfest Live in Brooklyn! Tickets are on sale now. And send us your Conundrums at slate.com/conundrum.

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily, John, and David talk about Elon Musk following Donald Trump.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, John talks with Dan Harris about his book, 10% Happier 10th Anniversary Edition: How I Tamed the Voice in My Head, Reduced Stress Without Losing My Edge, and Found Self-Help That Actually Works – A True Story.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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

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What Next: Abortion Is on the Ballot. Republicans Have a Plan. Oct 24, 2024

When put to the voters, abortion rights have been winning over stricter restrictions even in places like deeply red Kansas. But Florida Republicans are working hard to defeat a ballot measure that would roll back the state’s six-week abortion ban—and they might have found a formula to win.

Guest: Grace Panetta, political reporter at The 19th.

We want to hear from you! Submit your answers to our What Next listener survey at slate.com/WhatNextSurvey.

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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Slate Money Talks | How Did Trump Scam America? Lots of Luck. Oct 23, 2024

In a very special election season Money Talks: Trump was never that good at business. How did he fake it till he made it? New York Times reporters Russ Buettner and Susanne Craig explain in their book Lucky Loser: How Donald Trump Squandered His Father’s Fortune and Created the Illusion of Success. They speak with host Emily Peck to discuss Trump’s early business missteps, the right-place-right-time happenstances that made him a reality star, and whether or not he might actually have talent…if only for deception and scams.

Podcast production by Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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Outward | The Supreme Court Takes on Trans Rights...Again Oct 23, 2024

On December 4th, the Supreme Court will hear arguments for U.S. v. Skrmetti, a case that could decide the fate of gender-affirming care for trans people across the country. Outward’s own Jules Gill Peterson contributed to an amicus brief for the case, a document that provides expertise and historical context to assist the court in making it’s decision. In this episode, Bryan and Christina reunite with Jules to break down her contributions to the document and dive into the history of transition and the powerful voices of trans youth from across time.

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Slow Burn: The Rise of Fox News - Ep. 6: What Hath We Wrought? Oct 23, 2024

The 2004 presidential race would be the first fully Fox News election—a contest that was framed by Fox, and fought on its terms. But the fight over Fox News was about more than just partisan politics. It also launched covert ops against reporters and let loose a secret army of online trolls. And when a Fox producer made serious allegations against Bill O’Reilly, the network showed just how far it would go to defend its biggest star—no matter the cost.

To read our full reporting on the most recent legal actions between Bill O'Reilly and Andrea Mackris, and learn more about how a non-disclosure agreement from two decades ago has kept Mackris silent, go to slate.com/foxnda.

Want more from Slow Burn? Join Slate Plus to unlock full access to all seasons, including members-only bonus episodes from The Rise of Fox News. You'll also enjoy ad-free listening to all of your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now by clicking "Try Free" at the top of the Slow Burn show page on Apple Podcasts. Or, visit slate.com/slowburnplus to get access wherever you listen.

Season 10 of Slow Burn was written and reported by Josh Levin. It was executive produced by Lizzie Jacobs.

Slow Burn is produced by Sophie Summergrad, Joel Meyer, and Rosie Belson with help from Patrick Fort, Jacob Fenston, and Julia Russo.

Derek John is Slate’s executive producer of narrative podcasts.

This season was edited by Susan Matthews and Hillary Frey.

Merritt Jacob is our senior technical director. Mix and sound design by Joe Plourde.

Our theme music was composed by Alexis Cuadrado. Derreck Johnson created the artwork for this season. Episode artwork by Ivylise Simones.

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What Next: When It Comes to the Border, Has Trump Already Won? Oct 23, 2024

Donald Trump’s most consistent policy message has been anti-immigration, but according to surveys, more than a quarter of Kamala Harris supporters also support mass deportations. How did American opinions on immigration sour across the political spectrum so quickly?

Guest: Rogé Karma, staff writer at The Atlantic.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: Why Killing Sinwar Won’t End the War Oct 22, 2024

Does the death of Yahya Sinwar finally make a ceasefire in Gaza possible?

Guests: Jonathan Dekel-Chen, professor of Soviet and East European Jewry at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and father of Sagui Dekel-Chen, one of the hostages held by Hamas.

Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondent for the Economist.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

Disclosure in Podcast Description: A Bond Account is a self-directed brokerage account with Public Investing, member FINRA/SIPC. Deposits into this account are used to purchase 10 investment-grade and high-yield bonds. As of 9/26/24, the average, annualized yield to worst (YTW) across the Bond Account is greater than 6%. A bond’s yield is a function of its market price, which can fluctuate; therefore, a bond’s YTW is not “locked in” until the bond is purchased, and your yield at time of purchase may be different from the yield shown here. The “locked in” YTW is not guaranteed; you may receive less than the YTW of the bonds in the Bond Account if you sell any of the bonds before maturity or if the issuer defaults on the bond. Public Investing charges a markup on each bond trade. See our Fee Schedule. Bond Accounts are not recommendations of individual bonds or default allocations. The bonds in the Bond Account have not been selected based on your needs or risk profile. See https://public.com/disclosures/bond-account to learn more.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hang Up: The Liberty Bring Ticker-tape Back to Broadway Oct 21, 2024

Alex Kirshner, Lindsay Gibbs, and Ben Lindbergh talk about the New York Liberty’s victory over the Minnesota Lynx in the WNBA Finals. They also get into Tom Brady’s controversial new ownership stake in the Las Vegas Raiders, and the World Series picture. In the Bonus episode exclusively for Slate Plus subscribers, the panel discusses University of Virginia men’s basketball coach Tony Bennett’s retirement announcement.

WNBA Finals (10:02): The Liberty bring home the glory

Tom Brady (32:38): The broadcaster and now team owner

World Series (47:04): Clash of the evil empires

(Note: time codes are only accurate for Slate Plus members, who listen ad free.)

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What Next: Should the Menendez Brothers Be Free? Oct 21, 2024

Why this closed case from 1989 is suddenly back in the news—and why the brothers may yet be freed.

Guest: Brian Buckmire, ABC Legal Contributor with a segment on GMA3, “Better Call Brian.”

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Well, Now: Can Kids Be Healthy at Any Size? Oct 20, 2024

We live in a weight-obsessed world, and children are not immune.

From the moment a child is born, their weight and height are tracked and recorded. Then throughout their development, these metrics are used as one of the main factors to determine their health.

But as the Health at Every Size (HAES) philosophy continues to gain traction for some adults, is there use for it as a part of growing children’s well-being, too?

On this week’s episode of Well, Now Maya and Kavita speak with pediatric dietitian Jill Castle and her approach to children’s health, which marries the traditional medical approach with a body-postive, HAES model.

Her latest book is Kids Thrive At Every Size: How to Nourish Your Big, Small, or In-Between Child for a Lifetime of Health and Happiness.

If you liked this episode, check out: Eating for Health

Well, Now is hosted by registered dietitian nutritionist Maya Feller and Dr. Kavita Patel.

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

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What Next TBD: How Secure Is Our Election? Oct 20, 2024

America’s head of cybersecurity isn’t worried about the election being hacked or the results being tampered with. But this election cycle does have her worried for our democracy.

Guest: Jen Easterly, Director of Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Slate Money: China Needs a Stimulus Bazooka Oct 19, 2024

This week: Big trouble in not-so-little China as the second-largest economy tries to get out of its post-COVID funk. Emily Peck, Elizabeth Spiers, and Rueters’ Anna Szymanski (filling in for Felix Salmon) discuss China’s new economic stimulus measures, which might be too-little, too late. They also discuss the secretive family behind Boar’s Head and a Sherwood piece about a mysterious $7 billion estate tax. Finally, Josh Levine joins to discuss the new season of Slow Burn, which explores how Fox News hijacked American politics.

In the Plus bonus mini-episode: Starbucks wanted to be a classy Italian espresso house, but it became a modern milkshake shop for teens to loiter and flirt. Are its sugar and caffeine-packed drinks bad for otherwise upstanding youths? Or is it good they’re hanging at the ‘Bucks rather than seedier haunts?

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

Podcast production by Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

Disclosure in Podcast Description: A Bond Account is a self-directed brokerage account with Public Investing, member FINRA/SIPC. Deposits into this account are used to purchase 10 investment-grade and high-yield bonds. As of 9/26/24, the average, annualized yield to worst (YTW) across the Bond Account is greater than 6%. A bond’s yield is a function of its market price, which can fluctuate; therefore, a bond’s YTW is not “locked in” until the bond is purchased, and your yield at time of purchase may be different from the yield shown here. The “locked in” YTW is not guaranteed; you may receive less than the YTW of the bonds in the Bond Account if you sell any of the bonds before maturity or if the issuer defaults on the bond. Public Investing charges a markup on each bond trade. See our Fee Schedule. Bond Accounts are not recommendations of individual bonds or default allocations. The bonds in the Bond Account have not been selected based on your needs or risk profile. See https://public.com/disclosures/bond-account to learn more.

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Amicus | How To Steal A Presidential Election Oct 19, 2024

You’re nervous. We’re nervous. As we stop for gas with almost two weeks to go before November 5th, we’re kicking the tires of American democracy to see if it’s roadworthy. On this week’s show, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Matthew Seligman, one of the authors of How to Steal a Presidential Election, to examine the legal avenues available to Donald J Trump and his band of merry lawyers to subvert the presidential election. Seligman answers Amicus listeners’ most common election question: Can MAGA electors refuse to certify the election if they disagree with the outcome?

Next, Dahlia talks to retired respected conservative federal judge J Michal Luttig, who is raising the alarm about the Supreme Court’s willful ignorance when it comes to defending democracy from Donald J Trump. Judge Luttig says part of the blame for the January 6th insurrection lies with the Supreme Court, and warns the court’s majority is poised to tip the scale for Trump this time around.

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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What Next TBD | The Elon-Trump Alliance Oct 18, 2024

Elon Musk went from voting for Hillary to supporting Trump so hard that he may have broken election laws. And with Musk influencing both on X and in campaign finance, Democrats are kicking themselves for letting him go. What will his political and financial support actually amount to this election season?

Guest: Teddy Schleifer, New York Times reporter covering campaign finance and billionaire influence on American politics.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Patrick Fort, and Cheyna Roth.

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A Word: Snitch Nation Oct 18, 2024

While conservatives win elections, the popularity of their policies on abortion access, LGBTQ rights, and racial equity remains low in many parts of the country. But conservative political leaders are finding ways to enforce those laws, and encouraging ordinary citizens to inform on each other is a major tactic. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Adam Serwer, the award-winning political essayist at The Atlantic, about how he explored the phenomenon in his recent article “The Rise of the Right Wing Tattletale."

Guest: Adam Serwer, staff writer for The Atlantic and author of The Cruelty is the Point: The Past, Present, and Future of Trump’s America.

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

Want more A Word? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/awordplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Political Gabfest: 15 Percent of Black Voters Support Trump Oct 17, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Kamala Harris’s voter outreach to black and Hispanic men; the close races for Republican senators in Nebraska, Texas, and Florida; and the conspiracy theories that endanger FEMA and aid for hurricane victims. And it’s never too early to send us your Conundrums at slate.com/conundrum.

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily, John, and David talk about Glossip v. Oklahoma, the recent death-penalty case argued before the U.S. Supreme Court.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, David talks with Elizabeth Strout about her new book, Tell Me Everything: A Novel.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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

Disclosure in Podcast Description: A Bond Account is a self-directed brokerage account with Public Investing, member FINRA/SIPC. Deposits into this account are used to purchase 10 investment-grade and high-yield bonds. As of 9/26/24, the average, annualized yield to worst (YTW) across the Bond Account is greater than 6%. A bond’s yield is a function of its market price, which can fluctuate; therefore, a bond’s YTW is not “locked in” until the bond is purchased, and your yield at time of purchase may be different from the yield shown here. The “locked in” YTW is not guaranteed; you may receive less than the YTW of the bonds in the Bond Account if you sell any of the bonds before maturity or if the issuer defaults on the bond. Public Investing charges a markup on each bond trade. See our Fee Schedule. Bond Accounts are not recommendations of individual bonds or default allocations. The bonds in the Bond Account have not been selected based on your needs or risk profile. See https://public.com/disclosures/bond-account to learn more.

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What Next: Kamala’s Bid for Black Men’s Votes Oct 17, 2024

Though Black voters remain a dependable bloc for the Democrats, the Trump campaign has been attempting to make in-roads with Black men. Can Kamala Harris shore up her coalition in this tight race?

Guest: Kadia Goba, political reporter at Semafor.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Slow Burn: The Rise of Fox News - Ep. 5: Ludacris Has Been Fired Oct 16, 2024

As Fox News gathered strength, progressive activists turned to comedian Al Franken and fledgling online communities to punch back. But could the left put up a real fight without a Fox News of its own? And what did Fox’s critics miss when they focused only on its politics?

Want more from Slow Burn? Join Slate Plus to unlock full access to all seasons, including members-only bonus episodes from The Rise of Fox News. You'll also enjoy ad-free listening to all of your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now by clicking "Try Free" at the top of the Slow Burn show page on Apple Podcasts. Or, visit slate.com/slowburnplus to get access wherever you listen.

Season 10 of Slow Burn was written and reported by Josh Levin. It was executive produced by Lizzie Jacobs.

Slow Burn is produced by Sophie Summergrad, Joel Meyer, and Rosie Belson with help from Patrick Fort, Jacob Fenston, and Julia Russo.

Derek John is Slate’s executive producer of narrative podcasts.

This season was edited by Susan Matthews and Hillary Frey.

Merritt Jacob is our senior technical director. Mix and sound design by Joe Plourde.

Our theme music was composed by Alexis Cuadrado. Derreck Johnson created the artwork for this season. Episode artwork by Ivylise Simones.

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What Next: Overdose Deaths Are Going Down. Why? Oct 16, 2024

According to a new CDC report, the number of overdoses in America is finally dropping after rising for years. What’s behind this rare good news in the ongoing opioid crisis?

Guest: David Ovalle, reporter covering opioids and addiction at the Washington Post

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Outward | The WNBA’s Very Big Year: New Fandom, Renewed Homophobia? with Frankie de la Cretaz Oct 16, 2024

In this episode long-time friend of the show and longtime WNBA fan Daisy Rosario sits down with queer sports reporter Frankie de la Cretaz to chat about the historic 2024 WNBA season. In this episode, they dig into the celebration and tension as the WNBA’s queer roots meet mainstream success. Can the league stay true to its queer community while taking on big-time sponsors and new fans?

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What Next: Gambling on Elections, What Could Go Wrong? Oct 15, 2024

Forget polls—are gambling websites the real way to predict politics?

Guest: Nitish Pahwa, business and tech writer at Slate

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: An Extremely Online Hurricane Season Oct 14, 2024

Misinformation in the wake of disasters isn’t new, but the media environment today—rife with A.I. images, light on moderation, and eager to point fingers—seems more vulnerable to it than ever.

Guest: Will Oremus, technology writer for the Washington Post.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Well, Now: Are Supplements Actually Worth It? Oct 13, 2024

Go to the supplement aisle at the grocery store, and the options are endless. Scroll through any Instagram or TikTok feed, and you’re bound to see videos of people claiming their latest supplement is life-changing.

Supplements can be used for health and wellness, but it’s important to know the facts before buying the next trendy capsule, pill, tincture, or gummy.

On this week’s episode of Well, Now Maya and Kavita give you helpful tools to decide what supplements are worth the hype and which are just out to get your money.

If you liked this episode, check out – Gut Check: How to Master Your Microbiome

Well, Now is hosted by registered dietitian nutritionist Maya Feller and Dr. Kavita Patel.

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

Want to listen to Well, Now uninterrupted? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock ad-free listening to Well, Now and all your other favorite Slate podcasts.

Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/wellplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next TBD | 23andMe...And a Looming Data Disaster Oct 13, 2024

How did 23andMe go from the peak of the double-helix to a death spiral? And if it goes under, is all of the genetic data it collected at risk?

Guest: Kristen V. Brown, staff writer covering health for The Atlantic.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Patrick Fort, and Cheyna Roth.

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Slate Money: What the Hurricanes Cost Oct 12, 2024

This week: Big storms are the new norm, and they’re costing America big time. Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiersdiscuss the economic toll and surging insurance coasts of climate change. They also examine the curious case of a Canadian carpenter who made and lost a fortune on Tesla options, and Felix reveals what he’ll be up to on his upcoming sabbatical. In the Numbers Round, Emily discusses a Subtack that charts the most well-connected actors.

In the Plus bonus mini-episode: WordPress is a nonprofit foundation that supports around 40% of the internet, but its for-profit arm has locked horns with a major competitor. The hosts join Slate’s Nitish Pawah to discuss the battle between Automattic and WP Engine with the fate of a chunk of the web in the balance.

Want more Slate Money? Subscribe to Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of the Slate Money show page. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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Amicus | 27 Years On Death Row Oct 12, 2024

“Prosecutors elicited perjury and a man's gonna go to his death. We can't allow that to happen.” – Paul Clement, October 9th, 2024.

This week the US Supreme Court heard arguments in the latest chapter in the complex and prolonged legal battle involving Richard Glossip, who has been on Oklahoma's death row since his conviction for a 1997 murder-for-hire. Following two independent investigations into allegations of prosecutorial misconduct, suppression of material evidence, and a history of inadequate defense counsel, Oklahoma’s Attorney General took the bold step of confessing to constitutional error in the case and supporting a new trial. But Oklahoma’s State Supreme Court is pressing on with Glossip’s execution, and so, on Wednesday morning, the High Court heard a case long on the appearance of process and short on actual justice. Don Knight, Richard Glossip’s attorney of almost 10 years, provides insights into the flawed process, and the shocking revelations from newly discovered evidence boxes. This case highlights broader questions about justice, fairness, and trust in the American legal system…. Leading us to an update from the latest inductee to the Lady Justice Hall of Fame – Amicus listener Barbara Hausman-Smith, and her one-woman protest at One First Street. Listen to the end of the show to find out what links this 76-year-old grandmother from Maine to the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and SCOTUS’s landmark decision to legalize equal marriage in Obergefell in 2015.

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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What Next TBD: Trump’s Crypto Gurus Oct 11, 2024

The crypto project “World Liberty Financial,” which was announced on X by Donald Trump, isn’t a cryptocurrency, nor a crypto-exchange, nor is it actually run by any Trumps. The truth is even stranger.

Guest: David Yaffe-Bellany, New York Times reporter

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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A Word: WNBA Finals: Shooting Beyond the Stars Oct 11, 2024

The New York Liberty face the Minnesota Lynx for the championship in what has been a remarkable year for the WNBA. Attendance, attention and viewership skyrocketed. But throughout the season, superstar players Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese were dogged by toxic fans and coverage that was often sexist, racist, and just plain wrong from male sports journalists who knew little about the sport. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson discusses the issues with sports writer David Dennis Jr. of Andscape. They talk about how the action on the court was often overshadowed by off-the-court drama, and what the league can do better next season.

Guest: David Dennis Jr., senior writer for Andscape and author of The Movement Made Us: A Father, a Son, and the Legacy of a Freedom Ride.

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

Want more A Word? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/awordplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Political Gabfest: Is The Blue Wall Cracking? Oct 10, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the close race between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump; Why Legal Experts Are Worried About a Second Trump Presidency; and Hurricanes Helene and Milton and climate change. And it’s never too early to send us your Conundrums at slate.com/conundrum.

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily, John, and David talk about media endorsements of political candidates.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, David talks with Elizabeth Strout about her new book, Tell Me Everything: A Novel.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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Care & Feeding: Preparing Your Family For Disaster Oct 10, 2024

On this episode: Jamilah, Zak and Elizabeth share what’s in their emergency kits and talk about their approaches to disaster preparedness. We’ll also share a dispatch from our Florida correspondent — whose family is, fortunately, safe and well.

If you want to help Floridians recover from hurricanes Milton and Helene, check out the Florida Disaster Fund.

For more on disaster preparedness: ready.gov

We’ll also circle up for a round of triumphs and fails.

Join us on Facebook and email us at careandfeedingpod@slate.com to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we should talk about in future episodes. You can also call our phone line: (646) 357-9318.

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 Care and Feeding. Sign up now at slate.com/careplus to help support our work.

Podcast produced by Maura Currie.

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What Next: Getting Out Of Lebanon Oct 10, 2024

How the State Department is evacuating Americans from Beirut—and how the war is influencing Lebanese-American voters living in a swing state.

Guest:

Amy Fallas, PhD candidate studying history in Beirut for the last year.

Alabas Farhat, Michigan State Representative.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: Diddy Was Indicted. Conspiracies Ran Wild. Oct 09, 2024

The accusations against Sean “Diddy” Combs have grown in both number and grimness. Is this the music industry’s moment of reckoning?

Guest: Nadira Goffe, associate culture writer at Slate.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Slow Burn: The Rise of Fox News - Ep. 4: Beacon of Truth Oct 09, 2024

After 9/11, the Fox News Channel rallied a huge portion of the country around the Bush administration’s vision of the world. But as the U.S. marched to war in the Middle East, journalists, liberal watchdogs, and comedians began pushing back. Could The Daily Show, Fox News’ own liberal pundits, or an employee-turned-whistleblower take Fox down a peg?

Want more from Slow Burn? Join Slate Plus to unlock full access to all seasons, including members-only bonus episodes from The Rise of Fox News. You'll also enjoy ad-free listening to all of your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now by clicking "Try Free" at the top of the Slow Burn show page on Apple Podcasts. Or, visit slate.com/slowburnplus to get access wherever you listen.

Season 10 of Slow Burn was written and reported by Josh Levin. It was executive produced by Lizzie Jacobs.

Slow Burn is produced by Sophie Summergrad, Joel Meyer, and Rosie Belson with help from Patrick Fort, Jacob Fenston, and Julia Russo.

Derek John is Slate’s executive producer of narrative podcasts.

This season was edited by Susan Matthews and Hillary Frey.

Merritt Jacob is our senior technical director. Mix and sound design by Joe Plourde.

Our theme music was composed by Alexis Cuadrado. Derreck Johnson created the artwork for this season. Episode artwork by Ivylise Simones.

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Outward: What Arabic LGBTQ+ Slang Tells Us with Marwan Kaabour Oct 09, 2024

In this episode long-time friend of the show June Thomas sits down with the editor of The Queer Arab Glossary, Marwan Kaboour. The glossary is the first published collection of Arabic LGBTQ+ slang and covers a wide range of dialects across the arab world. Marwan details how he decided to organize the glossary and what the words reveal about queer culture.

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What Next: The Supreme Court’s Back. Uh Oh. Oct 08, 2024

The Supreme Court term’s kicked off this week, and the cases in front of the nine justices could reshape American life in public, at home, and in the doctor’s office, for wide swaths of the country. The election, too, could be at the hands of the Court.

Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, Slate senior writer covering courts and the law.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Hang Up: No More Locker Room Talk Oct 07, 2024

Split Zone Duo’s Alex Kirshner, Power Plays’ Lindsay Gibbs, and the Ringer’s Ben Lindbergh chat about the NFL Players Association’s calls to revoke media access to locker rooms, the controversy surrounding a transgender volleyball player at San Jose State, and the wild week in college football. On the Bonus episode, exclusively for Slate Plus members, the hosts discuss Pete Rose’s historic and sordid legacy.

NFL Locker Rooms (2:35): Media access vs. player privacy

San Jose State Volleyball (23:53): The drama surrounding a transgender player

CFB (46:30): Vanderbilt beats Alabama

(Note: time codes are only accurate for Slate Plus members, who listen ad free.)

Want more Hang Up and Listen? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page, or visit slate.com/hangupplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next: October 7th, One Year Later Oct 07, 2024

A year after the initial Hamas attack on Israel, tens of thousands are dead, bombs are still falling, a regional war is expanding, and there’s no end in sight. Two writers reflect on the destruction, loss, and death.

Guests: Peter Beinart is the Editor-at-Large at Jewish Currents and the author of “The Beinart Notebook” on Substack.

Mohammed R. Mhawish is Palestinian journalist who was evacuated from Rafah to Egypt in May.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Well, Now: What It’s Really Like to Take Ozempic Oct 06, 2024

GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic, WeGovy, Mounjaro and others revolutionized weight loss and chronic weight management. But what does it feel like for the patients who take them?

On this week’s episode of Well, Now Kavita and Maya talk with journalist and author Johann Hari. Over the course of a year, Johann dived into the research and history behind GLP-1 drugs and how they became the latest and most effective way to lose weight. All the while, he was also taking Ozempic himself.

His latest book Magic Pill: The Extraordinary Benefits and Disturbing Risks of the New Weight-Loss Drugs takes a personal and research-based look at the revolutionary, controversial rise of GLP-1 drugs for weight management.

If you liked this episode, check out: The Full Truth About Ozempic and Doctors Agree: Obesity is a Disease. The Public Needs to Catch Up.

Well, Now is hosted by registered dietitian nutritionist Maya Feller and Dr. Kavita Patel.

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

Want to listen to Well, Now uninterrupted? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock ad-free listening to Well, Now and all your other favorite Slate podcasts.

Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/wellplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Outward: Surviving Hate and Finding Joy as a Trans Teen with Nico Lang Oct 06, 2024

Outward hosts Bryan Lowder and Christina Cauterucci sit down with reporter and author Nico Lang to chat about their new book ‘American Teenager: How Trans Kids Are Surviving Hate and Finding Joy in a Turbulent Era’. Nico’s book is a vivid and moving portrait of eight trans and nonbinary teenagers across the country, following their daily triumphs, struggles, and all that encompasses growing up trans in America today.

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What Next TBD | A.I. Goes Nuclear Oct 06, 2024

Decades ago, Three Mile Island was shut down after a near catastrophic nuclear meltdown. So why is Microsoft paying over a billion dollars to open it back up?

Guest: Matt Reynolds, senior writer at Wired

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Disclosure in Podcast Description: A Bond Account is a self-directed brokerage account with Public Investing, member FINRA/SIPC. Deposits into this account are used to purchase 10 investment-grade and high-yield bonds. As of 9/26/24, the average, annualized yield to worst (YTW) across the Bond Account is greater than 6%. A bond’s yield is a function of its market price, which can fluctuate; therefore, a bond’s YTW is not “locked in” until the bond is purchased, and your yield at time of purchase may be different from the yield shown here. The “locked in” YTW is not guaranteed; you may receive less than the YTW of the bonds in the Bond Account if you sell any of the bonds before maturity or if the issuer defaults on the bond. Public Investing charges a markup on each bond trade. See our Fee Schedule. Bond Accounts are not recommendations of individual bonds or default allocations. The bonds in the Bond Account have not been selected based on your needs or risk profile. See https://public.com/disclosures/bond-account to learn more.

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Slate Money: Why Were the Striking Dockworkers Unpopular? Oct 05, 2024

This week: the Longshoremen’s strike is over, and economic disaster has been averted. Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiersdiscuss the strike, sketchy union leader Harold Daggett, and how the White House put its thumb on the scales to help cut a deal. Also: OpenAI just had a $6.6 billion investment round, but the company is bleeding losses. Then: Dish Network wants to buy DirecTV for $1, but the bondholders who own its billions in debt might kill the deal.

In the Plus bonus mini-episode: It's a chicken tender world, and we’re just livin’ in it. The hosts discuss how chicken tenders (and nuggets and fingers) came to dominate American dining. (Even if Felix never eats at those sorts of places.) Then — bonus within the bonus — Felix and Emily get into a debate about Long Island pizza vs. Manhattan pizza.

Want more Slate Money? Subscribe to Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of the Slate Money show page. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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Amicus | What We’re Watching This New Supreme Court Term Oct 05, 2024

Democracy had a pretty rough ride at the Supreme Court last term. Presidents have criminal immunity now! Agency experts aren’t the experts anymore! Sure, you can convert that rifle into an automatic weapon! And guess what? More horrors await us this term.

But we are not going to spend this last episode before the start of a new term dispassionately picking over a smattering of cases for a lawyerly preview, or helplessly doom spiraling. Instead, we will hear from two women who refuse to blithely accept what the High Court is handing down—two women who have decided to do something, in very different ways.

You’re going to find out why one of these women will head to SCOTUS on Monday in the suit she wore to argue before the High Court 44 years ago. Dahlia Lithwick will ask the other woman, Skye Perryman of Democracy Forward, about the legal theories, doctrine tracking, and litigation strategies her organization is deploying to fight for democracy in the courts –– even (and especially) in courthouses and cases far from One First Street, where until now, the conservative legal movement has had almost free reign. Because any honest preview of the new Supreme Court term needs to look wider and deeper than the handful of cases docketed for the coming weeks.

Want more Amicus? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock exclusive SCOTUS analysis and weekly extended episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next TBD: Helene Proves Nowhere is Safe Oct 04, 2024

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, the idea of a climate haven has been upended. And as the climate change gets worse every year, fewer places will be safe from its devastation.

Guest: Sarah Kaplan, Washington Post climate reporter covering humanity's response to a warming world.

Keith Campbell, managing editor at the Asheville Watchdog

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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A Word: Latinos for Trump…for Real Oct 04, 2024

The majority of Latino voters have historically backed Democrats. But former President Donald Trump has polled very strongly around Latino Americans, despite villifying immigrants from Latin America. And several high profile leaders of the American far right are Latino. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson discusses the issue with Paola Ramos. She is an award-winning journalist, political analyst, and the author of Defectors: The Rise of the Latino Far Right and What It Means for America.

Guest: Paola Ramos, journalist and author of Defectors: The Rise of the Latino Far Right and What It Means for America.

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

Want more A Word? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/awordplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Political Gabfest: JD Vance's Damning Non-Answer Oct 03, 2024

This week, Jamelle Bouie of The New York Times joins John Dickerson and David Plotz to discuss the vice-presidential debate between Gov. Tim Walz and Sen. JD Vance; the deadly conflict between Israel and Iran with Nathan Guttman of Israeli public television; and the federal indictment of New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, Jamelle, John, and David talk with WyoFile’s Maya Shimizu Harris about the fight between the Wyoming Freedom Caucus and traditional Wyoming Republicans.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, David talks with Elizabeth Strout about her new book, Tell Me Everything: A Novel.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

Disclosure in Podcast Description: A Bond Account is a self-directed brokerage account with Public Investing, member FINRA/SIPC. Deposits into this account are used to purchase 10 investment-grade and high-yield bonds. As of 9/26/24, the average, annualized yield to worst (YTW) across the Bond Account is greater than 6%. A bond’s yield is a function of its market price, which can fluctuate; therefore, a bond’s YTW is not “locked in” until the bond is purchased, and your yield at time of purchase may be different from the yield shown here. The “locked in” YTW is not guaranteed; you may receive less than the YTW of the bonds in the Bond Account if you sell any of the bonds before maturity or if the issuer defaults on the bond. Public Investing charges a markup on each bond trade. See our Fee Schedule. Bond Accounts are not recommendations of individual bonds or default allocations. The bonds in the Bond Account have not been selected based on your needs or risk profile. See https://public.com/disclosures/bond-account to learn more.

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Care & Feeding: How Do I Raise Jewish Kids Right Now? Oct 03, 2024

On this episode: Zak and Elizabeth are joined by Rachel Riskind, a longtime listener and mom to three Jewish kids. Together, they’ll commemorate Rosh Hashanah by reflecting on how to raise Jewish kids in the complicated world of 2024. Our community had a ton of questions and stories to share on everything from Gaza to fasting to how to explain to teachers that Hanukkah isn't that important.

We’re excited to do more interfaith conversations soon, and we want to know what you think: so, email us at careandfeedingpod@slate.com to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we should talk about. You can also call our phone line: (646) 357-9318.

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 Care and Feeding. Sign up now at slate.com/careplus to help support our work.

Podcast produced by Maura Currie.

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What Next: Experts Feared a Wider War. It's Finally Here Oct 03, 2024

With Israel sending airstrikes on Lebanon and deflecting missiles from Iran, the war has become what experts feared: a regional conflict. How much more will the fighting spread?

Guest: Shane Harris, intelligence and national security reporter for the Washington Post.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Amicus | Sneak Preview: The RFK Jr Ballot Mess in North Carolina Was Just the Beginning Oct 02, 2024

State Supreme Courts are vital to the functioning of American democracy. They are also where voting rights are enforced or eviscerated. This is especially true of North Carolina’s State Supreme Court, a battleground court in a battleground state. On a special bonus episode of Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Stern (your Amicus Plus dream team) are joined by Justice Allison Riggs of North Carolina’s State Supreme Court for an in-depth interview on what’s at stake in North Carolina this year, and the path forward for progressive priorities and jurists in state courthouses.

This episode is member- exclusive. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate Plus. By joining, not only will you unlock exclusive SCOTUS analysis and weekly extended episodes of Amicus, but you’ll also access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next: Vance and Walz Debate Oct 02, 2024

The second, and likely final, debate of this presidential election was between JD Vance and Tim Walz, two Midwestern men with two very different visions of what government should do—and perhaps what America is.

Guest: David Faris, politics professor at Roosevelt University and contributing writer for Slate.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Slow Burn: The Rise of Fox News - Ep. 3: The Other Guy’s Hamburger Oct 02, 2024

For a decade and a half, CNN was peerless and ambitious, and it understood its place in the world. At least, it thought it did—until Fox News burst onto television screens. Could CNN save itself by becoming conservative or by going tabloid? And how would CNN and Fox respond when September 11 made the news more important than ever?

Want more from Slow Burn? Join Slate Plus to unlock full access to all seasons, including members-only bonus episodes from The Rise of Fox News. You'll also enjoy ad-free listening to all of your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now by clicking "Try Free" at the top of the Slow Burn show page on Apple Podcasts. Or, visit slate.com/slowburnplus to get access wherever you listen.

Season 10 of Slow Burn was written and reported by Josh Levin. It was executive produced by Lizzie Jacobs.

Slow Burn is produced by Sophie Summergrad, Joel Meyer, and Rosie Belson with help from Patrick Fort, Jacob Fenston, and Julia Russo.

Derek John is Slate’s executive producer of narrative podcasts.

This season was edited by Susan Matthews and Hillary Frey.

Merritt Jacob is our senior technical director. Mix and sound design by Joe Plourde.

Our theme music was composed by Alexis Cuadrado. Derreck Johnson created the artwork for this season. Episode artwork by Ivylise Simones.

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What Next: How To Debate JD Vance, From His Last Opponent Oct 01, 2024

How Tim Ryan looks back on debating JD Vance in the 2022 Ohio Senate race—and how he would coach Tim Walz to win.

Guest: Tim Ryan, former representative from Ohio who lost a Senate race to JD Vance in 2022.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

Disclosure in Podcast Description: A Bond Account is a self-directed brokerage account with Public Investing, member FINRA/SIPC. Deposits into this account are used to purchase 10 investment-grade and high-yield bonds. As of 9/26/24, the average, annualized yield to worst (YTW) across the Bond Account is greater than 6%. A bond’s yield is a function of its market price, which can fluctuate; therefore, a bond’s YTW is not “locked in” until the bond is purchased, and your yield at time of purchase may be different from the yield shown here. The “locked in” YTW is not guaranteed; you may receive less than the YTW of the bonds in the Bond Account if you sell any of the bonds before maturity or if the issuer defaults on the bond. Public Investing charges a markup on each bond trade. See our Fee Schedule. Bond Accounts are not recommendations of individual bonds or default allocations. The bonds in the Bond Account have not been selected based on your needs or risk profile. See https://public.com/disclosures/bond-account to learn more.

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What Next: Will Eric Adams Cost the Dems the House? Sep 30, 2024

The federal indictment of Eric Adams is just the latest in a long line of embarrassing blow-ups, scandals, and unforced errors by the New York Democrats. Can they pull themselves together and deliver for the national party this time?

Guest: Ross Barkan, journalist, essayist, and contributing writer to many places, including Slate, the Nation, and the New York Times Magazine.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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A Word: Tech’s Race Reckoning Sep 29, 2024

Silicon Valley is a place where big ideas are transformed into thriving businesses and multi-billion dollar fortunes. But it has also built a reputation for being a boys club, with limited opportunities, harassment, and sometimes open hostility to women in its workforce. Women of color remain severely underrepresented in the world of Big Tech, with just an estimated 3% of industry jobs held by Black women. So what’s the path ahead for African Americans in Big Tech, and is the prize worth the fight?

On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson discusses the issue with Bari Williams. She’s a lawyer, a tech entrepreneur, and the author of Seen Yet Unseen: A Black Woman Crashes The Tech Fraternity.

Guest: Bari Williams, attorney and author of Seen Yet Unseen: A Black Woman Crashes The Tech Fraternity

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

Want more A Word? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/awordplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next TBD: American Life is a Highway Sep 29, 2024

America is caught in a vicious cycle of trying to alleviate traffic by expanding and building more highways, only for them to clog right up with more cars. How do you beat the traffic?

Guest: David Zipper, Senior Fellow at the MIT Mobility Initiative who writes about transportation policy.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Public.com+Public Investing: All investing involves risk. Brokerage services for US listed securities, options and bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Public Investing, member FINRA & SIPC. Not investment advice. Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank.Cryptocurrency trading services are offered by Bakkt Crypto Solutions, LLC (NMLS ID 1828849), which is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the NYSDFS. Cryptocurrency is highly speculative, involves a high degree of risk, and has the potential for loss of the entire amount of an investment. Cryptocurrency holdings are not protected by the FDIC or SIPC. . See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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Well, Now: The Truth About IUDs Sep 29, 2024

Modern IUDs have been used for decades to prevent unwanted pregnancy and have been extremely effective at doing so.

But they’re not without side effects. With few places to turn, many patients have resorted to TikTok to describe their experiences of painful insertion and removal as well as cramping, changes in menstruation, and mood shifts.

But patients don’t have to be left in the dark. If there was more research into how different bodies react to IUDs, there’s a chance patients can get the care they need without as drastic of side effects.

On this week’s episode of Well, Now Maya and Kavita talk with Dr. Kavita Nanda, the Director of Medical Research for FHI360, on why there is so little research into IUDs, what we do know about them, and how you or a loved one can prepare for a conversation with your doctor about them.

If you liked this episode, check out: Michelle Obama Gets Health Advice From This Gyno. Now You Can, Too.

Further Reading: Why Is It So Hard to Get a Basic Question Answered About My IUD

Well, Now is hosted by registered dietitian nutritionist Maya Feller and Dr. Kavita Patel.

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with help from Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola. Editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

Want to listen to Well, Now uninterrupted? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock ad-free listening to Well, Now and all your other favorite Slate podcasts.

Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/wellplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Amicus: The Next Supreme Court Gun Fight Sep 28, 2024

In this week's Amicus, Mark Joseph Stern steps in for Dahlia Lithwick to preview the upcoming Supreme Court term and dive into the high-stakes case of Garland v. VanDerStok. This critical case examines the legality of 'ghost guns'—untraceable firearms that can be assembled at home from kits bought online. Stern talks with Eric Tirschwell, executive director and chief litigation counsel of Everytown Law, the litigation arm of Everytown for Gun Safety. Stern and Tirschwell discuss the profound public safety implications of this case and the dramatic decrease in ghost gun-related crimes following the Biden administration’s introduction of the rule at the heart of the case. They also uncover the role of dark money in funding lawsuits aimed at eroding gun safety laws, and how it compares to the anti-abortion legal strategies of the Christian right.

Want more Amicus? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock exclusive SCOTUS analysis and weekly extended episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Slate Money: How Nike Shoes Got Lame Sep 28, 2024

This week: the tragic tale of Nike, Foot Locker, and Bed Bath and Beyond. Bloomberg’s Kim Bhasin joins Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiersto discuss his recent piece on the downfall of the Nike brand and the peril of direct-to-consumer marketing. Then, they discuss Kim’s other feature on Jamie Salter, the man who made a fortune buying up mall “zombie brands” like Izod and Brook’s Brothers. Finally: The DOJ is suing Visa for monopolistic practices, but will it mean anything or ordinary consumers?

In the Plus bonus mini-episode: Three Mile Island is back, baby! The hosts discuss Mincrosoft’s power purchase agreement that involves switching on the defunct nuclear plant and Americans’ troubled relationship with nuclear in general.

Want more Slate Money? Subscribe to Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of the Slate Money show page. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

Public.com+Public Investing Disclosure: All investing involves risk. Brokerage services for US listed securities, options and bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Public Investing, member FINRA & SIPC. Not investment advice. Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank.Cryptocurrency trading services are offered by Bakkt Crypto Solutions, LLC (NMLS ID 1828849), which is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the NYSDFS. Cryptocurrency is highly speculative, involves a high degree of risk, and has the potential for loss of the entire amount of an investment. Cryptocurrency holdings are not protected by the FDIC or SIPC. . See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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What Next TBD: Big Tech Fears Her Sep 27, 2024

Over the last decade, the European Union has been the vanguard regulating Big Tech, and the push has been led by Margrethe Vestager. As she steps down, Vestager is looking both back at the battles she’s fought, and how the fight will continue.

Guest: Margrethe Vestager, European Commissioner for Competition. the European Commission’s Executive Vice President on a Europe Fit for the Digital Age.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Political Gabfest: North Carolina Crazies Sep 26, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss what’s happening with the Kamala Harris v. Donald Trump race, what to expect with the Tim Walz v. JD Vance debate, how crazy Mark Robinson’s gubernatorial campaign in North Carolina has become, and whether college can survive careerism.

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, David, Emily, and John discuss the all-important Electoral College vote of Nebraska’s 2ndcongressional district.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, David talks with Elizabeth Strout about her new book, Tell Me Everything: A Novel.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

Public.com+Public Investing Disclosure: Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank. See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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What Next: Will North Carolina Pick The President? Sep 26, 2024

Winning North Carolina would make Kamala Harris’s path to the White House much easier. And to judge from the huge campaign push, Democrats think the state is in play. Can a strong ground game—and a major Republican scandal—sink Donald Trump’s re-election bid?

Guest: Michael Bitzer, professor of politics and history at Catawba College

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

Public.com+Public Investing Disclosure: Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank. See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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Fighting for Non-Binary Inclusivity in Athletics with Cal Calamia Sep 25, 2024

In this episode, Outward hosts Jules Gill-Peterson, Bryan Lowder, and Christina Cauterucci sit down with non-binary marathoner Cal Calamia to talk about their journey into competitive racing. Cal shares how they first got into running and how their experiences as a non-binary, trans-masculine athlete have shaped their advocacy. From battling outdated USADA regulations on hormone therapy to pushing for non-binary categories in major marathons, Cal gives insight into the work they do to make competitive racing gender-inclusive.

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Slow Burn: The Rise of Fox News - Ep. 2: A Network for Normal People Sep 25, 2024

Before he ran Fox News, Roger Ailes launched a very different kind of channel. America’s Talking was his vision of the future of television: a strange, slapdash, mostly apolitical cable network. When that dream got snatched away from him, Ailes went on a revenge mission—and made a connection with Rupert Murdoch.

Want more from Slow Burn? Join Slate Plus to unlock full access to all seasons, including members-only bonus episodes from The Rise of Fox News. You'll also enjoy ad-free listening to all of your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now by clicking "Try Free" at the top of the Slow Burn show page on Apple Podcasts. Or, visit slate.com/slowburnplus to get access wherever you listen.

Season 10 of Slow Burn was written and reported by Josh Levin. It was executive produced by Lizzie Jacobs.

Slow Burn is produced by Sophie Summergrad, Joel Meyer, and Rosie Belson with help from Patrick Fort, Jacob Fenston, and Julia Russo.

Derek John is Slate’s executive producer of narrative podcasts.

This season was edited by Susan Matthews and Hillary Frey.

Merritt Jacob is our senior technical director. Mix and sound design by Joe Plourde.

Our theme music was composed by Alexis Cuadrado. Derreck Johnson created the artwork for this season. Episode artwork by Ivylise Simones.

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What Next: Why More Democrats Are Buying Guns Sep 25, 2024

Why are more liberals taking up arms? And how could the trend change the conversation about guns in America?

Guest: Cameron McWhirter, national affairs reporter for The Wall Street Journal covering mass shootings, violent protests, and natural disasters across the South and co-author of American Gun: the True Story of the AR-15 with Zusha Elinson.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: The New Rules of Campus Protest Sep 24, 2024

How universities and colleges are trying to keep student protests under control—or embracing a raucously political campus.

Guests:

Sophie Hurwitz, politics and social movements reporter at Mother Jones.

Michael S. Roth is the president of Wesleyan University.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: What Was The Point of Israel’s Pager Attack? Sep 23, 2024

What message was Israel sending to Hezbollah, its backers, and the population of Lebanon, by blowing up pagers and walkie-talkies last week? And does the international community view this act as a violation of the laws of armed conflict?

Guest: Shane Harris, intelligence and national security reporter at the Washington Post.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next TBD: Trump Called. Laura Loomer Answered. Sep 22, 2024

Given Laura Loomer’s history of saying outright offensive and often bewildering things, how did she get into the Trump campaign’s inner circle?

Guest: Ken Bensinger, New York Times politics reporter.

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A Word: Yvette Nicole Brown: Caring and Community Sep 22, 2024

Yvette Nicole Brown spent years working in Hollywood before she got her big break. Then she rose to fame with her comedic turns in Community and Drake & Josh. But her latest –and perhaps most important– role is as caregiver to her father. That experience is at the heart of her storytelling as host of the new podcast Squeezed, focused on the millions of Americans who find themselves balancing caregiving with careers. On today’s episode of A Word, Yvette Nicole Brown speaks with Jason Johnson about the caregivers who shared their stories on Squeezed, and what the rest of the nation –from neighbors, to friends, to political leaders– can do to support caregiving.

Guest: Yvette Nicole Brown, actress and podcast host of Squeezed.

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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Well, Now: Who Cares for the Caregivers? Sep 22, 2024

Nearly half of healthcare workers are at a breaking point, describing that they often or very often feel burnt out on the job.

Most of us have heard the phrase “Put on your oxygen mask before helping others,” but rarely does that happen especially for those who work as caregivers.

Psychiatrist Dr. Jessi Gold knows this firsthand when her mental overload caused her to make an unthinkable mistake with a patient. This error forced her to step back and reassess her relationship with the healthcare industry as a whole.

On this week’s episode of Well, Now Maya and Kavita speak with Dr. Gold about her latest book How Do You Feel?, and how by looking at the healthcare system through the eyes of her caregiver patients, she began to see the shared struggle many healthcare workers have to find the humanity in their work again.

If you liked this episode, check out: How Nick Cannon Got Celebrities to Open Up About Their Mental Health

Well, Now is hosted by registered dietitian nutritionist Maya Feller and Dr. Kavita Patel.

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

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Slate Money: The Fed Rate Cut is a New Beginning Sep 21, 2024

Mortgage rates are down! Inflation is less inflation-y! Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiersdiscuss what the Fed’s interest rate cut means for the American economy — and American voters. Also: Trump is promising tax cuts like there’s no tomorrow, but are any of them good ideas? And Axel Springer is spinning off its media empire in yet another news business shakeup.

In the Plus bonus mini-episode: Tupperware is bankrupt, but it shall live on in the underground communist container-sharing network.

Here’s a link to the Yukiko Morita bread lamps Emily mentioned in the numbers round.

Want more Slate Money? Subscribe to Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of the Slate Money show page. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

Public.com+Public Investing Disclosure: Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank. See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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Amicus: The Chief Justice Tips His Hand Sep 21, 2024

Chief Justice John Roberts has been labeled by some as the serious centrist at the court, and he seemed to embrace and internalize that. But the New York Times’ revelations about behind-the-scenes maneuvers favoring Trump in last term's insurrection cases shattered that illusion once and for all. The Chief’s stance in these cases surprised the Roberts-as-twinkly-eyed-institutionalist brigade, but did not, apparently, shock this week’s guest, Linda Greenhouse. Greenhouse was the New York Times Supreme Court correspondent for 30 years, and is the author of Justice on the Brink: A Requiem for the Supreme Court.

As we head into another pivotal Supreme Court term, Dahlia Lithwick and Greenhouse turn their expert SCOTUS watching lens on how the High Court got so leaky, why the Chief was so unprepared for the public backlash to his decision in the immunity case, and whether the Chief is so much Team Trump that we should worry about the election cases inevitably headed his way.

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Political Gabfest: Who Is Responsible For Political Violence? Sep 19, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss political violence and its consequences; the state of the presidential race; and The Rise of Fox News with Slow Burn’s Josh Levin.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

Public.com+Public Investing: All investing involves risk. Brokerage services for US listed securities, options and bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Public Investing, member FINRA & SIPC. Not investment advice. Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank.Cryptocurrency trading services are offered by Bakkt Crypto Solutions, LLC (NMLS ID 1828849), which is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the NYSDFS. Cryptocurrency is highly speculative, involves a high degree of risk, and has the potential for loss of the entire amount of an investment. Cryptocurrency holdings are not protected by the FDIC or SIPC. . See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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What Next: Inside Israel’s October 7th Tourism Sep 19, 2024

Scores of Jews from around the world are visiting Israel to tour the grounds of the Nova music festival and burned out kibbutzim, bearing witness and reflecting on the Oct. 7 Hamas attacks. The trips are shoring up Israel’s tourism industry after the war brought it to an abrupt halt—but critics say the narrow focus on this tragedy pushes the suffering of Gazans to the periphery, even as bombs drop less than 10 miles away from the tourists.

Guest: Maya Rosen, Israel/Palestine Fellow at Jewish Currents

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

Public.com+Public Investing: All investing involves risk. Brokerage services for US listed securities, options and bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Public Investing, member FINRA & SIPC. Not investment advice. Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank.Cryptocurrency trading services are offered by Bakkt Crypto Solutions, LLC (NMLS ID 1828849), which is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the NYSDFS. Cryptocurrency is highly speculative, involves a high degree of risk, and has the potential for loss of the entire amount of an investment. Cryptocurrency holdings are not protected by the FDIC or SIPC. . See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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Outward: The LGBTQ Moments and Misses at the DNC with Madeline Ducharme Sep 18, 2024

In this episode, guest host Daisy Rosario talks to ‘What’s Next’ producer Madeline Ducharme about her experience at the DNC. They break down the queerest moments and examine the Democratic party’s queer agenda.

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What Next | The View from Springfield, Ohio Sep 18, 2024

The story of Springfield, Ohio—as told by the people who live there—is nothing like the one heard from the debate stage.

Guest: Aymann Ismail, Slate staff writer.

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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Slow Burn: The Rise of Fox News | 1. We Report. You Can Suck It. Sep 18, 2024

When the Fox News Channel launched in 1996, critics called it disorganized, incompetent, and laughably inept. But it wouldn’t be a joke for long. During the 2000 election, Fox News would captivate the nation – and just maybe change the fate of American democracy.

Want more from Slow Burn? Join Slate Plus to unlock full access to all seasons, including members-only bonus episodes from The Rise of Fox News. You'll also enjoy ad-free listening to all of your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now by clicking "Try Free" at the top of the Slow Burn show page on Apple Podcasts. Or, visit slate.com/slowburnplus to get access wherever you listen.

Season 10 of Slow Burn was written and reported by Josh Levin. It was executive produced by Lizzie Jacobs.

Slow Burn is produced by Sophie Summergrad, Joel Meyer, and Rosie Belson with help from Patrick Fort, Jacob Fenston, and Julia Russo.

Derek John is Slate’s executive producer of narrative podcasts.

This season was edited by Susan Matthews and Hillary Frey.

Merritt Jacob is our senior technical director. Mix and sound design by Joe Plourde.

Our theme music was composed by Alexis Cuadrado. Derreck Johnson created the artwork for this season. Episode artwork by Ivylise Simones.

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What Next: When Cops Police Your Vote Sep 17, 2024

Law enforcement units looking to prevent voter fraud are popping up from Texas to Virginia—but are they trying to solve a problem that doesn’t exist—or simply targeting groups they’d prefer didn’t vote?

Guest: Ari Berman, national voting rights correspondent for Mother Jones, author of “Minority Rule: The Right Wing Attack on the Will of the People and the Fight to Resist It.”

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Hang Up: The U.S. Wins Solheim! Sep 16, 2024

Split Zone Duo’s Alex Kirshner, Power Plays’ Lindsay Gibbs, and the Ringer’s Ben Lindbergh reunite to talk about the U.S. women’s first victory at the Solheim Cup in eight years. They also discuss the Oakland Athletics’ move to Sacramento, and Tua Tagovailoa’s latest frightening concussion. On the bonus episode, Slate Plus members can hear chat about A’ja Wilson’s historic WNBA season.

LPGA (2:12): The U.S. beats Europe at the Solheim Cup.

Oakland A’s (28:07): The Athletics are on to Sacramento, but then where?

Tua Tagovailoa (46:20): The Dolphins quarterback's head injury and future.

(Note: time codes are only accurate for Slate Plus members, who listen ad free.)

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What Next: The Kamala Endorsement (Taylor’s Version) Sep 16, 2024

When Taylor Swift stated she was voting for Kamala Harris, a large segment of Swifties breathed a sigh of relief. How did Swift’s politics become so important—and will her endorsement make a difference in November?

Guest: Brian Donovan, professor of sociology at the University of Kansas who teaches a college course called “The Sociology of Taylor Swift.”

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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Decoder Ring: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie… Will He Want a Welfare Check? Sep 15, 2024

Adults have a long history of trying to find morals and lessons in children’s literature. But what happens when a seemingly innocent book about a boy and a hungry mouse becomes fodder for the culture wars? Over the last decade, Laura Joffe Numeroff’s If You Give a Mouse a Cookie has been adopted by some on the right as a cautionary tale about government welfare. In this episode, we explore the origins of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, the history of adults extracting unintended meaning from children’s books, and try to figure out how this particular kid’s book became a Republican battle cry.

This episode was written by Cheyna Roth. It was edited by Katie Shepherd and Evan Chung. It was produced by Sofie Kodner. Decoder Ring is produced by Willa Paskin, Evan Chung, Katie Shepherd and Max Freedman. Derek John is Executive Producer. Merritt Jacob is Senior Technical Director.

In this episode, you’ll hear from author Laura Numeroff, book critic Bruce Handy, economist Rebecca Christie and former journalist Max Ehrenfreund.

If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, email us at DecoderRing@slate.com

If you haven’t please yet, subscribe and rate our feed in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And even better, tell your friends.

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Well, Now: How to Prepare for Back-to-School Season Sep 15, 2024

Summer is ending and school is officially back in session. For many, a new school year is the perfect time to create new goals and establish a routine.

On this week’s episode of Well, Now, we are joined by primary care pediatrician, Dr. Edith Bracho-Sanchez. She discusses the importance of navigating the back-to-school season as a family, highlighting how parents can support their children and prioritize health and wellness.

If you liked this episode, check out: Spring Cleaning Your Medicine Cabinet

Well, Now is hosted by registered dietitian nutritionist Maya Feller and Dr. Kavita Patel.

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola and Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

Want to listen to Well, Now uninterrupted? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock ad-free listening to Well, Now and all your other favorite Slate podcasts.

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What Next TBD: Is Boeing Lost in Space? Sep 15, 2024

Boeing’s Starliner has now landed successfully—but Butch and Sunny weren’t on it. With a pair of astronauts still stuck on the ISS, when will NASA be ready to bring them back? And how?

Guest: Micah Maidenberg, space business reporter for the Wall Street Journal.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Public.com+Public Investing: All investing involves risk. Brokerage services for US listed securities, options and bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Public Investing, member FINRA & SIPC. Not investment advice. Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank.Cryptocurrency trading services are offered by Bakkt Crypto Solutions, LLC (NMLS ID 1828849), which is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the NYSDFS. Cryptocurrency is highly speculative, involves a high degree of risk, and has the potential for loss of the entire amount of an investment. Cryptocurrency holdings are not protected by the FDIC or SIPC. . See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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Slate Money: Fasten Your Seatbelt, Boeing Sep 14, 2024

Next up in Boeing’s year of hell: A worker strike. Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiersdiscuss the planemaker’s endemic labor issues, whether just snacking around is better than eating full meals, and how banks convinced the Fed to reverse course on Basel III Endgame regulations.

In the Plus bonus mini-episode, the hosts talk about the rise and fall of hotel room service and the allure of breakfast in bed.

Podcast production by Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

Want more Slate Money? Subscribe to Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of the Slate Money show page. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.

Public.com+Public Investing Disclosure: Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank. See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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Amicus: Why Ron DeSantis Hates Direct Democracy Sep 14, 2024

Republicans from Ohio to Arkansas, from South Dakota to Florida and from Nebraska to Missouri have been throwing everything at trying to keep abortion ballot measures from actually reaching voters. In this week’s Amicus - a deep look at efforts to stifle and chill direct democracy in the states, post Dobbs. Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Jessica Valenti, the author of Abortion: Our Bodies, Their Lies, and the Truths We Use to Win, and Lauren Brenzel, the campaign director for Yes on 4 in Florida, about the playbook that’s being used to threaten ballot initiatives to protect abortion rights in states around the nation.

Want more Amicus? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock exclusive SCOTUS analysis and weekly extended episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

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A Word: How Kamala Harris Stumped Trump Sep 13, 2024

It wasn’t even close. That was the verdict of most of the media—and millions of Americans—after the presidential debate on Tuesday. After Vice President Kamala Harris dominated former President Donald Trump on the debate stage, Trump has pledged not to debate her again. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Christina Greer, a professor of political science at Fordham University, and the author of Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream. The two break down the finer points of the debate, and what impact it could have on the race going forward.

Guest: Christina Greer, professor and author of Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream.

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

Want more A Word? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/awordplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Political Gabfest: Donald Trump Takes The Bait Sep 12, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Kamala Harris’ win against Donald Trump in the presidential debate; the Harris endorsements by Taylor Swift and Dick and Liz Cheney; and election integrity with Professor Nathaniel Persily of Stanford Law School.

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Willa Paskin and Cheyna Roth for Decoder Ring: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie… Will He Want a Welfare Check? and Wangjie Hu et al. in Science: Genomic inference of a severe human bottleneck during the Early to Middle Pleistocene transition

John: Sasha Weiss for The New York Times Magazine: The Prince We Never Knew; Mike Wall for Space.com: New record! 19 people are orbiting Earth right now; and Black Fire by Sonni Cooper

David: Hemispheres

Listener chatter from Curt Fonger in Daphne, Alabama: Caity Weaver for The New York Times Magazine: America Must Free Itself from the Tyranny of the Penny

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, David, Emily, and John continue their conversation with Nate Persily on election integrity.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Joshua Leifer about his book, Tablets Shattered.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

Public.com+Public Investing Disclosure: Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank. See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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What Next: The Pandemic Lessons We’ve Forgotten Sep 12, 2024

Rather than coming out of the pandemic with a new toolkit of public health measures or even personal habits, the response to this summer’s long wave of COVID infections has mostly been to continue with business as usual. But business as usual seems inadequate with mpox and bird flu crises on the horizon.

Guest: Apoorva Mandavilli, science and global health reporter at the New York Times.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: Trump and Harris, Head to Head Sep 11, 2024

How did the first debate—with these particular candidates—go? Were minds changed?

Guest: David Faris, politics professor at Roosevelt University and a contributing writer for Slate.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Outward | Kamala Harris’ Record on Trans Rights Sep 11, 2024

This week, Christina Cauterucci speaks to journalists S.I. Rosenbaum and Josie Riesman about their Slate article Kamala Harris’ Surprising Record on Trans Rights. From the national conference she convened to counter the “gay panic” and “trans panic” defense, to her denial of gender-affirming surgery for an incarcerated trans person, a look back on key moments in Kamala Harris’ career reveal a complicated political track record on trans rights.

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Hear Me Out: Podcasting Is Dead Sep 10, 2024

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out: a fond farewell.

This is the last episode of Hear Me Out. And it comes at a volatile, strange time in the world of podcasting. Networks’ priorities have shifted, the money has shifted, and “success” means different things to different people.

Nick Hilton of Podot and Future Proof joins us for a discussion about the future of podcasting… whether we’re in it or not.

The Hear Me Out team is grateful, endlessly, to every single listener who’s sent us a note. We’re not sure how long the address will work, but if the show mattered to you, we’d love to read your emails: hearmeout@slate.com

Podcast production by Maura Currie, who owes many more things than this podcast to Celeste Headlee.

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What Next: Her Sister Died in 9-11. She Almost Got Justice. Sep 10, 2024

After 12 years of “pretrial proceedings,” and 23 years after the crime in question, prosecutors announced that a plea deal had been reached with Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and two of his accomplices, who were accused of planning the Sept. 11 attacks. When Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin canceled the deal, some relatives of those who died on 9/11 were devastated.

Guest: Terry Kay Rockefeller, founding member of September 11th Families for Peaceful Tomorrows.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

Public.com+Public Investing Disclosure: Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank. See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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Hang Up: The NFL's Nine-Figure Quarterback Crisis Sep 09, 2024

Slate contributing writer and co-host of the podcast Split Zone Duo, Alex Kirshner is back in the host chair this week. Joining Alex is the founder of the Power Plays newsletter, Lindsay Gibbs, and Yahoo Sports’ Charles McDonald. The panel comb through NFL Week 1, the American near victories at the US Open, and Angel Reese’s season-ending injury. In the Bonus episode, Slate Plus members can hear a discussion about Deion Sanders' disappointing Buffaloes.

NFL (3:13): The big budgets and big gambles on the current crop of QBs

US Open (23:02): The American Grand Slam drought continues.

WNBA (40:21): Angel Reese’s rookie season is cut short.

(Note: time codes are only accurate for Slate Plus members, who listen ad free.)

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What Next: Should Parents Face Charges for Kids’ Crimes? Sep 09, 2024

After the school shooting in Georgia last week, charges were brought against the 14-year-old alleged gunman—and also against his father. Who’s really responsible?

Guest: Josie Duffy Rice, journalist focused on prosecutors, prisons, and other criminal justice issues and host of What A Day.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Well, Now: What Drag Queens Can Teach Us About Healthcare Sep 08, 2024

Drag is one of the fastest-growing forms of entertainment, and has been making its way into the mainstream in recent years. On this week’s episode of Well, Now, we are joined by drag queen, actress, and trans activist, Miss Peppermint. She provides insight on self-advocacy, and how to navigate the healthcare system despite society’s tendencies to overlook transgender health.

If you liked this episode, check out: Ending Racism in Healthcare

Well, Now is hosted by registered dietitian nutritionist Maya Feller and Dr. Kavita Patel.

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola and Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

Want more Well, Now? Subscribe to Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of the Well, Now show page. Or, visit https://slate.com/wellnowplus to get access wherever you listen.

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TBD | The Misguided Buzz About Mosquitoes Sep 08, 2024

An outbreak of eastern equine encephalitis in the northeast made headlines, but as far as mosquito-borne illnesses go, EEE is serious but still rare. What’s getting way too common is the mosquito itself.

Guest: Amesh Adalja, doctor and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security

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Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Patrick Fort, and Cheyna Roth.

Public.com+Public Investing Disclosure: Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank. See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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A Word: The Dark Side of the Force Sep 08, 2024

The New York Police Department is perhaps the most famous—or notorious—police force in America, depending on who you talk to. Some see it as a group of thousands of dedicated civil servants, devoted to public safety. Others say the department is rife with corruption, tangled in politics, and—at best—indifferent to the racist brutality its officers visit on Black citizens of the city.

Now, a new podcast aims to shed light on the complicated history of the N.Y.P.D. and race. “Empire City” is a new narrative series from Wondery, Crooked Media and Push Black. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by the show’s host and creator, NYU journalism professor Chenjerai Kumanyika.

Guest: Chenjerai Kumanyika, host of Empire City: The Untold Origin Story of the NYPD

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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Slate Money: The Chase Glitch Proves Checks Are Stupid Sep 07, 2024

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiersdebate one of the great questions of our time: Do Gen Zs even get checks? They can write them at least, as proved by the recent Chase check fraud TikTok fad. Also: the “founder mode” trend has Silicon Valley types in a tizzy, but does it apply to women CEOs? And what’s Japanese knotweed, and why is it destroying Elizabeth’s house?

In the Plus bonus mini-episode, the hosts talk about the rise and fall of hotel room service and the allure of breakfast in bed.

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 regular 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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

Public.com+Public Investing Disclosure: All investing involves risk. Brokerage services for US listed securities, options and bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Public Investing, member FINRA & SIPC. Not investment advice. Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank.Cryptocurrency trading services are offered by Bakkt Crypto Solutions, LLC (NMLS ID 1828849), which is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the NYSDFS. Cryptocurrency is highly speculative, involves a high degree of risk, and has the potential for loss of the entire amount of an investment. Cryptocurrency holdings are not protected by the FDIC or SIPC. . See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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Amicus: Subvert the Election, But Make It Legal Sep 07, 2024

The 2024 election is already underway, with some states already sending out ballots for mail-in voting. But as democrats are basking in the waning glow of their brat summer, the republican party spent the summer on a “protect the vote” tour, spearheaded by RNC co-chair and DJT daughter-in-law Lara Trump. It’s a pretty clever step — from “Stop the Steal” to “Protect the Vote” — and it’s just one of the lessons the MAGA party learned from the failed attempt to overturn the 2020 election. This week on Amicus: what’s changed in election law since 2020, and what it means for the vote in 2024. Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Ari Berman, Mother Jones' national voting rights correspondent and author of Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People―and the Fight to Resist It.

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What Next TBD: US v. Google… Again Sep 06, 2024

A month after a federal judge declared that Google was operating as a monopoly because of its search engine, the Justice Department has alleged that Google’s ad business was breaking antitrust law as well.

What if Google loses again?

Guest: Leah Nylen, Bloomberg antitrust reporter.

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Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Patrick Fort, and Cheyna Roth.

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Political Gabfest: Why Isn’t Harris Doing Better? Sep 05, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the state of the presidential race; the possibility of a hostages-for-Gaza-ceasefire deal with Ruth Margalit of The New Yorker; and foreign interference in U.S. politics.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Joshua Leifer about his book, Tablets Shattered.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

Public.com+Public Investing: All investing involves risk. Brokerage services for US listed securities, options and bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Public Investing, member FINRA & SIPC. Not investment advice. Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank.Cryptocurrency trading services are offered by Bakkt Crypto Solutions, LLC (NMLS ID 1828849), which is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the NYSDFS. Cryptocurrency is highly speculative, involves a high degree of risk, and has the potential for loss of the entire amount of an investment. Cryptocurrency holdings are not protected by the FDIC or SIPC. . See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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What Next: Who—and Why—Israelis Are Protesting Sep 05, 2024

Will the deaths of six hostages mark a turning point in how Israelis view the war in Gaza—and how Netanyahu’s government is conducting it?

Guest: Yair Rosenberg, staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of its newsletter Deep Shtetl

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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: Could Arlington Cost Trump Military Votes? Sep 04, 2024

How much do military voters and their families care about Trump attempting a campaign stop at Arlington National Cemetery?

Guest: Leo Shane III, deputy editor for the Military Times.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

Public.com+Public Investing: All investing involves risk. Brokerage services for US listed securities, options and bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Public Investing, member FINRA & SIPC. Not investment advice. Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank.Cryptocurrency trading services are offered by Bakkt Crypto Solutions, LLC (NMLS ID 1828849), which is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the NYSDFS. Cryptocurrency is highly speculative, involves a high degree of risk, and has the potential for loss of the entire amount of an investment. Cryptocurrency holdings are not protected by the FDIC or SIPC. . See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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Hear Me Out: Presidential Pardons Need Reform Sep 03, 2024

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out: pardon interruption.

What’s the purpose of the presidential pardon? Well, depends on who you ask — hypothetically, it’s meant for course-correction and honoring restorative justice. But presidents on both ends of the spectrum have used it for purposes that are distinctly not that. So do we need the pardon or do we need to get rid of it… and either way, what’s next?

Kim Wehle joins us once again to talk about her new book, Pardon Power.

Hear Me Out ends next week. So, before then, please feel free to email the show: hearmeout@slate.com

Podcast production by Maura Currie.

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What Next: Why Shein and Temu Are At War Sep 03, 2024

Can fast-fashion giant Shein go public while fending off accusations of bad labor practices, the US government, and a back-and-forth war with newcomer Temu?

Guest: Mia Sato, platforms and communities reporter at the Verge.

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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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A Word: Prayer, Politics, and Power Shifts Sep 01, 2024

Election season brings politicians of all parties to the doors of Black churches, looking for photo ops, votes, and support from powerful pastors. But the traditional Black church is—like many American faith communities—shrinking. And a growing number of middle-class African Americans are worshiping in more diverse congregations. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Dr. Jason E. Shelton, Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for African American Studies at the University of Texas at Arlington. They discuss his new book, The Contemporary Black Church: The New Dynamics of African American Religion, and how changes in African American faith communities are playing out in everything from politics, to education, to music.

Guest: Dr. Jason E. Shelton, author of The Contemporary Black Church: The New Dynamics of African American Religion.

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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What Next TBD: Telegram's CEO Just Got Arrested. Huh? Sep 01, 2024

Telegram was supposed to be the platform with the freest of free speech, which meant it was also rife with the worst the internet has to offer—"criminal activity” puts it lightly. But are French authorities setting a dangerous precedent with the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov?

Guest: Joseph Menn, tech reporter for the Washington Post covering privacy and security.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Public.com+Public Investing: All investing involves risk. Brokerage services for US listed securities, options and bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Public Investing, member FINRA & SIPC. Not investment advice. Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank.Cryptocurrency trading services are offered by Bakkt Crypto Solutions, LLC (NMLS ID 1828849), which is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the NYSDFS. Cryptocurrency is highly speculative, involves a high degree of risk, and has the potential for loss of the entire amount of an investment. Cryptocurrency holdings are not protected by the FDIC or SIPC. . See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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Well, Now: Eating for Health Sep 01, 2024

Health at Every Size is an approach that shifts the focus from dieting and weight loss and instead promotes healthy eating and exercise patterns, regardless of body size and weight. On this week’s episode of Well, Now, Shana Spence, registered dietitian and nutritionist, provides insight on how to foster a healthy relationship with food.

If you liked this episode, check out: How Your Food Can Fight Climate Change

Well, Now is hosted by registered dietitian nutritionist Maya Feller and Dr. Kavita Patel.

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola and Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com Want more Well, Now? Subscribe to Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of the Well, Now show page. Or, visit https://slate.com/wellnowplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Slate Money: Is This Company Keeping the Rent Too Damn High? Aug 31, 2024

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiersdiscuss the lawsuit against RealPage, a software company the DOJ says helps landlords collude to keep rents too damn high. Also: Was Nvidia’s earnings report worth the hype? And Australia got a new “right to disconnect.” Will Americans ever get to unplug? In the bonus mini-episode, the hosts debate whether airports should limit alcohol and the promise and peril of drinking on planes.

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 regular 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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

Public.com+Public Investing Disclosure: Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank. See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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Amicus: The Legal Fallout of Trump’s Immunity (Preview) Aug 31, 2024

In the last episode of our series The Law According to Trump, we try to figure out what it all means. In the months since SCOTUS gave Trump even more immunity than he asked for, the people prosecuting the former president are finding themselves in uncharted waters. How are they doing?

Slate’s Jurisprudence editor Jeremy Stahl talks with host Andrea Bernstein about how Jack Smith has tweaked the election interference cases, as well as how Trump’s legal approach has changed since the Supreme Court ruled for him in Trump v. U.S..

Listen to Andrea Bernstein on We Don’t Talk About Leonard, Trump Inc., and Will Be Wild. Andrea is also the author of American Oligarchs: The Kushners, the Trumps, and the Marriage of Money and Power.

This episode is member-exclusive. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate Plus. By joining, not only will you unlock exclusive SCOTUS analysis and weekly extended episodes of Amicus, but you’ll also access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next TBD: Back To School… Without Phones Aug 30, 2024

Since the pandemic, schools have been reporting that their students are more anxious and having trouble learning. How much does simply removing cell phones from the classroom address these problems?

Guests:

Laura Meckler, national education writer for the Washington Post

Russell Shaw, head of Georgetown Day School and author of “Why We’re Banning Phones at Our School” for the Atlantic.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Political Gabfest: Will Harris and Trump Actually Debate? Aug 29, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the Kamala Harris-Donald Trump debate and other campaign goings-on; the January 6th and classified documents cases brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith; and the national housing shortage with Conor Dougherty of The New York Times.

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Wayne Homes: The Great Debate: Front Porch vs. Back Porch; Mariah Timms for The Wall Street Journal: Lawsuits Fly Over Election Rules and Who Gets to Vote; Fin Gómez and Nidia Cavazos for CBS News: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton raids Latino Democrats’ homes, including those of LULAC members; and Frederka Schouten and Tierney Sneed for CNN: Democrats sue to block new GOP-backed Georgia election certification rules

John: Glenn Thrush for The New York Times: Would-Be Trump Assassin’s Interest in Violence Went Back to 2019

David: Jonathan Shaw for Harvard Magazine: Mapping the Human Brain

Listener chatter from Adam Webb in Chicago: Paul Collins in The Believer: Why Can’t My Son Vote?

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, David, Emily, and John will talk about the Kamala Harris-Tim Walz interview. Bonus content this week will be available on Friday.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Joshua Leifer about his book, Tablets Shattered.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie HuygenPublic.com+Public Investing Disclosure: Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank. See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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Care & Feeding: Gus Walz Loves His Dad. Here’s Why It Matters Aug 29, 2024

On this episode: Elizabeth, Lucy, and guest host Maribel Quezada-Smith circle up to talk about the viral moment surrounding Gus Walz’s appearance at the DNC last week — and what it meant to us, and our community, as parents of neurodivergent kids, and especially of boys.

We’ll also tackle a round of Triumphs & Fails — including a story about a very special language lesson.

Join us on Facebook and email us at careandfeedingpod@slate.com to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we should talk about in future episodes. You can also call our phone line: (646) 357-9318.

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 Care and Feeding. Sign up now at slate.com/careplus to help support our work.

Podcast produced by Maura Currie.

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What Next: JD Vance’s Anti-Rizz Aug 29, 2024

Say what you will about Donald Trump, the man can work a crowd. His running mate on the other hand…

Guest: Sam Adams, Slate writer and senior editor for Slate’s Culture department.

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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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ICYMI: The Internet History of Kamala Harris Aug 28, 2024

Candice Lim is joined by Slate culture writer Nadira Goffe and former host of Vox’s The Weeds Jonquilyn Hill. Vice President Kamala Harris has been a public servant for more than 20 years, but her internet history is just as storied and rife with awkward singing, baffling laughter, and accidental viral hits. From coconut trees to Venn diagrams, ICYMI dives into Harris’ relationship with the internet, the K-Hive, and her hall of fame memes.

This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Daisy Rosario and Candice Lim.

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What Next: Venezuela’s Opposition Brought Receipts Aug 28, 2024

Why has this Venezuelan presidential election led to so much violence and controversy?

Guest: Ana Vanessa Herrero, Washington Post correspondent based in Venezuela, reporting on South America.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

Public.com+Public Investing Disclosure: Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank. See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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Hear Me Out: There’s No Lesser-Evil Candidate Aug 27, 2024

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out: PSL (not the drink).

Claudia de la Cruz cannot, mathematically, win the presidency. But she’s running anyway… because the two-party system doesn’t lend itself to real representation or the public interest.

Claudia joins us to make the case for voting socialist, because the parties with all the power aren’t as different as they want you to think.

We’ll also share an important update about the future of Hear Me Out at the end of the episode. After that, please feel free to email the show: hearmeout@slate.com

Podcast production by Maura Currie.

Want more Hear Me Out? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/hearmeoutplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next: Is Kamala Harris Progressive? Aug 27, 2024

Since becoming the nominee, Kamala Harris has renounced some of her more progressive policy goals from her 2020 campaign, tacking closer to the Biden administration line and political center. So far, though, it hasn’t cost her progressive support.

Guest: Pramila Jayapal, U.S. representative for the 7th congressional district of Washington.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: The Georgia Election Laboratory Aug 26, 2024

Do Georgia’s new “electoral integrity” laws create more faith in the voting process—or just make it more restrictive?

Guest: Sam Gringlas, politics reporter at WABE in Atlanta.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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A Word: Masters of the House…and the Senate Aug 25, 2024

Many congressional staffers and workers on Capitol Hill have argued that, regardless of the party in power, the institution hasn’t evolved much on diversity in the workplace. And that means African Americans are frequently underrepresented in high level jobs, and can often be targets of racism and abuse during their work. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Dr. James R. Jones, the author of The Last Plantation: Racism and Resistance in the Halls of Congress. The two discuss bias and inequality among the workers on Capitol Hill, and what that says about Congress’s ability to represent an increasingly diverse nation.

Guest: Dr. James R. Jones, professor and author of The Last Plantation.

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

Want more A Word? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/awordplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Well, Now: How to Reclaim Your Life After a Health Crisis Aug 25, 2024

Every year, millions of Americans experience a stroke. Though the focus is often on prevention and immediate care, many patients are left with long-term effects for years –or even a lifetime– afterward. On this week’s episode of Well, Now, we dive into new approaches to overcome the cognitive and physical disabilities that often follow a stroke. Dr. Rajiv Ratan, executive director at Burke Neurological Institute, offers his insights.

If you liked this episode, check out – Gut Check: How to Master Your Gut Microbiome

Well, Now is hosted by registered dietitian nutritionist Maya Feller and Dr. Kavita Patel.

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola and Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

Want to listen to Well, Now uninterrupted? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock ad-free listening to Well, Now and all your other favorite Slate podcasts.

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What Next TBD: Who’s Going to Regulate AI? Aug 25, 2024

Why are national politicians like Nancy Pelosi lining up alongside artificial intelligence companies to oppose safety regulations on this new industry proposed in California’s state legislature?

Guest: Rachael Myrow, senior editor on KQED’s Silicon Valley news desk.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Slate Money: Disney’s Wrongful Death Nightmare Aug 24, 2024

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiersdiscuss Disney’s disastrous attempt to block a man from seeking justice for his deceased wife and the impact of the forced arbitration clauses most of us sign. Also: The political fallout of Kamala Harris’ vague remarks on price control and the White House’s “vibe-rarian,” and what the rise of sports betting means for the financial well-being of ordinary Americans.

In the Plus bonus episode: Will a new CEO be a much-needed espresso shot for Starbucks…or another stale cup of decaf?

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 regular 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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

Public.com+Public Investing Disclosure: Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank. See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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Amicus: The Forgotten Jan 6th Case Against Trump Aug 24, 2024

Former President Donald J Trump keeps figuring out ways to escape criminal liability. The Supreme Court has thrown a wrench into the insurrection case and delayed sentencing in the campaign finance hush money case, while a Florida judge helped him slip out from under charges of recklessly mishandling classified documents… at least, for now.

But Trump has seen less success defending himself in civil courtrooms - including two judgments against him in defamation cases brought by writer E. Jean Carroll. Trump owes tens of millions of dollars.

On this episode of our series “The Law According to Trump,” is the civil court path to holding Trump to account in a way that actually sticks? Damon Hewitt, President and Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, speaks with host Andrea Bernstein about his case that uses the 150-year-old KKK Act to make Trump face consequences for his actions on January 6th.

Want more Amicus? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock exclusive SCOTUS analysis and weekly extended episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next TBD: Crypto Courts the 2024 Vote Aug 23, 2024

The last crypto boom left the industry cash-rich and reputation-poor, so they’re doing what any beleaguered industry does—donating to politicians.

Guest: Zeke Faux, investigative reporter for Bloomberg and author of Number Go Up.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Public.com+Public Investing Disclosure: Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank. See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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Political Gabfest: The Democrats ‘Do Something’ Convention Aug 22, 2024

This week, John Dickerson returns and joins Emily Bazelon and David Plotz to discuss the Democratic National Convention; presidential polls; and overtourism.

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: @jdickerson on Threads: Background Sounds on iPhone

Emily: Tablets Shattered by Joshua Leifer; Gabfest Reads: Where Does the American Jewish Experience Go from Here?; and Ginia Bellafante for The New York Times: A Bookshop Cancels an Event Over a Rabbi’s Zionism, Prompting Outrage

David: David Wade for WBZ News: How do you stop political texts on your phone?; Presumed Innocent by Apple TV+ and Presumed Innocent by Warner Bros.; and Road House by Prime Video and Road House by United Artists

Listener chatter from Scott Rada in La Crosse, Wisconsin: ChatGPT’s Slate pitches for 3,000 B.C.

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, available Friday, August 23, David, Emily, and John talk about Kamala Harris’s nomination acceptance speech.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Joshua Leifer about his book, Tablets Shattered.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Ethan Oberman

Research by Julie Huygen

Hosts

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz

Follow

Slate Political Gabfest on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/

@slatepoliticalgabfest on Threads / https://www.threads.net/@slatepoliticalgabfest

@SlateGabfest on X / https://twitter.com/SlateGabfest

Slate Political Gabfest on YouTube / https://www.youtube.com/@slate/podcasts

Want more Political Gabfest? Subscribe to Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/gabfestplus to get access wherever you listen.

Public.com+Public Investing: All investing involves risk. Brokerage services for US listed securities, options and bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Public Investing, member FINRA & SIPC. Not investment advice. Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank.Cryptocurrency trading services are offered by Bakkt Crypto Solutions, LLC (NMLS ID 1828849), which is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the NYSDFS. Cryptocurrency is highly speculative, involves a high degree of risk, and has the potential for loss of the entire amount of an investment. Cryptocurrency holdings are not protected by the FDIC or SIPC. . See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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What Next: The DNC Is A Party. How Long Will It Last? Aug 22, 2024

They swapped candidates, are on the offensive, and almost all in accord. The Democrats are suddenly feeling good.

Guest: Jim Newell, senior politics writer at Slate.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: Chicago's Mayor on the Democrats' Toughest Issue Aug 21, 2024

What happened when a blue city inherited a red state problem.

Guests:

Brandon Johnson, mayor of the city of Chicago.

Dr. Kenneth D. Phelps, senior pastor at Concord Missionary Baptist Church (CMBC) in Chicago.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

Public.com+Public Investing: All investing involves risk. Brokerage services for US listed securities, options and bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Public Investing, member FINRA & SIPC. Not investment advice. Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank.Cryptocurrency trading services are offered by Bakkt Crypto Solutions, LLC (NMLS ID 1828849), which is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the NYSDFS. Cryptocurrency is highly speculative, involves a high degree of risk, and has the potential for loss of the entire amount of an investment. Cryptocurrency holdings are not protected by the FDIC or SIPC. . See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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What Next: Can Kamala Harris Win “Uncommitted” Democrats? Aug 20, 2024

Democrats frustrated by Joe Biden’s policy towards Israel and Gaza voted for “uncommitted” in the primaries, notably in the crucial swing state of Michigan. Does Kamala Harris have an opportunity to reach those voters now?

Guest: Yazan “Yaz” Kader, uncommitted DNC delegate from the state of Washington and registered nurse.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: The Gender War Election Aug 19, 2024

Voters, especially young voters, increasingly split parties along gender lines. Can an “all-disaffected-men” strategy propel the Republicans back to the White House, or is the Democrats’ “freedom” messaging broad enough to win the election?

Guest: Jill Filipovic, journalist, lawyer, and author of OK Boomer, Let’s Talk: How My Generation Got Left Behind and The H-Spot: The Feminist Pursuit of Happiness.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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A Word: Seeds of Justice for Black Farmers Aug 18, 2024

In a recent CBS News interview, Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance charged that the Biden administration was favoring Black farmers over white farmers in federal policy. That came days after the US Department of Agriculture began distributing more than $2 billion in relief to Black and other marginalized farmers who suffered historic discrimination from the agency. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by John Boyd, Jr., a family farmer and the president of the National Black Farmers Association. They discuss Vance’s allegations, the long road to the discrimination settlement, and the continued work of preserving African American farming communities.

Guest: John Boyd Jr., founder, and president of the National Black Farmers Association

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

Want more A Word? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/awordplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next TBD: The Rise of Off-Brand Ozempic Aug 18, 2024

GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are in high demand and short supply. The internet makes it easy for you to have a compounding pharmacy whip you up a batch—but should you?

Guest: Kate Knibbs, senior writer at Wired.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Well, Now: Food Is More Than Fuel Aug 18, 2024

We all know the food we eat directly impacts our physical health. But that’s just the start of the story.

Food fuels our emotional well-being, connects us with one another, and fosters a key source of identity.

On this week’s episode of Well, Now we speak with award-winning food journalist Mary Beth Albright on her new book Eat & Flourish: How Food Supports Emotional Well-Being.

If you liked this episode, check out: No, Netflix Isn’t Forcing You to Go Vegan

Well, Now is hosted by registered dietitian nutritionist Maya Feller and Dr. Kavita Patel.

Editing and podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com.

Want to listen to Well, Now uninterrupted? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock ad-free listening to Well, Now and all your other favorite Slate podcasts.

Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/wellplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Slate Money: Nate Silver and the Secret World of Risk-Takers Aug 17, 2024

This week, author and data journalist Nate Silver joins Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spires to discuss his new book On the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything, a deep dive into the risk-taking class that shapes modern society. They discuss the low-risk world of “the village,” and the community of high stakes, go-big-or-go-home investors on “the river.” How do these reams affect investments, AI, and politics? In the Plus segment: Nate gives his election forecast and the hosts debate how the media handled Joe Biden’s age concerns.

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 regular 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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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Amicus: Don’t Pardon Trump’s Pardons Aug 17, 2024

The power of the presidential pardon is a holdover from America’s colonial roots. But no one had used it like former President Trump. Over and over he kept pardoning his allies, and then, he’d welcome them back into the fold. . It seemed like he was rewarding these criminals for their loyalty, and belittling whole categories of crime, like fraud, campaign finance violations, and corruption. Is that what was really happening?

This week in our series called The Law According to Trump, we go deeper into Trump’s use of the pardon with Ciara Torres-Spelliscy. Torres-Spelliscy is a professor of law at Stetson University and the author of Corporate Citizen?: An Argument for the Separation of Corporation and State and Political Brands. Torres-Spelliscy speaks with host Andrea Bernstein about how Trump’s pardoning has hurt democracy, and what it means for the future of the country.

Want more Amicus? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock exclusive SCOTUS analysis and weekly extended episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next TBD: Elon Musk’s Bully Pulpit Aug 16, 2024

Since Elon Musk took over Twitter - now X - in 2022, he’s increasingly used it to push his conservative views. A suit against a non-profit brand safety group of advertisers and an exclusive interview with former President Trump show that Elon was never interested in keeping Twitter as a town square, but rather, a soapbox for him to push his political agenda.

Guest: Nitish Pahwa, associate writer for business and tech at Slate

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Patrick Fort, and Cheyna Roth.

Public.com+Public Investing: All investing involves risk. Brokerage services for US listed securities, options and bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Public Investing, member FINRA & SIPC. Not investment advice. Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank.Cryptocurrency trading services are offered by Bakkt Crypto Solutions, LLC (NMLS ID 1828849), which is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the NYSDFS. Cryptocurrency is highly speculative, involves a high degree of risk, and has the potential for loss of the entire amount of an investment. Cryptocurrency holdings are not protected by the FDIC or SIPC. . See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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Political Gabfest: Are We Really Still Talking About Crowd Size? Aug 15, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz are joined by Marin Cogan of Vox to discuss how the media is reporting on election disinformation and misinformation and Donald Trump’s lies; Vice President Kamala Harris defining Candidate Kamala Harris; and more guns, less violent crime.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Marin Cogan for Vox: What happens when everyone decides they need a gun? and Nicole Narea: Violent crime is plummeting. Why?

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Xochitl Gonzalez for The Atlantic: To Save The World, My Mother Abandoned Me and Phil Klay for The New York Times Magazine: Artists and Activists Both Have a Role. But Not the Same One.

Marin: Switzerland Events; Geneva Events Calendar; and Berner Zibelemärit (Onion Market)

David: Will Sullivan for Smithsonian Magazine: The World’s Largest Iceberg Is Stuck in a Spinning Ocean Vortex and NASA: Iceberg A23a in the Southern Ocean, Antarctica

Listener chatter from Simon Jones in Paris, France: Evan Ratliff’s Shell Game podcast

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, Emily, and Marin talk about pets and babies. See Anonymous in The Cut: Why Did I Stop Loving My Cat When I Had a Baby?.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, John talks with Roland Allen about his book, The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Ethan Oberman

Research by Julie Huygen

Hosts

Marin Cogan, Emily Bazelon, and David Plotz

Follow

Slate Political Gabfest on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/

@SlateGabfest on X / https://twitter.com/SlateGabfest

Want more Political Gabfest? Subscribe to Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/gabfestplus to get access wherever you listen.

Public.com+Public Investing Disclosure: Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank. See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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What Next: Would You Die For MrBeast? Aug 15, 2024

MrBeast is known for videos that blend stunts and philanthropy, but his new team-up with Amazon and MGM is bringing some of his less savory aspects to light.

Guest: Madison Malone Kircher, reporter covering internet culture for The New York Times

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: Trump Seems Lost. But Can He Lose? Aug 14, 2024

Donald Trump’s presidential opponent has changed—can he? Should he?

Guest: Tom Nichols, staff writer at the Atlantic and professor emeritus at the U.S. Naval College.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: How Boeing Stranded Two Astronauts Aug 13, 2024

It was supposed to be the triumphant rollout of Boeing’s new, reusable space taxi. Now NASA’s trying to find some other way to get two astronauts home.

Guest: Joey Roulette, space reporter at Reuters.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

Public.com+Public Investing Disclosure: Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank. See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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Hear Me Out: Fact-Checks Make Audiences Suspicious Aug 13, 2024

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out: pants on fire.

The fact-check is a critical tool in the journalist’s toolbox – and now more than ever, it’s a key part of the job. The problem is that it’s already hard to make the case that definitive “true and false” designations exist anymore… and, it turns out, audiences might be made more suspicious of journalists who fact check, not less.

Randy Stein of Cal Poly Pomona joins Hear Me Out to discuss his new research about debunkings and public trust.

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie.

Want more Hear Me Out? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/hearmeoutplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Hang Up: Au Revoir, Paris Aug 12, 2024

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin discuss the Dream Team’s close calls on the road to gold, and the U.S. women’s basketball team’s narrow victory, too. They break down the quick overhaul of the U.S. women’s soccer team, which won its first gold medal since 2012. Finally, they assess whether the visually beautiful and athletically compelling Paris Games restored the Olympics’ luster.

Basketball (4:12): The U.S. men and women survived gold-medal scares from host France.

Soccer (19:25): The new-look U.S. women’s team topped Brazil for gold.

Olympics roundup (34:58): Did Paris help the Games regain their mojo?

(Note: time codes are only accurate for Slate Plus members, who listen ad free.)

Want more Hang Up and Listen? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page, or visit slate.com/hangupplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next: AIPAC Vs. The Squad Aug 12, 2024

A Republican-backed organization is spending millions to unseat progressive Democrats—and it’s succeeding.

Guest: Alexander Sammon, Slate politics writer.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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A Word: Project 2025: A Contract on Black America? Aug 11, 2024

Project 2025, the massive Heritage Foundation policy blueprint, has become a major issue on the campaign trail for Democrats. While former President Trump has tried to distance himself from the document, many members of his administration and inner circle worked to draft it. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Brandon Tensley, national political reporter for Capital B News. They discuss Project 2025, what it could mean for the Black community, and what elements may already be in effect.

Guest: Brandon Tensley, national political reporter for Capital B News

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

Want more A Word? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/awordplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next TBD: Tesla’s Out of Juice. But Are EVs? Aug 11, 2024

The hype has slowed but electric vehicles aren’t going away—once the infrastructure is in place, they’ll go everywhere.

Guests:

Nitish Pahwa, associate writer for business and tech at Slate.

Paula Gardner, business reporter for Bridge Michigan

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Patrick Fort, and Cheyna Roth.

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Well, Now: No, Netflix Isn’t Forcing You to Go Vegan Aug 11, 2024

Research going back decades shows adding more fruits, vegetables, and non-animal sources of protein helps us live longer, healthier lives.

A study featured in the Netflix docuseries You Are What You Eat: A Twin Study took that to the next level.

Stanford researchers asked 22 sets of identical twins to go 8 weeks eating a healthy, varied diet and regularly exercising. One twin ate an omnivore diet, the other vegan.

On this week’s episode of Well, Now we talk to the lead researcher of the “twin study” Christopher Gardner on his findings and whether we really all need to go vegan to stay healthy.

If you liked this episode, check out: How Your Food Can Fight Climate Change

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com.

Want to listen to Well, Now uninterrupted? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock ad-free listening to Well, Now and all your other favorite Slate podcasts.

Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/wellplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Amicus: Michael Cohen and the Trump Lawyers Who Get Burned Aug 10, 2024

Even before he was president, Donald Trump was known for stiffing his lawyers. But considering how the stakes changed once he took the Oval Office, not getting paid seemed like a pleasant option. During and after his presidency, lawyers who represented Trump have pleaded guilty in election fraud cases, campaign finance cases and more. So why do they keep representing him? Is this risk of jailtime worth the reward of…well, what is the reward?

In this next installment of The Law According to Trump, another lawyer speaks with us about representing Donald Trump. Danya Perry is Michael Cohen’s attorney (yes, that Michael Cohen). She offers insight into why lawyers still want to represent Trump, and what the ethical implications are - personally and professionally.

Want more Amicus? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock exclusive SCOTUS analysis and weekly extended episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Slate Money: What the Heck is Going on in Japan? Aug 10, 2024

This week, Felix Salmon is joined by guest hosts Shira Ovide of the Washington Post and Anna Szymanski of Reuters to discuss Japan’s market chaos, the guilty verdict in Google’s monopoly case, and whether Boeing’s new CEO can fly the company out of a storm of troubles. In the Plus bonus episode: The hosts go to the Mountain Dew belt to discuss the state of soda and the rise of non-alcoholic beer.

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 regular 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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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What Next TBD: Google’s a Monopoly. What About The Rest? Aug 09, 2024

Should the other Silicon Valley giants be worried following the Department of Justice’s decisive win against Google?

Guest: Leah Nylen, antitrust reporter at Bloomberg

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Patrick Fort, and Cheyna Roth.

Public.com+Public Investing Disclosure: Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank. See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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Political Gabfest: These Walz Could Talk Aug 08, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz are joined by Juliette Kayyem of Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government to discuss the Democratic vice presidential nominee, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz; Google’s search monopoly and antitrust trial loss; and the guilty-plea deals in three 9/11 cases undone by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.

Here are this week’s chatters:

Juliette: NBC: Paris 2024 and International Olympic Committee: Olympic Channel

Emily: International Olympic Committee: Table tennis rules, scoring system and all you need to know; Jake Rossen for Mental Floss: Why Do Some Olympic Athletes Wear Paper Numbers?; International Olympic Committee: Sports Swap; and Maia Hjelmar for GQ Australia: 16 Olympic athletes who succeeded in more than one sport

David: Maximilien Van Aertryck and Axel Danielson in The New York Times: Ten Meter Tower

Listener chatter from Fraser Ronald in Ottawa, Canada: Ari Berkowitz for Scientific American: Is Your Nervous System a Democracy or a Dictatorship?

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, Emily, and Juliette talk about RFK Jr. and The Bear. See Clare Malone for The New Yorker: What Does Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Actually Want?

In the latest Gabfest Reads, John talks with Roland Allen about his book, The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Ethan Oberman

Research by Julie Huygen

Hosts

Juliette Kayyem, Emily Bazelon, and David Plotz

Follow

Slate Political Gabfest on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/

@SlateGabfest on X / https://twitter.com/SlateGabfest

Want more Political Gabfest? Subscribe to Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/gabfestplus to get access wherever you listen.

Public.com+Public Investing: All investing involves risk. Brokerage services for US listed securities, options and bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Public Investing, member FINRA & SIPC. Not investment advice. Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank.Cryptocurrency trading services are offered by Bakkt Crypto Solutions, LLC (NMLS ID 1828849), which is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the NYSDFS. Cryptocurrency is highly speculative, involves a high degree of risk, and has the potential for loss of the entire amount of an investment. Cryptocurrency holdings are not protected by the FDIC or SIPC. . See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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What Next: The Olympics Meet the Culture Wars Aug 08, 2024

How Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting—two women boxers fighting in the gender category they were assigned at birth—became the targets of trans panic and subject to another round of “but is she woman enough?” at the Olympics.

Guest: Rose Eveleth, reporter and host of the podcast Tested, from NPR and CBC.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: Why It Had to Be Walz Aug 07, 2024

How Minnesota Governor Tim Walz slipped past VP-favorite Josh Shapiro and joined Kamala Harris on the Democratic ticket.

Guest: Guest: David Faris, associate professor of political science at Roosevelt University and author of The Kids Are All Leftand It’s Time to Fight Dirty.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Outward: Is Telehealth the Answer for Gender Affirming Care? with Sohini Desai Aug 07, 2024

This week Jules speaks with journalist Sohini Desai about their latest article for Slate ‘Trans Health Care Is Under Attack. But Are Concierge Providers Really the Solution?’ Together they break down what these services offer and whether they can make a meaningful difference for trans people accessing healthcare across the country.

Produced by Palace Shaw

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Hear Me Out: The Olympics Are a Tool of Oppression Aug 06, 2024

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out: opening ceremonies (and a can of worms).

We come to you midway through the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. But amid the patriotism, athletic prowess, and sheer spectacle of these games — the most watched and streamed to date, by some measures — there’s also concerns about geopolitical power, human rights abuses, and the facilitation of facism.

MacIntosh Ross of Windsor University joins us to talk about the uglier facets of the Olympic Games.

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie.

Want more Hear Me Out? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/hearmeoutplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next: How Trump Got Ice Cube Aug 06, 2024

Once one of the most politically confrontational artists in music, Ice Cube has become a surprising asset to Donald Trump.

Guest: Joel Anderson, staff writer for Slate and the host of Seasons 3, 6, and 8 of Slow Burn.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

Public.com+Public Investing: All investing involves risk. Brokerage services for US listed securities, options and bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Public Investing, member FINRA & SIPC. Not investment advice. Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank.Cryptocurrency trading services are offered by Bakkt Crypto Solutions, LLC (NMLS ID 1828849), which is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the NYSDFS. Cryptocurrency is highly speculative, involves a high degree of risk, and has the potential for loss of the entire amount of an investment. Cryptocurrency holdings are not protected by the FDIC or SIPC. . See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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Hang Up: The World’s Fastest Human (Barely) Aug 05, 2024

Morgan Campbell, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss Noah Lyles’ stunning win in the men’s 100 meters and Sha’Carri Richardson’s silver in the women’s. Slate’s Christina Cauterucci explains the controversy about the women boxers accused of failing a gender-eligibility test. Plus, Olympics potpourri, including NBC’s announcing fails, tennis genius, and archery thrills.

100 meters (2:34): Noah Lyles nipped Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson in one of the most exciting races in Olympics history.

Women’s boxing(17:41): Slate’s Christina Cauterucci on the culture-war furor around two women boxers.

Olympics potpourri (34:48): NBC’s 100-meters and gymnastics fails, a scintillating men’s tennis final, and a golden arrow.

(Note: time codes are only accurate for Slate Plus members, who listen ad free.)

Want more Hang Up and Listen? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page, or visit slate.com/hangupplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next: Project 2025 Isn't Dead, It's Born Again Aug 05, 2024

The Trump campaign washed its hands of Project 2025. A second Trump term would almost certainly be guided by it.

Guest: Sam Adler-Bell, host of the Know Your Enemy podcast.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Well, Now: How to Avoid Heat-Related Illness Aug 04, 2024

It’s a fact that summers around the world are reaching record-breaking temperatures.

Heat-related illness and death have hit a crisis point, and staying cool is more important than ever.

On this week’s episode of Well, Now we speak with someone living in one of the country's hottest states.

Dr. Richard Carmona is a career first responder with more than 50 years of experience caring for people in crisis. A veteran of the U.S. Army as a special forces medic, Carmona also served as the 17th U.S. Surgeon General under President George W. Bush. Currently, Carmona is a professor at The University of Arizona in Tucson.

If you liked this episode, check out: How a Former Surgeon General Took on a $5,000 ER Bill

Well, Now is hosted by registered dietitian nutritionist Maya Feller and Dr. Kavita Patel.

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

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What Next TBD: If They Can Get Sydney Sweeney They Can Get You Aug 04, 2024

Earlier this month, AT&T was hit by the largest telecom hack ever. Not long after, Sydney Sweeney’s phone number was stolen by criminals, who used it to hack her social media and promote a memecoin. With how much sensitive data telecom companies have on us, why is their security so bad? And how can we protect ourselves?

Guests: Joseph Cox, investigative reporter and cofounder of 404 media.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Amicus: Why Donald Trump Sues Everyone Aug 03, 2024

In the first in a new series, The Law According to Trump, Amicus begins an extensive exploration of Donald Trump's tumultuous relationship with the courts and legal system, focusing on Trump's use of lawyers and lawsuits to enhance his brand, wealth, and power. In the past few months, attention has rightly been on several blockbuster federal cases involving former President Trump, all the way up to and including his immunity case at the Supreme Court, but Trump’s history with the law goes back much further and is much broader than the election subversion cases.

While Dahlia Lithwick takes a well-deserved break, Amicus is very lucky to have award-winning investigative journalist Andrea Bernstein in the host chair. Andrea has covered five trials against Trump or his company for NPR, is the author of American Oligarchs: the Kushners, the Trumps, and the Marriage of Money and Power, and she has also hosted three podcasts that touch on Trump and the law, including, most recently “We Don’t Talk About Leonard.”

This episode delves into Trump's history of litigation with a close eye on how he has used nuisance lawsuits. Slate’s jurisprudence editor Jeremy Stahl joins Andrea to outline the many people and organizations the former President has sued since leaving office. Then, former US Attorney Jim Zirin, author of Plaintiff in Chief: A Portrait of Donald Trump in 3500 Lawsuits, fills us in on the history of Trump’s love of litigation.

Want more Amicus? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock exclusive SCOTUS analysis and weekly extended episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

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A Word: “Momala” and “Papa Bear” Aug 02, 2024

Many political spouses spend decades preparing for a White House run with their partners. But attorney Doug Emhoff had been married to then-Senator Kamala Harris for just five years when she first ran for the White House. Now, as the first Second Gentleman in history, he’s stepping into the spotlight, sprinting across the country for her whirlwind campaign. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson talks with Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff about his family, his work combating anti-Semitism and other forms of hate, and campaigning with Vice President Kamala Harris.

Guest: Second Gentleman of the United States Doug Emhoff

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

Want more A Word? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/awordplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next TBD: Why Are More Young People Getting Cancer? Aug 02, 2024

The age when you need to start being screened for cancers may need to be updated, as rates among younger people are on the rise. New testing methods could make the process a lot easier than, say, a colonoscopy - but they’re not perfect.

Guest: Dylan Scott, senior correspondent and editor for Vox.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Public.com+Public Investing: All investing involves risk. Brokerage services for US listed securities, options and bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Public Investing, member FINRA & SIPC. Not investment advice. Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank.Cryptocurrency trading services are offered by Bakkt Crypto Solutions, LLC (NMLS ID 1828849), which is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the NYSDFS. Cryptocurrency is highly speculative, involves a high degree of risk, and has the potential for loss of the entire amount of an investment. Cryptocurrency holdings are not protected by the FDIC or SIPC. . See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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A Word: Guest Wrong: Trump at NABJ Aug 01, 2024

Donald Trump’s bombastic appearance at this week’s National Association of Black Journalist convention drew criticism, not just for the former president, but also the organizational leadership that invited him. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by longtime journalist and media company leader Roland Martin, who attended Trump’s interview. They discuss what happened, the media response, and the reckoning facing the NABJ.

Guest: Veteran journalist Roland Martin, host of “Roland Martin Unfiltered”

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

Want more A Word? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/awordplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Political Gabfest: These [Republicans] Are Weird Aug 01, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the new Democratic line against JD Vance and Donald Trump; the Kamala Harris Veepstakes; and President Biden’s attempt to reform the Supreme Court.Here are this week’s chatters:

John: The World Jigsaw Puzzle Championship

Emily: Social Security and Trends in Wealth Inequality and The Sea Change

David: Who Goes Nazi? By Dorothy Thompson

Listener chatter from former Slatester Torie Bosche on the Edith Roller Journals

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, David, John, and Emily about the wildfires raging out west and David’s own escape from Jasper National Park.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, David talks with Sierra Greer about her new book, Annie Bot: A Novel. And Gabfest Reads now has its own site!

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Kat Hong

Public.com+Public Investing Disclosure: Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank. See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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What Next: Israel Targets Hamas in Iran. Now What? Aug 01, 2024

As the rumored ceasefire slips further out of headlines, the Gaza war is threatening to boil over into a multiple-front war for Israel—while internal conflicts escalate inside the country.

Guest: Joshua Keating, senior correspondent covering foreign policy at Vox. His piece, "A very dangerous 24 hours in the Middle East," was published on Vox on July 31.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

Public.com+Public Investing Disclosure: Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank. See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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What Next: America’s Avocados; Mexico’s Problem. Jul 31, 2024

American consumption of avocados has exploded in the last two decades but keeping up with demand is exacting a toll on the local environment—and on local communities—in the Mexican state where most of the avocados are grown.

Guest: Alex Sammon, politics writer at Slate.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Outward: Project 2025 with Orion Rummler Jul 31, 2024

This week Bryan sits down with reporter Orion Rummler to break down Project 2025, conservative 920-page policy blueprint for a second Trump term. Orion’s article ‘What is Project 2025? Here’s the Heritage Foundation’s vision for a second Trump term’ looks at the widespread impact of these ideas for women, LGBTQ+ rights, families, education and the workforce. In this episode, we focus on the impact on LGBTQ rights and the danger of turning transness from a state of being to an ‘ideology’.

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Hear Me Out: Pop Stars Run Politics Now Jul 30, 2024

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out: who runs the world?

Kamala Harris is having a brat summer, which means that you’re likely seeing lots of questions about what brat summer is and why anyone cares. But the meme being co-opted by the Harris campaign is just a small piece of the bigger puzzle.

Writer and podcast host H. Alan Scott joins Hear Me Out to argue that pop stars have a huge amount of political influence — that, coupled with “cool factor,” could swing the election.

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie.

Want more Hear Me Out? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/hearmeoutplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next: Olympic Gymnastics is Back. But Is It Better? Jul 30, 2024

How physical and emotional abuse from coaches still persists in American gymnastics.

Guest: Molly Henseley Clancy, sports writer for the Washington Post.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

Public.com+Public Investing: All investing involves risk. Brokerage services for US listed securities, options and bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Public Investing, member FINRA & SIPC. Not investment advice. Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank.Cryptocurrency trading services are offered by Bakkt Crypto Solutions, LLC (NMLS ID 1828849), which is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the NYSDFS. Cryptocurrency is highly speculative, involves a high degree of risk, and has the potential for loss of the entire amount of an investment. Cryptocurrency holdings are not protected by the FDIC or SIPC. . See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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Hang Up: Simone’s Back (and Calf) Jul 29, 2024

Joel Anderson, Morgan Campbell, and Stefan Fatsis discuss the Dream Team’s opening-game win at the Paris Olympics. Gymnastics writer Rebecca Schulman joins to assess whether a calf injury might derail Simone Biles’ quest for redemption. And, the Games’ first scandal: Canadian soccer Spygate.

Dream Team (4:53): Led by Kevin Durant and LeBron James, Team USA crushed Nikola Jokic and Serbia it its Olympics opener.

Gymnastics (18:26): How severe is the calf injury that left Simone Biles limping and crawling during qualifying rounds in Paris?

Soccer scandal (33:45): Canada’s men’s and women’s soccer teams used drones to spy on opponents for years.

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What Next: The DEI Smear Against Kamala Harris Jul 29, 2024

Calling Kamala Harris a “DEI hire” is both sexist and racist, and despite the GOP leadership’s pleading, it has quickly emerged as a favored line of attack from the right.

Guest: Dr. Brittney Cooper, professor of gender studies and Africana studies at Rutgers University

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Well, Now - Gut Check: How to Master Your Microbiome Jul 28, 2024

A key component to wellness is gut health. But what determines if you have a healthy gut?

On this week’s episode of Well, Now, we dive into the fascinating world of the gut microbiome, a collection of bacteria and sometimes fungi that live in the human digestive system.

We are provided with insight from Dr. Colin Hill, professor of Microbiology at APC Microbiome Ireland on how to properly take care of your microbiome and why it is essential

If you liked this episode, check out – Doctors Agree: Obesity is a Disease. The Public Needs to Catch Up.

Well, Now is hosted by Dr. Kavita Patel and registered dietitian nutritionist Maya Feller.

Editing and podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola and Vic Whitley-Berry.

Editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com.

Want to listen to Well, Now uninterrupted? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock ad-free listening to Well, Now and all your other favorite Slate podcasts.

Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/wellplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next TBD: The Panopticon Olympics Jul 28, 2024

How France changed its own laws to have the safest, most pervasively surveilled Olympics ever—and why some are worried the new security system will stay in place long after the games end.

Guests:

Anne Toomey McKenna, professor, author, and expert in electronic surveillance.

Henry Grabar, covering the Olympics in Paris for Slate.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Amicus: Judge David Tatel and a New Perspective on the Court Jul 27, 2024

It’s not just us feeling exhausted right? It’s been a totally wild past few weeks. That’s why we are taking off the next few weeks to bring you a special series we’re calling “The Law According to Trump.” Andrea Bernstein, the host of WNYC’s Trump Inc., will be stepping into the host chair for Dahlia Lithwick in the month of August to explain how the former president uses the law to his advantage, and how he has gamed the judicial system to his advantage for decades before he entered political life. Andrea joins Dahlia to preview the series.

Later in the show, Dahlia talks with Judge David S. Tatel. Tatel served on the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, and became prominent for both his jurisprudence and his blindness. His new memoir, Vision, was published last month and every young lawyer should read it. On this week’s show Judge Tatel discusses the book, which details his experience on the federal appeals court and his blindness. They also talk about his concerns for the current Supreme Court and its recent approach to the law.

Want more Amicus? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock exclusive SCOTUS analysis and weekly extended episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

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A Word: Kamala Harris: Veep to Victory? Jul 26, 2024

The weeks of Democratic hand-wringing ended suddenly on Sunday after President Joe Biden stepped out of the White House race and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris. Her young campaign has energized Democrats. But Harris has befuddled Republicans who don’t know how to attack her, and a media that doesn’t know how to define her. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson discusses Harris’s record and her prospects with political analyst Niambi Carter, a professor at the University of Maryland’s School of Public Policy.

Guest: Niambi Carter, political analyst and author of American While Black: African Americans, Immigration, and the Limits of Citizenship.

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

Want more A Word? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/awordplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next TBD: Is Silicon Valley Trump-Vance Country? Jul 26, 2024

For years, Silicon Valley has felt like a liberal enclave.. This election, a handful of powerful voices like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel are expressing support for the Trump-Vance ticket. Is this a shift in ideologies in Silicon Valley, or just a few of the loudest voices?

Guest: Nitish Pahwa, associate writer for business and tech at Slate.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Patrick Fort, and Cheyna Roth.

Public.com+Public Investing Disclosure: Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank. See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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Political Gabfest: The Coronation of Kamala Harris Jul 25, 2024

This week, hosts Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson are joined by Washington Post associate editor and columnist Ruth Marcus. They President Joe Biden’s big step down, how the race is evolving with Kamala Harris stepping in as the presumptive nominee, and the fallout of the Secret Service.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Ethan Oberman and Cheyna Roth

Research by Ethan Oberman

Public.com+Public Investing: All investing involves risk. Brokerage services for US listed securities, options and bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Public Investing, member FINRA & SIPC. Not investment advice. Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank.Cryptocurrency trading services are offered by Bakkt Crypto Solutions, LLC (NMLS ID 1828849), which is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the NYSDFS. Cryptocurrency is highly speculative, involves a high degree of risk, and has the potential for loss of the entire amount of an investment. Cryptocurrency holdings are not protected by the FDIC or SIPC. . See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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What Next: Could Biden's Court Reforms Actually Work? Jul 25, 2024

Before announcing his exit, Joe Biden expressed interest in reforming the Supreme Court. But, in the spirit of re-balancing the three branches of government, isn’t that a job for Congress?

Guest: Stephen Vladeck, professor at the Georgetown University Law Center and an expert on the federal courts and constitutional law.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: Why the Secret Service Director Resigned Jul 24, 2024

Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle resigned after the catastrophic security breakdown during a Trump rally in Butler, Penn. But the assassination attempt was only the latest Secret Service disaster, and the agency’s problems won’t be solved by a simple change in leadership.

Guest: Abdallah Fayyad, policy correspondent at Vox.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Outward: “Bathroom Bills” Return with Nico Lang Jul 24, 2024

This week Bryan sits down with reporter Nico Lang to break down their recent Slate article ‘Anti-Trans “Bathroom Bills” Are Making a Major Comeback. Where’s the Outrage?.They delve into the concerning return of ‘Bathroom Bills’ and unpack what’s different this time around, why it’s taking root, and the larger strategy of this legislation.

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What Next: Kamala Harris: Meme Queen to Madame President? Jul 23, 2024

And just like that, it’s (almost definitely) Kamala. Her rise has fueled a whole species of internet memes—but the questions about her platform are serious.

Guest: Scaachi Koul, Slate senior writer

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: Joe Biden Passes the Baton Jul 22, 2024

Just over three weeks ago, Joe Biden was heading to the stage to debate Donald Trump. Now, he’s out.

Guest: David Faris, Slate contributor, associate professor of political science at Roosevelt University and author of It’s Time to Fight Dirty: How Democrats Can Build a Lasting Majority in American Politics.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next TBD: The Conspiracy Theory Election Jul 21, 2024

In the hours after the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, conspiracy theories started circulating all over social media, often amplified by powerful voices on both sides of the aisle. It shows a complete breakdown of trust in institutions during a critical election.

Guest: Drew Harwell, technology reporter at the Washington Post.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Well, Now: How Nick Cannon Got Celebrities to Open Up About Their Mental Health Jul 21, 2024

We all know about the mental health crisis wreaking havoc throughout the nation and world.

On this week’s episode of Well, Now we’re continuing our ongoing discussions of mental health, and this time we’re tackling men’s mental health as a whole.

Prime’s new show Counsel Culture, hosted by Nick Cannon and medical professionals across the spectrum, invites men to open up about their histories with anxiety, depression, grief, addiction, and more. Dr. Mike Dow is the resident psychotherapist for the program.

If you liked this episode, check out: Eating Disorders Are Rising Among Boys. Why?

Well, Now is hosted by registered dietitian nutritionist Maya Feller and Dr. Kavita Patel.

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

Want to listen to Well, Now uninterrupted? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock ad-free listening to Well, Now and all your other favorite Slate podcasts.

Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/wellplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Amicus: SCOTUS Doesn’t Have To Be This Way Jul 20, 2024

So President Biden finally signaled an openness to maybe possibly thinking about Supreme Court reform. Too little, too late, perhaps - but also, desperately needed, certainly. The US Supreme Court views itself as separate and apart from all other courts - including international counterparts. What could Americans learn from other courts? One of the world’s most respected jurists, retired Canadian Supreme Court Justice Rosalie Silberman Abella, joins Dahlia Lithwick on this week’s Amicus for a very special conversation about the role of constitutional courts in democracy, and where SCOTUS may be veering off track.

Want more Amicus? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock exclusive SCOTUS analysis and weekly extended episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Slate Money: Did Y2K Finally Happen? Jul 20, 2024

This week, as computers crash, computer makers are voting Trump. Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss the behind-the-scenes company behind the global tech shutdown, why Silicon Valley entrepreneurs like Trump and J.D. Vance, and why ESG has survived while DEI is in the dumps. For Slate Plus members: Why is the swimming pool market drying up?

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 regular 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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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What Next TBD: America’s Tech Trustbuster Jul 19, 2024

The biggest companies in the world are now tech companies, which is why the biggest antitrust, anti-monopoly fights in recent memory are centered around Silicon Valley.

Guest: Jonathan Kanter, Assistant Attorney General, Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Public.com+Public Investing: All investing involves risk. Brokerage services for US listed securities, options and bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Public Investing, member FINRA & SIPC. Not investment advice. Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank.Cryptocurrency trading services are offered by Bakkt Crypto Solutions, LLC (NMLS ID 1828849), which is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the NYSDFS. Cryptocurrency is highly speculative, involves a high degree of risk, and has the potential for loss of the entire amount of an investment. Cryptocurrency holdings are not protected by the FDIC or SIPC. . See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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A Word: Trump’s Race Card Jul 19, 2024

After a tumultuous week of campaign news, Republicans wrapped their convention in Milwaukee by officially making former President Donald Trump their nominee. While President Joe Biden struggles with doubts within his own party, many in the G.O.P. believe there’s a new opportunity to reach out to Black voters. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by political analyst and former RNC Chair, Michael Steele. They discuss the current state of the race, Trump’s ideas about what Black voters want, and the media’s influence on public opinion.

Guests: Political Analyst and former RNC Chair Michael Steele

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

Want more A Word? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/awordplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Political Gabfest: “Fight, Fight, Fight” Jul 18, 2024

This week on Political Gabfest, John Dickerson is joined by What Next host Mary Harris to discuss Donald Trump’s pick for vice president, the excitement at the Republican National Convention (and why they’re talking about a victory), and the aftermath of the Trump assassination attempt.

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: The television series, Shetland on BritBox

Mary: The New York Times: “100 Best Books of the 21st Century”

Listener chatter: Matt from Holland, MI on a visual representation of wealth inequality in America.

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, John and Mary talk about what to expect at the Democratic National Convention.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, David talks with Sierra Greer about her new book, Annie Bot: A Novel. And Gabfest Reads now has its own site!

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Ethan Oberman

Research by Kat Hong

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What Next: What Republicans Really Want Jul 18, 2024

With the presidential ticket set and the platform announced, the GOP of 2024 isn’t defined by fiscal conservatism and fighting to end abortion—although those issues are holding on, further down on the list.

So what are Republicans fighting for now?

Guest: Paul Farrow, county executive for Waukesha County, delegate at the RNC, former chair of the Wisconsin GOP.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther, with help from Cheyna Roth.

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What Next: How to End One-Party Rule Jul 17, 2024

A perennial presidential battleground state, Wisconsin became a warning—or blueprint—for how one party can subvert democracy and keep power without winning more votes.

Does the Badger State hold any lessons about how to walk back a gerrymandered, minority rule?

Guest: Ari Berman, Mother Jones’ national voting rights correspondent and author of “Minority Rule: The Right-Wing Attack on the Will of the People―and the Fight to Resist It.”

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Death, Sex & Money: The Mayor of the Most Controversial City in the U.S. Jul 16, 2024

San Francisco mayor London Breed grew up learning again and again about the dangers of drugs and addiction. She lived in public housing in the city in the 1980’s and saw friends and family members in her community get hooked, get sick, and sometimes pass away. Fast forward to now, and San Francisco is seeing sky-high overdose numbers (though they’re down a bit from last year), and the city has earned a reputation for being in disarray. Mayor London Breed faces a tough reelection campaign this fall, and this week on the show, she talks about the many different measures she and her administration are taking to address San Francisco’s problems, and she shares some of the important life experiences that have informed her approach.

Podcast production by Anna Sale.

Death, Sex & Money is now produced by Slate! To support us and our colleagues, please sign up for our membership program, Slate Plus! Members get ad-free podcasts, bonus content on lots of Slate shows, and full access to all the articles on Slate.com. Sign up today at slate.com/dsmplus.

And if you’re new to the show, welcome. We’re so glad you’re here. Find us and follow us on Instagram and you can find Anna’s newsletter at annasale.substack.com. Our new email address, where you can reach us with voice memos, pep talks, questions, critiques, is deathsexmoney@slate.com.

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What Next: J.D. Vance: You're Hired Jul 16, 2024

J.D. Vance, the Yale Law School graduate once hailed by the media as a white working class-whisperer, has been selected as Donald Trump’s running mate. But not too long ago, he was one of the former president’s critics. The former-Marine and San Francisco venture capitalist won over Trump with the hardline, America-first policies he championed in the Senate—and some serious groveling.

Guest: Jim Newell, Slate’s senior politics writer

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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What Next: After the Trump Assassination Attempt Jul 15, 2024

Former president Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt Saturday during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. While the gunman has been identified, law enforcement have not offered a potential motivation for the attack. The incident comes at a time of heightened political violence, when more Americans think such acts are justifiable.

Guests: Isaac Arnsdorf, national political reporter for The Washington Post, and David Graham, staff writer at The Atlantic.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Well, Now: The Full Truth About Ozempic Jul 14, 2024

Few drugs in the last century have changed the landscape of healthcare and weight management like GLP-1 agonist drugs — drugs like Ozempic and WeGovy.

On this week’s episode of Well, Now we talk with Harvard professor and clinician Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford.

Her research revolutionized obesity medicine and helped pave the way to get a diabetes drug approved for treating a condition millions have in the U.S.

If you liked this episode, check out – Doctors Agree: Obesity is a Disease. The Public Needs to Catch Up.

Well, Now is hosted by Dr. Kavita Patel and registered dietitian nutritionist Maya Feller.

Editing and podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry.

Production assistance from Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola.

Editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

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A Word: Blerd Up Jul 14, 2024

It's convention season, and nerds everywhere may be suiting up to attend the Cons, gatherings of hardcore science-fiction, comic book, fantasy or anime fandoms. That includes BlerdCon, the gathering where Black nerds celebrate their interests in comics, anime, gaming, and much more. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by two artists who will be featured at this year’s BlerdCon, comedian Jay Washington, and actor Phil Lamarr. They talk about the event, the evolution of Black nerd culture, and handling the backlash over diversity in science fiction and fantasy entertainment.

Guests: Performers Jay Washington and Phil Lamarr

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

Want more A Word? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/awordplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next TBD: The New World of DIY Medical Tests Jul 14, 2024

“Home diagnostics” are a $5 billion industry—and growing. Spurred by social media, people are buying into at-home health tests, without input from their doctors, and often, not even the FDA.

Guest: Elizabeth Dwoskin, reporter for the Washington Post

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Slate Money: When Are You Too Old to Work? Jul 13, 2024

This week, older people are ditching the office. Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss what a retirement wave means for young workers left behind, why Gen X-ers aren’t financially prepared to retire, and the rise of non-disclosure agreements in everyday life. For the Plus segment: What’s so special about the $150,000 luxury guard dog?

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 regular 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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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Political Gabfest: Even George Clooney Has Abandoned Biden Jul 13, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz continue to debate if Joe Biden should stay in the presidential race and who might replace him if he goes; discuss Project 2025; and ponder if Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett deserves a strange, new respect.

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: Joshua Hammer for Smithsonian Magazine: Pablo Escobar’s Abandoned Hippos Are Wreaking Havoc in the Columbia Jungle

Emily: Andrea Robin Skinner for the Toronto Star: My stepfather sexually abused me when I was a child. My mother, Alice Munro, chose to stay with him

David: Natasha Singer for The New York Times: Students Target Teachers in Group TikTok Attack, Shaking Their School and City Cast DC Live Podcast Taping on Saturday, July 13

Listener chatter from Researcher Julie: Alexandra Alter for The New York Times: Romance Bookstores Are Booming, Dishing ‘All the Hot Stuff You Can Imagine’ and Elisabeth Egan: Emily Henry on Writing Best-Sellers Without Tours and TikTok; Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg, Ellen Gamerman, and Isabella Simonetti for The Wall Street Journal: How Dragons, Magic and Steamy Sex Took Over the Book World; and Bridgerton on Netflix

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, David, John, and Emily talk with Professor Emily Wilson about her translation of Homer’s Iliad. See The Iliad by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson. See also The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, David talks with Sierra Greer about her new book, Annie Bot: A Novel. And Gabfest Reads now has its own site!

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Ethan Oberman

Research by Julie Huygen

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Amicus Opinionpalooza: This SCOTUS Decision Is Actually Even More Devastating Than We First Thought Jul 13, 2024

Administrative law may not sound sexy. And maybe that’s because it truly isn’t sexy. But it is at the very center of the biggest decisions this past Supreme Court term, and also widely misunderstood. In this week’s show, we asked Georgetown Law School’s Professor Lisa Heinzerling to come back to help hack through the thorny thicket of administrative law so we can more fully understand the ramifications of a clutch of cases handed down this term that – taken together – rearrange the whole project of modern government. The Supreme Court’s biggest power grab for a generation isn’t just about bestowing new and huge powers upon itself, it’s also about shifting power from agencies established in the public interest to corporations, industry and billionaires.

This is part of Opinionpalooza, Slate’s coverage of the major decisions from the Supreme Court this June. We kicked things off this year by explaining How Originalism Ate the Law. The best way to support our work is by joining Slate Plus. (If you are already a member, consider a donation or merch!)

Want more Amicus? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock exclusive SCOTUS analysis and weekly extended episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next TBD: Boeing Pleads Guilty Jul 12, 2024

Boeing just pled guilty to felony charges of defrauding the federal government, leading to millions of dollars in fines, and new, external oversight. Is this how the company finally turns it around?

Guest: Oriana Pawlyk, POLITICO’s aviation reporter.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Public.com+Public Investing Disclosure: Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank. See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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What Next: How to Survive This Heat Jul 11, 2024

Air-conditioning can feel like the only way to get through increasingly hot summers, but it’s an expensive, power-hungry way to keep cool.

How necessary is it? And how necessary is it to raise our thermostats up from 72 degrees?

Guest: Adam Clark Estes, senior technology correspondent at Vox.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: This Congressman Wants Biden to Drop Out Jul 10, 2024

Should Joe Biden still be the Democratic nominee in this presidential race? Elected Democrats have almost all said Biden is still the man. But Rep. Mike Quigley put his misgivings on the record.

Guest: Rep. Mike Quigley, Democratic representative for Illinois’ fifth district.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Hear Me Out: Jeff Bezos Could Save The Post (Again) Jul 09, 2024

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out: Bezos vs. the British invasion.

The Washington Post, like most legacy media outlets, can’t seem to catch a break. Right now, the newsroom is reeling under leadership changeups — and an editor who’s part of what appears to be a British invasion into American media leadership.

It’s hard to imagine Jeff Bezos, a soon-to-be trillionaire, as anyone’s folk hero. When he bought the Post in 2013, many assumed his involvement would put the paper’s editorial integrity at risk. But could his active presence actually right the ship?

Journalist and writer Brian Stelter joins us, apropos of his recent reporting for The Atlantic.

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie.

Want more Hear Me Out? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/hearmeoutplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next: France Staves Off the Far Right—This Time Jul 09, 2024

France’s far-right looked ready to take control of the National Assembly after the first round of snap elections. But when the dust settled after the second round, the left and center had held.

Though French progressives are celebrating for now, the right-wing National Rally party still took more parliament seats than it’s ever held before.

Guest: Harrison Stetler, freelance journalist based in Paris.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: Why Gay Rights Are Under Attack – Again Jul 08, 2024

What the fight against the “Briggs Initiative” in 1970s California tells us about the fight for gay rights—and the fight to keep those victories in place.

Guest: Christina Cauterucci, senior writer at Slate and host of Slow Burn Season 9: Gays Against Briggs.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

Public.com+Public Investing Disclosure: Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank. See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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Well, Now: Michelle Obama Gets Health Advice from This Gyno. Now You Can, Too. Jul 07, 2024

Women, girls, and people assigned female at birth make up more than half of the world’s population. Yet, many of them say they don’t feel supported, heard, or cared for in the doctor’s office — even in spaces designed specifically for their care like obstetrics and gynecology.

Dr. Sharon Malone, veteran OB/GYN, is on a mission to change that.

On this week’s episode of Well, Now, we speak with Dr. Malone on how to advocate for the care you deserve at every stage of life. It’s the subject of her new book Grown Woman Talk: Your Guide to Getting and Staying Healthy.

If you liked this episode, check out: How Doulas Make Childbirth Safer for Everyone

Well, Now is hosted by Dr. Kavita Patel and registered dietitian nutritionist Maya Feller.

Editing and podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery. Production assistance from Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

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Political Gabfest: Trump Is So Immune Jul 06, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the Supreme Court decisions on presidential immunity in Trump v. United States and the administrative state in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo as well as the future of Joe Biden’s nomination to be re-elected president.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Supreme Court of the United States: Opinions of the Court – 2023, including Trump v. United States, Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, Corner Post, Inc. v. Board of Governors, and SEC v. Jarkesy

Matt Gluck, Hyemin Han, and Katherine Pompilio for Lawfare: The Supreme Court’s Presidential Immunity Decision

Perry Stein for The Washington Post: Justice Sotomayor dissent: ‘The President is now a king above the law’

Gary J. Schmitt and Joseph M. Bessette for the American Enterprise Institute: The Hamilton-Madison Split over Executive Power

Dan Pfeiffer for The Message Box: Why the Dem Panic over the Debate is Getting Worse

‘Will Rogers Today’: Will Rogers on Politics

Tim Miller for The Bulwark: Dear Dems: The Gaslighting Isn’t Helping Matters

Amy Howe for SCOTUSblog: Supreme Court strikes down Chevron, curtailing power of federal agencies and Mark Walsh: Consider the wild gray squirrel, Kagan rebukes her colleagues as court overrules Chevron

Mark Sherman for AP: The Supreme Court rules for a North Dakota truck stop in a new blow to federal regulators

How to Save a Country from The New Republic: The Administrative State Is Under Attack

Congressional Research Service: The Major Questions Doctrine

Eric Berger for Dorf on Law: Is Loper Bright a Big Deal? and Michael C. Dorf: Could Congress Reinstate Chevron?

Tierney Sneed, Jeanne Sahadi, Tami Luhby, Brian Fung, Ella Nilsen, Jen Christensen, and Katie Lobosco for CNN: How the Supreme Court’s blockbuster ‘Chevron’ ruling puts countless regulations in jeopardy

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Paul Sabin of Yale University and City of New Haven: East Rock park

John: Dave McMenamin for ESPN: Lakers pick Bronny James in NBA draft; LeBron ‘emotional’

David: City Cast DC and Ross Andersen for The Atlantic: The Search for America’s Atlantis

Listener chatter from Jen in Denver, Colorado: Brandy Zadrozny and Jon Schuppe for NBC News: Who tried to steal Graceland?

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily talk about the joys of summer. See Merry Maids: 15 Fun Things to Make the Most of Summer 2024; NBC: Olympics Paris 2024; and epicurious: Summer. See also Produce bluebook: Nectarine Market Summary and Lemonada Media: Julia Gets Wise with Patti Smith.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, David talks with Sierra Greer about her new book, Annie Bot: A Novel. And Gabfest Reads now has its own site!

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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Amicus Opinionpalooza: The Supreme Court End-of-Term Breakfast Table Jul 06, 2024

What just happened??? Despite going into June clear-eyed and well informed about the Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority, the number of huge cases before it, and the alarming stakes in so many of those cases…we are, nonetheless, shocked. The October 2023 term came to a shuddering end on Monday July 1st and Dahlia Lithwick, Mark Joseph Stern, Steve Vladeck and Mary Anne Franks are here to help parse some monumental decisions, some smaller cases with big ramifications, and what we can understand about the Justices who made those decisions for the rest of us, and the Justices who dissented.

This is part of Opinionpalooza, Slate’s coverage of the major decisions from the Supreme Court this June. We kicked things off this year by explaining How Originalism Ate the Law. The best way to support our work is by joining Slate Plus. (If you are already a member, consider a donation or merch!)

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Slate Money: Behind Britain’s Bonkers Election Jul 06, 2024

This week, Felix Salmon, and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Shira Ovide, who writes the newsletter The Tech Friend for the Washington Post, and Peter Thal Larsen of Reuters, who demystifies the wacky state of European and British politics. Also: Are Chipotle burritos getting smaller? And why did Warren Buffett, top ally of the Gates Foundation, give his money to a not-yet-existing charity, hypothetically managed by his kids? In the Plus segment, it’s a shopping bonanza as the hosts discuss Nieman Marcus’ parent company gobbling up Saks Fifth Avenue.

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 regular 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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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What Next TBD: Elon Says Have More Babies Jul 05, 2024

The world’s population has never been bigger, and it’s still growing. but there’s a movement of “pronatalists” who see the slowing birth rate in wealthy, educated populations as a doomsday scenario in the making—and they’ve found their spokesman in one Elon Musk.

Guest: Sophie Alexander, reporter for Bloomberg

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Public.com+Public Investing: All investing involves risk. Brokerage services for US listed securities, options and bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Public Investing, member FINRA & SIPC. Not investment advice. Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank.Cryptocurrency trading services are offered by Bakkt Crypto Solutions, LLC (NMLS ID 1828849), which is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the NYSDFS. Cryptocurrency is highly speculative, involves a high degree of risk, and has the potential for loss of the entire amount of an investment. Cryptocurrency holdings are not protected by the FDIC or SIPC. . See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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A Word: No Justice. No Peace. No Way Back? Jul 05, 2024

This year’s Supreme Court session loosened laws on official bribery, overturned decades of precedent on regulation, and granted immunity to the president for official actions. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by legal analyst Elie Mystal of The Nation. They review the Court’s most important decisions, and talk about the political implications and the potential fall out for ordinary Americans.

Guest: Legal analyst Elie Mystal

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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What Next: The Supreme Court’s Abortion Punt Jul 03, 2024

When Roe v. Wade was overturned, a near-total abortion ban was triggered in Idaho, allowing for health exceptions only when “necessary to prevent the death of the pregnant woman.” But a case that found the ban in conflict with a federal law known as “EMTALA” went all the way to the Supreme Court, before being sent back to lower courts—neither overturning nor upholding Idaho’s ban.

Guest: Dr. Stacy Seyb, a maternal-fetal medicine specialist in Boise, Idaho.

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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: How Bad is the Trump Immunity Ruling? Jul 02, 2024

The Supreme Court has ruled that presidents enjoy “substantial immunity” from prosecution for crimes committed while in office, which includes absolute immunity for “core constitutional duties” and “presumptive immunity” for “official acts.”

All good news for one Donald J. Trump. How bad is it for the rest of us?

Guest: Richard Hasen, law professor at UCLA and director of UCLA Law’s Safeguarding Democracy Project.

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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: If Not Biden, Then… Jul 01, 2024

If you’re questioning the choice of Joe Biden as the Democratic presidential nominee after his debate, uh, performance last week, you’re not alone. But how do you swap candidates this late in the calendar—and who do the Democrats even have as an option?

Guest: David Faris, associate professor of political science at Roosevelt University and author of The Kids Are All Leftand It’s Time to Fight Dirty.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

Public.com+Public Investing: All investing involves risk. Brokerage services for US listed securities, options and bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Public Investing, member FINRA & SIPC. Not investment advice. Public Investing offers a High-Yield Cash Account where funds from this account are automatically deposited into partner banks where they earn interest and are eligible for FDIC insurance; Public Investing is not a bank.Cryptocurrency trading services are offered by Bakkt Crypto Solutions, LLC (NMLS ID 1828849), which is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the NYSDFS. Cryptocurrency is highly speculative, involves a high degree of risk, and has the potential for loss of the entire amount of an investment. Cryptocurrency holdings are not protected by the FDIC or SIPC. . See public.com/#disclosures-main for more information.

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Well, Now: Psychedelics' Long Strange Trip to the Doctor's Office Jun 30, 2024

For years, psychiatrists have been researching new methods to help people with treatment-resistant mental illness. These include severe cases of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and other debilitating diagnoses.

One type of drug has seen some positive results in clinical trials: psychedelics like psilocybin, MDMA, ketamine, and LSD.

In professional medical settings, they’re used as a part of a multifaceted approach to mental health treatment, including supervised therapy sessions while a patient is on a drug.

Recently the pharmaceutical manufacturer Lykos petitioned the FDA to approve the psychedelic MDMA as a part of caring for treatment-resistant PTSD.

Earlier this month, an advisory committee to the FDA released their vote of rejecting to approve the drug.

Now it’s up to the FDA to make the final call, but the odds are not in the favor of Lykos and many psychiatrists and patients who’ve seen positive outcomes as a result of these MDMA-assisted trials.

Psychiatrist and entrepreneur Dave Rabin is one of the doctors pushing to approve psychedelic-assisted therapy.

On this week’s episode of Well, Now we ask him about the results of his trials using psychedelics in therapy as well as what he thinks the future holds for this field as we wait for the FDA’s final verdict.

If you liked this episode, check out: “As Little Regulation As Guns”: How Social Media Hurts Youth Mental Health

Well, Now is hosted by Dr. Kavita Patel and registered dietitian nutritionist Maya Feller.

Editing and podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry, with support this week from Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola.

Editorial oversight from Alicia Montgomery, Vice President of Slate Audio.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com.

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A Word: Journalism Under the Gun Jun 30, 2024

In this election year, there’s more criticism and distrust of the media than ever. For veteran journalist Ali Velshi, his belief in the power of journalism is rooted in a family history of pursuing social justice, across continents and generations. On today’s episode of A Word, he joins host Jason Johnson to talk about his career, and his new memoir Small Acts of Courage: A Legacy of Endurance and the Fight for Democracy.

Guest: Ali Velshi, MSNBC host and author of Small Acts of Courage: A Legacy of Endurance and the Fight for Democracy

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

Want more A Word? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/awordplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next TBD: Why Are IUDs Still a Mystery? Jun 30, 2024

The story of IUDs is a story of technology, reproductive rights, shortcomings in communication about women’s health, and politics.

Guest: Mia Armstrong-Lopez, managing editor at ASU Media Enterprise and author of a recent piece on IUDs for Slate.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Amicus Opinionpalooza: The Day SCOTUS Became President Jun 29, 2024

While most everyone was reacting to Thursday’s Presidential debate, we had our eyes trained on the Supreme Court. It was again (surprise!) bad. SCOTUS determined that sleeping outside was illegal in Grants Pass v Johnson. They limited the scope by which insurrectionists could be charged for their actions on January 6, 2021 in Fischer v United States. The unelected robed leaders then laid a finishing blow in Loper Bright Enterprises v Raimondo, overturning the decades-long guidance of the longstanding Chevron doctrine and upending the ways in which government agencies can regulate the things they regulate like; clean air, water, firearms your retirement account and oh, medical care.

This term has signaled something especially troubling. While you can certainly be concerned about Trump or Biden being president once again, you should be more worried about how the justices at the Supreme Court have basically made themselves the end-all-be-all of every legislative matter, regardless who wins presidential contests. It should also come as no surprise who will benefit from these decisions (rich people with yachts).

Host Dahlia Lithwick speaks with Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern and Professor Pam Karlan, co-director of Stanford law school’s Supreme Court Litigation Clinic to go over Friday’s rulings and to break down what it means that federal agencies will no longer be able to, you know, do anything reasonable.

Listen to an interview with a doctor helping unhoused people in Grants Pass, OR.

This is part of Opinionpalooza, Slate’s coverage of the major decisions from the Supreme Court this June. We kicked things off this year by explaining How Originalism Ate the Law. The best way to support our work is by joining Slate Plus. (If you are already a member, consider a donation or merch!)

Want more Amicus? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock exclusive SCOTUS analysis and weekly extended episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Slate Money: SCOTUS Cracks the Sackler Shield Jun 29, 2024

This week, Slate Money goes to court. Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss two big Supreme Court rulings: One that stripped government agencies of regulatory power, and another that struck down Purdue Pharma and the Sacklers’ bankruptcy plan. Also: Giant “megacap” companies rule the stock market. Is that good? In the Plus segment: the once-popular potato has fallen out of fashion, but the hosts make the case for a spud renaissance.

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 regular 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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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Political Gabfest: A Law Trapped In Amber Jun 29, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz discuss the recent Supreme Court rulings on emergency abortions and guns with Yale Law School’s Linda Greenhouse and Congressman Jamaal Bowman’s loss in a New York Democratic primary.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Supreme Court of the United States: Moyle v. United States; United States v. Rahimi; and Murthy v. Missouri

Greg Stohr, Kimberly Robinson, and Lydia Wheeler for Bloomberg: Supreme Court Poised to Allow Emergency Abortions in Idaho

Amy Howe for SCOTUSblog: Supreme Court appears to allow emergency abortions in Idaho and Supreme Court upholds bar on guns under domestic-violence restraining orders

Jazmin Orozco Rodriguez for The Idaho Capital Sun: Idaho’s OB-GYN exodus throws women in rural towns into a care void

Eleanor Klibanoff for The Texas Tribune: Emergency rooms not required to perform life-saving abortions, federal appeals court rules

Ariane de Vogue, Tierney Sneed, and Devan Cole for CNN: Supreme Court issues report on Dobbs leak but says it hasn’t identified the leaker

Mark Joseph Stern for Slate: Supreme Court Inadvertently Reveals Confounding Late Change in Trump Ballot Ruling and Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern: John Roberts Tried to Clean Up Clarence Thomas’ Mess. He May Have Invited More Chaos.

Linda Greenhouse in The New York Times: The Supreme Court Steps Back From the Edge and How John Roberts Lost His Court

Michael C. Dorf for Dorf on Law: Justice Kavanaugh’s Concurrence in Rahimi Contains a Whopper of an Error (or Worse) and The Hidden Merits Ruling in Murthy v. Missouri

Gregory Krieg for CNN: George Latimer defeats House ‘squad’ member Jamaal Bowman in historic New York Democratic primary

Michelle Goldberg for The New York Times: The War in Gaza Is Splintering the Democratic Party

Ben Davis for The Guardian: The Aipac-funded candidate defeated Jamaal Bowman. But at what cost?

Peter Beinart for The Beinart Notebook: Jamaal Bowman’s Courage

Jon Murray, Seth Klamann, and Nick Coltrain for The Denver Post: Five takeaways from Colorado’s primaries as voters give Lauren Boebert new life, pick a Denver DA and more

Anthony Adragna and Nicholas Wu for Politico: AIPAC offshoot spending heavily to beat Cori Bush in her primary

Colby Itkowitz, Emily Guskin, and Scott Clement for The Washington Post: Trump trusted more than Biden on democracy among key swing-state voters

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Dismantling Mass Incarceration: A Handbook for Change by Premal Dharia, James Forman, Jr., and Maria Hawilo and Karin Brulliard for The Washington Post: For millionaire and four hunters, a wild Western lawsuit over public land

Linda: Thelma from Magnolia Pictures & Magnet Releasing and Aisha Harris, Bob Mondello, Bedatri D. Choudhury, Liz Metzger, Mike Katzif, and Jessica Reedy for NPR’s Pop Culture Happy Hour: June Squibb’s ‘Thelma’ is the wrong grandma to mess with

David: Hark and David Plotz for Hark’s The Conversation: Campaign Trail 2024

Listener chatter from William Wagner in Green Bay, Wisconsin: Sam Anderson with illustrations by Gaia Alari for The New York Times: Walnut and Me and Sam Anderson: Animal podcast

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David and Emily talk with Linda Greenhouse about Murthy v. Missouri.

In the next Gabfest Reads, David talks with Sierra Greer about her new book, Annie Bot: A Novel.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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Political Gabfest: Biden’s Catastrophic Debate Jun 28, 2024

The morning after, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the first presidential debate of 2024 and President Joe Biden’s disastrous performance.

Here are some notes and references from the show:

CNN Presidential Debate: President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump

Will Weissert for AP: Here’s why it would be tough for Democrats to replace Joe Biden on the presidential ticket

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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What Next TBD: Why Extreme Weather Keeps Surprising You Jun 28, 2024

Saying any one storm or heat wave or weather in general was “caused by climate change” is tricky—summer is, after all, usually pretty hot, and storms happen. But researchers are working on a model that brings “climate change” from abstract into the particular.

Guest: Daniel Swain, climate scientist at the UCLA Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, studying how extreme events are changing on a warming Earth.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Amicus Opinionpalooza: SCOTUS and MAGA’s Shared Vision For Government Comes Into View Jun 27, 2024

What’s this? A bonus Opinionpalooza episode for one and all? That’s right! The hits just keep coming from SCOTUS this week, and two big decisions landed Thursday that might easily get lost in the mix: Ohio v EPA and SEC v Jarkesy. Both cases shine a light on the conservative legal movement (and their billionaire funders’) long game against administrative agencies. In Ohio v EPA, the Court struck down the EPA’s Good Neighbor Rule, making it harder for the agency to regulate interstate ozone pollution. This decision split along ideological lines, and is part of a stealthy dismantling of the administrative state. SEC v Jarkesy severely hinders the agency’s ability to enforce actions against securities fraud without federal court involvement, and the decision will affect many other agencies. In her dissent, Justice Sonia Sotomayor pointed out how this power grab by the court disrupts Congress's ability to delegate authority effectively. Project 2025 just got a jump start at SCOTUS, and we have two more big administrative cases yet to come, the so-called Chevron cases: Loper Bright v Raimondo and Relentless, Inc. v Department of Commerce. This is shaping up to be a good term for billionaires and a court apparently hungry to expand its power. Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Slate’s own Mark Joseph Stern (of course) and they are saved from any regulatory confusion by environmental and administrative law all-star, Lisa Heinzerling, the Justice William J. Brennan, Jr., Professor of Law at the Georgetown University Law Center, who served in the EPA under President Obama.

This is part of Opinionpalooza, Slate’s coverage of the major decisions from the Supreme Court this June. We kicked things off this year by explaining How Originalism Ate the Law. The best way to support our work is by joining Slate Plus. (If you are already a member, consider a donation or merch!)

Want more Amicus? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock exclusive SCOTUS analysis and weekly extended episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next: Buckling Up for the Debate Jun 27, 2024

It’s Trump vs. Biden—again. But CNN promises, this time will be different.

Guest: Margaret Sullivan, columnist covering media, politics and culture for The Guardian

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: The OB-GYN Behind the Fight to Ban Mifepristone Jun 26, 2024

The Supreme Court’s unanimous decision to uphold access to mifepristone left the door open for another case to be brought to ban the abortion pill. This physician is eager for another chance.

Guest: Dr. Christina Francis, CEO of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG), associate scholar with the Charlotte Lozier Institute, a board member of Indiana Right to Life, physician member of the Abortion Pill Reversal Network.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: Is the Apprentice Movie Fired? Jun 25, 2024

The Apprentice, starring Captain America’s Sebastian Stan and Succession’s Jeremy Strong,was financed in part by the widely-loathed former-Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder. But after the movie premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, Trump’s attorneys sent cease-and-desist letters to the filmmakers—and Snyder seems to be using veto power on an American sale of the rights. Will this controversial cut of the film ever play on the big screen in the States?

Guest: Jake Lahut, political reporter at the Daily Beast, covering Republican campaigns.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: Lauren Boebert Will Not Go Away Jun 24, 2024

Lauren Boebert barely won re-election to the House in 2022. Now the gun-loving Freedom Caucus firebrand is running for Congress in a new Colorado district.. Even after a lewd theater scandal threatened to tank her career, how is Boebert still leading in the polls?

Guest: Paul Karolyi, Senior Executive Producer of City Cast Denver

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Well, Now: Meet Gwyneth Paltrow’s Mold Guy Jun 23, 2024

Everyone knows the quality of the air we breathe directly affects our health.

As the summer rolls along and more people seek reprieve from the heat indoors, it’s important to be sure our indoor air is clean and toxin-free.

One pollutant to keep an eye out for is mold.

Mold inside a home could hurt your health both immediately and in the long term.

So to help us better understand how to spot mold in the home and how to get rid of it, we’re joined by air quality expert Michael Rubino, president of the Change the Air Foundation and the founder of HomeCleanse.

If you liked this episode, check out – Doctors Agree: Obesity is a Disease. The Public Needs to Catch Up.

Well, Now is hosted by registered dietitian nutritionist Maya Feller and Dr. Kavita Patel.

Editing and podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry, with support this week from Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola.

Editorial oversight from Alicia Montgomery, Vice President of Slate Audio.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

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What Next TBD: Is Your Phone Tracking Your Driving? Jun 23, 2024

As cars get smarter, automakers - with the help of third-party apps - are leveraging the new data they’re able to collect on people's driving habits to influence drivers’ insurance prices. The problem? Most people aren’t aware their driving is being monitored.

Guest: Kashmir Hill, tech reporter for the New York Times.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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A Word: Black to the Future in Music Jun 23, 2024

June is Black Music Month, and this year marks the 30th anniversary of some of the most influential albums in contemporary African American music, including Nas’ Illmatic, and TLC’s CrazySexyCool, to Notorious B.I.G’s Ready to Die. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by pop culture columnist Panama Jackson to discuss the legendary Black music of 1994, and the difference between a merely great album, and one that’s going to stand the test of time.

Guest: Panama Jackson, columnist at TheGrio

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

Want more A Word? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/awordplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Amicus: Rahimi and The Roberts Court’s All New, Also Old, Second Amendment Doctrine Jun 22, 2024

Another major case for the “not a loss/not exactly a win” pile this term at SCOTUS. A majority of the Supreme Court’s conservative majority said what we knew all along - adjudicated domestic abusers shouldn’t hold onto second amendment rights and the guns that they are statistically, horrifyingly, apt to use to harm their intimate partners. In an 8-1 decision in United States v Rahimi, the Roberts Court looked frantically for a way to reverse out of – while still technically upholding – its bonkers extreme originalism-fueled Bruen decision from two terms ago.

This week Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern are joined by Kelly Roskam, the Director of Law and Policy at the Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions.

Later in the show, Mark and Dahlia look under the hood of Department of State v Munoz - an immigration case decided this week that Justice Sotomayor says is sewing seeds for the end of marriage equality as we know it.

This is part of Opinionpalooza, Slate’s coverage of the major decisions from the Supreme Court this June. We kicked things off this year by explaining How Originalism Ate the Law. The best way to support our work is by joining Slate Plus. (If you are already a member, consider a donation or merch!)

Want more Amicus? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock exclusive SCOTUS analysis and weekly extended episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Slate Money: McDonald's Fast Food Price War Jun 22, 2024

Fast food prices are sky high, but chains will take losses to get you in the door. Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss the economics of a new value meal trend. Also: millennials’ are taking secret “quiet vacations” and dicey geopolitics are affecting bond markets. In the Plus segment: Yankee Stadium is now card-payment only. Do Americans have the right to use cold hard cash?

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 regular 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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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What Next TBD: Amazon Wants Your Handprint Jun 21, 2024

Amazon has installed digital palm readers at Whole Foods. The reader scans your palm, collecting biometric data, and links it to your credit card to pay for your groceries. What does exchanging vein mapping for eggs and butter mean for the future of data security and in-person shopping.

Guest: Emily Moore, freelance tech and food journalist

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Patrick Fort, and Cheyna Roth.

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Political Gabfest: Presidential Debate Preview Jun 20, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the 2024 presidential debates; a possible warning on social media and another ban of smartphones in schools; and the future and failures of one-party rule.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Ashley Lopez for NPR: Biden vs. Trump remains close, so next week’s debate offers them an opportunity

James Oliphant for Reuters: The Biden-Trump presidential debate: what to watch for

Shane Goldmacher and Reid J. Epstein for The New York Times: Trump, Biden and CNN Prepare for a Hostile Debate (With Muted Mics)

Josh Barro for Very Serious: Of Course Biden Should Attack Trump for Being a Convicted Felon

Dr. Vivek H. Murthy in The New York Times: Surgeon General: Why I’m Calling for a Warning Label on Social Media Platforms and Sherry Turkle: Stop Googling. Let’s Talk.

Consider This on NPR: ‘An unfair fight’: The U.S. surgeon general declares war on social media

Howard Blume and Defne Karabatur for The Los Angeles Times: LAUSD approves cellphone ban as Newsom calls for statewide action

Tatum Hunter for The Washington Post: What research actually says about social media and kids’ health

Candice L. Odgers in Nature: The great rewiring: is social media really behind an epidemic of teenage mental illness?

Mitch Daniels in The Washington Post: Indiana is revealing the real consequences of one-party rule

Ballotpedia: State government trifectas

Scott S. Greenberger in NC Newsline: Shared power used to be the norm in state government. Now it’s nearly extinct.

Nicholas Kristof for The New York Times: What Have We Liberals Done to the West Coast?

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: Liquor.com: Vesper; The New York Times: John Hurt in ‘Krapp’s Last Tape’; and John Hurt in The Guardian: Krapp’s Last Tape: John Hurt on Samuel Beckett’s loner hero

Emily: The Innocence Project: Texas Seeks Execution Date for Robert Roberson, An Innocent Man Wrongly Convicted Under Debunked Shaken Baby Hypothesis

David: Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life, Georgetown University: The Vocation of Journalists in a Time of Testing; Washington City Paper: Paper, Cut; and Bruce Weber and Ashley Southall for The New York Times: David Carr, Times Critic and Champion of Media, Dies at 58

Listener chatter from Tristan Hinderliter in Long Island City, New York: Samantha Pearson for The Wall Street Journal: Even Hardened Convicts Are No Match for These Guard Geese

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, Emily, and John talk about the Brat Pack: then and now. See Hulu: Brats and David Blum for New York Magazine: Hollywood’s Brat Pack. See also RHINO: John Parr – St. Elmo’s Fire (Man In Motion) (Official Music Video) and Comedy Bites Vintage: Don’t You Forget About Me (Final Scene) The Breakfast Club.

In the next Gabfest Reads, David talks with Sierra Greer about her new book, Annie Bot: A Novel.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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What Next: Homelessness Before the Supreme Court Jun 20, 2024

The Supreme Court is soon expected to decide Grants Pass v. Johnson, a case where a town’s efforts to remove unhoused people from its parks became “cruel and unusual,” according to lower courts.

Guest: Dr. Bruce Murray, chief medical officer for the Mobile Integrative Navigation Team (MINT) in Josephine County, Oregon.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next; How IVF Became the GOP's Next Battle Jun 18, 2024

Now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned, the Christian right seems to be setting its sights on banning in-vitro fertilization. But even though the Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution against IVF, it’s a very popular and widely accepted procedure, which is why Senate Republicans signed a statement in favor of access to IVF, the same day almost all voted against protecting it by law.

Guest: Megan Messerly, health policy reporter at Politico.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: What's Eating the Economy? Jun 17, 2024

The American economy has gotten more consolidated and more reliant on algorithms—while also, according to most people, getting more expensive, slower, and worse. Is there some causality in this correlation?

Guest: Matt Stoller, Research Director for the American Economic Liberties Project and author of Goliath: The Hundred Year War Between Monopoly Power and Democracy.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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A Word: Daddy Lessons Jun 16, 2024

The stereotype of Black fathers is that they’re largely absent, and uninvolved in their children’s lives. And that image persists, despite research that suggests that Black fathers are often more involved in the daily care of their kids than white fathers. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Sean Williams, the founder of The Dad Gang, an organization that uplifts and supports Black and other marginalized fathers. They talk about the challenges of fatherhood, and building a community where dads can help each other.

Guest: Sean Williams, founder of The Dad Gang

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

Want more A Word? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/awordplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next TBD: The FBI Made a Phone Network. It Was A Trap. Jun 16, 2024

In 2021, one of the largest global law enforcement operations took place. It was all thanks to an encrypted phone service known as Anom, which was secretly run by the FBI.

The program was a wild success. But did the agency take it too far?

Guest: Joseph Cox, investigative reporter for 404 media and author of “Dark Wire, the Incredible True Story of the Largest Sting Operation Ever”

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Well, Now: Doctors Agree: Obesity is a Disease. The Public Needs to Catch Up. Jun 16, 2024

Ever since it showed up on the Body Mass Index, the label “obese” has been used to judge and often shame people with larger bodies.

Medical providers, family and friends, even strangers make assumptions about fat people’s health solely based on their size.

At the same time, excess quantities of fat can lead to poor health outcomes such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and diabetes.

Over the decades, medical associations have evolved their understanding of obesity. The American Medical Association, the National Institutes of Health, and the American Obesity Society all classify obesity as a disease requiring medical treatment.

How does that change the way medical providers care for their obese and overweight patients? And does that mean people with fatter bodies can now face less discrimination?

As a part of a series of ongoing conversations on Well, Now on weight and health, we discuss the current medical definition of obesity and how to treat it with Dr. Angela Fitch, former Associate Director of the Massachusetts General Hospital Weight Center.

If you liked this episode, check out: The Isolation of a Life-Threatening Diagnosis

Well, Now is hosted by registered dietitian nutritionist Maya Feller and Dr. Kavita Patel.

Editing and podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with oversight from Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

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Slate Money: Is Tesla Even a Good Car Company? Jun 15, 2024

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss Tesla shareholders’ overwhelming support of Musk’s pay package, the return of the GameStop meme stock influencer, and why Governor Hochul killed New York’s congestion pricing plan. In the Plus segment: a Missouri restaurant has banned 20-somethings. Can they do that?

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 regular 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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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Amicus Opinionpalooza: SCOTUS Says Yes to Bump Stocks, No to Gun Safety Regulation Jun 15, 2024

A bump stock is an attachment that converts a semi automatic rifle into a weapon that can fire as many as 800 rounds per minute - an intensity of gunfire matched by machine guns. The deadliest mass shooting carried out by a single shooter in US history - the October 2017 Las Vegas massacre - was enabled by a bump stock. On Friday, the US Supreme Court struck down a Trump-era bump stock ban introduced in the wake of that tragedy, in which 60 people were killed and hundreds more injured. Writing for a perfectly partisan six to three majority, gun enthusiast and ultra conservative Justice Clarence Thomas, decided the administration had overstepped its authority enacting the ban, and based the decision in a very technical, very weird reading of the statute. On this Opinionpalooza edition of Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Slate’s senior writer on the courts and the law - Mark Stern, and David Pucino, Legal Director & Deputy Chief Counsel of Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Together, they discuss the careful reasoning and research behind the ban, Justice Thomas’ self-appointment as a bigger gun expert than the agency charged with regulating guns - the ATF, how the gun industry used its own “amicus flotilla” from extreme groups to undermine the agency, and how the industry will use this roadmap again. But, please don’t despair entirely, you’ll also hear from David about hope for the future of gun safety rules.

This is part of Opinionpalooza, Slate’s coverage of the major decisions from the Supreme Court this June. We kicked things off this year by explaining How Originalism Ate the Law. The best way to support our work is by joining Slate Plus. (If you are already a member, consider a donation or merch!) Plus listeners have access to all our Opinionpalooza emergency episodes.

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Political Gabfest: Biden’s Risky Asylum Policy Jun 15, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss President Biden’s new asylum policy; the recent European Parliament elections with The Atlantic’s Anne Applebaum; and the jammed congestion pricing in New York City.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Corvid Research: Help, I’ve found a baby crow!

Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Hamed Aleaziz for The New York Times: In Shift, Biden Issues Order Allowing Temporary Border Closure to Migrants and Miriam Jordan: Biden Opens a New Back Door on Immigration

Matthew Yglesias for Slow Boring: Biden is doing the right thing on asylum

Matt Collette for Vox: Our identity crisis on immigration

Alex Nowrasteh for the Cato Institute: The Most Common Arguments Against Immigration and Why They’re Wrong

Statista: U.S. immigration/migration – statistics & facts

Andres Triay, Robert Legare, Nicole Sganga, Pat Milton, and Camilo Montoya-Galvez for CBS News: ICE arrests 8 with suspected ISIS ties

BBC: What is the UK’s plan to send asylum seekers to Rwanda? and Nick Beake and Kostas Kallergis: Greece boat disaster: BBC investigation casts doubt on coastguard’s claims

Anthony Faiola, Imogen Piper, Joyce Sohyun Lee, Klaas van Dijken, Maud Jullien, and May Bulman for The Washington Post: With Europe’s support, North African nations push migrants to the desert

Anne Applebaum for The Atlantic: Trump Is Not America’s Le Pen

Sam Jones for The Guardian: EU elections 2024: how did key countries vote and what does it mean?

CBS News: NYC Comptroller Brad Lander announces legal challenge to congestion pricing pause

Michelle Kaske, Laura Nahmias, and Zach Williams for Bloomberg: New York Governor Shocks Manhattan With Halt to Congestion Pricing

Lauren Sforza for The Hill: Murphy says ‘the biggest policy mistake of the past 50 years in New Jersey’ was Christie’s decision to cancel Gateway tunnel project

The Affluent Society by John Kenneth Galbraith

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Curt Anderson for WJHG: Florida jury finds Chiquita Brands liable for Colombia deaths, must pay $38.3M to family members

John: Well, This Is Me: A Cartoon Collection from the New Yorker’s Asher Perlman by Asher Perlman and Taylor Orth for YouGov: In-flight drama: Where Americans sit on airline etiquette

David: City Cast Nashville and Hey Nashville; City Cast Austin and Hey Austin; Open: An Autobiography by Andre Agassi; Dartmouth: 2024 Commencement Address by Roger Federer at Dartmouth; Maxi 4 NBA: Michael Jordan I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career.; and Winning Ugly: Mental Warfare in Tennis—Lessons from a Master by Brad Gilbert and Steve Jamison

Listener chatter from Jason Anderson in Chicago, Illinois: Neil Steinberg for the Chicago Sun-Times: Sorry, Ken Griffin – Chicagoans will call the Museum of Science and Industry what they please

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David talk about Hunter Biden’s conviction. See Jonathan Lemire for Politico: Biden’s team was waiting for a Hunter verdict. That didn’t make it easier when it arrived. and Abby Phillip for CNN: Hear how conservatives reacted to Hunter Biden’s conviction. See also Perry Stein for The Washington Post: Gun counts Hunter Biden faces are rarely stand-alone charges and John Miller for CNN: Meanwhile, Trump said during pre-sentencing interview he had a gun in Florida, weeks after his conviction.

In the next Gabfest Reads, David talks with Sierra Greer about her new book, Annie Bot: A Novel.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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What Next TBD: Apple Goes Intelligent Jun 14, 2024

On Monday, Tim Cook announced Apple was getting into artificial intelligence. Is Apple about to do for A.I. what it did for personal computers and smartphones?

Guest: Gerrit De Vynck, tech reporter for the Washington Post.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Patrick Fort, and Cheyna Roth.

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What Next: She Met the Alitos—and Got Them on Tape Jun 13, 2024

Furtively recorded conversations with Justices John Roberts, Samuel Alito, and Alito’s wife Martha-Ann provided a window into what these powerful figures are saying behind closed doors. But do the means of getting these recordings undermine their ultimate goal?

Guest: Lauren Windsor, journalist and executive producer for “The Undercurrent” and documentary filmmaker of “Gonzo for Democracy.”

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: Wait, Is JUUL Banned or Not? Jun 12, 2024

Two years ago, the FDA announced it was banning JUUL nicotine vapes from sale in the U.S.—and then quickly announced it was holding off on the ban to allow for review. How did regulating ecigarettes end up playing catch-up?

Guest: Jamie Ducharme, health correspondent at Time, author of Big Vape: The Incendiary Rise of Juul.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: Hunter Biden’s Judgment Day Jun 11, 2024

Is Hunter Biden’s trial proof that the justice system doesn’t care about your last name? Or is the president’s son being targeted?

Guest: Ankush Khardori, attorney and a former federal prosecutor in the US Justice Department.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Hear Me Out: Biden Is Courting Voters Who Don’t Exist Jun 11, 2024

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out: base instincts.

Democratic strategists are reportedly freaking out about Joe Biden. Despite his opponent’s felony convictions, Biden remains unpopular and isn’t polling well in swing states. Young voters are mad about his handling of the war in Gaza; many Americans remain convinced that the economy is bad and the president is to blame for it.

So if strategists’ worst fears come to pass… how much of this wound is self-inflicted?

Hayes Brown of MSNBC joins Hear Me Out to argue that Biden is falling into a classic triangulation trap… and that it probably won’t be worth it.

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie.

Want more Hear Me Out? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/hearmeoutplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next: What’s Biden Doing with the Border? Jun 10, 2024

Joe Biden’s new executive order severely limits migrants from seeking asylum at the border. It’s a far cry from his campaign rhetoric and the New York Times called it the most restrictive immigration policy issued by any modern Democrat. What is he trying to accomplish?

Guest: Jonathan Blitzer, staff writer for the New Yorker and author of “Everyone Who Is Gone Is Here: The United States, Central America and the Making of a Crisis.”

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next TBD: Fee’d Up: A Musician’s Take on Ticketmaster Jun 09, 2024

It’s hard to imagine music fans mourning a break-up of Ticketmaster and its parent company Live Nation, as a Department of Justice lawsuit requests. But even with this monopolistic middleman out of the way, touring musicians still seem destined to struggle financially.

Guest: Laura Jane Grace, musician

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Patrick Fort, and Anna Phillips.

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Well, Now: The Isolation of a Life-Threatening Diagnosis Jun 09, 2024

Each week, we’ve explored wellness from different perspectives, but we haven’t talked about what it means to live a full life while grappling with the real possibility of death.

Most of us hope for a full, long life with “good” health. But a serious, possibly fatal diagnosis changes everything: Our relationships with work, loved ones, and even the way we see ourselves.

On this week’s episode of Well, Now we speak with author, journalist, and artist Suleika Jaouad. Many learned about her work in the Oscar-nominated documentary American Symphony – which chronicled her marriage to musician Jon Baptiste as his career soared and her leukemia re-emerged.

But Suleika began documenting illness and identity long before starring in an award-winning film.

If you liked this episode, check out: “People Feel Like They’re Drowning”: The Long COVID Survivors Left Behind

Well, Now is hosted by registered dietitian nutritionist Maya Feller and Dr. Kavita Patel.

Editing and podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

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A Word: The WNBA’s Great White Hype Jun 09, 2024

“Petty.” “Jealous.” That’s what many male sportscasters are saying about the women competing against WNBA rookie Caitlin Clark. The former Iowa star is bringing a new level of attention to women’s basketball, but many men who ignored the league for years are now leading the coverage. So how is sexism and racism fueling the way they’re talking about Clark and the rest of the WNBA?

On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by veteran sports journalist Jemele Hill to discuss the way the media treats Clark and the African American players who are competing with her. Hill is a contributing writer to The Atlantic, and wrote about the issue for them in the article, “The One Downside of Gender Equality in Sports.”

Guest: Veteran sports journalist Jemele Hill

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

Want more A Word? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/awordplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Amicus: The Supreme Court’s Appeal to Heaven Jun 08, 2024

Over the past 15 years, the journalist and author Katherine Stewart has been charting the rise of Christian Nationalism in the United States. On this week’s Amicus, Stewart joins Dahlia Lithwick and Rachel Laser of Americans United for Separation of Church and State to discuss the worrying signs of the growing power of extremist christian ideologies at the highest court in the land. Together, they trace shifts in jurisprudence that have emboldened and empowered some of the most extreme fringes of the extreme Christian right, and explain how the changing legal landscape is enabling right wing religious fever dreams to become explicit policy in a document like Project 2025. They all agree on this one thing: This is an episode about much more than flags.

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Slate Money: Is the NY Times Just a Gaming Platform? Jun 08, 2024

Even the Grey Lady struggles to profit from the news. This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Semafor founder Ben Smith to discuss media profit models, the impact of Google’s AI on the news biz, and the TikTok-ification of information. In the Plus segment: Vivek Ramaswamy comes for Buzzfeed.

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 regular 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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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Political Gabfest: Will Trump’s Conviction Help Biden? Jun 08, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the fallout from Donald Trump’s felony conviction; the spin-up for Hunter Biden’s trial; and the upshot for college speech from campus protests with Charles Homans.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Nathaniel Rakich for 538: Trump’s conviction may be hurting him – but it’s early

Sarah Longwell in The Atlantic: The Two-Time Trump Voters Who Have Had Enough

Dafydd Townley for The Conversation: Trump guilty verdict: the fallout for US democracy

Politico Magazine: 22 Experts Predict What the Trump Conviction Will Mean for 2024 and Beyond

CBS News: Watch: Biden speaks at D-Day commemoration ceremony

Perry Stein for The Washington Post: Gun counts Hunter Biden faces are rarely stand-alone charges and Perry Stein, Devlin Barrett, and Matt Viser: How a fight over immunity unraveled Hunter Biden’s plea deal

Cris Barrish for WHYY: Lawyers spar in Wilmington court over whether Hunter Biden ‘knowingly’ lied on federal gun purchase form about drug use

Eugene Daniels for Politico: Biden issues a rare statement on his son’s criminal trial

Mini Racker for Time: How Hunter Biden’s Scandals Compare to Those of Trump’s Family Members

Matthew Yglesias for Vox: Nepotism and the 2020 election, explained

Emily Bazelon and Charles Homans for The New York Times: The Battle Over College Speech Will Outlive the Encampments

Here & Now on WBUR: Pro-Palestinian protesters at Brown reach deal with university

Emma H. Haidar and Cam E. Kettles for The Harvard Crimson: Harvard Will Refrain From Controversial Statements About Public Policy Issues

Paul Alivisatos in The Wall Street Journal: Why I Ended the University of Chicago Protest Encampment

Greta Reich and Caroline Chen for The Stanford Daily: Pro-Palestine protesters detained following occupation of president’s office, face immediate suspension

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Liz Goodwin for The Washington Post: Senate Republicans vote against making contraception a federal right and Ellen Wexler for Smithsonian Magazine: The 150-Year-Old Comstock Act Could Transform the Abortion Debate

John: Marco Hernandez, Jeffrey Gettleman, Finbarr O’Reilly, and Tim Wallace for The New York Times: What Ukraine Has Lost and Helena Skinner and Emma Ogao for ABC News: Satellite images show devastation in Sudan 1 year since conflict began

David: Alina Chan in The New York Times: Why the Pandemic Probably Started in a Lab, in 5 Key Points

Listener chatter from Kevin Cassidy in Sawyer, Michigan: Dyartorin Crafts: How to make Leonardo Da Vinci Bridge using popsicle sticks and HeyDadHey: How To Make A Da Vinci Bridge

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David talk about changes at the Washington Post and the state of journalism. See Oliver Darcy for CNN: Washington Post abruptly replaces executive editor Sally Buzbee in shakeup, David Folkenflik for NPR: New CEO of ‘The Washington Post’ puts former colleagues in power, and David Bauder for AP: With its top editor abruptly gone, The Washington Post grapples with a hastily announced restructure. See also Edward Helmore for The Guardian: ‘The final act’: fears US journalism crisis could destabilize 2024 election and Jack Shafer for Slate: The New Vanity Press Moguls.

In the next Gabfest Reads, David talks with Sierra Greer about her new book, Annie Bot: A Novel.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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What Next TBD: The Secret Semiconductor War Jun 07, 2024

How well is the Biden administration coaxing semiconductor companies to build their chips in the United States? Compared to Taiwan, South Korea, Japan…or even mainland China, things are just okay.

Guest: Asa Fitch, reporter for the Wall Street Journal, covering the semiconductor industry.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next: The Hollywood Strikes Are Over. No One's Back To Work. Jun 06, 2024

After waiting for two strikes to resolve, film and television crews across Hollywood were hungry to return to work. But the work has been slow to come back. As a number of crew union contracts expire at the end of July, how strong is their negotiating position?

Guests:

Diane Haithman, Senior Entertainment Business Reporter, TheWrap

Diego Mariscal, IATSE local 80 dolly grip

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: Rafah Under Fire Jun 05, 2024

Days after Israeli airstrikes hit Rafah, President Biden touted a potential ceasefire agreement. How far away is the end of the war? And how does Gaza rebuild after this?

Guest: Tariq Kenney-Shawa, U.S. policy fellow at Al-Shabaka and an editor and fact-checker for AJ+.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next: It’s Supreme Court Blockbuster Season Jun 04, 2024

It will be another chaotic June at the Supreme Court, as the nine justices race to deliver decisions impacting gun rights, abortion, presidential immunity, and more—all before summer vacation.

Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, Slate senior writer covering law and the courts.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Hear Me Out: Election Betting Should Be Legal Jun 04, 2024

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out: placing bets.

Betting on the results of elections is illegal in the United States – though that hasn’t stopped sportsbooks overseas from cashing in. And that doesn’t mean that Americans haven’t placed bets on election results in the U.S., either; that’s a tradition that dates back centuries.

There’s a push now to make elections betting legal on American soil — and for American companies to run online casinos. Futures markets are complicated, and it might feel gross, or even dangerous, to gamble on democracy… but of all the types of gambling we do allow, what if this one is actually the biggest good to society?

Eric Zitzewitz of Dartmouth joins us to bet on the value of election betting.

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie.

Want more Hear Me Out? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/hearmeoutplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next: Election Workers in the Crosshairs Jun 03, 2024

She was a city clerk for Rochester Hills, Michigan. After Trump lost the state, the threats started coming.

Guest: Tina Barton, Senior Elections Expert, The Elections Group

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Well, Now: How Doulas Make Childbirth Safer For Everyone Jun 02, 2024

Everyone has a different birth experience.

Obstetricians and midwives are well-known members of the birth team. Along with the pregnant person, they are central to labor and delivery.

Doulas are lesser known, but they can provide essential support for pregnant women and their loved ones.

On this week’s episode of Well, Now: What to expect when working with a doula with Latham Thomas, founder of Mama Glow.

If you liked this episode, check out: Overcoming a Complicated Pregnancy

Well, Now is hosted by Maya Feller, CDN and Kavita Patel, MD.

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com.

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What Next TBD: Would You Buy Poop On the Internet? Jun 02, 2024

“Fecal microbial transplants” treat someone’s unhealthy gut with poop from someone else’s healthy gut, and proponents of FMT claim it can help treat everything from IBS to autism. But if your doctor isn’t ready to fill you up with someone else’s poop, the internet will happily oblige.

Guest:

Luke Winkie, Slate staff writer who published “The Poop Broker.”

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Amicus: Will the Supreme Court Step Into Trump’s Hush Money Conviction? Jun 01, 2024

As a jury in Lower Manhattan responded with “guilty” to all 34 felony counts in former President and presumptive GOP presidential nominee Donald J. Trump’s hush money trial on Thursday, dozens and dozens more questions began to swirl. Will Trump appeal? On what grounds? Will Justice Juan Merchan sentence Trump to jail time? Will the US Supreme Court intervene? Is the gag order still active and in place? Luckily, we have the perfect guest on Amicus to answer all those questions to the extent that it is humanly and expert lawyerly possible. Ryan Goodman is the Anne and Joel Ehrenkranz Professor of Law at New York University School of Law. He served as special counsel to the general counsel of the Department of Defense (2015-16). He is also the founding co-editor-in-chief of the national security online forum, Just Security, a vital resource if you are trying to follow the many trials and appeals of Donald J Trump.

Want more Amicus? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock exclusive SCOTUS analysis and weekly extended episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Slate Money: Nobody’s Gonna Stop Nvidia Jun 01, 2024

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Alex Kantrowitz of the Big Technology podcast. They discuss why the Nvidia juggernaut isn’t going to slow down any time soon, the man, myth, and legend of OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and whether U.S. texters will embrace WhatsApp and voice memos. In the Plus segment: Which candidate is most TikTok-able?

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 regular 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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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Political Gabfest: Donald Trump is Convicted! Plus, Who is Winning The Senate? May 31, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the U.S. Senate seats that might turn from blue to red in 2024; The Fall of Roe with The New York Times’s Elizabeth Dias and Lisa Lerer; and the rise of Lauren Boebert with City Cast Denver’s Bree Davies and Paul Karolyi.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter: 2024 CPR Senate Race Ratings

Jonathan Weisman for The New York Times: 10 Senate Races to Watch in 2024

Ben Kamisar for NBC News: Rich people are spending more than ever to run for Congress. A big test is coming in Maryland.

Nate Silver for 538: Are The Democrats Screwed In The Senate After 2024?

The Fall of Roe: The Rise of a New America by Elizabeth Dias and Lisa Lerer and The New York Times Magazine: The Untold Story of the Network That Took Down Roe v. Wade

Ian Ward for Politico: The Group Behind Dobbs Does Not Want to Talk About What Comes Next

Bree Davies and Paul Karolyi for City Cast Denver: Lauren Boebert Can’t Lose

CBS Colorado: Beto O’Rourke Talks Gun Violence At Aurora Campaign Stop

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Law & Justice Journalism Project: 2024 Fellowship

John: Katie Razzall, Darin Graham, and Larissa Kennelly for BBC News: FBI investigating missing ancient treasures from British Museum and Rebecca Mead for The New Yorker: The British Museum’s Blockbuster Scandals

David: Meilan Solly for Smithsonian Magazine: Giant Pandas Are Coming Back to Washington, D.C.; Maura Judkis and Travis M. Andrews for The Washington Post: Let’s argue about the giant pandas; and Smithsonian’s National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute: Red panda

Listener chatter from Annamarie Smith in Sacramento, California: Sukey Lewis and Julie Small for KQED: On Our Watch: New Folsom

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David talk about pronatalism and the Collins family. See Jenny Kleeman for The Guardian: America’s premier pronatalists on having ‘tons of kids’ to save the world: ‘There are going to be countries of old people starving to death’. See also Luke Munn for The Conversation: Pronatalism is the latest Silicon Valley trend. What is it – and why is it disturbing?; Sarah Jones for Intelligencer: There’s Nothing New About Pronatalism; and The Genius Factory: The Curious History of the Nobel Prize Sperm Bank by David Plotz.

In the next Gabfest Reads, David talks with Sierra Greer about her new book, Annie Bot: A Novel.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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A Word: Not So Smooth Criminal May 31, 2024

Former President Donald Trump and his supporters are furious after his conviction on all 34 counts related to his hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by legal analyst Yodit Tewolde to discuss the path to the conviction, key moments in the trial, and what the verdict says about the justice system.

Guest: Legal analyst Yodit Tewolde

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

Want more A Word? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/awordplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next TBD: He’s Suing Big Tech Over Uvalde May 31, 2024

His law firm won a $73 million dollar settlement against Remington on behalf of nine Sandy Hook families. Now he’s filing a lawsuit against the gunmaker Daniel Defense, the video game company Activision, and Instagram’s parent company, Meta, on behalf of families in Uvalde.

Guest: Josh Koskoff, attorney

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Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Patrick Fort, and Anna Phillips.

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Amicus SPECIAL: Trump Guilty on All 34 Counts May 31, 2024

After six weeks of arguments and testimony and a little under 12 hours of deliberation, a Manhattan jury voted to convict former President Trump of 34 felony counts in his hush money trial. Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Slate’s jurisprudence editor Jeremy Stahl, who was in court for the historic guilty verdict and has followed the case over the past six weeks, to talk about how the verdict was reached, what comes next, and why the former President is unlikely to be headed to jail any time soon.

Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

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What Next: An “Apprentice” Producer’s Mea Culpa May 30, 2024

How one producer—now freed from his 20-year non-disclosure agreement—regrets his role shaping Donald Trump’s image on The Apprentice.

Guest: Bill Pruitt, producer for seasons 1 and 2 of The Apprentice.

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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: The View from Israel May 29, 2024

What do Israelis think of the war in Gaza and how their leadership is conducting it?

Guest: Tamar Harrel-Santis, student and combat reservist living in Ramat Yishai, Israel.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Hang Up: Luka and Kyrie Are Running the NBA May 28, 2024

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the stardom of the Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving as well as Draymond Green’s stint on TNT’s Inside the NBA. Michael McCann of Sportico also joins to break down the multibillion-dollar settlement that will likely mark the end of amateurism in college sports.

Luka and Kyrie: How the Mavericks duo took over the Western Conference Finals.

NCAA: Will the settlement deal actually become reality? And how will the payments work?

Afterball: Stefan on Bill Walton, Jack Scott, and the FBI.

Want more Hang Up and Listen? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page, or visit slate.com/hangupplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next: The Death of Bidenomics May 28, 2024

After inheriting a tricky, post-peak-pandemic economy, the Biden administration pulled off the double-feat of stalling inflation while also keeping unemployment low. Wages have risen, and so has purchasing power. But if you ask voters, they’ll tell you the economy is terrible.

Does Biden have a messaging problem or is an economy where the price of everything still seems too high simply impossible to run on?

Guest: Annie Lowery, staff writer at the Atlantic.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Hear Me Out: Term Limits Could Ruin Congress May 28, 2024

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out: self-limiting.

Congress is historically unpopular; it’s one of the few things that people on both sides of the aisle can agree on. But what could be done to actually fix our legislature?

Term limits are often posed as a good potential start. But there are those who argue that that’s not the best way to fix our legislature — and the pool of people who feel that way isn’t exclusively career politicians, either.

Charlie Hunt, a professor at Boise State University, joins us to argue against term limits.

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie.

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Slow Burn: A Hotbed of Homosexuality May 27, 2024

While the What Next team observes the holiday, enjoy the first episode of Slow Burn's new season.

In the 1970s, San Francisco became a welcoming home for tens of thousands of new gay residents—and a modern-day Sodom for the American right. With a moral panic sweeping across the United States, a Florida orange juice spokeswoman inspired an ambitious California politician to launch his own campaign against lesbians and gays—one that would change the course of U.S. history.

(If you—or anyone you know—are in crisis, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, anytime: Dial 988 or visit 988lifeline.org.)

Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock the first five episodes of Slow Burn: Gays Against Briggs. Your subscription also gets you ad-free access to all your favorite Slate podcasts, plus other member exclusive content. Join now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Subscribe” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/slowburnplus to get access wherever you listen.

Season 9 of Slow Burn was written and produced by Christina Cauterucci. Slow Burn is produced by Kelly Jones, Joel Meyer, and Sophie Summergrad.

Josh Levin is the editorial director of Slow Burn.

Derek John is Slate’s executive producer of narrative podcasts.

Susan Matthews is Slate’s executive editor.

Merritt Jacob is our senior technical director. We had engineering help from Patrick Fort and Madeline Ducharme.

Our theme music is composed by Alexis Cuadrado. Artwork by Ivylise Simones, based on an image of Silvana Nova and a poster designed by Larry Hermsen and the Too Much Graphics Collective.

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What Next TBD: Why Hospitals Keep Getting Hacked May 26, 2024

Last year saw a record number of healthcare hacks with more than 700 separate incidents. And with a subsidiary of United Healthcare forking over a $22 billion ransom this year, the problem isn’t going away. With so much sensitive personal information on file, why aren’t hospitals and their ilk better prepared?

Guest:

Dina Carlisle, president of the local nurses union, OPEIU 40 in Michigan.

Justin Sherman, CEO of Global Cyber Strategies.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Well, Now | “As Little Regulation as Guns”: How Social Media Hurts Youth Mental Health May 26, 2024

Youth mental health has hit a crisis point.

Just last year, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy released an advisory connecting young people’s use of social media with adverse mental health outcomes.

But Murthy and other public health leaders are fighting back, including New York City Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan. He’s leading the charge against social media platforms like Meta, TikTok, Snapchat and YouTube through litigation and legislation.

On this week’s episode of Well, Now – holding social media companies accountable for the youth mental health crisis.

If you liked this episode, check out: Is it Burnout? Or, Do You Have a Busy Brain?

Well, Now is hosted by Kavita Patel, MD and Maya Feller, RD.

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

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A Word: Haitian Chaos, American Neglect? May 26, 2024

Haiti has suffered under decades of crises, but the latest may be its most intractable. Violent criminals are now effectively in charge of the country, after years of assassinations and political instability left a power vacuum. As a new international force prepares for an intervention, A Word host Jason Johnson discusses the current troubles with Patrick Gaspard, leader of the Center for American Progress. They explore how Haiti fell into such dire circumstances, the role that American guns and policy have played, and how Haitian Americans and the U.S. government could help Haiti find stability.

Guest: Patrick Gaspard, chief of the Center for American Progress

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

Want more A Word? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/awordplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Amicus Opinionpalooza: A Bad June Rising At SCOTUS May 25, 2024

As we stand poised at the threshold of June, we brace ourselves for the fire hose of opinions headed our way in the next four or so weeks.

But why? Why –even as the Court is taking on fewer cases – is there an absolute dogpile of decisions, with no map for what will come down or when, beyond a SCOTUS-adjacent cottage industry in soothsaying and advance-panic and guessing? Dahlia Lithwick takes us through a whirlwind of Supreme Court decisions and controversies, expertly assisted by Professor Steve Vladeck (whose New York Times bestseller The Shadow Docketcame out in paperback this week) and Mark Joseph Stern in untangling the complex web of legal, political, and personal dramas enveloping the nation's highest court. From Justice Alito's flag-flying fiasco, to the forces shaping the court’s docket, to its divisive rulings, this episode could well be titled “Why Are They Like This?” As the court's term hurtles towards its frenetic close, Dahlia and her guests dissect the legal and ethical ramifications of the justices' actions, both on and off the bench. Tune in to this must-listen episode of Amicus for an eye-opening exploration of the Supreme Court's turbulent session, the ideological battles at play, and what it all could mean for the fundamental principles of democracy and the rule of law. Whether you're a legal aficionado or simply concerned about the direction of the country, this episode is the end-of-term preview you really need to understand what the heck is happening over the next few weeks.

Want more Amicus? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock exclusive SCOTUS analysis and weekly extended episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Political Gabfest: Justice Alito's Upside Down Flag May 25, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito’s right-wing flag-flying; David Leonhardt’s take on A New Centrism; and OpenAI’s use – or not – of Scarlett Johansson’s voice.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Jodi Kantor for The New York Times: At Justice Alito’s House, a ‘Stop the Steal’ Symbol on Display; Jodi Kantor, Aric Toler, and Julie Tate: Another Provocative Flag Was Flown at Another Alito Home; Jodi Kantor and Abbie VanSickle: Display at Alito’s Home Renews Questions of Supreme Court’s Impartiality; and Abbie VanSickle: What Do Judicial Rules Say About Alito and a ‘Stop the Steal’ Symbol?

V: The Original Mini Series on Prime Video

Mark Sherman for AP: Roberts, Trump spar in extraordinary scrap over judges and Mark Sherman and Lindsay Whitehurst: Supreme Court Justices Barrett and Sotomayor, ideological opposites, unite to promote civility

David Leonhardt for The New York Times: The Rise of a New Centrism and A New Centrism Is Rising in Washington

John Dickerson for Gabfest Reads and New Cold Wars: China’s Rise, Russia’s Invasion, and America’s Struggle to Defend the Westby David E. Sanger

Bobby Allyn for NPR: Scarlett Johansson says she is ‘shocked, angered’ over new ChatGPT voice

Nitasha Tiku for The Washington Post: OpenAI didn’t copy Scarlett Johansson’s voice for ChatGPT, records show and Molly Roberts: Scarlett Johansson’s ChatGPT face-off confirms our fears about AI

Midler v. Ford Motor Co., 849 F.2d 460 (9th Cir. 1988) on Justia

Blake Brittain for Reuters: New York Times denies OpenAI’s ‘hacking’ claim in copyright fight

Michael Sainato for The Guardian: Consultant behind deepfaked Biden robocall indicated for Democratic primary scheme

Her by Warner Bros. Pictures

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Hacks on Max

John: Lauren Aratani for The Guardian: Majority of Americans wrongly believe US is in recession – and most blame Biden

David: 99% Invisible: Towers of Silence

Listener chatter from Aaron Tax in Washington, D.C.: Andrea Sachs for The Washington Post: A beloved alley cat now lives in the Watergate. Was she kidnapped, or rescued?

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David talk about Republican politicians’ answers to the question: will you accept the results of the 2024 presidential election? See Alec Hernandez for NBC News: Here’s what top Trump VP picks say about the 2020 election results – and whether they’ll accept the 2024 outcome; Justin Green for Axios: Listen to Republicans on whether they’ll accept 2024 election results; and Patrick Svitek for The Washington Post: Top Republicans, led by Trump, refuse to commit to accept 2024 election results.

In the next Gabfest Reads, David talks with Sierra Greer about her new book, Annie Bot: A Novel.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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Amicus Opinionpalooza: Justice Alito Flies the Flag for Racial Gerrymanders (Preview) May 25, 2024

In this Opinionpalooza emergency bonus episode, Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern discuss Thursday’s decision in Alexander v. South Carolina NAACP, highlighting the implications for racial gerrymandering and voting rights. They delve into Justice Alito's majority opinion, Justice Kagan's dissent, and Justice Thomas's concurrence. This decision would seem to effectively close the door permanently on racial gerrymander claims in federal courts. Dahlia and Mark discuss how this decision makes justice - and democracy - inaccessible for plaintiffs already shut out of the political system through racist maps with political excuses. In recent years, the Supreme Court has gutted the Voting Rights Act and now seems intent on hollowing out equal protection and diluting the reconstruction amendments; the constitutional provisions central to building a thriving diverse democracy.

This episode is member-exclusive. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate Plus. By joining, not only will you unlock exclusive SCOTUS analysis and weekly extended episodes of Amicus, but you’ll also access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next TBD: Scarlett Johansson vs OpenAI May 24, 2024

When OpenAI showed a demo for the latest version of ChatGPT —the one that you can chat with, you know, with your voice—one of the voices sounded eerily familiar. And instead of a victory lap, it was a reminder of all of the implications for intellectual property and one’s own basic human likeness that this technology carries with it.

Guest: Sigal Samuel, senior reporter for Vox's Future Perfect and co-host of the Future Perfect podcast.

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What Next: Diddy’s Reckoning May 23, 2024

Allegations about Sean “Diddy” Combs had been circulating, but it wasn’t until surveillance footage of the mogul assaulting his then-partner Cassie began circulating on social media, that his response changed from defensive to apologetic.

Guest: Sidney Madden, reporter for NPR Music and co-host of Louder Than a Riot.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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ICYMI: The Aftermath of a Layoff May 22, 2024

Candice Lim is joined by Yowei Shaw (former co-host of NPR’s Invisibilia) to discuss her new podcast Proxy, which takes listeners through the psychological aftermath of a layoff, starting with Shaw’s own layoff from NPR. In March 2023, the public radio institution laid off approximately 10 percent of its staff, resulting in the cancellation of four podcasts, including Invisibilia. Shaw, along with her team, was working on an upcoming season of the podcast when they were suddenly without jobs. More than a year later, Shaw is back with Proxy, which investigates layoff culture and asks questions like “Is there a good way to lay off employees?” and “Why did my HR representative smile when they laid me off?”

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

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Amicus | How Originalism Ate The Law: What We Can Do About It May 22, 2024

In the third and final part of our How Originalism Ate the Law series, Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern are joined by Justice Todd Eddins of the Hawaii Supreme Court and Madiba Dennie, author of The Originalism Trap. Being trapped by originalism is a choice, one that judges, lawyers, and the American people do not have to accede to. Our expert panel offers ideas and action points for pushing back against a mode of constitutional interpretation that has had deadly consequences. And they answer questions from our listeners.

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What Next: Does Netanyahu Have an Exit Strategy? May 22, 2024

Seven months into the war in Gaza, both the international community and many Israelis are demanding to know what Benjamin Netanyahu’s “day after” plan is. Observers are also wondering whether charges from the International Criminal Court will influence Israel’s approach—and whether the death of Iran’s president and foreign minister will change how Hamas fights.

Guest: Yair Rosenberg, staff writer at The Atlantic and author of the newsletter Deep Shtetl, about the intersection of politics, culture, and religion.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: Is Killing a Protester Still a Crime? May 21, 2024

Daniel Perry was sentenced to 25 years in prison for murdering Garrett Foster at a Black Lives Matter protest in 2020, but Texas Governor Greg Abbott just pardoned Perry and restored his rights, including the right to own and carry a gun.

Guest: Christopher Hooks, contributing editor at Texas Monthly.

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Hang Up: The Wolves Chomped the Champs May 20, 2024

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the Pacers’ and Timberwolves’ Game 7 wins in the NBA’s conference semifinals. Slate’s Alex Kirshner also joins to talk about Scottie Scheffler’s arrest at the PGA Championship. Finally, they review Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker’s ultra-conservative commencement speech.

NBA playoffs (3:11): Looking back at a pair of historic road victories.

Scheffler (20:18): A bizarre weekend at Valhalla for the world’s no. 1 golfer.

Butker (35:47): The Catholic football player launched himself into a culture war.

Afterball (51:53): Stefan on where Giannis Antetokounmpo grew up and what he overcame.

(Note: time codes are only accurate for Slate Plus members, who listen ad free.)

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What Next: What Are Presidential Debates For? May 20, 2024

Though their influence on voters seems to be between negligible and nonexistent, presidential debates are still important. And even if their past performances were sometimes hard to watch, it’s good for democracy that Trump and Biden will meet on stage this election cycle. But these debates will be a little different this time…

Guest: Alan Schroeder, Professor Emeritus at the Northeastern University School of Journalism with a focus on presidential elections, author of Presidential Debates: Risky Business on the Campaign Trail.

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What Next TBD: The Dark Side of GoFundMe May 19, 2024

In theory, crowdfunding sites offer an opportunity for anyone to give to any cause, including, say, strangers facing huge medical bills. In practice, crowdfunding suffers from many of the same inequities that led to someone needing to crowdfund to begin with.

Guest: Nora Kenworthy, author of Crowded Out: The True Costs of Crowdfunding Healthcare, associate professor at the University of Washington, Bothell.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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A Word: Hit After Hit: Rap in a Post Kendrick v. Drake World May 19, 2024

Drake didn’t know who he was messing with, and was never on Kendrick Lamar’s level in hip hop. That’s the verdict of cultural commentator and author Touré. On today’s episode of A Word, he joins host Jason Johnson to break down the meaning behind the brutal rap battle, and whether Not Like Us, BBL Drizzy, Family Matters and other songs central to the beef will rewrite the blueprint for diss tracks forever.

Guest: Touré, host of the Touré Show podcast, and author of Nothing Compares 2 U: An Oral History of Prince

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

Want more A Word? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/awordplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Well, Now: Is Biohacking a Scam? May 19, 2024

For many Americans, wellness is about mitigating and navigating disease. They’re looking for reliable ways to live healthier, longer lives.

But some are thinking even bigger than that and looking beyond what doctors view as the standard lifespan: 10, 20, 30, even 40 years beyond it. These people are often called “biohackers.”

On this week’s episode of Well, Now we talk to someone who’s considered the “Father of Biohacking” Dave Asprey on what exactly this movement is, and whether is it feasible for people who aren’t ridiculously rich.

If you liked this episode, check out: We Don’t Need to Cure Autism

Well, Now is hosted by Kavita Patel and Maya Feller.

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel and Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

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Political Gabfest: How Bad Was The Poll For Biden? May 18, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the latest New York Times presidential poll and the Maryland primary results; the presidential debates; and who’s talking inside and outside Donald Trump’s Manhattan trial courtroom.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Nate Cohn for The New York Times: Trump Leads in 5 Key States, as Young and Nonwhite Voters Express Discontent With Biden and Battleground Polling Shows Ticket-Splitting Pattern

Aaron Navarro for CBS News: Biden to tout Microsoft expansion in Wisconsin

Matt Bush for NPR: Maryland Democrats pick Angela Alsobrooks to take on Hogan for open U.S. Senate seat

Betsy Klein, Michael Williams, and Kristen Holmes for CNN: Biden and Trump agree to 2 presidential debates, with first set for June 27 on CNN

@JoeBiden on X

Perry Stein for The Washington Post: Michael Cohen seemed to have delivered for prosecutors – if jurors believe him

Ed Mazza for HuffPost: George Conway Goes There With Scathing Personal Challenge For ‘Wuss’ Trump

Stephen Collinson for CNN: Why Johnson’s appearance at Manhattan courthouse stands out among Republicans backing up Trump

Politico: ‘Embarrassing’: Romney calls out GOP who attended Trump trial

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Netflix’s Duran Duran: There’s Something You Should Know; HBO’s The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend A Broken Heart; Magnolia Pictures & Magnet Releasing’s Joan Baez: I Am A Noise; Netflix’s The Greatest Night In Pop; HBO’s Jason Isbell: Running With Our Eyes Closed; Netflix’s Wham!; and Think Film’s Festival Express

John: The Daily Report with John Dickerson for CBS News

David: Brown Revisited: Brown v. Board of Education (1954) and Warner Bros. Pictures’ They Shall Not Grow Old

Listener chatter from Rob Jones in Seattle, Washington: SmarterEveryDay on YouTube: How to Surface a Submarine in the Arctic Ocean

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily talks with Azeen Ghorayshi of The New York Times about The Cass Review. See Azeen Ghorayshi for The New York Times: Hilary Cass Says U.S. Doctors Are ‘Out of Date’ on Youth Gender Medicine. See also Claire Rush for AP: Idaho’s ban on youth gender-affirming care has families desperately scrambling for solutions and Jonathan Chait for the Intelligencer: CPAC Speaker Urges Eradication of Trans Rights.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, John talks with David E. Sanger about his new book, New Cold Wars: China’s Rise, Russia’s Invasion, and America’s Struggle to Defend the West.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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Slate Money: Biden Zaps Chinese EVs May 18, 2024

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss the motivations and impacts of new tariffs plus the cultural forces behind China’s economic policy. Also: Congress is trying to figure out what to do with AI, and Melinda French Gates is getting her groove back. In the Plus segment: Rates for new mortgages suck right now, but what if you could buy out someone existing one?

Also: Do you have a donor-advised fund? Do you pay fees on it? Felix invites you to weigh in on his Axios poll for DAF holders!

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 regular 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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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Amicus: Alito’s Stars and Gripes May 18, 2024

Justice Samuel Alito’s wife didn’t attend the January 6th 2021 “Stop the Steal” rally (unlike fellow SCOTUS spouse Ginni Thomas), but in January 2021, in a leafy Alexandria, Virginia cul-de-sac, the New York Times reports that the Alito household was engaged in a MAGA-infused front yard spat with the neighbors, even as the Justice was deciding cases regarding that very election at the highest court in the land. Justice Alito told the New York Times his wife was responsible for the upside down stars and stripes flying from their flagpole and that it was in retaliation for an an anti-Trump sign.

It’s unseemly. Undoubtedly unethical. But this intra-suburban squabble, and the very clear implications it has for a public already aware of the Supreme Court’s dwindling legitimacy, is unlikely to evoke shame, amends, or recusal from Justice Alito. On this week’s Amicus, American legal exceptionalism sliced three ways: Dahlia Lithwick on the Justice and the Flag, Slate’s jurisprudence editor Jeremy Stahl on how Donald J. Trump’s criminal hush money trial ends, and Congressman Jamie Raskin on concrete steps to supreme court reform, how to get back the rights the Supreme Court has taken away, and what a binding ethics code would look like.

Want more Amicus? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock exclusive SCOTUS analysis and weekly extended episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Dear Prudence: When Missing Meds Leads to Racist Remarks May 17, 2024

In this episode, Kiese Laymon (author of Long Division, How to Slowly Kill Yourself in America, and Heavy: An American Memoir) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to convince your strict religious parents to let you go to an out-of-state college, whether to report a coworker’s insensitive gym behavior to HR, and how to deal with a mom who forgets to take her medication and immediately uses a racial slur.

If you want more Dear Prudence, 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.

This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Daisy Rosario, and Jenée Desmond-Harris, with help from Maura Currie.

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What Next TBD: Too Stonks Too Furious May 17, 2024

The 2021 subreddit-coordinated effort to raise the price of Gamestop stock was, in some ways, a proof of concept: the little guy can get into the market and make some noise. Because even though that “meme stock” rose and fell, the idea of the meme stock went has changed the way our stock market works.

Guest: Alex Kirshner, contributing writer for Slate.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next: Why Miss USA is Imploding May 16, 2024

When Miss USA abdicated her throne, people noticed that the first letters of each sentence of her resignation letter spell out “I am silenced.” Shortly thereafter, Miss Teen USA stepped down with a letter that opens with a quote from Nietzsche.

What’s going on at the Miss USA organization? Has the idea of a national pageant outlived its usefulness?

Guest: Constance Grady, senior Culture correspondent for Vox.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next: Can Fox News Still Sway an Election? May 15, 2024

Hit with an $800 million lawsuit, missing Tucker Carlson and Rupert Murdoch, and facing competition from fanatical fringe-right media, Fox News might look to some viewers like it’s slipping. But election years are the network’s bread and butter, and the old “everything is terrible and the Democrats are why” song still resonates with voters.

Guest: Justin Peters, Slate correspondent and author of The Idealist: Aaron Swartz and the Rise of Free Culture on the Internet.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Hear Me Out: Trump Isn’t a Bug. He's a Feature. May 14, 2024

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out: live from Seattle.

Hear Me Out had its first-ever live show on May 4, 2024 — and it was such a great conversation that we wanted to make sure our podcast listeners heard it, too.

The Cascade PBS Ideas Festival was full of smart, unconventional thinkers on the biggest issues facing this country… so what better place to have a conversation about Donald Trump, and the future of this country?

It’s tempting to think of the MAGA ideology as an unprecedented threat to democracy. But is it? Or are the authoritarian, anti-democratic ideas percolating into our mainstream politics a feature, rather than a bug?

Historian and author Heather Cox Richardson joined us in Seattle.

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie.

Want more Hear Me Out? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/hearmeoutplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next: The Fight for Joe Manchin’s Seat May 14, 2024

What would it take for the Democrats to hold Joe Manchin’s crucial Senate seat in West Virginia?

Guest: Zach Shrewsbury, Democratic primary candidate for U.S. Senate in West Virginia.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next: MAGA Eating Itself Alive May 13, 2024

They’re suspicious of the 2020 election results, their donors, and each other. Now, the MAGA wing of the Michigan GOP is in control—and has kneecapped the state Republican party’s ability to fundraise, appoint leaders, and perform its most basic institutional functions.

Guest: Ben Mathis-Lilley, Slate senior writer

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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A Word: Between the World and Us May 12, 2024

Writer Ta-Nehisi Coates is arguably the strongest voice of his generation on the role of race and identity in American politics and culture. He’s the author of several books, including “Between the World and Me,” “We Were Eight Years in Power,” and “The Beautiful Struggle,” and the recipient of a MacArthur “genius” grant and a National Book Award. For this week’s episode, we feature a conversation between Coates and host Jason Johnson, recorded live at the recent Cascade PBS Ideas Festival. They discuss everything from the diss track battle between Drake and Kendrick Lamar, to the campus protests over the Middle East, to the limits –and necessity– of participating in electoral politics.

Guest: Award-winning writer Ta-Nehisi Coates

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

Want more A Word? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/awordplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Well, Now: Overcoming a Complicated Pregnancy May 12, 2024

For many, pregnancy is a time of heightened and joyful anticipation. There are doctor’s appointments, tests, preparation…All with a focus on bringing home a healthy baby.

The other side of pregnancy–the complications–is not readily discussed.

On this week’s episode of Well, Now we discuss all of these potential roadblocks with economist Emily Oster. In her latest book The Unexpected: Navigating Pregnancy During and After Complications, she arms patients with the data they need to advocate for themselves in their appointments.

If you enjoyed this episode, check out: How a Former Surgeon General Took on a $5,000 ER Bill

Well, Now is hosted by Kavita Patel, MD and Maya Feller, MS, RD, CDN.

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

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What Next TBD: Would You Choose Your Child’s Sex? May 12, 2024

The ability to choose the sex of your child through IVF is banned in most of the world. In America, however, parents can—and do—for a price.

Guest: Emi Nietfeld, writer and software engineer, author of “The Parents Who Want Daughters—and Daughters Only” for Slate.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Political Gabfest: Trump Wore Pajamas May 11, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Stormy Daniels’s testimony in Donald Trump’s New York criminal trial; marijuana rescheduling; and the media’s role and responsibility in defending democracy.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Josh Gerstein for Politico: Stormy spoke. Trump fumed. Jurors were captivated – but also cringed.

Ivana Saric for Axios: Status of Trump’s criminal cases

Li Zhou for Vox: Marijuana could be classified as a lower-risk drug. Here’s what that means.

Sam Tabachnik for The Denver Post: Black market marijuana grows are popping up faster than law enforcement can take them down. But is legalization the cause?

John Ingold for The Colorado Sun: What have we learned about the arguments for and against legalized marijuana in the past 10 years?

Nathaniel Meyersohn for CNN: The dark side of the sports betting boom

C-SPAN: President Biden Remarks at White House Correspondents’ Dinner

Ben Smith for Semafor: Joe Kahn: ‘The newsroom is not a safe space’

Dan Pfeiffer for Message Box: Why Biden Won’t Do a New York Times Interview and A Response to the Editor of the New York Times

Matthew Yglesias and Brian Beutler for the Politix Podcast: The Times, They Aren’t A Changin’

Charles Homans for The New York Times Magazine: Donald Trump Has Never Sounded Like This

Eli Stokols for Politico: The Petty Feud Between the NYT and the White House

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Vision: A Memoir of Blindness and Justice by David S. Tatel

John: Gina Kolata for The New York Times: Locks of Beethoven’s Hair Offer New Clues to the Mystery of His Deafness

David: Randy Yohe for West Virginia Public Broadcasting: W.Va. Gubernatorial Campaign Attack Ads Vilify Transgender Children and Kyndall Cunningham for Vox: The Drake vs. Kendrick Lamar feud, explained

Listener chatter from Justin and Katie in Columbus, Ohio: Keziah Weir for Vanity Fair: The Vatican’s Secret Role in the Science of IVF.

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily talk with Emily Lawler, Detroit Free Press. See Emily Lawler for the Detroit Free Press: Voters’ voices in Saginaw County; John Wisely: Legal troubles don’t dampen Trump enthusiasm as he visits Michigan; and Paul Egan: As Trump visits, Michigan bellwether Saginaw County is feeling its political juice. See also Arpan Lobo: Michigan lawmaker says ‘illegal invaders’ landed at DTW. They were NCAA basketball teams.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, John talks with David E. Sanger about his new book, New Cold Wars: China’s Rise, Russia’s Invasion, and America’s Struggle to Defend the West.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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Slate Money: How Neoliberalism Scammed America May 11, 2024

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by legal scholar Mehrsa Baradaran, author of The Quiet Coup: Neoliberalism and the Looting of America. Mehrsa explains the roots of the neoliberalism movement and how the myth of free market made the American economy more oppressive, especially against black and brown people. Also: A misogynistic party culture has been revealed at the FDIC, and small banks are feeling the economic pinch. In the Plus segment: The California wildfires weren’t caused by Jewish space lasers — but there was malfeasance behind the scenes.

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 regular 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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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What Next TBD: Meet the Trump Campaign’s A.I. Guy May 10, 2024

You might not know Brad Parscale by name, but you know his work: he was the digital campaign operative behind Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential victory. This election cycle, he’s back—and advising conservatives on how to utilize A.I. in their campaigns.

Guest: Garance Burke, global investigative journalist for the Associated Press.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Patrick Fort, Cheyna Roth and Anna Phillips.

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What Next: Stormy Daniels Takes the Stand May 09, 2024

Spare a thought for the judge in Donald Trump’s hush-money trial. Justice Juan Merchan has gone from holding the former president in contempt of court… to telling Trump’s defense they probably should have objected more during Stormy Daniels’ testimony.

Guest: Jeremy Stahl, Slate’s jurisprudence editor.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next: Conservative Candid Camera in the Darién Gap May 08, 2024

Crossing the Darién Gap, a 66-mile stretch of jungle in Panama, was hard enough before right-wing influencers began showing up with cameras, trying to bait would-be migrants into providing pro-Trump soundbites.

Guest: Ken Bensinger, New York Times political reporter covering right-wing media and national campaigns.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Outward: Queering the Map with Lucas LaRochelle May 08, 2024

This week Bryan talks to Lucas LaRochelle, the creator of the online platform Queering the Map. Queering the Map is a community-generated digital archive and map of LGBTQ2IA+ experiences around the globe. They dig into the map’s beginnings, stories from the platform, and how this archive has been able to share queer joy, sorrow, and possibility across continents and in 23 languages.

Podcast production by Palace Shaw.

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What Next: Hamas Agreed to a Ceasefire. Now What? May 07, 2024

In a last minute twist, Hamas has agreed to a ceasefire with Israel. But targeted airstrikes are already underway in Rafah. With its infrastructure in shambles, Gaza is facing famine – and worse. What’s next for Gaza’s people?

Guest: Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondent for the Economist.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Hear Me Out: Punishing A Shooter’s Parents Misses The Point May 07, 2024

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out: prosecuting parents.

Ethan Crumbley’s parents didn’t pull the trigger that killed 4 students in 2021 — but they’ve been sentenced to prison time for it all the same.

School shootings are devastatingly common in this country, but punishing the parents of the killer is a new tactic of handling the aftermath. Even if you think the Crumbleys were bad parents, though, the questions should be posed: why are we punishing them under the law? And is this the best way to address, or even prevent, mass tragedies?

Professor, writer, and legal contributor for ABC News Kim Wehle joins us to urge for a look at the bigger picture.

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie.

Want more Hear Me Out? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/hearmeoutplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next: Why Democrats Will Save Mike Johnson’s Job May 06, 2024

Marjorie Taylor Greene is calling for Mike Johnson’s job—again. But unlike Kevin McCarthy before him, Johnson has support from a surprising place.

Guest: Jim Newell, Slate’s senior politics writer.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next TBD: Can California Save Journalism? May 05, 2024

The California Journalism Preservation Act would make companies like Google and Meta pay publishers for the news content appearing in their feeds and search results—and force news organizations to spend that money on their journalists. How have similar laws worked in Canada and Australia? And could it solve journalism’s on-going revenue problem?

Guest: Matt Pearce, former LA Times journalist, the president of Media Guild of the West.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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A Word: Flint's Decade of Disappointment May 05, 2024

The city of Flint, Michigan made headlines in spring of 2014, after public officials recognized dangerously high lead levels in the water supply. After ten years and three presidents, many African American Flint residents say their health is still being compromised by their water, and civil actions aimed at compensating them have –so far– only enriched lawyers. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Adam Mahoney, the climate journalist for Capital B News. They discuss how the water crisis has affected everything from schools, to crime, to housing, and about ongoing efforts to make it right.

Guest: Adam Mahoney, climate reporter for Capital B News

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

Want more A Word? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/awordplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Well, Now: How a Former Surgeon General Took on a $5,000 ER Bill May 05, 2024

Who hasn’t received necessary medical care and got a shockingly high bill for it weeks later?

Even with insurance, many Americans will experience this at some point–including one of the most recognizable doctors in the country: the U.S. surgeon general.

Earlier this year, Dr. Jerome Adams – who served as surgeon general for the Trump Administration – received a bill of nearly $5,000 after being treated for dehydration. What was his strategy for fighting it?

On this week’s episode of Well, Now: How to fight back when you receive a surprising medical bill.

If you liked this episode, check out: Ending Racism in Healthcare

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

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Political Gabfest: Should Student Protesters Be Arrested? May 04, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the increasing and increasingly violent campus protests of Israel’s war in Gaza, Emily’s article on How ‘History and Tradition’ Rulings Are Changing American Law, and South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem’s chances of a vice presidential nomination after killing her dog and writing about it.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

April Rubin, Kavya Beheraj, Tory Lysik, and Will Chase for Axios: Mapped: Where pro – Palestinian student protesters have been arrested

Sharon Otterman and Santul Nerkar for The New York Times: As Protests Grow, Universities Choose Different Ways to End Unrest

Mary Harris for Slate’s What Next podcast: Columbia Cracks Down

The University of Chicago: Report on the University’s Role in Political and Social Action

Jonathan Chait for New York’s Intelligencer: Why the Right Loves the Anti-Israel Encampments

Abigail Hauslohner for The Washington Post: House passes antisemitism bill over complaints from First Amendment advocates

Alexander Bolton for The Hill: Democrats split over campus protest crackdown

Emily Bazelon for The New York Times: How ‘History and Tradition’ Rulings Are Changing American Law

Regulations on YouTube

Calvinball on Wikipedia

The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law: A Conversation with Justice Amy Coney Barrett

Ian Millhiser for Vox: The Supreme Court appears poised to rein in its worst decision on guns

Ulysses S. Grant Revealed: President Ulysses S. Grant On The U.S. Constitution

Martin Pengelly for The Guardian: Trump VP contender Kristi Noem writes of killing dog – and goat – in new book

PBS American Experience: Nixon’s Checkers Speech

Marc A. Caputo for The Bulwark: Trump: ‘Marco has this residency problem.’

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Gal Beckerman for The Atlantic: A Prominent Free-Speech Group Is Fighting for Its Life

John: Sonja Anderson for Smithsonian Magazine: This Newly Deciphered Papyrus Scroll Reveals the Location of Plato’s Grave

David: Kenny Holston for The New York Times: Inside a Navy Submarine Navigating the Arctic

Listener chatter from Christina in Philadelphia: Marina Bolotnikova for Vox: Mega drive-throughs explain everything wrong with American cities; Wikipedia: Third place; Jake Blumgart for The Philadelphia Inquirer: Starbucks plans a new Center City location with no restrooms or seating; and Marin Cogan for Vox: The deadliest road in America.

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily talk with Professor Deborah Tuerkheimer about the Harvey Weinstein case in New York. See Hurubie Meko and Maia Coleman for The New York Times: Prosecutors Say They Plan to Retry Harvey Weinstein as Soon as the Fall and Maria Cramer: Here are five takeaways from the overturned conviction. See also Deborah Tuerkheimer for CNN: Reversal in Harvey Weinstein case isn’t the demise of sex crimes prosecution and Credible: Why We Doubt Accusers and Protect Abusers by Deborah Tuerkheimer.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, John talks with David E. Sanger about his new book, New Cold Wars: China’s Rise, Russia’s Invasion, and America’s Struggle to Defend the West.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

Hosts

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz

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Slate Money: Will new DEA rules light up the weed business? May 04, 2024

This week: A new DEA designation for cannabis means high times for pot smokers, but what about the industry? Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss the future of the cannabis business, Binance founder Changpeng “CZ” Zhao’s lax, four-month prison sentence, and why Americans keep buying more cheap junk (but spend fortunes on ravioli). In the Plus segment: Elon Musk fired Tesla’s Supercharger network team: a bold move, or just a dumb one?

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 regular 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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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What Next TBD: Bird Flu—It’s in Milk? May 03, 2024

Bird flu isn’t new, you may even remember past outbreaks. But showing up in milk?

Is America ready if it leaps to spreading among humans?

Guest: Katelyn Jetelina, epidemiologist, senior advisor to the CDC

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What Next: Columbia Cracks Down May 02, 2024

Professor Joe Howley has been working with student protesters for almost a year. When they occupied his building, he got texts from the kids—and nothing from the administration. Now that Columbia’s called the cops, and nearly 100 demonstrators have been arrested, what does that mean for the future of the institution—and for free speech on campus nationwide?

Guest: Joe Howley, associate professor in the Columbia University Classics Department

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What Next: Biden’s Climate Report Card May 01, 2024

It’s not that we aren’t making progress slowing our carbon and greenhouse gas emissions; it’s just that we still may not be doing enough—fast enough—to avert catastrophe.

Guest: Umair Irfan, correspondent at Vox writing about climate change, Covid-19, and energy policy.

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Hear Me Out: Student Protests Can Backfire (Badly) Apr 30, 2024

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out: solidarity?

College campuses across the country are grappling with protests and occupations in the name of a free Palestine. Many hundreds of students, faculty, and outside community members have been arrested in tense clashes with police — called onto campuses by the universities themselves.

Student protestors have shaped public discourse on matters like war and the environment for many decades. But without a clear, sympathetic goal, they can also lead to political backlash that far outlasts a four-year degree.

So are today’s student protestors instigating change in Gaza… or teeing up a crackdown on speech and protest here at home?

Prof. Steven Mintz of UT Austin joins us, and urges a cautionary look at the history books.

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie.

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What Next: The Man Who Wrote the Trump Playbook—30 Years Ago. Apr 30, 2024

In the ‘90s, Pat Buchanan was a fringe figure among Republicans whose positions on immigration and demographic change in the United States were considered too extreme for the party. Now, his ideas are what passes for Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign platform.

Guest: Ari Berman, Mother Jones’ national voting rights correspondent and author of “Minority Rule.”

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What Next: The Jewish Case for Protest Apr 29, 2024

As some members of Congress call for crackdowns, how do college administrators ensure the safety of their entire student body – while also respecting its right to free speech?

Guest: Peter Beinart, Editor-at-Large at Jewish Currents and the author of “The Beinart Notebook” on Substack.

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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next TBD: The Failures of ‘Organic’ Farming Apr 28, 2024

There are regulations regarding how farm animals are transported, how they’re auctioned, how they’re slaughtered—but when they’re living on the farm? That’s where things get cloudy.

Guest: Annie Lowrey, journalist writing on politics and economic policy for The Atlantic.

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Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Patrick Fort, and Anna Phillips.

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A Word: True Life, True Crime Apr 28, 2024

True crime is a hot topic for movies, television, and –yes– podcasts. At the center of many of these stories is a missing woman. In the She Has A Name podcast, veteran journalist Tonya Mosley tries to reconstruct the death –and life– of a woman who went missing in 1987, a woman who happens to be her long lost sister. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Tonya Mosley to talk about uncovering the mystery around her sister Anita’s disappearance and death, and how the podcast helped her connect to a family that she never knew.

Guest: Tonya Mosley, host of the podcast She Has A Name

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

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Well, Now: Living and Loving With OCD (feat. Allison Raskin) Apr 28, 2024

A vital component of wellness is taking care of our mental health. But mental wellness is more than just drinking water, doing yoga, and going for a walk.

Author and podcaster Allison Raskin has lived most of her life with diagnosed mental illness.

By navigating her mental health journey over the years, she’s been able to find community and humor through her diagnoses, particularly by writing about her experience with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

On this week’s episode of Well, Now – navigating wellness while living with mental illness.

Further reading: If My Mental Health Bothers You, I Understand

If you liked this episode, check out: Is it Burnout? Or, Do You Have a Busy Brain?

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry and Ahyiana Angel with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

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Slate Money: The Rich People Restaurant Crisis Apr 27, 2024

This week: a reservation at Carbone New York may cost a thousand dollars, but you’ve always got a table at Slate Money! Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss restaurant reservation resellers, the FTC’s new non-compete clause ban, and Biden’s rules for airline fees that make getting refunds easier than ever. In the Plus segment: After sell-or-be-banned legislation, is it the end for TikTok in America?

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 regular 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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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Amicus: Democracy Dies at SCOTUS Apr 27, 2024

Get your tickets for Amicus Live in Washington DC here.

This past week (that lasted about a year) at the Supreme Court began badly and only went downhill from there. By Wednesday, justices were trying to set aside the facts of women being airlifted out of states where they can no longer access care to protect their major organs and reproductive future, if that emergency healthcare indicates an abortion - in favor of pondering the spending clause. On Thursday, the shocking reality of the violent storming of the Capitol on January 6th 2021, and former President Trump’s many schemes to overturn the election and stay in power, were relegated to lower-case concerns as opposed to ALL CAPS panic over hypothetical aggressive prosecutors.

On this week’s Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by leading constitutional scholar and former assistant Professor Pam Karlan of Stanford Law School and a former deputy assistant attorney general in the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice. Slate’s senior legal writer Mark Joseph Stern also joins the conversation about the MAGA justices flying the flag in arguments in Trump v United States.

In today’s bonus episode only for Slate Plus members, Jeremy Stahl gives Dahlia Lithwick a view from inside the courtroom of Donald Trump’s hush money trial.

Want more Amicus? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock exclusive SCOTUS analysis and weekly extended episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next TBD: So ... Is TikTok Banned? Apr 26, 2024

The TikTok ban that has been floating around Washington since the last administration has been signed into law. What does that mean for users, creators and the court battles ahead?

Guest:

Louise Matsakis, reporter covering tech and China.

Dillon White, TikToker under the handle @dadchats

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What Next: How Trump Found His Lawyer Apr 25, 2024

Who is Todd Blanche, Donald Trump’s attorney in the hush-money trial, and how did he end up representing the former president?

Guest: Andrew Rice, features writer for New York Magazine. He’s also the author of The Year That Broke America.

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AMICUS PREVIEW: Abortion Gaslighting is Back at SCOTUS Apr 24, 2024

Listen to a preview of this urgent extra episode of Amicus. The full episode is available to our Slate Plus members. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate Plus. By joining, not only will you unlock exclusive SCOTUS analysis and weekly extended episodes of Amicus, but you’ll also access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

Wednesday morning, the court heard arguments in Moyle v. United States, the consolidated case tacklingwhat levels of care pregnant patients can be provided in emergency rooms in states with draconian anti-abortion laws.

And on Thursday morning, the High Court will hear Trump v. United States, the case in which the former president - who is currently spending much of his time slouched at the defendant’s table in New York City - will claim a kind of vast sweeping theory of immunity that roughly translates as - “when you’re president, they let you do it. You can do anything”. In an extra episode of Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern dig into what happened in the EMTALA arguments Wednesday morning and then look ahead to Thursday’s arguments in the immunity case.

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What Next: Columbia Calls the Cops Apr 24, 2024

Protests at Columbia University have become a talking point across national media, but does the situation on campus actually resemble the one in the press?

Guest: Aymann Ismail, Slate staff writer.

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Hear Me Out: Third Parties Are Saving Democracy Apr 23, 2024

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out: nobody wins with two parties.

A competitive presidential election draws closer every day – and as ever, every vote will count. So is it fair to accuse third-party voters of wasting a vote, as often happens? Or are third-party candidates actually preserving what little we have left of a competitive democracy?

Bernard Tamas of Valdosta State University joins us to make the case for the power of the third party.

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie.

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What Next: Your Right to Protest? Not the Supreme Court’s Problem. Apr 23, 2024

The constitutional right to protest is right there in the First Amendment. So when the Fifth Circuit Court threatened this right across three states, why didn’t the Supreme Court take up the case?

Guest: Ian Milhiser, senior correspondent for Vox.

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What Next: What the WNBA Salary Debate Misses Apr 22, 2024

With all eyes on the WNBA as Caitlin Clark was drafted, many were surprised at the star player’s new salary, and how it paled in comparison to that of an NBA rookie. What would it take to address this disparity?

Guest: Lindsay Gibbs, author and founder of Power Plays, “a no-BS newsletter about women’s sports” and co-host of the Burn It All Down podcast.

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A Word: Freaknik: Party in the Black Apr 21, 2024

Nostalgia for the 1990s is everywhere, and for a generation of African Americans, perhaps nothing symbolizes the fun of that decade more than Freaknik. A sprawling days-long festival of all the good –and bad– of spring break behavior, at its height, Freaknik drew tens of thousands of partiers each year from around the country to Atlanta. So why did the party stop, and is there any way it could ever come back again?

On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson discusses the Hulu documentary Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told with director P. Frank Williams and executive producer Geraldine Porras..

Guests: P. Frank Williams and Geraldine Porras, the director and executive producer of Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told on Hulu.

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

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Well, Now: We Don’t Need to Cure Autism Apr 21, 2024

April is Autism Acceptance Month, and how we’ve come to understand autism has evolved over the past several decades.

For years, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was thought of as something that needed to be cured. Through better data and years of activism, that misunderstanding is changing.

On this week’s episode of Well, Now we discuss that evolution with Sara Luterman, caregiving reporter for The 19th.

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry and Ahyiana Angel with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

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What Next TBD: The Internet Archive Endangered Apr 21, 2024

From the Wayback Machine to the mass-digitization of the history of Aruba, the Internet Archive is a non-profit doing valuable work. But some of its other projects—a pandemic-era lending library and the ongoing digitalization of 78 rpm records—have led to lawsuits now threatening the future of this repository of the past.

Guest: Kate Knibbs, senior writer at Wired.

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Political Gabfest: Could You Be A Trump Juror? Apr 20, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Donald Trump’s first criminal trial and the Supreme Court argument on a criminal charge related to another Trump case and talk with The Atlantic’s Mark Leibovich about his profile of Governor Gavin Newsom.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Norman Eisen for CNN: Don’t call it a ‘hush money’ case

Brian Beutler for the Politix podcast: Alvin Bragg’s Liberal Critics Are Wrong

Ben Protess, Jonah E. Bromwich, Maggie Haberman, and Wesley Parnell for The New York Times: Prosecutors and Defense Lawyers Begin to Seat Jurors for Trump Trial and Maggie Haberman: A Weary Trump Appears to Doze Off in Courtroom Ahead of Criminal Trial

David Bauder for AP: Trump trial: Why can’t Americans see or hear what is going on inside the courtroom?

Ann E. Marimow for The Washington Post: Supreme Court divided over key charge against Jan. 6 rioters and Trump

Michael C. Dorf for Dorf On Law: The Ejusdem is Loose -- SCOTUS Insurrectionist Case Edition

Mark Leibovich for The Atlantic: Gavin Newsom Can’t Help Himself

HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher: Gov. Gavin Newsom

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Uri Berliner in The Free Press: I’ve Been at NPR for 25 Years. Here’s How We Lost America’s Trust.; David Folkenflik for NPR: NPR editor Uri Berliner resigns with blast at new CEO; Alicia Montgomery for Slate: The Real Story Behind NPR’s Current Problems; A24’s Civil War; and HBO’s The Last of Us

John: The Annie E. Casey Foundation; diversitydatakids.org by Brandeis’s Heller School for Social Policy and Management: Child Opportunity Index (COI); Aliya Schneider for The Philadelphia Inquirer: ‘They’re cheating.’ President Biden floats higher tariffs on Chinese imports in Pittsburgh speech; John Dickerson for Slate’s Navel Gazing podcast; and CBS News Prime Time with John Dickerson

David: Trevor Aaronson, Sam Eifling, and Michael Mooney for Audible’s Hold Fast podcast and Jacques Billeaud for AP: Backpage founder will face Arizona retrial on charges he participated in scheme to sell sex ads

Listener chatter from Josh in Brisbane, Australia: Ross Scott’s website Stop Killing Games

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily talk with Anna Sale about her podcast, Death, Sex & Money, which is now on Slate. See Death, Sex & Money podcast: A Sociopath’s Guide to Death, Sex, and Money and Patrick Page in All The Devils Are Here.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Tana French about her book, The Hunter: A Novel.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

Hosts

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz

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Slate Money: Tesla’s Toxic Relationship With Musk Apr 20, 2024

This week: Elon Musk wants his colossal, court-blocked pay package, and Tesla’s board wants to give it to him. Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers also chat with Alicia Montgomery, current Slate audio VP and veteran of NPR, to discuss what is — and isn’t — behind NPR’s troubles. Also: inflation is high, but does the Fed really need to cut rates? In the Plus segment: Why Biden is going after Chinese steel.

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 regular 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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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Amicus: Twelve Jurors and One Angry Ex-President Apr 20, 2024

Get your tickets for Amicus Live in Washington DC here.

The first criminal trial of Donald Trump is finally here. This week, hundreds of possible jurors filed through Judge Juan Merchan’s courtroom in lower Manhattan. The selection process was a preview of some of the challenges and pitfalls in the first ever criminal trial of a sitting or former President. On this week’s show, Slate’s senior legal writer Mark Joseph Stern sits down with Slate jurisprudence editor and Chief Law of Trump™ correspondent Jeremy Stahl to discuss what we learned this week, and what we can expect when the trial truly gets underway next week.

In today’s bonus episode only for Slate Plus members, Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern welcome Justice Clarence Thomas back from his long weekend, with a close listen to the January 6th case that was argued before the court on Tuesday.Fischer v United States is raising more alarm bells about the conservative justices’ posture toward armed insurrection. They also dig into Justice Elena Kagan’s opinion in a potentially tricky TitleVII case that, miraculously for this court, went pretty well in terms of civil rights protections in the workplace. Listen now by subscribing to Slate Plus. By joining, not only will you unlock exclusive SCOTUS analysis and weekly extended episodes of Amicus, but you’ll also access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next TBD: What’s Driving Tesla’s Layoffs? Apr 19, 2024

Tesla’s market cap has dropped. The company had its biggest round of layoffs ever. The Cybertruck doesn’t seem to be taking off. And Elon’s posting through it. Is Tesla in serious trouble?

Guest: Dana Hull, Bloomberg reporter and contributor to the podcast Elon, Inc.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next: Is It Too Late to Escape “Forever Chemicals”? Apr 18, 2024

Man-made per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, are found in all sorts of industrial and consumer products, including carpets, rain jackets, and makeup. They’re also in our drinking water—and in our blood.

The EPA has recently announced plans to regulate the amount of certain PFAS in our water supply. But will these rules do enough to control chemicals for which there is no safe level of exposure?

Guest: Esmé E. Deprez, independent investigative journalist.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: Will Abortion in Florida and Arizona Decide the Election? Apr 17, 2024

How will impending abortion restrictions in Florida and Arizona impact votes this fall?

Guests:

Anna Hochkammer, executive director of the Florida Women’s Freedom Coalition.

Grace Panetta, political reporter for The 19th.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Outward: A History of the Gay Right with Neil J. Young Apr 17, 2024

This week Bryan talks to writer Neil J. Young about his new book Coming Out Republican: A History of the Gay Right. They dig into some of the inherent contradictions of the Gay Right and the pillars of their political strategy and reveal how central whiteness and maleness is to their politic.

Podcast production by Palace Shaw.

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What Next: What Israel Does Now Apr 16, 2024

Over the weekend Iran fired flocks of missiles and drones towards Israel, but the damage was minimal. What role did Israel’s new network of regional allies play in tamping down the attack? —and how committed to war was Iran to begin with?

Guest: Graeme Wood, staff writer at The Atlantic.

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Hear Me Out: Legalize Weed, But Not Like This Apr 16, 2024

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out: blaze it.

Ahead of the honorary stoner holiday that is 4/20, we’re taking a look at the marijuana landscape. Public opinion has warmed considerably to legal weed in the past few decades – both medicinal and recreational – even though it remains a Schedule 1 drug on the federal level.

But some public health experts are still sounding the alarm, because this has all happened very quickly… and though hard-line illegality was harmful, what we’re doing now might be causing harm, too.

Dr. Keith Humphreys, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University, joins us.

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie.

Want more Hear Me Out? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/hearmeoutplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Hang Up: The Meaning of O.J. Simpson Apr 16, 2024

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin, discuss the death of O.J. Simpson and everything his life and his murder trial dredged up. They’re also joined by Vincent Goodwill of Yahoo Sports for a breakdown of the NBA playoffs.

O.J. Simpson's legacy (2:05): Reckoning with the meaning of O.J.

NBA Playoffs (23:45): Breaking down the upcoming playoff picture.

Afterball (41:42): Joel on O.J. Simpson’s long and not so successful sportscasting career.

(Note: time codes are only accurate for Slate Plus members, who listen ad free.)

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What Next: Trump In (Criminal) Court Apr 15, 2024

Donald Trump is appearing in court today as a criminal defendant. Why did this case take so long to go to trial, and what’s at stake for the former president?

Guest: Jeremy Stahl, jurisprudence editor at Slate.

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A Word: Candace Owens: Back to Black? Apr 14, 2024

Commentator Candace Owens’ messy fall from grace in conservative media coincided with her appearances on popular Black chat shows. That includes The Breakfast Club, led by radio host and personality Charlamagne tha God.

Once a minor social media personality who condemned Donald Trump as racist, Owens became one of the former president’s chief defenders, and a leading Black voice of anti-Black rhetoric. So is Owens saying anything new in Black media, and were those outlets doing the right thing by inviting her?

On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Michael Harriot. He’s a columnist for The Grio, and the author of Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America. Harriot recently wrote for The Guardian, criticizing the choice to platform Owens in African American media.

Guest: Writer Michael Harriot

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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Well, Now: Most Skincare Products are BS. Here Are the Facts. Apr 14, 2024

As we approach the warmer months and start spending more time outside, healthy skin couldn’t be more important. So how can we best protect our body’s largest organ?

Feel free to stock up on all the products for a 10-step routine if you want. But the reality is healthy skin requires just three products. The rest is kind of BS.

This week on Well, Now we talk all things skin health with Dr. Adarsh Vijay Mudgil, a dermatologist and dermatopathologist based in New York City.

If you liked this episode, check out: Spring Cleaning Your Medicine Cabinet

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry and Ahyiana Angel with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

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What Next TBD: Is America Ready for Legal Psychedelics? Apr 14, 2024

How the semi-legalization of marijuana has drawn a road map for legalizing psychedelics—and also provided a list of pitfalls to be avoided.

Guest: Jane C. Hu, science journalist and author of the newsletter The Microdose.

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Slate Money: Why America’s Internet Sucks Apr 13, 2024

This week, Slate Money hacks the mainframe! Washington Post tech writer Shira Ovide joins Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers to discuss what’s wrong with America’s internet industry, how YouTube became the media empire no one talks about, and the promise and peril of the AI toothbrush. In the Plus segment: OpenAI is using YouTube to train ChatGPT. Is that legal?

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 regular 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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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Amicus: The Jurisprudence of Bleeding Out Apr 13, 2024

Get your tickets for Amicus Live in Washington DC on May 14th here.

We shouldn’t be surprised that we have to keep saying it, but here we are: the Supreme Court (notably trained as lawyers) will soon make decisions about how doctors (notably trained as doctors) can treat pregnant patients in the emergency room. Moyle v. United States - consolidated with Idaho v. United States - is the result of an Idaho lawsuit challenging EMTALA, a federal law requiring hospitals to do whatever they can to stabilize whoever comes through their ER doors with a medical emergency. Sometimes this requires abortion care, and for a faction of conservative advocates, this cannot stand.

Ahead of oral arguments the week after next, we wanted to get a sense of what healthcare looks like for pregnant women experiencing medical emergencies now, and how this case threatens to undermine that care in the future. This week, Dahlia Lithwick speaks with Dr. Dara Kass, an emergency medicine physician, about what EMTALA was built to do, what ER physicians are being asked to do, and what will happen should Idaho prevail in this case.

Later in the show, Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern joins to discuss the hullabaloo over when, if, and how Justice Sotomayor should be made to retire and the very gendered work of keeping SCOTUS from going off the rails (any more than it already has).

In today’s bonus episode only for Slate Plus members Dahlia and Mark discuss the outrageous ruling that creates (but really, revives) a de facto total ban on abortions in Arizona. They also explain why the EMTALA case from the show isn’t being talked about as much as the recent mifepristone case was. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate Plus. By joining, not only will you unlock exclusive SCOTUS analysis and weekly extended episodes of Amicus, but you’ll also access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Political Gabfest: Arizona Territory’s 1864 Abortion Law Apr 13, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the revival of Arizona’s 1864 abortion ban; the end of No Labels; and the past and future of presidential debates.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Mary Jo Pitzl and Reagan Priest for The Arizona Republic: Arizona House GOP halt Democrats’ effort to overturn Civil War era law in chaotic session

Dan Balz for The Washington Post: The Arizona Supreme Court just upended Trump’s gambit on abortion

Jamelle Bouie for The New York Times: The Man Who Snuffed Out Abortion Rights Is Here to Tell You He Is a Moderate

Ramtin Arablouei and Rund Abdelfatah for NPR’s All Things Considered: Abortion was once common practice in America. A small group of doctors changed that

A.O. Sulzberger Jr. for The New York Times: Reagan Says Ban On Abortion May Not Be Needed

David Faris for Slate: Why No Labels Didn’t Stick

Slate’s Political Gabfest: The “No Mugshot” Edition

Thomas B. Edsall for The New York Times: Has No Labels Become a Stalking Horse for Trump?

Michael H. Brown for The Washington Post: Joseph Lieberman, senator and vice-presidential nominee, dies at 82

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Dartmouth’s Leslie Center for the Humanities: People, Place, Podcasts: Emily Bazelon and Erica Heilman in Conversation and the Rumble Strip podcast

John: Slate’s Navel Gazing podcast and Rachel Wolfe for The Wall Street Journal: The Calls for Help Coming From Above the Poverty Line

David: Hannah Seo for The New York Times: Is It Better to Brush Your Teeth Before Breakfast or After?

Listener chatter from Mark Phillips in Baltimore, Maryland: Ben Crair for The New Yorker: The Magic of Bird Brains

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily discuss AI communications with loved ones after they die. See Walter Marsh for The Guardian: Laurie Anderson on making an AI chatbot of Lou Reed: ‘I’m totally, 100%, sadly addicted’ and Ira Glass for This American Life: The Ghost in the Machine. See also Niamn Ancell for Cybernews: These apps could resurrect your relatives using artificial intelligence; Rebecca Carballo for The New York Times: Using A.I. to Talk to the Dead; and Tamara Kneese for Wired: Using Generative AI to Resurrect the Dead Will Create a Burden for the Living.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Tana French about her book, The Hunter: A Novel.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

Hosts

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz

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What Next TBD: Does Google Suck Now? Apr 12, 2024

Why lately our search engines just don’t seem to deliver results.

Guest: Jason Koebler, cofounder of 404 Media and co-host of the 404 Media Podcast.

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What Next: The Judge Protecting Trump Apr 11, 2024

How Florida Judge Aileen Cannon is delaying Donald Trump’s trial over classified documents taken to Mar-a-Lago—and what special prosecutor Jack Smith can do to get things moving.

Guest: Lee Kovarsky, professor of law at University of Texas, co-director of the UT Capital Punishment Center

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What Next; How the Government Botched Financial Aid Apr 10, 2024

How did an attempt to simplify a tedious student-aid form turn into a full-on debacle that has some high school seniors wondering if they will have to delay starting college?

Guest: Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, national higher education reporter for the Washington Post.

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What Next: No Labels Is Out. But RFK Jr. Remains. Apr 09, 2024

2024 is down to two historically unpopular candidates. That may leave the door open for third-party candidates to make some noise. But Democrats have been burned before – and aren’t going down without a fight.

Guest: Dave Weigel, reporter for Semafor.

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Hang Up: A Transcendent Women’s Tourney Apr 08, 2024

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by the Athletic’s Chantel Jennings to talk about South Carolina’s victory over Iowa. They also ponder Caitlin Clark’s WNBA future, John Calipari’s reported move to Arkansas, and Tennessee’s decision to move beyond the Pat Summitt coaching tree. Finally, Sam Koppelman joins to discuss Hunterbrook Media’s new report on Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia’s mortgage company and how Hunterbrook is trying to use journalism to make money in the stock market.

South Carolina-Iowa (1:42): How the Gamecocks took down the Hawkeyes.

Caitlin Clark and big coaching moves (14:45): How will the Iowa star perform in the pros? And what’s next for the Kentucky men’s and Tennessee women’s basketball programs?

Ishbia (34:26): Breaking down a new story on the NBA and mortgage lending and assessing a new journalistic business model.

Afterball (55:51): Josh on Sports Illustrated’s 1955 baseball preview, featuring Willie Mays, Leo Durocher, and Laraine Day.

(Note: time codes are only accurate for Slate Plus members, who listen ad free.)

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What Next: How Young Is Too Young to Work? Apr 08, 2024

In response to a spike in child labor violations, some states are strengthening their laws against the practice—while 16 states have weakened laws against child labor. What’s going on?

Guest: Lauren Kaori Gurley, labor reporter for the Washington Post.

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Well, Now: Spring Cleaning Your Medicine Cabinet Apr 07, 2024

Spring is a time for fresh starts. For a lot of us, that means spring cleaning.

But don’t worry, we’re not talking about the whole house.

This week, the Well, Now team is spring cleaning our medicine cabinets. What are some medicinal must-haves, and what things should we definitely toss?

Joining us to help tidy up is Dr. Mauricio Gonzalez, a board-certified physician in internal, emergency and obesity medicine.

If you liked this episode, check out: What “Wellness” Is and Isn’t

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

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A Word: Criminal Injustice Apr 07, 2024

A young Black man, wrongfully accused of sexual assault, is convicted nonetheless. Evidence that could’ve exonerated him is withheld or covered up, and he spends much of his youth in prison. It sounds like a movie-of-the-week, but it was the real life nightmare of Jarrett Adams. Throughout his incarceration, he fought for his freedom and eventually won. Now, he’s a defense attorney who helps other wrongfully convicted people find justice, and build better lives on the outside through his organization Life After Justice. On today’s episode of A Word, Jarrett Adams joins host Jason Johnson to talk about his experience with the criminal justice system, and why the punishment may continue long after a conviction is overturned.

Guest: Jarrett Adams, co-founder of the non-profit organization Life After Justice

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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What Next TBD: America Needs More Power Apr 07, 2024

The demand for electricity is surging in the U.S. With increasing amounts of power going towards artificial intelligence, manufacturing and electric vehicles, can the grid keep up?

Guest: Evan Halper, business reporter covering the energy transition for the Washington Post

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Amicus: When Gag Orders Become Campaign-Performance Indicators Apr 06, 2024

After weeks of the Trump trials (and the run-up to the Trump trials) becoming ever more engrossing spectator sports, both the public and the media may have lost sight of some of the stakes. They also may have lost sight of the truth of what the legal system can actually deliver in terms of protecting democracy from Donald J Trump.

On this week’s Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Juliette Kayyem to dissect Trump's impact on legal, national security, and ideological fronts. Kayyem brings her national security expertise to discuss the evolution of Trump's tactics from stochastic terror to direct incitement. Together, they explore the implications for democracy of a presidential campaign where one candidate issues violent threats and tries to intimidate judges. Kayyem lays out in stark terms the kinds of focus and planning needed in the coming months.

Juliette Kayyem is a national security expert, Harvard lecturer, CNN analyst, Atlantic contributor, and author of 'The Devil Never Sleeps: Learning to Live in an Age of Disasters.' Avowedly not a lawyer, she approaches America’s political predicament using counter-terrorism approaches to Trump’s movement and preparations for the 2024 elections.

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Political Gabfest: Florida Bans Abortion Again Apr 06, 2024

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Scott Bauer for AP: Wisconsin voters approve ban on private money support for elections and Unfair Share: The Gerrymandered Chocolate Bar on Kickstarter

John: Joey Roulette and Will Dunham for Reuters: Exclusive: White House directs NASA to create time standard for the moon and John Dickerson Introduces: Navel Gazing

David: Corvid Research: All in the (crow) family; 3 Body Problem on Netflix; The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu; and Foundation and For All Mankind on Apple TV+

Listener chatter from Kim in Spartanburg, S.C.: The fish doorbell and thunder_keck on TikTok: fish doorbell season is back

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily discuss the April 8 total solar eclipse. See John Dickerson and David Parkinson for CBS News: Massive storm system threatening millions across U.S. See also Atlas Obscura’s Ecliptic Festival; Annie Dillard for The Atlantic: “Seeing a partial eclipse bears the same relation to seeing a total eclipse as kissing a man does to marrying him.”; The Guardian: Columbus and the night of the bloody moon; and John Uri for NASA: Eclipses Near and Far.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Tana French about her book, The Hunter: A Novel.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Jared Downing

Research by Julie Huygen

Hosts

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz

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Slate Political Gabfest on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/

@SlateGabfest on X / https://twitter.com/SlateGabfest

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Slate Money: EVs Need a Charge-Up Apr 06, 2024

This week: Americans are less revved up about EVs. Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss if Elon Musk’s mischief has played a role in slowing sales. Also: the crisis in the wine industry, and how a combination investigative publication/hedge fund wants to blow the lid off corporations — while shorting their stock. In the Plus segment: the proxy battle for the future of Disney.

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 regular 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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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What Next TBD: Truth Social’s Rocky Week Apr 05, 2024

Donald Trump got a huge financial boost when Truth Social went public last week—or did he?

Guest: Nitish Pahwa, associate writer on business and tech for Slate.

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What Next: How Much Longer Can Netanyahu Hold On? Apr 04, 2024

Benjamin Netanyahu has been able to count on the support from Israel’s ultra-Orthodox parties. But as the IDF needs additional manpower to continue a two-front war, the military exemption that the ultra-Orthodox enjoy is coming under scrutiny, and could fracture Netanyahu’s hold on power.

Guest: Yair Rosenberg, staff writer for The Atlantic.

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What Next: How Gambling Took Over Sports Apr 03, 2024

Sports betting is now mostly legal, and, if you watch sports, its advertisements are inescapable. Now, a series of scandals has rocked the professional leagues. When everyone bets, odds are – someone will cross a line.

Guest: Jay Caspian Kang, staff writer for “The New Yorker” and author of The Loneliest Americans.

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What Next: How a Democrat Flipped a Seat in Alabama Apr 02, 2024

Democrat Marilyn Lands will be sworn in to the Alabama House of Representatives this week, having won a special election in the deep-red state by 25 points. How did Lands do it—and what can the national Democrats learn from her victory?

Guest: Marilyn Lands, Alabama lawmaker who won a special election for the state’s House of Representatives.

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Hear Me Out: Don’t Blame Capitalism For The Housing Crisis Apr 02, 2024

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out: housing the nation.

We have an affordable housing problem — and an affordability problem, period, but that’s another show.

When we talk about solutions to homelessness and cost burden for renters and homeowners alike, many progressives lean toward government intervention… because capitalism seems to have failed us. But has it, really? Or is for-profit development the surprising answer to affordable housing?

Jon McMillan of TF Cornerstone – and author of a chapter in Housing The Nation – joins us.

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie.

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Hang Up: The Kim Mulkey Profile Is Here Apr 01, 2024

Joel Anderson and Stefan Fatsis are joined by USA Today’s Lindsay Schnell to talk about the NCAA women’s college basketball tournament and by Buzzer’s Eamonn Brennan to discuss the men’s tournament. Finally, the Washington Post’s Kent Babb joins for a conversation about his profile of Kim Mulkey.

NCAA women (5:55): Can anyone beat South Carolina?

NCAA men (23:02): Why everyone loves North Carolina State’s DJ Burns Jr.

Mulkey profile (38:31): Kent Babb on his reporting process and everything that came after.

Afterball (1:00:33): Stefan on chess pioneer Lisa Lane.

(Note: time codes are only accurate for Slate Plus members, who listen ad free.)

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What Next: The Group Behind Christian Conservatives’ Winning Streak Apr 01, 2024

The group that brought the case that overturned Roe v. Wade is back before the Supreme Court arguing for more restrictions on mifepristone, the “abortion pill.” Who are Alliance Defending Freedom, and what are their goals?

Guest: David Kirkpatrick, staff writer for The New Yorker.

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A Word: Run for the Border? Mar 31, 2024

The American Dream has long been out of reach for many Black people in this country. Between police violence, the lack of economic opportunity, and the threat of a second Trump term, many African Americans are considering building their dream lives in another country. And for thousands of people, Mexico is one of the top destinations. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Adam Mahoney of the CapitalB News to talk about why many Black Americans are moving south of the border, where they’re settling, and whether their new country is as welcoming as they’d hoped.

Guest: Adam Mahoney, reporter for CapitalB News

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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Well, Now: Eating Disorders Are Rising Among Boys. Why? Mar 31, 2024

Eating disorders are one of the most deadly psychiatric disorders.

But for decades, much of the criteria to diagnose one applied only to cisgender girls and those assigned female at birth – like a loss of menstruation. This meant that many cisgender boys and those assigned male at birth fell through the cracks.

On this week’s episode of Well, Now: The rise in eating disorders among boys and men with Dr. Jason Nagata, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California San Francisco.

Maya and Kavita will discuss how eating disorders tend to manifest differently between boys and girls, and what signs to look for if you think you or someone you know needs care.

For more information on eating disorders, you can visit the National Eating Disorders Association’s website.

If you liked this episode, check out: Breaking Up With Diet Culture

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

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What Next TBD: The Psychological Toll of Mars Mar 31, 2024

From science fiction writers to American presidents to Elon Musk, everyone’s eager to send people to Mars. But, even if you could nail the physical aspects, are Earthlings cut out for life on Mars mentally?

Guest: Nathaniel Rich, contributing writer for New York Times magazine.

Kate Greene, author and poet

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Slate Money: How Do You Bribe a President? Meme Stocks. Mar 30, 2024

This week: Truth Social is the latest meme stock, and buying it could win favor with a president. Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss what Truth Social means for Trump, whether Sam Bankman-Fried’s 25-year sentence is too harsh, and a Visa/Mastercard antitrust settlement that could change credit card fees as we know them. (Platinum holders beware.) In the plus segment: Why a global chocolate shortage is racking the candy industry.

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 regular 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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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Amicus: When RAGA Rhymes with MAGA Mar 30, 2024

It’s not quite red-yarn-on-a-corkboard, but given how often we’ve been thinking about the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) over the years, it may as well be. The group has become a vital component of the conservative legal movement, with pay-to-play access afforded to corporate donors to boot. Despite all the money changing hands and obvious conflicts of interest, few have heard of them - and that’s very intentional.

This week we’re joined by Lisa Graves of True North Research to talk about how an organization representing the chief legal officers in half the states in the union has become a national policy juggernaut, pushing legislation and litigation to assist polluters, harm women and LGBTQ families, torment immigrants and even steal elections, all absent any significant oversight or consequences.

In this week’s bonus plus segment, Slate’s very own Mark Joseph Stern joins to discuss coverage of the oral arguments in the mifepristone case (including the hugely significant takeaway most of the analysis missed), and the reasons Neil Gorsuch hates nationwide injunctions.

And finally, following on from last week, thinking about the language we use to describe first trimester abortions.

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Political Gabfest Live In Washington, D.C.! Mar 30, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz are live in Washington, D.C. to discuss the Supreme Court (again) and abortion (again); Donald Trump’s ups and downs in New York courtrooms and Ronna McDaniel’s rise and fall on NBC; and Gallup’s World Happiness Report 2024.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Ann E. Marimow and Caroline Kitchener for The Washington Post: Supreme Court skeptical of efforts to restrict access to abortion pill

Sierra Club v. Morton, 405 U.S. 727 (1972)

303 Creative LLC v. Elenis, et al., 600 US _ (2023)

Juhi Doshi for ABC News: What is the Comstock Act? The 151-year-old law mentioned in SCOTUS abortion pill case

SCOTUSblog: Idaho v. United States

Pam Belluck for The New York Times: What to Know About the Federal Law at the Heart of the Latest Supreme Court Abortion Case

Geoff Mulvihill and Kimberlee Kruesi for AP: Which states could have abortion on the ballot in 2024?

The New York Times: Keeping Track of the Trump Criminal Cases and Michael M. Grynbaum and John Koblin: NBC News Cuts Ties With Ronna McDaniel After Network Firestorm

Brian Beutler for Off Message: The Political Economy Of Normalization

Gallup: World Happiness Report 2024

Clare Ansberry for The Wall Street Journal: U.S. No Longer Ranks Among World’s 20 Happiest Countries

The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: The Wall Street Journal: Evan Gershkovich: Updates on the WSJ Reporter Detained in Russia

David: Tim Newcomb for Popular Mechanics: A Controversial Pyramid Isn’t Actually 27,000 Years Old—and Now, the Mystery Deepens and Paul M.M. Cooper for Fall of Civilizations Podcast: Episode 18 Is Out Now!

John: National Archives: From Alexander Hamilton to Jeremiah Wadsworth, [20 August 1787]; John Dickerson for Slate’s Navel Gazing podcast (coming soon); John Dickerson on Court TV (not available); Emily Bazelon on C-SPAN; and David Plotz on C-SPAN: Washington Journal Newspaper Roundtable.

Listener chatter from Phil Goldstein in Washington, D.C.: The New York Times: Flesh Descending In A Shower.; An Astounding Phenomenon In Kentucky--Fresh Meat Like Mutton Or Venison Falling From A Clear Sky.

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily answer audience questions. See Gina M. Raimondo, Secretary of Commerce.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Tana French about her book, The Hunter: A Novel.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with special thanks to Patrick Fort for on-site production and Katie Rayford for logistics support

Research by Julie Huygen

Hosts

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz

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Slate Political Gabfest on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/

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What Next TBD: Can Boeing Pull Out of This Tailspin? Mar 29, 2024

How supply chains, the pandemic, and a steady stream of Wall Street money led to a crisis at Boeing.

Guest: Jon Ostrower, editor-in-chief of the website the Air Current.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next: Nickelodeon’s Legacy of Abuse Mar 28, 2024

A new documentary, “Quiet On Set,” looks back at Nickelodeon’s heyday, and the culture of abuse that many of its child stars were subjected to.

Guest: Kate Taylor, reporter for Business Insider and producer of “Quiet on Set.”

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next: Will Islamophobia Sink This Judicial Nomination? Mar 27, 2024

Nominated by Biden for the Third Circuit Court of Appeals, Adeel Mangi has a Harvard education and years as a prominent corporate litigator under his belt. But during his Senate confirmation hearing, the main thing Republican lawmakers wanted to talk about were Hamas’s October 7th attacks. Now, Democrats are weighing filling a seat in the federal judiciary against giving in to Islamophobia.

Guest: Nate Raymond, reporter covering the federal judiciary and litigation for Reuters.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Hear Me Out: Anti-Vaxers Aren’t Just Extremists Mar 26, 2024

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out: getting the jab.

Vaccine hesitancy is not a new phenomenon in the United States, but it is a growing one… particularly in conservative Evangelical circles.

At the same time, there’s a lot for all of us to dislike, and distrust, about the American healthcare system. So, for those of us who have a hard time working up any sympathy for the vaccine-skeptical crowd, it’s worth asking: what if this is a symptom of the problems we’re all experiencing?

Johanna Richlin of the University of Maine joins us.

If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can 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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What Next: Has Trump Run Out the Clock? Mar 26, 2024

With four criminal cases against him, including one that was scheduled to begin this week, Donald Trump and his legal team have successfully muddied the waters in all four trials. With solid odds of winning the presidential election in the fall, has Donald Trump managed to once again wriggle his way out of this one?

Guest: Jeremy Stahl, Slate’s jurisprudence editor.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Madeline Ducharme, Anna Phillips, Paige Osburn, and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: After the Moscow Concert Attack Mar 25, 2024

A concert outside of Moscow was interrupted by gunshot and a fire. Though ISIS claimed responsibility within hours, Putin isn’t letting this crisis go to waste.

Guest: Shane Harris, senior national security writer for the Washington Post.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Well, Now - "People Feel Like They’re Drowning": The Long Covid Survivors Left Behind Mar 24, 2024

While most of the world moves on from Covid-19, millions of Americans remain in limbo: Those living with Long Covid.

Long Covid symptoms are vast and can impact all parts of the body: from gastrointestinal tract issues and fatigue to autoimmune inflammation and cognitive impairment.

On this week’s episode of Well, Now – Kavita and Maya talk with Dr. Wes Ely, an ICU physician based in Nashville, Tenn.

As the co-director of the Critical Illness, Brain Dysfunction and Survivorship Center, he is one of many doctors demanding our country’s leaders not to leave their patients behind.

If you liked this episode, check out: Life After Lockdown

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com.

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A Word: Love, Family, and Freedom’s Ultimate Price Mar 24, 2024

Myrlie Evers was arguably the first civil rights widow, a woman who was plunged into activism after the assassination of her husband—Mississippi NAACP field secretary Medgar Evers—in 1963. She survived to become a leader of the movement in her own right. But what’s less well known is the remarkable story of how the couple came together, and how their love endures, decades after his death. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by journalist Joy-Ann Reid to talk about her book, Medgar & Myrlie: Medgar Evers and the Love Story That Awakened America.

Guest: Joy-Ann Reid, host of MSNBC’s The ReidOut

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

Want more A Word? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/awordplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next TBD: The Next Round of the Union Fight Mar 24, 2024

After organized-labor victories at Amazon, with automakers, and in Hollywood, big corporations are striking back by, among other things, suing the National Labor Relations Board.

Guest: Noam Scheiber, reporter for the New York Times covering working and workers.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Political Gabfest: When Is Government Speech Coercion? Mar 23, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the Supreme Court’s busy week on government speech and immigration authority; Donald Trump’s bond issue and words problem; and COVID learning loss. Join us for Political Gabfest Live in Washington, D.C. on March 27! Tickets are on sale now; get ‘em before they’re gone.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Amy Howe for SCOTUSblog: Court sympathetic to NRA’s free speech claim and Supreme Court skeptical of restricting government communications with social media companies

Lindsay Whitehurst for AP: Supreme Court appears receptive to NRA free-speech lawsuit against a former New York state officia

Hogan Gore for the Austin American-Statesman: 5th Circuit Court of Appeals leaves SB 4 on hold after dueling orders on Texas immigration law

Ben Protess, Maggie Haberman, and Kate Christobek for The New York Times: Trump Spurned by 30 Companies as He Seeks Bond in $454 Million Judgment

Ruth Marcus for The Washington Post: Fair’s fair: Trump should be able to appeal the judgment against him and Catherine Rampell:Trump can’t find anyone to spot him $424 million. Would you?

Sarah Mervosh, Claire Cain Miller, and Francesca Paris for The New York Times: What the Data Says About Pandemic School Closures, Four Years Later

Slate Political Gabfest: The “Stop Counting Now” Edition

Weakley County, TN

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Small Game: A Novel by Blair Braverman and Small Game: A Novel at the DC Public Library

John: Ramishah Maruf for CNN: MacKenzie Scott donates $640 million after open call for nonprofits and Ahjané Forbes for USA Today: Ticketless passenger found in Delta flight’s lavatory, forcing plane to turn around

David: Sarah Zhang for The Atlantic: DNA Tests Are Uncovering The True Prevalence Of Incest and City Cast: Work with us.

Listener chatter from Joshua Weaver in Austin, Texas: Matthew Brown for AP: Montana man used animal tissue and testicles to breed ‘giant’ sheep for sale to hunting preserves

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily talk about The Mysterious Case of The Reappearing Princess. See Karla Adam for The Washington Post: Will Princess Kate video put an end to royal communications mess? and Mark Landler for The New York Times: The Royals Tried to Control Their Image Online. The Internet Had Other Ideas.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Tana French about her book, The Hunter: A Novel.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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Amicus: How The Mifepristone Case Reached SCOTUS Mar 23, 2024

Well, it happened again. The hIgHeSt CoUrT will hear arguments Tuesday in a case based on made up facts! This time it’s mifepristone, the abortion drug at the center of Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v FDA.

The claim was that the FDA approval process (three decades ago), for mifepristone, one of two medication abortion drugs, was haphazard and slapdash.. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine also argued that the FDA’s 2021 decision to allow telemedicine abortion and mailing of abortion pills violates a 19th-century anti-vice law called the Comstock Act.

This week on the show Dahlia Lithwick speaks with Carrie N. Baker, Smith College professor and author of the forthcoming book Abortion Pills: US History and Politics. Baker says taking away the rights to access abortion pills in the mail could have catastrophic consequences for pregnant people, drug development, and privacy for all Americans.

In this week’s subscribers-only segment, Slate’s Trump Law correspondent Jeremy Stahl gives us the updates on some of the cases against the former president - including the “a lot ton” of money he owes in New York, like starting on Monday.

Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

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Slate Money: Is Apple’s Monopoly Good for Us? Mar 23, 2024

This week: Biden’s comin’ for your iPhone! Or at least, his administration wants to make it less restrictive to third-party developers. Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss the new Apple DOJ lawsuit, how Reddit can leverage its massive IPO, and new rules for real estate brokers that could change the home-buying experience. In the Plus segment: Unilever is dropping Ben & Jerry’s. When did America stop screaming for ice cream?

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 regular 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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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Amicus: How The Mifepristone Case Reached SCOTUS Mar 23, 2024

Well, it happened again. The hIgHeSt CoUrT will hear arguments Tuesday in a case based on made up facts! This time it’s mifepristone, the abortion drug at the center of Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine v FDA.

The claim was that the FDA approval process (three decades ago), for mifepristone, one of two medication abortion drugs, was haphazard and slapdash.. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine also argued that the FDA’s 2021 decision to allow telemedicine abortion and mailing of abortion pills violates a 19th-century anti-vice law called the Comstock Act.

This week on the show Dahlia Lithwick speaks with Carrie N. Baker, Smith College professor and author of the forthcoming book Abortion Pills: US History and Politics. Baker says taking away the rights to access abortion pills in the mail could have catastrophic consequences for pregnant people, drug development, and privacy for all Americans.

In this week’s subscribers-only segment, Slate’s Trump Law correspondent Jeremy Stahl gives us the updates on some of the cases against the former president - including the “a lot ton” of money he owes in New York, like starting on Monday.

Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What Next TBD: Reddit’s IPO Gamble Mar 22, 2024

Despite the blackouts, moderator revolts, and long string of controversies, Reddit remains an active, healthy website. As the site goes public this week, can it remain that way?

Guest: Priya Anand, Bloomberg News tech reporter.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next: How Anti-Abortion Laws Trap Domestic Abuse Survivors Mar 21, 2024

Experts say domestic violence tends to start or intensify during pregnancy. But since the overturn of Roe v. Wade, terminating a pregnancy—or even advising or helping someone to terminate a pregnancy—has been criminalized in several states which can leave survivors of domestic violence unable to separate from an abusive partner.

Guest: Julianne McShane, writer at Mother Jones covering the intersection of gender and inequity.

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Outward: Trans Visibility and Community with Chase Strangio Mar 20, 2024

This week, we’re sharing more of our interview with Trans rights activist and ACLU Lawyer Chase Strangio. In this episode, Bryand and Jules ask Chase about his recent New York Times op-ed Trans Visibility Is Nice. Safety Is Even Better. They also talk about how hyper-visibility does not equate safety, and what we all risk losing when we lose trans rights.

Email us at outwardpod@slate.com

Podcast production by Palace Shaw.

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What Next: Why We Still Don’t Have a Cease-Fire Mar 20, 2024

When even Israel’s American allies like Biden and Chuck Schumer seem to be growing impatient waiting for a ceasefire in Gaza, what is standing in the way?

Guest: Fred Kaplan, Slate writer and author of The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Madeline Ducharme, Anna Phillips, Paige Osburn, and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: The Trump Veepstakes Is On Mar 19, 2024

It’s hard to imagine anyone changing their opinion on Trump based on a new running mate. But there’s more at stake with this pick than just the 2024 election.

Guest: Benjy Sarlin, Washington Bureau Chief at Semafor

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next: Haiti’s Power Vacuum Mar 18, 2024

With gangs controlling much of the capital and the prime minister out of office, what is Haiti’s path to stability? What role should the international community play?

Guest: Harold Isaac, independent journalist in Haiti.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Madeline Ducharme, Anna Phillips, Paige Osburn, and Rob Gunther.

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A Word: Black Country Renaissance Mar 17, 2024

Beyoncé has announced that the second act of Renaissance will be a country album. “Cowboy Carter” is set for release at the end of March, Women’s History Month. Beyoncé has already made history as the first Black woman to top the country charts with “Texas Hold ‘Em,” and recently received Dolly Parton’s blessing to cover her classic song, Jolene.

While Beyoncé may seem to be breaking new ground, much of country music has always been rooted in African American culture, and Black women have been singing country for decades. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by DePaul University Professor Francesca Royster, the author of Black Country Music: Listening for Revolutions. They talk about the history of Black women in country music, the racial tension that has kept many African American fans away from the genre, and whether this moment represents a new era for Black country artists.

Guest: Professor Francesca Royster, author of Black Country Music: Listening for Revolutions

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

Want more A Word? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/awordplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Well, Now: Life After Lockdown Mar 17, 2024

On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization named Covid-19 a pandemic, and public health around the globe changed forever.

Countries shut down their borders, businesses closed and furloughed workers, and millions of students went to remote learning. Two years in, more than one million Americans lost their lives.

This week on Well, Now we mark this grim anniversary by talking about what we have and haven’t learned about this world-changing virus with one of the epidemiologists who first began sounding the alarm about Covid-19: Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding.

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com.

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What Next TBD: When Private Equity Gets in to Health Care Mar 17, 2024

Private equity firms have been buying up doctors’ offices and hospitals around the country. But if profits are the primary goal, what happens to the cost and quality of healthcare for patients?

Guest: Gretchen Morgenson, senior financial reporter for the NBC News Investigative Unit and co-author of “These Are the Plunderers: How Private Equity Runs—and Wrecks—America”

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Patrick Fort, and Anna Phillips.

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Slate Money: Work is Mid 🤷‍♀️ Mar 16, 2024

This week: Americans don’t care as much about work. They have better things to do. Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss the prospect of a four-day workweek and what it could mean for the economy. Also: How Liquid Death made water rad as hell, and the uncertain fate of TikTok in America. In the Plus segment: Tanning is back! Producer Cheyna Roth joins the hosts to discuss the rising popularity of tanning salons and self-tan products.

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 regular 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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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Amicus: Who Gets to Lie Online? Mar 16, 2024

While all eyes and brains are on what SCOTUS thinks about making Trump emperor-king, a lesser known case will be heard Monday that could have a huge impact on how social media can (or cannot) keep election workers safe this year. Murthy v. Missouri arrives at the high court as the result a lawsuit filed by the attorneys general of Missouri and Louisiana, along with a group of social media users—including some doctors and right-wing commentators—who argued that officials in the Biden administration censored their online speech about COVID-19, the 2020 election, among other issues The plaintiffs don’t claim that the administration directly silenced their speech. Instead, they argue that, by working with social media companies to limit the spread of misinformation, the government unlawfully chilled the free expression of their ideas.

Gowri Ramachandran serves as deputy director in the Brennan Center’s Democracy program.The amicus brief filed by her team from the Brennan Center in Murthy draws the Justices attention to another aspect of election disinformation. Ramachandran explains to host Dahlia Lithwick that combating election disinformation has always been important, but it is especially critical now, as election workers struggle to keep on top of voting issues.

Later in the show for Slate plus subscribers, Mark Joseph Stern joins to talk about the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals taking a swing at teens’ access to contraception, and a new effort to combat the scourge of judge-shopping.

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Political Gabfest: Did Hur Exonerate Biden? Mar 16, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address and Special Counsel Robert Hur’s congressional testimony; crime and punishment with the Wren Collective’s Jessica Brand; and Congress’s move to ban the Chinese government from TikTok. Join us for Political Gabfest Live in Washington, D.C. on March 27! Tickets are on sale now. Planning to attend? Submit a Listener Chatter to gabfest@slate.com and you might be picked to chatter live.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

C-SPAN: 2024 State of the Union Address and Former Special Counsel Hur Testifies on Biden Classified Documents Report, Part 1and Part 2

House Committee on the Judiciary: Recorded Interview: Robert Hur, President Biden Transcript, Date of Interview: October 8, and Date of Interview: October 9

Kaitlan Collins for CNN: Fmr. Mar-a-Lago employee who helped move classified docs speaks with CNN

Adam Serwer for The Atlantic: How Hur Misled the Country on Biden’s Memory

Jack Goldsmith in The New York Times: Jack Smith and Robert Hur Are the Latest Examples of a Failed Institution

Erica Pandey and Russell Contreras for Axios: Blue cities go red with conservative policies on crime

Michael Barbaro and Mike Baker for The New York Times’s The Daily podcast: Oregon Decriminalized Drugs. Voters Now Regret It.

Madaleine Rubin for The Texas Tribune: Sean Teare unseats Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg in primary

Stefanie Dazio for AP: Progressive Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón advances to runoff

Jeffrey M. Jones for Gallup: More Americans See U.S. Crime Problem as Serious

Stephanie Sy and Shoshana Dubnow for the PBS News Hour: As concerns grown around surging violent crime, the numbers tell a different story

David Leonhardt for The New York Times: Should China Own TikTok?

CBS News: FBI Director Wray says China targeting U.S. civilian infrastructure, economic security

Laura He for CNN: If the US bans TikTok, China will be getting a taste of its own medicine

CBS Mornings: Jon Stewart on why he’s going back to “The Daily Show” anchor desk

Mike Pence on Fox News: TikTok is digital fentanyl and Congress, Biden must act before it’s too late

Josh Dawsey and Jeff Stein for The Washington Post: How Donald Trump switched to defending TikTok

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Josh Gerstein for Politico: Federal courts move against ‘judge-shopping’ and John Dickerson and Jessica Levinson for CBS News Prime Time: New rules aim to prevent “judge shopping” in major court cases

John: Emily Goulet for Philadelphia: Fight Like a Girl: The New Wave of High-School Wrestling and Alex Bellos for The Guardian: He ate all the pi: Japanese man memorises π to 111,700 digits

David: Lend A Box

Listener chatter from Steven in Queens, New York: New York Times: Soon Finds Mother For His 5 Children; Widower Discovers Six Women Eager to Marry Him and Care for His Brood.

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily talk about marriage proposals. See Caroline Kitchener for The Atlantic: Marriage Proposals Are Stupid; Sadiba Hasan for The New York Times: 10 Great Ways to Pop the Question; and Parija Kavilanz for CNN: After 2023 wraps up, get ready for a spike in marriage proposals.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, David talks with Kiley Reid about her book, Come and Get It.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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What Next TBD: Is TikTok Cooked This Time? Mar 15, 2024

TikTok’s connection to the Chinese government has been a Washington talking point since the Trump administration, but earlier this month lawmakers in the House introduced a bill requiring the app’s parent company to either divest the company into American hands—or be banned.

Guest: Emily Baker-White, technology reporter and senior writer at Forbes.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next: Mexico Is Full Of American Guns. So the Country’s Suing. Mar 14, 2024

How Mexico’s $10 billion lawsuit against American gun manufacturers and distributors could pave the way for new gun control tactics in the U.S. and abroad.

Guest: Champe Barton, reporter for The Trace.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Outward: Chase Strangio on the Anti-Trans Legislation Landscape Mar 13, 2024

2023 was a record-breaking year for anti-trans legislation and with over 500 bills introduced in 2024 it’s shaping up to be another critical year for statutory rights for trans people. This week, Bryan and Jules review the damage done in 2023 and look at the implications for anti-trans legislation this year with Chase Strangio, Deputy Director for Transgender Justice with the ACLU's LGBT & HIV Project.

Email us at outwardpod@slate.com

Podcast production by Palace Shaw.

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What Next: Where is Kate Middleton? Mar 13, 2024

Kate Middleton’s on-going absence has the internet tied in knots, and the heavily edited photo that the royal family released—and then rescinded—only made things worse. What do we know about the Princess of Wales’s whereabouts?

Guest: Imogen West-Knights, contributing writer for Slate based in London.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Hear Me Out: Purity Is Poisoning the Progressive Movement Mar 12, 2024

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out: the purity test.

Purity, in political science, doesn’t have anything to do with morality. It has to do with whether your policy aligns with your principles.

From “Bernie Bros” to the uncommitted vote against Biden, we’ve seen progressives protect ideological purity… and punish stances that don’t align. An all-or-nothing stance on issues like universal healthcare and student loan forgiveness might sound appealing to voters. But does it doom progress, practically, if an increment isn’t good enough?

Shaniqua McClendon, VP of Politics for Crooked Media, joins us to argue against progressive purity politics.

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie.

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What Next: Biden's War on Junk Fees Mar 12, 2024

Extra charges and fees for everything from booking a hotel to buying concert tickets have become an insidious part of daily life. President Biden is hoping that by outlawing so-called “junk fees,” he can win some goodwill with voters before the election. Will it work?

Guest: David Dayen, Executive Editor of The American Prospect, author of Monopolized: Life in the Age of Corporate Power.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Paige Osburn, Elena Schwartz, Rob Gunther, Madeline Ducharme, and Anna Phillips.

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What Next: He Quoted Hitler. Now, He Could Be Governor. Mar 11, 2024

On Super Tuesday, Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson secured the Republican nomination for governor in North Carolina. His history of anti-semitic, misogynistic, and outright absurd comments wasn’t a problem for MAGA supporters in the state—and it certainly wasn’t a problem for the national Grand Old Party either.

Guest: Jeffrey Billman, politics and law reporter at The Assembly.

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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Well, Now: How the Food on Your Plate Can Fight Climate Change Mar 10, 2024

It’s impossible to ignore the impact of climate change. Sea levels are rising, and natural disasters like hurricanes and wildfires are increasing in strength and number each year.

A major contributor to a warming planet is the way we’re processing our food. So on this week’s episode of Well, Now we discuss ways to eat a full, balanced diet while keeping the health of the planet in mind with registered dietitian nutritionist Chris Vogliano.

If you liked this episode, check out: Breaking Up With Diet Culture

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

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A Word: Freedom Fight Like a Woman Mar 10, 2024

March is Women’s History Month, and for centuries, the roles of Black women in key moments of American history have been diminished. One book that takes a unique approach to exploring their stories is Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts. The book combines historical narrative with illustrations depicting African and African American women rising up against their enslavers, often at the cost of their own lives. On today’s episode of A Word, host Jason Johnson is joined by Wake’s author, attorney and educator Rebecca Hall. They discuss the leading role many Black women played in slave uprisings, and the complicated politics that have kept their stories hidden for so long.

Guest: Rebecca Hall, author of Wake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola.

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What Next TBD: Instagram’s Pedophile Problem Mar 10, 2024

As the debate around child safety online rages on, an investigation by The New York Times found a seedy world of pedophiles interacting with child influencer accounts, often run by their parents, on Instagram.

Guest: Jennifer Valentino-DeVries, investigative reporter at the New York Times.

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Political Gabfest: The Dismal Biden Polls Mar 09, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the Biden v. Trump polls and Super Tuesday, the Supreme Court’s decision to leave Donald Trump on the ballot, and whether The Golden Age of American Jews Is Ending with The Atlantic’s Franklin Foer. Join us for Political Gabfest Live in Washington, D.C. on March 27! Tickets are on sale now. Planning to attend? Submit a Listener Chatter to gabfest@slate.com and you might be picked to chatter live.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

538: Latest Polls

Shane Goldmacher for The New York Times: Voters Doubt Biden’s Leadership and Favor Trump, Times/Siena Poll Finds

Mark Joseph Stern for Slate: The Supreme Court’s “Unanimous” Trump Ballot Ruling Is Actually a 5-4 Disaster

Michael C. Dorf for Dorf on Law: Nine Justices in Search of an Excuse to Nullify Section 3 of the 14th Amendment

Kate Shaw, Melissa Murray, and Leah Litman for Crooked Media’s Strict Scrutiny podcast: SCOTUS Restores Trump to the Colorado Ballot, Unanimously (Kind Of)

Franklin Foer for The Atlantic: The Golden Age of American Jews Is Ending

Elena Schneider and Melanie Mason for Politico: AIPAC uncorks $100 million war chest to sink progressive candidates

Center for Antisemitism Research: 24% of Americans Harbor Extensive Antisemitic Prejudice, Up From 20% in 2022, Survey Finds

Romain Chauvet for The Times of Israel: ‘I’m afraid every day for my children’: As antisemitism soars, French Jews flee to Israel

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Madaleine Rubin for The Texas Tribune: Sean Teare unseats Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg in primary; Serena Lin for the Austin American-Statesman: Incumbent José Garza wins Democratic primary for Travis County district attorney; Stefanie Dazio for AP: Progressive Los Angeles County District Attorney George Gascón advances to runoff; Mensah M. Dean for The Trace: In Philadelphia, a Program Offers Some People Arrested for Unlicensed Guns a Second Chance; and Jenice Armstrong for The Philadelphia Inquirer: Philly program keeps gun offenders out of prison. I’m all for it.

John: Bozi Tatarevic for Road & Track: Here’s Why NASCAR Driver Joey Logano Was Penalized For Cheating Gloves and Victoria Beaver: Caught Webbed-Handed: Here’s the Cheated-Up Glove NASCAR Fined Joey Logano Over

David: One Day on Netflix and One Day by David Nicholls; Normal People on Hulu and Normal People: A Novel by Sally Rooney; Shōgun on Hulu and Shōgun, Part One by James Clavell; Atlas Obscura’s Ecliptic Festival; and Danielle Dowling for The New York Times: 31 Things to Do for the Big Eclipse This April

Listener chatter from Jason Dewees in San Francisco, California: Julie Zigoris for The San Francisco Standard: He died in a Jewish ghetto. How did his long-lost art end up on a bench in San Francisco?

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily talk with Researcher Julie about working as an election judge. See Arapahoe County (Colorado) Elections; Election Judges; Election Transparency; and Arapahoe County Life of the Ballot.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, David talks with Kiley Reid about her book, Come and Get It.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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ICYMI: Protecting Child Influencers From Their Parents Mar 09, 2024

Rachelle Hampton and Candice Lim are joined by writer and journalist Fortesa Latifi who has been reporting extensively on child influencer legislation for Teen Vogue. In August 2023, the governor of Illinois passed an amendment to the state’s child labor law that would require parents to compensate their children for their appearances in monetized content. Drawing comparisons to the Coogan Law, several states have followed suit and proposed their own legislation to finally address the privacy and monetary concerns that former children influencers have started speaking up about.

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

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Slate Money: Are Wallets Obsolete? Mar 09, 2024

The New York Times declared that physical wallets are on the outs. But is digital enough? Felix Salmon Emily Peck and Elizabeth Spiers discuss! Also: Steve Mnuchin’s heroic $1 billion bailout of New York Community Bank, and new rules requiring public companies to report their carbon emissions. In the Plus segment, a leaked Department of Labor email to a mysterious group of “super users” may reveal why January’s inflation numbers spiked.

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 regular 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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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Amicus: The Lies Destroying America Mar 09, 2024

It’s not just the justices on the Supreme Court who can’t seem to agree with each other anymore. As we slide into Trump v. Biden 2 (The Second One), it seems like voters can’t seem to come to a consensus on just about anything either, including the facts they are arguing over. Author and superstar litigator Barbara McQuade argues in her new book Attack From Within: How Disinformation is Sabotaging America the information we consume is crucial to the health of our democracy. She speaks with Dahlia Lithwick about America’s problems with dis- and mis-information, and how we can solve them.

In this week’s Amicus Plus members-only segment, Dahlia is joined by her co-pilot in the jurisprudence news cockpit, Mark Joseph Stern to talk about President Biden's SOTU SCOTUS FU, why Alabama's legislative quick fix for its theocratic state supreme court's IVF decision is unlikely to hold, and the meta story of the meta data in the liberal justices’ concurrence in Monday’s Supreme Court decision to restore former President Trump to the Colorado primary ballot.

This segment is member-exclusive. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate Plus. By joining, not only will you unlock exclusive SCOTUS analysis and weekly extended episodes of Amicus, but you’ll also access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next TBD: Why TikTok Went Silent Mar 08, 2024

Thousands of songs have disappeared from TikTok in recent months as music giant Universal Music Group, or UMG, has pulled its catalog from the app. UMG claims that TikTok is a music platform, and that TikTok needs to pay more to license its music. TikTok claims they're a marketing platform that helps labels promote their artists. But while the two sides argue over contract negotiations for licensing music on the video platform, many artists are left scrambling.

Guest: Ethan Millman, staff writer at Rolling Stone covering the music industry.

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What Next: Rep Jayapal Says the Biden Coalition is 'Fractured' Mar 07, 2024

With Biden trailing Trump in the polls and thousands of Democrats casting votes for “uncommitted” in the primaries, can the president make his case for a second term to frustrated progressives at the State of the Union?

Guest: Pramila Jayapal, U.S. representative from Washington's 7th congressional district and the chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.

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Outward: Tennessee's LGBTQ Affirming Churches Mar 06, 2024

In this episode Bryan speaks with Reporter Jessica Bateman about her recent Washington Post article ‘They found spiritual joy. They won’t have it taken away. That details the importance of LGBTQ-affirming churches in Tennessee and the challenges they face.

Email us at outwardpod@slate.com

Podcast production by Palace Shaw.

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What Next: Can Gaza Survive on Airdropped Aid? Mar 06, 2024

Airdropping aid, food, and supplies is expensive, inexact, and inefficient and usually only a last resort when your enemies have left you no other options. So why is the United States airdropping aid into Gaza, when the borders are controlled by America’s ally, Israel?

Guest: Jane Arraf, reporter for NPR based in the Middle East.

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Hear Me Out: The House Should Elect The President Mar 05, 2024

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… Parliamentary America?

It’s Super Tuesday, and the process by which we elect a president is on full display (warts and all). Americans on both sides of the aisle agree that the electoral college has to go. But what should replace it?

Maxwell Stearns, author of Parliamentary America: The Least Radical Means of Radically Repairing Our Broken Democracy (out 3/5/2024), presents his case for restructuring American government to look more like a parliamentary system — and, in the process, to take presidential elections out of the hands of voters and conventions and into the hands of elected coalitions.

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie.

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What Next: Why Adam Schiff Is Running Ads for a Republican Mar 05, 2024

Nancy Pelosi is no longer in charge of the House Democrats, and Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat is now up for grabs. Will a new generation of progressives step up in deep blue California? It’s not so simple…

Guest: Alexander Sammon, Slate politics writer.

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Amicus: Yes, You Can Vote for an Insurrectionist Mar 04, 2024

This episode is member-exclusive. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate Plus. By joining, not only will you unlock exclusive SCOTUS analysis and extended episodes of Amicus, but you’ll also access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

ROTATING RED LIGHT!!! The Supreme Court ruled early Monday that alleged insurrectionist Donald Trump can remain on the Colorado republican primary ballot, and that no state may remove him, even if they want to. That’s Congress’ job. The 9-0 decision wasn’t unexpected, but the broad reasoning used by five of the court’s conservative justices certainly was, to the chagrin of the liberals and Amy Coney Barrett.

In this special emergency episode, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Slate’s very own pocket justice league, Mark Joseph Stern and Jeremy Stahl, to discuss what this blockbuster result in Anderson says about the court’s consolidation of power and how it has helped Trump in so many ways.

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What Next: Florida's Anti-Vaxxers Won. Then the Measles Surged. Mar 04, 2024

Measles happens, but this outbreak in Florida is unfolding in a post-pandemic world where mistrust in public health officials and vaccinations is practically the party line.

Guest: Lauren Weber, Washington Post accountability reporter focused on scientific and medical disinformation.

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A Word: Green Black Power Mar 03, 2024

Environmentalism has long been viewed as a preoccupation of white, educated, affluent voters. But climate change disproportionally impacts communities of color. Now a new generation of activists is building political awareness around environmentalism in the Black community. That’s part of the mission of the Hip Hop Caucus, a group that’s been working for decades to activate young voters around climate justice as a civil rights issue. On today’s episode of A Word, Hip Hop Caucus leader Reverend Lennox Yearwood Jr. joins host Jason Johnson to talk about the impact of environmental policy on Black Americans, and how to harness political power around the issue.

Guest: Reverend Lennox Yearwood Jr., chief of the Hip Hop Caucus

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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What Next TBD: Google’s Scam Obituary Problem Mar 03, 2024

Why scam obituaries are edging out earnest ones, with the help of artificial intelligence and an adept Google game.

Guest: Mia Sato, reporter for The Verge.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Well, Now: Ending Racism in Healthcare Mar 03, 2024

The U.S. healthcare system can split the country into two Americas.

Your zip code, education, class status and more all play a role in the outcome of your health as well as the kind of care you receive.

Fewer markers more clearly define these disparities than race.

On this week’s episode of Well, Now Maya and Kavita talk about racism in American healthcare with Dr. Uché Blackstock.

Her new book Legacy: A Black Physician Reckons with Racism in Medicine gives a historical view of how racism has always played a role in U.S. healthcare.

This book is also a memoir of her own experience as a physician carrying on the legacy of her late mother, Dr. Dale Gloria Blackstock.

Health Resources Mentioned in the Episode:

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

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Slate Money: Musk vs. the AI Overlords Mar 02, 2024

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Elizabeth Spiers ponder the future of computers, cars, and…fast food? They discuss why Elon Musk is suing Sam Altman and OpenAI and the altruistic origins of ChatGPT. Also: Wendy’s “surge pricing” gaff had customers crying foul and Apple’s electric car has been scrapped. In the Plus segment: The downfall of Macy’s and the American department store.

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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

Clips in the show:

After segment one: The Thinking Machine - MIT 1961

After segment two: 1975 Wendy’s Commercial

Plus outro: Scene from Miracle on 34th Street

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Amicus: The IVF Decision We Should Have Seen Coming Mar 02, 2024

It was a wild week at the High Court (another seven days crammed with a year’s worth of news). SCOTUS heard cases about bump stocks, and how Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito would do as Facebook content moderators. The Supreme Court also finally found the time to put a thumb on the scale for serially indicted alleged insurrector-in-chief former President Donald J Trump. We’ll talk about all those things with Slate’s very own Mark Joseph Stern.

But what we’re really focused on this week is the Alabama Supreme Court’s recent decision finding that frozen embryos are children, and the unshakeable sense that the coverage of this so far has had a slightly myopic quality, as though this case is purely about IVF, and carving out IVF, when in fact the entire movement for fetal personhood sweeps in many more people and rights than just those seeking assisted reproductive technology. We’re joined by a preeminent expert on matters of law, medicine, reproductive health, and biotechnologies, Dr. Michele Goodwin. Dr. Goodwin is the author of Policing The Womb: Invisible Women and The Criminalization of Motherhood. She explains (again) why we should have seen this decision coming from miles (and centuries) away.

Want more Amicus? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock exclusive SCOTUS analysis and weekly extended episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

Later, in the Slate Plus segment, Mark returns to discuss this week’s SCOTUS arguments and the big news that legislative turtle and legal hellscape architect Mitch McConnell will be stepping down from his role as leader of Republicans in the Senate later this year.

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Political Gabfest: Could They Actually Leap Over Biden And Dunk Him? Mar 02, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign; the Supreme Court’s boost for Donald Trump and review of social media’s content moderation; and Senator Mitch McConnell’s decision to time out as minority leader. Join us for our next Political Gabfest Live show in Washington, D.C. on March 27! Tickets are on sale now. Planning to attend? Submit a Listener Chatter to gabfest@slate.com and you might be picked to chatter live.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Ezra Klein for The New York Times Ezra Klein Show podcast: Democrats Have a Better Option Than Biden

Jamelle Bouie for The New York Times: It’s Not as Easy as Just Getting Biden to Drop Out

Yasmeen Abutaleb and Marianne LeVine for The Washington Post: Biden wins Michigan primary but faces notable showing by ‘uncommitted’

Thomas L. Friedman for The New York Times: Israel Is Losing Its Greatest Asset: Acceptance

Karl Rove for The Wall Street Journal: Trump Goes on Fox and Shows His Weakness

Amy Howe for SCOTUSblog: Supreme Court skeptical of Texas, Florida regulation of social media moderation

G.S. Hans for Balls and Strikes: How the Supreme Court’s Latest Big Tech Case Pits Cancel Culture Hysteria Against Corporate Power

Michael C. Dorf for Dorf on Law: The Partial Facial Challenge Option in the Netchoice Cases

Alan Feuer for The New York Times: In Taking Up Trump’s Immunity Claim, Supreme Court Bolstered His Delay Strategy

John Dickerson for CBS News: Examining Mitch McConnell’s legacy as Senate Republican leader

The Long Game: A Memoir by Mitch McConnell

Mariana Alfaro for The Washington Post: Here’s who could replace Mitch McConnell as Senate’s top Republican

Mark Sumner for the Daily Kos: Watch Tim Scott utterly humiliate himself for Trump

Katelyn Caralle and Sarah Ewall-Wice for the Daily Mail: Lindsey Graham is mercilessly BOOED at Trump’s South Carolina victory party: Ex-president brings Senator on stage after introducing him as a ‘little further to the left’

Saturday Night Live: Trump Victory Party Cold Open

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Molly Ryan for WRKF 89.3 Baton Rouge Public Radio: House lawmakers advance bills targeting early release from prison – and more

John: Aliza Chasan for CBS News: Cardboard box filled with unopened hockey cards sells for more than $3.7 million at auction and Joshua Rapp Learn for Discover: Schrődinger’s Cat Experiment and the Conundrum That Rules Modern Physics

David: Plainsong by Kent Haruf and City Cast: Work with us.

Listener chatter from Jacob in Chicago, Illinois: citiesbydiana on TikTok: Top 6 Best Stroads in America

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily discuss the Republican obsession with Hunter Biden and the possibility of impeaching President Joe Biden. See Matthew Yglesias for Slow Boring: Republicans can’t stop swallowing Russian propaganda. See also Ken Tran for USA Today: Hunter Biden denies Joe Biden involved in family business: ‘Destructive political charade’; Amy Taxin and Alanna Durkin Richer for AP: Ex-FBI informant charged with lying about Bidens to remain jailed while he awaits trial, judge rules; and Philip Bump for The Washington Post: Evaluating the anti-Biden case House Republicans offered on social media.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, David talks with Kiley Reid about her book, Come and Get It.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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What Next TBD: The Supreme Court Takes on Content Moderation Mar 01, 2024

Is it censorship for social media platforms to moderate their content, or is censorship when the state tells social media platforms how to moderate their content?

Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, Slate writer on courts and the law.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next: Biden’s Commitment Problem Feb 29, 2024

With Biden losing thousands of votes to “uncommitted” and Trump unable to pull incumbent numbers, the Michigan primaries seemed to show that the electorate isn’t exactly enthusiastic about either candidate. What options remain for two known quantities to win votes?

Guest: David Faris, political science professor and Slate politics writer.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Madeline Ducharme, Anna Phillips, Paige Osburn, and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: What Happened to Nex Benedict? Feb 28, 2024

Sixteen-year-old Nex Benedict died one day after being beaten in an Oklahoma high school bathroom. His death has drawn attention to the more-than 50 bills that have been introduced in the state legislature targeting queer and trans people.

Guest: Jo Yurcaba, reporter for NBC Out.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Hear Me Out: Horse Race Journalism Is Good, Actually Feb 27, 2024

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… are journalists killing democracy?

Mainstream news outlets are starting to move away from horse race election coverage and toward policy substance. Though it’s a slow change, it’s heralded by much of the news industry as a good one. But what if the horse race was never really the problem?

Journalist and writer Chris Cillizza joins us to defend the horse race.

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie.

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What Next: War in Ukraine, Two Years In Feb 27, 2024

The situation for Ukraine is slipping from a stalemate to again losing territory to the Russian invasion. After two years of combat, will American and EU allies support the Ukrainian cause for as long as it takes?

Guest: Fred Kaplan, Slate’s war stories correspondent.

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What Next: Will Trump Take Over the RNC? Feb 26, 2024

Is RNC chairperson Ronna McDaniel to blame for Republicans’ poor fundraising and recent underperformance in elections?

Guest: Shelby Talcott, reporter covering Trump and national Republicans for Semafor.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next TBD: Alabama’s IVF Mess Feb 25, 2024

Fertility doctors and their patients trying to conceive via in vitro fertilization (IVF) were stopped in their tracks this week, as the Alabama Supreme Court declared that embryos have the same rights as people. The decision has left doctors wondering if they can be sued for carrying out standard IVF procedures, and experts worry the ruling could have ramifications for IVF around the country.

Guest: Dr. Elizabeth Constance, reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist in Omaha, Nebraska.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Check out Compiler here.

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Well, Now: Is it Burnout? Or, Do You Have a Busy Brain? Feb 25, 2024

Stress is all around us, but that doesn’t mean it needs to run our entire lives. According to Dr. Romie Mushtaq – a neurologist turned corporate wellness consultant – the main culprit behind our culture of stress is what she calls a “busy brain.”

This week on Well, Now Dr. Kavita Patel and Maya Feller, RDN talk with Dr. Mushtaq about curing our busy brains and her latest book The Busy Brain Cure: The Eight-Week Plan to Find Focus, Tame Anxiety and Sleep Again.

If you liked this episode, check out: What We Get Wrong About Love

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

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Diversity in the Diaspora Feb 25, 2024

The American obsession with categorizing people by race isn’t just a problem for our institutions. For multi-racial and multi-ethnic Americans, it can be intensely personal. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by journalist Natasha Alford. She shares her own unique experience navigating America’s complicated ideas about race in her new book, American Negra: A Memoir. Alford shares how her African American and Puerto Rican heritage shaped her understanding of race in her early life, and how those ideas were challenged when she attended Harvard University and later became a journalist.

Guest: Natasha Alford, author of American Negra: A Memoir

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

Want more A Word? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/awordplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Slate Money: Is Capital One’s Discover Deal Doomed? Feb 24, 2024

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Elizabeth Spiers come with 0% interest and no fees! They discuss what the proposed merger between Capital One and Discover would mean for the rest of us and why the government probably won’t let it happen. Also: How long will Nvidia’s chip empire last, and why there are suddenly so many car washes everywhere. In the Plus segment: The gang reveals their all-time favorite kitchen gadgets.

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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

Clips and references in the show:

“‘I’m gonna get totally and utterly X-ed.’: Constructing drunkenness”

1986 Discover ad

“Car Wash” by Rose Royce

Vintage car wash documentary

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Amicus: A Series of Lawsuits That We Call an Election Feb 24, 2024

Dahlia Lithwick is drinking from the firehose of legal news again and this week is joined by election law professor Rick Hasen to figure out why we’re all still hanging on for the Supreme Court to make a call in former President Donald J Trump’s sweeping claim to immunity from prosecution over the events of January 6th, how Americans could actually achieve a real right to vote, and why no-one’s paying attention to a pair of incredibly consequential social media cases being argued at SCOTUS next week.

In our Slate Plus segment, Dahlia and Slate’s own Mark Joseph Stern discuss the bonkers but very very real implications of the Alabama Supreme Court decision to bestow personhood on embryos being used in fertility treatment, creating an impossible legal landscape for clinics and those struggling to become pregnant. Next, they sift through Justice Samuel Alito’s grievance debris in a recent dissent to find the deeply worrying signposts toward overturning equal marriage rights. Finally, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court pleads with SCOTUS to clear up the mess it made of gun laws with its decision in Bruen.

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What Next TBD: The Coasts are Sinking Feb 23, 2024

Studies have found that, in tiny increments, America’s East Coast is sinking into the ground thanks to climate change. Can a new approach to urban planning mitigate the effect?

Guest: Matt Simon, senior staff writer at Wired.

You can read Matt’s reporting here.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Basketball Phenom Shaking Up the NCAA Feb 22, 2024

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark has scored more points than any other NCAA women’s basketball player in history, but her impact extends even further than her substantial range on the court.

Guest: Hayley McGoldrick, associate editor at Sportsnet.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next: Why a Hi-Tech Gun Safety Tool Isn’t Working Feb 21, 2024

Shotspotter lost a huge contract and some face when Chicago opted out of its partnership with the gunfire-identification tech company.

Why can’t new policing tech seem to break the old patterns and problems?

Guest: Jim Daley, investigations editor at South Side Weekly

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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Hear Me Out: Un-Cancel Woodrow Wilson Feb 20, 2024

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… making (fourteen) points.

A piece in this month’s issue of the Atlantic argues that it’s time to re-evaluate the presidency of Woodrow Wilson. President Wilson was indisputably a productive president — but he’s now reviled by the left as a racist and the right as a tyrant. Is there room to meet somewhere in the middle?

David Frum of the Atlantic joins us to argue that, yes: it’s time to un-cancel Woodrow Wilson.

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie.

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What Next: Who’s Left to Help Migrants? Feb 20, 2024

The migrant crisis has come to Denver. With no federal help on the way and temperatures dropping well below freezing, a local church tries to pick up the slack.

Guest: Keith Reeser, pastor at Denver Friends Church in Colorado.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Alexei Navalny Is Dead. Is His Movement Gone With Him? Feb 19, 2024

Alexei Navalny died last week at age 47 in the prison where he was serving a 19-year sentence for extremism. With just one month left before a presidential election in which Putin is nearly guaranteed to win, the pro-democracy opposition movement in Russia is more beleaguered than ever.

Guest: Joshua Yaffa, contributing writer at The New Yorker and the author of Between Two Fires: Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin’s Russia.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next TBD: Apple Vision Pro: The Ultimate Surveillance Device? Feb 18, 2024

Apple Vision Pro goggles might be a crime against fashion but with the amount of data they can collect—both on the world around the user and on the users themselves—they have the potential to invade privacy right down to where you’re looking and for how long.

Guest: Geoffrey Fowler, Washington Post tech columnist

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Check out Compiler here.

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A Word: Ghost in the Medical Machine Feb 18, 2024

The promise of artificial intelligence in medicine is that it can reduce the influence of human error and bias in health care. But there’s growing concern that A.I. in medicine –as in other fields– can reflect the biases and lack of diversity among its creators. And that can have life threatening consequences for African American patients. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Margo Snipe, a health reporter for CapitalB News. They discuss how A.I. can sometimes fuel medical racism, and reasons to hope that it can change.

Guest: Margo Snipe, health journalist for CapitalB News

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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Slate Money: America is Beating Everyone Feb 17, 2024

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Elizabeth Spiers explain why factories, energy, stimulus money, and immigration have helped the U.S. economy succeed where its rivals struggle. Also: The failed Universal Music deal that silenced Taylor Swift music on TikTok, and why a typo by Lyft was the scourge of after-hours traders. In the Plus segment: Why is chocolate chip ice cream so hard to find?

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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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Amicus: Fani Willis and a Tale of Two Ethics Violations Feb 17, 2024

The future of the Fulton County, Georgia election subversion case against Donald J. Trump and many many accused co-conspirators was cast into doubt this week as the court saw evidentiary hearings in the defence’s motion to disqualify Fulton County AG Fani Willis. Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Slate’s chief Law of Trump correspondent Jeremy Stahl to discuss why, even with a very high bar for removing Willis from the case, the court was dragged through some tawdry details that are bound to come back to hurt the prosecution, one way or another.

Later in the show, executive director and co-founder of Court Accountability, Alex Aronson, talks with Dahlia about what could possibly be done to make Supreme Court justices follow reasonable recusal guidelines (we’re looking at you, Justice Thomas), and whether the American electorate might at last be finding an appetite for court reform.

In the Slate Plus segment, Jeremy returns to the podcast martini lounge to discuss what might be the first Trump case to reach a criminal trial. They also discuss the latest on Trump’s claim of blanket immunity.

Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

To catch up on the ever-breaking Trump trial news, check out https://slate.com/news-and-politics/jurisprudence

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Political Gabfest: Well-Meaning, Elderly Man With A Poor Memory Feb 17, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Special Counsel Robert Hur’s description of President Joe Biden; House Republicans’ impeachment of DHS Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and refusal on Ukraine aid; and Democrat Tom Suozzi’s win in the New York congressional special election. And in Slate Plus, Emily, John, and David talk local news with reporter Ellie Wolfe.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Matt Viser and Tyler Pager for The Washington Post: Biden responds angrily to special counsel report questioning his memory and Marianne LeVine: Trump says he’d disregard NATO treaty, urge Russian attacks on U.S. allies

Politico Magazine: What Biden Needs to Do to Reassure the Public

Elena Moore for NPR: Biden’s campaign gives in and joins TikTok. Blame the youngs

Mike Lillis and Mychael Schnell for The Hill: Lawmakers scramble for Plan B on Ukraine

Jake Tapper for CNN: Marco Rubio reacts to Trump threatening NATO country to ‘pay up’

Zack Beauchamp for Vox: The moral and strategic case for arming Ukraine

Joshua Matz, Michael J. Gerhardt, Amit Jain, and Laurence H. Tribe for Just Security: Why and How the Senate Should Swiftly Dismiss the Impeachment Charges Against Mayorkas

Nate Cohn for The New York Times: Not an Ordinary Special Election, and Yet a Typical Result and Carl Hulse: How Senate Democrats Flipped the Border Issue on Republicans

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: American Fiction; Sam Sanders, Nadira Goffe, and Stephen Metcalf for the Slate Culture Gabfest podcast: American Fiction, Oscar Contender?; and Sam Sanders, Saeed Jones, and Zach Stafford for the Stitcher Vibe Check podcast: A Special Conversation with Cord Jefferson

John: Timeguessr and Matt Levine for Matt Levin’s Money Stuff: Lyft Had an Earnings Typo

David: The Greatest Night in Pop on Netflix and USA for Africa: We Are the World

Listener chatter from J.T. Horn in Strafford, Vermont: Peter Frick Wright for the Outside Podcast: A Wild Conversation with E. Jean Carroll

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily discuss with Ellie Wolfe her local-news reporting as Education Reporter for the Arizona Daily Star. See Proposed law would limit shared governance at Arizona’s universities; U of A to ‘permanently eliminate’ $27 million worth of jobs in academic units; U of A’s Robbins talks about his pay, layoffs, athletics debt, more; and CFO: U of A must cut $200M in spending, rethink mission, accept layoffs. Thanks to listeners Alison, Anna, and David for the recommendation!

In the latest Gabfest Reads, John talks with Brad Stulberg about his book, Master of Change: How to Excel When Everything Is Changing – Including You.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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What Next TBD: Warfare Enters the A.I. Era Feb 16, 2024

The war in Ukraine reordered the priorities of the country’s growing tech sector, and has become a place for foreign companies to test out new tools with less regulation or scrutiny.

Guests: Vera Bergengruen, senior correspondent at Time

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Attack on Rafah Feb 15, 2024

Israeli Defense Forces have extended their campaign to Rafah, the southern-most city in Gaza, and where many Gazans have been gathering to escape the war.

Guest: Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, Middle East political analyst, founder and executive director of Project Unified Assistance

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The American Oligarch Class Feb 14, 2024

How did America end up back in a Gilded Age of incredible wealth disparity, and how did a new generation of oligarchs bend society to their vision?

Guest: Tim Murphy, senior reporter for Mother Jones.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Fight for George Santos’s Seat Feb 13, 2024

The special election for George Santos’s vacated U.S. House seat has attracted tons of spending and a lot of attention—all to hold the position for less than a year. Who’s running, and what can this vote tell us about what to expect in November?

Guest: Mark Chiusano, writer, journalist, and author of The Fabulist: The Lying, Hustling, Grifting, Stealing, and Very American Legend of George Santos.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Hang Up: The Chiefs Are Super Feb 12, 2024

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win over the 49ers, the performances of Patrick Mahomes and Brock Purdy, and how the new overtime rules played out. CNBC’s Alex Sherman also comes on to explain whether a new multi-network streaming deal will change how we watch sports.

How the Chiefs won (3:41): This Mahomes guy is pretty good.

Overtime (20:07): Did the 49ers screw up by taking the ball first?

Streaming (35:47): What you need to know about the new service and the future of sports TV.

Afterball (51:49): Stefan on the Chiefs’ legendary Black scout Lloyd Wells.

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What Next: Is Biden Too Old? Feb 12, 2024

The special prosecutor’s report into Biden’s classified documents case is out… and it says Joe Biden’s memory is too bad for a jury to convict him. Is the report a politically motivated hit job, or an honest assessment of one of the two very old men running for president?

Guest: Ben Mathis-Lilley, Slate senior writer.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: True Crime in Black and White Feb 11, 2024

The 1989 murder of Carol Stuart in Boston became a national story, fueled by anxiety over urban crime. The city’s police broke down doors in the Black community, strip searched dozens of Black and brown men on the street, and arrested a Black suspect. Then Stuart’s husband was exposed as the killer. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Boston Globe associate editor Adrian Walker, who hosts the Murder in Boston podcast about the infamous case. They discuss the history of racial tension that led up to crime, and the lasting consequences for the families of the victim, the killer, and the wrongfully arrested Black suspect.

Guest: Adrian Walker, host of the Murder in Boston podcast

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

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What Next TBD: Breaking Up with Dating Apps Feb 11, 2024

For a while, it seemed like the only place to meet potential partners was through an app—Tinder, Hinge, Bumble, etc. But as the apps are trying to monetize their matchmaking—and some users now with a whole decade of striking out under their belts—old-fashioned meet-cutes-in-bars or, say, debutante balls look more and more appealing.

Guests:

Katherine Lindsay, culture writer and cofounder of Embedded

Rachael Stein, dating-app spelunker

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Well, Now: Football’s Pre-NFL Concussion Problem Feb 11, 2024

Super Bowl LVIII is this Sunday, amid decades of controversy surrounding football’s impact on traumatic brain injuries.

But for many athletes, these long-term effects can be felt well before making it to the pros: on high school and college teams.

On Well, Now this week: Maya and Kavita talk with physical therapist and concussion specialist John Doherty about the science surrounding youth contact sports and what we know about their relationship with brain injuries down the road.

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

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Amicus: Is SCOTUS Afraid of Holding Trump to Account? Feb 10, 2024

Oral arguments at the Supreme Court Thursday in Trump v. Anderson revealed a lot about some of the justices’ commitment to the primacy of originalism. Noah Bookbinder, president of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, joins Dahlia Lithwick to discuss why his organization took up and pursued the long shot case to try to keep former President Donald J Trump off the ballot in Colorado. While the Supreme Court appeared to have little appetite for taking the big swing to find that Trump had disqualified himself from office when he engaged in an insurrection, Noah insists the case is far from having been in vain - eloquently highlighting the dangerous potential consequences of inaction. It's a chilling reminder of what’s at stake.

Next, Dahlia is joined by slate senior writer Mark Joseph Stern to discuss whether the liberal justices have some grand bargain in mind as they offered multiple off-ramps for Trump’s side, despite dozens of bipartisan briefs arguing for Trump to be kept off the ballot, the court’s originalist’s sudden concern for consequences in this case, when they have had no interest in weighing the life and death consequences for ordinary people in cases concerning guns and abortion. Finally, they tackle a worrying undercurrent to Thursday’s arguments: an apparent capitulation to threats of chaos and violence as a basis for deciding constitutional cases.

In our Slate Plus segment, Mark sticks around to discuss a landmark gun decision out of the Hawaii Supreme Court, and why it’s a problem that DOJ’s special counsel, Robert Hur, issued a report declining to prosecute, but affirming that Joe Biden is old (hint: the problem isn’t that he’s old).

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Slate Money: Disney's Wish Upon a (Pop) Star Feb 10, 2024

BREAKING NEWS: Felix Salmon paid money to watch the Taylor Swift concert movie, he reveals it in a tell-all chat with Emily Peck and Elizabeth Spiers. They discuss CEO Bob Iger’s efforts to keep Disney the fairest entertainment company in the land and why New York Community Bank’s financial straits could be a win for ordinary renters. Also, has the backlash against the SAT test been misguided? Dartmouth thinks so. In the Plus segment, the gang explains Superbowl commercial trends.

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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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What Next TBD: The NFL’s Concussion Settlement Farce Feb 09, 2024

The NFL's concussion settlement was meant to provide financial support and medical help for players who developed traumatic brain injuries from the sport. So why are so many players denied the help they need?

Guest: Will Hobson, sports reporter for the Washington Post.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: How Trump Gets Kicked off the Ballot Feb 08, 2024

The Supreme Court now has to decide if the 14th amendment’s provision to keep insurrectionists off the ballot applies to Donald Trump.

Guest: Jamelle Bouie, New York Times opinion columnist.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: A Mass Shooter’s Mom Found Guilty Feb 07, 2024

Yesterday, a jury found Jennifer Crumbley guilty of involuntary manslaughter for the mass-shooting carried out by her son Ethan at his high school in Oxford, Michigan.

How will this conviction change the way school shootings are prosecuted? Can future violence be prevented by holding the parents accountable?

Guest: Quinn Klinefelter, host and Senior News Editor for 101.9 WDET in Detroit.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Hear Me Out: Campus Assault Hearings Are A Disaster Feb 06, 2024

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… dear colleague.

The way universities and colleges handle sexual assault cases has changed a lot in the last 13 years. Part of that is because of the sheer vastness of the higher education system; everyone does everything differently.

But federal guidance has also shifted with each of the last three administrations… and our guest today argues that none of those systems have worked. In fact, they’ve all been unmitigated failures.

Lara Bazelon of the University of San Francisco joins us to argue that existing systems should be burned down — and replaced with restorative justice.

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie.

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Money Talks by Slate Money: You Should Buy Art Feb 06, 2024

In this Money Talks, Bianca Bosker, author of “Get the Picture,” chats with Felix Salmon about her adventures going undercover in the fine art world. Bianca worked as a museum security guard and gallery assistant, among other gigs, and got an inside peak at the smoke and mirrors of creating, collecting, and curating.

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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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What Next: Inside a Gaza Hospital Feb 06, 2024

Pediatrician Dr. Seema Jilani’s work has taken her from Sudan to Afghanistan. Last month, she was in Gaza for two weeks, where she worked tending to the wounded in the besieged Al-Aqsa Hospital.

Guest: Dr. Seema Jilani, senior technical adviser at the International Rescue Committee

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What Next: The Media Is Missing the Trump Bump Feb 05, 2024

Donald Trump was, if nothing else, a boon for the news business. But this election cycle, even the “Trump bump” isn’t slowing the shrinking of the audience.

Guest: Max Tani, media reporter at Semafor.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Well, Now: How ER Taught Thousands Of Viewers About Cervical Cancer Feb 04, 2024

It’s award season in Hollywood, and it’s got the Well, Now team thinking about wellness and the entertainment industry. Can a medical drama really teach us accurate health information? Or is it all just high-stakes surgeries with beautiful actors?

Maya and Kavita talk this out with physician, showrunner and Harvard lecturer Neal Baer. He brought powerful, data-supported stories on HIV, emergency contraception, cervical cancer and more to hit cable shows like ER and Law and Order: SVU.

If you liked this episode, check out: Breaking Up With Diet Culture

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

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What Next TBD: Streaming Is Cable Now Feb 04, 2024

The number of TV streaming services is going up—and so is the cost and so are the number of ads. Cordcutters are finding themselves back to cable prices and inconveniences. And these changes don’t just impact the TV viewing experience - they impact the types of shows that get made in the first place.

Guest: Alex Cranz, managing editor at the Verge.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Revolutionary Recharge Feb 04, 2024

A generation of activists –and well-meaning citizens– was pulled into intense social justice work by the murder of George Floyd in 2020. And the horrific crime, the fight for progess, and the backlash has taken a toll on their mental health. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by writer and activist Ijeoma Oluo about her new book, Be a Revolution: How Everyday People Are Fighting Oppression and Changing the World--And How You Can, Too. It’s the collected wisdom of activists across a range of issues about how to do the hard and emotional work of confronting racism without losing hope.

Guest: Writer Ijeoma Oluo

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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Slate Money: Why Musk Lost $56 Billion Feb 03, 2024

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss why a Delaware judge blocked Tesla’s $55 billion compensation package for Elon Musk and what it means for his Mars dreams. Also: the meteoric rise and catastrophic fall of DNA testing service 23andMe, and Felix gives us a glimpse into the world of Sotheby’s and mega-high-end art auctions. In the Plus segment: News platform The Messenger had $50 million to spend. Why did it fold in less than a year?

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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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Political Gabfest: Will The Carroll Verdict Hurt Trump? Feb 03, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss E. Jean Carroll’s $83.3 million win against Donald J. Trump; the events of 1920-1948 that shaped the current relationship of Israel and Palestine; and the tech-bro billionaires of techno-authoritarianism with Adrienne LaFrance of The Atlantic.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Eric Lach for The New Yorker: Nine Regular People Tell Donald Trump to Shut Up and Pay Up

Monica Hesse for The Washington Post: Is it really sexism that Trump is showing? Or is it something worse?

Maggie Haberman and Shane Goldmacher for The New York Times: Trump’s PACs Spent Roughly $50 Million on Legal Expenses in 2023

Erik Larson for Fortune and Bloomberg: Most of Trump’s cash stockpile is at risk from possible $450m dual verdicts in E. Jean Carroll and New York business fraud cases

CBS News: Face The Nation and Emily Tillett: Nikki Haley on Trump accusers: Women who accuse anyone “should be heard” and “dealt with”

Gabriella Abdul-Hakim for ABC News: Tim Scott insists voters don’t care about Trump’s defamation loss, plays down ‘provocative’ Haley attacks

Dietrich Knauth for Insurance Journal: Sandy Hook Denier Alex Jones Eyes Settlement With Families, Bankruptcy Exit

Emily Bazelon for The New York Times: The Road to 1948 and Was Peace Ever Possible?

Adrienne LaFrance for The Atlantic: The Rise of Techno-Authoritarianism

Ezra Klein for The New York Times: The Chief Ideologist of the Silicon Valley Elite Has Some Strange Ideas

Steven Levy for Wired: What the Techno-Billionaire Missed About Techno-Optimism

Jonathan Taplin for Vanity Fair: How Musk, Thiel, Zuckerberg, and Andreessen—Four Billionaire Techno-Oligarchs—Are Creating an Alternate, Autocratic Reality

Lisa Desjardins and Jonah Anderson for PBS Newshour: Lawmakers grill Big Tech executives, accusing them of failing to protect children

The Dictator’s Learning Curve: Inside the Global Battle for Democracy by William J. Dobson

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: The Fight to Save the Town: Reimagining Discarded America by Michelle Wilde Anderson

John: PenTips; Toluse Olorunnipa and Liz Goodwin for The Washington Post: Biden vows to ‘shut down’ an overwhelmed border if Senate deal passes and Jacob Bogage and Jeff Stein: House votes to expand child tax credit, beef up corporate tax breaks

David: Visual Arts, St. Albans School; John Buzbee for The Advocate: LSU students bare it all as nude art models: ‘It’s a very brave thing to be able to do.’; and Kim McGill for The Union: The naked truth: Art models at El Camino inspire students to portray humanity in all its forms

Listener chatter from Jay Lloyd in Louisville, Kentucky: Eric Berger for Ars Technica: What happens when an astronaut in orbit says he’s not coming back?

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily discuss the Love Story of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce and the message for MAGA madness: You Need To Calm Down. See Mariana Alfaro for The Washington Post: Why Trump’s MAGA Republican movement dislikes Taylor Swift and Ross Douthat for The New York Times: Taylor Swift, Donald Trump and the Right’s Abnormality Problem.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, John talks with Brad Stulberg about his book, Master of Change: How to Excel When Everything Is Changing – Including You.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

Hosts

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz

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Amicus: The Neglected Constitutional History That Disqualifies Trump Feb 03, 2024

There haven’t been that many insurrections in the United States, which means the case law ahead of next week’s arguments in Trump v. Anderson (the 14th Amendment, Section 3 disqualification case) is pretty thin. And so we, and presumably the justices, must rely on text and history to understand the intent of the drafters of the Reconstruction Amendments. Civil war and reconstruction historian Professor Manisha Sinha, signatory of one amicus brief and cited in another, explains that the history is crystal clear. Trump must be disqualified from the ballot. After weeks of discussing concerns about the strategic, political implications of this case, this week Dahlia Lithwick tackles the text and the history head-on, in a case that’s almost a natural experiment in applying originalism on its own terms.

Abraham Lincoln’s Lyceum Address

Sean Wilentz: The Case for Disqualification, New York Review of Books

Jamelle Bouie: If It Walks Like an Insurrection and Talks Like an Insurrection... NY Times

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Slate’s judicial diviner Mark Joseph Stern joins to talk about a Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruling on abortion that really took both text and history and human rights seriously. Also, an 8th circuit decision that could put a stake in the heart of what remains of the voting rights act.

Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

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What Next TBD: The Taylor Swift Deepfake Saga Feb 02, 2024

For all the promise of the technology, one use-case for artificial intelligence reared its ugly head last week: non-consensual pornographic images. As millions of users saw abusive A.I. generated images of Taylor Swift proliferate across X, the pitfalls of this technology became clear.

Guest: Emanuel Maiberg, journalist and co-founder of 404 Media

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Check out Compiler here.

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What Next: Vince McMahon: Full-Time Heel Feb 01, 2024

Vince McMahon is walking away from professional wrestling, again. The WWE looks to continue without the man that built it into an institution—and shrouded it in scandal.

Guest: Dave Scherer, founder of the pro-wrestling news site, PWinsider.com.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Has Trump Already Beaten Fani Willis? Jan 31, 2024

One of Donald Trump’s codefendants in the Georgia election subversion and racketeering case has filed a motion to dismiss his case due to an improper relationship between Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and a prosecutor she has hired to work on the case. How can Willis address the allegations and what does it mean for the case?

Guest: Ankush Khardori, attorney and former federal prosecutor in the U.S. Justice Department.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Madeline Ducharme, Anna Phillips, Paige Osburn, and Rob Gunther with help from Kathryn Fink.

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Hear Me Out: Actually, Trump Supporters Are Delusional Jan 30, 2024

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… folie à deux (again).

A few weeks ago, Frank Buckley joined us to argue that Trump voters aren’t delusional. And a lot of you disagreed.

One of you, though, turned out to be an expert in the nature of delusion. So who better to join us, and make the case that we got it wrong?

Barry Mauer, a Hear Me Out listener and associate professor at the University of Central Florida, joins us to argue that the pro-Trump movement isn’t just delusional — it’s dangerous, it’s a cult, and it has to be called what it is.

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie.

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Money Talks: Is Pop Finance Rubbish? Jan 30, 2024

In an off-week bonus episode of Money Talks, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers chat with Yale finance professor James Choi, who has cross-referenced the advice of more than 50 pop finance books with actual economic theory. How much should you save in your 20s and 30s? Should you put your money in a savings account or the stock market? Is it bad to change your retirement plan? James Choi spills the finance tea!

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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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What Next: Inside America’s First Execution By Nitrogen Jan 30, 2024

With the execution of Kenneth Smith, Alabama became the first state to carry out the death penalty with nitrogen gas. According to Smith’s spiritual advisor, who witnessed the execution, this is not a “humane” future for capital punishment

Guest: Rev. Jeff Hood, pastor, theologian and activist living and working in Little Rock, Arkansas, and the Convener of Clergy United Against the Death Penalty

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Madeline Ducharme, Anna Phillips, Paige Osburn, and Rob Gunther with help from Kathryn Fink.

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What Next: Are Two States Still the Solution? Jan 29, 2024

Support for a “two-state solution” has been declining among both Israelis and Palestinians for years. If it’s time to give up on that plan, what’s the alternative?

Guest: Dov Waxman, professor of political science and the director of the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Well, Now: Breaking Up With Diet Culture Jan 28, 2024

On this week’s episode of Well, Now, Maya and Kavita talk about practical ways to break up with diet culture with fitness instructor, speaker and educator Chrissy King.

She’s the author of The Body Liberation Project: How Understanding Racism and Diet Culture Helps Cultivate Joy and Build Collective Freedom.

Chrissy also ties in how breaking up with diet culture is a piece of a larger conversation about diversity, equity and inclusion in the wellness industry.

If you liked this episode, check out: What “Wellness” Is and Isn’t

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

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What Next TBD: Why Is Everybody Sick? Jan 28, 2024

Are we still paying off our pandemic-induced “immunity debt,” or is there another reason that it feels like we’re all sniffling and coughing and just feeling sick?

Guest: Keren Landman, senior health reporter at Vox

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Fix Your CROWN Jan 28, 2024

Texas is one of the 24 states that has passed the CROWN Act. “CROWN” stands for Creating a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair, and these laws are supposed to stop discrimination against Black people who wear their hair in natural styles. But high school senior Darryl George has been fighting suspension for months over his dreadlocks. The issue is now set to be decided in court in February. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Jennifer Wyatt Bourgeois, a professor at Lone Star College in Texas, and a research fellow at Texas Southern University’s Center for Justice Research. They discuss the specifics of Darryl George’s case, and why the CROWN Act in Texas seems to be falling short.

Guest: Professor Jennifer Wyatt Bourgeois of Lone Star College in Texas

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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Political Gabfest: The Election No One Wants Jan 27, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the Trump v. Biden presidential rematch, the end of the “vibecession,” and the political fights over immigration.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Michael Scherer and Toluse Olorunnipa for The Washington Post: Trump, Biden pivot quickly to a 2024 campaign that many voters dread

Lauren Irwin for The Hill: Trump says Tim Scott ‘must really hate’ Haley

Allison Pecorin and Caleigh Bartash for ABC News: Trump picks up endorsements from holdouts after New Hampshire win

John E. Moser for Teaching American History: “Fireside Chat” on “Purging” the Democratic Party

Ben Casselman for The New York Times: U.S. Economy Grew at 3.3% Rate in Latest Quarter and German Lopez: The End of Economic Pessimism?

Jeff Stein for The Washington Post: As doomsday predictions dissipate, Biden aides savor booming economy and Trump promises to stop inflation. But would his plans actually help?

Kyla Scanlon for Kyla’s Newsletter: The Vibecession: The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Ben Harris and Aaron Sojourner for The Brookings Institution: Why are Americans so displeased with the economy?

David Montgomery for YouGov: How’s the economy doing? For many Americans, the answer is how their party’s doing

Punchbowl News AM: McConnell bows to Trump on border

Karoun Demirjian for The New York Times: With Border Deal Near, Parole and Money Take Center Stage in Senate Talks

Maria Sacchetti for The Washington Post: Explaining immigration parole, one sticking point in Ukraine aid-border deal

Rafael Bernal and Al Weaver for The Hill: Parole: What to know about the GOP’s latest border sticking point

David J. Bier for the Cato Institute: New Data Show Migrants Were More Likely to Be Released by Trump Than Biden

Colleen Long for AP: Title 42 has ended. Here’s what it did, and how US immigration policy is changing

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Yair Rosenberg for The Atlantic: What Did Top Israeli War Officials Really Say About Gaza? and Comics Kingdom: Sally Forth

John: Tori Apodaca for CBS Sacramento: California writes cursive back into elementary school curriculum and Carmen Mayer, Stefanie Wallner, Nora Budde-Spengler, Sabrina Braunert, Petra A. Arndt, and Markus Kiefer in Frontiers in Psychology: Literacy Training of Kindergarten Children With Pencil, Keyboard or Tablet Stylus: The Influence of the Writing Tool on Reading and Writing Performance at the Letter and Word Level

David: Erik Wemple for The Washington Post: At Gallery Place, it’s Ted Leonsis vs. one very loud street music act

Listener chatter from Annie O’Connor in St. Paul, Minnesota: LockPickingLawyer on YouTube

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily discuss Ezra Klein’s piece in The New York Times: I Am Going to Miss Pitchfork, but That’s Only Half the Problem. See Judy Woodruff, Sarah Clune Hartman, and Frank Carlson for PBS: The connections between decline of local news and growing political division; Steven Waldman for The Atlantic: The Local-News Crisis Is Weirdly Easy to Solve; and Penelope Muse Abernathy for the Hussman School of Journalism and Media, University of North Carolina: The Expanding News Desert: Finding Solutions. See also Press Forward; Sara Fischer and Cuneyt Dil for Axios: Scoop: D.C. lawmakers to introduce new bill funding local news via vouchers; and the Law & Justice Journalism Project.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, John talks with Brad Stulberg about his book, Master of Change: How to Excel When Everything Is Changing – Including You.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Slate Money: The Rent is Still Too Damned High Jan 27, 2024

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss record-breaking rents that see most renters forking over more than 30% of their dough. Also: Infant apparel brand Kyte Baby’s maternity leave scandal, and why Josh wine is such a hit. In a British Slate Plus segment: An American professor says to put salt in our tea; Felix cries foul and explains how to make a proper English cuppa.

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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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Amicus: Donald Trump and the Apex of MAGA Misogyny Jan 27, 2024

Despite Donald Trump’s efforts, there will be a significant cost for his continued defamation of E. Jean Carroll (And it’s $83.3 million!!). For much of the proceedings he sat behind Carroll muttering under his breath and posting three-dozen times on Truth Social in one night about the unfairness of the judge and the court. But zoom out, and Trump’s actions at the trial and toward women generally have far bigger implications than the size of the check he’ll have to write. This week, Vanity Fair’s Molly Jong-Fast joins Dahlia Lithwick to explain how Trump has fanned the flames of GOP misogyny playing out in every aspect of our politics, from the GOP primary to the leadership in the House of Representatives to women who have been raped in states with no access to abortion. And she asks what it ultimately says about our justice system that 80-year-old E. Jean Carroll is the one prepared to take the stand against the man who assaulted her.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern discusses the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision that kinda sorta resolved the battle between federal immigration authorities and Texas Governor Greg Abbott, and the horrifying turn the conservative turn has taken on capital punishment this week.

Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

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What Next TBD: Are You Ready for the A.I. Election? Jan 26, 2024

In the days leading up to the New Hampshire primary, voters received a robocall purportedly from Joe Biden. Authorities have now determined the call was likely A.I.-generated.

In the era of A.I., how can voters tell what’s real and what’s not? And will the general election be thrown into chaos by artificial intelligence-created disinformation?

Guest: Makena Kelly, senior writer at Wired covering politics and technology

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Paige Osburn and Anna Phillips.

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Political Gabfest: The Election No One Wants Jan 25, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the Trump v. Biden presidential rematch, the end of the “vibecession,” and the political fights over immigration.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Michael Scherer and Toluse Olorunnipa for The Washington Post: Trump, Biden pivot quickly to a 2024 campaign that many voters dread

Lauren Irwin for The Hill: Trump says Tim Scott ‘must really hate’ Haley

Allison Pecorin and Caleigh Bartash for ABC News: Trump picks up endorsements from holdouts after New Hampshire win

John E. Moser for Teaching American History: “Fireside Chat” on “Purging” the Democratic Party

Ben Casselman for The New York Times: U.S. Economy Grew at 3.3% Rate in Latest Quarter and German Lopez: The End of Economic Pessimism?

Jeff Stein for The Washington Post: As doomsday predictions dissipate, Biden aides savor booming economy and Trump promises to stop inflation. But would his plans actually help?

Kyla Scanlon for Kyla’s Newsletter: The Vibecession: The Self-Fulfilling Prophecy

Ben Harris and Aaron Sojourner for The Brookings Institution: Why are Americans so displeased with the economy?

David Montgomery for YouGov: How’s the economy doing? For many Americans, the answer is how their party’s doing

Punchbowl News AM: McConnell bows to Trump on border

Karoun Demirjian for The New York Times: With Border Deal Near, Parole and Money Take Center Stage in Senate Talks

Maria Sacchetti for The Washington Post: Explaining immigration parole, one sticking point in Ukraine aid-border deal

Rafael Bernal and Al Weaver for The Hill: Parole: What to know about the GOP’s latest border sticking point

David J. Bier for the Cato Institute: New Data Show Migrants Were More Likely to Be Released by Trump Than Biden

Colleen Long for AP: Title 42 has ended. Here’s what it did, and how US immigration policy is changing

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Yair Rosenberg for The Atlantic: What Did Top Israeli War Officials Really Say About Gaza? and Comics Kingdom: Sally Forth

John: Tori Apodaca for CBS Sacramento: California writes cursive back into elementary school curriculum and Carmen Mayer, Stefanie Wallner, Nora Budde-Spengler, Sabrina Braunert, Petra A. Arndt, and Markus Kiefer in Frontiers in Psychology: Literacy Training of Kindergarten Children With Pencil, Keyboard or Tablet Stylus: The Influence of the Writing Tool on Reading and Writing Performance at the Letter and Word Level

David: Erik Wemple for The Washington Post: At Gallery Place, it’s Ted Leonsis vs. one very loud street music act

Listener chatter from Annie O’Connor in St. Paul, Minnesota: LockPickingLawyer on YouTube

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily discuss Ezra Klein’s piece in The New York Times: I Am Going to Miss Pitchfork, but That’s Only Half the Problem. See Judy Woodruff, Sarah Clune Hartman, and Frank Carlson for PBS: The connections between decline of local news and growing political division; Steven Waldman for The Atlantic: The Local-News Crisis Is Weirdly Easy to Solve; and Penelope Muse Abernathy for the Hussman School of Journalism and Media, University of North Carolina: The Expanding News Desert: Finding Solutions. See also Press Forward; Sara Fischer and Cuneyt Dil for Axios: Scoop: D.C. lawmakers to introduce new bill funding local news via vouchers; and the Law & Justice Journalism Project.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, John talks with Brad Stulberg about his book, Master of Change: How to Excel When Everything Is Changing – Including You.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What Next: Biden Needs Abortion Jan 25, 2024

Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade, Democrats have found wins after standing up for abortion. But can they ride this issue to a second Biden term, when the administration isn’t offering a clear plan for reproductive rights—and Joe Biden has a history of ambivalence about the issue?

Guest: Grace Panetta, political reporter at The 19th News.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Trump’s Courtroom Campaign Jan 24, 2024

How has Donald Trump managed to turn multiple indictments into a nigh unassailable lead in the Republican primary—and what looks like a dead heat for the general election?

Guest: Isaac Arnsdorf, national political reporter for The Washington Post covering former-president Trump.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Are We at War in the Middle East? Jan 23, 2024

Ships are avoiding the Suez Canal at great expense; Iran has launched attacks in Iraq and Pakistan; Israel is exchanging fire with Hezbollah as well as Hamas—has the regional conflict that leaders were worried about already begun?

Guest: Josh Keating, senior correspondent at Vox covering foreign policy and world news with a focus on the future of international conflict.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Money Talks: Live in an Empty Office Jan 23, 2024

For this edition of Money Talks, Grace Rauh, director of the 5BORO Institute, makes the case for office-to-residential conversion. The pandemic pushed people out of offices, and they don’t want to come back. Meanwhile, demand for affordable, urban housing is on the rise. Can we solve both problems at once? Grace and Felix Salmon discuss.

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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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What Next: The Fall of Ron DeSantis Jan 22, 2024

Once, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was Trump’s biggest rival. Now, his campaign is over – and Trump seems to be sailing to the Republican presidential nomination. How did DeSantis squander his lead? And if Trump’s nomination is preordained – what does that mean for the general election?

Guest: Ben Mathis-Lilley, Slate senior writer

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Well, Now: What “Wellness” Is and Isn’t Jan 21, 2024

On this week’s episode of Well, Now we get to the heart of what “wellness” actually means. Depending on who you ask, you get a lot of different answers.

So Maya and Kavita sit down with veteran journalist Isabel Burton to define the term. Burton was the executive editor of renowned health-and-wellness magazines Shape and Self.

If you liked this episode, check out: A Toast to Dry January

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now here.

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A Word: Send In the Clowns? Jan 21, 2024

Decades before most people had heard of Barack Obama, Black Republican Colin Powell was widely believed to be on the path to the presidency. And the Republican Party was the first political home of many African Americans. But the contemporary G.O.P, led by former President Donald Trump, has introduced a new class of Black Republicans who command little respect within the community. What happened, and is there a place for Black Americans in today’s or tomorrow’s Republican Party? On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson discusses that with Clay Cane, journalist and author of The Grift: The Downward Spiral of Black Republicans from the Party of Lincoln to the Cult of Trump.

Guest: Writer Clay Cane

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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What Next TBD: Have Algorithms Ruined Our Culture? Jan 21, 2024

How much of our lives—our tastes, preferences and choices—have been fed to us through an interlocking, impersonal network of algorithms?

Guest: Kyle Chayka, staff writer at the New Yorker and author of Filterworld: How Algorithms Flattened Culture.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Amicus: Greg Abbott and the Battle for the Texas Border Jan 20, 2024

The immigration fight on the U.S. - Mexico border keeps getting uglier - not between the U.S. and its southern neighbor, Mexico, but between the federal government and a Texas administration apparently unconcerned by constitutional supremacy. Earlier this month, members of the Texas Military Forces took over a public park in Eagle Pass, TX at the behest of Gov. Greg Abbott. The park, on the banks of the Rio Grande, is near a frequently used border crossing. Last weekend, Texas forces blocked Federal Border Patrol agents from reaching a woman and two children who had drowned trying to cross the river into the United States.

The move by Abbott is certainly shocking, but it’s an example of ways the state is trying to intervene in federal police powers and responsibilities. In a series of increasingly urgent filings, the Justice Department is pleading with the Supreme Court to intervene to let Federal agents enforce Federal laws.

Rochelle Garza, president of the Texas Civil Rights Project, joins the show to discuss how the cruelty of Abbott’s approach is undermining Texas communities and creating a constitutional crisis that may originate in Texas, but will not remain there.

Dahlia is joined by SCOTUS-whispering wingman Mark Joseph Stern in today’s Slate Plus segment to discuss why the High Court’s response to Texas’ game of chicken with the Feds is so dangerously sluggish. Next, they explore the oral arguments in the big Chevron-overturning vehicle that is Loper Bright, a case that was supposed to be about fishermen but is actually about overturning tens of thousands of agency law decisions and grabbing power from the elected branches and handing it to the judiciary.

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Political Gabfest: Why Trump Won Iowa Jan 20, 2024

This week, John Dickerson re-joins Emily Bazelon and David Plotz to discuss the Republican presidential race, the Iowa caucuses, and the New Hampshire primary; the Loper Bright and Relentless cases at the Supreme Court and the possible end of Chevrondeference; and The Misguided War on the SAT with David Leonhardt of The New York Times.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Nate Cohn for The New York Times: Even the Battle for Second Turned Out Well for Trump in Iowa

Ross Douthat for The New York Times: How Trump’s Opponents Made Iowa Easy for Him

Amy Howe for SCOTUSblog: Supreme Court likely to discard Chevron; Supreme Court to hear major case on power of federal agencies; and Supreme Court curtails EPA’s authority to fight climate change

Cornell Law School’s Legal information Institute: Administrative Procedure Act

Jess Bravin for The Wall Street Journal: Conservatives Once Hailed This Case. Now They’re at the Supreme Court to Gut It.

Ian Millhiser for Vox: The Supreme Court cases asking the justices to put themselves in charge of everything, explained and A new Supreme Court case seeks to make the nine justices even more powerful

David Leonhardt for The New York Times: The Misguided War on the SAT

Ileana Najarro for EdWeek: The SAT Is Making a Comeback. Here’s a Look at the Numbers and What They Tell Us

Raj Chetty, David J. Deming, and John Friedman for Opportunity Insights: Diversifying Society’s Leaders? The Determinants and Causal Effects of Admission to Highly Selective Private Colleges

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: The Ringer’s podcast “Stick the Landing” and Andy Greenwald and Mallory Rubin: Did ‘Friday Night Lights’ Stick the Landing?

John: Richard Baldwin for VoxEU: China is the world’s sole manufacturing superpower: A line sketch of the rise; Moss and Fog: Tree.fm is Your Aural Escape Into Nature; and tree.fm

David: Steve Lopez for the Los Angeles Times: They take care of aging adults, live in cramped quarters and make less than minimum wage and ZipRecruiter: assisted living jobs in Washington, DC

Listener chatter from Kevin Collins in San Antonio, Texas: Historic Vids on X

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David talks about his father, Dr. Paul Plotz. See Rachel Weller for The NIH Catalyst: Symposium Honors NIAM’s Paul Plotz and The New York Times: Judith A. Abrams Engaged to Wed Dr. Paul H. Plotz; Candidate for Ph.D. at Harvard Is Fiancee of Boston Interne. See also John G. Zinn for the Society for American Baseball Research: Ebbets Field (Brooklyn, NY); National Institutes of Health; Union of Concerned Scientists; and The Two Cultures and The Scientific Revolution by C. P. Snow.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, John talks with Christine Coulson about her book, One Woman Show: A Novel.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

Hosts

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz

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Slate Money: Antitrust, Boomer Style Jan 20, 2024

This week, Axios tech and policy reporter Ashley Gold joins Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers to discuss the scuttled Spirit/Jet Blue merger and the ambitious anti-trust efforts of Trade Commission chair Lina Kahn. Also: how hybrid work won the office wars and why conflict in the Middle East isn’t really affecting oil prices. In the Slate Plus segment: Will a squabble with Epic Games crack Apple’s stranglehold on the app market?

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 Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.

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What Next TBD: The Great British Library Hack Jan 19, 2024

When a cyberattack knocked the British Library out of commission in October of last year, a nation's researchers, scholars, students, and bookworms were left high and dry. Months later, the library is starting to come back online in limited capacity, but the attack has laid bare just how fragile our digital systems are.

Guest: Sam Knight, staff writer at the New Yorker

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: And God Gave Us Trump Jan 18, 2024

How American white evangelical Christianity has reshaped itself in the image of Donald Trump.

Guest: Rev. Angela Denker, Lutheran pastor and author of Red State Christians: A Journey into White Christian Nationalism and the Wreckage It Leaves Behind

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Outward: The Outing of Bubba Copeland Jan 17, 2024

This week Bryan Lowder sits down with Evan Urquhart of Assigned Media, a news site dedicated to daily coverage of anti-trans propaganda and its effects to discuss his latest article ‘The Outing of Bubba Copeland’ for Slate. Bubba Copeland was the Mayor of Smiths Station who was outed for having an online trans-identity by a conservative news website and later that week committed suicide. Bryan and Evan discuss how this outing reflects the wave of anti-trans legislation.

Podcast production by Palace Shaw.

Email us at outwardpodcast@slate.com

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What Next: Is Israel Committing Genocide? Jan 17, 2024

South Africa has accused Israel of committing genocide before the International Court of Justice and is asking the United Nations to intervene and order the Israeli government to cease military operations in Gaza. The ICJ now must decide how to characterize an increasingly bloody campaign.

Guest: Adil Haque, professor of international law at Rutgers University and author of Law and Morality at War.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Hear Me Out: George Santos and Gypsy-Rose Aren’t Your Icons Jan 16, 2024

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… yas, queen?

It’s been hard to avoid an onslaught of memes about bad people lately. People like Gypsy-Rose Blanchard and George Santos have been punished for their misdeeds in one way… but now, it seems, they’re being rewarded by the attention economy. The question is: is it our fault?

Rachel Greenspan, writer and social strategist, joins us once again to argue for discretion in memeing.

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie.

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What Next: Trump Just Won Iowa. Where’s Biden? Jan 16, 2024

Biden’s poll numbers have been bad pretty much his whole presidency, but going into an election year, he looks especially weak where his party is usually strongest: young voters, Black voters, and Latino voters. What messaging unlocks some—any—enthusiasm for voting for Joe Biden again?

Guest: Alexander Sammon, politics writer for Slate.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Can He Get an Amen? Jan 14, 2024

President Biden’s campaign kick-off speech at the historic Mother Emanuel AME church in South Carolina was interrupted by protesters this week. It was an awkward moment that provoked a lot of debate on social media about whether demonstrators were abusing the spirit of the Black church, or honoring it. It also revived questions about whether Democratic candidates’ reliance on the Black church is still an effective strategy in motivating African American voters. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by veteran journalist Errin Haines to discuss whether President Biden and Democratic leaders are misunderstanding the strengths and the limits of the Black church as a political stage.

Guest: Errin Haines, founding mother and editor-at-large for The 19th*

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

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What Next TBD: Is Your Car Tracking You? Jan 14, 2024

Covered in cameras, full of microphones, and always eager to use location data, our vehicles are “smartphones on wheels”—and privacy nightmares.

Guest: Kashmir Hill, technology and privacy reporter for the New York Times.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Well, Now: A Toast to Dry January Jan 14, 2024

On the first episode of Well, Now – Slate’s new podcast on health and wellness – hosts Dr. Kavita Patel and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Maya Feller tackle resolutions.

A popular one? Sobriety. Or at least Dry January.

With more people becoming “sober curious” Kavita and Maya visit a sober speakeasy in Brooklyn, hosted by the zero-proof cocktail maker Curious Elixirs.

They sit down with the company’s founder and CEO JW Wiseman over some drinks and talk about the rise of the “sober curious” movement.

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with help from Kevin Bendis. Editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com. If you liked this episode, be sure to follow Well, Now wherever you listen to podcasts.

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ICYMI: Gypsy Rose Blanchard’s Influencer Era Jan 13, 2024

Candice Lim is joined by Vox culture reporter Aja Romano to explain the rapid social media rise of Gypsy Rose Blanchard. On December 28, 2023, Blanchard was released from prison after serving eight years following the brutal murder of her mother. Almost immediately, Blanchard became a social media celebrity who currently has more than 8 million followers on Instagram and 9 million followers on TikTok. But Blanchard’s internet presence raises questions about the way social media treats prisoners who have left the carceral system and whether the overwhelming support for Blanchard is warranted.

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

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Slate Money: Apple Maps is Finally Good Jan 13, 2024

Last week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spears asked you to weigh in on your preferred map app: Reigning champ Google, or late bloomer Apple? This week, they reveal your answers and discuss the merits of each. Also: Boeing’s airplane malfunctions, and what Bitcoin’s ETF approval means for crypto. In the Plus segment: Untangling the plagiarism drama of billionaire Bill Ackman and his wife Neri Oxman.

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 Jared Downing.

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Amicus: The Supreme Court Gave Itself Huge Extra Powers and It’s Becoming a Big Problem Jan 13, 2024

There’s an ever-growing queue of cases concerning Donald Trump headed for the Supreme Court that threaten to further dent the legitimacy of an institution that has tumbled in the public’s estimation in the last few years. This week’s show examines some of the interlocking issues raising the already sky-high stakes at One, First Street. First, Dahlia Lithwick kicks off the show with an update from Slate’s Law of Trump chief correspondent Jeremy Stahl about arguments in Trump’s immunity appeal at the DC Circuit Court this week. Next, we turn to a conversation with Professor Ben Johnson, an Associate Professor of Law at the University of Florida Levin College of Law. He recently wrote about the very long history of how the Supreme Court granted itself vast power to shape the law and policy by picking and choosing not only which cases it would hear, but also which questions it would answer when it hears those cases. Next week’s arguments in Loper Bright Enterprises v Raimundo are a case in point, and the question of questions also poses a conundrum for a court in a downward legitimacy spiral, as a parade of Trump cases head toward the High Court.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Dahlia is joined by Slate’s Jeremy Stahl to discuss the bread and circus of closing arguments in the Trump Organization civil fraud trial in New York, and the next phase of litigation involving the former President and E Jean Carroll that gets underway next week.

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Political Gabfest: Should Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin Be Fired? Jan 13, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz are joined by Jamelle Bouie of The New York Times to discuss the absence and silence of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, school absenteeism with Alec MacGillis of ProPublica, and Donald Trump’s claim of absolute presidential immunity.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Politico: Austin’s hospital debacle: A timeline of events

Fred Kaplan for Slate: Why the Secretary of Defense’s Mysterious Disappearance Means He Needs to Go

Max Boot for The Washington Post: Lloyd Austin doesn’t deserve to be the piñata of the day in Washington

Major General Patrick S. Ryder, Department of Defense Press Secretary

Alec MacGillis for ProPublica and The New Yorker: Skipping School: America’s Hidden Education Crisis

Jay Greene, Ph.D. and Jonathan Butcher for The Heritage Foundation: The Alarming Rise in Teacher Absenteeism

Natalie Kitroeff and Adam Liptak for The New York Times Daily podcast: Trump’s Case for Total Immunity

Bill Rankin and Katherine Landergan for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Could Willis allegations sink Trump case? Legal experts weigh in

Mariana Alfaro and Amy B Wang for The Washington Post: Chris Christie caught on hot mic, says Nikki Haley will ‘get smoked’

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Past Lives and Anatomy of a Fall

Jamelle: Fist of the Condor

David: Amsterdam; EnglishLearning on reddit: Is there any English word that has three or more same and consecutive letters?

Listener chatter from Erin Bumgarner in Arlington, Massachusetts: The Art of Noticing by Rob Walker

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, Emily, and Jamelle talk about which presidents should be on a new Mount Rushmore. See The White House Historical Association: The Presidents; John Quincy Adams; Ulysses S. Grant; Franklin D. Roosevelt; Dwight D. Eisenhower; and Lyndon B. Johnson. See also National Park Service: Why These Four Presidents?; Mario Canseco for Research Co.: Americans Pick Four Presidents for “New Mount Rushmore”; Politico Magazine: Who Should Be on the Next Mount Rushmore?; and Chauncey Alcorn for Capital B: What to Do About Stone Mountain? Black Residents Talk Park’s Racist Past.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, John talks with Christine Coulson about her book, One Woman Show: A Novel.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

Hosts

Jamelle Bouie, Emily Bazelon, and David Plotz

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What Next TBD: Boeing’s Max Mess Jan 12, 2024

Shortly after take off from Portland, OR, the plug exit on a Boeing 737 Max 9 jet blew out – causing an uncontrolled decompression of the plane. Now, accident investigators are hard at work, trying to determine what happened in what's the latest catastrophe for the respected commercial airplane provider.

Guest: Jon Ostrower, Editor-in-chief of The Air Current

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: 2024’s Primary Season is Already Chaos Jan 11, 2024

Primaries competing with caucuses; states going rogue; and parties totally out of sync with each other — the 2024 primary season has everything.

Guest: Ari Berman, voting-rights reporter for Mother Jones and author of “Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America.”

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The NRA’s Wayne’s World Era is Over Jan 10, 2024

Long-time CEO Wayne LaPierre is out and legal challenges and lawsuits are mounting—but does that mean the NRA is losing its influence over American politics?

Guest: Dr. Matthew Lacombe, the Alexander P. Lamis Associate Professor in American Politics at Case Western Reserve University, author of Firepower: How the NRA Turned Gun Owners into a Political Force

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Outward: Trans Activist Raquel Willis is Blooming Jan 10, 2024

This week Jules sits down with Raquel Willis, an award-winning activist and journalist whose work is dedicated Black trans liberation. Raquel’s new memoir, The Risk It Takes to Bloom chronicles her political and personal awakenings as a Black trans woman growing up in the south. Jules and Raquel talk grief, gender, and collective liberation.

Podcast production by Palace Shaw.

Email us at: outwardpodcast@slate.com

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Hear Me Out: Trump Voters Are Not Delusional Jan 09, 2024

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… delusion is not the solution.

Welcome to a presidential election year, where everyone will surely be cool and normal. We know, we know — the prospect of dealing with electoral discourse is one that most of us aren’t looking forward to. But we’re here to prove that it’s possible to talk.

For Democrats, and liberals writ large, it’s hard to understand why anyone would want another Trump presidency; and it’s tempting to chalk that desire up to delusion, idiocy, or gullibility. But is that a good-faith assumption?

Author and professor Frank Buckley joins us to defend the 2024 Trump voter — as someone who earnestly believes the other side is worse.

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie.

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How To!: Keep Caring Amid Endless Crises Jan 09, 2024

Sometimes reading our news feeds can feel like getting hit by a semi-truck of devastating information, without really knowing how to respond. We can’t always tune the world out, which means we need to figure out how to be an empathetic person within the chaos. In this episode, Courtney Martin is joined by public theologian and best-selling author, Nadia Bolz-Weber, as well as artist and activist, Jen Bloomer. Together they explore what it means to actually respond to tragedy and injustice.

LINKS:

Jen Bloomer’s artwork

Valerie Kaur’s book See No Strangers

If you liked this episode, check out: How To Have a Healthier News Diet: Part 1 and Part 2.

Do you have a problem that needs solving? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show. Subscribe for free on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen.

How To’s executive producer is Derek John. Joel Meyer is our senior editor/producer and our producer is Rosemary Belson.

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Money Talks by Slate Money: Glossier’s Glamorous Girl Boss Jan 09, 2024

In our inaugural edition of Money Talks, Felix Salmon sits down with veteran fashion writer Marisa Meltzer, author of Glossy: Ambition, Beauty, and the Inside Story of Emily Weiss's Glossier. Marisa discusses the real-life woman behind Glossier’s iconic CEO, the feminism of the beauty industry, and why French is the language of glamour.

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 regular 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 Jared Downing.

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What Next: The Anti-Defamation League at War Jan 09, 2024

How the ADL’s commitment to the state of Israel threatens and undermines its ability to fight antisemitism at home.

Guest: Mari Cohen, associate editor at Jewish Currents

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: GOP Bets It All on the Border Jan 08, 2024

With not one but two spending cliffs on the near horizon—not to mention wars abroad and a crisis at the border—can one of the all-time least productive Congresses get anything done this session?

Guest: Marianna Sotomayor, congressional reporter for The Washington Post

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A Word: A Multiverse of Problems Jan 07, 2024

Comic book films have dominated the box office for a generation, and gave many diverse actors and artists an opportunity to shine. But the genre struggled during 2023, and fans are worried that the golden age has ended for those movies and the culture that inspired them. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by journalist David Betancourt, who covered comic book movies and culture for The Washington Post for more than a decade. They talk about why superhero films may be going through a rough patch, and whether they can rebound.

Guest: Journalist David Betancourt, author of The Avengers Assembled: The Origin Story of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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What Next TBD: Tesla's Cybertruck Problem Jan 07, 2024

What the Cybertruck says about safety, regulation, and the degree to which Tesla is beholden to the whims of Elon Musk.

Guest: Edward Niedermeyer, author of Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Political Gabfest: Who Wants to Be President of Harvard? Jan 06, 2024

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz begin the year discussing the 2024 presidential election; Harvard President Claudine Gay’s resignation; and the 2023 decrease in homicides.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Steve Peoples for AP: Biden and Trump are posed for a potential rematch that could shake American politics

Rob Crilly for the Daily Mail: Voters describe their 2024 choice between a Trump second term and a Biden second term as a choice between REVENGE or NOTHING in Daily Mail poll

Brianne Pfannenstiel for the Des Moines Register: Iowa Poll: Donald Trump holds overwhelming lead; Ron DeSantis edges ahead of Nikki Haley

Claudine Gay in The New York Times: What Just Happened at Harvard Is Bigger Than Me

The Crimson Editorial Board for The Harvard Crimson: President Gay Plagiarized, but She Should Stay. For Now.

Ian Ward for Politico: We Sat Down With the Conservative Mastermind Behind Claudine Gay’s Ouster

Jeremy Duda for Axios: ASU continues streak as U.S. News’ most innovative school

David Goldman for CNN: The 4 key events that led to UPenn President Liz Magill’s resignation

Jeff Asher for Jeff-alytics: Crime in 2023: Murder Plummeted, Violent and Property Crime Likely Fell Nationally

Bill Hutchinson for ABC News: ‘It is historic’: US poised to see record drop in yearly homicides despite public concern over crime

Ken Dilanian for NBC News: Most people think the U.S. crime rate is rising. They’re wrong.

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: Library of Congress: Robert Cornelius, self-portrait; believed to be the earliest extant American portrait photo; National Gallery of Art: The Art of the American Snapshot, 1888-1978: From the Collection of Robert E. Jackson

Emily: Ari Rabinovitch for Reuters: Israel’s Supreme Court strikes down disputed law that limited court oversight

David: Brian Murphy for The Washington Post: Maureen Sweeney, weather watcher who influenced D-Day plans, dies at 100

Listener chatter from Eric in Tuckahoe, New York: Christophe Haubursin for Vox: What’s inside this crater in Madagascar?

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily talk about New Year’s resolutions and self-help. See also Matthew Solan for Harvard Health Publishing: Thinking of trying Dry January? Steps for success; James Clear: Atomic Habits Summary; Renée Onque for CNBC: This is a tried-and-true way to break a bad habit, says wellbeing coach—so we’re putting it to the test in 2024; and Chandra Steele for PCMag: Annoyed With Instagram? Take Control of Your Feed With These Tips and Tricks.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, John talks with Christine Coulson about her book, One Woman Show: A Novel.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

Hosts

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz

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Slate Money: Is Billionaire Charity a Sham? Jan 06, 2024

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spears debate the value of massive, tax-deductible donations that spend years in administrative limbo. Also: Biden is cranking up production in American factories, and private equity may be making healthcare sick. In the Plus segment: Should we be afraid of Trump in 2024? (Spoiler: Yes.)

We’re also excited to announce Money Talks, a new interview series from Slate Money. Every second Tuesday, Felix or Emily will sit down for one-on-one chats with authors, analysts, investors, entrepreneurs, and other movers and shakers of the business world. Tune in this Tuesday, January 9 for Felix’s conversation with Marisa Meltzer, author of Glossy: Ambition, Beauty, and the Inside Story of Emily Weiss's Glossier.

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 Jared Downing.

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What Next TBD: Why the New York Times Sued OpenAI Jan 05, 2024

If A.I. and chatbots are the next wave of innovation, then the New York Times and other media organizations are determined to get paid this time.

Guest: Megan Morrone, technology editor for the Axios AI+ newsletter

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Introducing: Well, Now Jan 04, 2024

We all want wellness, but what does that mean exactly?

Is it achieving diet and exercise goals, or finally reaching a place where you’re happy with your body as it is? Is wellness the thing that will keep you out of the doctor’s office, or give you information you need to advocate for yourself when you get there?

No matter what you define as living a life of wellness, our expert hosts want to help you get there.

Every week, Dr. Kavita Patel and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Maya Feller talk with professionals from all over the wellness industry and people just like you who will share what they’ve learned on their way to wellness.

Follow Well, Now from Slate wherever you listen to podcasts. Our first episode drops Wednesday, Jan. 10.

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com

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What Next: 22 States Hiked the Minimum Wage. Now What? Jan 04, 2024

The federally mandated minimum wage hasn’t gone up since 2009, but across the country states, counties, and cities are raising their minimum wage. Is this long overdue help for America’s poor, or merely a low-risk political win?

Guest: David Neumark, labor economist and professor at University of California-Irvine

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What Next: How Ukraine Loses The War Jan 03, 2024

How much longer can Ukraine and Russia fight at a stalemate? And does the outcome of the war depend on Biden winning a second term?

Guest: Fred Kaplan, Slate’s “War Stories” correspondent and author of The Bomb.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Murder of Wadee Alfayoumi Jan 02, 2024

On Oct. 14, 2023, Wadee Alfayoumi, a six-year-old Arab-American boy, was stabbed to death by his landlord, Joseph Czuba. Months later, his parents are struggling to make sense of it.

Guest: Aymann Ismail, Slate staff writer.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Renewable Energy Shell Game Jan 01, 2024

Buying “renewable energy certificates” is a way for companies to claim to reach their renewable energy goals—instead of, say, putting solar panels on their roof. One of the most enthusiastic consumers of RECs is the federal government. But is this ostensibly environmentally-friendly system actually standing in the way of true sustainability?

Guest: Najib Aminy, producer for Reveal.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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The Waves: The Year in Celebrity Memoirs Dec 31, 2023

In this episode, Rachelle Hampton and Candice Lim are joined by writer, comedian and Glamorous Trashhost Chelsea Devantez to break down this watershed year of celebrity memoirs. The trio crowns the best and the worst titles, dissect what separates a good memoir from a great one, and reveal the shocking figure who has appeared in way more memoirs than you’d expect.

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

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What Next TBD; Who’s Afraid of A.I.? | 2023 In Review Dec 31, 2023

While the What Next: TBD team spends some time with their families during the holidays, we revisit some of 2023’s biggest, strangest, and best stories. Regularly scheduled programming resumes in January.

Artificial intelligence—as it already exists today—is drawing from huge troves of surveillance data and is rife with the biases built into the algorithm, in service of the huge corporations that develop and maintain the systems. The fight for the future doesn’t look like war with Skynet; it’s happening right now on the lines of the Writer’s Guild strike.

Guests:

Meredith Whittaker, president of the Signal Foundation, co-founder of the AI Now Institute at NYU

Originally aired May 12th, 2023

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Slate Money: America’s Boring Superweapon Dec 30, 2023

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers chat with Henry Farrell, author of Underground Empire: How America Weaponized the World Economy. Henry explains how American hegemony shifted from guns and tanks to SWIFT codes and internet policies. Can China or Russia beat it at its own 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 Jared Downing.

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Amicus: The Very Worst of SCOTUS 2023 Dec 30, 2023

From the Chief Justice seeing the funny side of stalking and harassment, to Justice Samuel Alito’s tiny violin, to fighting in the footnotes and a bench dissent snapback, to THAT painting, it’s been quite a year at One, First Street. Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Stern are back with their bottom 10 picks for the Supreme Court’s worst moments of 2023. But don’t despair, there is a glimmer of hope, one part of the SCOTUS beat sucked less this past year… Stay tuned to hear Dahlia and Mark reveal what facet of the Supreme Court multiverse actually improved in 2023.

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Political Gabfest: Live From New York! It’s Conundrums 2023! Dec 30, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz are joined by Wesley Morris, critic at large for The New York Times and co-host of the Still Processing podcast, to cogitate on Conundrums 2023.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Thanks to everyone who submitted Conundrums, especially Alex, Brian, Mitchell Kosht, Patricia Gonzalez, Kali Rocha, Becca Nagorsky, Kevin Maginnis, Kevin Collins, Beth Kirsch, Brian Cechnicki, Chuck Terhark, Howard W, Brian, Mike Daugherty, Alan Dybner, Tim Falzone, Matthew Gill, Cynthia Weiner, and the incomparable Phil Goldstein.

Benjamin Wittes for Dog Shit Daily: My encounter with a shit-throwing neighborhood Karen

Jon Mendelsohn for American Songwriter: The Real Reason Why Van Halen Asked Venues For Bowls of M&Ms Containing ‘No Brown Ones’

The Sellout: A Novel by Paul Beatty

Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do by Studs Terkel

Richard Scarry’s What Do People Do All Day? by Richard Scarry

In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss by Amy Bloom

Amy Bloom for This American Life: Exit Strategy

Gabfest Reads: He Wanted to Die Holding Hands

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, Emily, and Wesley tackle three more Conundrums.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, John talks with Brad Stulberg about Master of Change: How to Excel When Everything Is Changing – Including You.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth with live show support from Katie Rayford

Research by Julie Huygen

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What Next TBD: America’s Killer Car Problem | 2023 In Review Dec 29, 2023

While the What Next: TBD team spends some time with their families during the holidays, we revisit some of 2023’s biggest, strangest, and best stories. Regularly scheduled programming resumes in January.

Pedestrian deaths in America have been rising for the last decade, while dropping in Europe and Japan. What makes the U.S. so dangerous for pedestrians?

Guest: Jessie Singer, author of There Are No Accidents: The Deadly Rise of Injury and Disaster―Who Profits and Who Pays the Price.

Originally aired July 16th, 2023.

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What Next: Does Steven Spielberg Have an Oscars Curse? | 2023 In Review Dec 28, 2023

While the What Next team spends some time with their families this week, we revisit some of 2023’s biggest, strangest, and best stories. Regularly scheduled programming resumes Jan. 2.

For all of his success, Steven Spielberg has a spotty record at the Oscars. He’s been nominated 22 times, but he’s only won three. Is it a curse?

This Sunday could mark a shift for the King of Hollywood’s five decades in the industry. And with The Fabelmans this year, it’s personal.

Guest: Michael Schulman, New Yorker staff writer and the author of Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears.

Originally aired on March 9.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Congress Wants to Know: Do Aliens Exist? | 2023 In Review Dec 27, 2023

While the What Next team spends some time with their families this week, we revisit some of 2023’s biggest, strangest, and best stories. Regularly scheduled programming resumes Jan. 2.

In a recent public hearing, three government officials told Congress that not only are “unidentified anomalous phenomena” real, they’re a major national security concern. But one witness took his testimony even further, claiming the government possesses materials of “non-human origin.” How much do we really know about UAPs – or, as they’re more commonly known, UFOs? And now that Congress is involved, are we about to learn a whole lot more?

Guest: Garrett Graff, contributor at WIRED magazine; author of the forthcoming book, “UFO: The Inside Story of the US Government's Search for Alien Life Here—and Out There”

Originally aired July 7.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Wait, China’s Taking Our Pandas Back? | 2023 In Review Dec 26, 2023

While the What Next team spends some time with their families this week, we revisit some of 2023’s biggest, strangest, and best stories. Regularly scheduled programming resumes Jan. 2.

Everybody loves pandas—and China knows it. As we say goodbye to the National Zoo’s pandas, we look back at 50 years of “panda diplomacy” and consider its uncertain future.

Guest: E. Elena Songster, author of Panda Nation: The Construction and Conservation of China’s Modern Iconand professor of environmental history of modern China at St. Mary’s College of California.

Originally aired Sept. 27.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Plot Against Pope Francis | 2023 In Review Dec 25, 2023

While the What Next team spends some time with their families this week, we revisit some of 2023’s biggest, strangest, and best stories. Regularly scheduled programming resumes Jan. 2.

Not all of the Cardinals who elected Pope Francis are pleased with the changes he’s made, or his vision for where the Catholic Church goes next. Both the 86-year-old Francis and his detractors are preparing for his successor. Who’ll prevail?

Guest: David Gibson, Director of Fordham's Center on Religion & Culture

Originally aired Feb. 2.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Carmel Delshad, and Madeline Ducharme, with help from Anna Phillips, Jared Downing, and Laura Spencer.

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What Next TBD: Stephen King Is Just as Confused About Blue Checks as You Are | 2023 In Review Dec 24, 2023

While the What Next: TBD team spends some time with their families during the holidays, we revisit some of 2023’s biggest, strangest, and best stories. Regularly scheduled programming resumes in January.

Twitter’s “blue check” verification went from something you applied for, to something you could pay for, to something you had to pay for…to something that many celebrities wouldn’t even accept for free. Master of horror Stephen King told us he wouldn’t pay for a blue check, but he’s not going to fight it either—he just doesn’t really understand what’s going on. Does anyone at Twitter understand?

Guests:

Alex Heath, deputy editor of The Verge

Jon Favreau, co-founder of Crooked Media, speechwriter for President Barack Obama

Stephen King, author

Originally aired April 28th, 2023.

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A Word: A Black Power Radical’s Rise and Fall Dec 24, 2023

The man who rose to fame –some would say infamy– as H. Rap Brown has a uniquely American story, inventing and reinventing himself over the course of decades. He turned himself from a teenage tough guy into a civil rights leader. He abandoned the philosophy of non-violence to become a Black Power pioneer. He underwent a jailhouse conversion to Islam, and became Imam Jamil Abdullah Al-Amin, a guiding force of an insular Black Muslim community. And then, almost 40 years after he stepped into the public consciousness, he was convicted of fatally shooting a cop.

But was Imam Jamil being punished for his actions, or his past?

In today’s episode of A Word, host Jason Johnson dives into the tangled history of the man once known as H. Rap Brown, and the murder case that landed him in jail for life. His guest is Mosi Secret, journalist and the host of the Radicalpodcast, which explores the case and the complicated search for justice.

Guest: Mosi Secret, investigative journalist and host of the Radical podcast

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for $15 for your first three months.

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The Waves: What is a Feminist, Really? Dec 24, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, we say goodbye by contemplating a key word of the podcast - feminism. Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth and original Waves host June Thomas discuss what feminism means, the historical problems with the word, who should get to call themselves feminist, and so much more.

Endorsements and Discussed in Episode:

A Place of Our Own by June Thomas

Between Two Wars by Cheyna Roth

In Defense of Lean In Feminism on The Waves

We Were Once a Family by Roxanna Asgarian

What the Hart Family Murders Reveal About Foster Care on The Waves

The Lady Vanishes

In Slate Plus: What is the most feminist holiday?

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Vic Whitley Berry with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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Slate Money: Our Surprisingly Great Year Dec 23, 2023

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and guest host Edmund Lee, media reporter for the New York Times, recap the 2023 economic year, which saw strong growth, reduced inflation, and soaring stocks. Also: What a potential Warner Bros.-Paramount merger means for the entertainment business, and why a growing number of pedestrians are being killed by cars at night. In the Plus segment: Can the news industry profit from ChatGPT?

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 Jared Downing.

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Political Gabfest: Trump versus Colorado Dec 23, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the Colorado Supreme Court’s decision to block Donald Trump from the ballot, the new Texas law to allow state and local authorities to arrest immigrants, and guest Amanda Ripley’s suggestions to survive 2024.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Colorado Supreme Court’s opinion in Anderson, et al. v. Griswold, et al.

Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States

John Dickerson for CBS News Prime Time: John Dickerson on Trump, Colorado and the 14th Amendment

Adam Unikowsky for Adam’s Legal Newsletter: Is the Supreme Court seriously going to disqualify Trump?

Mark A. Graber in The New York Times: Donald Trump and the Jefferson Davis Problem

Lawfare: Tracking Section 3 Trump Disqualification Challenges

Karoun Demirjian for The New York Times: Congress Abandons Ukraine Aid Until Next Year as Border Talks Continue

Ashley Wu for The New York Times: Why Illegal Border Crossings Are at Sustained Highs

Elizabeth Findell for The Wall Street Journal: Texas Spent Billions on Border Security. It’s Not Working

Tom Cohen and Bill Mears for CNN: Supreme Court mostly rejects Arizona immigration law; gov says ‘heart’ remains

Edgar Sandoval for The New York Times: Appellate Court Says U.S. Can’t Cut Through Texas Border Wire Along Rio Grande

Gabriela Baczynska for Reuters: What’s in the new EU migration and asylum deal?

Karen Musalo for Just Security: Biden’s Embrace of Trump’s Transit Ban Violates US Legal and Moral Refugee Obligations

Amanda Ripley for Unraveled: How to Survive 2024

Adam Mastroianni in The New York Times: Your Brain Has Tricked You Into Thinking Everything Is Worse and for Experimental History: Things could be better

The Economist: What psychology experiments tell you about why people deny facts

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: Jason Bittel for National Geographic: A bonobo was separated from her sister for 26 years. She still remembers her.

Emily: May December on Netflix

David: Hiroaki Nakagawa and Yasushi Miyata in Internal Medicine: An Underdiagnosed Cause of an Itchy Back

Listener chatter from Michael in Queens, New York: Irin Carmon for New York Magazine: A $45 Million Effort to Make Pregnancy Less Deadly in Brooklyn

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Amanda joins David, John, and Emily to talk about their holiday plans, which include To Asia, With Love: Everyday Asian Recipes and Stories From the Heart by Hetty McKinnon, the DC Public Library, Purlie Victorious, the National Zoo, and Sara Lee’s Butter Streusel Coffee Cake.

In the next Gabfest Reads, John talks with Christine Coulson about her new book, One Woman Show.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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Amicus: The Many Trials of Donald J. Trump Dec 23, 2023

This week, the Colorado Supreme Court determined in a pivotal decision that Donald J Trump should not appear on the ballot in the state's Republican primary. Meanwhile the high court is already involved in the possible briefing of another Trump case (about presidential immunity) and has agreed to docket another involving the obstruction of the vote certification on Jan 6 2021. And we haven’t even mentioned the Georgia case. Basically, Trump is going to have a very lawyer-y 2024. So where do all these cases sit right now? Slate’s Jeremy Stahl joins Amicus host Dahlia Lithwick to give us an update.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern joins the show to talk about Rudy Giuliani’s defamation lawsuit and the $150 million he owes election workers. Mark and Dahlia also discuss the latest in ProPublica’s continued deep dive into the finances of Clarence Thomas.

Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

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What Next TBD: Can Hybrid Cars Save Us? Dec 22, 2023

Without infrastructure to support all-electric vehicles, consumers have increasingly embraced the hybrid. The lower emissions are good—but are they slowing down our transition into an electric future?

Guest: Patrick George, editor-in-chief of InsideEVs.com, contributor to The Atlantic and The Verge.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Marvel’s Disastrous Year Dec 21, 2023

After his character, Kang the Conqueror, was set up to be the big villain of the next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Jonathan Majors was dismissed from the franchise after being found guilty of reckless assault and harassment.

Guest: Michael Schulman, staff writer for the New Yorker.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Madeline Ducharme, Anna Phillips, Paige Osburn, and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: When a Miscarriage Becomes a Crime Dec 20, 2023

In September, Brittany Watts had a miscarriage at her home in Ohio. Prosecutors are now charging her with “abuse of a corpse,” a felony that could result in up to a year in prison.

When does a miscarriage become a felony? And could the anti-abortion movement be using this case as a step towards achieving “fetal personhood”?

Guest: Mary Ziegler, law professor at UC Davis and author of Roe: The History of a National Obsession.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Oh the Humanities! Dec 19, 2023

West Virginia University is wrapping up its first semester following dramatic cuts to undergraduate and graduate programs. Its president calls the “restructuring” an effort to better focus on majors like medicine, nursing, and business – degrees that will lead directly to lucrative jobs. But what is a degree really for? And how do you decide when a diploma is “worth it?”

Guest: Michael Powell, staff writer at The Atlantic.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Where Do Returned Gifts Go? Dec 18, 2023

“Easy returns” are an essential part of the online shopping experience. But 20-30 percent of online purchases get sent “back,” which is to say, they then enter the labyrinth of third-party return facilities, destined for re-evaluation, restocking—or possibly, the garbage.

Guest: Amanda Mull, staff writer at The Atlantic.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Slate Money Goes to the Movies: This Is Spinal Tap Dec 18, 2023

In ancient times, hundreds of years before the dawn of history, director Rob Reiner gave the world a band named Spinal Tap. No one knows who they were or what they were doing … except for legendary designer Paula Scher, the mind behind 40 years of music artwork and branding. She chats with Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers about the true stories that inspired the classic mockumentary.

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 Jared Downing.

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The Waves: In Defense of Lean In Feminism Dec 17, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, why can’t the feminists all get along? Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth is joined by Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR political correspondent and author of the Substack, This F**king Job. They dig into what went wrong with Sheryl Sandberg’s book Lean In, why it wasn’t all completely wrong, and how to stop giving anti-feminists the ammo they need to attack.

In Slate Plus: We’re talking May December!

If you liked this episode, check out: We See Dead Girls

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

Clips Used:

“Sheryl Sandberg: Women Must Learn to ‘Lean In’” - ABC News

“I bought the book Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg” - Sarah Tollemache

“Girl boss culture gotta go” - Rachel Turner

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 How To!. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus to help support our work.

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A Word: “Good” Hair; Bad Health Dec 17, 2023

In recent years, several states and localities have passed “crown” laws, statutes that keep employers from discriminating against African Amercans for wearing their hair in natural styles. That’s because, historically, having straight hair has often been a requirement for professional advancement for Black women in particular. But there is more science emerging that connects chemical relaxers with cancer. In today’s episode of A Word, reporter and cancer survivor Victoria St. Martin speaks with host Jason Johnson about the dangers of formaldehyde in hair relaxers, the history of marketing toxic cosmetics to African Americans, and consumer efforts to raise awareness.

Guest: Victoria St. Martin, Inside Climate News reporter

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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What Next TBD: The Case Against CLEAR Dec 17, 2023

Going through airport security is a legal requirement. Is it fair for a private company to interject itself in that process—and cut to the front of the line?

Guest: David Zipper, visiting Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, focused on mobility, cities and technology.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Political Gabfest: Is Harvard Antisemitic? Dec 16, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the free-speech controversies that are roiling college campuses since the war in Gaza began; the questions related to Trump cases that the U.S. Supreme Court will answer; and the latest high-profile abortion case coming out of Texas that has real-life and political consequences.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Hannah Natanson and Susan Svrluga for The Washington Post: Harvard President Claudine Gay to remain after antisemitism testimony

Michelle Goldberg for The New York Times: At a Hearing on Israel, University Presidents Walked Into a Trap

Elad Simchayoff @Elad_Si on X

Danielle Allen for The Washington Post: We’ve lost our way on campus. Here’s how we can find our way back.

David French for The New York Times: What the University Presidents Got Right and Wrong About Antisemitic Speech

Santul Nerkar and Jonah E. Bromwich for The New York Times: How the Israel-Hamas War Tore Apart Public Defenders in the Bronx

Michael Barbaro and Nicholas Confessore for The Daily: Antisemitism and Free Speech Collide on Campuses

Zah Montague and Tracey Tully for The New York Times: Education Dept. Is Investigating Six More Colleges Over Campus Discrimination

Mark Sherman and Eric Tucker for AP: Special counsel Jack Smith asks the Supreme Court to rule quickly on whether Trump can be prosecuted and Mark Sherman: Supreme Court will hear a case that could undo Capitol riot charge against hundreds, including Trump

Bob Dylan on YouTube: Bob Dylan – Idiot Wind (Official Audio)

Robert Legare and Robert Costa for CBS News: Investigators accessed Trump White House cellphone records and plan to use them at trial, special counsel says

Sabrina Tavernise for The Daily: The Woman Who Fought the Texas Abortion Ban

Carter Sherman for The Guardian: US abortion rates rise post-Roe amid deep divide in state-by-state access

Kate Zernike for The New York Times: Texas Judge Says Doctors Can Use ‘Good Faith Judgment’ in Providing Abortions

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: One Line A Day: A Five-Year Memory Book and James Barron for The New York Times: Bob Dylan Sings, and Talks, on These Tapes From 62 Years Ago

Emily: Sydney Lupkin and Danielle Kurtzleben on All Things Considered: The Supreme Court will decide the fate of abortion pill mifepristone

David: Paul Schwartzman for The Washington Post: With sports teams primed for move to Va., downtown D.C. frets its future and City Cast: Work with us.

Listener chatter from Margaret in Jersey City: Chair Watch on Facebook

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily talk about Why Are So Many American Pedestrians Dying at Night?by Emily Badger, Ben Blatt, and Josh Katz for The New York Times and Why pedestrian deaths in the US are at a 40-year high by Marin Cogan for Vox. See also Political Gabfest: “The World Is Burning” Edition and Vision and night driving abilities of elderly driversby Nicole Gruber, Urs P Mosimann, René M Müri, and Tobias Nef.

In the next Gabfest Reads, John talks with Brad Stulberg about Master of Change: How to Excel When Everything Is Changing – Including You.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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Amicus: Texas Abortion Laws’ Cruel Outcomes Dec 16, 2023

Earlier this week, the Texas Supreme Court said Kate Cox couldn’t have an abortion.Cox’s doctors had diagnosed the fetus with Trisomy 18, an almost certainly fatal genetic condition. On top of that, there were concerns about whether or not Cox would be able to have children again in the future if she continued with this pregnancy. None of this was enough for nine judges in Texas to allow Cox to have an abortion.

Cox’s story isn’t unique. Amanda Zurawski almost died after a Texas court said she couldn’t have an abortion. Today, she’s the lead plaintiff in Zurawski v. State of Texas. She joins Amicus this week to show the real, human effects of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Zurawski is joined by one of the lawyers representing her in the case, Jamie Levitt.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern talks about another made-up case that this time, won’t make it to SCOTUS.

Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

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Slate Money: Is Starbucks Still a Union Buster? Dec 16, 2023

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers speculate on the Federal Reserve’s surprising new interest rates, whether Starbucks’ store closings are anti-union, and the financial machinations of Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani. In the Plus segment, Felix and Emily hash it out over the usefulness of the UN’s climate change conference.

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 Jared Downing.

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What Next TBD: Shein’s Newest Offering? An IPO Dec 15, 2023

Fast-fashion titan Shein is preparing for its initial public offering, even as questions of sustainability and labor practices linger.

Guest: Jordyn Holman, business reporter covering the retail industry and consumerism for The New York Times

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: What Texas Abortion Laws Leave Unsaid Dec 14, 2023

Kate Cox’s fight to abort her pregnancy and save her fertility in Texas says a lot about America’s post-Roe, fractured approach to reproductive rights.

Guest: Selena Simmons-Duffin, health policy correspondent at NPR.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Some Israeli Hostages Came Home. His Son Didn't. Dec 13, 2023

Over 100 hostages being held by Hamas were released during the temporary ceasefire last month. But Sagui Dekel-Chen, a resident of Kibbutz Nir Oz, was not among them. With Gaza under bombardment again, all his father can do is plead with the Israeli government, and wait.

Guest: Jonathan Dekel-Chen, professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, father of Sagui Dekel-Chen, who is presumed to be one of the hostages held by Hamas.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Hear Me Out: Race Isn’t Real. The Census Should Reflect That. Dec 12, 2023

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… cen-suspicions.

We’re a little over six years away from the next national census. It’s understandable that this might not be at the top of your mind, but for a small group of academics and activists, it absolutely is.

Race isn’t a real thing, scientifically speaking. But we still live in a heavily racialized society, and the Census sets the stage for many, many policy decisions that impact race equity. So, if race isn’t real, why does the Census act like it’s a simple, immutable fact?

Carlos Hoyt, an author and speaker, joins us to propose a more dynamic way of self reporting – and recording – race.

If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can 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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What Next: Pilots' Hidden Mental Health Crisis Dec 12, 2023

For pilots facing mental health problems, of almost any kind, the cost of getting help might be too much to bear. After a crisis on an Alaska Airlines flight, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are examining how to make the skies safer, while allowing pilots to get help.

Guest: Pete Muntean, pilot, flight instructor and CNN correspondent covering aviation and transportation.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: War in Gaza; Violence in the West Bank Dec 11, 2023

As war rages in Gaza, the Biden administration has begun imposing visa bans on people involved in violence in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, where assaults by Israeli settlers against Palestinians have been on the rise since October 7.

Guest: Dalia Hatuqa, multimedia journalist living in Ramallah, specializing in Israeli-Palestinian affairs.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: Musk's War on Free Speech Dec 10, 2023

Elon Musk is suing Media Matters for reporting that advertisers’ content was showing up right next to posts from newly reinstated Nazis on X, something X’s CEO said was impossible. Media Matters is based in D.C, and X is headquartered in California - so why did Musk choose to file the suit in Texas?

Guest: Liz Dye, columnist at Above the Law, Substacks as Law and Chaos Pod, co-hosts the podcast Opening Arguments.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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The Waves: We See Dead Girls Dec 10, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, we’re bringing out the dead girls. Everywhere you look in popular culture there seems to be a new movie, TV show or true crime documentary detailing the mystery of yet another woman’s death. At least, that was how author and guest Alice Bolin saw things when she wrote her book Dead Girls in 2018. She sits down with Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth to unpack what has - and hasn’t - changed in dead girl culture (from Twin Peak’s Laura Palmer to our persistent obsession with Elizabeth Short aka The Black Dahlia) and what this fixation says about all of us.

In Slate Plus: What was really going on inside the Playboy Mansion.

If you liked this episode, check out: I Don’t Care If You Like Me

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus.

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A Word: Is “The Talk” Too Much? Dec 10, 2023

Shanice Stewart was 9 months pregnant when Sacramento police pulled her over, and compelled her to leave her car at gunpoint. The reason? They mistook her 8-year-old son for a hardened criminal. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by journalist Christina Carrega to discuss “the talk.” Carrega explains why the conversation that many Black parents give to their children about the potential dangers of police interactions may be happening for younger children, and whether it makes them safer, or just more afraid.

Guest: Christina Carrega, criminal justice reporter at Capital B.

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for $15 for your first three months.

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Political Gabfest: Should Liz Cheney Run? Dec 09, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz gather around John’s dining room table to discuss Liz Cheney, her book, and how far she’ll go to stop Donald Trump; Chris Christie, his presidential campaign, and whether he’ll stay in the race; and Purdue Pharma, the Sacklers, and if the Supreme Court will let the company go bankrupt to save the family fortune.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning by Liz Cheney

John Dickerson for CBS News Sunday Morning: “Liz Cheney on why she believes Trump’s reelection would mean the end of our republic”

Terry Gross for NPR Fresh Air: “Liz Cheney, focused on stopping Trump, hasn’t ruled out 3rd-party presidential run”

Kevin Liptak, David Wright, and Samantha Waldenberg for CNN: Biden tells donors he’s ‘not sure I’d be running’ in 2024 if Trump wasn’t in the race

Ben Mathis-Lilley for Slate: When Chris Christie Is the Voice of Honesty and Reason, You’re in Trouble

Lisa Lerer and Chris Cameron for The New York Times: “Some Republicans Have a Blunt Message for Chris Christie: Drop Out”

Ed Kilgore for the Intelligencer: “Christie Vows to Continue Doomed Campaign to the Bitter End”

Amy Howe for SCOTUSblog: “Court conflicted over Purdue Pharma bankruptcy plan that shields Sacklers from liability”

Abbie VanSickle and Jan Hoffman for The New York Times: “What to Know About the Purdue Pharma Case Before the Supreme Court”

Jocelyn Mackie for Forbes Advisor: Prescription Opioid Lawsuit Guide (2023)

Alexander Gladstone for The Wall Street Journal: Georgia-Pacific Wins Appeal to Maintain Chapter 11 Protection From Lawsuits

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: First: Sandra Day O’Connor by Evan Thomas

John: Master of Change: How to Excel When Everything Is Changing – Including You by Brad Stulberg; Monty Python – Silly Job Interview; and John Cleese on Creativity In Management

David: Going Zero: A Novel by Anthony McCarten and Such a Fun Age: A Novel by Kiley Reid

Listener chatter from Ryan White: Zaria Gorvett for the BBC: Tyrian purple: The lost ancient pigment that was more valuable than gold

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily talk through a constitutional Conundrum. See also Wikipedia: Gouverneur Morris.

In the next Gabfest Reads, John talks with Brad Stulberg about Master of Change: How to Excel When Everything Is Changing – Including You.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

Hosts

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz

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Slate Money: The War on Self-Checkouts Dec 09, 2023

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss their Christmas shopping strategies and whether it’s time for self-checkouts to check out. Also: What big airline mergers mean for those of us in economy class, and whether the podcast bubble has finally burst. In the Plus segment: Do we really need to have meetings?

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 Jared Downing.

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Amicus: Billionaires Had a Bad Week at the Supreme Court Dec 09, 2023

When Moore v United States landed on the Supreme Court docket, it threatened to take a big swing at any future wealth tax and maybe cut the legs out from under the government’s ability to collect a lot of other tax. But as arguments unfolded Tuesday at One, First Street, it became clear that some of the Justices had studied up on the tax code and were cooling on blowing a big hole in it.

To understand why Moore made it all the way up to SCOTUS in the first place, and why the facts don’t match claims from the plaintiffs, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by law professor and author of Big Dirty Money, Professor Jennifer Taub. Together they talk about the billions behind the case, the tax law, and the arguments inside the chamber.

Next, Dahlia is joined by Slate’s Mark Stern, who covered Moore for the magazine, to discuss Justice Alito's non-recusal from the case, his BFF David Rivkin Jr., and why the plaintiffs Mr and Mrs Moore bear a striking resemblance to some other, recent, fabled SCOTUS plaintiffs.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Mark Stern hangs on to talk about the Title VII case this week that didn’t go *that badly*, and why that’s still not good, and to explain why Justice Elena Kagan has had it up to here with false first principles.

Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

Dahlia’s book Lady Justice: Women, the Law and the Battle to Save America, is also available as an audiobook, and Amicus listeners can get a 25 percent discount by entering the code “AMICUS” at checkout.

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What Next TBD: Spotify Unwrapped Dec 08, 2023

Is Spotify’s 2023—ending with layoffs and cancelling critically acclaimed original podcasts—a sign of trouble at the streaming giant, or an adjustment to expectations that’s setting them up for a brighter future?

Guest: Ashley Carman, Bloomberg reporter who covers Spotfiy

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Pickleball vs. Everybody Dec 07, 2023

Pickleball’s exploding popularity isn’t an organic grassroots rise. According to a reporter’s intrepid Freedom of Information Act inquiries, enthusiastic pickleball ambassadors are employing the “USA Pickleball tool kit” and harrying local park departments to elbow out their tennis-and-basketball-playing neighbors.

Guest: Jason Koebler, cofounder of 404 Media and host of the 404 Media Podcast, former editor-in-chief of Motherboard.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Supreme Court Takes On Opioids Dec 06, 2023

The Sacklers were set to pay $6 billion in exchange for immunity from any future lawsuits over their role in the opioid crisis. But the Supreme Court will now decide whether bankruptcy law can be wielded in this manner to protect the very wealthy—and trump the very-American right to sue for damages.

Guest: Brian Mann, reporter on addiction at NPR.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Hear Me Out: The Oppressed Still Have Moral Duties Dec 05, 2023

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… atrocities beget atrocities.

The war in Gaza is ongoing, and brutal – and on this show we’ve discussed whether you, as an observer, have a responsibility to speak out about it… or to even choose a side between Israelis and Palestinians. This week, we take a different angle: who has a responsibility, in war, to do what? And not do what? And to whom?

Michael Walzer, author and professor emeritus at the Institute for Advanced Study, joins us to argue that even the oppressed have obligations.

If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can 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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What Next: Nikki Haley’s Surge to Second Dec 05, 2023

Last week, former UN ambassador and South Carolina governor Nikki Haley scored a coveted endorsement from Charles Koch’s political advocacy group. She’s passed Ron DeSantis in the polls—and now, she’s the top, non-Trump Republican candidate for president. But is there any hope of winning over Trump voters—or is this a race to be the candidate who steps in if the former president goes to jail?

Guest: Alexandra Ulmer, reporter at Reuters covering the 2024 U.S. presidential race, with a focus on Republicans, donors and AI.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Madeline Ducharme, Anna Phillips, Paige Osburn, and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: Is Amazon Too Big To Regulate? Dec 04, 2023

Jeff Bezos said Amazon will be “Earth’s safest place to work.” But state and federal investigators are looking into the online retailer’s rates of on-the-job injuries. Is working in an Amazon warehouse inherently unsafe, or is the number of accidents unavoidable for the US’s second largest employer, as the company contends? Given OSHA’s limited powers, does the government have any options other than taking their word for it?

Guest: Caroline O'Donovan, Washington Post reporter covering Amazon

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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The Waves: Why Anime is for Women Dec 03, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, with the emergence of streaming more Americans are becoming fans of Japanese anime. Within that media, viewers can see wide ranges of LGBTQ+ representation and gender presentation that often isn’t found in American animation. But like American media, not all of these representations are as nuanced as they should be. Host Vic Whitley-Berry is an avid anime fan, and they sit down with journalist Princess Weekes on femme representation in Japanese anime.

In Slate Plus the messiness of shipping and fandoms.

If you liked this episode, check out: Can Fairy Tales Be Feminist?

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus.

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What Next TBD: They See You When You’re Shopping Dec 03, 2023

Though navigating the internet involves spraying your data pretty indiscriminately, you actually have more control over it than you think—it’s just a pain to rein it in.

Guest: Geoffrey Fowler, Washington Post tech columnist.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Black Cop, White Mob Dec 03, 2023

The violent January 6th insurrection was a historic threat to American democracy. It led to five deaths, and many more injuries. Several Capitol police were hurt, but still managed to keep congressmembers and staff safe. Veteran officer Harry Dunn was awarded a Presidential Citizens Medal for his service that day, and is now sharing his experience in his new book Standing My Ground: A Capitol Police Officer’s Fight for Accountability and Good Trouble After January 6th. In today’s episode of A Word, Dunn speaks with host Jason Johnson about fighting the insurrectionists, testifying in congressional hearings, and calling for accountability for the attackers.

Guest: Harry Dunn, Capitol Police Officer

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for $15 for your first three months.

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Political Gabfest: Why Does Everyone Hate Bidenomics? Dec 02, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the good U.S. economy and Americans’ bad feelings about it; the Supreme Court case of SEC v. Jarkesy and its threat to the system of U.S. government; and white evangelicals and Christian nationalists with The Atlantic’s Tim Alberta. Send us your Conundrums: submit them at slate.com/conundrum. And join us in-person or online with our special guest – The Late Show’s Steven Colbert – for Gabfest Live: The Conundrums Edition! December 7 at The 92nd Street Y, New York City. Tickets on sale now!

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Sam Sutton for Politico: Why a ‘soft landing’ may not solve Biden’s polling problem

Lydia DePillis for The New York Times: Even Most Biden Voters Don’t See a Thriving Economy; Paul Krugman: Bidenomics and the Guys in the Bar; Jim Tankersley: ‘Morning in America’ Eludes Biden, Despite Economic Gains; and Bryce Covert: Don’t Let Inflation Bury the Memory of a Government Triumph

Dylan Matthews for Vox: Why the news is so negative – and what we can do about it

David Winston for Roll Call: Why Voters Are Still Wary 10 Years After the Economic Collapse

Robert Barnes for The Washington Post: Supreme Court conservatives seem dubious about SEC’s in-house tribunals

Ronald Mann for SCOTUSblog: Supreme Court to consider multi-pronged constitutional attack on SEC

Noah Rosenblum for The Atlantic: The Case That Could Destroy the Government

Ian Millhiser for Vox: A Supreme Court case about stocks could help make Trump’s authoritarian dreams reality

Public Citizens: The Attack on Big Government and the Remaking of American Liberalism by Paul Sabin

Tim Alberta for The Atlantic: My Father, My Faith, and Donald Trump and How Politics Poisoned The Evangelical Church

The Kingdom, the Power, and the Glory: American Evangelicals in an Age of Extremism by Tim Alberta

Thomas B. Edsall for The New York Times: ‘The Embodiment of White Christian Nationalism in a Tailored Suit’

PRRI and Brookings: A Christian Nation? Understanding the Threat of Christian Nationalism to American Democracy and Culture

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Brian Murphy for The Washington Post: Larry Fink, photographer who explored class divides, dies at 82 and Emily Bazelon and Larry Fink for The New York Times Magazine: Shadow of a Doubt

John: The New Yorker: “Bob and Don: A Love Story” a short documentary by Judd Apatow; CBS News Sunday Morning; and Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning by Liz Cheney

David: Matt Phillips for The New York Times: Shane MacGowan, Songwriter Who Fused Punk and Irish Rebellion, Is Dead at 65 and peyoteshaman on YouTube: Pogues 930 club mid 1980’s

Listener chatter from Nicola in Dublin, Ireland: Irish Archaeology: Pangur Bán and Tread Softy: Classic Irish Poems for Children edited by Nicola Reddy

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily talk about the book lover’s dilemma: borrow or buy. See also A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin; Little Free Library; Adam Sockel for Perspectives on Reading: Library users are book buyers; and Pew Research Center: Libraries, patrons, and e-books.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with James Sturm about Watership Down: The Graphic Novel. See also James Sturm and Joe Sutphin in The New York Times: In Times of Danger, There’s Strength in Numbers.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

Hosts

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz

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Amicus: Remembering Sandra Day O’Connor Dec 02, 2023

Former Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor died Friday at the age of 93. Amicus host Dahlia Lithwick is joined by former O’Connor clerk and renowned First Amendment scholar RonNell Andersen Jones to talk about the Justice’s trailblazing career, her judicial philosophy, and the combination of humility and strength that marked her time on the court, and away from it.

Later in the show, Dahlia celebrates the joyous return of Mark Joseph Stern to share some big announcements AND to discuss SEC v Jarkesy. As Mark explains, the conservative justices seemed ready, willing, and able to take another swing at the administrative state (AKA functioning government).

Mark Stern stays with us for this week’s Amicus Plus segment, taking us through some good ol’ vote suppressing stuff from MAGA-stacked lower courts choosing to ignore last term’s big voting rights decision in Allen v Milligan. Remember that time Chief Justice John Roberts and Brett Kavanagh saved voting rights? Turns out these lower courts are saying - not so much.

Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

Dahlia’s book Lady Justice: Women, the Law and the Battle to Save America, is also available as an audiobook, and Amicus listeners can get a 25 percent discount by entering the code “AMICUS” at checkout.

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Slate Money: This Year, Give Cash Dec 02, 2023

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Elizabeth Spiers speak with Rory Stewart of GiveDirectly and the author of “How Not to Be a Politician”. They discuss the faults of many approaches to philanthropy, and why giving cash to those in need may be the most effective way to help.

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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What Next TBD: A Moral War for A.I. Dec 01, 2023

Artificial intelligence seems predestined to become a bigger part of our lives. To what extent is the A.I. push being led by Sam Altman and the OpenAI team a cause for concern?

Guest: Karen Hao, journalist, data scientist and contributing writer for the Atlantic.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Eric Adams May Not Get Out of This One Nov 30, 2023

Eric Adams’ political career has been heavy on soundbites and low-simmering scandals. But now, as mayor of New York, he might have finally risen far enough to fall.

Guest: David Freedlander, New York Magazine contributor and the author of The AOC Generation: How Millennials Are Seizing Power and Rewriting the Rules of American Politics.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Mental Health Treatment—by Court Order Nov 29, 2023

California’s new “CARE courts” are designed to help people struggling with psychotic disorders to get the help they need. But is having judges mandate treatment a step in the right direction?

Guest: April Dembosky, health correspondent for KQED.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Outward: PragerU’s Transphobic Twitter Takeover Nov 29, 2023

On this episode, The Outward hosts break down the million-dollar takeover ad on X for Prager University’s documentary Detrans: The Dangers of Gender Affirming Care. NBC reporter Jo Yurcaba joins Bryan, Christina, and Jules to tackle the misdirections and anti-trans agenda of the documentary and take a look at the transphobic shifts on the social media platform.

Read Molly Olmstead's piece for Slate on Praeger University

Email us at: outwardpodcast@slate.com

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What Next: The Cops Don’t Want You Listening In Nov 28, 2023

Citing the risks from criminals listening in and pranksters interfering in their channels, the NYPD is the latest and biggest police department moving to encrypt their radio communications. But what about the reporters who rely on the police scanner—and the public who rely on those reporters?

Guests:

Todd Maisel, contributing editor at AMNewYork and photojournalist

Adam Scott Wandt, associate professor of public policy at John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: What Comes After the Ceasefire? Nov 27, 2023

A ceasefire between Israel and Hamas began this weekend in Gaza, as hostages and prisoners were freed by both sides. But any end to the immediate conflict still remains in doubt.

Guest: Peter Beinart, professor of journalism and political science at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York, editor-at-large at Jewish Currents, and author of The Beinart Notebook on Substack.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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A Word: Quinta Brunson: Comedy’s Class Act Nov 26, 2023

It’s Black Friday, prime time for many of us to binge on holiday leftovers and some of our favorite family-friendly shows. One of them is likely to be ABC’s Abbott Elementary. Before the show rewrote the lesson plan for workplace comedies, star and creator Quinta Brunson joined A Word to speak with Jason Johnson to talk about what inspired Abbott, her foundation in sketch comedy, and her unlikely path to showrunner.

Guest: Quinta Brunson, writer, producer, and star of Abbott Elementary. She’s the author of the memoir “She Memes Well.”

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis and Ahyiana Angel

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for $15 for your first three months.

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What Next: The Race (Back) to the Moon Nov 26, 2023

The first steps on the moon were in the name of “all mankind.” But with more countries—and the private sector—competing to not only return, but to tap into the moon’s resources, we’re going to need some ground rules.

Guest: Chris Davenport reports on NASA and the space industry at the Washington Post.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Slate Money: The Big Crazy at OpenAI Nov 25, 2023

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss Sam Altman’s triumphant return to OpenAI and ponder the future of the artificial intelligence industry. They also discuss the legal woes of crypto exchange Binance and its CEO Changpeng Zhao. Finally: the economic policies of Argentina’s president-elect Javier Milei.

In the Plus segment: Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers joins OpenAI’s board of directors

Podcast production by Jared Downing.

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Political Gabfest: Is Polling Broken? Nov 25, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the problems with issue polling and issues with political journalism; the chaos and conflict of Sam Altman and OpenAI; and the failure of the Oslo Accords and perpetual struggle between Israel and Palestine. Send us your Conundrums: submit them at slate.com/conundrum. And join us in-person or online with our special guest – The Late Show’s Steven Colbert – for Gabfest Live: The Conundrums Edition! December 7 at The 92nd Street Y, New York City. Tickets on sale now!

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Nate Cohn for The New York Times: The Crisis in Issue Polling, and What We’re Doing About It and We Did an Experiment to See How Much Democracy and Abortion Matter to Voters

Claire Cain Miller and Francesca Paris for The New York Times: The Great Disconnect: Why Voters Feel One Way About the Economy but Act Differently

The Image: A Guide to Pseudo-Events in America by Daniel J. Boorstin

What’s the Matter with Kansas?: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America by Thomas Frank

Eli Saslow for The New York Times: A Jan. 6 Defendant Pleads His Case to the Son Who Turned Him In

Brian Beutler for the Off Message newsletter: The 2024 Election Is About Real Things

Charlie Warzel for The Atlantic: The Money Always Wins and Karen Hao and Charlie Warzel: Inside the Chaos at OpenAI

John Dickerson and Jo Ling Kent for CBS News Prime Time: What Sam Altman’s ouster from OpenAI could mean for the tech world

Pranshu Verman, Nitasha Tiku, and Gerrit De Vynck for The Washington Post: Sam Altman reinstated as OpenAI CEO with new board members

Louise Matsakis and Reed Albergotti for Semafor: The AI industry turns against its favorite philosophy

Emily Bazelon for The New York Times Magazine: Was Peace Ever Possible?

Ezra Klein for The New York Times’s The Ezra Klein Show podcast: The Best Primer I’ve Heard on Israeli-Palestinian Peace Efforts

Oslo on HBO

John Dickerson for CBS Mornings: Former President Jimmy Carter: “America will learn from its mistakes”

The Lady Bird Diaries on Hulu

Eleanor Roosevelt in a Coal by Bettman and The George Washington University’s Case Study: Eleanor Roosevelt’s Visit to Coal Mine (1935)

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: Julia Simon for NPR: ‘It feels like I’m not crazy.’ Gardeners aren’t surprised as USDA updates key map and U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service: USDA Unveils Updated Plant Hardiness Zone Map

Emily: Liran Samuni and Martin Surbeck in Science: Cooperation across social borders in bonobos and The Bonobo Sisterhood: Revolution Through Female Alliance by Diane Rosenfeld

David: City Cast Executive Producer, Nashville, Executive Producer, Austin, and Events Director, remote and The National WWII Museum: WWII Veteran Statistics

Listener chatter from Dimitri in Boulder, Colorado: University of Evansville: Library of Congress Recognizes Plagiarized University of Evansville Archaeologist After 90 Years and Jessica Blake for Inside Higher Ed: Female Archaeologist’s Work Receives Overdue Recognition—90 Years Later

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily talk about the death of former First Lady Rosalynn Carter and her 77-year marriage with Jimmy Carter. See also Rick Rojas for The New York Times: The Carters’ Hometown Mourns for the Love of a Lifetime and Peter Baker: Rosalynn Carter Helped Shape the Role of the Modern First Lady.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with James Sturm about Watership Down: The Graphic Novel. See also James Sturm and Joe Sutphin in The New York Times: In Times of Danger, There’s Strength in Numbers.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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What Next TBD: Where Scams Are Born Nov 24, 2023

An app for open money laundering, a corridor of massive casinos in the middle of nowhere, and the global scamdemic.

Guest: Cezary Podkul, reporter for Propublica

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: How Israel-Hamas Has Divided Democrats Nov 22, 2023

The war in Gaza has laid bare some deep fault lines within the Democratic party when it comes to Israel policy. How might that impact next year’s elections?

Guest: Alex Sammon, Slate politics writer.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: Inside OpenAI's Implosion Nov 21, 2023

OpenAI was the hottest startup in Silicon Valley off the success of ChatGPT. Then, the board fired Sam Altman.

Guest: Mike Isaac, technology reporter at the New York Times.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Moms for Liberty Tanked at the Polls. This Guy Called It. Nov 20, 2023

Over the past few years, ultra-conservative activists took aim at school boards, trying to shape curriculums to match their beliefs. But this year, from Pennsylvania to Iowa, “parental rights candidates” lost handily. What happened?

Guest: Adam Laats, Professor of Education and History at Binghamton University.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Rebirth of a Nation Nov 19, 2023

The first hopes for a post-racial America were raised during Reconstruction, the post-Civil War era when the country’s leaders pledged to fulfill the promise of freedom for formerly enslaved Blacks. But after a decade of reforms, the brutal racial hierarchy was reestablished in the South, costing African Americans their rights, opportunities, and—in many cases—their lives. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson discusses the legacy of Reconstruction with Vann Newkirk II. He’s a senior editor for The Atlantic, which has devoted its latest issue to exploring that era of American history and what it can tell us about the current state of race in this country.

Guest: Vann Newkirk II, senior editor of The Atlantic

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for $15 for your first three months.

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What Next TBD: Bedbugs Are Back, Baby! Nov 19, 2023

The bedbug break-out during Paris fashion week this fall was obviously horrifying, but the bad news doesn’t stop there. Bedbugs are on the rise—and on the move.

Guest: Benji Jones, senior environmental reporter at Vox.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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The Waves | The Golden Bachelor Recap: Fantasy Suite Edition Nov 19, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Gerry’s down to two women and two potential fantasy suites. How sweet do things actually get?

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry and Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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 The Waves. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus to help support our work.

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The Waves: The Bravo Cinematic Universe Nov 19, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, we’re digging into the Bravo network. From Below Deck to Selling Sunset to Vanderpump Rules, the Bravo TV network is a reality television behemoth that has made millions on the backs of its female cast members. But is it actually good for women? ICYMI founding host Rachelle Hampton and culture writer Shamira Ibrahim discuss the current Bravo era, how much of Bravo belongs to famous producer Andy Cohen, why cast members can’t rely on a reunion to tell their stories, and whether the cast members of shows like the Real Housewives really have agency.

In Slate Plus: Let’s talk Selling Sunset.

If you liked this episode, check out: How to Be a Woman in Music

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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 The Waves. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus to help support our work.

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Slate Money: How Salt Built America Nov 18, 2023

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers chat with Ed Conway, economics and data editor of Sky News, whose new book “Material World” tells how a handful of everyday resources built civilization — and remain incredibly important today. Also: the astounding secrets of car paint…and why new cars look like mud.

Podcast production by Patrick Fort and Jared Downing.

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Political Gabfest: You’ll Miss Joe Manchin Nov 18, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Joe Manchin’s departure from the U.S. Senate and what it means for the Democratic majority, No Labels, and the 2024 presidential race; the Supreme Court’s new code of conduct and whether it’s worthless; and the Israel-Hamas war and how it’s affecting Democratic politics. You can be a part of the show: submit your Conundrum at slate.com/conundrum. And join us for Conundrums Live! December 7 at The 92nd Street Y, New York City.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Zeeshan Aleem for MSNBC: “Joe Manchin’s triple blow to the Democrats”

Brittany Gibson and Shia Kapos for Politico: “Pelosi launches an all-out attack against No Labels”

Wikipedia: “Assume a can opener”

The Supreme Court of the United States: “Code of Conduct for Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States”

Adam Liptak for The New York Times: “Supreme Court’s New Ethics Code Is Toothless, Experts Say”

Maria Abi-Habib, Michael Crowley, and Edward Wong for The New York Times: “More Than 500 U.S. Officials Sign Letter Protesting Biden’s Israel Policy”

Sam Fossum, Morgan Rimmer, and Manu Raju for CNN: “Top House Democrats evacuated from DNC headquarters as police clash with protesters calling for Gaza ceasefire”

Liz Goodwin for The Washington Post: “Bernie Sanders faces blowback as progressives urge cease-fire in Gaza”

George Packer for The Atlantic: “Israel Must Not React Stupidly”

Thomas L Friedman for The New York Times: “I Have Never Been to This Israel Before”

Declan Walsh and Abdi Latif Dahir for The New York Times: “Seizing Darfur Region, Paramilitary Forces Are Accused of Atrocities”

Jennifer Jacobs for Fortune and Bloomberg: “Why a group of ‘everyday people’ in Iowa have been invited to dinner by Chinese president Xi Jinping: ‘We’re eager to meet with him’”

Iowa PBS: “Citizen Diplomacy”

The Economist’s The Prince podcast: “7: Wolf warriors”

Muscatine County, Iowa: “History”

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: HBO’s movie Oslo

John: John Dickerson on Instagram and Covenant House Sleep Out; Alex Wilkins for New Scientist: “Robotic chemist discovers how to make oxygen from Martian minerals”

David: Michael Balsamo for AP: “Secret Service agents protecting Biden’s granddaughter open fire when 3 people try to break into SUV”; Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police: Carjacking; Exploring a Secret Fort with David through airbnb

Listener chatter from David, Alameda, California: Chloe Olewitz for Morsel: “Over 100 Years Ago, the US Government Commissioned 7,500 Watercolor Paintings of Every Kind of Fruit in the Country” and U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agricultural Library: “USDA Pomological Watercolors”

In the next Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with James Sturm about Watership Down: The Graphic Novel. See also James Sturm and Joe Sutphin in The New York Times: “In Times of Danger, There’s Strength in Numbers.”

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

Hosts

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz

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Amicus: Is The Federalist Society Over? Nov 18, 2023

Donald J Trump is signaling a split with the conservative legal movement’s kingmakers, The Federalist Society. Instead, the presumptive Republican Presidential nominee is planning a radical (and radically lawless) remaking of American government in his image. On this week’s show, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Amanda Hollis Brusky, professor of politics at Pomona College and author of Ideas with Consequences: The Federalist Society & the Conservative Counterrevolution, and coauthor of Separate But Faithful: The Christian Right’s Radical Struggle to Transform Law and Legal Culture. Together, they explore what the split between the right’s legal project of 40 years and the man who hopes to be the next Republican President means for the law, the rule of law, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Dahlia is joined by Jay Willis of Balls and Strikes to discuss the Supreme Court’s new ethics code. Spoiler: It’s not really new. As Jay says, think of it more like frat house rules published for the benefit of naive parents.

Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

Dahlia’s book Lady Justice: Women, the Law and the Battle to Save America, is also available as an audiobook, and Amicus listeners can get a 25 percent discount by entering the code “AMICUS” at checkout. https://books.supportingcast.fm/lady-justice

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What Next TBD: How Deepfake Porn Infected a School Nov 17, 2023

Girls at a New Jersey high school were early victims of a novel and growing problem: their images were taken from social media without consent to create “deep-fake pornography.”

Guest: Julie Jargon, Wall Street Journal family and tech columnist.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: What If Gaza Boils Over? Nov 16, 2023

As Palestinian allies like Hezbollah and Iran voice their support, is there a danger of more countries being pulled into the war in Gaza?

Guest: Gregory Gause, head of the Department of International Affairs at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, specialist in Middle East politics.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Trump’s Second Term Nov 15, 2023

If you want to imagine what Donald Trump’s second presidential term would look like, look at what he left unfinished from his first—and listen to his long list of personal grievances.

Guest: Susan Glasser, staff writer at The New Yorker, co-author of The Divider, a history of Donald Trump in the White House.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Hear Me Out: It’s Time To Sunset Social Security Nov 14, 2023

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… solving the insolvent.

With the threat of a government shutdown looming (again), there are a lot of key programs and initiatives proving contentious for lawmakers. But nobody seems to ever flirt with the idea of cutting – or ending altogether – social security, And maybe it’s time to do just that.

Eric Boehm of Reason Magazine joins us to argue for the end… even the beginning of the end… for social security.

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie

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What Next: How the Israel-Gaza War Rages in America Nov 14, 2023

A Jewish writer and Muslim journalist sit down to discuss the power dynamics, tribalism, and role of empathy in a far-away conflict that hits close to home in America.

Guests:

Aymann Ismail, Slate staff writer

Emily Tamkin, writer and author of The Influence of Soros and Bad Jews.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Rise of a Red State Democrat Nov 13, 2023

Andy Beshear, Kentucky’s Democratic governor, maintained a Biden-like moderate image and rode it to victory in this year’s election. His state knows him best as the “infrastructure governor”—but his support for abortion rights might be the biggest takeaway for other Democrats staring down challenging 2024 races.

Guest: John Nichols, national affairs correspondent for The Nation.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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The Waves: How to Be a Woman in Music Nov 12, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, what’s it like to be an indie musician? Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth is joined by singer and songwriter Dessa. They dig into her newest album and how she has benefited from and been hurt by being a woman in the music industry. Later in the show they explore the breakup song - and all the gendered expectations that go along with writing one.

In Slate Plus: What do a dentist, neuroscientists, and puppeteers all have in common? They’ve worked with Dessa.

If you liked this episode, check out: Penis Politics

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus.

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Black Voters, Blue Waves? Nov 12, 2023

Despite dismal poll numbers for President Biden, the off-year elections brought big wins for Democrats around the country, including in red states. Kentucky’s Democratic Governor Andy Beshear beat Black Republican Daniel Cameron to retain his seat, while Ohio voters supported legalized marijuana and abortion rights, in defiance of the state’s GOP leaders. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Brandon Tensley, national political reporter for Capital B News, to talk about the role of Black voters in Democratic victories, and what it all could mean for the 2024 general elections.

Guest: Brandon Tensley, national political reporter for Capital B News

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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What Next TBD: Will A.I. Take My Job? Nov 12, 2023

Employees at Reviewed were surprised when they saw mysterious bylines behind poorly worded articles on the site. But information on their new contributors was hard to find—were they people at all, or was this the first clumsy incursion of A.I. into their newsroom?

Guest: Will Sommer, Washington Post media reporter

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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The Waves: The Golden Bachelor Recap - The Women Tell All and Mince No Words Nov 12, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, we get the first Women Tell All episode of The Golden Bachelor. Waves recap co-hosts Cheyna Roth and Laura Stassi have some thoughts for Gerry.

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry and Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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 The Waves. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus to help support our work.

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Slate Money: Unraveling a Wall Street Legend Nov 11, 2023

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Rob Copeland of The New York Times to discuss his new book The Fund: Ray Dalio, Bridgewater Associates, and the Unraveling of a Wall Street Legend, which examines the vast difference between Ray Dalio’s public persona and Bridgewater’s private reality. Then, Felix, Emily and Elizabeth cover the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike, and WeWork’s bankruptcy.

In the Plus segment: More with Rob Copeland!

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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Amicus: Dunking On Trump's Lawyers Might Not Be The Win You Think It Is Nov 11, 2023

If we are to take Donald J. Trump seriously (and at this stage it’s surely a fool’s errand not to), then the rule of law and democracy are on the line if (when) he becomes the Republican nominee for 2024. What role will the former President’s many many legal woes play in the coming months? A clearer picture is emerging after testimony for the prosecution wrapped in the civil fraud trial against Trump and his adult sons in their roles at the helm of the Trump Organization in New York City this past week. That picture is of a political candidate claiming to be the victim of an unprecedented legal witch hunt. In other words, as the trials proceed within the courts, a political trial is underway on the courtroom steps, at campaign stops, and in the media. On this week’s show, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Professor Eric Posner, of the University of Chicago Law School, author of The Demagogue's Playbook: The Battle for American Democracy from the Founders to Trump, to discuss political trials - their history and their risks.

Next, Dahlia is joined by Madiba Dennie - attorney, columnist, professor, and deputy editor at Balls and Strikes - to recap oral arguments in United States v Rahimi, the big gun case considering whether adjudicated domestic abusers have a right to keep and bear arms.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, listeners will have access to an extended version of Dahlia’s interview with Madiba Dennie, analyzing whether election results are moving some of the justices away from the all you can eat originalism buffet.

Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

Dahlia’s book Lady Justice: Women, the Law and the Battle to Save America, is also available as an audiobook, and Amicus listeners can get a 25 percent discount by entering the code “AMICUS” at checkout.

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Political Gabfest: Was That A Great Or Terrible Night For Biden? Nov 11, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the 2023 election results and Democratic wins in Ohio, Virginia, and Kentucky; President Joe Biden’s numbers in recent polls and the youth vote; and U.S. v. Rahimi at the Supreme Court, the 2nd Amendment and gun control, and the history and tradition test. And you can be a part of the show: submit your Conundrum atslate.com/conundrum.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Lisa Lerer and Shane Goldmacher for The New York Times: “Abortion Rights Fuel Big Democratic Wins, and Hopes for 2024”

Molly Olmstead for Slate: “Sean Hannity Had Quite the Takeaway About Abortion After Tuesday’s Elections"

Kate Zernike for The New York Times: “Ohio Vote Continues a Winning Streak for Abortion Rights”

Laura Vozzella for The Washington Post: “Democratic wins in Virginia could deflate Youngkin’s White House buzz”

Hannah Knowles and Dylan Wells for The Washington Post: “Democrat Andy Beshear wins reelection for governor in Kentucky”

Matthew Yglesias for Slow Boring: “23 thoughts on the 2023 midterms”

John Dickerson for The Atlantic Festival 2023: “Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro on Leading a Key Swing State”

Shane Goldmacher for The New York Times: “Trump Leads in 5 Critical States as Voters Blast Biden, Times/Siena Poll Finds“

Jonathan Swan, Ruth Igielnik, and Maggie Haberman for The New York Times: “Trump Indictments Haven’t Sunk His Campaign, but a Conviction Might”

Nate Cohn for The New York Times: “Why Biden Is Behind, and How He Could Come Back”

Philip Bump for The Washington Post: “Are young voters actually split between Trump and Biden?”

Daniel A. Cox for the AEI Survey Center on American Life: “Why are Young Voters So Down on Joe Biden?”

Pew Research Center’s Beyond Red Vs. Blue: The Political Typology: “Outsider Left”

Sudiksha Kochi for USA Today: “Former Obama adviser Axelrod says Biden should consider dropping out of 2024”

Robert Barnes for The Washington Post: “Court seems likely to allow gun bans for those under protective orders”

Jordan Smith for The Intercept: “In Overturning Roe, Radical Supreme Court Declares War on the 14th Amendment”

Thomas Jefferson: “To James Madison From Thomas Jefferson, 6 September 1789”

Ulysses S. Grant Revealed: “President Ulysses S. Grant On The U.S. Constitution”

Michael Barbaro and Jonah E. Bromwich for The New York Times’s The Daily podcast: “The Trumps Take the Stand”

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: Reuters: “Napoleon’s hat heading to auction in France”; Marielle Brie: “Napoleon Bonaparte’s Bicorne Hat”; and Kai McNamee for NPR: “Lost French love letters from the 1750s reveal what life was like during wartime”

Emily: Liberty Puzzles

David: Jessica Sidman for Washingtonian: “Why Is Dallas on the Cover of This DC Guidebook?”

Listener chatter from Sheila McIntyre: Sophie Mann-Shafir for The Provincetown Independent: “TPRTA Misled Members on Voter Registration; Town Meeting Postponed”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David talk about the trial testimony by the Trump family – Donald, Donald, Jr., Eric, and Ivanka – in the civil case of New York v. Trump.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, David talks with Kristi Coulter about her book, Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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What Next TBD: Tesla vs. the Swedes Nov 10, 2023

In late October, Tesla mechanics in Sweden began to strike after the company refused to sign a collective agreement. This week, the country's other major unions joined in the fight as well.

Can Sweden’s robust labor culture force Tesla to make concessions?

Guest: Melissa Eddy, Berlin correspondent for the New York Times.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Real Goal of Trump's Indignant Testimony Nov 09, 2023

When Donald Trump took the stand in his civil trial in New York this week, maybe he wasn’t trying to convince the judge who will decide this case—maybe he was playing for the MAGA audience outside, who will be headed to the polls in a year.

Guest: Barbara McQuade, law professor at the University of Michigan and a former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Israeli Life Will Never Be the Same Nov 08, 2023

A month after the October 7 attack by Hamas, how do Israelis view what happened, their country, neighbors, and the future?

Guest: Iris Zaki, Israeli filmmaker whose latest, ‘I Don’t Have That Empathy. It’s Not in Me Anymore.’ What Israeli Survivors Believe Now, was featured in the New York Times.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Abortion on a Red-State Ballot Nov 07, 2023

Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade, reproductive rights have remained popular among voters—even in red states like Ohio. As the state votes today on whether to add the right to an abortion to the state constitution, the Ohio GOP has been trying to reframe the issue.

Guest: Carter Sherman, reproductive health and justice reporter at The Guardian.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Mitt Romney Reflects, Regrets, and Retires Nov 06, 2023

As Mitt Romney heads into retirement, is the idea of a moderate Republican being retired as well?

Guest: McKay Coppins, staff writer at The Atlantic, author of Romney: A Reckoning

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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The Waves: Penis Politics Nov 05, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, the next presidential election is one year away and we are entering a storm of macho man politics. Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth is joined by NPR politics reporter Danielle Kurtzleben to talk about why men keep talking about their manly-men bonafides, how that affects women trying to be in politics, and more.

More From Danielle and Mentioned in the Episode:

All the Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me Before I Gave Birth by Danielle Kurtzleben
The Race I Will Watch Most Closely in 2024 (Besides President) by Danielle Kurtzleben
A Professional Lady Correspondent Stares Down Motherhood by Danielle Kurtzleben
Male Democratic Candidates Will Have To Answer Gender Role Questions In 2020 Race by Danielle Kurtzleben
How 2022 Became the Year of Over-the-Top Masculinity in Politics by Bill Donahue

In Slate Plus: A check-in on new mom Danielle and whether she has in fact become a “mom” or just a person with a kid.

If you liked this episode, check out: Are “Cool Moms” A Menace?

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus.

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The Waves: The Golden Bachelor Recap - Hometowns Will Always Be Cringey Nov 05, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Gerry visits the hometowns of the last 3 women standing on The Golden Bachelor.

Unlike hometown dates in the past, Gerry isn’t meeting the parents. Instead, he’s getting to know the women’s kids and their grandkids. But it doesn’t make the hometown dates any less cringe. Slate Senior Producer Cheyna Roth and Dating While Gray host Laura Stassi recap the episode.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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 The Waves. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus to help support our work.

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A Word: A F—ing Funny Lady Nov 05, 2023

**THIS EPISODE CONTAINS REPEATED PROFANITY, AND MAY NOT BE APPROPRIATE FOR ALL LISTENERS.**

Leslie Jones got her big break, joining the cast of Saturday Night Live, at the age of 47. She says that the long wait for stardom meant that she knew her worth and how to stand up for herself, even when the stakes were high. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Leslie Jones to discuss her new book, “Leslie Fucking Jones: A Memoir.”

Guest: Comedian Leslie Jones

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for $15 for your first three months.

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Slate Money: The Crypto Crimes of Sam Bankman-Fried Nov 04, 2023

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers tackle the verdict in the Sam Bankman-Fried trial and a lawsuit against realtors. They also discuss the UAW contract negotiations and how it will affect car manufacturers in the rest of the United States.

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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What Next TBD: Sam Bankman-Fraud Nov 04, 2023

Sam Bankman-Fried was found guilty on seven charges of wire fraud, conspiracy and money laundering and is facing a 110-year sentence.

Cryptocurrency, itself, has lost an ambassador, a lot of value, and quite a bit of credibility.

Guest: Nitish Pahwa, associate business and tech writer covering the trial for Slate.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Amicus: The Right to Bear Arms and Terrorize Your Partner Nov 04, 2023

Next week, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in one of the most significant—and potentially deadly—cases of the term - United States v Rahimi. The case, a follow on fromNew York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen, has the potential to weaponize the court’s Second Amendment extremism against victims of domestic abuse and protect adjudicated abusers. Dahlia Lithwick is joined by gun safety advocate Shannon Watts, founder of Moms Demand Action, to find out the potential real life-and-death consequences of pursuing originalism literally back to when women were property and muskets were muzzle-loaded. They also discuss why the right is so keen to pursue gun rights through the courts, rather than through the democratic process.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Dahlia is joined by Jay Willis, editor in chief of Balls and Strikes, to discuss oral arguments in a pair of cases concerning First Amendment concerns when politicians block dissenting voices on social media, the Trump-related trademark t-shirt dispute that is barely SFW, and Justice Clarence Thomas’s personal luxury RV loan forgiveness program.

Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

Dahlia’s book Lady Justice: Women, the Law and the Battle to Save America, is also available as an audiobook, and Amicus listeners can get a 25 percent discount by entering the code “AMICUS” at checkout.

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Political Gabfest: Could Nikki Haley Actually Win? Nov 04, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Nikki Haley’s progress and Ron DeSantis’s stagnation in Iowa, Donald Trump’s testimony in New York, and Dean Phillips’s campaign in New Hampshire; the first social-media cases of the term at the Supreme Court; and Ours Was the Shining Future: The Story of the American Dream with author David Leonhardt. And you can be a part of the show: submit your Conundrum at slate.com/conundrum.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Brianne Pfannenstiel for the Des Moines Register: “Donald Trump builds on big lead as Nikki Haley pulls even with Ron DeSantis in Iowa Poll”

Jennifer Rubin for The Washington Post: “Nikki Haley has a shot. But a really, really long one.”

Jonah E. Bromwich and Ben Protess for The New York Times: “Trump Civil Fraud Trial: Donald Trump Jr. Resumes Testifying in Fraud Case Aimed at His Father”

Geoffrey Skelley for 538: The curious case of Dean Phillips’s last-minute primary challenge

538: “How popular is Joe Biden?”

Jeff Neal for Harvard Law Today: “The Supreme Court takes on (anti)social media”

Adam Liptak for The New York Times: “Supreme Court Lifts Limits for Now on Biden Officials’ Contacts With Tech Platforms”

Amy Howe for SCOTUSblog: “Justices take major Florida and Texas social media cases”

Ours Was the Shining Future: The Story of the American Dream by David Leonhardt

Emily Bazelon for The New York Times’s The Morning newsletter, November 2, 2023

David Leonhardt for The Atlantic: “The Hard Truth About Immigration”

Peter Dizikes for MIT News: “Q&A: David Autor on the long afterlife of the “China shock””

History.com: “A. Philip Randolph”

Natasha Singer for The New York Times: “This Florida School District Banned Cellphones. Here’s What Happened.” and “New Laws on Kids and Social Media Are Stymied by Industry Lawsuits”

Cristiano Lima and Naomi Nix for The Washington Post: “41 states sue Meta, claiming Instagram, Facebook are addictive, harm kids”

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: The New Yorker’s Poetry Podcast with Kevin Young: “Toi Derricotte Reads Tracy K. Smith”

John: The Graham Norton Show: “Dame Judi Dench Masterfully Does A Shakespeare Sonnet”; BBC Radio 4’s Cabin Pressure; Endeavour on PBS Masterpiece; John Dickerson for CBS News Prime Time: “Grammy-winning artist Jason Isbell talks about the craft of songwriting and his latest music”; and Ray Bradbury in the Los Angeles Times: “’Ice Cream Suit’--Touchstone for the Past and Present”

David: Sarah Zhang for The Atlantic: “Everything I Thought I Knew About Nasal Congestion Is Wrong”

Listener chatter from Albert Fox Cahn: N’dea Yancey-Bragg for USA Today: “Advocates say excited delirium provides cover for police violence. They want it banned” and John Dickerson for CBS News 60 Minutes: “How a questionable syndrome, “Excited Delirium,” could be protecting police officers from misconduct charges”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David talk about classroom cellphone bans.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, David talks with Kristi Coulter about her book, Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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What Next TBD: Biden Goes After AI Nov 03, 2023

Biden’s executive order on A.I. indicates his administration is taking it seriously. Does it go far enough?

Guest: Cecilia Kang, covering technology and policy for the New York Times.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Can Hamas Actually Be Destroyed? Nov 02, 2023

What does the history of Hamas tell us about where the Israel-Palestine conflict could go from here?

Guest: Mohammed Hafez, professor who studies Islamist movements, political militancy, and violent radicalization at the Naval Postgraduate School and author of Why Muslims Rebel and Suicide Bombers in Iraq: The Strategy and Ideology of Martyrdom.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: How to Catch an Insurrectionist Nov 01, 2023

The FBI was overwhelmed trying to ID people who stormed the Capitol on January 6th. An online group picked up the slack and helped catch hundreds of rioters.

Guest: Ryan Reilly, Justice reporter at NBC News, and author of Sedition Hunters: How January 6th Broke the Justice System.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Can Threat Assessment Stop Mass Shootings? Oct 31, 2023

After mass shootings, one refrain becomes, “We don’t need gun control to treat a mental health problem.” But in a case like the mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, there were mental health interventions and red flags raised by the military and the shooter’s family. Why didn’t it work—and what’s a better way forward?

Guest: Mark Follman, national affairs editor at Mother Jonesand the author of Trigger Points: Inside the Mission to Stop Mass Shootings in America.

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What Next: What Survived in Lahaina, Maui Oct 30, 2023

In early August, wildfire tore across West Maui. Months later, the tourism economy is struggling to get back to speed, while residents remain displaced.

Guest: U’i Kahue, cultural practitioner and the co-owner of Maui Grown 808, LLP.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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The Waves: Get on the WNBA Train Already! Oct 29, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, the Las Vegas Aces beat the New York Liberty to win their second WNBA championship in a row. But more impressive is that they played in front of one of the biggest crowds to ever attend a WNBA game. Slate senior supervising producer Daisy Rosario is joined by sports journalist and founder of the Power Plays newsletter Lindsay Gibbs to unpack the recent surge in popularity for women’s sports, why you should make an effort to support women’s basketball, and more.

In Slate Plus: Lindsay tries to convince Daisy to get into women’s college basketball

If you liked this episode, check out: Watch The Women’s World Cup, Damnit!

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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 The Waves. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Sidelined by Racism? Oct 29, 2023

The NFL is a multi-billion dollar business, with a player population that’s more than 60 percent African American. Yet the league’s owners, leadership, and reporters don’t reflect that diversity. In his role as an NFL Media journalist, Jim Trotter repeatedly questioned officials, including NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, about the league’s lack of diversity. After he lost his job, Trotter filed a lawsuit, claiming racial discrimination and retaliation. On today’s episode of A Word, Trotter joins host Jason Johnson to talk about career, his court case, and the importance of having more African American journalists covering professional football.

Sandy Nunes, Vice President Talent Management On-Air at National Football League, declined to comment

Stephen A. Smith, host of ESPN’s First Take, declined to comment.

Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula previously denied Jim Trotter’s allegations.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones previously denied much of Trotter’s account, saying “Some of the representation is not accurate” in response to the lawsuit.

Guest: Jim Trotter, senior opinion writer for The Athletic

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for $15 for your first three months.

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The Waves: The Golden Bachelor Recap - WTH, Gerry?! Oct 29, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Golden Bachelor Gerry is rapidly approaching hometown dates and needs to narrow the pool down to three. To get there, we have a passionate one-on-one date and a high-stakes group date. Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth and Dating While Gray host Laura Stassi give their thoughts.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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 The Waves. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus.

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Political Gabfest: The “Live from Madison!” Edition Oct 28, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz take the show on the road and gab live with Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers; discuss the new Speaker of the House Mike Johnson; and review the former lawyers and Chief of Staff who will testify against Donald Trump.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

City Cast Madison podcast and Madison Minutes newsletter

Jennifer Rubin for The Washington Post: “Wisconsin Dems’ big wins for the rule of law might be an inflection point”

Scott Bauer for AP: “Wisconsin Supreme Court asked to draw new legislative boundaries over Republican objections”

James Hohmann for The Washington Post: “In Wisconsin, Tony Evers made a virtue of being dull”

Amy Gardner and Michael Kranish for The Washington Post: “New speaker Mike Johnson’s 2020 election denial could have 2024 implications”

Carl Hulse for The New York Times: “The Far Right Gets Its Man of the House”

Ours Was the Shining Future: The Story of the American Dream by David Leonhardt

Katherine Faulders, Mike Levine, and Alexander Mallin for ABC News: “Ex-Chief of Staff Mark Meadows granted immunity, tells special counsel he warned Trump about 2020 claims: Sources”

Paul Blumenthal for HuffPost: “The Guilty Pleas In Trump’s Georgia Indictment Are Starting To Roll Uphill”

David French for The New York Times: “Trump’s Lawyers Are Going Down. Is He?”

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: Mark Shanahan for The Boston Globe: “The Great Molasses Flood of 1919 was Boston’s strangest disaster“ and Dark Tide: The Great Molasses Flood of 1919 by Stephen Puleo

Emily: Hesket Oslo podcast by Arnon Degani; This Is Palestine podcast by the Institute for Middle East Understanding; and The Ezra Klein Show podcast: “The Jewish Left Is Trying to Hold Two Thoughts at Once”

David: Vocal coach Karen Harris and “Jersey Girl” by Tom Waits

Listener chatter from Jake Sinderbrand: University of Wisconsin-Madison: “Wisconsin Idea” and Babcock Dairy Store

Listener chatter from Mike Duncan: The Storm Before the Storm: The Beginning of the End of the Roman Republic; Hero of Two Worlds: The Marquis de Lafayette in the Age of Revolution; The History of Rome podcast; and Revolutions podcast

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David answer questions from the Madison audience.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, David talks with Kristi Coulter about her book, Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tim Peterson. Special thanks to Katie Rayford.

Research by Julie Huygen.

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Slate Money: Why Dimes Shouldn’t Exist Oct 28, 2023

Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers and Emily Peck talk about the latest GDP numbers and why people still feel bad about the economy. They also break down two big fossil fuel mergers, and Felix explains why dimes shouldn’t exist.

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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What Next TBD: SBF Takes the Stand Oct 28, 2023

The man at the center of it all takes the stand in his own defense—but what’s left to say?

Guest: Nitish Pahwa, associate business and tech writer covering the trial for Slate.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Amicus: Watching Trump Shrink in Court Oct 28, 2023

On this week’s show, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Slate’s Jurisprudence Editor, Jeremy Stahl. Jeremy is also the lucky person tasked with helming Slate’s coverage of the many many criminal and civil trials of Donald J Trump and Amicus listeners can expect to hear a lot from Jeremy over the next year. After a week of big news across a number of the former President’s courtroom battles, Jeremy gives us a survey of the legal landscape and some vital pointers about what really matters, what’s nonsense, and what we should be watching and listening for in the coming weeks.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Jeremy Stahl sticks around to have a behind the scenes chat about how Slate’s jurisprudence team is tackling the thorny issue of reporting on the Trump trial - sorting wheat from chaff and stakes from horse race.

Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

Dahlia’s book Lady Justice: Women, the Law and the Battle to Save America, is also available as an audiobook, and Amicus listeners can get a 25 percent discount by entering the code “AMICUS” at checkout.

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What Next TBD: Self-Driving Cars Crash Into Reality Oct 27, 2023

In August, California regulators voted to allow self-driving car companies like Cruise and Waymo to expand their operations and start offering robotaxi services. After a litany of questionable behaviors ranging from the annoying to terrifying, the California DMV has suspended Cruise’s permits, effective immediately.

Is this just a temporary setback, or is the driverless future further off than it looked just a few months ago?

Guest: David Zipper, visiting fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: How Extremists Won the Speaker Fight Oct 26, 2023

Is new House Speaker Mike Johnson a palatable face on the same hard-right politics?

Guest: Tim Miller, political consultant and writer.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The State Dept. Official Who Quit Over Israel Oct 25, 2023

Why one State Department official who worked in weapons transfers quit over America’s policy towards Israel and Gaza—and what that says about U.S. policy in the Middle East.

Guest: Josh Paul, former State Department official working in arms transfers to foreign powers, who resigned on Oct. 18.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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ICYMI: A Former School Shooter is a TikTok Star. Should He Even Be Allowed Online? Oct 25, 2023

On today’s episode, Rachelle Hampton and Candice Lim dive into the saga of Jon Romano. At the age of 16, Romano walked into his high school with a shotgun in an attempt, he says, to commit law-enforcement-assisted suicide. Though no one was killed in the ensuing violence, a teacher was shot and injured. Romano pled guilty to attempted murder and reckless endangerment. He served 17 years in prison and was released in 2020. Since his release, he’s been a public advocate for mental health reform and gun control. Since 2022, TikTok has been a part of that advocacy work for Romano, a choice that landed Romano in the headlines once again after many decried his public platform of more than 275,000 followers.

Romano’s presence on TikTok and his large public profile raise thorny questions around the possibility of redemption and life online for those who commit violent acts. To help answer those questions, Hampton and Lim are joined by Dr. Teiahsha Bankhead, the executive director of Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth and an expert in restorative and racial justice.

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

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Hear Me Out: You Don’t Need to Post About Israel and Palestine Oct 24, 2023

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… when silence is violence.

The war in Israel and Palestine is a rapidly-evolving situation – and one that’s bringing up a lot of emotions for a lot of people. Couple that with the flood of mis-and-disinformation on social media, and “to post or not to post” becomes an extremely loaded question.

Are you ever required to speak up on social media? Even if you don’t know the whole story? And if you elect not to say anything, is that inherently choosing a side — and causing harm to others in the process?

Social strategist and writer Rachel Greenspan joins us to say that, as a Jewish woman, she doesn’t expect her friends to post about this moment in history… and maybe, neither should you.

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie

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What Next: Why We Still Don’t Have a Speaker of the House Oct 24, 2023

Weeks after Kevin McCarthy was ousted, Republicans are still scrambling to elect a new Speaker of the House. After failed runs by Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan, the candidate pool keeps growing. Who is in the running now, and will anyone be able to snag the 217 votes needed?

Guest: Joseph Zeballos-Roig, Congress reporter at Semafor.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Abortion Providers in the Line of Fire Oct 23, 2023

Before the new abortion clinic even opened in Casper, Wyoming, it was set ablaze. But to the clinic’s founder, property damage and violence aren’t new.

Guest: Julie Burkhart, founder of Wellspring Health Access

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Courting a Voting Rights Disaster Oct 22, 2023

Supreme Court watchers are concerned that the Justices are poised to make racial gerrymandering all but impossible to prove. This comes after the Court recently heard arguments in the case of Alexander v. the South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Brandon Tensley, national political reporter for Capital B News. They discuss the South Carolina voters who are directly impacted by the case, and what it could mean for voting rights around the country.

Guest: Brandon Tensley, national political reporter for Capital B News

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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The Waves: On The Golden Bachelor, Reality Dating Matures…But Does It Really? Oct 22, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Laura Stassi is back in the host seat. Laura, host of the podcast Dating While Gray, still can’t get over what the heck is going on in 72-year-old Gerry Turner’s love life.

Gerry is the first lead for The Bachelor spinoff The Golden Bachelor. While Gerry and the group of women vying for his heart are seniors over 65 years old, many of the age-old Bachelor franchise tropes are still being put to use. What is it about reality TV dating that forces the stakes to be so high? To figure this out, Vulture TV critic Kathryn VanArendonk joins us.

In Slate Plus: Kathryn VanArendonk on a reality show focused on business connections – Project Greenlight: A New Generation

If you liked this episode, check out:

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

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The Waves: The Golden Bachelor Recap - The ‘D Word’ Oct 22, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Gerry says the D Word: Divorce. Laura Stassi, host of Dating While Gray, and Slate Senior Supervising Producer Daisy Rosario recap the fourth episode of The Golden Bachelor.

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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 The Waves. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus to help support our work.

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Amicus: Donald Trump's John Gotti Moment Oct 21, 2023

As MAGA Republicans engage in extremist arm wrestling in the House Speaker race, and the sins of the 2020 election subversion scheme catch up with Donald Trump’s closest allies, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by brand new MacArthur “genius grant” recipient Ian Bassin of Protect Democracy to take a look at the stakes of this moment for American democracy. An attempt to walk and chew gum at the same time, Protect Democracy’s work focuses on the incremental ways the law can be applied to protect election workers and inhibit disinformation, while also looking to the big constitutional and cultural questions we have to answer if we’re going to reject authoritarianism.

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Political Gabfest: Still No House Speaker Oct 21, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Jim Jordan’s efforts to become Speaker of the House; President Joe Biden’s visit to an Israel at war; and Donald Trump’s gag order.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Robert Jimison and Kayla Guo for The New York Times: “As Speaker Chaos Grows, so Does Talk of Empowering McHenry”

Josh Levin and Stefan Fatsis on the Hang Up and Listen podcast: “The What Jim Jordan Knew About Sexual Abuse at Ohio State Edition”

Philip Bump for The Washington Post: “Americans see the House speaker mess as hurting the country”

John Dickerson and Charlie D’Agata for CBS News Prime Time: “Rocket Attack Destroys Hospital in Gaza”

Charlie Savage and Alan Feuer for The New York Times: “Gag Order on Trump in Election Case Leaves More Hard Questions”

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: Mallika Marshall for CBS Boston: “Hitting snooze in the morning could be beneficial, new studies say” and Will Stone for NPR: “I usually wake up just ahead of my alarm. What’s up with that?”

Emily: Shaun Walker for The Guardian: “Poland election: Law and Justice party on course to be ousted from power” and Anne Applebaum for The Atlantic: “Poland Shows That Autocracy Is Not Inevitable”

David: “Beckham” on Netflix

Listener chatter from Phoebe Saltzstein: Brett Arends for MarketWatch: “Here’s the real cause of the Social Security funding shortfall, according to the program’s chief actuary”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David discuss Oprah Winfrey, Mitt Romney, and a presidential Dream Team and reference: Mike Allen for Axios: “Scoop: Oprah pitched a White House run with Mitt Romney, book reveals”; Romney: A Reckoning by McKay Coppins; Be Useful: Seven Tools for Life by Arnold Schwarzenegger; “Pumping Iron” documentary film; and The New York Times: “First Lady Tours Coal Mine in Ohio: Mrs. Roosevelt Wears Miner’s Lighted Cap and Spends Hour and Half Underground.”

In the next Gabfest Reads, David talks with Kristi Coulter about her book, Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Kevin Bendis

Research by Julie Huygen

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Slate Money: The Cable Sports Apocalypse Oct 21, 2023

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Sara Fischer, senior media reporter at Axios, to break down recent media deals with sports leagues, and why cord-cutters are going old school and buying TV antennas. They also discuss Marc Andreessen’s unhinged tech manifesto.

In the Plus segment: The recent survey of consumer finances.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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What Next TBD: Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard Takeover Oct 21, 2023

Since Microsoft announced its bid to buy Activision Blizzard last year, regulators around the world sounded the alarm that the merger would suppress competition in the industry.

Now that the deal has officially gone through, should gamers be worried?

Guest: Jason Schreier, covering the video game industry for Bloomberg

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: Inside Hamas' Social Media Strategy Oct 20, 2023

Since war broke out, Hamas has been efficient in getting its message out on social media - both in providing crucial information to refugees fleeing the area, and in waging psychological warfare. How can platforms meet the need for open lines of communication without spreading propaganda?

Guest: Sheera Frenkel, covering tech for the New York Times

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What Next: Biden to Israel; Bombs to Gaza Oct 19, 2023

With bombs falling in Gaza, President Biden traveled to Israel to make a show of support. But as meetings with allied government leadership around the region were canceled, is the president doing more harm than good?

Guest: Yousef Munayyer, Palestinian-American political analyst and writer and Senior Fellow at the Arab Center Washington DC.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Bob Menendez: Secret Foreign Agent? Oct 18, 2023

New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez, who was the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was charged with conspiring to act as a foreign agent for the Egyptian government. This follows on the heels of an indictment for bribery and federal corruption. But Menendez says he isn’t stepping down.

Guest: Jessica Taylor, Senate-and-governors editor at The Cook Political Report.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Does Trump’s Violent Rhetoric Matter? Oct 17, 2023

Donald Trump has been saying shocking—even violent—things for so long, it barely registers as news anymore. But after January 6, and with Trump again leading the field of Republican candidates for president, is there a real-world danger to what he’s saying?

Guest:Robert A. Pape, professor of political science and the director of the University of Chicago’s project on security and threats

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What Next: Israel’s New Wartime Government Oct 16, 2023

While mounting a military response to Hamas, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been forced to unite his far-right wing with his political rival, centrist Benny Gantz, a former military Chief of Staff. The plans for retaliation that are emerging are unlike any of Israel’s past skirmishes with Hamas.

Guest: Dov Waxman, director of the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Cruel and Usual Punishment Oct 15, 2023

With more than one and half million people behind bars, the U.S. is second only to China in the number of citizens who are incarcerated. And an estimated one of three African American men spend some part of their lives under the control or supervision of the criminal justice system. The consequences of incarceration for individuals, families, and communities are devastating…and little understood. Even the worst outcomes in prison –sickness, suicide and other deaths– are frequently overlooked because the victims aren’t valued and the incidents aren’t documented.

On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Andrea Armstrong. She’s a professor at Loyola University of New Orleans College of Law, and the chair of the Prison and Jail Innovation Lab at the LBJ School of Public Affairs. She also recently won a MacArthur Fellowship –widely known as a genius award– for her work.

Guest: Andrea Armstrong, professor at Loyola University of New Orleans College of Law, and the chair of the Prison and Jail Innovation Lab at the LBJ School of Public Affairs.

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

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The Waves: The Case For Taking A Sabbatical Oct 15, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves: the case for taking a sabbatical.

Host TK Dutes speaks with author and former television writer Patty Lin on her latest book End Credits: How I Broke Up With Hollywood. Lin worked in some of the most notable writers' rooms like Friends, Freaks and Geeks, Desperate Housewives and Breaking Bad. But when she hit a breaking point, she made a big change and stopped working for an entire year. After that? Her relationship with work–and everything else–transformed.

In Slate Plus: Patty Lin on how her closest relationships changed after going on sabbatical

If you liked this episode, check out: Female CEOs Can’t Save Us

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

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The Waves: The Golden Bachelor Recap: - Gerry’s Crying Again! Oct 15, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves recapping The Golden Bachelor, we find Gerry in his feelings…again.

Slate Senior Supervising Producer Daisy Rosario and Dating While Grey Host Laura Stassi give their thoughts on the third episode of Gerry’s journey to finding love and all the tears that go along with it.

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

If you enjoyed this episode, subscribe to the feeds for The Waves and Dating While Grey wherever you listen to podcasts.

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Amicus: Justice Samuel Alito Got Out Of Bed on The Perry Mason Side Oct 14, 2023

In this week’s big voting rights case, Alexander v. South Carolina State Conference of the NAACP, the Supreme Court heard arguments concerning whether to uphold a South Carolina congressional map that is avowedly partisan (everyone agrees it favors Republicans, but partisan gerrymanders are A-OK under SCOTUS precedent). What is disputed here is whether the mapmakers relied on race to reach their partisan aims. A three-judge panel in South Carolina found it to be a racial gerrymander, and threw out the map. In arguments on Wednesday, it became clear that the high court’s conservatives would rather toss out the evidence the lower court used to reach its decision, an unusual move for the highest court in the land, but perhaps the bed it’s made for itself after ruling partisan gerrymanders non justiciable in Rucho v. Common Cause in 2019. And so SCOTUS cos-played as a trial court for two hours on Wednesday.

On this week’s Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Leah Aden, senior counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense Fund who argued the case on behalf of the South Carolina Conference of the NAACP, and Taiwan Scott - a South Carolina voter and individual plaintiff in the case, who says the electoral power of his Gullah Geechee community is suppressed by the gerrymander.

Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

Dahlia’s book Lady Justice: Women, the Law and the Battle to Save America, is also available as an audiobook, and Amicus listeners can get a 25 percent discount by entering the code “AMICUS” at checkout.

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Political Gabfest: Gaza War Oct 14, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz are joined by Juliette Kayyem to discuss the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and Steve Scalise’s fight for the gavel of the House Speaker.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Juliette Kayyem for The Atlantic: “A Devastating Attack by Hamas”

Tom Dannenbaum for Just Security: “The Siege of Gaza and the Starvation War Crime”

Zack Beauchamp for Vox: “Benjamin Netanyahu failed Israel”

Aamer Madhani and Ellen Knickmeyer for AP: “Biden’s hopes for establishing Israel-Saudi relations could become a casualty of the new Mideast war”

Kevin Liptak, MJ Lee, Kayla Tausche, and Jeff Zeleny for CNN: “Biden’s dilemma in Israel response: Outrage without escalation”

Emily Ngo and Nick Reisman for Politico: “’Unacceptably devoid of empathy’: DSA is facing an internal reckoning on Israel”

Jack Stripling and Laura Meckler for The Washington Post: “At colleges, violence in Israel and Gaza ignites a war of words”

Bertha Gonzalez for The Stanford Daily: “Saller, Martinez condemn Hamas attack in University statement”

Carl Hulse for The New York Times: “Republicans Choose a New Speaker Nominee, Then Quickly Undercut Him”

Jason Lange for Reuters: “RFK Jr could draw one in seven US voters in 2024 presidential election, Reuters/Ipsos poll shows”

Steve Peoples for AP: “How third-party and independent candidates could threaten Democrats and Republicans in 2024”

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Rabbi Erez Sherman in the Jewish Journal: “Mourning and Joy – At The Same Time”

Juliette: “The True-Blue American” by Delmore Schwartz in Selected Poems: Summer Knowledge

David: Matthew Yglesias for Slow Boring: “The “Deaths of Despair” narrative is wrong” and the movie “BlackBerry”

Listener chatter from Deb Knox: Little Amal and Sean Beauford for Pittsburgh City Paper: “A giant puppet comes to Pittsburgh, and, with it, recognition of child refugees”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, David, and Juliette discuss Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Cornel West, No Labels, and their possible effects on the presidential race between Joe Biden and Donald Trump.

In the next Gabfest Reads, David talks with Kristi Coulter about her book, Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Jared Downing

Research by Julie Huygen

Hosts

Juliette Kayyem, Emily Bazelon, and David Plotz

Follow

@SlateGabfest on X / https://twitter.com/SlateGabfest

Slate Gabfest on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/

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Slate Money: SBF (Sweaters, Birkenstock, FTX) Oct 14, 2023

Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers and Emily Peck talk about the latest in the Sam Bankman-Fried trial. They also discuss the (maybe bad???) Birkenstock IPO, and why your sweaters are getting worse.

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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What Next TBD: The $30,000 Zelle Scam Oct 14, 2023

Zelle has exploded in popularity as a fast, convenient way to send and receive money. But the story of a couple who was scammed out of a pool shows there are problems with safety on the platform.

Guest: Devin Friedman, journalist and senior correspondent for GQ magazine.

You can read Devin’s piece here.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Check out Compiler here: https://link.chtbl.com/compiler?sid=podcast.whatnext.2023

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What Next TBD: The Israel-Hamas War Instantly Broke X Oct 13, 2023

When the Arab Spring was unfolding, Twitter was hailed as a way for on-the-ground reporting to reach the public. But when fighting between Hamas and Israel broke out over the weekend, X became flooded with misinformation.

Guest: Casey Newton, founder and editor of the technology newsletter Platformer.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Could Student Debt Relief Still Happen? Oct 12, 2023

After their first plan to forgive billions of dollars of student debt was thwarted by the Supreme Court, the Biden administration is quietly searching for other ways to help borrowers.

Guest: Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, senior higher education reporter for Higher Ed Dive.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Madeline Ducharme, Anna Phillips, Paige Osburn, and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: A Bipartisan Border Wall? Oct 11, 2023

President Biden’s administration announced plans to resume construction of a wall on the southern border, contradicting a contrast then-candidate Joe Biden drew between himself and his opponent in 2020,

Guest: Muzaffar Chishti, senior fellow at the Migration Policy Institute at NYU’s School of Law

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Where Israel Vs Hamas Is Heading Oct 10, 2023

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is vowing a complete blockade of Gaza after Hamas militants killed more than 700 Israelis this weekend. The surprise attack caught Israeli intelligence completely off-guard, and has thrown the region into disarray, on the eve of landmark talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia.

What’s the next stage of this already-volatile conflict? And what’s next for civilians in the Gaza Strip?

Guest: Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondent for The Economist

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A Word: Black Grief, White Grievance Oct 08, 2023

Many of the gains of the Civil Rights movement were built by African Americans who turned grief—often over the violent deaths of loved ones—into activism. At the same time, grief over anticipated or theoretical losses within the white community is frequently harnessed into political power. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by political science professor Juliet Hooker, author of Black Grief/White Grievance, about why anger and even violence has often been framed as a justified response to white losses of power and influence, but inappropriate among Black people, even when there’s loss of life.

Guest: Juliet Hooker, Professor of Political Science at Brown University

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

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The Waves: Female CEOs Can’t Save Us Oct 08, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate Senior Supervising Producer of Audio, Daisy Rosario can’t get toxic female bosses out of her head. She’s joined by Noelle Crooks, author of the new book, Under the Influence and former employee of one Rachel Hollis, so she knows a lot about bad workplaces. They discuss the insidious nature of saying your workplace is “like a family,” why an office dance party is a BAD thing, and how some powerful women leverage their minority status for ill.

In Slate Plus: How to recover from a job that burned you out.

If you liked this episode, check out: The Bama Rush to Trad Wife Pipeline

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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 How To!. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus to help support our work.

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Slate Money: Is Ozempic Eating Into Snack Profits? Oct 07, 2023

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers talk about how Ozempic affects food buying habits, the rise in mortgage and interest rates, and the decrease in stock buybacks.

In the Plus segment: The correlation between life expectancy and having a college degree.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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What Next TBD: The Man Who Turned You Into Data Oct 07, 2023

Hank Asher was a lot of things: a Florida condo maven, a drug runner, a DEA informant—and a tech visionary who created the mixed blessing of turning everyone’s online activity into an unshakable shadow profile.

Guest: McKenzie Funk, reporter for Pro Publica and the author of The Hank Show

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Amicus: Senator Elizabeth Warren is Deeply Worried About SCOTUS Oct 07, 2023

Following oral arguments in a case aimed at demolishing Senator Elizabeth Warren’s brainchild - the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Senator Warren to talk about how far this Supreme Court is prepared to go to fulfill right wing deregulatory fantasies.

Next, Dahlia talks to investigative reporter Andrea Bernstein, part of the team behind We Don’t Talk About Leonard,a new podcast collaboration between ProPublica and On the Media. Andrea explains the mechanisms developed by Leonard Leo that have reshaped the courts over the past two decades, drawing a line from Leo’s state-level judicial influence campaigns, to that Alaskan fishing trip involving Justice Samuel Alito, to this week’s arguments in the payday loan case CFPB v CFSA.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Andrea Bernstein sticks around to talk us through this week in court in New York City, in former President Donald Trump’s business fraud trial. Why did he choose to sit and glower and what did the limited gag order tell us about what the former President can rant about online and outside the court?

Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

Dahlia’s book Lady Justice: Women, the Law and the Battle to Save America, is also available as an audiobook, and Amicus listeners can get a 25 percent discount by entering the code “AMICUS” at checkout.

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Political Gabfest: We Need to Talk About Kevin...McCarthy Oct 07, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the now-former Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy and the for-now Republican Matt Gaetz; the Supreme Court’s new term; and crime in America.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Marianna Sotomayor, Leigh Ann Caldwell, and Colby Itkowitz for The Washington Post: “Fight for speakership begins as House reels from McCarthy ouster”

David Leonhardt for The New York Times: “America’s Political Turmoil”

Matt Ford for The New Republic: “The Supreme Court Eyes Its Next Big Power Grab”

Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley for The American Presidency Project: “Summary of the Report of the Committee on Administrative Management [the Brownlow Report].”

Ian Millhiser for Vox: “The Supreme Court will decide if abusive spouses have a right to own guns”

Mark Sherman for AP: “Supreme Court is asked to reject limits on a drug used in the most common method of abortion”

Andrew Chung for Reuters: “Supreme Court ethics concerns aren’t going away”

Ernesto Lopez, Richard Rosenfeld, and Bobby Boxerman for the Council on Criminal Justice: “Crime Trends in U.S. Cities: Mid-Year 2023 Update"

Rebecca Crosby, Judd Legum, and Tesnim Zekeria for Popular Information: “Target says it’s closing 9 stores due to theft. The crime data tells a different story.”

Trisha Ahmed and Jim Salter for AP: “Some small towns in America are disbanding police forces, citing hiring woes”

Gabe Cohen for CNN: “Doubling up on classrooms, using online teachers and turning to support staff: How schools are dealing with the ongoing teacher shortage”

John Dickerson for CBS News: “Chronic school absences on the rise in 40 states, study finds”

Michael D. Shear for The New York Times: “Bidens’ Dog Is No Longer at White House After Latest Biting Incident”

Molly Olmstead for Slate: “The Bidens’ Dog Keeps Biting People. Why?”

Judicial Watch: “Judicial Watch Sues Secret Service for Records of Attacks by Biden German Shepherd ‘Commander’”

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: North Woods: A Novel by Daniel Mason and “Tiny Beautiful Things” on Hulu

John: “Endeavour” on PBS; Daniel Garisto for Scientific American: “This Year’s Physics Nobel Awards Scientists for Slicing Reality into Attoseconds”; John Uri for NASA: “65 Years Ago: Sputnik Ushers in the Space Age”; and Charles Fishman for Fast Company: “The birth of the electronic beep, the most ubiquitous sound design in the world”

David: Paul M.M. Cooper’s Fall of Civilizations Podcast and Dan Carlin’s Hardcore History podcast

Listener chatter from Danny O’Malley: “Canary”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David discuss President Joe Biden’s dog, Commander, his biting of Secret Service personnel, and his recent banishment from the White House.

In the next Gabfest Reads in October, David talks with Kristi Coulter about her book, Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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What Next TBD: Sam Bankman-Fried—and Crypto—on Trial Oct 06, 2023

As the trial begins, SBF is making the case that what he did is typical in the world of crypto. But when the government paints a much bleaker picture of FTX—one riddled with fraud and deception—what does that say about the industry?

Guest: Nitish Pahwa, associate business and tech writer at Slate.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Who Is Trump Without Trump Tower? Oct 05, 2023

For once, Donald Trump is going to court for things that have nothing to do with his presidency. As Trump defends himself and his businesses against charges of fraud, what does his conduct in New York tell us about how his other trials may go?

Guest: Zach Schonfeld, courts and legal reporter for The Hill.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Fall of Kevin McCarthy Oct 04, 2023

After an arduous series of votes to get the job, it only took one vote to remove Kevin McCarthy from his position as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

Guest: Todd Zwillich, deputy Washington bureau chief, VICE News

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Hear Me Out: Being Adopted Is Traumatic Oct 03, 2023

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… what? Oh my god, who told you?

Note: this episode includes an update as of October 2nd about Michael Oher, who is mentioned throughout the show.

Adoption is a complicated thing. Raising a child who’s not related to you is challenging — and being that child, in many ways, is even harder.

And it’s all too easy for adoption, particularly a white family adopting a black or brown child, to be framed as a heroic act. The truth, as adoptees will tell you, is a lot messier.

Angela Tucker, a writer and transracial adoptee, joins us to argue that adoption is traumatic… and with the right reforms, it shouldn’t need to happen as often as it does.

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie

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What Next: Dianne Feinstein’s Replacement Is Here. Who Is She? Oct 03, 2023

California Democrats were already jockeying to run for Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat next year and Governor Gavin Newsom sidestepped the contenders by announcing he would appoint Laphonza Butler to the seat.

While Newsom made good on his vow to appoint a Black woman to the Senate, does Butler’s job offer come with a poison pill?

Guest: Alex Sammon, Slate politics writer.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Where the Supreme Court Can Do the Most Damage Oct 02, 2023

One case on the Supreme Court’s docket could upend federal regulatory bodies’ ability to regulate at all.

Guest: Jay Willis, editor-in-chief of Balls & Strikes

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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The Waves: The Afghan Women Left Behind - Gender And U.S. Immigration Oct 01, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Host Kat Chow turns to Afghanistan, two years since the chaotic withdrawal of U.S. troops from the country. She speaks with reporter Tanvi Misra, who recently published an article with Politico following a family trapped in immigration limbo at a U.S. embassy in Doha, Qatar. Tanvi also explains how the U.S. immigration process singles out women and marginalized genders.

Further reading: They Thought Their Sick Little Girl Would Be Safe in America. Then It Denied Her Family Entry.

In Slate Plus: The drama and life of luxury on Prime Video’s Made in Heaven with Host Kat Chow and reporter Tanvi Misra

If you liked this episode, check out: Incompetent Cervix - The Misogynist History Behind Naming The Female Body

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry and Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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 How To!. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Talk That Talk Oct 01, 2023

**Today’s episode discusses sensitive language, including the n-word, and may not be appropriate for all listeners.**

For decades, words and phrases that originate in Black homes, churches, and entertainment have been pulled into the national conversation…where their meanings are often changed or widely misunderstood. And social media has accelerated the process, taking Black vernacular from a group chat, to Twitter, to national headlines in record time. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by journalists Tre’vell Anderson and Jarrett Hill, co-authors of the new book, Historically Black Phrases: From ‘I Ain’t One of Your Lil’ Friends’ to ‘Who All Gon’ Be There?’They talk about what inspired their book, and how they hope the book can provide a snapshot of authentic Black language, and the spark to more honest conversations about race and identity.

Guests:

Acclaimed writer Tre’vell Anderson, author of We See Each Other: A Black, Trans Journey Through TV and Film.

Award-winning journalist Jarrett Hill, professor at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Journalism.

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for $15 for your first three months.

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What Next TBD: Inside Crypto's House of Cards Oct 01, 2023

The trial of Sam Bankman-Fried marks the end of an era where crypto rose to dizzying, Super-Bowl-commercial heights. Where does the industry go from here?

Guest: Zeke Faux, investigative reporter for Bloomberg and author of Number Go Up: Inside Crypto’s Wild Rise and Staggering Fall.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Amicus: A Monumental SCOTUS Term Begins: Our Reluctant Curtain-Raiser Sep 30, 2023

Refusing to play the traditional first Monday in October game, Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern squint through the cloud of ethics scandals enveloping the High Court to see a docket aimed squarely at unfettering commerce from outside supervision, with a side order of second amendment extremism. What could possibly go wrong?

Sign up for Slate Plus now to support our show.

Dahlia’s book Lady Justice: Women, the Law and the Battle to Save America, is also available as an audiobook, and Amicus listeners can get a 25 percent discount by entering the code “AMICUS” at checkout.

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Slate Money: Delta Sky Miles vs The Two-Percent Sep 30, 2023

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers are the two-percent! Well, not Emily, to be clear. They dig into what’s going on with all the changes to Delta Sky Miles, the newest lawsuit by the FTC against Amazon, and why LinkedIn is and is not the worst.

In the Plus segment: What do you do with a concrete banana?

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 Cheyna Roth.

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Political Gabfest: Donald Duck and the Seven Dwarves Sep 30, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the second Republican presidential primary debate; the next federal case against Senator Bob Menendez, and the latest lawsuit of United States v. Big Tech. Join us for Political Gabfest Live in Madison, Wisconsin on October 25!

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Dan Balz for The Washington Post: “Republican debate brings chaos, attacks and a slog for second place”

G. Elliott Morris for 538: “How outlier polls happen – and what to do with them”

Nicole Hong for The New York Times: “Gold Bullion and Halal Meat: Inside the Menendez Investigation”

John Dickerson for CBS News Prime Time: “FTC chair Lina Khan discusses need for regulations on big business”

Lina M. Khan in The Yale Law Journal: “Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox”

Lisa Mascaro and Stephen Groves for AP: “House Speaker McCarthy is back to square one as the Senate pushes ahead to avert a federal shutdown”

John Dickerson and Kris Van Cleave for CBS News: “How a government shutdown could cause chaos at airports”

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Mary Harris for This American Life: Act One of The Call; Slate’s podcast What Next hosted by Mary Harris; Never Use Alone Inc. National Overdose Prevention Lifeline; Dr. Alison Block for the Post-Roe America series of The Nocturnists podcast; and Slate’s podcast Amicus hosted by Dahlia Lithwick: “SCOTUS Is Not Done With Guns and Abortion”

John: Michael Schneider for Variety: “CNN and Now-Canceled ‘Vice News Tonight’ Lead News & Documentary Night 1 Winners List” and John Dickerson for CBS News Prime Time: “How to stay safe online, according to CISA”

David: Jonathan O’Callaghan for Nature: “This is what Earth’s continents will look like in 250 million years”

Listener chatter from Kevin McEvilly: Adam Frank and Marcelo Gleiser in The New York Times: “The Story of Our Universe May Be Starting to Unravel”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David discuss the possible shutdown of the U.S. government.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Zadie Smith about her book, The Fraud: A Novel.

In the next Gabfest Reads, David talks with Kristi Coulter about her book, Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com or X us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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What Next TBD: Who Will Pay For A COVID Vaccine? Sep 30, 2023

After years of being a rare spot of universal, American-government-funded health care, this fall’s new COVID-19 vaccine is hitting the commercial market for the first time. So far, the rollout has been mired by hiccups and confusion.

Guest: Jen Kates, senior vice president at KFF

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Evan Campbell and Anna Philips.

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The Waves Special Episode: Senator Dianne Feinstein Dies At 90 Sep 29, 2023

On this special episode of The Waves, Slate’s Lizzie O’Leary and Alex Sammon talk about Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s legacy and what her death means for Senate Democrats and the whole party going forward.

Further Reading: Dianne Feinstein’s Death Instantly Creates Two Big Problems to Solve

If you liked this episode, check out: Why All the First Ladies Want to Be Jackie O.

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry and Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery and Daisy Rosario.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

If you enjoy this show and want to support it, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: Is Amazon a Monopoly? Sep 29, 2023

Amazon evolved from a place to get cheap used books to the “everything store”—one encompassing warehouses, logistics and shipping.

But with the FTC now run by Lina Khan—who wrote the essay ‘Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox” while at Yale Law School—a new contender for “antitrust trial of the century” has begun.

Guest: Leah Nylen, antitrust reporter for Bloomberg

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Can Marriage Fix America? Sep 28, 2023

Why is everyone—on the left and the right—suddenly touting the benefits of a married two-parent family? And what is it about this institution that appeals to a certain class of politicians and pundits as means to address American poverty, even as it loses popularity?

We consider the public meltdown over lower marriage rates and the renewed interest in ending no-fault divorce.

Guest: Rebecca Traister, author of All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nationand writer-at-large for New York magazine.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Madeline Ducharme, Anna Phillips, Paige Osburn, and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: Wait, China’s Taking Our Pandas Back? Sep 27, 2023

Everybody loves pandas—and China knows it. As we say goodbye to the National Zoo’s pandas, we look back at 50 years of “panda diplomacy” and consider its uncertain future.

Guest: E. Elena Songster, author of Panda Nation: The Construction and Conservation of China’s Modern Iconand professor of environmental history of modern China at St. Mary’s College of California.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Madeline Ducharme, Anna Phillips, Paige Osburn, and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: The Writer’s Strike Is Over: Who Won? Sep 26, 2023

After five long months, the WGA and major Hollywood studios have reached a tentative agreement to end the strike—well, that one anyway. Who won what and where do the actors stand?

Guest: Michael Schulman, staff writer at The New Yorker.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Rupert Murdoch and the Future of Fox Sep 25, 2023

At 92, Rupert Murdoch is retiring and handing the reins over to his son. Will Lachlan Murdoch watch over a period of managed decline—or will he chase the audience Fox News has been losing to the even-more extreme right?

Guest: Nicole Hemmer, Director of the Roger Center for the American Presidency at Vanderbilt University.

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The Waves: Incompetent Cervix - The Misogynist History Behind Naming The Female Body Sep 24, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Host Kat Chow welcomes back author and science journalist Rachel E. Gross to talk about the misogynist origins of many names and diagnoses in the female reproductive system. Gross is the author of Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage and the New York Times column Body Language.

In Slate Plus: Rachel E. Gross’s thoughts on the documentary Every Body about intersex people

If you liked this episode, check out: The Vagina et Al., an interview with Rachel E. Gross and Slate’s Shannon Palus about Gross’s book Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry and Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus.

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A Word: School of Destruction Sep 24, 2023

Against the odds, a tight-knit group of Black families created the community of Shoe Lane in Newport News, Virginia in the early 20th century. Residents bought land, and often built their homes, expecting to hand down a thriving African American neighborhood to future generations. Then Christopher Newport University systematically took the land over, pushing out all but a handful of now-elderly residents. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by journalist Brandi Kellam, who helped bring the story to light. She co-reported Erasing the “Black Spot”: How a Virginia College Expanded by Uprooting a Black Neighborhood for ProPublica and the Virginia Center for Investigative Journalism at WHRO.

Guest: Journalist Brandi Kellam

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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Slate Money: AI Facial Recognition's Creepy Evolution Sep 23, 2023

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Kashmir Hill to talk about her new book, Your Face Belongs to Us. They dig into the way facial recognition technology is used in unexpected (and sometimes creepy) ways. They also talk about the A.I. revolution and Rupert Murdoch’s “exit” from the Fox empire.

In the Plus segment: Kashmir talks about tracking her husband.

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 Cheyna Roth.

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Political Gabfest: Who’s Winning The Autoworkers Strike? Sep 23, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the UAW autoworkers’ strike against the Big Three automakers, talk with Yoel Roth about social media trust and safety, and weigh teachers’ burden to engage in parent diplomacy. Join us for Political Gabfest Live in Madison, Wisconsin on October 25!

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Danielle Kaye for NPR: “Why the UAW is fighting so hard for these 4 key demands in the auto strike”

Yoel Roth in The New York Times: “Trump Attacked Me. Then Musk Did. It Wasn’t an Accident.”

Yoel Roth on Lawfare: “Content Moderation’s Legalism Problem”

Sarah Chaves in The Atlantic: “Parent Diplomacy Is Overwhelming Teachers”

9News: “Surveillance video: “Boebert seen vaping, arguing with patrons before removal from Denver theater”

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Susan Haigh and Eric Tucker for AP: “Former federal prosecutor who resigned from Trump-Russia probe says she left over concerns with Barr”

John: Ashley Strickland for CNN: “How NASA has prepared to scoop up an asteroid sample landing in the desert” and The Art of Explanation: How to Communicate with Clarity and Confidence by Ros Atkins

David: NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries: “Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary” and National Trust for Historic Preservation: “Ghost Fleet of the Potomac, Mallows Bay”

Listener chatter from Kevin Collins: Thomas Kole’s a portrait of Tenochtitlan: a 3D reconstruction of the capital of the Aztec Empire

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David discuss the surveillance camera video of Representative Lauren Boebert behaving badly in a Denver theater.

In the next Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Zadie Smith about her book, The Fraud: A Novel.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com or X us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

Hosts

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz

Follow

@SlateGabfest on X / https://twitter.com/SlateGabfest

Slate Gabfest on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/

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The Waves: Why Joe Jonas’s ‘Bad Mommy’ Story Flopped Sep 23, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Host Kat Chow dives into the public divorce of actress Sophie Turner and pop artist Joe Jonas. But we’re not so much getting into the actual divorce, more the way tabloid news is covering it and leaning into some seriously sexist tropes. As news spread about the marriage’s end, articles immediately started speculating as to who was at fault, and tabloids reported using anonymous sources saying Turner was more focused on partying and going out, leaving Jonas at home with their two young kids.

Kat is joined by Rolling Stone senior writer Ej Dickson, to dig into the long history of sexist tropes about mothers and motherhood, the “bad mommy” PR spin, and more.

Further Reading:

Sophie Turner Isn’t A Bad Mom. You’re Just A Mysoginist by Ej Dickson

In Slate Plus: Ej Dickson on why Gweneth Paltrow is uncancellable.

If you liked this episode, check out: Is The Wedding Dress Dead?

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry and Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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 How To!. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus to help support our work.

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Amicus: SCOTUS Is Not Done With Guns and Abortion Sep 23, 2023

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Ryan Busse, a former gun-industry executive turned gun-safety advocate, who is now running for governor in his home state of Montana. As the right to bear arms for domestic abusers is set to be argued at SCOTUS this term, Dahlia and Ryan discuss how gun culture has been radicalized in order to… sell more guns. They also examine how that radicalization has reached the Supreme Court, and threatens our safety, and our democracy.

Next, Dahlia is joined by Alison Block MD, a family doctor and abortion provider who is also executive producer and host of The Nocturnists podcast’s Post-Roe America season. The season lifts the voices of healthcare workers and abortion providers around the country, scrambling to survive in the confusing legal landscape created by Dobbs. The conversation highlights the impossible bind for red state abortion providers forced to choose between caring for patients and criminalization, and how providers in neighboring states are trying to keep up with unquenchable demand for care.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Dahlia is joined by Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern to discuss why they never ever want to go to the all-male rich dude Lord of the Flies camp that is Bohemian Grove, why it’s pretty shocking that Justice Clarence Thomas did, and how the latest Propublica reporting shows the scheme in sharp relief: interest groups founded and funded by billionaires wanted to end the regulatory state, and they found a justice ready to change his mind and do just that. Dahlia and Mark also discuss why the abortion pill banning Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk is all of a sudden so worried about misogyny.

Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

Dahlia’s book Lady Justice: Women, the Law and the Battle to Save America, is now out in paperback. It is also available as an audiobook, and Amicus listeners can get a 25 percent discount by entering the code “AMICUS” at checkout.

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What Next TBD: What Instacart’s IPO Means for Tech Sep 23, 2023

As other tech companies that rode the pandemic to success started sinking, Instacart managed to stay above water—they turned a profit and even made it to an IPO. But a stubbornly static stock price has some asking if Instacart—and the whole gig economy—hasn’t already peaked.

Guest: Erin Griffith, who reports on tech startups and venture capital for the New York Times

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: Did AirBnB Need to Go? Sep 22, 2023

The sword of regulation, which has been swinging over New York AirBnBs for over a decade, is falling at last. But will new laws for short-term rentals have the effect housing advocates are hoping for? And after many failed efforts, can these laws actually be enforced?

Guest: Heather Tal Murphy, Slate writer covering tech and business.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Tackling Homelessness and Addiction at the Same Time Sep 21, 2023

Following “The Call,” our series on the opioid epidemic continues in Seattle.

Harm reduction focuses on meeting people where they are, including enabling them to use drugs safely when experiencing addiction. But some advocates are asking, what happens when you think bigger?

Guest: Lisa Daugaard, criminal justice reform activist and Co-Executive Director of the nonprofit organization Purpose. Dignity. Action.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: How Wisconsin is a “Laboratory for Destroying Democracy” Sep 20, 2023

Wisconsin has been something of a model for Republicans looking to entrench themselves in the state legislature, and one key move has always been to draw the electoral map as favorably as possible. But now, the state Supreme Court has swung to the left – for the first time in 15 years. The GOP is scrambling to keep this battleground state deeply gerrymandered—and keep power in their own hands.

Guest: Ari Berman, national voting rights correspondent for Mother Jones.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Hear Me Out: Bring Back The Draft Sep 19, 2023

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… the conscription question.

The U.S. military is having trouble meeting recruitment goals — and for the first time in recent history, the Army has actually failed to meet its minimum.

Joe Plenzler, a writer, consultant and Marine Corps veteran, joins us to argue that it’s time to bring back the draft; more specifically, a partial one. It’d help address recruiting shortfalls, but more importantly, it might also change how Americans feel about public service… and how politicians feel about endless war.

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie

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What Next: The UAW Enters the Ring Sep 19, 2023

Thousands of members of the United Auto Workers walked off the line at Midwestern auto plants Friday, putting an exclamation mark on a summer where labor—from screenwriters to UPS drivers—flexed its muscles. But is this a true resurgence of the broader U.S. labor movement?

Guest: Barry Eidlin, associate professor of sociology at McGill University

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What Next: McCarthy’s Impeaching Biden to Keep His Job Sep 18, 2023

House speaker Kevin McCarthy announced the opening of an impeachment inquiry into President Biden, but members of the Freedom Caucus—a group of right-wing Republicans with a taste for dramatic, extreme actions—had already moved on to fighting the next spending bill, potentially steering the government to another shutdown.

Guest: Jim Newell, Slate’s senior politics writer.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Slate Money | Criminals: TheraNOPE Sep 18, 2023

In this episode of the Criminals series, the gang talks with Rebecca Jarvis, host of “The Dropout” about Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos. Who were the real victims of Holmes’ crimes? How did her lofty goals drift into scandal? And where does she sit on a scale of “one to evil”?

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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A Word: Wrong from the Beginning Sep 17, 2023

The teaching of Black history has been under increasing political attack in recent years. But the version of African American history taught –even to Black people– has always been incomplete. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by columnist Michael Harriot to discuss his new book, Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America. They discuss the inspiration for the book, the most persistent myths of race and racism, and fighting the backlash against Black history.

Guest: Michael Harriot, author of Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for $15 for your first three months.

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The Waves: Why Joe Jonas’s ‘Bad Mommy’ Story Flopped Sep 17, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Host Kat Chow dives into the public divorce of actress Sophie Turner and pop artist Joe Jonas. But we’re not so much getting into the actual divorce, more the way tabloid news is covering it and leaning into some seriously sexist tropes. As news spread about the marriage’s end, articles immediately started speculating as to who was at fault, and tabloids reported using anonymous sources saying Turner was more focused on partying and going out, leaving Jonas at home with their two young kids.

Kat is joined by Rolling Stone senior writer Ej Dickson, to dig into the long history of sexist tropes about mothers and motherhood, the “bad mommy” PR spin, and more.

Further Reading:

Sophie Turner Isn’t A Bad Mom. You’re Just A Mysoginist by Ej Dickson

In Slate Plus: Ej Dickson on why Gweneth Paltrow is uncancellable.

If you liked this episode, check out: Is The Wedding Dress Dead?

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry and Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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 How To!. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: Can Politicians Keep Kids Safe Online? Sep 16, 2023

The bipartisan Kids Online Safety Act has noble-sounding intentions, but has been called one of the most dangerous bills in years by the digital rights group, the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

Guest: Richard Blumenthal, senior United States senator from Connecticut.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Amicus: The Supreme Court We Deserve? Sep 16, 2023

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by award-winning documentarian and lawyer Dawn Porter for a conversation about two projects shining a light on the law and how we can shape it: Porter’s new Showtime documentary series Deadlocked: How America Shaped the Supreme Court, and the paperback release of Dahlia’s book Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America.

Together they trace the political shifts and cultural earthquakes from the Warren Court to the Burger, Rehnquist and now Roberts Court, and they discuss how the courts current crisis of legitimacy cannot be cured with a moratorium on criticism. In both Lady Justice and Deadlocked a truth surfaces: when it comes to the rule of law, there is no “plan b”, so the challenge to Dawn’s audience, Dahlia’s readers and Amicus listeners is the same: to use the law as a tool for progress and justice.

Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

Dahlia’s book Lady Justice: Women, the Law and the Battle to Save America, is now out in paperback. It is also available as an audiobook, and Amicus listeners can get a 25 percent discount by entering the code “AMICUS” at checkout. https://books.supportingcast.fm/lady-justice

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Slate Money: Old School Union, New School Strike Sep 16, 2023

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss the auto workers strike and how the UAW is using some tactics it's never tried before. They’ll also get into how things went down with the big Arm IPO and talk about the latest census data on poverty.

In the Plus segment: Tiny homes are mostly just click bait.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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Political Gabfest: Impeach ‘Em All, Let God Sort ‘Em Out Sep 16, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz are reunited with John Dickerson to discuss the Wisconsin Republicans’ effort to impeach Justice Janet Protasiewicz and protect their gerrymander; Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s decision to start an impeachment inquiry of President Joe Biden and prevent a government shutdown; and Biden’s age problem and Donald Trump’s battleground-state difficulties. Join us for Political Gabfest Live in Madison, Wisconsin on October 25!

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Scott Bauer for AP: “Why Wisconsin Republicans are talking about impeaching a new state Supreme Court justice”

City Cast Madison podcast: “How We Know Wisconsin’s Maps are Gerrymandered”

Republican Party of Minnesota v. White, 536 U.S. 765 (2002)

Luke Broadwater for The New York Times: “What We Know About the Impeachment Case Against Biden” and Carl Hulse and Luke Broadwater: “McCarthy Tries to Leverage Biden Impeachment to Avoid a Shutdown”

Nate Cohn for The New York Times: “Trump’s Electoral College Edge Seems to Be Fading” and “How to Interpret Polling Showing Biden’s Loss of Nonwhite Support”

FiveThirtyEight Politics Podcast: “Why Biden Is Losing Support Among Voters Of Color”

Paul Waldman for MSNBC: “You can talk about Biden’s age. Just not like this.”

The Hardest Job in the World: The American Presidency by John Dickerson

The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden’s White House and the Struggle for America’s Future by Franklin Foer

Dan Balz for The Washington Post: “Mitt Romney says he will not seek a second term in the Senate”

McKay Coppins for The Atlantic: “What Mitt Romney Saw In The Senate”

“Mitt” on Netflix

Laura Vozzella for The Washington Post: “Va. Dem. House candidate performed sex online with husband for tips”

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: The Knockout Queen: A Novel by Rufi Thorpe and The Vaster Wilds: A Novel by Lauren Groff

John: The Journals of John Cheever edited by Robert Gottlieb; CBS News Sunday Morning; Ted Gioia in The Honest Broker: “Why Is Music Getting Sadder?”; and Chris Dalla Riva: “Tears Are Falling And I Feel The Pain”

David: Zhong sauce by Fly By Jing

Listener chatter from Ben: Tyler Vigen’s “The Mystery of the Bloomfield Bridge”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David discuss Susanna Gibson, the Virginia Democratic House candidate who “performed sex online with husband for tips.”

In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily, David, and John talk with Barbara Kingsolver about her best-selling book, Demon Copperhead.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com or X us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

Hosts

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz

Follow

@SlateGabfest on X / https://twitter.com/SlateGabfest

Slate Gabfest on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/

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What Next TBD: Google Makes Its Case Sep 15, 2023

A trial a decade in the making has started, as the U.S. Justice Department’s antitrust case against Google and its unrivaled position as the top search engine begins. Is this the beginning of the government “taking on Big Tech” and the end of Google as we know it?

Guest: Leah Nylen, covering antitrust for Bloomberg.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Case Against Harm Reduction Sep 14, 2023

Following “The Call,” our series on the opioid epidemic continues in Harlem. Inside a safe-consumption site, addiction is destigmatized—outside, however, the neighbors feel differently.

Guest: Syderia Asberry-Chresfield, co-founder of the Greater Harlem Coalition and a former Vice President for JP Morgan Chase.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Fighting “Disaster Fatigue” Sep 13, 2023

It feels like we live in a world of near constant environmental disasters. Whether it’s living through an emergency, or consuming coverage in the media, collective trauma takes a mental toll. What steps can we take to be ready—for ourselves, our communities, and to help the recovery?

Guest: Dr. Tara Powell, associate professor, School of Social Work, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: How DeSantis Turned New College into a Circus Sep 12, 2023

Back in January, Ron DeSantis appointed six new trustees to the board of Florida’s New College, who swiftly set about remaking the school according to a much more conservative vision of what college should be. Now, as the new school year begins, we’re starting to see what that vision actually looks like.

Guest: Sam Greenspan, freelance journalist who attended New College of Florida from 2004 to 2008.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Prison for the Proud Boys. Now What? Sep 11, 2023

Proud Boys leader Henry “Enrique” Tarrio was just sentenced to 22 years in prison for his role in the January 6th insurrection. With much of their leadership, and that of the Oath Keepers, now behind bars, has their movement hit a dead end? Or is this just more grist for the anti-government outrage mill?

Guest: Brandi Buchman, independent journalist covering the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys trials

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next/This American Life: The Call Sep 11, 2023

As the opioid overdose crisis continues, a group of volunteers started a hotline with one mission—not to encourage people to go to rehab, not even to discourage them from using—just to keep them alive for one more day.

A collaboration with This American Life.

Guests:

Stephen Murray, paramedic and overdose researcher at Boston Medical Center.

Jessie, a registered nurse who answers calls on the Never Use Alone hotline.

Kimber, a caller to the hotline.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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The Waves: The Bama Rush to Trad Wife Pipeline Sep 10, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, it’s rush time! Host Kat Chow is diving deep into the #BamaRush phenomenon that has taken over the internet recently. She’s joined by professor and New York Times columnist Tressie McMillan Cottom to talk about her recent article, “In Alabama, White Tide Rushes On” They dig into the very specific “type” of college student that joins the Alabama sorority, the race and gender implications of the Greek “Machine” and the cuteness of it all.

Fighter Reading:

Our Aesthetic Categories: Zany, Cute, Interesting by Sianne Ngai

HBO documentary Bama Rush (2023) directed by Rachel Fleit

In Slate Plus: Unpacking Tressie’s piece The Enduring, Invisible Power of Blond, and all the internet chaos it caused.

If you liked this episode, check out: How Drake Betrayed Megan Thee Stallion

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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 How To!. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Black Toy Joy Sep 10, 2023

Kwamé Holland started his music career at the dawn of the hip-hop era. But after decades in the business, the rapper and producer is reconnecting with his first creative love – toys! And he’s building a community of Black toy lovers who don’t just collect action figures, but build and even play with them. On today’s episode of A Word, Kwamé Holland talks with host Jason Johnson about his unique path to becoming a prophet of playtime, and his work with Let’s Be Onyx, an organization that promotes the art of collectable toys.

Guest: Rapper, producer and writer Kwamé Holland, co-founder of Let’s Be Onyx

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

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What Next TBD: Bad Air, Worse Vibes Sep 09, 2023

COVID’s still here but the public’s appetite for masking, social distancing, or remote learning is long gone. One palatable way to stop the spread: improving air circulation indoors.

Guest: Apoorva Mandavilli, science and global health reporter for the New York Times

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Amicus: Alabama Double-Dares SCOTUS Over Voting Maps Sep 09, 2023

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Marc Elias, who has litigated more election and voting cases than almost anyone, to talk about Alabama’s disregard for SCOTUS’ decision in the big Voting Rights Act case of last term, and why the lawlessness is the point. They also delve into the dangers of tying the disqualification of former President Donald J Trump from office under Section 3 of the Fourteenth Amendment to the outcomes in his criminal trials. And why, when it comes to defending democracy, depending on the courts may make sense in the short term, but faces serious problems in the long term.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Dahlia is joined by Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern to discuss Justice Samuel Alito’s chosen venue to publish a love letter to Senator Dick Durbin, Chief Justice John Roberts’ chosen venue to publish a love letter to Justice Brett Kavanaugh, and why a major religious freedom case is looking more and more like a fake spike.

Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

Dahlia’s book Lady Justice: Women, the Law and the Battle to Save America, is also available as an audiobook, and Amicus listeners can get a 25 percent discount by entering the code “AMICUS” at checkout

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Slate Money - Optimal Illusions: The False Promise of Optimization Sep 09, 2023

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Coco Krumme to discuss her book Optimal Illusions: The False Promise of Optimization.

In the Plus segment: The story in Felix’s newsletter today on why the city of Birmingham in the UK has gone bankrupt.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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Political Gabfest: Is Biden The Last Politician? Sep 09, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz are joined by The Atlantic’s Franklin Foer to discuss Joe Biden’s White House and The Last Politician; the war in Ukraine and the possible meeting of Kim Jong Un and Vladimir Putin; and Americans’ views on the value of higher education. Join us for Political Gabfest Live in Madison, Wisconsin on October 25!

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden’s White House and the Struggle for America’s Future by Franklin Foer

Seung Min Kim, Stephen Groves, and Farnoush Amiri for AP: “How Biden and McCarthy struck a debt limit deal and staved off a catastrophe”

Matthew Yglesias @mattyglesias: “This was Biden’s core promise …”

Jasmine Wright for CNN: “Kamala Harris found her voice on abortion rights in the year after Dobbs. Now she’s making it central to her 2024 message”

Imtiaz Tyab for CBS News: “Ukraine counteroffensive makes “notable” progress near Zaporizhzhia, but it’s a grinding stalemate elsewhere”

Paul Tough for The New York Times Magazine: “Americans Are Losing Faith in the Value of College. Whose Fault Is That?”

Ramesh Ponnuru in The Washington Post: “How to restore intellectual diversity on college campuses

Mitchell E. Daniels Jr. in The Washington Post: “Could income-share agreements help solve the student debt crisis?”

Bullshit Jobs: A Theory by David Graeber

Sarah Wood for U.S. News & World Report: “Paying for Meals at College: What to Know About Costs”

Nine Black Robes: Inside the Supreme Court’s Drive to the Right and Its Historic Consequences by Joan Biskupic

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Richard Fausset and Danny Hakim for The New York Times: “Georgia Judge Says Two Defendants in Trump Case Will Get Early Trial Together” and Sam Gringlas for NPR: “In the Trump Georgia case, conflicting legal strategies complicate the path to trial”

Frank: The Dan Patrick Show: “Does Messi Make MLS Appear Inferior?”; How Soccer Explains the World: An Unlikely Theory of Globalization by Franklin Foer; Essays on Music by Theodor Adorno; and On Late Style: Music and Literature Against the Grain by Edward W. Said

David: One Life: Frederick Douglass at the National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian, Washington, D.C.; Michel Martin for NPR’s All Things Considered: “Picture This: Frederick Douglass Was The Most Photographed Man Of His Time”; and NPR: “’What To The Slave Is The Fourth Of July?’: Descendants Read Frederick Douglass’ Speech”

Listener chatter from Nicole Dorn: Jennifer Senior for The Atlantic: “The Ones We Sent Away”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Frank, Emily, and David discuss the writing of The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden’s White House and the Struggle for America’s Future.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily, David, and John talk with Barbara Kingsolver about her best-selling book, Demon Copperhead.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com or X us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

Hosts

Franklin Foer, Emily Bazelon, and David Plotz

Follow

@SlateGabfest on X / https://twitter.com/SlateGabfest

Slate Gabfest on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/

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What Next TBD: Tech Disrupts the School Bus Sep 08, 2023

When Howard County signed a $27 million contract with the start-up Zum, the company promised to modernize the way schools provide transportation. But when the school year started, that’s not what happened.

Guest: Daniel Zawodny, covering transportation for the Baltimore Banner and corps member of Report For America.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Can Kids Catch Up After the Pandemic? Sep 07, 2023

Math and reading scores plummeted during the year of virtual learning. Kids are now back in the classroom—but they aren’t back on track. What will it take to catch up a generation —and do schools have the will and resources to make it happen?

Guest: Alec MacGillis, reporter for ProPublica.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Our Aging Congress Is a Problem Sep 06, 2023

The problem with a Congress that is statistically so much older than the country it represents is systemic and—like almost everything in Washington—much of the issue can be traced back to money in politics.

Guest: Walt Hickey, Deputy editor for data and analysis for Insider who worked on their “Red, White, and Gray” reporting project.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Madeline Ducharme, Anna Phillips, Paige Osburn, and Rob Gunther.

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Hear Me Out: Overconfidence Is Killing The Supreme Court Sep 05, 2023

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… supreme hubris.

The Supreme Court is currently unpopular to a historic degree. That popularity is, of course, contingent on political opinion – and whether the court has bucked it recently. But most people agree that something’s wrong with the Supreme Court as an institution.

And, according to Aaron Tang, it’s not partisanship… even though that’s a popular scapegoat. It’s overconfidence and egos running wild.

Professor and author Aaron Tang joins us to discuss what’s wrong with SCOTUS, and how we might start to fix it.

If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can 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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What Next: To Impeach a Republican In Texas Sep 05, 2023

The impeachment trial of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is slated to begin in the state Senate today. Though Paxton’s history of scandals is long and storied, this could be the first time he’s faced accountability—and all it took was leaving taxpayers on the hook for a $3.3 million bill.

Guest: Sergio Martinez-Beltran, political reporter with NPR’s The Texas Newsroom, a public radio collaborative.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Slate Money | Criminals Series: The $5 Billion Fraud Sep 04, 2023

Felix Salmon and Elizabeth Spiers speak with Tom Wright, the author of Billion Dollar Whaleto discuss Malaysian fraudster Jho Low. They talk about how he used political connections to live a lavish lifestyle and buy Leonardo DiCaprio an Oscar.

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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One Year: The Team Nobody Would Play Sep 04, 2023

In honor Labor Day, What Next proudly presents the opening salvo from our colleagues at One Year: 1955. We'll be back in your feed tomorrow.

The Cannon Street All-Stars dreamed of playing in the 1955 Little League World Series. Their biggest obstacle didn’t come on the field. In the year that Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a public bus, these Black 12-year-olds became unlikely civil rights pioneers—and faced the wrath of a white society that wasn’t ready to change.

Josh Levin is One Year’s editorial director. One Year’s senior producer is Evan Chung.

This episode was produced by Kelly Jones and Evan Chung, with additional production by Sophie Summergrad.

It was edited by Joel Meyer and Derek John, Slate’s executive producer of narrative podcasts.

Merritt Jacob is our senior technical director.

Join Slate Plus to get the first three episodes of One Year: 1955 right away—and a bonus 1955 story at the end of the season. Slate Plus members also get to listen to all Slate podcasts without any ads. Sign up now to support One Year.

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The Waves: The Forced Kiss Seen Round the World Sep 03, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, we’re talking about The Kiss. Scaachi Koul is joined by Women’s World Cup reporter for The Athletic and freelance sports reporter, Tamerra Griffin to talk about Spanish Soccer President, Luis Rubiales forcibly kissing player Jennifer Hermoso after Spain’s World Cup final win. They dig into the internal strife that was already going on within the Spanish team, Rubiales’s history of alleged misconduct, where the sport can go from here, and more.

In Slate Plus: How female players express themselves on the pitch.

If you liked this episode, check out: Watch the Women’s World Cup, Damnit!

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Scaachi Koul, Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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 How To!. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: Social Media’s Pivot from News Sep 03, 2023

It wasn’t long ago when social media was a place to go for up-to-the-minute updates in an emergency. But even as internet access is more widespread than ever—and natural disasters more frequent—Twitter and Facebook are less useful than ever. As hubs for news, that era appears over.

Guest: Will Oremus, tech reporter for the Washington Post.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: After Jacksonville, Is Antifa the Answer? Sep 03, 2023

The racist murders of three Black Americans in Jacksonville renewed fears of a rising tide of violent white supremacists. At the same time, fascist movements are successfully recruiting more diverse members. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Daryle Lamont Jenkins, an activist who has devoted his career to tracking and confronting extremists, and even to helping people escape white supremacist groups. Jenkins proudly embraces the maligned “antifa” label, and is encouraging followers to find ways every day to stand up to organized extremists, from neighborhoods to the national government.

Guest: Daryle Lamont Jenkins, Executive Director of the One People’s Project

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

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Slate Money: You Better Not Be Working Sep 02, 2023

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers talk about the state of working in the United States three years after the COVID pandemic began. They discuss the latest in the efforts in the SEC’s attempts to litigate cryptocurrencies. And finally, can you be a guilt-free investor?

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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Political Gabfest: March Forth, Trump! Sep 02, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Donald Trump’s trials schedule and the 2024 election calendar; Vivek Ramaswamy; and “What the Best Places in America Have in Common.”

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Devlin Barrett, Rachel Weiner, and Perry Stein for The Washington Post: “Trump’s D.C. election-obstruction trial scheduled for March 2024”

Josh Barro in Very Serious: “Section Guy Runs For President”

Kathryn J. Edin, H. Luke Shaefer, and Timothy J. Nelson in The Atlantic: “What the Best Places in America Have in Common” and The Injustice of Place: Uncovering the Legacy of Poverty in America

MGM’s “Red Dawn” official trailer

John Dickerson for CBS News’ Prime Time: “Russia accuses Ukraine of large-scale drone attack”

Hamlet by Shakespeare: “To die, to sleep– To sleep–perchance to dream.”

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: Strike Force Five podcast on Spotify; Caroline Anders for The Washington Post: “France has too much wine. It’s paying millions to destroy the leftovers.”; Giri Viswanathan for CNN: “Marijuana and hallucinogen use, binge drinking reached records highs in middle-aged adults, survey finds”; and James Martinez for AP: “’Like Snoop Dogg’s living room’: Smell of pot wafts over notorious U.S. Open court”

Emily: Tennis.com: “Azarenka, Svitolina, Wozniacki among 10 moms in the US Open main draw this year”

David: Tree of the Year 2023 by the Woodland Trust; European Tree of the Year; Asian Tree of the Year; and Josh Levin for Slate’s One Year: 1955 podcast: “The Team Nobody Would Play”

Listener chatter from Brian Jackson: Jordan Pascale for DCist: “At DCA, Crews Race Each Night To Repave A Bit Of Runway Before The Next Day’s Flights”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, John, Emily, and David discuss militias.

In this month’s Gabfest Reads, Emily, David, and John talk with Barbara Kingsolver about her best-selling book, Demon Copperhead.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com or X us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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What Next TBD: Is LinkedIn...Cool Now? Sep 01, 2023

As Twitt—sorry, X—continues to go through tumult, an unlikely, long-time player is emerging as the last acceptable place to post.

Guest: Sarah Frier, tech editor at Bloomberg Businessweek.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Evan Campbell.

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Best of What Next | Fighting for the Right to Die Aug 31, 2023

As the What Next team catches its breath at the end of summer, we’re revisiting some of the biggest stories of the year. This story originally ran on April 27. What Next will resume regular programming next week.

A self-described activist had late-stage, fallopian tube cancer. She didn’t live in one of the 11 jurisdictions that allows terminally-ill patients the choice to medically end their own lives. But rather than relocating, she argued Vermont’s residency restrictions were unconstitutional.

Guest: Lynda Bluestein, a 75-year-old woman seeking to end her life on her terms, who successfully sued Vermont over their residency requirement in their “Patient Choice At End of Life” law.

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Best of What Next | What Texas' Attacks on Trans Healthcare Did to One Family Aug 30, 2023

As the What Next team catches its breath at the end of summer, we’re revisiting some of the biggest stories of the year. This story originally ran on Nov. 9, 2022. What Next will resume regular programming next week.

As Texas laws have become more discriminatory against trans individuals and their families, many wonder if they can even stay in the Lone Star State, especially when parents could be investigated as child abusers for providing healthcare to their children. This family made the difficult decision to move to Colorado.

Guests:

Katie Laird, social justice blogger.

Noah Laird, high school student.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Hear Me Out: Harm Reduction Saves Lives Aug 29, 2023

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… preventing the preventable.

At best, the rate of epidemic of drug overdose deaths in this country is slowing — but by many metrics and in many jurisdictions, the situation remains as dire as ever.

Which begs the question: what tactics will work to prevent these deaths, if nothing has yet?

Laura Guzman, Executive Director of the National Harm Reduction Coalition, joins us to say that harm reduction strategies like clean needles, clean pipes, and Narcan distribution are the way forward… because criminalizing drug use isn’t.

RESOURCES FOR PREVENTING OVERDOSES:

Access guidance and emergency mental health support via Overdose Lifeline.

Find Naloxone near you here.

You may be able to receive Naloxone through the mail; check here.

Find harm reduction centers near you here.

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie

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Best of What Next | He Couldn’t Teach ‘Slavery Was Wrong.’ So He Quit. Aug 29, 2023

As the What Next team catches its breath at the end of summer, we’re revisiting some of the biggest stories of the year. This story originally ran on April 17. What Next will resume regular programming next week.

Iowa was one of the first states in the country to pass legislation against teaching that the United States is systemically racist — an idea some equate with “critical race theory.” But when one social studies teacher asked how he could teach U.S. history without running afoul of the new law, he didn’t get any clarity — or help.

What happens when legislation targets teachers? And as America’s teacher shortage grows — what will this mean for the country’s kids?

Guest: Greg Wickenkamp, former eighth grade social studies teacher in Fairfield, Iowa.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Best of What Next | The Diagnosis Was Fatal. She Couldn't Get an Abortion. Aug 28, 2023

As the What Next team catches its breath at the end of summer, we’re revisiting some of the biggest stories of the year. This story originally ran on March 30. What Next will resume regular programming next week.

Two weeks after Roe v. Wade was overturned, Lauren Hall found out the baby she was carrying had a fatal condition: her head and skull weren’t properly developing. Texas’s three overlapping bans on abortion forced her to fly to Washington to terminate the unviable pregnancy. With the Center for Reproductive Rights, she became one of thirteen plaintiffs suing the state, so no one else will have to go through what she did.

Recently, a district court judge decided in their favor, but the state of Texas immediately appealed, leaving pregnant Texans in limbo until the appeals process finishes.

Guest: Lauren Hall, plaintiff suing the state of Texas over its abortion bans.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: The Cost of "Sustainable" Pet Food Aug 27, 2023

Most pet food is made from the byproducts of the meat that we, humans, eat. Recently, there’s been a rise in high-end pet food products - including things like lab-grown meat - that are touted as sustainable options for your furry friend. But a closer look raises questions about whether or not this food is actually better for the environment.

Guest: Chloe Sorvino, writer for Forbes and the author of the book Raw Deal: Hidden Corruption, Corporate Greed, and the Fight for the Future of Meat.

Special thanks to Patrick Fort and Garbanzo.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Democracy Dies in Dixie? Aug 27, 2023

A small-town government’s failures pushed volunteer Patrick Braxton to run for mayor. He won the right to lead in Newbern, Alabama. But a white minority has literally locked him out of office. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Aallyah Wright, the Capital B journalist who helped elevate Braxton’s ordeal to national news. They discuss the wider issue of ways Black political power is thwarted by old school racism, and the need for a more wide ranging response.

Guest: Aallyah Wright, Capital B News reporter

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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Political Gabfest: Who Won the Trump-less Debate? Aug 26, 2023

This week, John Dickerson is back and joins Emily Bazelon and David Plotz to discuss the first Republican primary debate and the simulcast Tucker Carlson interview of Donald Trump; the Republican law professors’ debate about whether the U.S. Constitution prohibits another Trump presidency; and the United Diners of America.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Colectivo Coffee in Madison, Wisconsin

Josh Dawsey, Michael Scherer, and Marianne LeVine for The Washington Post: “Republican rivals clash sharply in combative debate with no Trump”

Sam Levine for The Guardian: “Could Trump be barred under the constitution’s ‘engaged in insurrection’ clause?”

William Baude and Michael Stokes Paulsen in the University of Pennsylvania Law Review: “The Sweep and Force of Section Three”

J. Michael Luttig and Laurence H. Tribe in The Atlantic: “The Constitution Prohibits Trump From Ever Being President Again”

Eric Segall in Dorf on Law: “Of Insurrections, Presidents, and the Utter Failure of Constitutional Law to Address the Real Issues”

Catherine Rampell for The Washington Post: “Where do socioeconomic classes mix? Not church, but Chili’s.”

Maxim Massenkoff and Nathan Wilmers: “Rubbing Shoulders: Class Segregation in Daily Activities”

Freevee original “Jury Duty” on Amazon

Julie V. Iovine for The New York Times: “Dog Parks Are Great for People. Too Bad They’re Terrible for Dogs.”

Applebee’s America: How Successful Political, Business, and Religious Leaders Connect with the New American Community by Ron Fournier, Douglas B. Sosnik, and Matthew J. Dowd

“Fancy Like (feat. Kesha)” by Walker Hayes

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: “Weathervanes” by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit; “Jason Isbell: Running With Our Eyes Closed“ on Max; “Volunteer” and “Cast Iron Skillet” by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Emily: Jeff Amy for AP: “Georgia prosecutors are suing to strike down a new state law that undermines their authority”

David: Emily Heil for The Washington Post: “Eggo’s ‘Brunch in a Jar’ sippin’ cream is a boozy, diabolical disaster”; Cheez-It Snap’d; City Cast DC 1 Year Anniversary Live Taping

Listener chatter from Leonie: Ronan Casey for Classic Rock: “Meat Loaf, a flying wheelchair, and the greatest story ever told”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, John, Emily, and David debate calendar invitations.

In this month’s edition of Gabfest Reads, Emily, David, and John talk with Barbara Kingsolver about her best-selling book, Demon Copperhead.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com or X us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

Hosts

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz

Follow

@SlateGabfest on X / https://twitter.com/SlateGabfest

Slate Gabfest on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/

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Why Trans Women Transfix Celebs Like Carlos Santana Aug 26, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, why can’t celebrities and sports organizations leave trans people alone? On the heels of the International Chess Federation excluding trans women from competing, and some terrible statements from singer Ne-Yo (remember Ne-Yo?) Waves host Scaachi Koul wants to know why everyone is so obsessed with trans people. She talks with cartoonist and author of the graphic novel, Boys Weekend, Mattie Lubchansky about why celebrities can’t help but get involved, why trans women continue to take the brunt of these types of attacks, and what hope there is for the future of trans rights.

In Slate Plus: It’s the season finale of And Just Like That…season 2.

If you liked this episode, check out: How a Drag Queen Recreated the American Dream

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Scaachi Koul, Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery. Additional help from Victoria Whitley-Berry.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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 How To!. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus to help support our work.

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Slate Money: Twelve Ways to Help Fix the World Aug 26, 2023

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers speak with author and academic Bjorn Lomborg about his latest book, “Best Things First”. How does Bjorn’s advice differ from effective altruism? And where should you donate your own money?

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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What Next TBD: TikTok's Shady Deal with the U.S. Aug 25, 2023

In the spring, it looked like TikTok was on the verge of being banned in America. Since then, it’s continued operating business as usual.

But this week, it was revealed that ByteDance and the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States came close to striking a deal that would allow TikTok to continue operating in the U.S. The negotiations give a glimpse into how social media—and by extension speech itself—could be regulated on the internet.

Guest:

Emily Baker-White, tech reporter and senior writer at Forbes

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: From a Texas Bus to the New York Subway Aug 24, 2023

Over the past year, a growing number of women and children started appearing on New York City subway platforms and trains, selling candy. Their stories illuminate a country in turmoil a continent away—and an ongoing migrant crisis at home.

Guest: Jordan Salama, author of “The Candy Sellers: The lives and livelihoods of some of the city’s newest migrant children” for New York magazine.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: What’s Vivek Ramaswamy’s Deal? Aug 23, 2023

Polls show Vivek Ramaswamy pulling even with Ron DeSantis in the Republican presidential primary, trailing only Donald Trump (albeit substantially).

How did Ramaswamy go from anonymous multimillionaire to a potential Trump alternative in just six months? And what would a Ramaswamy administration look like?

Guest: Mini Racker, staff writer covering politics for TIME Magazine.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Why The Blind Side's Narrative Fell Apart Aug 22, 2023

Last week, retired NFL lineman Michael Oher sued the Tuohy family and revealed a gulf between real life and how he and the family were portrayed in 2009’s The Blind Side.

Guest: Santul Nerkar, reporter on sports and business for the New York Times.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Why Tuition’s So Damn High Aug 21, 2023

Over the last 20 years, the average college student at a public university has seen prices go up 64 percent, as schools spend more and more on amenities to attract students and raise their own rankings.

Guest: Melissa Korn, higher education reporter at the Wall Street Journal.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Slate Money: Criminals Series - Scammer John Ackah Blay-Miezah Aug 21, 2023

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers speak with Yepoka Yeebo, author of Anansi’s Gold: The Man Who Looted the West, Outfoxed Washington, and Swindled the World. Yeebo explains how John Ackah Bley-Miezah convinced people that he held the keys to a large fortune. All they needed to do was help him access it.

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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A Word: The Donald Went Down to Georgia Aug 20, 2023

This week’s indictment of former President Donald Trump in Georgia is widely considered to be the most ambitious prosecution he faces. With 41 counts, and 18 named co-conspirators, it covers alleged crimes in Trump’s efforts to overturn his 2020 loss in the state. But the case also highlights his attacks on individual Black women, and legitimacy of Black votes in general. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by attorney and voting rights advocate Nse Ufot. She’s the founder of the New South Super PAC, and a long-time activist in Georgia. She says that—no matter what happens in this particular case—voting rights for people of color and other marginalized groups are under constant threat across Georgia, and preserving democratic principles there will require vigilance, strategy, and determination.

Guest: Nse Ufot, voting rights activist and founder of the New South Super PAC

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel.

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What Next TBD: Digital Life After Death Aug 20, 2023

Sorting through a loved one’s things after they’ve died can be an emotional, difficult chore. But now, added to that, people have to sort through the deceased’s password-protected online presence.

Guests:

Kate Lindsay, author of the internet culture newsletter Embedded and the article “My Mom Will Email Me After She Dies” in the Atlantic.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Slate Money: Rao’s Pasta Sauce is the Zoom of Food Aug 19, 2023

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss FDIC chair Martin Guenberg’s proposal to let big bank debt holders lose money before the uninsured depositors. Also, Rao’s upscale cornering of the red sauce market leads to its $2.7 billion sale to Campbell’s. Finally “The Wig”: Argentina’s right-wing primary winner Javier Milei’s arresting mop and his plan to toss out the currency.

In the Plus segment: Why can’t it be Halloween all year round?

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 Kevin Bendis and Patrick Fort.

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Political Gabfest: Georgia v. The Trump 19 Aug 19, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz are joined by Lulu Garcia-Navarro of The New York Times to discuss the indictment in Georgia of Donald Trump and 18 co-defendants for trying to overturn the state’s 2020 election results; the court win by Montana youth for “a clean and healthful environment” and the devastating losses of Maui residents to wildfire; and the lawsuit of Michael Oher against his supposed “Blind Side” parents.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

C-SPAN: “Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis on the Indictment of Former President Trump”

David Gelles, Brad Plumer, Jim Tankersley, and Jack Ewing for The New York Times: “The Clean Energy Future Is Arriving Faster Than You Think”

Christopher Flavelle and Manuela Andreoni for The New York Times: “How Climate Change Turned Lush Hawaii Into a Tinderbox”

Josh Levin for Slate: “The Other Blind Sides” and Hang Up and Listen podcast

Robyn Autry for MSNBC: “’The Blind Side’ isn’t the only film that gets things wrong. All white savior movies do.”

Kristine Parks for Fox News: “Liberal columnists seize on ‘Blind Side’ controversy: ‘White savior’ story looks ‘even more fake’ than before”

Emily Laurence and Jeff Temple for Forbes: “The Psychology Behind The Fear of Missing Out (FOMO)”

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: The Fear of Too Much Justice: Race, Poverty, and the Persistence of Inequality in the Criminal Courts by Stephen Bright and James Kwak and The Women of NOW: How Feminists Built an Organization That Transformed America by Katherine Turk

Lulu: Only Murders In The Building on Hulu

David: Hijack on Apple TV+ and hiring for Host, City Cast Las Vegas

Listener chatter from Julian: Liz Lindqwister for The San Francisco Standard: “San Franciscans Are Having Sex in Robotaxis, and Nobody Is Talking About It”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Lulu, Emily, and David discuss the return of FOMO.

In the most recent edition of Gabfest Reads, David talks with David Grann about his book, The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com or X us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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The Waves: How Drake Betrayed Megan Thee Stallion Aug 19, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Tory Lanez has been sentenced for shooting Megan Thee Stallion, and we have THOUGHTS. Scamfluencers co-host and former BuzzFeed reporter Scaachi Koul is joined by Refinery29 reporter Kathleen Newman-Bremang to unpack why so many people turned against Megan despite Tory Lanez being a wasteman. They explain what exactly is a “Toronto Mans” and why this dangerous subsection of man is crossing American borders in the forms of Drake, the Weeknd, and more.

In Slate Plus: Episode 10 of our And Just Like That…recap.

If you liked this episode, check out: The World Record Book of Racist Stories

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Scaachi Koul, Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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 How To!. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: How Crypto Fails Sex Workers Aug 18, 2023

At first, cryptocurrency seemed like the solution to the problems sex workers have had with traditional banks. But as the US moves to regulate the crypto industry, many are finding it hasn’t worked out like they hoped.

Guests:

Joel Khalili, reporter at Wired

Liara Roux, sex worker, organizer, and writer

You can check out Joel’s reporting in Wired here.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Who Failed Hawaii? Aug 17, 2023

Hawaii is in flames, with the death toll from fires on Maui exceeding 100. Now, the search for where the failure—or multiple failures—occurred begins.

Guest: Brianna Sacks, reporter covering climate change and extreme weather for the Washington Post.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Fani Willis Takes on Trump Aug 16, 2023

The fourth shoe dropped this week, when Fulton County DA Fani Willis announced Donald Trump’s latest indictment, charging the former president, along with 18 others, for engaging in a sprawling criminal conspiracy to disenfranchise Georgia voters. Trump has been responding by lashing out against Willis and voters in Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Milwaukee.

Guest: Rick Hasan, professor of law at UCLA and director of the Safeguarding Democracy Project.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Trials of Hunter Biden Aug 15, 2023

Earlier this summer, it looked like Hunter Biden’s legal team had reached a plea deal. But last week, the Justice Department announced a special counsel was being appointed to his case. What happened in between? Is the president's son getting singled out—or special treatment?

Guest: Ankush Khardori, attorney and a former federal prosecutor in the US Justice Department.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Trump’s Spiraling Legal Fees Aug 14, 2023

With every indictment, Donald Trump’s legal fees grow—but so do his campaign donations. But money is leaving faster than its arriving—how long can he keep this up?

Guest: Ben Kamisar, deputy political editor for the NBC political unit.

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What Next TBD: Tech's Mask Off Moment Aug 13, 2023

When conservative writer Richard Hanania’s old posts, originally published under a pseudonym, came to light, people were shocked at just how racist and reactionary they were. Perhaps less shocking were the tech moguls who were revealed to be supporting him.

Guest: Anil Dash, technologist and writer, and the head of Glitch

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Political Gabfest: Abortion Rights Win at the Polls Aug 12, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon and David Plotz are joined by Juliette Kayyem to discuss the Ohio vote not to make it harder to change the state constitution; Republican views on Donald Trump’s offenses; and emergency preparedness or the lack thereof.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Jack Goldsmith for The New York Times: “The Prosecution of Trump May Have Terrible Consequences”

The Devil Never Sleeps: Learning to Live in an Age of Disasters by Juliette Kayyem

Charles M. Blow for The New York Times: “The Montgomery Brawl Was, for Some, a Clarifying Moment”

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: WESH 2: “Gov. DeSantis suspends State Attorney Monique H. Worrell, citing neglect of duty”

Juliette: Clay Risen for The New York Times: “Charles J. Ogletree Jr., 70, Dies; at Harvard Law, a Voice for Equal Justice” and Emily Bazelon for The New York Times: “Why Is Affirmative Action in Peril? One Man’s Decision.”

David: City Cast DC 1 Year Anniversary Live Taping, August 28, 2023, and Rachel Pannett for The Washington Post: “She invited four people over for lunch. A week later, three were dead.”

Listener chatter from Rob Parsons: Richard Nelson for Encounters North: “Classic Audio Encounters”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Juliette, Emily, and David discuss the Montgomery, Alabama riverfront brawl.

In the most recent edition of Gabfest Reads, David talks with David Grann about his book, The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com or X us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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Slate Money: ESPN Bets on Sports Betting Aug 12, 2023

Felix Salmon and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Cardiff Garcia (host of The New Bazaar) to discuss ESPN’s big new investment in sports betting. They break down the state of a lawsuit over how much UFC fighters get paid. Finally, they talk about the increasing allure of private credit.

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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A Word: Haiti on the Brink Aug 11, 2023

According to the United Nations, more civilians died in Haiti than died in Ukraine during the first few months of 2023. Institutions have collapsed; violent gangs control the capital, and kidnappers are terrorizing citizens. What’s left of the Haitian government has pleaded for international help, but historically, foreign interventions in Haiti have harmed, exploited, and even killed many Haitians. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Patrick Gaspard, chief of the Center for American Progress think tank, who argues the U.S. has a moral obligation to intervene. Gaspard is also the former U.S. Ambassador to South Africa, and a Haitian-American.

Guest: Patrick Gaspard, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for $15 for your first three months.

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What Next TBD: Can Smart Guns Save Lives? Aug 11, 2023

A “smart gun” is designed to only work in the hands of the gun’s proper owner. With the first smart gun potentially coming to market later this year, can the tech deliver on its promise?

Guests:

Champe Barton, reporter at The Trace

Kai Kloepfer, founder and CEO of Biofire

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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The Waves: Why All The First Ladies Want to Be Jackie O. Aug 10, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, former Buzzfeed reporter and current Scamfluencers host, Scaachi Koul is taking over hosting The Waves for the next few weeks. This week she’s digging deep into the life of First Lady hopeful, Casey DeSantis. Scaachi is joined by Washington Post reporter, Ruby Cramer. Ruby wrote a masterpiece on Casey DeSantis, “Tracing the power of Casey DeSantis.” They get into why Casey DeSantis scares Scaachi, how to properly make fun of Ron’s wife, and why the Ron and Casey two-some is so exclusive.

In Slate Plus: continuing our And Just Like That…recap with episode 9.

If you liked this episode, check out: Your Period Deserves Respect

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Scaachi Koul, Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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 How To!. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Justice for the Gilgo Beach Murder Victims Aug 10, 2023

In December of 2010, four bodies were discovered in Gilgo Beach, Long Island. Nearly 13 years later, police now say they’ve identified the killer.

Though the victims’ family members are relieved, they’re also left wondering what took so long.

Guest: Robert Kolker, author of Lost Girls.

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What Next: Haiti’s Kidnapping Crisis Aug 09, 2023

What’s behind a recent uptick in kidnappings and gang violence in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, and how did Kenya end up being the country stepping up to help?

Guest: Jacqueline Charles, Caribbean correspondent at The Miami Herald.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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How To!: Cope With Climate Anxiety Aug 08, 2023

As the massive Caldor fire blazed towards South Lake Tahoe in 2021, Joyce knew she had to get out. “The sky was red. It was like hell on earth,” she remembers. Her family got to safety and her house was miraculously spared. But, even now, it can be jarring to remember the fire. Climate-related extreme weather events are on the rise and another disaster is seemingly right around the corner. Especially with freakish flash floods, a scorching heatwave and wildfire smoke blanketing much of the country. On this episode of How To!, guest-host Cheyna Roth brings on Dr. Britt Wray, author of Generation Dread: Finding Purpose In an Age of Climate Crisis. Dr. Wray explains why we need to treat climate anxiety differently and how we can create resilience both internally and within our communities as we face climate change, together.

Resources Mentioned:

Climate Psychology Alliance

Climate Psychiatry Alliance

Good Grief Network

Climate Awakening

Gen Dread Substack

If you liked this episode, check out: How To Save the Planet (And Still Use a Plastic Straw)

Do you have a question we can help you solve? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show. Subscribe for free on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Derek John, Rosemary Belson, Kevin Bendis, and Jabari Butler.

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Hear Me Out: Affirmative Action Failed Poor Black Kids Aug 08, 2023

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… almost affirmative.

We don’t yet know what the Supreme Court’s ruling on affirmative action is going to do, tangibly, to college admissions — or how long those impacts will last. But, based on past experiments, we have a decent idea. And many advocates say the implications here are urgent and dire.

But affirmative action might not have been the great equalizing force that a lot of people believe it was.

Bertrand Cooper, freelance journalist and policy researcher, joins us to elaborate on his belief that poor Black kids were failed by affirmative action.

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie

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What Next: Judges on the Trump Trials Aug 08, 2023

Who are the judges presiding over Donald Trump’s trials and what can the prosecution—and defense—expect, based on what’s happened already?

Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, senior writer covering courts and the law for Slate Magazine

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Florida Public Schools' New Anti-Woke Partner Aug 07, 2023

In July, Florida approved the use of Prager U materials in its classrooms. The organization claims its videos offer an alternative to the prevailing left-wing ideology in the classroom. Its founder told a sympathetic audience that what they offer is indoctrination. What impact could these videos have in public schools? And where could they be heading next?

Guest: John Knefel, senior writer for Media Matters for America.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: Another Summer of COVID Aug 06, 2023

After a quiet spring, COVID is surging back for the fourth consecutive summer. So, is this just life now?

Guest: Katherine Wu, staff writer at the Atlantic

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Golden Lady Ballers Aug 06, 2023

More people are watching women’s sports than ever before, and the U.S. has high hopes for the Women’s World Cup. Still, there’s a lag in media coverage and resources for women athletes, particularly women of color. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Subria Whitaker, the chief of the non-profit organization Grow the Game. They discuss why the growth of women’s sports still isn’t matched by media coverage and economic resources, and how that impacts audiences and athletes of color.

Guest: Subria Whitaker, founder and executive director of the non-profit, Grow the Game

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

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Slate Money: America’s Credit Rating Went Down. So What? Aug 05, 2023

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers talk about the recent downgrade of America’s credit rating by one agency. They also cover how Taylor Swift and Beyonce are changing concert tours, and figure out whether or not anyone is judging you during a business lunch.

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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The Waves: Hollywood is On Strike. Let’s Burn it Down. Aug 05, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, we’re talking the Hollywood strikes. Slate senior supervising producer Daisy Rosario is joined by longtime journalist and author of Burn It Down, Maureen Ryan to unpack the systematic oppression that has taken place behind the scenes of your favorite movies and television shows for decades. They dig into the structures in place to keep women and marginalized voices from getting to the top of the ladder, and how none of these stories are examples of one bad apple. They also explore how the ongoing writers and actors strikes are an inevitable result of years of injustice - and what they need to bargain for to make true change in Hollywood.

In Slate Plus: A recap of episode 8 of Max’s And Just Like That…

If you liked this episode, check out: How to Survive in Hollywood

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery. Additional help from Paige Osburn.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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 How To!. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus to help support our work.

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Political Gabfest: The Defendant Knew They Were False Aug 05, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Donald Trump’s third indictment, this one for January 6th and the 2020 election; Trump v. President Joe Biden poll results; and, joined by David French of The New York Times, the country song “Try That In A Small Town.”

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Devlin Barrett and Josh Dawsey for The Washington Post: “Heart of the Trump Jan. 6 indictment: What’s in Trump’s head”

Judd Legum for Popular Information: “The biggest misconception about Trump’s third criminal indictment”

Reid J. Epstein for The New York Times: “Quick to Mock MAGA, Biden Stays Silent on Trump Indictments”

Reid J. Epstein, Ruth Igielnik, and Camille Baker for The New York Times: “Biden Shores Up Democratic Support, but Faces Tight Race Against Trump” and Nate Cohn: “Can the Race Really Be That Close? Yes, Biden and Trump Are Tied.”

David French for The New York Times: “Try Tolerance in a Small Town” and “The Trial America Needs”

18 U.S. Code § 241 – Conspiracy against rights

Jill Filipovic for The Guardian: “Musicians like Jason Aldean love to glorify ‘small-town’ America. It’s embarrassing”

Aaron Zitner for The Wall Street Journal: “They’re the Happiest People in America. We Called Them to Ask Why.”

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Deborah Treisman for The Writer’s Voice: New Fiction from The New Yorker: “Camille Bordas Reads ‘Colorín Colorado’” and How to Behave in a Crowd by Camille Bordas

John: Meghan Bartels for Scientific American: “NASA Detects ‘Heartbeat’ from Voyager 2 Spacecraft after Losing Contact” and John Dickerson for The Prime Time Interview, CBS News: “Author Dan Pink on the meaning of regret, how he captures his ideas, more with John Dickerson”

David: “Exploring a Secret Fort” with David through airbnb and Emma Marris for Nature: “Could this ancient whale be the heaviest animal ever?”

Listener chatter from Alex Callahan: Peter Braul for Maisonneuve: “We’ll Never Be That Drunk Again”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily discuss “The Socio Political Demography of Happiness” by Sam Peltzman.

In the most recent edition of Gabfest Reads, David talks with David Grann about his book, The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com or X us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Jared Downing

Research by Julie Huygen

Hosts

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz

Follow

@SlateGabfest on X / https://twitter.com/SlateGabfest

Slate Gabfest on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/

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What Next TBD: Tesla's Big Lie Aug 04, 2023

Tesla sold a vision of how electric vehicles would work: just like gas-powered cars, but cleaner, better. But as a scandal about misrepresented battery life and driving range unfolds, and the price of their cars remains high, it increasingly looks like the transition will be anything but seamless—if it happens at all.

Guest: Edward Niedermeyer, author of Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors.

You can check out Reuters reporting on Tesla’s range scandal here.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: It’s Hot as Hell. Why Are Pools Closed? Aug 03, 2023

The temperature is going up, but the number of open, public pools isn’t. It’s not just a summer bummer; it’s turning into a public health crisis.

Guest: Mara Gay, member of the New York Times editorial board, focused on New York State and local affairs.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: U.S. vs Trump Aug 02, 2023

We’re eight months into the year—and former president Donald Trump has now been indicted three times. On Tuesday, a federal grand jury charged Trump with three counts of conspiracy and one count of obstruction. But what exactly does that mean? And can someone really run for president…while juggling three different trials?

Guest: David Graham, staff writer for “The Atlantic”

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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: After the Strike Aug 01, 2023

In December, University of California graduate students went on strike for six weeks. It was the largest higher education strike in U.S. history. But even after the new contract was signed and the strikers were back at work, they found the fight didn’t stop.

Guest: Peter Lucas, a writer covering labor and politics.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Congress Wants to Know: Do Aliens Exist? Jul 31, 2023

In a recent public hearing, three government officials told Congress that not only are “unidentified anomalous phenomena” real, they’re a major national security concern. But one witness took his testimony even further, claiming the government possesses materials of “non-human origin.” How much do we really know about UAPs – or, as they’re more commonly known, UFOs? And now that Congress is involved, are we about to learn a whole lot more?

Guest: Garrett Graff, contributor at WIRED magazine; author of the forthcoming book, “UFO: The Inside Story of the US Government's Search for Alien Life Here—and Out There”

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next TBD: America’s Downtown Ghost Towns Jul 30, 2023

It’s 2023 – and less than half of all Americans have returned to the office full time. That means U.S. downtowns from San Francisco to New York are emptier than they’ve been in decades. Offices are actually trending away from policies that mandate returning five days a week. So, how can cities get creative – and develop some new ways to boost the local economy?

Guest: Henry Grabar, Slate staff writer

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Political Gabfest: Can Israel Survive As A Democracy? Jul 29, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s legislative win limiting judicial powers while hundreds of thousands of Israelis protest; Harvard University and other elite colleges’ reconsideration of legacy admissions; and the revise-or-bust status of Hunter Biden’s plea deal.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Emily Bazelon for The New York Times: “How Israel’s Supreme Court Might React to the Challenge to Its Power”

Maayan Lubell for Reuters: “Israel’s Netanyahu down in polls over judicial reform”

John Dickerson for CBS News Prime Time: “Harvard professor discusses admission at elite colleges”

Claire Cain Miller and Aatish Bhatia for The New York Times: “How Big Is the Legacy Boost at Elite Colleges?” and Aatish Bhatia, Claire Cain Miller, and Josh Katz: “Study of Elite College Admissions Data Suggests Being Very Rich Is Its Own Qualification”

Annie Lowrey for The Atlantic: “Why You Have to Care About These 12 Colleges”

John Dickerson and Catherine Herridge for CBS News Prime Time: “What’s next for Hunter Biden after plea deal unraveling”

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: “Barbie” starring Margot Robbie and Ryan Gosling

John: Wall Street Journal: “Yemen Oil Tanker at Risk: An Operation to Avert a Massive Spill”

David: “Jury Duty” on Amazon Prime

Listener chatter from Susan Bates: The Ride of Her Life: The True Story of a Woman, Her Horse, and Their Last-Chance Journey Across America by Elizabeth Letts

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David and Emily discuss their personal thoughts on Israel and reference Exodus by Leon Uris and “Exodus” starring Paul Newman and Eva Marie Saint.

In the July edition of Gabfest Reads, David talks with David Grann about his book, The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com or X us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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Slate Money: Will The UPS Union Deal Deliver? Jul 29, 2023

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers talk about the tentative agreement between UPS and their unionized workers. They discuss how Goldman Sachs’ Apple credit card went bad, and a new study reveals how household income influences Ivy League admission rates.

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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What Next TBD: Washington vs. A.I. Jul 28, 2023

At a White House summit late last week, some of the biggest names in tech - including Meta, Google and OpenAI - signed “voluntary” commitments to safeguard artificial intelligence. In Congress, Senate Leader Chuck Schumer recently introduced a “legislative framework” for A.I. law… but as they debate and deliberate, the A.I. train continues to move full steam ahead. It’s clear the government’s paying attention, but can they keep up with the technology?

Guest: Makena Kelly, politics reporter at The Verge

Don Beyer, U.S. representative for Virginia's 8th congressional district

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: The Rise of Post-Obama Racism Jul 28, 2023

For some, the election of Barack Obama signified hope. For others, it intensified hate. But what role did mainstream political rhetoric play in fueling subsequent violent racially charged incidents? On today’s episode of A Word, guest host Ahyiana Angel is joined by Wesley Lowery, journalist and author of American Whitelash: A Changing Nation and the Cost of Progress. Lowery details how he used first-hand reporting and historical analysis to explore the role of race in politics and the new wave of racial division in our society.

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel.

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What Next: Jason Aldean’s “Dog-Whistle Anthem” Jul 27, 2023

Country music’s Jason Aldean has been around for years. But he didn’t crack the Billboard Top 5 until he released “Try That in a Small Town” – a controversial hit that portrays American city living as a gauntlet of violence and crime. CMT pulled down the song’s video, which featured Aldean singing at a former lynching site. But “Try That” is more popular than ever. Why? And what does its ubiquity say about modern country music?

Guest: Jason Lipshutz, senior director of music at Billboard

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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The Waves: How a Drag Queen Recreated the American Dream Jul 27, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, drag queens are under attack and being labeled bad for families and kids. But RuPaul’s Drag Race and Drag Race All Stars contestant Mrs. Kasha Davis is making people rethink the American Dream. She sits down with Slate senior supervising producer, Daisy Rosario to talk about the real life inspiration for the character of Mrs. Kasha Davis, her new music video showcasing the importance of Drag Story Hour, and why more people need to see happy queer families like hers.

In Slate Plus: Recap of episode 7 of HBO’s And Just Like That…

If you liked this episode, check out: Why Barbie Lives On

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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What Next: Has Netanyahu Lost Control? Jul 26, 2023

This week, Israel’s far-right coalition government voted to strip the Supreme Court of the power to overturn “unreasonable” government actions and appointments. Protesters and experts alike worry it's the first step in a broader push towards gutting the judiciary altogether. Is Israel on the brink of authoritarianism?

Guest: Yair Rosenberg, staff writer at The Atlantic, author of its “Deep Shtetl” newsletter

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Hear Me Out: Learning Gun Safety Could Save Your Kids’ Lives Jul 25, 2023

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… safety on.

July sees the most accidental shootings involving children of any month on the calendar — but there’s not really a month where these tragedies don’t happen.

So put aside your feelings on gun control for a moment and consider: how, in the world we live in right now, can we protect children from their own curiosity?

Our guest, author Yehuda Remer, argues that teaching kids what guns can do — and how they can keep themselves safe — is the best solution.

*NOTE*: Slate reached out to Everytown for comment regarding allegations that they “skew” data. At the time of this publication, we have not received a response — but we’ll update you if and when we do.

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie

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What Next: How Far Will Texas Go? Jul 25, 2023

A recent escalation of Texas’ Operation Lone Star is facing renewed scrutiny. The Justice Department plans to sue the state over a floating barrier in the Rio Grande. It’s also investigating accusations from a state trooper that agents were told to push a group of migrants - including children - back into the water. What is happening at the southern border? And how did it get so dire?

Guest: Ben Wermund, Washington correspondent for the Houston Chronicle and San Antonio Express-News

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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: Climate Change Goes to Court Jul 24, 2023

Around the United States and around the world, people are suing their governments and governments are suing fossil fuel companies over the changing climate—revealing what they knew and when they knew it. But even if these lawsuits succeed, what difference can they make for a problem with a literal global scale?

Guest: Dharna Noor, fossil fuels and climate reporter at The Guardian.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Justice Delayed, Justice Denied? Jul 23, 2023

Oklahoma’s legendary “Black Wall Street” was destroyed in the Tulsa Massacre of 1921. Hundreds of victims were murdered and dumped in mass graves, and dozens of homes and businesses were burned to the ground. More than a century later, three survivors remain, fighting for justice. But their lawsuit seeking reparations was recently dealt a blow in court. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons to talk about the case, the history and the next steps.

Guest: Attorney Damario Solomon-Simmons, founder of the Justice 4 Greenwood organization

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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What Next TBD: Why Tech Lays Women Off First Jul 23, 2023

When the tech industry started rounds of layoffs this year, almost half of the people let go were women—even though they make up a much smaller percentage of the workforce. What does this say about women in tech, and efforts to diversify the industry overall?

Guest: Emma Goldberg, a reporter who covers the future of work for the New York Times.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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The Waves: Why Barbie Lives On Jul 22, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, it’s all about Barbie. Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth sits down with M.G. Lord, author of Forever Barbie and co-host of “LA Made: The Barbie Tapes” from LAist and So Cal Public Radio. They discuss the history of the Barbie doll and how she’s managed to endure, how Barbie might actually be feminist, and what the new Greta Gerwig movie gets right about Barbie.

In Slate Plus: Episode 6 of our And Just Like That…recap.

If you liked this episode check out Is The Wedding Dress Dead?

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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Political Gabfest: Trump Legal Traffic Jam Jul 22, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz are together again and talking about Donald Trump’s next indictment and the charges against his “false electors” in Michigan; the struggles of candidates Ron DeSantis, Tim Scott, et al.; and Congressional Republicans’ culture war against the U.S. military.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

James Madison: “Impeachment of the Executive, [20 July] 1787”

FiveThirtyEight: “Who’s Ahead In Republican Primary Polls?”

Fox News Digital: “Republican presidential candidate Sen. Tim Scott says Donald Trump is ‘overqualified to be my vice president’”

Manu Raju, Rashard Rose, and Lauren Fox for CNN: “Tommy Tuberville now says ‘White nationalists are racists’ after refusing to denounce them”

Zoë Richards for NBC News: “Arizona Republican refers to Black Americans as ‘colored people’ in House floor debate”

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Elise White, Basaime Spate, Javonte Alexander, and Rachel Swaner for the Center for Justice Innovation: “’Two Battlefields’: Opps, Cops, and NYC Youth Gun Culture” and Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration by Emily Bazelon

John: Mona El-Naggar, Johan M. Kessel, and Alexander Stockton for The New York Times: “What Is War to a Grieving Child?”; Jeanna Smialek and Ben Casselman for The New York Times: “The Pandemic’s Labor Market Myths”; and Chris Cameron for The New York Times: “Over 700 Civil War-Era Gold Coins Found Buried on a Kentucky Farm”

David: “Exploring a Secret Fort” with David through airbnb; Steve Bohnel for The Frederick News-Post: “$200,000, or the city burns: The story of the Confederacy’s ransom on Frederick”; and Caity Weaver for The New York Times Magazine: “My Impossible Mission to Find Tom Cruise”

Listener chatter from Dianne Denton: Harriet McBryde Johnson for The New York Times Magazine: “Unspeakable Conversations” and Disability Visibility: First-Person Stories from the Twenty-First Century by Alice Wong

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily discuss the Hollywood actors’ and writers’ strikes, artificial intelligence, and the future of work.

In the next edition of Gabfest Reads, David talks with David Grann about his book, The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com or Tweet us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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What Next TBD: America’s $5 Trillion Grid Problem Jul 21, 2023

To keep places like Phoenix habitable, we need to have air-conditioning. But to have air-conditioning, we need a functional, modern electrical grid. With America’s grid already aging—and more demand coming in the form of electric cars and more A/C for hotter weather—what will it take to keep it going as the weather gets more extreme?

Guest: Dr. Joshua Rhodes, research scientist at the University of Texas at Austin studying energy systems and how they interact with our environment, climate, and life.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Judging the Supreme Court Jul 20, 2023

The Senate Judiciary Committee is considering a code of ethics for the Supreme Court—but Chief Justice John Roberts doesn’t believe they have the right to impose one.

But with the Court’s legitimacy in question - and its popularity down the tubes - who should hold the Justices accountable?

Guest: Judge Jeremy Fogel, executive director of the Berkeley Judicial Institute.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Indefensible Defense Bill Jul 19, 2023

Even with Congress famously gridlocked, it reliably passes the National Defense Authorization Act. But this year, hardline conservative Republicans in the House of Representatives added amendment after amendment that were less concerned with national defense and more in line with their own culture war grievances.

How can a government function when even the simple things become impossible?

Guest: Melanie Zanona, Capitol Hill reporter at CNN

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: How Hollywood Shot Itself in the Foot Jul 18, 2023

Actor Lea DeLaria knew Orange is the New Black was a hit. But Netflix made sure their paychecks didn’t reflect it. Fast forward ten years and this business model is the norm for nearly all working American actors.

So now, the actors are joining the writers on strike, something that hasn’t happened in Hollywood since 1960, when television was the new, upstart technology. Today the double strike is about streaming services and artificial intelligence.

Guests:

Alissa Wilkinson, Vox senior correspondent covering film and television.

Lea DeLaria, comedian and an actor best known for playing Big Boo on Orange is the New Black.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Thousand-Year Floods, Annually Jul 17, 2023

You can be forgiven for not thinking of Vermont as a place prone to catastrophic flooding. But as the climate changes, we have update our expectations—and our floodplain maps.

Guest: Anna Weber, senior policy analyst focused on the current and future effects of flooding and sea level rise at the NRDC.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Black Dolls Matter Jul 16, 2023

Barbie is more than a toy. She’s an icon, and now the focus of a blockbuster film. For generations, Barbie has helped define all-American beauty, often leaving girls who weren’t blonde, thin, and white feeling invisible. But that began to change in the 1980’s with the introduction of Black Barbies. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Lagueria Davis, the producer of Black Barbie: A Documentary. The film tells the stories of the African American women who helped bring Black Barbie to life, and the surprising impact that had on the marketplace, and the emotional lives of Black girls.

Guest: Filmmaker Lagueria Davis, producer of Black Barbie: A Documentary

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

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What Next TBD: America’s Killer Car Problem Jul 16, 2023

Pedestrian deaths in America have been rising for the last decade, while dropping in Europe and Japan. What makes the U.S. so dangerous for pedestrians?

Guest: Jessie Singer, author of There Are No Accidents: The Deadly Rise of Injury and Disaster―Who Profits and Who Pays the Price.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Amicus: Zero-Sum Justice Jul 15, 2023

In the first of Amicus’ summer series of conversations about books and podcasts that have helped us look at the Supreme Court from a different angle, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Joel Anderson, host of Season 8 of Slate’s Slow Burn podcast: Becoming Justice Thomas. They talk about the experiences and people who helped shape Justice Thomas’ worldview and how deeply his jurisprudence is rooted in a kind of “cruel to be kind” ethos from his childhood. And why he was so blind to the challenges and suffering of so many Black women in his life.

Next, Dahlia talks to Heather McGhee, Author The Sum of Us: WHAT RACISM COSTS EVERYONE AND HOW WE CAN PROSPER TOGETHER, about her books and podcast, and what they can teach us about a Supreme Court that is inclined to frame the world as zero-sum.

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Political Gabfest: The World Is Burning Jul 15, 2023

This week, John Dickerson and David Plotz are joined by Vox’s Marin Cogan @marincogan to discuss the extreme weather, heat, and floods that are wreaking havoc across the United States and around the world; the social media phenomenon of Threads; and the American love-hate relationship with cars.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Cara Buckley for The New York Times: “To Help Cool a Hot Planet, the Whitest of White Coats”

Jonathan Erdman for The Weather Channel: “America’s Top Weather Killer Is Not Tornadoes, Flooding, Lightning Or Hurricanes – It’s Heat”

Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World by Henry Grabar

Antonio Pequeño IV for Forbes: “Zuckerberg Vs. Musk: Everything We Know About The Possible Cage Fight”

These Truths: A History of the United States by Jill Lepore

Insider Intelligence: “US Social Network Ad Revenue Growth, 2021-2023”

Marin Cogan for Vox: “The impossible paradox of car ownership”; “The deadliest road in America”; and “Cars transformed America. They also made people more vulnerable to the police.”

Tracy Chapman: “Fast Car”; Luke Combs: “Fast Car”; and Emily Yahr for The Washington Post: “Tracy Chapman, Luke Combs and the complicated response to ‘Fast Car’”

Henry Grabar for Slate: “Why More Americans Are Using Fake License Plates and Getting Away With It”

Gersh Kuntzman for Streetsblog NYC: “Paris Mayor Enters Fray Between E-Bikes and Pedestrians – By Fighting Drivers”

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: Hannah Hartig, Andrew Daniller, Scott Keeter, and Ted Van Green for Pew Research Center: “Republican Gains in 2022 Midterms Driven Mostly by Turnout Advantage”

Marin and David: Tour de France on NBC Sports; Tour de France: Unchained on Netflix

Listener chatter from Dan Kirkwood: Claire Stremple for The Alaska Beacon: “Angoon students name, launch first dugout canoe since 1882 Bombardment”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Marin discuss traffic enforcement, the need for it, and the harms it causes.

In the latest edition of Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Monica Potts @MonicaBPotts about her book, The Forgotten Girls: A Memoir of Friendship and Lost Promise in Rural America.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com or Tweet us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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The Waves: Watch The Women’s World Cup, Damn It! Jul 15, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, we’re talking about the Women’s World Cup and why you should be watching it (even if sometimes it’s a little tricky to find). Slate senior supervising producer Daisy Rosario is joined by investigative sports journalist Jessica Luther with a Waves guide to the cup. They discuss what players to look for, why nationalism can sometimes trump misogyny, Megan Rapinoe’s retirement, and why the US women’s soccer team is so good.

In Slate Plus: Episode 5 of our And Just Like That…recap.

If you liked this episode, check out: Is the Wedding Dress Dead?

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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 How To!. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus to help support our work.

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Slate Money: Trouble in the House of Mouse Jul 15, 2023

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers talk about Disney’s challenges especially now that writers and actors are both on strike. They discuss the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision on student loans. And finally, what to do if your bank suddenly closes your account.

In the Plus segment: Giant cruise ship!

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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What Next TBD: Will UPS Workers Join "Hot Strike Summer?" Jul 14, 2023

Contract negotiations between the Teamsters and UPS broke down last week and now a strike looms. With time running out, can both sides reach a deal?

Guest: Noam Scheiber, labor reporter for the New York Times.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: QAnon Goes to the Movies Jul 13, 2023

Beat it, Barbie; outta the way, Oppenheimer—this summer’s biggest box office surprise is “The Sound of Freedom,” a low-budget search-and-rescue thriller that Hollywood doesn’t want you to see—or so the implication goes.

Guests:

Sam Adams, Slate senior editor

Will Sommer, media reporter at the Washington Post and author of Trust the Plan The Rise of QAnon and the Conspiracy That Unhinged America.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: What Homelessness Is Really Like Jul 12, 2023

Despite holding only twelve percent of Americans, the state of California is home to nearly one-third of the nation’s people experiencing homelessness. A landmark study from UCSF—the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness— produced an intimate look at who is living on the streets and in their cars in California, how they got there, and what actual aid would look like.

Guests:

Claudine Sipili, co-leader of UCSF’s Lived Expertise Advisory Board for the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness.

Ethan Ward, founder of HEATDRAWN Media, and the host of Reputation, a podcast which challenges preconceived notions about the homelessness crisis.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Hear Me Out: You Need To Care About Meghan Markle Jul 11, 2023

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… royal pains.

The British Royals are far from the imperial power they once were. Whether you love the institution, hate it, or simply don’t care, it’s hard to deny that it feels like an artifact of another time.

Which is perhaps why Meghan Markle’s arrival on the scene – and subsequent departure, with Prince Harry at her side – threw so many people for a loop. Meghan continues to receive racist, sexist, and downright fabricated harassment from the public, and particularly the tabloids… and so do the people who defend her.

Kristen Meinzer, culture critic and host of The Daily Fail, joins us again to explain why we need to care about Meghan — and defend her.

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie

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What Next: Can’t Stand the Heat Jul 11, 2023

The 4th of July was the hottest day yet—not just of the summer but of recorded human history. Between waves of Canadian wildfire smoke, malaria reappearing in the United States, and deaths from heat, this might be the year that we’re forced to reckon with what life will be like on our newly hotter planet.

Guest: Jeff Goodell, contributing writer at Rolling Stone and the author of the upcoming book The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Can Moms for Liberty Swing an Election? Jul 10, 2023

Moms for Liberty call themselves a “parent’s rights group,” but the Southern Poverty Law Center calls them an “anti-government extremist” group. Even if they don’t all have kids, these “moms” do have goals for the future of education in America—and quite a bit of clout.

Guest: Kiera Butler, senior editor at Mother Jones reporting on how purveyors of disinformation target online communities of women.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Madeline Ducharme, Anna Phillips, Paige Osburn, and Rob Gunther.

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A Word: Trouble the Waters Jul 09, 2023

It can take years for a water crisis in a predominantly Black city or town to make national news. But the harms of contaminated water often harm communities for generations. Beyond the ongoing health threats, dirty water can stifle business and economic development, driving down educational achievement, property values and investment. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by journalist Adam Mahoney who has reported extensively on how undrinkable water in hurting Black communities across the rural south.

Guest: Reporter Adam Mahoney of Capital B News

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

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What Next TBD: Is Your Son Watching Andrew Tate? Jul 09, 2023

Andrew Tate’s gross mix of self-help, toxic masculinity and misogyny captured the minds of young boys on the internet. It also led to indictments in Romania on human trafficking and rape charges.

Guest: Lisa Miller, contributing editor at New York magazine.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Amicus: Supreme Arrogance Jul 08, 2023

This episode is a part of Opinionpalooza. Slate’s coverage of Supreme Court decisions. If you would like to help us continue to cover the courts aggressively, please consider joining Slate Plus.

In our final Opinionpalooza episode of 2023, Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern host the Amicus annual “breakfast table” round-up at the end of the Supreme Court term, and they’re joined by:

Jamelle Bouie, former chief political correspondent at Slate and current New York Times Opinion columnist and political analyst for CBS News.

Sherrilyn Ifill, former President and Director Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and newly appointed head of Howard University’s inaugural Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Esq. Endowed Chair in Civil Rights.

Professor Stephen Vladeck, the Charles Alan Wright Chair in Federal Courts at the University of Texas School of Law, author of the New York Times bestselling book, "The Shadow Docket: How the Supreme Court Uses Stealth Rulings to Amass Power and Undermine the Republic."

---

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Dahlia and Mark loosen their ties, pour a snifter of brandy and hit the cigar bar of jurisprudence for a final discussion of the term that was; why progressives are still struggling to find an answer to the court’s torque to the right, and resisting the media’s urge to put a moderate bow on each extreme term.

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Political Gabfest: Rural Arkansas Explored in an Extra Gabfest Reads Jul 08, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz are on vacation, but Emily taped an extra episode of Gabfest Reads for everyone. She sits down with author Monica Potts to talk about her new memoir The Forgotten Girls. They discuss growing up in rural Arkansas, Monica’s childhood best friend Darci, and more.

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, Emily, and John chatter about what’s making them happy this summer, an article about how bad things really are, and more.

In the June edition of Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Peter Singer @PeterSinger about his book, Animal Liberation Now: The Definitive Classic Renewed.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com or Tweet us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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Slate Money: Can Threads Take Down Twitter? Jul 08, 2023

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers talk about Threads, the new competitor to Twitter. They also discuss Janet Yellen’s trip to China and what it means for American foreign policy. Finally, have tipping and service charges gone too far?

In the plus segment: Pregnant workers now have more workplace rights.

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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The Waves: Is the Wedding Dress Dead? Jul 08, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth does a deep dive on wedding dresses. From the oldest family-run bridal shop in the United States, to a warehouse in New York, she explores what the modern wedding dress looks like. Along with brides-to-be Shannon Palus and Susan Matthews, Cheyna talks with Marteal Mayer, the owner of Loulette Bride in Brooklyn, and mother-daughter duo Shelly Mueller and Alyssa Pung, co-owners of Becker’s Bridal in Fowler, Michigan.

In Slate Plus: Our weekly And Just Like That…recap. This week it’s episode four with Cheyna Roth and Slate culture writer Heather Schwedel.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery. Special thanks to Shannon Palus and Susan Matthews.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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What Next TBD: Threads vs. Twitter Jul 07, 2023

It seems like with each new Musk innovation, a new Twitter replacement appears in response. But Threads is backed by Meta and available in just a few clicks for an Instagram user. Could it be the one?

Guest: Mike Isaac, technology reporter for the New York Times.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Is Biden To Blame for the Student Debt Mess? Jul 06, 2023

The Biden administration’s plan to forgive federal student loan debt has been stalled, perhaps indefinitely, by the Supreme Court’s decision in Biden v. Nebraska.

Was their plan to help borrowers always doomed, or was there another way? And after the Roberts court delivered such a broad-sweeping decision, what options does Biden have left?

Guest: Jed Shugerman, professor at Boston University School of Law.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Beyond Biden vs. Trump Jul 05, 2023

America’s winner-take-all electoral system casts third-party candidates as spoilers—but what would it take to open the door to not just a third party, but a fourth or more?

Guest: Lee Drutman, senior fellow in the Political Reform program at New America, author of Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Hear Me Out: Insurrection Is A Force For Good Jul 04, 2023

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… don’t you know they’re talking ‘bout a revolution?

July 4th celebrates one of the least bloody milestones of the American Revolution. But we have a complicated relationship with overthrowing the powers that be in this country – not to mention when other nations do it.

We call what happened on January 6th, 2021 an insurrection. But what do we do with the George Floyd uprisings? Other efforts to buck the system? Who, as the “common man,” should we be rooting for?

Geo Maher, writer and political organizer, once again joins us to make the case for good-faith insurrection, even when it’s messy.

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie

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What Next: Justice Roberts Takes Back the Court Jul 03, 2023

Unpopular decisions and multiple scandals involving lavish, undisclosed gifts from conservative megadonors have the Supreme Court handing down decisions under a cloud of public outcry and controversy—but that hasn’t stopped the conservative majority from acting just as hardline as its critics feared.

Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, court watcher and senior writer at Slate.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: Turning Your Face Into Your Ticket Jul 02, 2023

Even if you like the convenience of your phone unlocking after it reads your face, there are reasons to be wary of the TSA bringing facial recognition technology to the airport.

Guest: Geoffrey Fowler, technology columnist for the Washington Post.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: The Rise of Miss Ross Jul 02, 2023

As this year’s LGBTQ Pride Month ends, transgender Americans find themselves under political attack. At the same time, a number of transgender creatives are thriving, building bright careers and awareness of their community. Actress and activist Angelica Ross is one of those artists. She joins journalist Aisha Mills, who is filling in as host, on today’s episode of A Word. Ross talks about her own journey from struggling teen, to military service, to groundbreaking performer and entrepreuer.

Guest: Actress Angelica Ross

Host: Journalist Aisha Mills, in for Jason Johnson

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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Amicus: MAGA SCOTUS Is Back Jul 01, 2023

This episode is a part of Opinionpalooza. Slate’s coverage of Supreme Court decisions. We consider this coverage so essential that we’re taking down the paywall for all of it. If you would like to help us continue to cover the courts aggressively, please consider joining Slate Plus. And sign up for the pop-up newsletter to see the latest every week in your inbox.

As the Supreme Court’s June term wraps up with a slew of awful decisions, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Slate’s own Mark Joseph Stern to analyze 303 Creative LLC v Elenis, a case with startling implications for the dignity and equal treatment of LGBTQ couples and families. They also discuss the new reporting that shines light on the hall of mirrors that brought the case to court. Then, Dahlia and Mark are joined by Dalié Jiménez,Professor of Law at the University of California, Irvine School of Law, and Director of the Student Loan Law Initiative at UCI Law to discuss the court’s decision to strike down the Biden administration’s student loan forgiveness program.

Finally, Dahlia turns to Michaele Turnage Young of the NAACP LDF to take a closer look at Thursday’s affirmative action decision, which outlawed race-conscious admissions in most higher education contexts.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Dahlia is joined by Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern to answer a listener question about something that has us all scratching our heads in the wake of Moore v Harper, and look ahead to some gun safety litigation that’s winding its way up to the High Court.

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Slate Money: How The Affirmative Action Ruling Changes Corporate America Jul 01, 2023

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Elizabeth Spiers take on the Supreme Court’s decision on affirmative action. They also talk about the (very good!) marketing campaign behind the upcoming Barbie movie, and the (less good) influencer campaign for SHEIN.

In the Plus segment: Vanna White needs a raise!

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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Political Gabfest: Live in Washington D.C. with Governor Wes Moore Jul 01, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz are live and on stage with Maryland Governor Wes Moore and also discuss the Supreme Court’s legitimacy problem and the not-Trump Republican candidates’ struggle.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

C-SPAN: “Maryland State of the State Address”

Jeffrey M. Jones for Gallup: “Trust in Federal Government Branches Continues to Falter” and “Confidence in U.S. Supreme Court Sinks to Historic Low

John Dickerson and Anthony Salvanto for Face The Nation: “CBS News poll: GOP primary voters are more concerned Trump’s indictment is political”

Rich Lowry for Politico: “The Trump Divide that Should Have Republicans Terrified”

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: Donald H. Kent for Pennsylvania History: “The Erie War of the Gauges"

Emily: Adam Liptak for The New York Times: “Supreme Court Puts First Amendment Limits on Laws Banning Online Threats”

David: Elliot C. Williams for WAMU’s The DCist: “Fans Revel In The Atlantis As Foo Fighters Open Venue With ‘Long, Hot, Loud’ Performance”; Matt Richtel for The New York Times: “The Refries That Bind: A Cavernous Cantina Returns, Cliff Divers and All”; and Amazon Prime’s movie “Air: A Story of Greatness”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, Emily, and John answer audience questions and talk about “Gabfest Reads: The Case for Treating Animals With Dignity”.

In the next edition of Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Monica Potts @MonicaBPotts about her book, The Forgotten Girls: A Memoir of Friendship and Lost Promise in Rural America.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com or Tweet us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Patrick Fort

Research by Julie Huygen

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The Waves: Can Fairy Tales Be Feminist? Jul 01, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, we’re diving into fairy tales. Slate book critic Laura Miller talks with author Kelly Link about her collection of fairy tale inspired short stories, White Cat, Black Dog. They discuss how fairy tales have influenced Kelly’s work, the allure of the “searching for a beloved” story, finding a community of female writers.

In Slate Plus: Cheyna Roth and Luke Winkie discuss episode three of Max’s And Just Like That…

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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What Next TBD: The Never-Ending Cancer Drug Shortage Jun 30, 2023

A shortage of basic chemotherapy drugs to treat cancer is jeopardizing the care of hundreds of thousands of patients. The drugs aren’t expensive, or patented—so where are they?

Guest: Ed Yong, science journalist at The Atlantic.

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Amicus: The End of Affirmative Action Jun 29, 2023

This episode is a part of Opinionpalooza. Slate’s coverage of Supreme Court decisions. We consider this coverage so essential that we’re taking down the paywall for all of it. If you would like to help us continue to cover the courts aggressively, please consider joining Slate Plus. And sign up for the pop-up newsletter to see the latest every week in your inbox.

In an emergency episode of Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Slate’s own Mark Joseph Stern to analyze SCOTUS’ decision to wipe out affirmative action in college admissions. They find Chief Justice John Roberts’ majority opinion has some curious carve-outs that will keep lawyers busy, and college admissions tutors and applicants… baffled.

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What Next: Would You Join the Army for US Citizenship? Jun 29, 2023

To shore up sagging enrollment, the U.S. military is doing what American industry does—looking to immigrants to fill out their numbers. Once a faster way to citizenship, serving in the armed forces has become another place where being an immigrant can carry harsh penalties—and can instead be a step on the way to deportation.

Guest: Sofya Aptekar, associate professor of urban studies, school of labor and urban studies, CUNY. Author of Green Card Soldier: Between Model Immigrant and Security Threat

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Madeline Ducharme, Anna Phillips, Paige Osburn, and Rob Gunther with help from Laura Spencer.

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What Next: Why We Have to Take RFK Jr. Seriously Jun 28, 2023

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s politics, such as they can be parsed, are a mix of conspiracy theories and vibes. But in a post-Trump landscape, and with RFK polling at 20 percent among Democratic presidential candidates, cranky contrarians have to be taken seriously—right?

Guest: Vera Bergengruen, investigative correspondent at Time magazine.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Amicus: Moore v Harper Was a Win for Democracy, A Big Loss For Donald Trump Jun 27, 2023

This episode is a part of Opinionpalooza. Slate’s coverage of Supreme Court decisions. We consider this coverage so essential that we’re taking down the paywall for all of it. If you would like to help us continue to cover the courts aggressively, please consider joining Slate Plus. And sign up for the pop-up newsletter to see the latest every week in your inbox.

In deciding against the bonkers (technical legal term) “Independent State Legislature Theory” in Moore v Harper, the Supreme Court chose not to take a wrecking ball to American democracy. Judge Michael Luttig, a counsel of record in the case, is relieved but not surprised. In this emergency episode of Amicus, Judge Luttig tells Dahlia Lithwick that Tuesday’s decision may have big repercussions at the Department of Justice, in Jack Smith’s investigation of former President Trump’s role in January 6th.

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Hear Me Out: Patriarchy Hurts All Of Us — Including Men Jun 27, 2023

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… gendering, everywhere, all at once.

In the final days of Pride Month, we wanted to turn our attention to another complicated and contentious facet of the LGBT+ dialogue: gender identity. If gender isn’t a binary, but a fluid spectrum, what do we do with our notions of sexism, misogyny, and toxic masculinity?

As it turns out, we do very much live in a patriarchal society — but the truth of how that society operates, and who it advantages, might be more complicated than you think.

Robin Dembroff, assistant professor in Yale University’s philosophy department, joins us.

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie

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What Next: We Need to Talk About Kevin McCarthy Jun 27, 2023

Kevin McCarthy has always had his eyes on one job - Speaker of the House. But after Republicans won Congress’s lower chamber by a razor thin majority, the party’s right wing extracted major concessions before handing over the gavel. When the GOP accepted a deal with the Biden administration to raise the nation’s debt ceiling, House hardliners felt betrayed. Now McCarthy faces renewed attacks on his leadership from within his own party. With important legislation that still needs to be passed, and little wiggle room for dissent, how does McCarthy hang on?

Guest: Rachael Bade, POLITICO Senior Washington Correspondent

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next: The Failed Coup in Russia Jun 26, 2023

For months, Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has been railing against his own country’s military leadership. It all came to a head this weekend – when the mercenary leader gathered his troops, took over a Russian city, and started to march towards Moscow. Then – as suddenly as it began – it stopped. Russia says Prigozhin has fled to Belarus, and his troops will all be granted amnesty. But an independent Russian journalist in exile doubts the official narrative, and speculates on Vladimir Putin’s future..

Guest: Mikhail Zygar, Russian journalist and author of the upcoming book, “War and Punishment: Putin, Zelensky and the Path to Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine”

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next TBD: Can Ozempic Cure Addiction? Jun 25, 2023

Semaglutide, otherwise known as Ozempic, has been making headlines as a weight loss drug – despite only having FDA approval to treat diabetes. Now, some say it doesn’t just quell cravings for food – it helps quiet cravings for alcohol, drugs, and other compulsive behaviors. For years, researchers have been studying Ozempic’s effectiveness as an addiction cure in animals. What have they found? And – does it actually work?

Guest: Sarah Zhang covers health and medicine for The Atlantic

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Evan Campbell.

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A Word: Black and Proud Jun 25, 2023

During this LGBTQ Pride month, many members of the community are reflecting on a year of unprecedented political and legal attacks. One of the biggest battlefields has been in public schools and libraries, where books featuring LGBTQ stories have been the targets of censors. On today’s episode of A Word, guest host journalist Aisha Mills is joined by George M. Johnson, author of one of the most banned books, All Boys Aren’t Blue. They talk about the intersection of race and gender identity, and how Johnson has fought back against critics who call the book dangerous and inappropriate for children.

Guest: George M. Johnson, author of All Boys Aren’t Blue

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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Amicus: Supreme Court Politics One Year On From Dobbs Jun 24, 2023

This episode is a part of Opinionpalooza. Slate’s coverage of Supreme Court decisions, and the other legal happenings in June. We consider this coverage so essential that we’re taking down the paywall for all of it. If you would like to help us continue to cover the courts aggressively, please consider joining Slate Plus. And sign up for the pop-up newsletter to see the latest every week in your inbox.

On this one year anniversary of Dobbs, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Anat Shenker Osorio to talk about how the political class still hasn’t found a way to communicate or act toward the court that delivered this suffering.

Next, Dahlia is joined by Slate’s own Mark Joseph Stern to talk about two important decisions that came down this week, one concerning the rights of criminal defendants and another about the U.S. President’s right to set immigration policy.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Dahlia and Mark tackle more questions from the Slate Plus listener mail bag about the tension between establishment clause and equal protection claims in suits brought to fight back against Dobbs on religious grounds, and how to impeach terrible awful no-good judges.

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Political Gabfest: Not THAT President Kennedy Jun 24, 2023

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Keziah Weir for Vanity Fair: “How Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Became the Anti-vaxxer Icon of America’s Nightmares”

Matt Viser for The Washington Post: “The complicated relationship between a presidential father and a struggling son”

Pam Belluck and Emily Bazelon for The New York Times: “New York Passes Bill to Shield Abortion Providers Sending Pills Into States With Bans”

Emily Bazelon for The New York Times: “A Medical Frontier”

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Samuel A. Alito Jr. for The Wall Street Journal: “Justice Samuel Alito: ProPublica Misleads Its Readers”; Justin Elliott, Joshua Kaplan, and Alex Mierjeski for ProPublica: “Justice Samuel Alito Took Luxury Fishing Vacation With GOP Billionaire Who Later Had Cases Before the Court”

John: Todd Estes for Teaching American History: “New Hampshire’s Ratification of the Constitution”

David: U.S. Department of Agriculture: “Nuts”; Taryn Varricchio and Clancy Morgan for Business Insider: “Cashews don’t come cheap – one pound at retail can cost you $15. Here’s why they’re so expensive.”; Doritos Nacho Cheese Flavored Tortilla Chips

Listener chatter from Ruthy Kohorn Rosenberg: Reshma Saujani at Smith College’s 2023 Commencement: Imposter Syndrome is Modern-Day Bicycle Face

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, Emily, and John discuss with James Surowiecki of The Atlantic @JamesSurowiecki his article, “The Bitter Truth About the Bud Light Boycott.”

In the June edition of Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Peter Singer @PeterSinger about his book, Animal Liberation Now: The Definitive Classic Renewed.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com or Tweet us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

Hosts

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz

Follow

@SlateGabfest on Twitter / https://twitter.com/SlateGabfest

Slate Gabfest on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/

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Slate Money: The NCAA is…What, Exactly? Jun 24, 2023

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Anna Szymanski break down the last two years of the college sports economy. Players can get paid for their name, image, and likeness. Is that a good thing? And how interest rate hikes have put private equity firms at risk.

In the plus segment: Why college sports coaches make so much, and how that might be changing.

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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What Next TBD: The U.S. vs Amazon Prime Jun 23, 2023

On Wednesday, the Federal Trade Commission sued Amazon, accusing the online giant of “tricking and trapping people into recurring subscriptions.” The complaint says Amazon “knowingly duped millions of consumers into unknowingly enrolling in Amazon Prime."

With murmurs of a larger antitrust probe against Amazon just around the corner, how serious is this suit for the tech giant?

Guest: Leah Nylen, antitrust reporter at Bloomberg

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Is Planned Parenthood Stepping Up? Jun 22, 2023

Saturday marks the one-year anniversary of the end of Roe – a historic decision that’s led to long lines, clinic closures, and a flood of abortion bans across the country. Planned Parenthood has always been in the political crosshairs… but now, their role is arguably more important than ever. What does America’s largest abortion provider look like in the post-Roe era? We sit down with its CEO to find out.

Guest: Alexis McGill Johnson, CEO of Planned Parenthood

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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The Waves: A Year Without Roe Jun 22, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, one year after the Supreme Court decision that set off a national crisis in reproductive health care, we’re taking a look at what the end of Roe has wrought. Countless lives have been affected: There's the people who've traveled across the country to get their lives back, the people who've been forced against their will into pregnancy and childbirth, and those who've been denied life saving medical care because their doctors are afraid of the law. There's also the people doing what they can to mitigate the damage—with ballot measures, and abortion funds, and the tools and knowledge to help someone manage an abortion on their own.

Slate senior writer Christina Cauterucci talks with Diane Horvath and Morgan Nuzzo, who opened an abortion clinic in Maryland just as Roe fell. She also sits down with Elaina Ramsey, who leads a faith-based pro-abortion group in Ohio that’s been charting new ways to use the specific assets of faith communities to help people get abortions, and Jessica Valenti, a journalist who’s been tracking the warp-speed rollback of abortion access across the country, and telling the stories of people whose lives have been upended because of it.

Some of Christina’s Writing on Abortion:

Birth Control Is Next

You Will Still Be Able to Get a Medication Abortion—Even if This Barbaric Ruling Stands

What Anti-Abortion Advocates Really Think of Women’s Lives

If the “Abortion Pill” Gets Banned, There’s Still One Good Move

The Religious Left Has Found Its Mission

If you liked this episode, check out: What the F*** Do We Do Now?

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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 How To!. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus to help support our work.

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Amicus: Samuel Alito and The Billionaire Jun 21, 2023

This episode is a part of Opinionpalooza. Slate’s coverage of the final weeks of the Supreme Court’s term. We consider this coverage so essential that we’re taking down the paywall for all of it. If you would like to help us continue to cover the courts aggressively, please consider joining Slate Plus. And sign up for the pop-up newsletter to see the latest every week in your inbox.

Amicus is coming at you again with an emergency episode. Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Mark Joseph Stern to process ProPublica’s latest reporting on a growing theme of conservative supreme court justices with a penchant for luxury travel at the expense of billionaires (who also happen to be close friends with Leonard Leo of the Federalist Society). Dahlia and Mark also examine Justice Samuel Alito’s eye-popping pre-buttal of ProPublica’s piece about his Alaskan fishing trip with billionaire GOP donor Paul Singer, which Justice Alito chose to publish in the opinion pages of the Wall Street Journal.

Sign up for Slate Plus now to support our show.

Dahlia’s book Lady Justice: Women, the Law and the Battle to Save America, is also available as an audiobook, and Amicus listeners can get a 25 percent discount by entering the code “AMICUS” at checkout.

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Slow Burn: Becoming Justice Thomas - Ep. 4: A National Disgrace Jun 21, 2023

Anita Hill’s accusations launched urgent and heated conversations about racism and sexual harassment. They also stoked an anger in Clarence Thomas that’s never stopped raging.

Season 8 of Slow Burn is produced by Joel Anderson, Sophie Summergrad, Sam Kim, and Sofie Kodner.

Josh Levin is the editorial director of Slow Burn.

Derek John is Slate’s executive producer of narrative podcasts.

Susan Matthews is Slate’s executive editor.

This episode was edited by Josh Levin, Derek John, Sophie Summergrad, and Joel Meyer.

Merritt Jacob is our senior technical director.

Our theme music is composed by Alexis Cuadrado. Artwork by Ivylise Simones.

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What Next: Why There’s a Cop at Your Kid’s School Jun 21, 2023

It’s been one year since the Uvalde school shooting – and while Texas hasn’t passed any gun control legislation, it has passed a measure aimed at “hardening schools.” Last week, Governor Greg Abbott signed HB-3 into law, requiring every public school to have an armed officer on campus. The legislation comes even as a former sheriff’s deputy is on trial in Florida for failing to protect students when a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018.

Do school safety officers stop school shootings? And if they don’t – what do they do instead?

Guest: Anya Kamenetz, education reporter and author of "The Stolen Year: How Covid Changed Children’s Lives, And Where We Go Now."

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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Hear Me Out: Descendants Of Slaves Don’t Need Reparations Jun 20, 2023

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… an archaeology of grievances.

In honor of the third Juneteenth being celebrated as a national holiday, it’s worth unpacking symbolic gestures like Juneteenth — and, as many states are finding out, like Reparations.

The movement to compensate the descendants of slaves is gaining more traction than ever before, in many parts of the country. Could this be our chance to clear a massive, lingering blight on our nation’s history?

Our guest today argues no. Podcast host and columnist Coleman Hughes joins us to make the case that compensating the victims of slavery was something we should’ve done long ago – and now, it’s too late for it to be anything other than a problem.

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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What Next: They Pledged to Stop Sex Abuse. Instead, They Targeted Women. Jun 20, 2023

Last week, the Southern Baptist Convention held its annual meeting in New Orleans – and its main order of business was to tighten the reins on what women can, and can’t, do in the church. It’s the result of a years-long push from the SBC’s ultraconservative wing to reverse what it calls a “liberal drift.” As the nation’s largest Protestant denomination prepares to crack down on gender roles, what does that mean for American evangelicals – and for the rest of us?

Guest: Beth Allison Barr is a history professor at Baylor University. She’s also the author of “The Making of Biblical Womanhood.”

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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A Word: More Than A Hashtag Jun 18, 2023

Police killings of Black men have their own grim, but established, rituals in American society. But what happens to those who survive police violence? On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Leon Ford, who survived being shot multiple times by Pittsburgh police more than a decade ago. In his new memoir An Unspeakable Hope, Ford candidly describes his legal, physical, and mental health challenges, and why he eventually dedicated himself to working with police, including reaching out to the man who shot him. He also discusses The Hear Foundation—his non-profit group that builds partnerships between the community and police—and his complicated views of politics, gun violence, and activism.

Guest: Activist Leon Ford, co-founder of The Hear Foundation, and author of An Unspeakable Hope: Brutality, Forgiveness, and Building a Better Future for My Son

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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What Next TBD: The George Soros Succession Jun 18, 2023

One son was preparing to take over George Soros’s multi-billion-dollar empire. Then, there was a falling out, and a new heir-apparent was chosen.

Who is Alex Soros? And, as he takes over for one of the most influential figures in American politics, what can we expect from him?

Guest: Gregory Zuckerman, special writer at the Wall Street Journal

Host: Emily Peck

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Political Gabfest: What Could Judge Cannon Do? Jun 17, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the federal case against Donald Trump involving national-security documents, Atlanta’s Cop City training facility, and Elizabeth Gilbert’s decision to delay her next book situated in Soviet-era Russia.

Join us for a live taping! Political Gabfest Live in Washington, D.C., Wednesday June 28, 7:30 p.m., Sixth & I. In-person and virtual tickets on sale now.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America by Maggie Haberman

Jonathan Swan, Charlie Savage, and Maggie Haberman for The New York Times: “The Radical Strategy Behind Trump’s Promise to ‘Go After’ Biden”

Esteban L. Hernandez for Axios: “Denver’s STAR set to expand amid tension over its future”

Patrick Quinn for Atlanta News First: “’Stop Cop City’ Sen. Warnock interrupted during commencement address”

Eat Pray Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert

Mark Healy for GQ: “Women’s Favorite Author to Women: Don’t Get Married!”

Elizabeth Gilbert on Twitter: “Important announcement about THE SNOW FOREST.”

Mike Dash for Smithsonian Magazine: “For 40 Years, This Russian Family Was Cut Off From All Human Contact, Unaware of World War II”

Philip Kennicott for The Washington Post: “Ukraine wants a boycott of Russian culture. It’s already happening.”

Franklin Foer for The Atlantic: “Eat, Pray, Pander”

Peter Beaumont for The Guardian: “Author resigns from PEN America board amid row over Russian writers panel”

Imogen West-Knights for Slate: “The Saga Over Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Russian Novel” Has an Uncomfortable Lesson—and It’s Not for Her”

The Enigma of Clarence Thomas by Corey Robin

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: Simrin Singh for CBS News: “Phosphorus, essential element needed for life, detected in ocean on Saturn’s moon”; William Harwood for CBS News: “New evidence of water plumes on Jupiter’s moon Europa; could it support life?”

Emily: The Forgotten Girls: A Memoir of Friendship and Lost Promise in Rural America by Monica Potts; When Crack Was King: A People’s History of a Misunderstood Era by Donovan X. Ramsey

David: Muster Dogs on The ABC: “Five graziers from across Australia are given five Kelpie puppies from the same litter and set with the challenge of transforming these uniquely Australian dogs into champion muster dogs.”

Listener chatter from Phil: Jay Caspian Kang for The New Yorker: “Notes on Losing”; Winning Ugly: Mental Warfare in Tennis—Lessons from a Master by Brad Gilbert and Steve Jamison; John Dickerson for Slate: “Risk”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, Emily, and John discuss with Joel Anderson @byjoelanderson his podcast, Slow Burn: Becoming Justice Thomas.

In the next edition of Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Peter Singer @PeterSinger about his book, Animal Liberation Now: The Definitive Classic Renewed.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com or Tweet us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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Slate Money: Could Global Inequality Actually Be…Good? Jun 17, 2023

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss what the decline in global economic inequality really means for our future, why you shouldn’t take luxury pictures right after you burn an industry to the ground, and why the Instant Pot couldn’t survive.

In the Plus segment: Felix’s piece on why you shouldn’t stress about commercial real estate.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

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Amicus: SCOTUS Wants To Drain The Swamp, Too Jun 17, 2023

This episode is a part of Opinionpalooza. Slate’s coverage of Supreme Court decisions. We consider this coverage so essential that we’re taking down the paywall for all of it. If you would like to help us continue to cover the courts aggressively, please consider joining Slate Plus. And sign up for the pop-up newsletter to see the latest every week in your inbox.

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by environmental appellate lawyer Sean Donahue to discuss the far-reaching consequences of one of the biggest decisions so far this term. In Sackett v EPA, the court decided that as many as 90 million acres of wetlands no longer qualify for environmental protection. Together, they trace the case’s history, its claims, and what tools are left for lawyers fighting to protect the environment.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Dahlia is joined by Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern to answer listener questions, including how to counter dodgy originalism arguments, and whether there’s anything that could stop Donald Trump from running or even assuming office if he’s convicted of a crime

Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

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What Next TBD: Reddit’s Rolling Blackouts Jun 16, 2023

Across Reddit, thousands of forums have gone “private” and effectively disappeared. Users are protesting the site’s plan to capitalize on its data, which has been enjoyed for free by people making third-party apps for Reddit, as well as some of the world’s biggest companies training their A.I.

Guest: Sarah Needleman, reporter for the Wall Street Journal who writes about interactive entertainment and social media

Host: Emily Peck

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Amicus: Is A New Supreme Court Emerging? Jun 15, 2023

This episode is a part of Opinionpalooza. Slate’s coverage of Supreme Court decisions. We consider this coverage so essential that we’re taking down the paywall for all of it. If you would like to help us continue to cover the courts aggressively, please consider joining Slate Plus. And sign up for the pop-up newsletter to see the latest every week in your inbox.

Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern join forces for this Opinionpalooza extra episode of Amicus where they discuss Haaland v Brackeen, a case that could have upended Indian Law, but didn’t. The case concerned the Indian Child Welfare Act, Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s majority opinion also reveals some tensions among the Supreme Court’s conservative justices. Together, Dahlia and Mark assess what another unexpected win can tell us about the shape of the current court.

Sign up for Slate Plus now to support our show.

Dahlia’s book Lady Justice: Women, the Law and the Battle to Save America, is also available as an audiobook, and Amicus listeners can get a 25 percent discount by entering the code “AMICUS” at checkout

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What Next: After They Testified: The Rabbi Leading an Interfaith Fight for Trans Rights Jun 15, 2023

Red-state resident, religious, and proud of his trans son, a Missouri rabbi has testified more times than he can count in front of the state government over the years, and is both dispirited and confused by the changes he’s seeing in his state lawmakers—from attitudes towards anti-Semitism, to the disappearance of business-focused Republicans who care if anti-trans legislation is going to cost the state millions.

This is the third installment in What Next’s Pride Month series. “After They Testified” is about the Americans who’ve shown up in the last year to speak out against anti-queer legislation, how it felt to do so, and what came next.

Guest: Rabbi Daniel Bogard, from Central Reform Congregation in St. Louis, Missouri.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Madeline Ducharme, Anna Phillips, Paige Osburn, and Rob Gunther.

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The Waves: Your Period Deserves Respect Jun 15, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, we’re talking about menstruation. Period. Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth is joined by author and anthropologist Dr. Kate Clancy. Kate recently published her extensive study on menstruation, Period and they dig into why Western culture has constantly looked at menstruating bodies with shame, how this impacts scientific studies and healthcare for women and gender minorities, and how we can overcome the embarrassment.

In Slate Plus: Why language matters in science.

If you liked this episode, check out: The Hustle of Being Beautiful

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Slow Burn: Becoming Justice Thomas - Ep. 3: I’m Their Guy Jun 14, 2023

When Clarence Thomas got nominated to the Supreme Court, his behavior during the 1980s would get put under a microscope. To understand who Thomas was then and who he is today, you need to hear how he treated the women he worked with. You also need to hear from the woman who knew him best during those critical years: his ex-girlfriend Lillian McEwen.

Season 8 of Slow Burn is produced by Joel Anderson, Sophie Summergrad, Sam Kim, and Sofie Kodner.

Josh Levin is the editorial director of Slow Burn.

Derek John is Slate’s executive producer of narrative podcasts.

Susan Matthews is Slate’s executive editor.

This episode was edited by Josh Levin, Derek John, Sophie Summergrad, and Joel Meyer.

Merritt Jacob is our senior technical director.

Our theme music is composed by Alexis Cuadrado. Artwork by Ivylise Simones.

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What Next: The Culture Wars Curriculum Jun 14, 2023

Homeschooling is more popular than ever — and for decades, it’s been seen as a haven by a movement of conservative Christians. But isolating children from the world doesn’t just mean tribalism and fear of “government schools” — the lack of regulation can also lead to abuse. We talk to one former home school student about the conservative Christian world that raised him, and how some of its tenets have now gone mainstream.

Guests:

Peter Jamison, enterprise reporter with the Washington Post.

Aaron Bealls, former homeschooler and public-school parent in Loudoun County, Virginia

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Amicus: Can Trump Outrun The Law? Jun 14, 2023

This episode is a part of Opinionpalooza. Slate’s coverage of Supreme Court decisions, and the other legal happenings in June. We consider this coverage so essential that we’re taking down the paywall for all of it. If you would like to help us continue to cover the courts aggressively, please consider joining Slate Plus. And sign up for the pop-up newsletter to see the latest every week in your inbox.

An extra episode of Amicus as the former President of the United States, Donald J Trump, is arraigned in federal court in Miami on 37 counts, entering a plea of not guilty. Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Ryan Goodman, co-editor-in-chief of Just Security, Professor of Law at NYU School of Law, a distinguished fellow at the National Institute of Military Justice, and former special counsel at the Department of Defense. Together, they step back from the spectacle to examine the challenge of prosecuting a former President over things that were supposed to be state secrets, and whether Trump can use politics to outrun justice this time.

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Hear Me Out: A Little Racism Can Be A Good Thing Jun 13, 2023

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… Racism Lite.

Racial politics is responsible for a lot of ugliness, in the United States and around the world. Humans want, and even need, to sort themselves into categories — and sometimes, that tribalism yields as much good as it can bad. So do we always need to be a melting pot?

Writer Damon Young joins us to make the case that we’re all racist, and there’s no reason to pretend otherwise.

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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What Next: How This Trump Trial Is Different Jun 13, 2023

Donald Trump heads back to court, facing federal charges over the handling of sensitive documents after his presidential term ended. While the indictment looks bad for Trump, and he lost two lawyers from his team on Friday, there are silver linings for the ex-president.

Guest: Ankush Khardori, attorney and a former federal prosecutor in the U.S. Justice Department.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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How To!: Quit Your Calling Jun 13, 2023

Amy and Sarah are high school English teachers who both want to quit the classroom, but for very different reasons. Amy has over 200 students, and tensions between teachers and parents are on the rise so she’s “beyond burned out.” Whereas Sarah has been teaching for over a decade and is itching for a change. On this episode of How To!, the second in a two-part series, co-host Amanda Ripley is joined by Daphne Gomez, a former teacher who’s now CEO of Teacher Career Coach. (She also hosts the Teacher Career Coach podcast.) Daphne has some wonderful advice for Sarah and Amy—and anyone else who has no choice but to leave a job they once loved.

If you liked this episode, check out Part 1: “How To Help Teachers Thrive.”

More career change episodes:

How To Bounce Back From a Layoff

How To Know When to Quit Your Job

How To Make the Leap to Your Dream Job

How To Bounce Back From Burnout

How To Advance Your Career by Quitting Your Job

How To Find a New Career Before It’s Too Late

Do you have a problem that’s keeping you up at night? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show. Subscribe for free on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Derek John, Rosemary Belson, Kevin Bendis, and Jabari Butler.

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 How To!. Sign up now at slate.com/howtoplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Liberal Case Against Affirmative Action Jun 12, 2023

If the Supreme Court rules against affirmative action for certain racial groups, as expected, how will colleges and other institutions create diverse student bodies and address racial disparities?

Guest: Richard Kahlenberg, senior fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute and professorial lecturer at George Washington University

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Hollywood Shuffle Jun 11, 2023

Weeks into the Hollywood writers strike, and there’s no sign of a settlement. WGA members say that studio chiefs are using artificial intelligence, streaming, and other methods to undervalue their work. And a wealth of already produced content, along with the misconception that writers are well paid, could minimize sympathy from fans. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Eric Haywood. He’s a board member of the Writers Guild of America, and a creative whose work has been seen on Law & Order, Empire, and Power. Haywood explains what’s at stake for striking writers,

Guest: Screenwriter Eric Haywood, Writers Guild of America negotiator

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for $15 for your first three months.

This Pride Month, make an impact by helping Macy’s and The Trevor Project on their mission to fund life-saving suicide prevention services for LGBTQ youth. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.

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What Next TBD: Are You Ready For A.I. Generated Actors? Jun 11, 2023

As “deep fakes” have demonstrated, it’s getting easier and easier to swap an actor for a digital likeness—something that contributed to the Screen Actors Guild voting to authorize joining the writers on strike.

Guest: Heather Tal Murphy, Slate writer covering tech, business, and A.I.

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Political Gabfest: Chris Christie Kamikaze Campaign Jun 10, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the latest three Republicans battling for the presidential nomination; Oklahoma’s approval of a Catholic public-charter school; and Saudi sportswashing in golf and soccer.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Andrew Prokop for Vox: “Trump’s next indictment is looming – and the evidence against him is trickling out”

Sean Murphy for AP: “Oklahoma school board approves what would be the 1st taxpayer-funded religious school in US”

The Guardian: “Changing their tune: what golf’s powerbrokers said then and now”

Lauren Chooljian for New Hampshire Public Radio: “He built New Hampshire’s largest addiction treatment network. Now, he faces accusations of sexual misconduct.”

David Enrich for The New York Times: “A Reporter Investigated Sexual Misconduct. Then the Attacks Began.”

John Dickerson for Slate: “Where’s My Subpoena?”

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Kate Brumback for AP: “Bond granted for 3 activists whose fund bailed out people protesting Atlanta ‘Cop City’ project”

John: David Lerman, Laura Weiss, and Avery Roe for Roll Call: “Still steaming over debt deal, conservatives derail House action”

David: Washington and Old Dominion Railroad Regional Park; Dan Chabanov for Bicycling: “What Is a Randonnée—and Why Should You Sign Up for One?”; Paris-Brest-Paris Randonneur

Listener chatter from Greg Hoffman: Genghis Blues

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, Emily, and John discuss the attacks and libel suit against a journalist for her reporting.

In the next edition of Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Peter Singer @PeterSinger about his book, Animal Liberation Now: The Definitive Classic Renewed.

Join us for a live taping! Political Gabfest Live in Washington, D.C., Wednesday June 28, 7:30 p.m., Sixth & I, 600 I St. NW. Tickets are on sale now.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com or Tweet us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

This Pride Month, make an impact by helping Macy’s and The Trevor Project on their mission to fund life-saving suicide prevention services for LGBTQ youth. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.

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The Waves: Finding Love Without Romance Jun 10, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, we talk about living a life alone, but without loneliness. Slate senior editor Rebecca Onion talks with author Amy Key about her new book, Arrangements in Blue, and how Key has found fulfillment without romantic love.

In Slate Plus: The influence of Joni Mitchell’s album, Blue.

If you like this episode, check out: Why Medical Mysteries Plague Women

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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 How To!. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus to help support our work.

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Slate Money: The SEC’s Crypto Crackdown Jun 10, 2023

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers talk about the SEC lawsuits against Binance and Coinbase. Then they are joined by Slate’s own Henry Grabar for a chat about his new book, Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World.

In the plus segment: More conversation with Henry Grabar

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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Amicus: The Trump Indictment Jun 10, 2023

This episode is a part of Opinionpalooza. Slate’s coverage of Supreme Court decisions. We consider this coverage so essential that we’re taking down the paywall for all of it. If you would like to help us continue to cover the courts aggressively, please consider joining Slate Plus. And sign up for the pop-up newsletter to see the latest every week in your inbox.

Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern join forces again for an urgent look at Special Counsel Jack Smith’s indictment of former President Donald J Trump. Trump is facing 37 counts in seven charges in the case concerning his mishandling of classified documents, and trying to cover up that mishandling.

Then, Dahlia is joined by Amicus’ election law guiding light, Professor Richard L Hasen, for a close look at the big and shocking voting rights case decided at the Supreme Court this week. Professor Hasen takes us through the fascinating backstory of the case and what Chief Justice John Roberts’ majority opinion in Allen v Milligan can tell us about another big elections case Moore v Harper, and what we might be able to expect in the affirmative action decision that will also be coming down in the next couple of weeks.

Finally, Slate Plus members will have a chance to hear Dahlia and Mark answer listener questions, such as…. What is the progressive answer to originalism?

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Political Gabfest: Trump Is Indicted – Again Jun 09, 2023

In a Gabfest Special Edition, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss Donald Trump’s indictment on charges relating to classified documents and the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision on Alabama racial gerrymandering.

Here are some notes and references from today’s show:

The Washington Post: “Live Updates: Trump criminal indictment is unsealed, shows he faces 37 charges”

Robert Barnes for The Washington Post: “Supreme Court: Alabama’s voting maps unfair to Black residents”

Join us for a live taping! Political Gabfest Live in Washington, D.C., Wednesday June 28, 7:30 p.m., Sixth & I, 600 I St. NW. Tickets are on sale now.

Email your questions and chatters to gabfest@slate.com or Tweet us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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What Next TBD: Is Crypto Toast? Jun 09, 2023

This week, the SEC sued Binance, the largest crypto exchange in the world, and Coinbase, the largest crypto exchange in the US. Is it a sign that the glory days of crypto are gone?

Guest: Stacy-Marie Ishmael, managing editor for crypto at Bloomberg News

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Amicus: Did John Roberts Really Just Save Voting Rights? Jun 08, 2023

This episode is a part of Opinionpalooza. Slate’s coverage of Supreme Court decisions. We consider this coverage so essential that we’re taking down the paywall for all of it. If you would like to help us continue to cover the courts aggressively, please consider joining Slate Plus. And sign up for the pop-up newsletter to see the latest every week in your inbox.

Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern join forces for this Opinionpalooza extra episode of Amicus discussing a seismic Supreme Court decision on voting rights. In his majority opinion in Allen v Milligan, Chief Justice John Roberts pushes back against his own long-standing stance on voting rights. Join Dahlia and Mark in this bonus episode to find out why.

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What Next: After They Testified: The Drag King Who Loves Performing for Kids Jun 08, 2023

Deep in the heart of Texas, they performed in drag, for kids and enthusiastic crowds. But as state legislation moved to ban drag performances, they stopped lip syncing and spoke for themself—and the queer people who depend on them at their day job.

This is the second installment in What Next’s Pride Month series. “After They Testified” is about the Americans who’ve shown up in the last year to speak out against anti-queer legislation, how it felt to do so, and what came next.

Guest: Jay Thomas, AKA Bobby Pudrido, an Austin, Texas-based drag king and care coordinator.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

This Pride Month, make an impact by helping Macy’s and The Trevor Project on their mission to fund life-saving suicide prevention services for LGBTQ youth. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.

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Slow Burn: Becoming Justice Thomas - Ep. 2: Smiling Faces Jun 07, 2023

Clarence Thomas went to Yale Law School because he thought it was a good fit for his left-wing politics. But when he got there, it seemed like all the white liberals thought he was only there because he was Black. The sting Thomas felt fueled a lifelong resentment of affirmative action. It also drew him to a group of conservatives who helped sharpen his political beliefs.

Season 8 of Slow Burn is produced by Joel Anderson, Sophie Summergrad, Sam Kim, and Sofie Kodner.

Josh Levin is the editorial director of Slow Burn.

Derek John is Slate’s executive producer of narrative podcasts.

Susan Matthews is Slate’s executive editor.

This episode was edited by Josh Levin, Derek John, Sophie Summergrad and Joel Meyer.

Merritt Jacob is Slate’s senior technical director.

Our theme music is composed by Alexis Cuadrado. Artwork by Ivylise Simones.

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What Next: How Putin’s Chef Became Putin’s Butcher Jun 07, 2023

How Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner Group became essential to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine—and one of Russia’s most vocal critics.

Guest: Brian Taylor, political science professor at Syracuse University, with a focus on Russian politics.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

This Pride Month, make an impact by helping Macy’s and The Trevor Project on their mission to fund life-saving suicide prevention services for LGBTQ youth. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.

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How To!: Help Teachers Thrive Jun 06, 2023

Today there are about four million teachers in America, and nearly a third of them are thinking about leaving their jobs. It has become harder to be a teacher in the U.S. due to a lack of resources, political meddling, and teacher shortages, to name a few reasons. On this episode of How To!, the first in a two-part series, co-host Amanda Ripley talks with two teachers, Sarah and Amy, and Daphne Gomez, a former teacher and now the founder and CEO of Teacher Career Coach. They discuss challenges in and out of the classroom as well as changes that would actually support teachers.

If you liked this episode, check out: “How To Succeed When Everyone’s Mad at You”

Do you have a problem that’s keeping you up at night? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show. Subscribe for free on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Derek John, Rosemary Belson, Kevin Bendis, and Jabari Butler.

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 How To!. Sign up now at slate.com/howtoplus to help support our work.

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Hear Me Out: Corporate Pride is Tacky, Pointless and Counterproductive Jun 06, 2023

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… these gays are trying to murder my neutral palate.

Pride Month festivities come at a time this year when LGBT+ rights are under attack across the country. Brands like Target and Bud Light are facing backlash for lifting up queer voices — but is this all a symptom of pride having gone a little too mainstream?

Comedian, writer and podcast host H. Alan Scott joins us to discuss his vision for a pride to be proud of… and, at length, the trouble with rainbows.

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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What Next: Can the Feds Lower Your Rent? Jun 06, 2023

Housing prices have skyrocketed, from the usual hot spots in New York and San Francisco, out to the until-recently-affordable places like Boise, Idaho and Charlotte, North Carolina.

Sen. Brian Schatz proposed an $85 million program to entice cities and suburbs to enact “fair housing policies,” but is that enough to address a nationwide problem?

Guest: Henry Grabar, Slate writer and author of Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Do Work Requirements Work? Jun 05, 2023

Last week, Congress finally passed a debt ceiling deal. Part of that deal included expanding the work requirements for government assistance programs like SNAP, specifically for people ages 50 to 54.

Where did the idea of work requirements come from? And do work requirements actually help keep people in the workforce?

Guest: Pamela Herd, professor of public policy at Georgetown University and co-author of Administrative Burden: Policymaking by Other Means.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: Tech’s Newest Trillion Dollar Company Jun 04, 2023

Until recently, Nvidia was a company known for graphics cards—a brand name among gamers but not necessarily the general public. But as part of the A.I. boom, Nvidia’s stock has skyrocketed, putting the company in Silicon Valley’s trillion-dollar valuation class with Apple, Meta, and Alphabet—briefly, at least.

Guest: Don Clark, freelance reporter specializing in chips and enterprise tech.

Host: Emily Peck

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: My Father, the Spy Jun 04, 2023

Every family has secrets. As a girl, Leta McCollough Seletzky learned that her father, Marrell McCollough– was on the scene of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. But it would be years before she learned that he was there as a spy for the Memphis police, who wanted information on King’s local allies. On today’s episode of A Word, she speaks with Jason Johnson about her father’s story, captured in her new book, The Kneeling Man: My Father's Life as a Black Spy Who Witnessed the Assassination of Martin Luther King.

Guest: Leta McCollough Seletzky, author of The Kneeling Man: My Father's Life as a Black Spy Who Witnessed the Assassination of Martin Luther King

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for $15 for your first three months.

This Pride Month, make an impact by helping Macy’s and The Trevor Project on their mission to fund life-saving suicide prevention services for LGBTQ youth. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.

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Political Gabfest: Kevin McCarthy, Hercules of Capitol City Jun 03, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the debt-ceiling deal; the Russia-Ukraine war with the Atlantic’s Kori Schake @KoriSchake; and the impeachment of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

John Wagner for The Washington Post: “Senate racing to pass debt ceiling bill ahead of Monday default deadline”

The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden’s White House and the Struggle for America’s Future by Franklin Foer

Kori Schake for The Atlantic: “Biden Is More Fearful Than the Ukrainians Are”

Anatoly Kurmanaev, Ivan Nechepurenko, and Eric Nagourney for The New York Times: “Drone Strike in Moscow Brings Ukraine War Home to Russians”

Erin Douglas and Robert Downen for The Texas Tribune: “God, money and Dairy Queen: How Texas House investigators secured the impeachment of Attorney General Ken Paxton”

Succession theme song by Nicholas Britell

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: New York Post: “Woman wins bizarre ‘cheese-rolling race’ – despite being knocked unconscious”; Cheese Rolling in Gloucester

Emily: I’ve Just Seen a Face: A Practical and Emotional Guide for Parents of Children Born with Cleft Lip and Palate by Amy Mendillo, MPP

David: Nat Hentoff for The New Yorker: “What Bob Dylan Wanted at Twenty-Three”; join David at a live taping of City Cast DC on Saturday June 3 at 1 p.m., Right Proper Brewing's Brookland production house and tasting room. Tickets are free. RSVP here.

Listener chatter from James Carey: Recipe of Dwight D. Eisenhower for Vegetable Soup

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, Emily, and John discuss HBO’s “Succession”.

In the latest edition of Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Curtis Sittenfeld @csittenfeld about her book, Romantic Comedy.

Join us for a live taping! Political Gabfest Live in Washington, D.C., Wednesday June 28, 7:30 p.m., Sixth & I, 600 I St. NW. Tickets are on sale now.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com or Tweet us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

Hosts

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz

This Pride Month, make an impact by helping Macy’s and The Trevor Project on their mission to fund life-saving suicide prevention services for LGBTQ youth. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.

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Amicus: How SCOTUS Enabled The Explosion of Anti-Trans Laws Jun 03, 2023

This episode is a part of Opinionpalooza. Slate’s coverage of Supreme Court decisions. We consider this coverage so essential that we’re taking down the paywall for all of it. If you would like to help us continue to cover the courts aggressively, please consider joining Slate Plus. And sign up for the pop-up newsletter to see the latest every week in your inbox.

On this week’s Amicus, a sobering interview between Dahlia Lithwick and the ACLU's Chase Strangio. Chase is deputy director for Transgender Justice with the ACLU’s LGBT and HIV Project and a nationally recognized expert on trans rights. . The sheer number and breadth of proposed new laws targeting trans people is breathtaking, and they are coming from some familiar quarters if you follow the Supreme Court and abortion law. This conversation helps to set the stage for the end of the Supreme Court’s term by looking beyond the cases being decided this month at One, First Street, and toward the legal landscape, and the systems and groups that are shaping that landscape for the rest of us. In the second half of the show, Dahlia is joined by her jurisprudential co-pilot Mark Stern. They talk about why everyone on Twitter hates Mark (hint: people have strong feelings about Justice Alito’s recusal ethics), the labor case that was not as bad for unions as maybe could have been (but is still NOT GREAT), and Mark floats his theory that Supreme Court Justices just don’t want to go back to the office full time and that’s why we’re getting a dribble of decisions now… And might get a firehose of them later this month.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, we return to Washington DC and our Full Court Press live show at Sixth and I, where Mark and Dahlia were joined by Congressman Hank Johnson of Georgia’s 4th District. Rep. Johnson is the ranking member of the House Judiciary subcommittee that oversees the federal courts, including the Supreme Court. They talk court reform and modernizing the judiciary, and why term limits and court expansion are vital to both.

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The Waves: The Hustle of Being Beautiful Jun 03, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, it’s all about the beauty industry. Senior writer and editor at New America, Julia Craven is joined by author and NPR host-at-large Elise Hu. They discuss Elise’s new book, Flawless - a remarkable investigation into the Korean beauty world. They also unpack the hustle culture inherent in beauty, how Eurocentric beauty trends are everywhere, and more.

In Slate Plus: Is Shiv Roy from HBO’s Succession misunderstood?

If you liked this episode, check out: Who’s Getting Rich Off Menopause?

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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 How To!. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus to help support our work.

This Pride Month, make an impact by helping Macy’s and The Trevor Project on their mission to fund life-saving suicide prevention services for LGBTQ youth. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.

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Slate Money: The Economic Tale of the Writers Strike Jun 03, 2023

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers talk about the ongoing WGA strike, the latest news on the Fed’s fight against inflation, and how CEOs are courting Chinese business while staying in America’s good graces.

In the Plus segment, movie theaters are trying everything to get you back into the cinema, including booze and gourmet food.

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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What Next TBD: When Your Childhood Was Their Content Jun 02, 2023

When someone posts a photo of you online without your consent, it should be easy to have it taken down or confront the person who posted it. But what if the poster is your parent, and it’s not just one photo, but your entire childhood that’s readily available online? And as social media algorithms evolve to push content in front of as many people as possible, what happens when a temper tantrum goes viral?

Guest: Kathryn Lindsay, technology and culture writer.

Host: Emily Peck

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: After They Testified: The Trans Pharmacist Who Went Viral Jun 01, 2023

As the fight for trans rights, including gender-affirming medical care, heads through state legislation, activists and medical providers are stepping up to testify. While explaining her perspective as a medical professional, a Little Rock pharmacist, who is trans, was asked about her genitalia in the middle of the Arkansas general assembly.

This is the first installment in What Next’s Pride Month series. “After They Testified” is about the Americans who’ve shown up in the last year to speak out against anti-queer legislation, how it felt to do so, and what came next.

Guest: Gwen Herzig, owner and pharmacist at Park West Pharmacy in Little Rock, Arkansas, president and executive director of The Prism Foundation.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

This Pride Month, make an impact by helping Macy’s and The Trevor Project on their mission to fund life-saving suicide prevention services for LGBTQ youth. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.

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Slow Burn: Becoming Justice Thomas - Ep. 1: America’s Blackest Child May 31, 2023

Growing up in Georgia, Clarence Thomas wanted to make his mark. His goal was to become his hometown’s first Black Catholic priest. But in the 1960s, he abandoned that dream. Instead, he embraced campus activism and the teachings of Malcolm X.

Season 8 of Slow Burn is produced by Joel Anderson, Sophie Summergrad, Sam Kim, and Sofie Kodner.

Josh Levin is the editorial director of Slow Burn.

Derek John is Slate’s executive producer of narrative podcasts.

Susan Matthews is Slate’s executive editor.

Editorial direction by Josh Levin, Derek John, and Joel Meyer.

Merritt Jacob is Slate’s senior technical director.

Our theme music is composed by Alexis Cuadrado. Artwork by Ivylise Simones.

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What Next: New Sex Abuse Charges Roil the Catholic Church May 31, 2023

After a long-delayed five-year investigation, the Illinois attorney general Kwame Raoul released the report on sexual abuse in the Illinois Catholic church. Where does this case fit in in the long history of abuse in the Catholic Church? And over two decades after the infamous Boston Globe investigation into the Catholic Church, has anything changed?

Guest: Robert Herguth, investigative reporter at the Chicago Sun-Times, part of the Watchdogs team.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Hear Me Out: “Thank You For Your Service” Feels Cheap May 30, 2023

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… empty thanks?

Memorial Day is meant to commemorate those who lost their lives in serving this country. Around such a heavy day — and on many others — the common refrain of “thank you for your service” can feel hollow to living veterans, as well as military families. What are we reflexively thanking these people for, and how could we tangibly show gratitude instead?

Third-generation veteran and writer Lucian Truscott IV joins us to propose that, while words may be well-intentioned, there are better ways to thank those who’ve served.

________________

Note: this episode includes a brief discussion of suicide. If you or a loved one need support, help is always available at the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline — you can call and text 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, at 988.

Veterans can access specialized resources at the Veterans’ Crisis Line.

________________

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

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What Next: Covering the Supreme Court May 30, 2023

Right-wing activists have been waiting for a Supreme Court like this one, willing to hand down unpopular, reactionary opinions on guns, abortion, and voting rights. Meanwhile, the general public’s opinion of the court is cratering, and this year’s docket doesn’t look like it will help.

Guest: Jay Willis, editor-in-chief of Balls and Strikes.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Reckoning on Campus May 28, 2023

The murder of George Floyd prompted a number of American colleges and universities to reckon with their historic roles in slavery. Three years later, many institutions have abandoned those efforts. One that’s still going strong is the Hard Histories Project at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by historian Martha Jones, the director of that effort. The scholars associated with the project have uncovered many challenging truths, including evidence that the founder of Johns Hopkins—widely hailed as an abolitionist—owned slaves.

Guest: Historian Martha Jones, Director of the Hard Histories Project at Johns Hopkins University

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for $15 for your first three months.

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What Next: TBD | The Trouble With TikTok Songs May 28, 2023

How the music streaming business opened the door to billions of dollars in fraud.

Guest: Ashley Carman, Bloomberg News reporter covering the podcasting, music, and audio beat.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Political Gabfest: When Is The X Date? May 27, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the imminent X Date when the United States hits the debt ceiling and could default; the presidential campaign announcements of Ron DeSantis and Tim Scott; and the possibilities of regulating artificial intelligence.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Ezra Klein for The New York Times: “Liberals Are Persuading Themselves of a Debt Ceiling Plan That Won’t Work”

J. Baxter Oliphant for Pew Research Center: “Top tax frustrations for Americans: The feeling that some corporations, wealthy people don’t pay fair share”

John Dickerson for CBS News Prime Time: “Former Google executive speaks out against AI”

Emily Conover for Science News Explores: “A new supercomputer just set a world record for speed”

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: Oliver Whang for The New York Times: “A Paralyzed Man Can Walk Naturally Again With Brain and Spine Implants”; Henri Lorach, et al., for Nature: “Walking naturally after spinal cord injury using a brain-spine interface”

Emily: Charlotte Lytton for The Washington Post: “Long-hidden ruins of vast network of Maya cities could recast history”

David: NatureSweet Twilights tomato; join David at a live taping of City Cast DC on Saturday June 3 at 1 p.m., Right Proper Brewing's Brookland production house and tasting room. Tickets are free. RSVP here.

Listener chatter from Bob Rosner: Inti Pacheco for The Wall Street Journal: “The Monks Who Make Chartreuse Don’t Care About Your Fancy Cocktails”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, Emily, and John discuss Harlan Crow’s collections and Graeme Wood’s article in The Atlantic: “Inside the Garden of Evil.”

In the latest edition of Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Curtis Sittenfeld @csittenfeld about her book, Romantic Comedy.

Join us for a live taping! Political Gabfest Live in Washington, D.C., Wednesday June 28, 7:30 p.m., Sixth & I, 600 I St. NW. Tickets are on sale now.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com or Tweet us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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Slate Money; Rainbow Rage May 27, 2023

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss the conservative backlash to corporate LGBTQIA+ Pride campaigns, Nvidia’s soaring stock and what it means for the future of AI, and what’s up with Germany’s economic slowdown.

In the Plus segment: Elizabeth's piece on strivers and Succession.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Patrick Fort.

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The Waves: I Don’t Care If You Like Me May 27, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, are female characters becoming less likable? Slate senior supervising producer, Daisy Rosario is joined by author and comedian Jena Friedman. Jena’s new book Not Funny explores likeability and what that means for women in comedy and the world. They talk about unlikeable female characters and anti-heroines in shows like Rosanne, Killing Eve, and more. How unlikeable female characters have evolved - and how streamers actually helped bring down some gatekeepers making more room for complex women on TV.

In Slate Plus: When Jena asked famous male comics the questions so many female comics get asked every day.

If you liked this episode, check out: How to Survive in Hollywood.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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 How To!. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus to help support our work.

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Amicus: Fixing The Court, One Story at a Time May 27, 2023

Take your seats for a live show from Washington DC this week. This live show is part of Slate’s Full Court Press coverage, a provocation for the fourth estate to hold the third branch of government to account. Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern, Elie Mystal of The Nation, and Jay Willis of Balls and Strikes. As we perch on the precipice of another slew of catastrophic decisions this June, they unpack how Supreme Court reporting has failed to meet the moment - and crucially, what to do about it.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, listeners will hear the question and answer segment of the live show - with piercing audience questions such as: "Why do so many Democrats fail to take the court seriously?, and some vital advice for law students from Elie Mystal and Jay Willis. (Spoiler: Don't be Tom Cotton)

Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

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What Next: TBD | Tweetering on the Glass Cliff May 26, 2023

How Twitter’s new CEO Linda Yaccarino finds herself on the edge of “the glass cliff”: when a woman is sent in to fix a big mess.

Guest: Vittoria Elliot, reporter for Wired, covering platforms and power

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: DeSantis Makes It Official May 25, 2023

The Florida governor has finally officially entered the Republican presidential primary. With electoral wins and culture war conflicts under his belt, does Ron DeSantis actually have a chance at beating Donald Trump?

Guest: Molly Ball, Time magazine’s national political correspondent.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Republicans' Stealth Plan to Ban Abortions May 24, 2023

A national ban on abortion remains so unpopular that even Republican presidential candidates won’t commit to one. However, a law from the 1870s, depending on how it's interpreted and enforced, could ban both abortion pills and the procedure across America.

Guest: Mary Ziegler, law professor at UC Davis and author of Roe: The History of a National Obsession.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Hear Me Out: Policing Can’t Be Reformed And Must Be Abolished May 23, 2023

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… imagine a world without police.

Three years after George Floyd’s murder, we’ve seen some incremental change in how we try to prevent police brutality. But it still happens, all too often — and Americans are still dying, in alarming numbers, at the hands of police.

Writer and organizer Geo Maher joins us to argue that our law enforcement system is too bloated and corrupt to fix. Instead, we should dismantle it entirely and start from scratch.

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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What Next: The Navajo Fight for Water May 23, 2023

The Supreme Court is currently hearing a case that will determine whether or not the government is obligated to ensure water access for Native American tribes. The arguments in the case, Arizona v. Navajo Nation, hinge upon whether or not the government has violated past treaties with the tribe by not providing adequate water.

Guest: Heather Tanana, assistant professor of law at the University of Utah and citizen of the Navajo Nation.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: How the Next Pandemic Starts May 22, 2023

Bats have been linked to a “greatest hits” list of infectious diseases—not just COVID-19, but SARS, Marburg, and even ebola. And now, 1.8 billion people are living in “jump zones” where the next viral spillover may occur.

Guest: Ryan McNeill, London-based deputy editor for the Reuters global data-journalism team.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: The Ballot, the Bullet, and the Truth May 21, 2023

Malcolm X was born on May 19, 1925, and he remains one of the most polarizing figures of the civil rights movement. An enduring myth from that era is that he and Martin Luther King Jr. were diametrically opposed politically. But the recent revelation that a quote where King condemned Malcolm X was false has prompted a wider reconsideration of his beliefs and legacy.

On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by historian Peniel Joseph, author of “The Sword and the Shield: The Revolutionary Lives of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.” Professor Joseph explains why the popular understanding of Malcolm X is so incomplete, and helps to give a more nuanced portrait of him as a man and a leader.

Guest: Peniel Joseph, Barbara Jordan Chair in Ethics and Political Values at the University of Texas, LBJ School of Public Affairs

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

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What Next: TBD | A Tipping Point for Digital Tipping May 21, 2023

From the coffee shop to the salon to the grocery store, Americans feel like they’re being prompted and prodded for tips more than ever—and they’re starting to resent it.

Guest: Kelly Phillips Erb, tax and law reporter for Forbes.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Political Gabfest: What Is The Comstock Act? May 20, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the John Durham report on the FBI investigation of the 2016 Trump campaign; the mifepristone case heard by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the 12-week abortion ban in North Carolina; and the legal showdown between Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Disney.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

David Frum for The Atlantic: “A Sinister Flop: Special Counsel John Durham served up not an investigation, but an excuse for future partisan abuses.”

Emily Bazelon for The New York Times: “How a 150-Year-Old Law Against Lewdness Became a Key to the Abortion Fight”

Debra Michals for the National Women’s History Museum: “Margaret Sanger

Stephen Neukam for The Hill: “Rick Scott on Disney-DeSantis feud: ‘Cooler heads have to prevail’”

Will Saletan for The Bulwark: “The Corruption of Lindsey Graham: A case study in the rise of authoritarianism.”

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: Rebecca Morelle and Alison Francis for BBC News: “Titanic: First ever full-sized scans reveal wreck as never seen before”; Lilit Marcus and Sania Farooqui for CNN: “Sherpa breaks record with 27th Mount Everest summit”

Emily: Divide Me By Zero by Lara Vapnyar

David: The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann; join David at a live taping of City Cast DC on Saturday June 3 at 1 p.m., Right Proper Brewing's Brookland production house and tasting room. Tickets are free. RSVP here.

Listener chatter from Jon: “Trappisten verlassen Abtei Engelszell” [Trappists leave Engelszell Abbey]

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, Emily, and John discuss with The Bulwark’s Will Saletan @saletan his book, “The Corruption of Lindsey Graham: A case study in the rise of authoritarianism.”

In the latest edition of Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Curtis Sittenfeld @csittenfeld about her book, Romantic Comedy.

Join us for a live taping! Political Gabfest Live in Washington, D.C., Wednesday June 28, 7:30 p.m., Sixth & I, 600 I St. NW. Tickets are on sale now.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com or Tweet us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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Amicus: E. Jean Carroll and the Lawyer Who Beat Trump May 20, 2023

Get your tickets for Amicus Live in Washington DC on May 24th here:

https://slate.com/live/amicus-live-may-24-in-washington-d-c-full-court-press.html

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by a pair of legal history-makers, E Jean Carroll and Roberta Kaplan. They discuss the landmark defamation and sexual abuse case they won against former President Donald J Trump; how the case came together, what tipped the balance in court, if vindication lasts, and what happens when the defendant won’t stop doing the same defamation over and over again.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Dahlia is joined by Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern to talk about the Mifepristone arguments at the 5th Circuit, North Carolina’s abortion ban, and why Justice Kagan and Sotomayor are duking it out in the footnotes over Andy Warhol.

Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

Dahlia’s book Lady Justice: Women, the Law and the Battle to Save America, is also available as an audiobook, and Amicus listeners can get a 25 percent discount by entering the code “AMICUS” at checkout.

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Slate Money: The Debt Ceiling is Dumb May 20, 2023

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss this big debate over the debt ceiling and why it’s so dumb, Sam Altman’s request for AI regulation, and the theory of “greedflation”.

In the Plus segment: British accents!

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Patrick Fort.

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The Waves: Why Medical Mysteries Plague Women May 20, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, we’re unpacking medical mysteries. Science writer and Slate contributor Eleanor Cummins is joined by Allison Behringer. Allison is the host and creator of the KCRW podcast, Bodies. Now in its fourth season, every episode of Bodies digs into a person’s medical mystery. Eleanor and Allison talk about Allison’s own ‘body story,’ why female bodies contain so many mysteries, and what we can do to solve them.

In Slate Plus, using social media to connect people with illnesses.

If you liked this episode, check out Who’s Getting Rich Off Menopause?

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now atslate.com/thewavesplus.

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What Next TBD: Why Sports Are All in on Betting May 19, 2023

Out of the smoky backrooms, Vegas and clandestine dens, and straight to your phone—how did gambling on sports go from forbidden to inescapable seemingly overnight?

Guest: John Holden, associate professor at Oklahoma State’s Spears school of business

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: North Carolina’s Rush to Restrict Abortion May 18, 2023

When a Democratic pro-choice representative defected from her party, North Carolina Republicans instantly secured a veto-proof supermajority in the state legislature. Then, they quickly sent a bill that restricts abortion to their Democratic governor’s desk, and overrode his veto, ending North Carolina’s time as an abortion destination in the southeastern United States.

Guest: Rebecca J. Kreitzer, associate professor of public policy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and expert on abortion politics and policy.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Roots of Latino White Supremacy May 17, 2023

The shooter who killed 8 people at an Allen, Texas mall had Nazi tattoos and left behind an online diary filled with white supremacist beliefs. He also was Latino.

Guest: Tanya Katerí Hernández, professor of law at Fordham University School of Law and author of Racial Innocence: Unmasking Latino Anti-Black Bias and the Struggle for Equality

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Hear Me Out: Workplace DEI Trainings Do More Harm Than Good May 16, 2023

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… if you need a Chief Diversity Officer, you’ve already failed.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) trainings are reaching ubiquity in pretty much every American workplace. There’s no doubt that discrimination, harassment and sequestering — on the basis of sex, sexuality, gender, race, age — all of that exists.

The question becomes what to do about it. And there’s an argument to be made that the trainings and buzzwords might be doing more to make workplaces worse than they do to make them better.

Cindy Gallop, entrepreneur and CEO of IfWeRanTheWorld and MakeLoveNotPorn, joins us.

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

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What Next: How Erdogan Stays in Power May 16, 2023

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has run Turkey in some capacity for 20 years. Even after his government’s slow, incompetent response to an earthquake and an ongoing economic crisis, the presidential election is heading to a run-off in two weeks. How does Erdogan keep hanging on? And could he finally be unseated?

Guest: Suzy Hansen, author of Notes on a Foreign Country: An American Abroad in a Post-American World

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Trump Is Back. Is the Media Ready? May 15, 2023

Much of the media world looked on with a sinking feeling as Donald Trump held forth in a primetime CNN event. More than most candidates, Trump seems to feed off media attention. Journalists have a responsibility to cover the leading Republican presidential candidate—so how can they do it responsibly?

Guest: David Folkenflik, NPR’s media correspondent.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Dungeons, Dragons, and Diversity May 14, 2023

The persistent stereotype that role-playing, tabletop game players are overwhelmingly white is rooted in race, housing, and history. The suburban homes where people could dedicate a surface to a sprawling, multiplayer board game used to be almost exclusively white. And the knights, wizards, and other fantastic creatures in these games were closely tied to European mythology. But a more diverse world of game playing is rising, with more people of color getting a seat at the creative table. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson discusses diversity in hobby games with Aaron Trammell, a professor of informatics at U.C. Irvine. He’s also the author of the new book The Privilege of Play: A History of Hobby Games, Race and Geek Culture.

Guest: Aaron Trammell, author of The Privilege of Play: A History of Hobby Games, Race and Geek Culture

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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What Next TBD: Space After NASA May 14, 2023

Space might seem to be heading from the domain of big government programs to a playground for billionaires. But just below the surface, a world of start-ups are getting ready to launch.

Guest:

Ashlee Vance, business columnist and author of When the Heavens Went on Sale: The Misfits and Geniuses Racing to Put Space Within Reach.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Political Gabfest: Donald Trump is Liable May 13, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz, discuss the $5 million jury verdict for E. Jean Carroll and against Donald Trump; joined by New York Times Mexico bureau chief Natalie Kitroeff @Nataliekitro, the end of Title 42 and the flow of migrants at the border; and the looming crisis of raise the debt ceiling or default.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Kara Scannell, Dan Berman, and Nicki Brown for CNN: “Key moments from the video of Trump’s deposition in E. Jean Carroll trial released to the public”

Isaac Arnsdorf, Josh Dawsey, and Marianne LeVine for The Washington Post: “Sexual abuse verdict renews Republican doubts about Trump’s electability”

Natalie Kitroeff and Julie Turkewitz for The New York Times: “What’s Driving Record Levels of Migration to the U.S. Border?”

Natalie Kitroeff, Christine Zhang, Miriam Jordan, and Eileen Sullivan for The New York Times: “Who Gets In? A Guide to America’s Chaotic Border Rules.”

John Dickerson and Jeff Stein for CBS News Prime Time: “14th Amendment and debt ceiling connection explained”

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Pam Belluck for The New York Times: “F.D.A. Advisers Say Benefits of Over-the-Counter Birth Control Pill”

John: Ray A. Smith for The Wall Street Journal: “Workers Now Spend Two Full Days a Week on Email and in Meetings”

David: “Exploring a Secret Fort” with David through airbnb; Museo Nacional de Antropología, Mexico City, Mexico

Listener chatter from Eric: Ironic Sans on YouTube: “The Most Remade Movie in History”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, Emily, and John discuss a listener’s moral dilemma: continue to teach in the LGBTQ-supportive learning environment of an arts high school or change jobs and teach in a parochial school.

In Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Curtis Sittenfeld @csittenfeld about her latest book, Romantic Comedy.

Mark your calendars for the return of Political Gabfest Live! Wednesday, June 28 in Washington, D.C. Further information coming soon…

Email your questions and chatters to gabfest@slate.com or Tweet us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

Hosts

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz

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The Waves: What E. Jean Carroll Did For Women May 13, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, E. Jean Carroll won, but what now? Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth talks with Slate senior writer Christina Cauterucci about the use of civil trials in cases of alleged rape and domestic violence, how the #MeToo movement influenced the trial, and what Carroll’s win could mean going forward.

More About Carroll:

“Not My Type” by Christina Cauterucci

Lie Detector by Christina Cauterucci

There’s a Remarkable Piece of Evidence in the E. Jean Carroll Trial by Christina Cauterucci

Make No Mistake About the $5 Million E. Jean Carroll Verdict Against Trump by Christina Cauterucci

In Slate Plus, the stupidity of one of Trump’s lies.

If you liked this episode, check out: What Amber Heard’s Makeup Palette Says About the Legal System

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus.

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Amicus: The Supreme Court's Dangerous Return to Its Roots May 13, 2023

Get your tickets for Amicus Live on May 24th.

On this week’s Amicus, we head to Seattle for a live taping of the show at the Cross Cut Festival with guest Michael Waldman, President of NYU Law School’s Brennan Center. Dahlia Lithwick asks him about his new book, THE SUPERMAJORITY: How the Supreme Court Divided America, and what the ongoing ethics scandals and plummeting public approval for the court mean for our democracy. They also look ahead to next month when the court’s legitimacy may be stretched even further by major decisions that fly in the face of the majority of public opinion.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Dahlia is joined by Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern to talk about the decisions that came out this week concerning pork producers and public corruption, which delivered some surprising and depressingly unsurprising opinions. They also try to figure out how many more times E Jean Carroll might have to sue Donald Trump to halt his defamation demolition derby.

Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

Dahlia’s book Lady Justice: Women, the Law and the Battle to Save America, is also available as an audiobook, and Amicus listeners can get a 25 percent discount by entering the code “AMICUS” at checkout. https://books.supportingcast.fm/lady-justice

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What Next TBD: Who’s Afraid of A.I.? May 12, 2023

Artificial intelligence—as it already exists today—is drawing from huge troves of surveillance data and is rife with the biases built into the algorithm, in service of the huge corporations that develop and maintain the systems. The fight for the future doesn’t look like war with Skynet; it’s happening right now on the lines of the Writer’s Guild strike.

Guests:

Meredith Whittaker, president of the Signal Foundation, co-founder of the AI Now Institute at NYU

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Debt Ceiling Dinner Theater May 11, 2023

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen announced that June 1 is the “drop dead date” by which the American government has to either raise the debt ceiling or run out of money to pay its obligations. Can President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy come to an agreement that will mollify their bases and keep the government working? And why does it feel like we have to go through this ritual every couple of years?

Guest: Jordan Weissmann, Washington editor at Semafor.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Border's New Normal May 10, 2023

Activated during the Trump administration in 2020, Title 42 is a controversial border policy that makes it easier to quickly expel asylum seekers. Even though Biden campaigned on moving away from Trump’s anti-immigration stance,, his administration has also leaned on Title 42 to control the border. . Now that the policy is being lifted this week, pressure is on the Biden administration to answer the practical question: “What does a fair and humane asylum system look like in America?”

Guest: Arelis Hernández, immigration reporter at the Washington Post

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Why Richard Glossip Has Escaped Execution Nine Times May 09, 2023

Richard Glossip has been on death row for 26 years and stared down nine execution dates. The 1997 killing that sent him to death row has been investigated numerous times and the actual killer—who brutally bludgeoned a motel owner with a baseball bat—has even sought to recant his testimony against Glossip. Over the decades, anti-death penalty activists and a growing number of lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have spoken out to save Richard Glossip. But now his case is in the Supreme Court’s hands.

Guests:

Liliana Segura, investigative journalist at The Intercept focused on prisons and harsh sentencing.

Mark Joseph Stern, Slate senior writer covering courts and the law.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Can DeSantis Beat Disney? May 08, 2023

To hear Ron DeSantis tell it, “Disney” represents “wokeness.” To the state of Florida, though, the company represents tourist dollars and tax revenue. As the war between Mickey and the Florida governor heads to the courts, Disney CEO Bob Iger doesn’t seem worried. Is DeSantis?

Guest: Lori Rozsa, the Washington Post’s Florida correspondent.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: What's Going on at Meta? May 07, 2023

Meta’s reached a sort of mid-life crisis. Between the layoffs, the stagnant metaverse and Facebook’s dwindling profile, does Zuckerberg have a plan here?

Guests:

Naomi Nix, Washington Post reporter

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Becoming “The Black Mozart” May 07, 2023

Even classical art can be revolutionary. That was true for violinist Joseph Bologne. He was a biracial musical prodigy who worked and charmed his way into the center of 18th-century French society. But the new film “Chevalier” shows how even his genius couldn’t save him from the poisonous combination of bias and envy. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by actor Kelvin Harrison Jr., star of “Chevalier.” They talk about rediscovering this largely forgotten musical history, and Harrison’s critically acclaimed work on stage and screen.

Guest: Actor Kelvin Harrison, Jr.

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

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Political Gabfest: E. Jean Carroll, ‘Why Didn’t You Scream?’ May 06, 2023

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and the New York Times’s Jamelle Bouie @jbouie discuss the battle between President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy on raising the debt ceiling; the courtroom drama of E. Jean Carroll v. Donald J. Trump; and the power of Republican supermajorities in state legislatures.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Nick Mourtoupalas and Derek Hawkins for The Washington Post: “Washington is running out of workdays to strike a debt ceiling deal”

Jacob Bogage for The Washington Post: “Debt ceiling showdown: 5 possible outcomes”

Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States

Lola Fadulu for The New York Times: “In Trump Trial, a Lawyer Pushes, and E. Jean Carroll Pushes Right Back”

Jamelle Bouie for The New York Times: “A Sinister New Page in the Republican Playbook” and “Republicans Did Something Most People Don’t Like, So They’re Changing the Rules”

Article IV, Section 4 of the Constitution of the United States

Movement Advancement Project: “Snapshot: Democracy Ratings By State”

Michael Waldman for the Brennan Center for Justice: “The Great Resignation … Of Election Officials”

James Madison: “Federalist No. 10”

Here are this week’s chatters:

Jamelle: the films of Seijun Suzuki, including Tokyo Drifter and Branded to Kill

John: using ChatGPT to simplify text, such as statements by the Federal Reserve and George Washington’s farewell address

Emily: Eleanor Klibanoff for The Texas Tribune: “Three Texas women are sued for wrongful death after allegedly helping friend obtain abortion medication” and “Women accused of facilitating abortion in Galveston wrongful-death lawsuit file countersuit”

Listener chatter from Ted Hogeman: Community Media Center, Institute for Contemporary Art, Virginia Commonwealth University

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Jamelle, John, and Emily discuss cooking, including roast chicken with bread, Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking by Toni Tipton-Martin, broccoli and cauliflower salad with curried dressing, broccoli salad with peanuts and tahini-lime dressing, and Soom tahini.

In the next Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Curtis Sittenfeld @csittenfeld about her latest book, Romantic Comedy.

Email your questions and chatters to gabfest@slate.com or Tweet us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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Amicus: Clarence Thomas and the Billionaires May 06, 2023

After weeks of controversy, piled upon intrigue, heaped with scandal and topped with crisis at the Supreme Court, it can be hard to get your bearings. What’s illegal, what’s unethical, what’s just a bit hinky? And what does it really mean for an institution that is about to hand down decisions that reach into every part of our lives, from justice to climate, from youtube to universities? On this week’s Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Lisa Graves from True North Research. Lisa ia a veteran investigator of the dark money spigot that has been flooding the Supreme Court and rewarding some of the justices, and the causes and people close to their hearts. If you can’t see the woods for the trees, Lisa will paint you a picture. And that painting will, of course, include; Clarence Thomas, Leonard Leo, Harlan Crow and Mark Paoletta.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Dahlia is joined by Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern to talk about the possible end of Chevron deference the impacts for the administrative state, the Texas abortion case that is a case study in SB8 working exactly as it was intended, and why it is so puzzling that the Justices won’t rescue themselves from the ethics quagmire that’s sinking trust in SCOTUS.

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Slate Money: Why The First Republic Failure Is Different May 06, 2023

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers talk about the failure of First Republic Bank, the (maybe) end of interest rate hikes, and how the shopping app Temu is shaking up e-commerce. Also, a more humane approach to chickens.

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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The Waves: How to Protect Your Kids From Diet Culture May 06, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, we’re doing a very special Mom and Dad Are Fighting crossover with host Jamilah Lemieux. Jamilah sits down with author Virginia Sole-Smith to talk about her new book, Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture. They discuss helping kids accept their bodies in whatever form they take, dealing with our own internalized fatphobia, and more.

In Slate Plus, answering a listener’s question on secret snacking.

If you liked this episode, check out Making Friends As An Adult.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Rosemary Belson with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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 How To!. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: What the Writers' Strike Is Really About May 05, 2023

When television and screenwriters went on strike in 2007, Netflix had just started offering the option to stream content. This week, the Writer’s Guild of America went on strike to update pay structures for the streaming era—and to get ahead of A.I. and the changes it may bring.

Guests:

Michelle Dean, television writer and journalist

Anousha Sakoui, entertainment industry writer for the Los Angeles Times

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What Next: Charles In Charge May 04, 2023

It’s the first British coronation in 70 years and along with the celebration, questions abound: What kind of king will Charles be? Who is Charles anyway? And why even have a king?

Guest: Imogen West-Knights, writer and Slate contributor

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How To!: Raise Kids in a Nation Full of Guns May 03, 2023

Guns are now the leading cause of death for children in America. Each tragedy can be visceral, whether it’s in your community or across the country. And it’s especially heartbreaking when your kid voices that fear directly, as our listener Allison recently experienced. On this episode of How To!, co-host Amanda Ripley brings in Melinda Wenner Moyer. Melinda is an author and science journalist with years covering gun violence and parenting issues. She’s also the author of the substack, Is My Kid the Asshole? where she shares science-based approaches to lower the possibility of gun violence, help kids feel safe, and, ultimately, change the environment.

If you liked this episode, check out: “My Kid’s Anxiety Is Giving ME Anxiety! How Do I Fix This?”

Do you wonder how best to use your time? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show.

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What Next: America’s Rich History of Gun Control May 03, 2023

When the Supreme Court struck down New York’s concealed carry law last year, it set a precedent that gun control laws should be judged against “historical tradition.” But judged against actual American history, it’s the on-going repeal of gun control laws that’s an anomaly.

Guest: Robert J Spitzer, professor emeritus at SUNY Cortland, author of The Gun Dilemma.

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

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

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What Next: What E. Jean Carroll Is Fighting For May 02, 2023

Author E. Jean Carroll has accused Donald Trump of raping her in a dressing room in the mid-1990s—and she’s suing him for battery and for defamation in response to his claims that she’s lying and “mentally sick.” The trial began on Tuesday, April 25th, in federal court in Manhattan.

What’s at stake in this latest trial against the former president?

Guest: Christina Cauterucci, Slate senior writer and host of Outward.

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What Next: War in Ukraine: The View Behind Closed Doors May 01, 2023

What a slew of documents leaked via Discord reveal about Ukraine’s war against Russia—both from Ukraine’s and Washington’s perspectives.

Guest: Shane Harris, senior national security writer at the Washington Post

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

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.

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Podcast production by Patrick Fort.

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What Next TBD: Is Your Uber Drivers' Pay Rigged? Apr 30, 2023

Two gig workers standing side-by-side can be offered the very same job and get offered two different wages. Set by an algorithm and based on calculations that are never explained to the workers themselves, this unequal pay for equal work is already subject to lawsuits that call it a form of price fixing and wage discrimination, but the tech is being tested in other industries.

Guests: Veena Dubal, law professor at the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco

Sergio Avedian, senior contributor at The Rideshare Guy

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A Word: Autism Beyond Awareness Apr 30, 2023

April is Autism Awareness and Acceptance month, and might be the only time of year when many Americans think about neurodiversity. But for many families, receiving an autism diagnosis for a child can set off an all-consuming search for doctors, therapists, and education that can work for their kids. That’s more complicated for African-American families, who have to overcome systemic racism in schools and health care to get the right help for their children. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Dr. Ashley Wiley-Johnson. She’s the vice president of The Los Angeles Speech and Language Therapy Center. She’s also the co-author of Autism Spectrum Disorders from Theory to Practice: Assessment and Intervention Tools Across the Lifespan. She explains how finding help that focuses on life-long skills for autistic people can lay a foundation for them to have happy, healthy futures.

Guest: Dr. Ashley Wiley-Johnson, vice president of The Los Angeles Speech and Language Therapy Center

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

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The Waves: Making Friends As An Adult Apr 29, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, finding friends as an adult. Slate executive editor Susan Matthews is joined by author, comedian, and musician Lane Moore to talk about Moore’s new book You Will Find Your People. They dig into the necessity of healthy boundaries, letting go of old friendships that no longer serve you, and the importance of deep friendships that require work.

In Slate Plus, unpacking celebrity friendships.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

If you liked this episode, check out: Make Movies Horney Again.

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

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.

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Podcast production by Patrick Fort.

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Political Gabfest: Biden: ‘Let’s Finish the Job’ Apr 29, 2023

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss the kick-off of President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign; the firings of Tucker Carlson from Fox News and Don Lemon from CNN; and the Bud Light marketing misstep with Insta influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Joe Biden Campaign: “Let’s Finish the Job”

Aaron Zitner for the Wall Street Journal: “They’re the Happiest People in America. We Called Them to Ask Why.”

Brian Stelter for the New York Times: “I Worked at CNN and Reported on Tucker Carlson. He Was Never Invincible.”

Dylan Mulvaney on Instagram: “Happy March Madness!!”

Emily Bazelon for the New York Times Magazine: “The Battle Over Gender Therapy”

John Dickerson for CBS News Prime Time: “Montana State Rep. Zooey Zephyr on being blocked from debating an anti-trans bill”

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Matthew Hendrickson, Fran Spielman, and Andy Grimm for the Chicago Sun-Times: “Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx won’t seek reelection”

David: Jeff Maysh for The Atlantic: “The Wedding Sting”

John: Bob Weir’s song “Only a River”

Listener chatter from Elizabeth Trovall: Jen Rice and Alexandra Kanik for the Houston Chronicle: “Harris County 2022 election: Investigation reveals new details”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David discuss the new Utah laws intended to restrict children’s access to social media.

In Gabfest Reads, David talks with Washington Post columnist Alexandra Petri about her latest book, Alexandra Petri’s US History: Important American Documents (I Made Up).

Email your questions and chatters to gabfest@slate.com or tweet us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Jared Downing

Research by Julie Huygen

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What Next TBD: Stephen King Is Just as Confused About Blue Checks as You Are Apr 28, 2023

Twitter’s “blue check” verification went from something you applied for, to something you could pay for, to something you had to pay for…to something that many celebrities wouldn’t even accept for free. Master of horror Stephen King told us he wouldn’t pay for a blue check, but he’s not going to fight it either—he just doesn’t really understand what’s going on. Does anyone at Twitter understand?

Guests:

Alex Heath, deputy editor of The Verge

Jon Favreau, co-founder of Crooked Media, speechwriter for President Barack Obama

Stephen King, freelancer author

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Fighting for the Right to Die Apr 27, 2023

A self-described activist had late-stage, fallopian tube cancer. She didn’t live in one of the 11 jurisdictions that allows terminally-ill patients the choice to medically end their own lives. But rather than relocating, she argued Vermont’s residency restrictions were unconstitutional.

Guest: Lynda Bluestein, a 75-year-old woman seeking to end her life on her terms, who successfully sued Vermont over their residency requirement in their “Patient Choice At End of Life” law.

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What Next: The Ballad of Tucker Carlson Apr 26, 2023

Tucker Carlson has now completed the holy trinity of cable TV news: joining — and leaving — MSNBC, CNN, and now Fox News. Why did Fox oust him so abruptly? And how did he create a feedback loop that made Fox millions — and changed American politics forever?

Guest: Nicole Hemmer, Director of the Rogers Center for the Study of the Presidency at Vanderbilt University.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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How To!: Face the A.I. Revolution Apr 25, 2023

If you haven’t heard of ChatGPT, chances are you will soon. Maybe you’ve tried casually playing with the artificial intelligent chatbot. Maybe you’ve tried avoiding it. Or maybe ChatGPT is the new host of this podcast and you haven’t realized it yet. Either way, we’re on the precipice of a new, powerful technology. On this episode of How To!, co-hosts Carvell Wallace and Amanda Ripley join forces to talk through all things artificial intelligence. They bring on Kevin Roose, tech columnist for the New York Times and co-host of the Times’ podcast, Hard Fork. He will explain how A.I. chatbots work, how to use them for good, how they may be used for, well, not so good, and what you should do if it starts hitting on you.

If you liked this episode, check out: “How To Beat Hackers at Their Own Game.”

Do you wonder how best to use your time? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show.

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What Next: Beyond Stand Your Ground Apr 25, 2023

“Stand Your Ground” laws have expanded across the country over the past 20 years, allowing people to use deadly force even when they could safely retreat from a perceived threat. But when someone shoots a person standing on their porch, or as they turn around in a driveway, or in a crowd, the claim that these laws exist for self-defense doesn’t seem to wash.

Guest: Tamara Lave, professor of criminal law at the University of Miami and a former public defender.

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What Next: Why Evan Gershkovich Went to Russia Apr 24, 2023

Evan Gershkovich is the first foreign journalist arrested in Russia as a spy since the Cold War. When the war in Ukraine began, Evan - like most journalists - left the country. But then, he went back. Why?

Guest: Drew Hinshaw, senior reporter at the Wall Street Journal

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What Next TBD: "Crap Apps": Why Weather Apps Suck Apr 23, 2023

Weather apps can be frustrating. And with how much we rely on them to know if we should wear pants or shorts, they'll still leave you in the rain. But as the climate gets wilder, the questions of how to tell people what they need to know—and quickly—can be an issue of life or death.

Guest: Charlie Warzel, staff writer at the Atlantic

Daniel Swain, UCLA climate scientist

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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A Word: Home is Where the Hurt Is Apr 23, 2023

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and the African American community has a complicated relationship with corporal punishment of kids. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Stacey Patton, a writer, child abuse survivor, and the author of Spare the Kids: Why Whupping Children Won’t Save Black America. She debunks myths about spanking, including the idea that physical discipline of children has roots in Africa. They also discuss the emotional and psychological damage caused by spanking, and by the new phenomenon of parents sharing videos of punishing their children on social media.

Guest: Stacey Patton, author of Spare the Kids: Why Whupping Children Won’t Save Black America

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

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Slate Money: Elon’s Rapid Unscheduled Disassembly Apr 22, 2023

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss the biggest business, tech and finance stories of the week. This week, Fox News settles with Dominion, Elon’s rocketship blows up, and Apple has a savings account now.

In the plus: Quantifying the value of domestic labor.

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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Political Gabfest: Was Fox News Punished Enough? Apr 22, 2023

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss the $787.5 million settlement of the Dominion Voting v. Fox News defamation lawsuit; the political game being played with raising the U.S. debt ceiling; and the Russian detention of American journalist Evan Gershkovich.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Jim Rutenberg and Katie Robertson for the New York Times: “A $787.5 Million Settlement and Embarrassing Disclosures: The Costs of Airing a Lie”

Matthew Iglesias for Slow Boring: “Medicaid work requirements are cruel and pointless”

Paul Krugman for the New York Times: “A Few Ways Out of the Debt Ceiling Mess”

Freedom House Report: “Freedom in the World 2023: Marking 50 Years in the Struggle for Democracy”

John Dickerson for CBS News Prime Time: “U.S. ambassador says she visited detained Wall Street Journal reporter”

Drew Hinshaw, Joe Parkinson, and Brett Forrest for the Wall Street Journal: “’You Are Completely Alone’: Inside the Infamous Russian Prison Holding Evan Gershkovich”

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: “What Everyone Should Know about the Shingles Vaccine (Shingrix)”

“Pelosi in the House” HBO documentary

Carrie Blazina and Drew Desilver for the Pew Research Center: “House gets younger, Senate gets older: A look at the age and generation of lawmakers in the 118th Congress”

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Julie Bosman, Mitch Smith, Jesse McKinley, and Jay Root for the New York Times: “Hundreds of Miles Apart, Separate Shootings Follow Wrong Turns” and Timothy Bella for the Washington Post: “Cheerleaders leaving practice were shot after one got in wrong car, teen says”

John: Ellie Zolfagharifard for the Daily Mail: “’Here there be robots’: Artist draws stunning medieval map of Mars showing off its huge craters and vast canyons”; Mars and its Canals by Percival Lowell; and Kaushik Patowary for Amusing Planet: “How Astronomer Percival Lowell Mistook His Own Eye For Spokes on Venus”

David: City Cast DC podcast: “D.C.’s Rat-Hunting Dogs And Other Rat Solutions” (Host Bridget Todd, Producer Julia Karron)

Listener chatter from Nancy Hall: Joe Mahr and Megan Crepeau for the Chicago Tribune: “Stalled Justice: Delays in the Cook County courts”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David discuss the dilemma posed by the months-long absence of Dianne Feinstein from the U.S. Senate.

In the next Gabfest Reads, David talks with Washington Post columnist Alexandra Petri about her latest book, Alexandra Petri’s US History: Important American Documents (I Made Up).

Email your questions and chatters to gabfest@slate.com or tweet us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Jared Downing.

Research by Julie Huygen.

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Amicus; Justice Roberts’ Unfunny Stalking Jokes at SCOTUS Apr 22, 2023

As laughter ricocheted around the Supreme Court chamber Wednesday, Professor Mary Anne Franks wondered if she could quite believe her ears. The matter of some hilarity, it seems, were messages sent by a convicted stalker to his victim. Individual messages that were among what one detective estimated to number in the hundreds of thousands - possibly as many as one million messages - sent by Billy Raymond Counterman to singer Coles Whalen. Counterman’s campaign of harassment drove Whalen away from performing, indeed drove her away from her home state. She moved across the country to get away. On this week’s Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Professor Mary Anne Franks to discuss Counterman v Colorado and how the details of a cyber-stalking case were lost to free speech concerns about trigger warnings and "sensitivity". You can read Prof. Franks’ powerful piece on this here.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Dahlia is joined by Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern to discuss the big fat settlement Dominion got in its defamation case against Fox News, and why it feels so unsatisfying, the religious liberty case you probably missed at the court this week, Groff v DeJoy. They also talk about how Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s continued absence from the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Senate Democrats’ workarounds for it, are like bringing a bubble blower to a knife fight.

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What Next TBD: Will A.I. Close Off the Internet? Apr 21, 2023

Reddit announced it will start charging companies to use its huge, ever-growing trove of text to train A.I. chatbots. It’s another expense for the fledgling tech and another knock against the “open internet” ideals that Reddit once embodied.

Guest: Mike Isaac, tech reporter for the New York Times.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: So Fox News, What Did We Learn? Apr 20, 2023

Just as the defamation trial was set to begin, Fox News settled with Dominion Voting Systems at a cost of $787.5 million. While not nearly as expensive as a Rupert Murdoch divorce, surely the settlement and the airing of their texts and emails has taught them something valuable—right?

Guest: Justin Peters, Slate correspondent.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Dianne Feinstein's Last Stand Apr 19, 2023

The 89-year-old Dianne Feinstein has stated she plans to retire at the end of her term, but her health-related absences have stymied the Democrats’ ability to confirm judges—one of the few things the party can actually do in a divided government.

Guest: Joe Garofoli, senior political writer at the San Francisco Chronicle, covering national and state politics.

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What Next: Fox News Goes to Court Apr 18, 2023

The defamation trial between Dominion Voting Systems and Fox News is slated to start this week. Though Dominion uncovered a trove of texts and emails from people at Fox News who knew calling the 2020 election stolen was a lie, proving “defamation” is a high bar in the United States. Can Dominion win the case? And even if Fox News can win the legal case, is their reputation shot?

Guest: Erik Wemple, Washington Post media critic

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What Next: He Couldn’t Teach ‘Slavery Was Wrong.’ So He Quit. Apr 17, 2023

Iowa was one of the first states in the country to pass legislation against teaching that the United States is systemically racist — an idea some equate with “critical race theory.” But when one social studies teacher asked how he could teach U.S. history without running afoul of the new law, he didn’t get any clarity — or help.

What happens when legislation targets teachers? And as America’s teacher shortage grows — what will this mean for the country’s kids?

Guest: Greg Wickenkamp, former eighth grade social studies teacher in Fairfield, Iowa.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: Will Banning Social Media Help Kids? Apr 16, 2023

A new law in Utah that goes into effect next year states that anyone under 18 needs parental permission to use social media. Is it a necessary step to protect children from harms associated with social media, or are we blunting a tool of expression for the youth?

Guest: Dr. Mitch Prinstein, chief science officer at American Psychological Association

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: The Color of Money Apr 16, 2023

The deadline for filing taxes this year is April 18th, and tax season brings on anxiety in lots of Americans. For Black folks, a lack of intergenerational wealth often means fewer contacts and networks that can offer guidance on taxes. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Washington Post personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary to talk about some of the tax challenges that disproportionately affect the Black community, last minute filing tips, and how to plan now for a better tax time next year.

Guest: Michelle Singletary, Washington Post personal finance columnist and author of “What To Do With Your Money When Crisis Hits: A Survival Guide.”

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for $15 for your first three months.

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The Waves: How to Survive in Hollywood Apr 15, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves - the freelancing side of acting with Marvelous Mrs. Maisel actress Caroline Aaron. Slate senior supervising producer Daisy Rosario is joined by Caroline Aaron - a familiar face in movies for over forty years, if not a household name. They discuss building a life with an unstable career path, how women’s stories are done a disservice in film and television, and how Caroline’s show The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel seeks to overturn all of that.

In Slate Plus, Caroline discusses working with strong women like Amy Sherman Palladino and Nora Ephron.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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Amicus: Anti-Abortion Lawyers Love this Zombie Law Apr 15, 2023

There’s a terrible legal Easter egg in Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk’s ruling on the abortion medication, Mifepristone. And that same Easter egg makes an appearance in the Fifth Circuit’s partial stay. It’s the Comstock Act - a mostly forgotten 19th century vice statute that is suddenly the anti-abortion movement’s favorite zombie legislation. On a special extra episode of Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Mary Ziegler, an expert on the law, history, and politics of reproduction, health care, and conservatism in the United States from 1945 to the present. Together, they tackle the chaos upon chaos of the past week’s medication abortion cases, and take a long hard look at the next steps in the anti-abortion movement’s fight for a nationwide ban.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Dahlia is joined by Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern to discuss the “quid pro Crow” of Justice Clarence Thomas’ real estate deals with GOP mega donor, and avid court-watcher, and amicus-brief-funder Harlan Crow.

Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

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Slate Money: The China Problem Apr 15, 2023

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers go over China’s expanding role in the international debt market. They discuss a new problem with the American mortgage system, and dive into the wild world of the collectibles market.

In the Plus segment, Rupert Murdoch’s email divorce.

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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What Next TBD: How Gamers Leaked Classified Pentagon Docs Apr 14, 2023

Discord is a place to share a community online. Most often, it's for gaming. So why did classified intelligence from the Pentagon end up on a small server whose main interests seem to be video games, military equipment and memes? And how?

Guest: Shane Harris, national security reporter for the Washington Post.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Political Gabfest: That Shoddy Abortion Pill Ruling Apr 13, 2023

This week, David Plotz and Emily Bazelon discuss the federal court rulings on the F.D.A.-approved abortion medication mifepristone, the expulsion of two Democratic representatives by the Republican-supermajority state legislature in Tennessee, and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ latest ethics problem.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Adam Unikowsky for Adam’s Legal Newsletter: “Mifepristone and the rule of law, part II”

Allison McCann for the New York Times: “Inside the Online Market for Overseas Abortion Pills”

Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott, and Alex Mierjeski for ProPublica: “Clarence Thomas and the Billionaire”

Sylvie McNamara for the Washingtonian: “Clarence Thomas’s Billionaire Benefactor Collects Hitler Artifacts”

Chenjerai Kumanyika for This American Life: “Ghost Industrial Complex”

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Vladimir: A Novel by Julia May Jonas

David: The D.C. Sing-Along; The Dropout on Hulu; Air (Amazon Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)

Listener chatter from David Foreman: Rosemary Mosco for Audubon: “Meet the Little Brown Bird That Holds a Mirror Up to Humanity”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David and Emily discuss the Hitler memorabilia collected by Harlan Crow, Texas billionaire and friend of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas.

Email your questions and chatters to gabfest@slate.com or tweet us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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What Next: Do Abortion Pills Actually Need FDA Approval? Apr 13, 2023

Last week a federal judge in Texas refuted the FDA approval for mifepristone, a pill used for medication abortions, which would suspend that approval across the country.

But some experts say - plenty of drugs don’t have FDA approval, and are still widely distributed… from baby formula, to multivitamins.

Guest: Rachel Rebouché, dean and James E. Beasley professor of law at the Temple University Beasley School of Law and faculty fellow at the Center for Public Health Law Research.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Narcan Over the Counter Apr 12, 2023

The FDA just approved a version of Narcan, the most commonly used version of the overdose prevention medicine naloxone, for over-the-counter sales. The move comes in response to overdose deaths steadily rising since the late ‘70s and around 100,000 Americans dying from overdose just last year. What took so long?

Guest: Nancy D. Campbell, department head at Rensselaer’s department of science and technology studies, author of OD: Naloxone and the Politics of Overdose.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Hear Me Out: Don’t Celebrate the Trump Indictment Apr 11, 2023

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… a former president got indicted, and all we got was this stupid t-shirt.

Writer and former federal prosecutor Ankush Khardori joins Celeste to make the case that, while historic, this indictment is not a victory for anyone; it’s far from a legal slam dunk, it’s a symptom of a sluggish Justice Department, and it might actually worsen this nation’s political divide (which, in case you haven’t noticed, is already pretty bad).

Read the pieces Ankush mentions here and here.

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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What Next: Tennessee’s House Divided Apr 11, 2023

The Tennessee House, which has a Republican supermajority, voted last week on motions to expel three Democratic members for “disorderly behavior” after they led protest chants from the floor of the chamber.

Two Black lawmakers, Rep. Justin Jones and Rep. Justin Pearson—both in their late 20s and new to the House this session—were ousted. The motion to boot the other Rep. Gloria Johnson, who’s white, failed by one vote.

Guest: Melissa Brown, state politics reporter for The Tennessean.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Clarence Thomas’s Friends in High Places Apr 10, 2023

A ProPublica investigation revealed that Justice Clarence Thomas has been gifted luxury vacations by Republican donor and billionaire Harlan Crow. For over two decades, Justice Thomas has taken private jets, gone on yachts and stayed at private resorts alongside powerful Republican donors, all funded by Crow. For the most part, Justice Thomas did not disclose these vacations.

The investigation raises questions on the legality of these types of gifts, as well as the lack of oversight and ethics standards for the Supreme Court. Did these vacations break the law? To what extent could Justice Thomas’s court rulings have been influenced by Crow and other people on these trips? And even if some of these gifts may not have been illegal, why doesn’t the Supreme Court have more oversight and ethical guidelines to prevent potential conflicts of interest?

Guest: Justin Elliot, reporter at ProPublica.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: Why Flying Is So Bad Now Apr 09, 2023

U.S. air travel is being strained on all sides—travel demand is back to 2019 levels, but the number of pilots and planes and ground crew hasn’t caught back up, and a rash of close calls are raising safety concerns about America’s aging flying infrastructure.

Guest: Jon Ostrower, editor in chief of The Air Current.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: The Battle for Eatonville Apr 09, 2023

Folklorist and Harlem Renaissance author Zora Neale Hurston made her hometown of Eatonville, Florida famous in her writing, including her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. But her fame hasn’t saved the town from the pressures that many African American communities have endured: a population fighting poverty, government indifference, and developers that want to scoop up the land to build housing that current residents can’t afford. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Aallyah Wright, a reporter with Black news non-profit Capital B, who has written about the town’s recent success in resisting developers, and its hopes for the future.

Guest: Capital B reporter Aallyah Wright

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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

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The Waves: Make Movies Horny Again Apr 08, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, author, journalist, and former host of Slate podcast Thirst Aid Kit Nichole Perkins is joined by journalist Eliana Dockterman to discuss the disappearance of sexuality in recent movies. They unpack Eliana’s recent piece in TIME, “Why Aren’t Movies Sexy Anymore?” and try to work through the reasons films that hit the theaters are lacking heat. Hint: One reason has to do with some superheroes.

In Slate Plus: Movies that DO have sex scenes.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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Political Gabfest: No Mugshot For Donald Trump Apr 08, 2023

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Washington Post’s Ruth Marcus discuss Donald Trump’s arraignment; the elections of Janet Protasiewicz to the Wisconsin Supreme Court and Brandon Johnson for Chicago mayor; and the possibility of No Labels playing spoiler in 2024 presidential politics.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Manhattan District Attorney’s Office: “District Attorney Bragg Announces 34-Count Felony Indictment of Former President Donald J. Trump”

Ruth Marcus for The Washington Post: “The Trump indictment is a dangerous leap on the highest of wires”

Jim Robbins for The New York Times: “Mass Yellowstone Hunt Kills 1,150 Bison”

Here are this week’s chatters:

Ruth: Dublin Murder Squad 6-book series by Tana French ; Dún Aonghasa

John: Carrie Hagen for Smithsonian Magazine: “The Media Learned Nothing After Misreporting the Reagan Assassination Attempt: As the shooter John Hinckley returns to life outside of imprisonment, it’s worth looking back at every thing the media got wrong that day”

David: Adam Taylor, Júlia Ledur, Francesca Ebel, and Mary Ilyushina for The Washington Post: “A web of trenches shows Russia fears losing Crimea“; the Putrid Sea

Listener chatter from Zach Marks @zmarks215: The arrest of President Ulysses S. Grant

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Ruth discuss the sanctioned killing of Yellowstone bison that leave the boundaries of the national park.

Email your questions and chatters to gabfest@slate.com or Tweet us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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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Slate Money: How to Win at Roulette Apr 08, 2023

Slate Money hosts Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Elizabeth Spiers talk about the podcasting economy and if the bubble has burst—or if it will soon. They also talk about Anthony Scaramucci’s hedge fund troubles, and a story about how to win at roulette.

In the Plus segment: The implications of Supreme Court Justice Thomas’ ties to a billionaire, and the broader politicization of the American judicial system.

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, with technical assistance from Ben Richmond.

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Amicus: Tennessee-Style Power Grabs are Coming to a State House Near You Apr 08, 2023

On this week’s Amicus Dahlia Lithwick is first joined by Sherrilyn Ifill, former President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, to talk about Tennessee and the mounting evidence of Republican state houses and governors finding novel (but also depressingly old) ways to disenfranchise voters and subvert democracy. Ifill sounded the alarm about all of this in a prescient piece in Slate last month that deserves your attention.

Next, Dahlia is joined by Professor Stephen Vladeck on the opaque, unquestioned and largely unquestionable Supreme Court processes that undergird conservative contempt for the rule of law. Professor Vladeck’s book, The Shadow Docket -

How the Supreme Court Uses Stealth Rulings to Amass Power and Undermine the Republic is out in May.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Dahlia is joined by Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern. There was, categorically, Too Much News this week, so Dahlia turned to Mark for an exclusive conversation for our Slate Plus members about all the stuff we couldn’t cram into an already jam-packed main show. They start with what’s really not happening, and that is Supreme Court decisions. It’s April and there has been a mere smattering of decisions from the High Court. Mark and Dahlia try to figure out what the looming logjam might mean. Next, they talk yacht etiquette, gift grift, and Justice Clarence Thomas’ law breaking. And… Hey! Remember Wisconsin? It’s a big deal - Mark and Dahlia delve into why. Finally, the Supreme Court may not be issuing decisions, but it did deny a petition to overturn a stay of West Virginia’s extreme trans athlete ban. Mark has more on that decision and the shortcomings of a new Biden regulation about trans athletes.

Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

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Political Gabfest: No Mugshot For Donald Trump Apr 08, 2023

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Washington Post’s Ruth Marcus discuss Donald Trump’s arraignment; the elections of Janet Protasiewicz to the Wisconsin Supreme Court and Brandon Johnson for Chicago mayor; and the possibility of No Labels playing spoiler in 2024 presidential politics.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Manhattan District Attorney’s Office: “District Attorney Bragg Announces 34-Count Felony Indictment of Former President Donald J. Trump”

Ruth Marcus for The Washington Post: “The Trump indictment is a dangerous leap on the highest of wires”

Jim Robbins for The New York Times: “Mass Yellowstone Hunt Kills 1,150 Bison”

Here are this week’s chatters:

Ruth: Dublin Murder Squad 6-book series by Tana French ; Dún Aonghasa

John: Carrie Hagen for Smithsonian Magazine: “The Media Learned Nothing After Misreporting the Reagan Assassination Attempt: As the shooter John Hinckley returns to life outside of imprisonment, it’s worth looking back at every thing the media got wrong that day”

David: Adam Taylor, Júlia Ledur, Francesca Ebel, and Mary Ilyushina for The Washington Post: “A web of trenches shows Russia fears losing Crimea“; the Putrid Sea

Listener chatter from Zach Marks @zmarks215: The arrest of President Ulysses S. Grant

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Ruth discuss the sanctioned killing of Yellowstone bison that leave the boundaries of the national park.

Email your questions and chatters to gabfest@slate.com or Tweet us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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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What Next TBD: Wait, TikTok Has a Sister App? Apr 07, 2023

While TikTok’s parent company, Bytedance, is fighting to keep its flagship app from being banned in the United States, it’s also pushing a new app into the marketplace—Lemon8. One part Pinterest, one part Instagram and a dash of its sister app, Lemon8 is most likely saddled with the same security concerns that led lawmakers to consider banning TikTok.

Guest: Sapna Maheshwari, business reporter for the New York Times.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: How Scared Should Trump Be? Apr 06, 2023

Is the Manhattan DA’s case against Donald Trump something he can wriggle out of, or is the former president in real legal trouble this time? Some are already dismissing Alvin Bragg’s investigation as weak and small potatoes. But others are more optimistic. What’s the case for indicting - on these charges?

Guest: Norm Eisen, senior fellow at Brookings Governance, CNN legal analyst.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Preventing Preventive Care Apr 05, 2023

A federal judge has struck down a provision in the Affordable Care Act requiring private insurers to provide preventive care—screenings and the like—at no cost to patients.

But preventive care is a good investment for insurance companies and for national health. It’s something Americans already don’t get enough of — but is anyone willing to step in and save it?

Guest: Julie Rovner, chief Washington correspondent Kaiser Health News, host of the “What the Health” podcast

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Wisconsin’s High-Stakes Supreme Court Race Apr 04, 2023

In Wisconsin, the state Supreme Court election is breaking records when it comes to campaign spending on a judicial race. With abortion rights for Wisconsinites, their state’s electoral geography, and potentially the fate of the 2024 presidential election on the line, that big ticket spending makes sense. But will it make a difference in who gets the seat?

Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, senior staff writer for Slate.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Hear Me Out: Childbirth Should Be Free Apr 04, 2023

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… the right to life and socialized healthcare walk into a delivery room.

Writer and journalist Liz Bruenig joins Celeste to discuss her vision for a United States where childbirth costs nothing. In a nation with skyrocketing healthcare costs, attacks on reproductive rights, and potential rollbacks on preventive care, we tell birthing people that not only do they have to give birth — they have to court financial ruin in order to do it.

Liz says it doesn’t have to be this way… and yes, we can pay for it. Moreover, it might be the rare issue where both sides of the aisle can find some common ground.

Podcast production by Maura Currie

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What Next: Trump Heads to Court Apr 03, 2023

In a history-making move, a grand jury voted to indict a former president. We’ll have more answers about the details of the charges after Donald Trump’s Tuesday arraignment, but what this means for the GOP nomination, the 2024 race, and for future presidents in politically-hostile states is still up in the air.

Guest: Ankush Khardori, former federal prosecutor for the U.S. Department of Justice.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Build Black Better Apr 02, 2023

Baltimore is one of many aging American cities that is plagued with both a lack of affordable housing, and a surplus of vacant homes. But a local non-profit is addressing both those issues, and teaching community members to rebuild their neighborhoods one house at a time. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Shelley Halstead, who founded Black Women Build in Baltimore.

Guest: Shelley Halstead, founder of Black Women Build

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

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What Next TBD: Seeking Asylum Via App Apr 02, 2023

CBP One, U.S. Customs and Border Protection's app that is supposed to make crossing the border more efficient, is littered with bugs. But even a perfectly functional smartphone app would pose problems for people seeking asylum on the southern U.S. border.

Guest: Arelis Hernández, Washington Post reporter

Gia Del Pino, director of communications at the Kino Border Initiative

Felicia Rangel Samponaro, director of the Sidewalk School

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Slate Money: The Layoff Dopamine Hit Apr 01, 2023

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Kevin Delaney, co-founder of Charter. They discuss the layoffs that have swept across multiple industries, and if letting workers go actually solve the issues CEOs say they are. They also take a look at how work has changed during the pandemic, digging into how middle managers have the worst jobs, and how having too many meetings sucks.

In the Plus segment: Who does the radical candor system actually help?

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 Anna Phillips and Patrick Fort.

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Political Gabfest: Why Netanyahu Blinked Apr 01, 2023

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss Prime Minister Netanyahu’s decision to pause the legislation that will weaken Israel’s judiciary; the Congressional testimony of TikTok’s CEO Shou Chew; and the possibility of Chris Christie for President in 2024.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Emily Bazelon for The New York Times: “Behind Protests’ Fury in Israel, Fear of a Quiet Slide From Democracy”

Peter Baker for The New York Times: “A Four-Decade Secret: One Man’s Story of Sabotaging Carter’s Re-election”

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: WBUR and The Marshall Project’s podcast Violation (Host Beth Schwartzapfel, Producer Quincy Walters)

John: Tweet from @george_mack: What is ignored by the media but will be studied by historians?; response from Matthew Yglesias, Slow Boring: The biggest problem in media is the audience: Not everything is a conspiracy

David: Greg Miller for The Washington Post: “He came to D.C. as a Brazilian student. The U.S. says he was a Russian spy.“

Listener chatter from Judy: Tablet Studio’s podcast Gatecrashers (Host Mark Oppenheimer, Executive Producers Josh Kross, Stephanie Butnick, and Liel Leibovitz)

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily discuss the new evidence of the “October Surprise” that delayed the release of the American hostages from Iran in 1980.

Email your questions and chatters to gabfest@slate.com or Tweet us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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The Waves: What the Hart Family Murders Reveal About Foster Care Apr 01, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate supervising producer Daisy Rosario is joined by Texas Tribune reporter Roxanna Asgarian to discuss her book We Were Once A Family: A Story of Love, Death and Child Removal in America and its findings on the foster care system. The book covers the tragic Hart family murders in 2018 where two mothers drove their six adopted children off a cliff.

In Slate Plus: How Roxanna navigated writing about a tragic family story in a pandemic while being a first-time mom.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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Gabfest Special: What the Trump Indictment Means Mar 31, 2023

In a Gabfest Special edition, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss Donald Trump’s indictment.

Here are some notes and references from today’s show:

The New York Times: “Live Updates: Trump Likely to Be Arraigned on Tuesday”

Slate Political Gabfest: The “Trump Will Be Indicted Next Tuesday” Edition

Email your questions and chatters to gabfest@slate.com or Tweet us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth

Follow

@SlateGabfest on Twitter / https://twitter.com/SlateGabfest

Slate Gabfest on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/

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What Next TBD: When A.I. Denies Your Health Care Mar 31, 2023

As Medicare Advantage plans have increased their reliance on software to determine what their customers require—and, therefore, receive—elderly patients are being denied coverage for care they need. What happens when an algorithm — not a doctor — decides how much care you need and it’s not enough?

Guest: Casey Ross, national technology correspondent at STAT

Host: Emily Peck

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Diagnosis Was Fatal. She Couldn't Get an Abortion. Mar 30, 2023

Two weeks after Roe v. Wade was overturned, Lauren Hall found out the baby she was carrying had a fatal condition: her head and skull weren’t properly developing. Texas’s three overlapping bans on abortion forced her to fly to Washington to terminate the unviable pregnancy. With the Center for Reproductive Rights, she’s now one of five plaintiffs suing the state, so no one else will have to go through what she did.

Guest: Lauren Hall, plaintiff suing the state of Texas over its abortion bans.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: March Madness Comes to Capitol Hill Mar 29, 2023

Two years ago, the NCAA changed their rules to allow college athletes to make money from their “name, image and likeness.” It was a stop-gap measure at best, and some folks even want to see athletes gain employee status. But, the NCAA has taken to Capitol Hill today to try to prevent just that.

Guest: Dan Murphy, staff writer at ESPN and author of Start By Believing.

Spotify listeners, click here and follow What Next and to make sure you never miss an episode.

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What Next: Why Israelis Are Protesting Mar 28, 2023

Israel ground to a halt on Monday after a series of massive protests against planned judicial reforms. Though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the reforms will be delayed, getting them passed is a top priority for his far-right coalition government. How can the government—and country—move forward?

Guest: Dahlia Scheindlin, international political and strategic consultant and fellow at Century International in Tel Aviv.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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How To!: Bounce Back From a Layoff Mar 28, 2023

On a recent workday, Pauline woke up and logged into her computer from home … only to find an email saying she was being laid off — effective immediately. She and her entire team, many of them working remotely, instantly lost access to all of their company accounts. Pauline was shell-shocked, hurt, and wondering what to do next. In the wake of massive tech layoffs, it’s a story that’s now all-too familiar. On this episode of How To!, host Carvell Wallace brings in Susan Peppercorn, a career coach who writes for the Harvard Business Review and is the author of Ditch Your Inner Critic At Work. She has some tried-and-true tactical tips for making the most of a sudden job loss.

If you liked this episode, check out: “How To Make the Leap to Your Dream Job.”

Do you wonder how best to use your time? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show. Subscribe for free on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Derek John, Rosemary Belson, and Kevin Bendis.

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Hear Me Out: Secession Could Be A Good Thing Mar 28, 2023

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… the case for breaking up the union.

Frank Buckley, professor at George Mason University and author of American Secession, makes a case for allowing states to peacefully secede — not just in the interest of preventing another civil war, but in hopes of creating a happier, more functional society for us all.

Podcast production by Maura Currie

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What Next: Will Crime Decide Chicago’s Mayoral Race? Mar 27, 2023

In Chicago, a city plagued by recent crime concerns from its citizens, a progressive former Teachers Union organizer faces an opponent who has described himself in the past as “more of a Republican than a Democrat.”

Guest: Gregory Pratt, Chicago Tribune reporter covering Mayor Lori Lightfoot and City Hall.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Slate Money: Succession S4 Ep1: High-Calorie Infosnacks Mar 27, 2023

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by author and journalist Jim Stewart to recap episode one, season four of HBO’s Succession. They talk architecture, business deals, and parallels between the television drama and real-life media moguls.

Podcast production by Anna Phillips and Patrick Fort.

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A Word: When a Race War Threat Was Real Mar 26, 2023

For many people of faith, Holy Week brings the most sacred days of the year. But in 1968, that season was marred by the murder of Martin Luther King Jr., and the violent unrest and riots that followed. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Vann Newkirk II. He’s a senior editor for The Atlantic, and the host of its Holy Week podcast, which examines this moment in history. They discuss the political and social forces that led up to these pivotal events, and how they’re remembered by the people who were themselves in the streets.

Guest: Vann Newkirk II, host of The Atlantic’s Holy Week podcast.

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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What Next TBD: Tesla’s Full Self-Driving Woes Mar 26, 2023

Elon Musk has been promising fully self-driving Teslas to the public for years and the beta version of Full Self-Driving is already in over 300,000 cars. But as a recent recall attests, the software still isn’t ready to take the wheel—and Musk himself may be a big reason why.

Guest: Faiz Siddiqui, tech reporter for the Washington Post

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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Amicus: What To Expect When You're Expecting An Indictment Mar 25, 2023

On this week’s Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick talks with Andrew Weissmann, former lead prosecutor in Robert S. Mueller’s Special Counsel’s Office and former Chief of the Fraud Section in the Department of Justice from 2015 - 2019.

Together, they tackle the tangled web of investigations into the former President, and the trajectory of possible indictments. And Andrew helps us hone in on some crucial details we may have missed in the fog of building barricades outside the Manhattan Criminal Courthouse.

Andrew Weissmann’s book, Where Law Ends, was published by Random House in 2021

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Dahlia is joined by Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern to understand how Trump judges could tank the economy, the latest on abortion in states trying grapple with the (entirely predictable) deadly consequences of the Dobbs decision, and why all this underlines why the Wisconsin Supreme Court election really matters.

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Slate Money: Too Big, To Fail, Too Furious Mar 25, 2023

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss the rescue of Credit Suisse. They also break down the politics behind federal deposit insurance, and what will come out of this week’s Congressional hearings about TikTok.

Podcast production by Patrick Fort.

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The Waves: We Need to Talk About Postpartum Psychosis Mar 25, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth is joined by New Yorker editor Jessica Winter to talk all about postpartum psychosis. They dig into how the medical world is failing new moms during one of the “worst psychiatric emergencies” and why we need to talk about it more. After the break, Cheyna and Jessica talk about how movies and television have depicted postpartum depression and psychosis.

In Slate Plus, are “influencer parents” really new?

Articles Mentioned

What We Still Don’t Understand About Postpartum Psychosis by Jessica Winter

The Many Violations of the Violent Birth Scene by Amanda Hess

Women’s Heath Care is Underfunded. The Consequences Are Dire by Jessica Grose

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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Political Gabfest: Trump Will Be Indicted Next Tuesday Mar 25, 2023

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss Trump’s announcement he expects to be arrested; what ChatGPT means for the world; and interview Rachel Donadio, contributing writer for The Atlantic, about the unrest in France.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Rachel Donadio for The New York Times: “Macron May Keep the Presidency, But Le Pen Has Already Won”

Annie Gowen for The Washington Post: “Iowa’s Sharp Right Turn: From Centrist State To ‘Florida Of The North’”

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: Imprint app

Emily: Madame Restell: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Old New York’s Most Fabulous, Fearless, and Infamous Abortionist, by Jennifer Wright; The Atlantic’s podcast Holy Week: The Story of A Revolution Undone(Host Vann R. Newkirk II, Senior Producer Jocelyn Frank)

David: Blue Collar Cats; Andrea Sachs for The Washington Post: “‘These Are Working Cats’: Meet The Feral D.C. Felines Tasked With Hunting Rodents”

Listener chatter from Alexandra Phelps: Kavitha Surana for ProPublica: “Doctors Warned Her Pregnancy Could Kill Her. Then Tennessee Outlawed Abortion.”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment David, John, and Emily discuss how Iowa became so conservative.

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap and Julia Huygen

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What Next TBD: The Case Against TikTok Mar 24, 2023

To most of its 150 million American consumers, TikTok is a fun app. To some creators, TikTok is a job and their platform. But to members of the US government, TikTok is a national security risk. As the fight over TikTok’s future comes to Capitol Hill this week, what’s next for the embattled social media platform?

Guest: Emily Baker-White, senior writer, tech reporter at Forbes

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Why Biden Broke his Promise on Drilling Mar 23, 2023

Despite his campaign promises, President Biden has signed off on the Willow Project, an $8 billion plan to extract 600 million barrels of oil from public lands in Alaska. But how useful might this 30-year project be with the country continually prioritizing electric energy?

Guest: Ben Lefebvre, energy reporter at Politico.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Why Is Adderall So Hard to Find? Mar 22, 2023

Since last summer, it’s been difficult to fill an Adderall prescription. The shortage is driving some people to try other ADHD medications—causing shortages of those medications too—while others are sourcing their medication on the “gray market.”

Why is such a common drug nowhere to be found?And why has the FDA been so mum on the subject?

Guests:

Ike Swetlitz, health journalist for Bloomberg News

Sheila McClear, writer for Los Angeles magazine

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Atlanta's Battle Over "Cop City" Mar 21, 2023

The Atlanta Police Foundation’s $90 million police training facility, a mock-urban space with a nightclub, convenience store, and even homes, has drawn the ire of police reform activists, environmentalists, and even advocates for the homeless. The months-long effort by forest-dwelling protesters to prevent the construction of this facility has left an advocate dead, a state trooper shot, 35 individuals facing terrorism charges, and a community divided.

Guest: Madeline Thigpen, criminal justice reporter at Capital B Atlanta.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Could Trump Be Arrested Over Stormy Daniels? Mar 20, 2023

This weekend, former President Trump warned supporters on Truth Social he could be arrested on Tuesday, and called for them to “TAKE OUR NATION BACK!” Although it’s unclear whether Trump is facing imminent arrest, many observers believe legal proceedings focused on Trump’s “hush money” payment to Stormy Daniels suggest an indictment is coming soon.

How strong is this case, and how likely is it that Trump will face real legal consequences?

Guests:

Dahlia Lithwick, host of Slate’s Amicus, and author of “Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America.”

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, and Madeline Ducharme, with help from Jared Downing and Laura Spencer.

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What Next TBD: When A.I. Steals Your Voice Mar 19, 2023

Using just what you’ve posted to social media, generative A.I. can create a “puppet version” of your voice—one that’s close enough to scam your family into paying thousands in, say, bail money. And imitating public officials to create “deep fakes” who say whatever they’re told is even easier.

Guest: Pranshu Verma, tech reporter for the Washington Post.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: No More “Black Picket Fence” Mar 19, 2023

For decades, there has been a stigma attached to remaining unmarried and childless in the Black community, particularly for women. But a growing part of the Black middle class is single, childfree adults. Does the trend threaten the future of the Black family, or is it time to recognize a different model for family life? On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by sociologist Kris Marsh, author of “The Love Jones Cohort: Single and Living Alone in the Black Middle Class.”

Guest: Kris Marsh, University of Maryland Sociology Professor and author of “The Love Jones Cohort: Single and Living Alone in the Black Middle Class.”

Podcast production by Ahiyana Angel

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Slate Money: Normal Bank Failure Mar 18, 2023

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers dive into the drama in the banking world. They discuss the fallout of the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank and its subsequent government takeover. They also take some listener questions about SVB! Felix, Emily and Elizabeth also discuss Credit Suisse, and how government policy may change for banks that are “too big to fail”.

In the Plus segment: What was it like to have an SVB bank account in the last week?

Podcast production by Anna Phillips and Patrick Fort.

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Political Gabfest: Go Ahead, Call It A Bailout Mar 18, 2023

David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss the Silicon Valley Bank bailout with David Leonhardt; Ron DeSantis coming out against aid to Ukraine; and free speech fights at elite law schools.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

William Saletan for The Bulwark: “The Ukraine Untruths of Disingenuous DeSantis”

Ken White for The Popehat Report: “Hating Everyone Everywhere All At Once At Stanford”

David Lat for Original Jurisdiction: “Yale Law Is No Longer #1—For Free-Speech Debacles”

Jordan Metzl for The New York Times: “Working From Home Is Less Healthy Than You Think”

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Maurice Chammah for The Marshall Project: “The Mercy Workers”

John: OpenAI example recipe generator

David: Robyn Dixon for The Washington Post: “A Railroad Fan Photographed Putin’s Armored Train. Now He Lives In Exile.”

Listener chatter: Alex Traub for The New York Times: “Judy Heumann, Who Led the Fight for Disability Rights, Dies at 75”; Being Heumann: An Unrepentant Memoir of a Disability Rights Activist, by Judith Heumann;

Crip Camp; The Power of 504, Judy's Heumann’s Ted Talk

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John discuss the health benefits and drawbacks of working from home.

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

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What Next TBD: Where Is Silicon Valley Going to Bank Now? Mar 17, 2023

The economy is doing well almost every but in tech, where headlines about layoffs have been replaced with news about Silicon Valley Bank’s demise. The collapse of “the central artery for the tech industry” looks like the end of an era. Where do venture capitalists, start-ups—and the industry writ large—go now?

Guest: Priya Anand, reporter at Bloomberg covering venture capital and start-ups.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Evan Campbell and Patrick Fort.

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What Next: Is the SAT Done For? Mar 16, 2023

Colleges are dropping the SAT as a requirement in their admissions process, citing studies that what the test measures best is simply how well you’ve prepared for the test. But the question at the heart of the matter remains: how do you create a fair and equitable college admissions process? And can a test-optional system help foster a more equal playing field when there’s still so much inequality built into our school systems?

Guest: Jeremy Bauer-Wolf, senior reporter at Higher Ed Dive.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Hear Me Out: Coming March 21 Mar 16, 2023

Slate’s political and discussion podcast, Hear Me Out, launches March 21. Join host Celeste Headlee and a guest each week for a smart, fair debate on issues that matter.

In a nation where many of us have forgotten how to talk to each other, veteran journalist Celeste Headlee has devoted years to reinvigorating the art of civil conversation and debate. Each week on Hear Me Out, she'll invite a thoughtful guest to discuss their controversial perspective on a current issue, and engage in a tough, good-faith dialogue about the merits and drawbacks of their argument. The objective is to challenge conventional wisdom, and serve the intellectually curious new ideas and perspectives without partisan cliches.

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What Next: Why Silicon Valley Bank Collapsed Mar 15, 2023

The downfall of Silicon Valley Bank marks the second largest bank collapse in American history.

Why and how did SVBgo under? Where were the regulators? And how do we stop this from happening again?

Guest: Annie Lowery,staff writer at The Atlantic and the author of Give People Money.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: How Anti-Trans Legislation Cost Rural South Dakota a Doctor Mar 14, 2023

South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem has made anti-trans legislation a trademark of her term, but singling out trans people—and those who provide them medical care—comes at a cost to the state and its residents. It left the tiny rural town of Webster with only one physician.

Guest: Mayson Bedient, a family medicine and gender-affirming care specialist in Fargo, North Dakota

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: A Disability Rights Icon’s Long Legacy Mar 13, 2023

Judy Heumann devoted her life to advocating for Americans with disabilities and was a fixture at protests, sit-ins, and activist meetings, eventually becoming a presidential advisor. After passing away at 75, her work continues through her friends and those she fought for.

Guest: Sandy Ho, founder of Disability and Intersectionality Summit and disability policy researcher.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Screaming in Color Mar 12, 2023

The Scream franchise returns to theaters this weekend. Since it first debuted in 1996, the racial dynamics of horror films have evolved. And for the first time in generations of scary movies, African American characters are surviving, killing the monsters, or even slaying as horror villains themselves. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Mark Harris, the co-author of The Black Guy Dies First: Black Horror Cinema from Fodder to Oscar, to talk about the evolution of Black horror.

Guest: Mark Harris, writer and co-author of The Black Guy Dies First

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

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What Next TBD: Would You Let A.I. Date For You? Mar 12, 2023

The online dating world can be brutal and repetitive—just the kind of thing you might want to automate. But, in one tech writer’s experience, artificial intelligence isn’t ready to make real connections—at least, not without a lot of help.

Guest: Heather Tal Murphy, covers business and technology at Slate

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Slate Money: The Banks Special Mar 11, 2023

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by American Banker national editor Kevin Wack to discuss all things banking, including retail banking, why it’s so difficult to switch banks and why neobanks aren’t more successful. They also discuss the Wells Fargo fake accounts scandal.

In the Plus segment: the lead up to the Silicon Valley Bank downfall.

Podcast production by Anna Phillips and Patrick Fort.

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The Waves: Hollywood Needs an Overhaul Mar 11, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate culture writer Nadira Goffe is joined by film producer and Stay Gold Features founder Daniela Taplin Lundberg to discuss the challenges of film production and the importance of movies that tell women’s stories, even when they seem too risky to make.

In Slate Plus, Nadira and Daniela talk about their favorite (surprisingly) feminist movies.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

Make an impact this Women’s History Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund girls in STEM. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.

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Amicus: Lessons from The Trump Years for SCOTUS Mar 11, 2023

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by political analyst Michael Podhorzer (ex AFL-CIO, now newly-minted substacker). Michael was one of the all-hands-on-deck responsible for shoring up the 2020 election against subversion, he’s a political data geek, and for Amicus’s purposes - he’s someone with a fascinating take on the Supreme Court, and all the ways we fail to truly understand it. Hear why Michael doesn't care about Leonard Leo, the lessons learned in the Trump years that we should be applying to the court, and the overarching agenda that both motivates and shapes the court’s jurisprudence.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Mark Joseph Stern is away, so Dahlia is joined by the Award Winning™ Leah Litman to talk about loan forgiveness and major questions, the Texas suit being brought by women seriously harmed by the state's abortion ban, and the alarming implications of an amicus brief in an Indiana abortion case that questions the religious sincerity of, well, anyone who backs abortion rights.

Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

Dahlia’s book Lady Justice: Women, the Law and the Battle to Save America, is also available as an audiobook, and Amicus listeners can get a 25 percent discount by entering the code “AMICUS” at checkout. https://books.supportingcast.fm/lady-justice

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What Next TBD: When Meta Tells Law Enforcement About Your Abortion Mar 10, 2023

Just weeks before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, a Nebraska woman and her daughter were charged with performing an illegal abortion, thanks to information that law enforcement uncovered by going through their Facebook accounts.

Guest: Johana Bhuiyan, senior reporter on tech and surveillance for The Guardian

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Political Gabfest: Another Florida Man Is Running For President Mar 09, 2023

David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss Ron DeSantis’ presidential campaign, the end of pandemic-era medicaid & food security protections, and the many legal fights over medication abortion.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show

Hannah Dreier and Kirsten Luce for The New York Times: “Alone and Exploited, Migrant Children Work Brutal Jobs Across the U.S.”

Jeff Stein and Tony Romm for The Washington Post: “Biden Calls For Trillions In Tax Hikes And New Domestic Spending”

Emily Bazelon for The New York Times: “The Abortion Pill Fight”

Redaction, by Reginald Dwayne Betts and Titus Kaphar

Information on the New York reading and book signing for Redaction

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: The Declassification Engine: What History Reveals About America's Top Secrets, by Matthew Connelly

John: Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology, by Chris Miller

David: Defending Democracy with Malcolm Turnbull;

Listener chatter from Rebecca Carr: Pat Sangimino for The Lincoln Journal Star: “Leading Off: In The Heat Of The Sexual Revolution, A Woman And Her Invention Made A Difference”; Pagan Kennedy for The New York Times: “Could Women Be Trusted With Their Own Pregnancy Tests?”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily talks to Reginald Dwayne Betts and Titus Kaphar about their book, Redaction.

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

Make an impact this Women’s History Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund girls in STEM. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.

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What Next: Does Steven Spielberg Have an Oscars Curse? Mar 09, 2023

For all of his success, Steven Spielberg has a spotty record at the Oscars. He’s been nominated 22 times, but he’s only won three. Is it a curse?

This Sunday could mark a shift for the King of Hollywood’s five decades in the industry. And with The Fabelmans this year, it’s personal.

Guest: Michael Schulman, New Yorker staff writer and the author of Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears.

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What Next: Why Child Labor is an Immigration Issue Mar 08, 2023

The New York Times published an exposé on immigrant children illegally employed to do dangerous jobs across the country. To one U.S. representative, it’s not just a labor issue; it’s symptomatic of the larger problems in the immigration system. Fixing it, then, will require once again taking up the fight to overhaul immigration.

Guest: Rep. Hillary Scholten, U.S. representative from Michigan’s 3rd congressional district.

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What Next: Food Stamps Face Their Biggest-Ever Cut Mar 07, 2023

The federal government ended the COVID-19 increase to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program this month. What does this mean for people who depend on SNAP to put food on the table?

Guests: Helena Bottemiller Evich, reporter and founder of Food Fix, a publication on food policy.

Jennifer Barnes, founder of Solidarity Sandy Springs in Georgia.

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What Next: The Fight To Return Native Remains to Their Tribes Mar 06, 2023

The “Native American Graves and Repatriation Act” passed more than 30 years ago, with the goal of returning human remains, which were taken from native burial sites, back to their tribes. But museums and universities still hold the remains of thousands of people—UC Berkeley alone has nearly 10,000.

Guest: Mary Hudetz, Propublica reporter focusing on tribal issues throughout the Southwest.

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What Next TBD: The Hollywood Weight Loss Wonder Drug Mar 05, 2023

The diabetes medication Ozempic has exploded in popularity, particularly amongst those in Hollywood looking to lose a few extra pounds. But a silver bullet for weight loss leads to a number of questions: Is “buying weight loss” via injection somehow worse than diet and exercise? Are so many people buying and using this drug that people who need it for its intended purpose are missing out? What happened to body positivity?

Guest: Matthew Schneier, feature writer for New York Magazine.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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A Word: De La Soul is Alive Mar 05, 2023

The music of De La Soul is finally available on streaming. When they released their debut album “3 Feet High and Rising” in 1989, the group expanded the idea of what hip hop was and who it was for. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by rapper, composer, and producer Don Will to discuss De La Soul’s impact, endurance, and what a new generation of hip hop fans can learn from them.

Guest: Don Will, host of “The Almanac of Rap” podcast

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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Slate Money: Microchips and Child Care Mar 04, 2023

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss a stipulation in the CHIPS Act that requires companies who take federal funding from the CHIPS Act to provide child care options for their employees. They also discuss the political controversy over ESG investing, and the confusion over a new partnership that will allow Amazon employees to pay for their mortgage with Amazon stock.

In the Plus segment: restaurant ordering etiquette.

Podcast production by Anna Phillips.

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The Waves: It’s OK to Hate Your Spouse (Sometimes) Mar 04, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor Shannon Palus talks with Heather Havrilesky about the divine tedium of marriage. They discuss Heather’s book, Foreverland and the explosive response the book initially got (especially when Heather called her husband “a heap of laundry”). Later in the show, they dig into what to do when your husband is truly being a little bit of a patriarchal jerk.

In Slate Plus, a behind the scenes look at what goes into writing the Ask Polly column.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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What Next TBD: What Would Convince a Lab Leak Skeptic? Mar 03, 2023

It was reported this week that the U.S. Department of Energy now believes, “with low confidence,” that the COVID-19 virus came from a lab. But is there enough evidence for the “lab leak theory” to convince those who believe the virus emerged from animals in a wet market?

Guest: Angela Rasmussen, virologist at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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What Next: Will SCOTUS Kill Student Loan Relief? Mar 02, 2023

President Biden’s student loan debt relief plan goes before the Supreme Court this week. Though the court’s conservative majority seems opposed to the program, debt-relief detractors are struggling to answer a major question: who does this program harm?

Guests:

Mark Joseph Stern, Slate senior writer covering the courts

Alice Turner, hospital pharmacist and compounder

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What Next: Why Insulin Prices Keep Rising Mar 01, 2023

It’s a rare bi-partisan point of agreement: the price of insulin is too high—and it’s still rising. With the stakes literally life-or-death for millions of Americans, what can be done?

Guest: Bram Sable-Smith, Midwest correspondent for Kaiser Health News.

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What Next: When Politicians Need Mental Healthcare Feb 28, 2023

When John Fetterman checked himself into a hospital for clinical depression in mid-February, he was praised by both parties and public health officials for his bravery. But not long ago, being diagnosed with depression or taking time for your mental health were seen as disqualifying for those seeking public office.

Guest: Jason Kander, President of National Expansion at Veterans Community Project, author of Invisible Storm: A Soldier's Memoir of Politics and PTSD, and co-host of Crooked Media’s podcast Majority 54.

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What Next: Beijing’s Crackdown on Hong Kong Dissidents Feb 27, 2023

When Beijing passed a new law that harshly penalized protests in Hong Kong, activists and dissident groups had to choose whether to shut down or get out. Now, 47 pro-democracy activists are facing charges and likely prison time, and a generation of dissent may be quelled.

Guest: Emily Feng, NPR’s Beijing correspondent.

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What Next TBD: Is a 25-Year-Old’s Brain Mature? Feb 26, 2023

New understandings of how our brains develop are changing how the law considers who is mature and who isn’t. But If our brains are still developing, when can the law treat us like adults?

Guest: Jane C. Hu, independent science journalist.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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A Word: Ranching, Racism, and Rumors Feb 26, 2023

Courtney and Nicole Mallery claim that their dream of ranching in Colorado has become a nightmare because of racist neighbors and hostile police. Their case grabbed national attention after videos of Courtney Mallery’s arrest went viral. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Ezekiel Walker of The Black Wall Street Times, who is covering the case. They talk about the controversy surrounding the Freedom Acres Ranch, and how the dispute echoes more than a century of stories of Black land loss.

Guest: Ezekiel Walker, senior editor of The Black Wall Street Times

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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What Ballet’s Best Choreographer Destroyed Feb 25, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor Rebecca Onion is joined by Erika Lantz, host of the podcast The Turning to discuss the impact of ballet culture and the legacy of George Balanchine on dancers of all levels.

In Slate Plus, how ballerinas and nuns have more in common than you think.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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Amicus: SCOTUS on the Internet: “It’s Complicated” Feb 25, 2023

For every person screaming about Section 230 (looking at you, Ted Cruz), there are approximately 0.0000001 Danielle Citrons, i.e. folks who actually understand it, what it does, and how it might be tweaked or interpreted to do better. Luckily, we have a whole Professor Danielle Citron on this week’s show. Professor Citron not only manages to make sense of Section 230 for us, she also takes us through this week's internet cases involving Twitter and Google, and content moderation and liability. She explains how eight out of nine justices apparently failed to read the briefs, instead deciding on an "it's so hard" shruggy head-scratch strategy instead. Danielle Citron’s latest book is The Fight for Privacy: Protecting Dignity, Identity, and Love in the Digital Age.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Dahlia is joined by Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern to look ahead to next week’s arguments about the Biden administration’s student debt forgiveness program, and to romp through some of the decisions that came down from the Supreme Court this week. Finally, Mark and Dahlia reflect on the results of the primaries in the race to elect a new Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice. Could it be a Mark and Dahlia Amicus plus segment that is not all bad news?

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Slate Money: Homebuilders are Doing Great Feb 25, 2023

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss why the market for newly built homes is outperforming the market for existing homes. They also talk about the increased employment rate for people with disabilities, as well as the new slew of charges against Sam Bankman-Fried.

In the Plus segment: the new World Bank president.

Podcast production by Anna Phillips.

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What Next TBD: Why A.I. Says the Darndest Things Feb 24, 2023

Microsoft has been testing out their new artificial intelligence on their long-ridiculed search engine Bing. The results? A chatbot that lies brazenly and confidently, and has a penchant for manipulation. What are the risks and rewards of letting bots loose on the world?

Guest: Drew Harwell, Washington Post tech reporter covering artificial intelligence

Host: Emily Peck

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Political Gabfest: What Tucker Carlson is Saying When You’re Not Listening Feb 23, 2023

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss the year of war on Ukraine with Anne Applebaum; the smoking gun Fox News text messages; and Google’s defense of Section 230 at the Supreme Court.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Anne Applebaum and Nataliya Gumenyuk for The Atlantic: “‘They Didn’t Understand Anything, But Just Spoiled People’s Lives’”

Anne Applebaum for The Atlantic: “Biden’s Hope vs. Putin’s Lies”

Anne Applebaum for The Atlantic: “Biden Went to Kyiv Because There’s No Going Back”

Emily Bazelon for The New York Times Magazine: “Billionaires vs. The Press in the Era of Trump”

Jenna Russell for The New York Times: “In Vermont, a School and Artist Fight Over Murals of Slavery”

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: The Kid Should See This: “How It’s Made” videos

Emily: Jill Filipovic: “Fear of a Female Body”

David: Morgan Wade; City Cast DC live

Listener chatter from Dylan O’Leary: Miles Ellingham for The Financial Times: “After Hours With 10 Foot, London’s Most Notorious Graffiti Writer”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily discuss the artist suing to keep his mural depicting slavery on display at a school that doesn’t want it.

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

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What Next: Ukraine’s War Is Its New Normal Feb 23, 2023

The sound of air raid sirens in Kiev are almost comforting to one Ukrainian journalist—it means the air defense system still works. But even with the Russians running low on weaponry, he doesn’t see how the war ends while Vladimir Putin is alive.

Guest: Romeo Kokriatski, managing editor of New Voice of Ukraine, and co-host of the podcast Ukraine Without Hype

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What Next: When an Earthquake Hits a Civil War Feb 22, 2023

How getting recovery aid and assistance to Turkey and northern Syria has been complicated by on-going aftershocks from the earthquake and the reverberations of the Syrian civil war.

Guests:

Louisa Loveluck, Baghdad bureau chief for the Washington Post.

Dr. Ahmad Dbais, Operations Director and Disaster Management Team Leader for UOSSM (Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations).

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Ohio Trainwreck Blame Game Feb 21, 2023

How a derailed train and the dark cloud of chemical burn off over East Palestine, Ohio, came to confirm everything you think is wrong with everything.

Guest: Ben Mathis-Lilley, Slate staff writer

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A Word: Lights, Camera, Diversity in Action Feb 19, 2023

Awards season can be a frustrating moment for Black writers in Hollywood, when even their most successful shows and films are frequently overlooked. Rodney Barnes has built a thriving career by telling stories of Black life, from “Everybody Hates Chris,” to “The Boondocks,” to “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty.” On today’s episode of A Word, he joins Jason Johnson to discuss the challenges and rewards of his rise as a screenwriter and producer. His latest work is a graphic novel, “Blacula: Return of the King.”

Guest: Screenwriter Rodney Barnes

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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What Next TBD: The Baby-Sleep Industrial Complex Feb 19, 2023

The tech-laden, luxury bassinet “Snoo” has been presented as preventing Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, helping babies sleep longer, and a totally reasonable way to spend $1,700. Is any of that true?

Guest: Kate Taylor, senior features correspondent for Business Insider

John Collins, Lizzie’s husband.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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Slate Money: Rihanna for World Bank President Feb 18, 2023

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers explain why the president of the World Bank is stepping down, and throw out some guesses of who might replace him. They also discuss the train derailment in Ohio, and the influx of subpar online advertisements.

In the Plus segment: How should Felix market his upcoming book?

Podcast production by Anna Phillips.

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The Waves: The Inherent Fear in Being a Woman Feb 18, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth talks all about fear with author Erica Berry. They discuss trying to navigate alone in the world as a woman, how one fairy tale tells you everything you need to know about women and fear, and Erica’s new book, Wolfish: Wolf, Self, and the Stories We Tell About Fear.

In Slate Plus, Cheyna and Erica talk about how one wolf, OR-7, stole hearts across the nation.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery. With additional help from Tori Dominguez.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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What Next TBD: What Made the Balloon Drama Pop Off? Feb 17, 2023

Come to think of it, a giant balloon seems like a pretty conspicuous way to spy on another country. So what was that Chinese spy balloon doing above the U.S.—and what have American planes been shooting down since?

Guest: Shane Harris, Washington Post reporter covering intelligence and national security.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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President Nikki Haley? Feb 16, 2023

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign; the legal history likely to lead to the end of affirmative action; and Amanda Ripley’s reporting on the congressional committee that got things done.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Emily Bazelon for The New York Times Magazine: “Why Is Affirmative Action in Peril? One Man’s Decision.”

Amanda Ripley for The Washington Post: “These Radically Simple Changes Helped Lawmakers Actually Get Things Done”

Julia Ioffe for The New Yorker: “Russia on Fire”

Becky Sullivan for NPR: “What To Know About The Train Derailment in East Palestine, Ohio”

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: CBS Sunday Morning: “Almanac: Abraham Lincoln's Beard”

Emily: John J. Lennon for The New York Review of Books: “Peddling Darkness”

David: David French for The New York Times: “Men Need Purpose More Than ‘Respect’”; City Cast DC live

Listener chatter from Tim Anderson: CNN: “Johannes Vermeer Exhibition Stuns With Scientific Revelations”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment David, John, and Emily discuss the derailment of a train carrying hazardous materials in Ohio.

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez.

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What Next: Will Abortion Pills Be Banned? Feb 16, 2023

A judge in north Texas is considering a lawsuit that could make access to abortion pills more difficult across the country. While anti-abortion activists can point to a string of recent successes, the existence of another, widely-used abortion medication would make medical abortions nearly impossible to ban outright.

Guest: Christina Cauterucci, Slate senior writer and host of Outward.

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What Next: Is Nikki Haley the GOP’s Future? Feb 15, 2023

Former South Carolina governor and UN ambassador Nikki Haley announced that she is running to be president in 2024—challenging Donald Trump for the Republican nomination. How will she define herself in contrast to the former president—her former boss—without losing his base?

Guest: Ed Kilgore, political columnist for New York magazine.

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What Next: Why the West Bank Is at a Boiling Point Feb 14, 2023

With hard-right, pro-settler representatives in the Israeli government, and the Palestinian Authority losing credibility with Palestinians, illegal settlements in the West Bank have become flashpoints in the ever-present yet still-escalating tension in the region.

Guest: Yair Rosenberg, staff writer at the Atlantic and the author of its newsletter, Deep Shtetl, about the intersection of politics, culture, and religion.

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What Next: The Mass Shooter Database Feb 13, 2023

Why does someone become a mass shooter? Researchers are interviewing perpetrators and their victims—and those who narrowly averted committing a mass shooting—and discovering a common thread of psychological despair. Can their work be applied to the prevention of future violence?

Guest: Jillian Peterson, forensic psychologist, violence researcher, and author of The Violence Project.

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A Word: Surviving “Driving While Black” Feb 12, 2023

For many Americans, the “Green Book” is an Oscar-winning film. But for generations of Black Americans, it served as a literal map for traveling through an often hostile and hateful country, finding safety and businesses that would serve us. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by writer and financial educator Alvin Hall. He’s the author of Driving the Green Book: A Road Trip Through the Living History of Black Resistance. Hall explains how the original Green Book began, discusses its evolution, and why he’s dedicated years to studying and sharing stories of its impact.

Guest: Alvin Hall, author of Driving the Green Book: A Road Trip Through the Living History of Black Resistance

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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What Next TBD: Contraband Tech Behind Bars Feb 12, 2023

It’s hard to put a number on it but judging from the number of videos emerging online, there are more and more contraband cell phones finding their way into the hands of people in prison, who use them to record TikTok dances, take online courses, and alert the outside world to what’s happening on the inside.

Guest: Keri Blakinger, criminal justice reporter at the Los Angeles Times, author of Corrections in Ink.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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Amicus: The "Stop the Steal" Fight That Never Ended Feb 11, 2023

Wisconsin’s State Supreme Court heard one of the landmark cases of the 2020 presidential election. During oral arguments in Trump v Biden in December 2020, Justice Jill J Karofsky participated in proceedings via Zoom from her office inside the state capitol in Madison. Outside her office window, she could see armed protesters gathered in what she later viewed as a dry run for January 6th. In a 4-3 decision, with one Republican justice siding against Trump, the Wisconsin Supreme Court voted to uphold Biden’s victory in the state. On this week’s Amicus, Justice Karofsky speaks for the first time about the fallout from that case: Fallout in her personal life, for herself and loved ones. Fallout in her professional life, with an investigation and the threat of sanction for her line of questioning in oral argument. And beyond all that, the fallout for democracy—and for the role of jurists within that democracy.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern to discuss the originalist Second Amendment ruling that puts women’s lives at risk, the looming prospect of a potential nationwide ban on a widely used, FDA-approved, abortion pill, and how the future of jurisprudence appears to be competing time machines.

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The Waves: How ADHD Disorients Women Feb 11, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate supervising producer Daisy Rosario is joined by stand-up comic Blaire Postman to discuss their journeys as women with ADHD, from receiving a diagnosis to the many ways it affects their everyday lives.

In Slate Plus, how Blaire navigated living with ADHD in the pandemic-era social media boom of all things ADHD content.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

Make an impact this Black History Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund UNCF scholarships for HBCU students. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.

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Slate Money: Will A.I. Kill the Internet? Feb 11, 2023

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss Microsoft’s attempt to break into artificial intelligence assisted search with a revamp of their Bing search engine. They also talk about record high profits for oil companies and Bed Bath & Beyond’s financial shenanigans.

In the Plus segment: Tether.

Podcast production by Anna Phillips.

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What Next TBD: Why Ban TikTok? Feb 10, 2023

TikTok was banned on government agency devices in December; several schools and universities have banned it on their devices and wifi networks, and the governor of Texas unveiled a plan to ban it in the state. Can “Project Texas” stem the anti-TikTok tide? And would banning the app actually achieve…anything?

Guest: Louise Matsakis, reporter for Semafor covering tech and China

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Political Gabfest: Biden Gets Frisky Feb 10, 2023

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss the raucous State of the Union; the spy balloon and U.S.-China relations; and Susan Dominus’s reporting on missed opportunities in treating menopause.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Zolan Kanno-Youngs, Katie Rogers and Peter Baker for The New York Times: “Kamala Harris Is Trying to Define Her Vice Presidency. Even Her Allies Are Tired of Waiting.”

Susan Dominus for The New York Times Magazine: “Women Have Been Misled About Menopause”

Stephen I. Vladeck for The New York Times: “Don’t Let Republican ‘Judge Shoppers’ Thwart the Will of Voters”

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: Andor; Kialo.com

Emily: Sabawoon Samim for Afghanistan Analysts Network: “New Lives In The City: How Taleban Have Experienced Life In Kabul”

David: City Cast DC live; The Brothers Ashkenazi, by I. J Singer. Join David Plotz for a live taping of the City Cast DC podcast at the Politics & Prose Union Market location, Wednesday March 1 at 6:30 pm. You can register here for a free ticket.

Listener chatter from Ryan Clements: The Outlaw Ocean: Journeys Across the Last Untamed Frontier, by Ian Urbina; The Outlaw Oceanpodcast

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment David, John, and Emily discuss the use of “judge shopping”—picking a preferred judge by suing in a single-judge district—to invalidate legislation nationwide.

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

Make an impact this Black History Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund UNCF scholarships for HBCU students. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.

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What Next: How Florida’s School Censorship Spreads Feb 09, 2023

Governor Ron DeSantis canceling the rollout of AP African-American Studies course in Florida is more than just another salvo in the culture war. It has implications across public education, across the country—and its chilling effect is already evident.

Guests: Jeremy Young, historian and Senior Manager of Free Expression and Education at PEN America.

Chyna-Lee Hunter, a 12th grade student at Robert Morgan Educational Center in Miami, Fla.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Make an impact this Black History Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund UNCF scholarships for HBCU students. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.

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What Next: The Russian “Collaborators” Feb 08, 2023

For Ukrainians who remained behind when the war began, choices made in the fog of occupation come under scrutiny when the invading army leaves, and neighbors once divided by the Russians again must live side by side.

Guest: Joshua Yaffa, contributing writer at The New Yorker and the author of “Between Two Fires: Truth, Ambition, and Compromise in Putin's Russia.”

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Make an impact this Black History Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund UNCF scholarships for HBCU students. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.

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What Next: His Son Died in Uvalde. He’s Still Fighting. Feb 07, 2023

Immediately following a mass shooting, public officials will say that “now is not the time” to discuss what changes—for example, making it more difficult to get an assault weapon—could have prevented the shooting, yet once the media cycle moves on, so does the momentum for change. But Brett Cross, whose son was killed in the Robb Elementary School shooting in Texas, won’t give up his fight for accountability and reform.

Guest: Brett Cross, father of Uziyah Garcia, who was killed at Robb Elementary School in May 2022.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Update, Feb. 7, 2023, a 1:10 p.m.: Brett Cross will not be attending the State of the Union address.

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Mom & Dad: How Schools Failed the Reading Test Feb 06, 2023

On this episode: We’re going to be talking about why so many kids (and adults) have a difficult time reading. As Emily Hanford, host of Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong, discovered—some US schools are not actually teaching kids how to read. Instead of teaching research-backed skills that kids need in order to become strong readers, an idea has taken hold in the US education system that students can learn the general gist of words. For some students, this teaching method is good enough. But for others, these teaching methods can actually make learning to read more difficult.

Sold a Story Resources:

Science of Reading List

Discussion Guide

Recommendations:

Zak: Establishing a kids table for sporadic use at home

Elizabeth: AdSuMuDi Card Game and the online version.

Jamilah: Cobra Kai

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 Mom and Dad are Fighting. Sign up now at slate.com/momanddadplus to help support our work.

Join us on Facebook and email us at momanddad@slate.com to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we should talk about in future episodes.

Podcast produced by Rosemary Belson and Maura Currie.

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What Next: Georgia Takes on Trump Feb 06, 2023

A special grand jury in Georgia may soon announce whether Donald Trump will face criminal charges, including racketeering, for a phone call to Georgia secretary of state Brad Raffensperger following the 2020 election.

Guest: Tamar Hallerman, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's lead reporter covering the Fulton County special grand jury investigation.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: Did a Twentysomething Con America’s Biggest Bank? Feb 05, 2023

JP Morgan Chase is getting an education on FAFSA and financial aid–which would’ve been helpful before they acquired a now, quite dubious seeming start-up.

Guest: Ron Lieber, New York Times journalist, author of the “Your Money” column.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: A Killing in Cop City Feb 05, 2023

Days before footage of the fatal police beating of Tyre Nichols was made public, protests disrupted downtown Atlanta. The demonstrations there came in response to law enforcement shooting protestor Manuel Teran to death at the controversial site of a future police training facility. The area has come to be known as “Cop City,” and on today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by attorney and State President of the Georgia NAACP Gerald Griggs to talk about the project, its history, and why officials are moving it forward in the face of widespread public opposition.

Guest: Gerald Griggs, State President of Georgia’s NAACP

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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The Waves: Are “Cool Moms” A Menace? Feb 04, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor Rebecca Onion is joined by NPR political reporter Danielle Kurtzleben to unpack all the fears that come with pending motherhood. They unpack Danielle’s brilliant Substack piece, “A Professional Lady Correspondent Stares Down Motherhood,” their fears of “cool moms” and…the possible merits of ”lean in feminism.” Heavy emphasis on the possible.

In Slate Plus, how Danielle navigated covering abortion post-Roe while pregnant.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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Slate Money: The Drug that Debunks Free Will Feb 04, 2023

This week, former Slate Money host Cathy O’Neill joins Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers to discuss the technical glitch at the New York Stock Exchange. They also talk about a new study that found the IRS disproportionately audits Black taxpayers, and about Ozempic, a shockingly effective – and expensive – weight loss drug.

In the Plus segment: a debate over Slack etiquette.

Podcast production by Anna Phillips.

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What Next TBD: How COVID Changes Our Immune Systems Feb 03, 2023

Last fall it seemed like everyone got sick—not just with COVID, but from a slew of respiratory diseases, from the mild to the severe. Researchers are trying to untangle how our immune systems have changed in the COVID era, and if we’re paying back an “immunity debt” or are victims of “immunity theft.”

Guest: Tim Requarth, contributing writer to Slate.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Political Gabfest: Is Police Reform Possible? Feb 02, 2023

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss the killing of Tyre Nichols; violence interruption efforts–with guest Alec MacGillis; and the upcoming State of the Union.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Jamelle Bouie for The New York Times: “The Police Cannot Be a Law Unto Themselves”

Radley Balko for The New York Times: “Tyre Nichols’s Death Proves Yet Again That ‘Elite’ Police Units Are a Disaster”

Alec MacGillis for The New Yorker and ProPublica: “Can Community Programs Help Slow the Rise in Violence?”

Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration, by Emily Bazelon

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: The Fight of His Life: Inside Joe Biden's White House, by Chris Whipple; The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency, by Chris Whipple

Emily: Deep Cover: Never Seen Againpodcast; Dan Charnas: Breaking Atoms: The Hip Hop Podcast

David: City Cast Madison; City Cast Portland; Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver

Listener chatter from David Foreman: Artnet News: “See Scores of Unbuilt Frank Lloyd Wright Structures That Have Been Computer-Rendered With Incredible Realism”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment David, John, and Emily discuss The Banshees of Inisherin.

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Tori Dominguez

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

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What Next: The Plot Against Pope Francis Feb 02, 2023

Not all of the Cardinals who elected Pope Francis are pleased with the changes he’s made, or his vision for where the Catholic Church goes next. Both the 86-year-old Francis and his detractors are preparing for his successor. Who’ll prevail?

Guest: David Gibson, Director of Fordham's Center on Religion & Culture

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Hysteria Over D.C.’s New Crime Bill Feb 01, 2023

The Revised Criminal Code Act is a major overhaul to D.C.’s criminal code that critics say will clog the courts with low-level crimes and fill the streets with criminals. Slate’s legal expert doesn’t see the data to support any of that.

Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, Slate senior writer covering courts and the law.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: From Rodney King to Tyre Nichols Jan 31, 2023

The video of Tyre Nichols being fatally beaten by Memphis police officers was made public on Friday. How does this latest high-profile incident of police brutality echo the killing of George Floyd or the beating of Rodney King? And 30 years after the latter, what’s still standing in the way of police reform?

Guest: Joel Anderson, staff writer at Slate, host of Seasons 3 and 6 of Slow Burn.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Who Doesn’t Have Classified Documents? Jan 30, 2023

At this point, classified documents have been uncovered in the homes of former President Trump, former Vice President Mike Pence, and President Biden. But there are more practical issues with how the government treats classified documents than just whose garage they’re sitting in.

Guest: Elizabeth Goitein, co-director of the Liberty and National Security Program at the Brennan Center for Justice

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: Did A.I. Write This Headline? Jan 29, 2023

The proliferation of chatbots and A.I.-generated art has consumers and tech companies alike convinced that artificial intelligence is ready to be integrated into consumer electronics, products, homes, and across industry. In fact, it’s already in progress. What’s the worst that can happen?

Guest: Will Oremus, technology reporter for the Washington Post

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Slate Money: Chip War Jan 28, 2023

This week, Chris Miller joins Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers to discuss his new book, Chip War: The Fight for the World's Most Critical Technology. They discuss the crucial role of microchips, the global dynamics of microchip design and manufacturing, and how chips factor into US-China relations.

In the Plus segment: Moore’s Law.

Podcast production by Anna Phillips.

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Amicus: The Dobbs Leak Investigation Jan 28, 2023

First, there was the Dobbs case. Then there was the leaked opinion in the Dobbs case. Then there was the investigation into the leaked opinion in the Dobbs case. Then there was the report on the investigation into the leak. Then there was the supplemental report from the Marshal on the report on the investigation into the leak. AND THEN there was the revealing reporting from the NY Times’ Jodi Kantor on a court roiled by reports and investigating and leaks. This week, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Jodi Kantor to dig through the reports, reporting and repercussions for the people who are inside One, First Street, and for the baffled majority who aren’t.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Dahlia is joined by Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern to try to figure out why it’s taking so long for SCOTUS to hand down opinions this term, and to examine the very first decision of the term, disappointing in its unanimity and its negative impact on veterans.

Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

Dahlia’s book Lady Justice: Women, the Law and the Battle to Save America, is also available as an audiobook, and Amicus listeners can get a 25 percent discount by entering the code “AMICUS” at checkout.

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The Waves: How a Man Writes Women Protagonists Jan 28, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth is joined by author and Slate editor Dan Kois to talk about men writing women. Dan’s new book, Vintage Contemporaries, is the coming of age story of Em and the two women who had a meaningful impact on her life. Dan and Cheyna talk about how Dan wrote true to life female characters without falling into the #menwritewomen trap, why he told a story with female characters, and how to navigate the tricky world of writing characters of the opposite sex.

In Slate Plus, how the HarperCollins strike is impacting women.

You can find the HarperCollins Bookshop link here.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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A Word: The Fire This Time? Jan 27, 2023

Five former Memphis police officers are charged with second degree murder in the death of Tyre Nichols. Footage of them reportedly beating Nichols after a traffic stop is set to be released to the public on Friday evening. Nichols’ death came just days after English teacher Keenan Anderson was tazed repeatedly by LAPD officers, who were responding to a traffic incident. Anderson died hours later.

These deaths, and an increase in police killing civilians in 2022, are fueling concerns that the movement to combat police violence has stalled. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Phillip Atiba Goff. He’s the co-founder and CEO of the Center for Policing Equity. He’s also the director of Yale’s African American Studies program, and a professor of psychology. They discuss the different factors that may have diminished the movement's momentum and public support, and whether there’s a way forward in fighting police violence.

Guest: Phillip Atiba Goff, co-founder and CEO of the Center for Policing Equity.

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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What Next TBD: Will Google Get Broken Up? Jan 27, 2023

The U.S. Department of Justice announced this week that it is suing Google over its ad technology. What do they contend Google has been doing? And does this mean Alphabet is headed for a Bell Telecom-style bust-up?

Guest: Leah Nylen, reporter covering antitrust for Bloomberg News

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Political Gabfest: DeSantis University Jan 26, 2023

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and guest host Josie Duffy Rice discuss the rise of Marjorie Taylor Greene; Ron DeSantis’ attacks on educators; and the bipartisan bashing of monopolist Ticketmaster.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Jonathan Swan and Catie Edmondson for The New York Times: “How Kevin McCarthy Forged an Ironclad Bond With Marjorie Taylor Greene”

God's Harvard: A Christian College on a Mission to Save America, by Hanna Rosin

Josie Duffy Rice for iHeartPodcasts: Unreformed: the Story of the Alabama Industrial School for Negro Children

The Nickel Boys, by Colson Whitehead

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: The Good Life: Lessons from the World's Longest Scientific Study of Happiness, by Robert Waldinger and Marc Schulz

Josie: The Uninnocent: Notes on Violence and Mercy, by Katharine Blake

David: Vintage Contemporaries, by Dan Kois

Listener chatter from Pherabe Kolb: Fred Clasen-Kelly for The Greenville News: “Key Findings From The Cost Of Unity, A Series On The Displacement Of Black Greenville”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment David, John, and Josie discuss Josie’s new podcast, Unreformed: the Story of the Alabama Industrial School for Negro Children.

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

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What Next: Election Deniers Shot at Her Jan 26, 2023

A newfound commitment to never accepting election results you don’t like is taken to the extreme in New Mexico, where a string of shootings targeting elected officials led to 12 bullet holes in a state senator’s Albuquerque home.

Guest: Linda Lopez, state senator in New Mexico’s Bernalillo County.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The "Other NRA" Fighting Restaurant Workers Jan 25, 2023

How COVID-stress, a tipped minimum wage locked in since 1991, and lobbying from the National Restaurant Association have pushed restaurant workers—and the industry as a whole—to the brink of crisis.

Guest: Saru Jayaraman, President of One Fair Wage and the Director of the UC Berkeley Food Labor Research Center.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Will the Debt Ceiling Cave in This Time? Jan 24, 2023

The U.S. has hit the debt ceiling—again And with Congress divided, it’s unclear when or how the government will get approved to borrow more.Why is this perennial fight coming back around now? And what happens—locally and to the world economy—if the U.S. Treasury defaults?

Guest: Jordan Weissmann, Washington editor for Semafor.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Cities’ Wetter, Wilder Future Jan 23, 2023

California going from drought-to-downpour this month was a vivid illustration of the future we’re facing: with more dramatic weather in a warmer, wetter climate. But how can cities—built for a world where hundred-year floods happened only once a century—adjust to a new reality?

Guest: Henry Grabar, staff writer for Slate, author of Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: Does Meta Even Care When Its Users Get Hacked? Jan 22, 2023

It can feel very personal to have your Facebook or Instagram page hacked—they’re your pictures and your friends after all. But Meta, the social media parent company, handles hacks with anything but a personal touch.

Guest: Kirstin Grind, investigative reporter for the Wall Street Journal.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Haiti: Fear of a Black Republic Jan 22, 2023

Headlines suggest that Haiti could be on the verge of collapse, with gangs controlling its streets, the economy at a standstill, and political leaders fearing for their lives. But while international observers decry it as a “failed nation,” Haiti’s path to success has been consistently blocked since its successful slave rebelion in 1804. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Professor Leslie Alexander, author “Fear of a Black Republic: Haiti and the Birth of Black Internationalism in the United States.“

Guest: Historian Leslie Alexander, the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Professor of History at Rutgers University

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

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Slate Money: It’s Not TV Jan 21, 2023

This week, Felix Gillette joins Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers to talk about his new book It's Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, and Future of HBO and discuss the state of streaming, the relationship between sports and advertisers, and the decline of the movie theater industry.

In the Plus segment: YouTube.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli.

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Political Gabfest Reads: Two Horrifying Days in D.C. Jan 21, 2023

David Plotz talks with author Shahan Mufti about his new book, American Caliph: The True Story of a Muslim Mystic, a Hollywood Epic, and the 1977 Siege of Washington, DC. They discuss an Islamic group’s multi-location attack in D.C., the terror that hostages experienced while held captive for the two days, and the movie that started the whole thing.

Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

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The Waves: Exercise Shouldn’t (Always) Feel Punishing Jan 21, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate science and health editor Shannon Palus talks with freelance science writer Eleanor Cummins about how to detach exercise from diet culture, and learning to strive toward fitness goals that actually serve them. They discuss two recent pieces in Slate, Shannon’s article on the benefits of slow running and Eleanor’s on why yoga classes cost so much—an how the teachers, which are mostly women, can actually get paid more. They discuss why relaxing in a workout setting can be necessary and difficult, and how letting go of the idea that working out always has to be painful can actually help you accomplish big, impressive goals.

In Slate Plus, is Prince Harry feminist?

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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What Next TBD: An Antivax Dog Whistle Goes Viral Jan 20, 2023

The idea that COVID-19 vaccines are linked to sudden deaths among young people has no scientific support, but the theory nevertheless has a lot of traction on social media.

How can public health officials educate the public—especially on subject like vaccines, where their effectiveness renders them effectively invisible?

Guest: Katelyn Jetelina, epidemiologist and data scientist

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Political Gabfest: Does Alito Hate Sotomayor? Jan 19, 2023

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss the discovery of classified documents at Biden’s home; the justices of the Supreme Court exhibiting open animosity toward one another; and fears of a “polycrisis” at Davos.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Matt Viser, Tyler Pager, Carol Leonnig and Yasmeen Abutaleb for The Washington Post: “Inside The White House Document Strategy And Its Pitfalls”

Steven Mazie for The Atlantic: “The Supreme Court Justices Do Not Seem to Be Getting Along”

Jess Bravin and Sadie Gurman for The Wall Street Journal: “Supreme Court Investigators Have Narrowed Leak Inquiry to Small Number of Suspects”

Andrew Van Dam for The Washington Post: “The Happiest, Least Stressful, Most Meaningful Jobs In America”

Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do, by Studs Terkel

Here is the poem (by an unknown author) that listener Christina Roosen sent to David after his cat died:

Eyes bright,

claws sharp,

tail held high.

Go keenly into the mist, old warrior.

Valhalla waits for you

A compilation of poems about pet loss: Rome Thorstenson for In Valhalla: “Pet Loss Poems”

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: Joseph Berger for The New York Times: “Adolfo Kaminsky Dies at 97; His Forgeries Saved Thousands of Jews”

Emily: Joshua Vaughn for Penn Live: “Dauphin County Made Millions On Jail Phone Calls And Spent It On Staff Perks, Contractors”

David: His Dark Materialson BBC One; The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass, by Philip Pullman

Listener chatter from Muirinn O'Neill: Josh Baker’s I'm Not a Monsterpodcast

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John discuss the jobs people find most meaningful.

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

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What Next: Latin America’s Lost Decade Jan 19, 2023

In the early 2000s, economic growth exploded in South America—and the citizens of Brazil, Peru, Chile and elsewhere enjoyed increasing prosperity. But over the last decade, the churn of the world economy has made it hard for leaders across the region to meet their people’s raised expectations.

Guest: Brian Winter, editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly, former foreign correspondent for Reuters in Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Spike at the End of “Zero COVID” Jan 18, 2023

In the wake of mass protests and a depressing effect on its economy, China has ended its “zero COVID” policy. But with cases now rising, is the country ready for the upcoming Spring Festival, a huge holiday for travel that could spread the virus to its remotest corners?

Guest: Dake Kang, reporter for the Associated Press Beijing bureau.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Hospice for Profit Jan 17, 2023

Since the 1980s, hospice has been covered by Medicare, and it’s come to be an expected part of the healthcare that millions of Americans receive at the end of their lives. But beneath the pamphlets of patients living out their days in comfort lies an uglier reality: a cottage industry that frequently misappropriates taxpayer dollars in the name of profit.

Guest: Ava Kofman, investigative reporter for ProPublica.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Shut Up and Teach? Jan 15, 2023

Florida’s Stop W.O.K.E. Act has been law for less than a year. And while court challenges persist, it’s already having a chilling effect on many educators who teach about race. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Jonathan Cox, a University of Central Florida Professor of Sociology. Cox recently spoke with ProPublica about how the crusade against critical race theory led him to cancel some classes and alter others.

Guest: University of Central Florida Sociologist Jonathan Cox

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

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What Next TBD: Tesla’s No Good, Very Bad Year Jan 15, 2023

Elon Musk was promising an “epic” Q4 at Tesla last year. But 2022 ended closer to what might be considered an “epic fail,” with the stock price down 65 percent. In an uncertain economic environment like this one, how much blame goes to Musk for unloading $40 billion worth of stock and focusing on his shiny new social media network? Or are these just growing pains that every company goes through as they mature?

Guest: Dana Hull, automotive and technology reporter for Bloomberg News in San Francisco

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Amicus: The Labor Case Before SCOTUS Has Big Implications for Democracy Jan 14, 2023

Amicus is sponsored by Betterhelp.

The Supreme Court of the United States got back into the swing of things its first week back after New Years, with a case about cement workers and the rights of organized labor. The “swing” the court was getting “back into” with this case was potential precedent-busting. Dahlia Lithwick is joined on this week’s show by Terri Gerstein, director of Harvard Law School’s Center for Labor and a Just Economy, to discuss what this case could mean for worker’s rights, and for democracy more broadly.

Next, Dahlia is joined by Brad Meltzer, a serial best selling author of so many kinds of books. This week Brad has two books coming out, I Am John Lewis for the kids, and The Nazi Conspiracy - The Secret Plot to Kill Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill. Brad and Dahlia discuss legal writing, book bans, and what these two seemingly very different books have in common.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Dahlia is joined by Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern for an update on abortion legislation at the state and national level. They discuss the smoke and mirrors of the new republican house majority’s “Born Alive” Bill, and the devastating fallout if Virginia’s 15 week ban gets passed.

Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

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The Waves: Who’s Getting Rich Off Menopause? Jan 14, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate Money co-host Emily Peck is joined by New York Times writer, Amy Larocca to discuss, as Amy says, the “menopause gold rush.” They dig into when exactly menopause starts, how younger women embracing their bodies has trickled up to their moms, and the companies that have started aggressively targeting menopausal women - for better and for worse.

In Slate Plus, how telehealth and online medicine have changed the menopause game.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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Slate Money: Is Inflation Ova? Jan 14, 2023

This week Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss how the avian flu has skyrocketed egg prices, even as inflation continues to plateau. They also talk about the ongoing controversy over gas stoves and scrutinize a recent article about Columbia Business School’s new campus.

In the plus segment: Noma, an extravagant restaurant in Copenhagen hailed as the world’s best restaurant, is closing. What does that say about that status of “fine dining”?

Podcast production by Anna Phillips.

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What Next TBD: Why the Feds Want to Kill Noncompetes Jan 13, 2023

You might think of noncompete agreements as mostly limited to highly skilled, highly paid tech workers to protect trade secrets. But one-third of workers bound by noncompetes make $13/hour or less: fast-food workers, security guards, and the like.

Noncompete clauses not only give employers leverage over their employees—both during and after their employment—but studies have shown the agreements are a weight on the economy, which is why the FTC is angling for a federal ban.

Guest: Elizabeth Wilkins, director of the Office of Policy Planning, Federal Trade Commission

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Political Gabfest: Weaponization of Government Jan 12, 2023

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss the House GOP’s “Weaponization of Government” subcommittee; the insurrection in Brazil–with Marcos Nobre; and what Prince Harry’s book, Spare, means for the British

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Matthew Yglesias for Slow Boring: “A New Plan To Get Around The Debt Ceiling Hostage”

Matt Levine for Bloomberg: “Financial Engineering the Debt Ceiling”

Spare, by Prince Harry

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: David Wallace-Wells for The New York Times: “Electric Vehicles Keep Defying Almost Everyone’s Predictions”

Emily: Josie Duffy Rice for iHeartPodcasts: Unreformed: the Story of the Alabama Industrial School for Negro Children

David: Julia Moskin for The New York Times: “Noma, Rated the World’s Best Restaurant, Is Closing Its Doors”

Listener chatter from Erich Morgenbesser: AI illustrates countries as villains

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John discuss the status of “return to office.”

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

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What Next: How They Got El Chapo’s Son Jan 12, 2023

Ovidio Guzmán, the son of Sinaloa cartel head Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzmán, was arrested last week in a huge sting by the Mexican government. Who is Ovidio and how does his arrest affect the cartel?

Guest: Luis Chaparro, journalist and producer who moves between Texas and Mexico covering narcos, drugs and immigration.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: A Sex Crimes Lawyer's New Mission Jan 11, 2023

New York’s new Adult Survivor’s Act has opened a “lookback window”—a year-long suspension of the civil statute of limitations—to allow people who may have been assaulted a long time ago the chance to go to court and demand compensation. For those who choose to pursue legal action, what can they expect?

Guest: Carrie Goldberg, victim rights lawyer specializing in sex crimes and author of Nobody’s Victim: Fighting Psychos, Stalkers, Pervs, and Trolls.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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How To!: End Political Violence (from an Ex-Gang Leader) Jan 10, 2023

In the wake of the anniversary of the January 6th insurrection, and now similar riots in Brazil’s capital, we’re picking up our conversation about how to reduce political violence. In the first episode of our two-part series, we heard from Dr. Rachel Kleinfeld, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. This week, we’re talking with Curtis Toler, director of outreach at Chicago CRED. After joining his first street organization at the age of 9, Curtis went from a gang leader to a violence interrupter. He talks about how to reach people entrenched in cycles of conflict, how to get to the peace table, and what Congress (and all of us) can learn from his success on the streets of Chicago.

Resources:

Chicago CRED

A Savage Order: How the World's Deadliest Countries Can Forge a Path to Security by Rachel Kleinfeld

An Ex-Gang Leader’s Advice for Deescalating Violence in Politics by Amanda Ripley

If you liked this episode, check out: “How To Talk Politics With Your Dad (Without Yelling) Part 1 and Part 2.”

Do you have a question without an answer? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show. Subscribe for free on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Derek John, Rosemary Belson, and Kevin Bendis.

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 How To!. Sign up now at slate.com/howtoplus.

Want a behind-the-scenes look at how we create the show? Check out Slate's Pocket Collections for research and reading lists, as well as additional insights into how we think about the stories behind the episodes.

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What Next: Mr. Santos Goes to Washington Jan 10, 2023

How far can you go on a lie? Looking at the career of George Santos, United States Representative, it can take you at least to the congressional floor. But now, firmly in the public eye, his resume unraveling, is Santos’ political career about to be derailed before it starts? And how did it get this far in the first place?

Guest: Azi Paybarah, national reporter covering campaigns and breaking politics news at the Washington Post.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: McCarthy’s Road to Speaker Jan 09, 2023

On Friday night, Representative Kevin McCarthy was elected Speaker of the House—but not before a far-right revolt kept Congress in a weeklong deadlock. As he begins his tenure as Speaker, will these sorts of standoffs be the rule, not the exception?

Guest: Jim Newell, Slate’s senior politics writer.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: How War in Taiwan Could Short-Circuit U.S. Tech Jan 08, 2023

Roughly 95 percent of advanced semiconductor chip manufacturing happens in Taiwan, leaving the U.S. vulnerable to supply chain shocks and national security threats. Is the Biden administration’s $280 billion bill, signed in August last year, enough to boost domestic chip manufacturing?

Guest: Don Clark, freelance reporter specializing on chips and enterprise tech.

Host: Emily Peck

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Dying for Football? Jan 08, 2023

Buffalo Bills player Damar Hamlin seems to be making a remarkable recovery after suffering cardiac arrest on Monday Night Football. But the incident has renewed questions about how the NFL tries –and often fails– to keep the sport from threatening the health of its athletes. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by veteran sports journalist Howard Bryant to discuss the NFL’s history of responding to injuries, and whether media and fans are complicit in the suffering of players.

Guest: Sports writer Howard Bryant, author of Full Dissidence: Notes from an Uneven Playing Field

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

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The Waves: The Myths About Fat People Jan 07, 2023

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate science and health editor Shannon Palus is joined by author and co-host of Maintenance Phase, Aubrey Gordon. Shannon and Aubrey discuss Aubrey’s new book, “You Just Need to Lose Weight” and 19 Other Myths About Fat People, the fraught nature of “body positivity” and the insidious goalpost moving of the Dove “Love Your Body” campaign.

In Slate Plus, Aubrey and Shannon discuss the new weight-loss fad, Ozempic.

Further Reading Recommendations From Aubrey:

Hunger by Roxane Gay

Belly of the Beast by Da’shaun L. Harrison

The Body Is Not An Apology by Sonya Renee Taylor

Fearing the Black Body by Sabrina Strings

Julie Murphy’s fiction novels like Dumplin’

Check out Shannon’s new Slate Column: Good Fit

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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Political Gabfest: Kevin McCarthy In Hell Jan 07, 2023

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss GOP’s speakership debacle; George Santos; and improving access to medication abortion.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Emily Bazelon for The New York Times: “The Dawn of the Post-Clinic Abortion”

Emily Bazelon for The New York Times: “Risking Everything to Offer Abortions Across State Lines”

Mark Oppenheimer for The New York Times: “Why Did George Santos Lie About Being Jewish?”

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: Winesburg, Ohio, by Sherwood Anderson

Emily: The Furrows, by Namwali Serpell; Tár ; Zadie Smith for The New York Review of Books: “The Instrumentalist”; Amanda Hess for The New York Times: “Breaking Out of the #MeToo Movie Formula”; Dan Kois for Slate: “Tár Is the Most-Talked-About Movie of the Year. So Why Is Everyone Talking About It All Wrong?”

David: Gastrodiplomacy

Listener chatter from Nathan Kamps: Miles Klee for Rolling Stone: “‘A Celebrity in the Land of Celebrities’: Remembering P-22, L.A.’s Favorite Mountain Lion”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John discuss the ethics of watching football in light of Damar Hamlin’s life threatening injury.

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

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What Next TBD: Will Southwest Be Held Accountable? Jan 06, 2023

Over the holidays, thousands of passengers were left stranded or delayed when Southwest Airline’s outdated re-booking software broke down. Who can be held accountable, and why don’t airlines invest more in their own infrastructure?

Guest: Heather Tal Murphy, business and technology reporter for Slate.

Host: Mary C. Curtis

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Trapped on the Streets of El Paso Jan 05, 2023

Enacted at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Title 42 allows border patrol to expel migrants from the U.S. before they have a chance to apply for asylum. Denied the opportunity to apply for asylum, and unable to travel, migrants are left to fend for themselves on the streets of El Paso in winter.

Guest: Bob Moore, founder and CEO of El Paso Matters

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The "Grooming" Panic's Real Origins Jan 04, 2023

For decades it felt like society was growing more accepting of the LGBTQ community, but in the past few years, hospitals have faced bomb threats, drag story hours have been beset by armed protestors, and queer spaces have been violently targeted. What happened?

Guest: David Mack, senior breaking news reporter for Buzzfeed News.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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How To!: Prevent Another Jan. 6 Jan 03, 2023

It’s been two years since the January 6th riot at the US Capitol in Washington DC. Over 900 people have been criminally charged, but political violence continues to be a threat. Well, here at How To!, we are not content to just marinate in fear and blame so we’re dedicating two episodes to see how we can prevent more tragedies like January 6. In our first episode, we bring on Dr. Rachel Kleinfeld, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace where she focuses on the intersection of democracy and security. She explains how the US has gotten to this point, how we should productively grapple with January 6, and why we’re not as close to the brink of civil war as it may seem. Next week, we’ll hear from Curtis Toler, a former Chicago gang member who is now a violence interrupter.

If you liked this episode, check out: “How To Get Things Done in a Divided Nation with Samantha Power.”

Do you have a question without an answer? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show. Subscribe for free on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Derek John, Rosemary Belson, and Kevin Bendis.

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 How To!. Sign up now at slate.com/howtoplus.

Want a behind-the-scenes look at how we create the show? Check out Slate's Pocket Collections for research and reading lists, as well as additional insights into how we think about the stories behind the episodes.

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What Next: Nancy Pelosi’s Legacy Jan 03, 2023

Villainized by the right, protested from the left, Nancy Pelosi led the Democrats through the Iraq War, the fight for Obamacare, and two impeachments. As Congress resumes, she will step down from leading the House Democrats, leaving behind a complicated legacy—and a list of hard-fought accomplishments.

Guest: Rachael Bade, political analyst for CNN and the co-author of Politico’s “Playbook” newsletter.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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The Waves 2022 Rewind: How Gone Girl Changed Publishing Dec 31, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate staff writer Heather Schwedel is joined by Slate books and culture columnist Laura Miller on the 10-year anniversary of Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl. They talk about the initial reaction to Gone Girl, why the twists packed such a punch, and the enduring impact of the famous “cool girl” speech. Then they explore why, despite many books proclaiming to be so, there has never really been another Gone Girl.

In Slate Plus, Laura takes Heather behind the scenes of book blurbs.

Recommendations:

Heather: The Palace Papers by Tina Brown

Laura: The TV series Redemption, available on BritBox

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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Political Gabfest: Conundrum 2022 with Alison Bechdel Dec 31, 2022

Special thanks to:

Andy Andrews

Sarah Chapin

Marc Colello

David Duesing

Alan Dybner

Phil Goldstein

Jason Howard

Andrew James Pierce

Eric Koleda

Carrie

Jerm

You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest. Tweet us your cocktail chatter using #cocktailchatter. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

The email address for the Political Gabfest is gabfest@slate.com. (Email may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap.

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One Year 1942: When Internment Came to Alaska Dec 28, 2022

As we catch our breath over the holidays, enjoy this episode of Slate's One Year podcast. What Next returns next week.

Six months after Pearl Harbor, Japan launched another attack on the United States. This time, Axis forces actually invaded, turning the Aleutian Islands into a battleground. What the country did next, in the name of “protecting” Alaska’s Indigenous people, is a shameful chapter of the war. And it’s one the nation has never fully reckoned with.

This episode of One Year was produced by Evan Chung, Sophie Summergrad, Sam Kim, Sol Werthan, and Josh Levin.

Derek John is senior supervising producer of narrative podcasts and Merritt Jacob is senior technical director.

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One Year 1942: The Info Wars of World War II Dec 27, 2022

As we catch our breath over the holidays, enjoy this episode of Slate's One Year podcast. What Next returns next week.

In March 1942, a new nightly radio show hit the American airwaves. The stated goal of Station Debunk was to correct all the lies getting tossed around about America’s involvement in the war. But the real story was a whole lot stranger and more devious than it appeared.

One Year is produced by Evan Chung, Sophie Summergrad, Sam Kim, and Josh Levin.

Derek John is senior supervising producer of narrative podcasts and Merritt Jacob is senior technical director.

Slate Plus members get to hear more about the making of One Year. Get access to extra episodes, listen to the show without any ads, and support One Year by signing up for Slate Plus for just $15 for your first three months.

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Political Gabfest Reads: Everything You Need to Know About Choosing a President Dec 26, 2022

John Dickerson talks with author Gautam Mukunda about his new book Picking Presidents: How to Make the Most Consequential Decision in the World. They talk about how Mukunda’s first book, Indispensable: When Leaders Really Matter laid the groundwork for Picking Presidents. Later, Dickerson and Mukunda dig into why ‘intellectual brilliance’ – which goes beyond IQ - is a strong predictor of presidential performance and how the human portion of the job of president is changing.

Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

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One Year 1942: The Year Everyone Got Married Dec 26, 2022

As we catch our breath over the holidays, enjoy this episode of Slate's One Year podcast. What Next returns next week.

There were 1.8 million weddings in 1942, the most that had ever been recorded in a single year in American history. But how many of them would last? 98-year-old Millie Summergrad tells the story of one that did: her own. And a pair of brothers explain what it was like to grow up inside the busiest chapel in Yuma, Arizona—the wedding capital of the United States.

One Year is produced by Evan Chung, Sophie Summergrad, Sam Kim, and Josh Levin.

Derek John is senior supervising producer of narrative podcasts and Merritt Jacob is senior technical director.

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Slate Money: In Defense of Nepotism Dec 24, 2022

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss the proposed changes to retirement plans in Congress’s 2023 spending bill. They also talk about the current boom in cocaine production and debate whether or not nepotism is as bad as everyone says.

In the Plus segment: Felix, Emily, and Elizabeth admit what they each got wrong about 2022.

Podcast production by Anna Phillips.

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A Word: Season’s Streamings Dec 24, 2022

With the holidays comes time to rest, recuperate, and unwind. What are this year’s best seasonal offerings to curl up in front of and watch with the family?

Guest: Rebecca Theodore-Vachon, essayist and pop culture critic.

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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Political Gabfest: Inciting Insurrection Dec 24, 2022

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss the January 6th Committee’s findings and criminal referrals; the brewing water crisis in the West–with Washington Post reporter Josh Partlow; and the biggest stories of 2022.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Joshua Partlow for The Washington Post: “Officials Fear ‘Complete Doomsday Scenario’ For Drought-Stricken Colorado River”

Joshua Partlow for The Washington Post: “Disaster Scenarios Raise The Stakes For Colorado River Negotiations”

Joshua Partlow for The Washington Post: “‘Where There’s Bodies, There’s Treasure’: A Hunt As Lake Mead Shrinks”

Adam Liptak for The New York Times: “An ‘Imperial Supreme Court’ Asserts Its Power, Alarming Scholars”

Marin Cogan for Vox: “The Deadliest Road in America”

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: Gabfest Reads: How to Avoid Disastrous Presidents; Picking Presidents: How to Make the Most Consequential Decision in the World, by Gautam Mukunda

Emily: Mario Ariza and Miranda Green for Floodlight News, and David Folkenflik for NPR: “In The Southeast, Power Company Money Flows To News Sites That Attack Their Critics”

David: Li Cohen for CBS News: “Could Jack Have Fit On The Door With Rose In 'Titanic’? Director James Cameron Conducted A Study To Find Out ‘Once And For All.’”

Listener chatter from Sam Rutledge: Kaj Tallungs for Wikimedia Commons: data visualization showing the change in U.S. population demographics over time.

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John discuss Elon Musk’s tumultuous tenure at Twitter.

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

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The Waves: Are Women of Color Disappearing From Comedy Again? Dec 24, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior supervising producer Daisy Rosario talks to comedian and activist Aida Rodriguez about the state of women in comedy. They dig into Aida’s background and what it was like to come up as a woman of color in comedy. They also unpack the sneaking suspicion that women of color are getting fewer and fewer chances these days, and how to turn trauma into comedy.

In Slate Plus, Aida and Daisy talk about whether it’s feminist to not stand up for yourself in a loud way.

Catch Aida’s comedy Fighting Words on HBO Max.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next TBD: One Year - 1942: The Most Hated Man in America Dec 23, 2022

At the beginning of World War II, the greatest threat to the American war effort wasn’t the Nazis or the Japanese—it was runaway inflation. The man in charge of stopping it was the country’s “price czar,” Leon Henderson. In 1942, he controlled how much coffee ordinary people could drink and how many tires they could buy. Those rules made him a nationwide villain. But would they save the country?

One Year is produced by Evan Chung, Sophie Summergrad, Sam Kim, and Josh Levin.

Derek John is senior supervising producer of narrative podcasts and Merritt Jacob is senior technical director.

Slate Plus members get to hear more about the making of One Year. Get access to extra episodes, listen to the show without any ads, and support One Year by signing up for Slate Plus for just $15 for your first three months.

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What Next: 2022 Retrospective | Dua Lipa’s Copyright Problem Dec 22, 2022

This week we look back on some of our favorite stories from a year that had us asking—sometimes with excitement and sometimes with exasperation—"What Next”? This episode originally aired March 29.

After more than 70 weeks on the Billboard U.S. Hot 100, Dua Lipa and her song “Levitating” have run into trouble: two separate copyright complaints claiming the pop star ripped off other artists in writing her hit. These aren’t the first lawsuits to test the boundaries of what counts as plagiarism in the musical realm; and if either suit succeeds, it will have far-reaching consequences for creativity in the industry.

Guest: Jeremy Orosz, associate professor of music theory at the University of Memphis.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: 2022 Retrospective | How Soccer's Best Women Finally Got Paid Dec 21, 2022

This week we look back on some of our favorite stories from a year that had us asking—sometimes with excitement and sometimes with exasperation—"What Next”? This episode originally aired June 1.

If you want to understand the way inequality is baked into the systems and structures all around us, examining the pay equity issue in U.S. soccer is a pretty good place to start. But after a six-year battle, the U.S. Women’s National Team struck an agreement with U.S. Soccer, ensuring equal pay for equal work for the men’s and women’s teams — another victory for a team that doesn’t take no for an answer.

Guest: Christina Cauterucci, senior writer at Slate and a former middle school soccer star.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: 2022 Retrospective | Amazon Gets Its First Union Dec 20, 2022

This week we look back on some of our favorite stories from a year that had us asking—sometimes with excitement and sometimes with exasperation—"What Next”? This episode originally aired April 4.

Few were betting that a group of workers on Staten Island could win union recognition at their Amazon warehouse. Now that they’ve done it, can they replicate this win at other shops across the country? And what will the nation’s largest unions do to help Amazon workers join the labor movement?

Guest: Steven Greenhouse, senior fellow at the Century Foundation and author of Beaten Down, Worked Up: The Past, Present, and Future of American Labor.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: 2022 Retrospective | What the Sackler Family Won Dec 19, 2022

This week we look back on some of our favorite stories from a year that had us asking—sometimes with excitement and sometimes with exasperation—"What Next?" This episode originally aired March 21.

A very strange bankruptcy case is coming to a close. Its settlement hinges not on payments rendered or bills neglected, but on the pain of millions of American families who slid into the jaws of the opioid crisis. Now, the people who set off the crisis are about to settle their debts.

Guest: Brian Mann, reporter on addiction for NPR.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: Are You Ready For Lab-Grown Meat? Dec 18, 2022

The Food and Drug Administration gave an important thumbs up to lab-grown chicken, which means we could start seeing it in stores as soon as next year. While billions of dollars have been spent developing lab-grown meat, important questions remain: Is the production of it actually greener than raising livestock? Can it be made affordably? Is it healthy? And will anyone eat it?

Guest: Chloe Sorvino, staff writer on food and agriculture at Forbes, and the author of Raw Deal: Hidden Corruption, Corporate Greed and the Fight for the Future of Meat.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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A Word: HBCU Football Blues Dec 18, 2022

Former NFL star Deion Sanders turned the struggling Jackson State University Tigers into a winning team, and brought a national spotlight to football at historically Black colleges and universities. That’s why his decision to take a coaching job at the University of Colorado sparked a debate among HBCU fans. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by University of Houston Professor Billy Hawkins about why Sanders’ time at JSU had such an impact, and whether HBCUs can retain some of the momentum that Sanders helped to build.

Guest: University of Houston Professor Billy Hawkins, author of The New Plantation: Black Athletes, College Sports, and Predominantly White NCAA Institutions.

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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Slate Money: Should You Care About the Dot Plot? Dec 17, 2022

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers explain what the Fed’s interest rate dot plot means. They also talk about Microsoft’s attempted acquisition of video game developer Activision, and the latest details of the SBF scandal.

In the Plus segment: the revival of the office holiday party.

Podcast production by Anna Phillips.

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Political Gabfest: Is Kyrsten Sinema Toast? Dec 17, 2022

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss Krysten Sinema leaving the Democratic party; Republicans’ good turnout, poor performance midterms; and the new documentary, Pelosi in The House.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Pelosi in the House

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: Watch Richard Nixon’s Watergate speeches at the Miller Center’s website.

Emily: Jessica Blatt Press for The Philadelphia Citizen: “Hey, Phillly! Let’s Hire A Mayor!”

David: Courtney Kan, Nick Miroff, Scott Higham, Steven Rich and Tyler Remmel for The Washington Post: “Cartel Rx: Fentanyl’s Deadly Surge: From Mexican Labs To U.S. Streets, A Lethal Pipeline”; The EverCrisp apple

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John get philosophical in preparation for the annual Political Gabfest Conundrum episode.

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

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Amicus: “Is This How We Do Law Now?” Dec 17, 2022

The highest court in the land has ignored the need for standing, the trial record, and of course precedent this past year––and it matters.

Host Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Sherrilyn Ifill, former president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, and a senior fellow at the Ford Foundation. They discuss Sherrilyn’s thought-provoking piece this month in the New York Review of Books, which opens out into a big-picture discussion of what this Supreme Court’s tendency to reach out and grab cases, and erase trial records, or fill in the blanks on standing, even on claims, means for whose voices are heard at the highest court in the land, and who merits consideration in its decisions.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Dahlia is joined by Mark Joseph Stern to talk about oral arguments in the big elections case concerning the Independent State Legislature Theory (Moore v. Harper), and in the Oregon wedding website case that threatens civil rights public-accommodations law (303 Creative), plus the Washington right-wing party circuit’s special guest du jour, Justice Brett Kavanaugh.

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Want a behind-the-scenes look at how we create the show? Check out Slate's Pocket Collections for research and reading lists, as well as additional insights into how we think about the stories behind the episodes.

Dahlia’s book Lady Justice: Women, the Law and the Battle to Save America, is also available as an audiobook, and Amicus listeners can get a 25 percent discount by entering the code “AMICUS” at checkout.

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The Waves: Tis the Hallmark Season Dec 17, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, host of Slate’s ICYMI podcast Rachelle Hampton is joined by Vulture’s Rebecca Alter to talk all about those cheesy holiday movies we can’t escape this time of year. They dig into what makes a Hallmark Holiday Movie™ (inns and men who have probably been to therapy are a must), how the movies have evolved over the years and whether their attempts at diversity are just forcing other cultures to conform to their model. Plus, all the holiday vibes.

In Slate Plus: Rebecca talks about her time on a Hallmark movie set, which she wrote about for Vulture.

Recommendations:

Rachelle: The Holiday Calendar on Netflix and Lifetime’s The Spirit of Christmas.

Rebecca: Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square on Netflix and Showtime’s Matt Rogers: Have You Heard of Christmas.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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How To!: House Everyone in Your City Dec 16, 2022

This week, Los Angeles’ newly elected mayor Karen Bass declared a state of emergency to help address the city’s homelessness crisis. It’s an overwhelming issue that has left a lot of Angelenos wondering how they can help, including this week’s listener Alex. On this episode, host Amanda Ripley brings on two people who have experience fighting housing insecurity. Theo Henderson is an activist and host of the podcast, We the Unhoused, which sheds light on the struggles faced by the unhoused community in Los Angeles. Larry Morrissey is the former mayor of Rockford, Illinois. During his tenure, the city functionally ended veteran and chronic homelessness – by doing something altogether different than what most cities have tried. Together Theo and Larry explain what needs to change in order to properly address this crisis.

If you liked this episode, check out: “How to (Really) Help Refugees.”

LA organizations mention: J-Town Action and Solidarity as well as The Reclaimers.

Do you have an insurmountable problem that needs solving? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show.

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 How To!. Sign up now at slate.com/howtoplus to help support our work.

Want a behind-the-scenes look at how we create the show? Check out Slate's Pocket Collections for research and reading lists, as well as additional insights into how we think about the stories behind the episodes.

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What Next TBD: SBF's Worst Week Yet Dec 16, 2022

Even in a crazy year for crypto, Sam Bankman-Fried’s story is undeniably the most bananas. And even in the context of the implosion of FTX, getting arrested has got to make this week his worst yet. What charges does SBF face?

Guest: Stacy-Marie Ishmael, managing editor on crypto for Bloomberg News

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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What Next: Germany Cribs From the QAnon Playbook Dec 15, 2022

The Reichsbürger movement is the group behind the plot to overthrow the German government that was disrupted last week. Their grievances are both specific to their country—that the German government is illegitimate and the Reich needs to be reestablished—and familiar to right-wing extremist watchers in the U.S.. They have been radicalized by lockdowns, vaccine requirements, and Qanon. How is this American conspiracy exporting itself?

Guest: Josh Keating, global security reporter at Grid focused on conflict, diplomacy, and foreign policy.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Inside the Right-Wing Judicial Machine Dec 14, 2022

Since its founding in the 1980s, the Federalist Society has been advancing right-wing judges through the American judicial system. One of their most ardent critics called up a member to talk about how.

Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, Slate senior writer.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Magic of Messi Dec 13, 2022

Argentina and Croatia face off in the World Cup semifinals today, and all eyes are on Lionel Messi. At 35, Messi is trying to put a cap on a legendary career and bring a World Cup championship to his home country.

How did he get to the top of the soccer world? And what will be his legacy if Argentina loses?

Guest: Jasmine Garsd Garcia, host of NPR’s soccer podcast “The Last Cup.”

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Mom & Dad: Why You Need Narcan Dec 12, 2022

On this episode: Jamilah, Zak, and Elizabeth are joined by Slate writer, editor, and former Mom and Dad are Fighting host, Dan Kois, who is here to urge parents (and teens) to get trained to administer Narcan. He first wrote about the “miracle” tool in his piece: Parents, You Need Narcan. Essentially, the drug is a powerful tool that’s easy to use, widely available, and will give people peace of mind knowing that if there’s an emergency—you’re prepared.

Jamilah, Zak, and Elizabeth also answer a question from a listener who is wondering if they should prioritize school friends or family friends. They then finish the show with a quick round of recommendations.

Recommendations:

Zak recommends You Need a Manifesto.

Elizabeth recommends The Cinnamon Bear.

Jamilah recommends preordering Vintage Contemporaries by Dan Kois.

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 Mom and Dad are Fighting. Sign up now at slate.com/momanddadplus to help support our work.

Join us on Facebook and email us at momanddad@slate.com to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we should talk about in future episodes.

Podcast produced by Rosemary Belson and Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola.

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What Next: The Last Time NYC Tried to Hospitalize the Homeless Dec 12, 2022

In an effort to address New York’s growing problem of unhoused people living on the streets, Mayor Eric Adams announced that the city would start involuntarily hospitalizing people. It’s a strategy the city tried back in the ‘80s as well. Why didn’t it work then?

Guest: Sam Tsemberis, founder and executive director of Pathways to Housing, and associate clinical professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: San Francisco’s Self-Driving Mess Dec 11, 2022

Self-driving cars and robotaxis are starting to appear on the streets of San Francisco. While we have a whole regulatory system in place for drivers, who’s making sure these new cars are safe?

Guest: David Zipper, Visiting Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School's Taubman Center for State and Local Government

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Is Rikers Island a Death Trap? Dec 11, 2022

New York’s Rikers Island is infamous for its violence and danger, even to prisoners who haven’t been convicted of any crime. At least 18 detainees have died there under questionable circumstances this year alone. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by attorney Olayemi Olurin. She shares more about what led to these deaths, and why political leaders like New York Mayor Eric Adams may be standing in the way of closing Rikers or making it safer.

Guest: Olayemi Olurin, a public defender at The Legal Aid Society in New York City.

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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Slate Money: The NYT Strike: End of the Wordle Streak Dec 10, 2022

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers talk about the Trump Organization’s tax fraud conviction, why workers at The New York Times went on strike and ChatGPT, a shockingly articulate AI chatbot.

In the Plus segment: How to tackle holiday gifting.

Podcast production by Anna Phillips.

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The Waves: The World Record Book of Racist Stories Dec 10, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior supervising producer of audio Daisy Rosario is joined by sisters and authors Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar. Amber and Lacey just released their second book, The World Record Book of Racist Stories, a collection of humorous and sometimes heartbreaking essays about the racism they and the people they know experience every day. Daisy, Amber and Lacey talk about needing to write a second book (because they didn’t fit all the stories in the first book), the importance of family in surviving micro and macro aggressions, and why humor is the only way to get through the pain.

In Slate Plus, Daisy, Amber and Lacey talk about why Omaha actually is a great place to live.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next TBD: Let’s Talk, Chatbots Dec 09, 2022

Artificial intelligence is growing in leaps and bounds, and everywhere from Big Tech companies like Google to small teams like OpenAI are developing more and more convincing chatbots. Is the world ready for convincing, talking computers?

Guest: Alex Kantrowitz, host of the Big Technology podcast.

Host: Emily Peck

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Can Iran's Protest Movement Survive? Dec 08, 2022

Toomaj Salehi, an Iranian rapper known for criticizing the regime with his music, has been arrested by the Iranian government. His friends and family now worry he could face the death penalty.

Guest: Nahayat Tizhoosh, Producer at the CBC

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: What It Took for a Red State to Pause Executions Dec 07, 2022

Three botched lethal injections in Alabama have once again highlighted the practical complexity and possible illegality of the death penalty. Even states that are adamantly in favor of capital punishment are being stalled on a purely pragmatic level.

Guest: Elizabeth Bruenig, staff writer at The Atlantic

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Last Senate Race Dec 06, 2022

Even after a campaign awash in scandals, gaffes, and the occasional speculation on werewolves vs. vampires, Herschel Walker still can’t be counted out in the run-off election to represent Georgia in the U.S. Senate. What can the parties take away from the last race of the 2022 midterms?

Guest: Jim Newell, Senior Politics Writer for Slate.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Out of Afghanistan Dec 05, 2022

The U.S. has welcomed thousands Afghan refugees since pulling out of Afghanistan in 2021. Safe from the Taliban, but without social security numbers,credit ratings, or even sometimes basic English, they have to make a new life relying on a patchwork of volunteers and their wits.

Guests:

Elena MacFarlane, volunteer with the Immigrant and Refugee Outreach Center and assistant Professor in the Johns Hopkins Department of Genetic Medicine.

Lila and Basheer, Afghan refugees living in Maryland.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: Big Tech’s Boogeymen In Washington Dec 04, 2022

The Biden administration’s Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission are both staffed with accomplished progressives who are proving more aggressive than their predecessors in either the Trump or Obama eras. But can Big Tech be tamed?

Guest: Leah Nylen, reporter for Bloomberg News

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Bot Battling in the Age of Elon Dec 04, 2022

For many years, tech professionals dismissed the threat of disinformation. Christopher Bouzy was one of them, until the 2016 election changed his mind. Bouzy founded and leads the organization Bot Sentinel to fight online disinformation. On today’s episode of A Word, he talks with host Jason Johnson about how best to detect lies and false narratives in social media, and how Elon Musk’s ownership of Twitter complicates his mission.

Guest: Christopher Bouzy, founder and C.E.O. of Bot Sentinel

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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Political Gabfest: Is Antisemitism Back? Dec 03, 2022

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss Trump hosting prominent antisemites Ye (f/k/a Kanye West) and Nick Fuentes; Chinese protestors challenging their authoritarian government–with Sheena Chestnut Greitens; and Congress legislating to protect marriage equality through the Respect For Marriage Act.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Sheena Chestnut Greitens for Foreign Affairs: “Xi Jinping’s Quest for Order”

Sheena Chestnut Greitens and Julian Gewirt for Foreign Affairs: “China's Troubling Vision For The Future Of Public Health”

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: Darby Saxbe and Magdalena Martínez García for The Conversation: “Fatherhood Changes Men’s Brains, According To Before-And-After MRI Scans”

Emily: A compilation of Gabfest listeners favorite salad dressing recipes.

David: City Cast is expanding to new cities; Nicole Eustace for The New York Times: “300 Years Ago, There Was a Brutal Murder. We Could Learn From the Treaty That Followed.”

Listener chatter from Richard Medlicott: The Economist:”Shyam Saran Negi Never Failed In His Democratic Duty”; Alex Binley for the BBC: “Shyam Saran Negi: Man Dubbed 'india's First Voter' Dies Aged 105”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John discuss the Supreme Court challenge to the Biden administration’s immigration policy in United States v. Texas.

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

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Slate Money: The Tale of Two Bobs Dec 03, 2022

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers talk about the CEO shakeup at Disney, shrinkflation, and Sam Bankman-Fried’s unusual post-scandal media appearances.

In the Plus segment: the controversy over Balenciaga’s new ad campaign.

Podcast production by Anna Phillips.

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The Waves: Fleishman - and Middle Aged Marriage - Are in Trouble Dec 03, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate Money host Emily Peck is joined by journalist and author Taffy Brodesser-Akner to talk about Taffy’s new show, Fleishman is in Trouble, based on her bestselling novel. They dig into why men’s magazines are more freeing to write for, how ambition can mess up a marriage, and how midlife crises and divorce are different experiences for women.

In Slate Plus, Emily and Taffy talk about Toby’s eating disorder, how empathy can make people mad, and more.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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Amicus: The Blockbuster Case You Probably Haven’t Heard About Dec 03, 2022

When Christian conservatives lost in Masterpiece Cake Shop back in 2018, they regrouped and picked up the trail of breadcrumbs from Justice Clarence Thomas’ dissent that suggested a freedom of speech approach. Next week, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in 303 Creative v Elenis - another case that takes aim at Colorado’s anti discrimination laws. This time, arguments about whether a website designer has the right to advertise that she will not design websites for same-sex weddings, will be focused on freedom of speech. But as this week’s guest, Hila Keren, argues, excluding people from the marketplace and humiliating them in the process is not a matter of free speech, and it is a matter progressives have been largely silent about. Together, Dahlia Lithwick and Professor Keren dig deep into a case that hasn’t been given the attention its potential wide-ranging consequences demand.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Dahlia is joined by Mark Joseph Stern to talk about another big case - this past week’s arguments in US v Texas, including brazen judge-shopping, nationwide injunction-slapping, and President Biden’s immigration policy. Then Mark explains exactly what is - and isn’t - in the same sex marriage bill that’s making its way to President Biden’s desk.

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Want a behind-the-scenes look at how we create the show? Check out Slate's Pocket Collections for research and reading lists, as well as additional insights into how we think about the stories behind the episodes.

Dahlia’s book Lady Justice: Women, the Law and the Battle to Save America, is also available as an audiobook, and Amicus listeners can get a 25% discount by entering the code “AMICUS” at checkout.

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What Next TBD: Twitter's Vulnerabilities, Exposed Dec 02, 2022

Dating back to the Arab Spring, Twitter’s potential for real-time organizing has been a selling point. But trying to find information on China’s “Zero COVID” protests reveals just how vulnerable the now-understaffed platform is to manipulation.

Guest: Joseph Menn, cybersecurity reporter for the Washington Post.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: China’s Revolt Against “Zero COVID” Dec 01, 2022

For nearly three years, people in China have endured their government’s “Zero COVID” policies to prevent cases from overwhelming their hospital system. But after a fire in Urumqi broke out and videos spread of fire rescue having trouble reaching the building, people have taken to the streets in defiance of orders and even gone as far as demanding President Xi Jinping’s resignation.

Guest: Matthew Brazil, co-author of Chinese Communist Espionage: An Intelligence Primer and a fellow at the Jamestown Foundation.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: It Isn't Time to Negotiate in Ukraine...Yet Nov 30, 2022

With no clear path to advance and winter settling in, what would it take for Russia to negotiate an exit from Ukraine?

Guest: Fred Kaplan. Slate’s war stories correspondent

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What Next: Is This the End of College Rankings? Nov 29, 2022

With Yale and Harvard law schools withdrawing from U.S. News & World Report’s annual law school rankings, others have followed suit. With the rating system for all colleges taking criticism, being “gamed,” and beset by scandal, is this the beginning of the end of the influential college-ranking system?

Guest: Colin Diver, the Charles A. Heimbold, Jr., Professor of Law and Economics Emeritus at the University of Pennsylvania, former Dean of Penn Law School and president of Reed College, 2002 through 2012.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Hakeem Jeffries’ House Nov 28, 2022

Hakeem Jeffries appears set to take over as Nancy Pelosi steps down as the head of the House Democrats. As a member of the Progressive Caucus who has often sided against progressives with party leadership, what will the House Democrats look like with Jefferies at the helm?

Guest: Alex Sammon, politics writer at Slate.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: The Trap of Buy Now, Pay Later Nov 27, 2022

The option to “buy now and pay later” over installments exploded over the past two years, thanks to people being flush with stimulus cash and shopping online during the pandemic. But is this new, underregulated industry a useful line of credit or another path into debt?

Guest: Paulina Cachero, personal finance reporter for Bloomberg.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Slate Money: Fleishman is in Trouble Nov 26, 2022

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by New York Times Magazine writer and Fleishman is in Trouble author Taffy Brodesser-Akner to talk about wealth, class and the media industry, specifically through the lens of the Fleishman is in Trouble book and new limited TV series.

In the Plus segment: what is everyone thankful for this Thanksgiving?

Podcast production by Anna Phillips.

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Political Gabfest: What If Twitter Dies? Nov 26, 2022

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss the future of Twitter, the ghoulish World Cup, and a minister’s allegation that Justice Alito leaked the outcome of the Hobby Lobby case.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Jodi Kantor and Jo Becker for The New York Times: “Former Anti-Abortion Leader Alleges Another Supreme Court Breach”

Jodi Kantor for The New York Times: “Allegation of Supreme Court Breach Prompts Calls for Inquiry and Ethics Code”

Rob Schenck for The New York Times: “I Was an Anti-Abortion Crusader. Now I Support Roe v. Wade”

Kara Voght and Tim Dickinson for Rolling Stone: “SCOTUS Justices ‘Prayed With’ Her — Then Cited Her Bosses to End Roe”

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: Variety: “Bob Dylan Fans Who Bought $600 ‘Hand-Signed’ Books With Replica Autographs Will Receive Refunds From Publisher”

Emily: Rozina Ali for The New York Times Magazine: “‘How Did This Man Think He Had the Right to Adopt This Baby?’”

David: Politics and Prose: City Cast DC Live Taping with Michael Schaffer, David Plotz, and Anton Bogomazov - at Union Market; Slate’s One Year, Season 4: 1942

Listener chatter from Laurent Dugois: In Broad Daylight: A Murder in Skidmore, Missouri, by Harry N MacLean; All That's Interesting: “The Story Of Ken McElroy — The Vicious Bully Killed By His Town”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John contemplate the conundrum of what they would like to tell their younger selves but wouldn’t be able to convince them of. Submit your conundrums for the 2022 conundrum episode at slate.com/conundrum.

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

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Amicus: The Alleged Hobby Lobby Leak at SCOTUS Nov 24, 2022

When the New York Times built on previous reporting in Politico and Rolling Stone about an evangelical christian ministry that sought to sell access to and influence Supreme Court Justices with fancy dinners and donations, the Hobby Lobby leak dominated the headlines. But there is so much more to this story. To discuss how the headlines fit into a larger narrative of dark money and a captured court, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Senator Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island. Senator Whitehouse is Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Federal Courts, Oversight, Agency Action, and Federal Rights and co-author of The Scheme: How the Right Wing Used Dark Money to Capture the Supreme Court. See also: The Supreme Court Ethics and Recusal Transparency Act.

Want a behind-the-scenes look at how we create the show? Check out Slate's Pocket Collections for research and reading lists, as well as additional insights into how we think about the stories behind the episodes.

Dahlia’s book Lady Justice: Women, the Law and the Battle to Save America, is also available as an audiobook, and Amicus listeners can get a 25% discount by entering the code “AMICUS” at checkout.

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What Next: Ticketmaster's Swift Meltdown Nov 23, 2022

When presale tickets for Taylor Swift’s upcoming tour effectively broke the internet last week, Ticketmaster emerged as the villain…again. The media behemoth has been reviled since the ‘90s, but it has continued to grow, through a merger with Live Nation. What can a Department of Justice antitrust investigation, buoyed by Swifties, actually do?

Guest: Jason Koebler, editor-in-chief of Motherboard at Vice.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Why Outlawing Slavery Won't Outlaw Slavery—Yet Nov 22, 2022

During the 2022 midterms, four states voted to ban slavery, which is still legal—and practiced—in the form of forced prison labor. The ballot initiatives are designed to keep people from having to work against their will and could provide prisoners with the opportunity to sue for higher wages, and better working conditions, including medical exemptions for those who are pregnant and postpartum.

Guest: Candace Bond-Theriault Esq., Director of Racial Justice Policy & Strategy at Columbia Law School’s Center for Gender & Sexuality Law.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Real Danger of Fentanyl Nov 21, 2022

Fentanyl has been a right-wing boogeyman and ostensible reason for Republicans to rail for more security at the U.S.-Mexico border. As the opioid crisis continues, the danger fentanyl poses has become vividly clear. While stopping overdoses is important, resurfacing nasty drug war tropes isn’t helping.

Guest: Brian Mann, NPR correspondent covering addiction

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Black Soccer GOALS! Nov 20, 2022

The eagerly awaited World Cup starts on Sunday. While the sport features star athletes from across the African diaspora, many Black people in the U.S. still consider soccer a white sport. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson speaks with Jermaine Scott. He’s an African American Studies professor at Florida Atlantic University, a life-long soccer player and fan, and an expert on Black soccer history. They discuss why so few African Americans have historically embraced the sport, what’s being done to turn that around, and whether the U.S. team has a chance of success at this year’s tournament.

Guest: Jermaine Scott, professor of African American studies at Florida Atlantic University.

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

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What Next TBD: The End of the Tech Boom Nov 20, 2022

After decades as America’s booming industry, tens of thousands of tech workers have been laid off in November alone. Is the venture-capital, low-interest-rate wind leaving the sails temporary or is this the end of the hunt for “the next big thing?”

Guest: Timothy B. Lee, reporter for Full Stack Economics covering labor markets, technology, and housing.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Slate Money: Enron 2 Nov 19, 2022

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss updates in the collapse of crypto exchange platform FTX and how the situation compares to past business downfalls. They also talk about Joan Didion’s estate sale.

In the Plus segment: the death of Twitter.

Podcast production by Anna Phillips.

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The Waves: Ejaculate Responsibly Nov 19, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth is joined by author Gabrielle Blair. Blair’s new book Ejaculate Responsibly presents the radical idea that men should take control of the fertility conversation by better managing their sperm. After all, they're fertile 24-hours a day compared to women’s 24-hours a month. Cheyna and Gabrielle also talk about the problem with not prioritizing women’s pain, Gabrielle’s history as a “Design Mom” and how even Mormons seem to agree with Gabrielle’s book.

In Slate Plus: How the pope got involved in your birth control.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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Political Gabfest: SBF FTX WTF? Nov 19, 2022

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss Trump’s campaign announcement, election denying candidates’ failures in the midterms, and guest Matthew Zeitlin on the impact the implosion of Sam Bankman-Fried’s crypto exchange FTX may have on the Effective Altruism movement.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Donie O'Sullivan for CNN: “Facebook Fact-Checkers Will Stop Checking Trump After Presidential Bid Announcement”

Matthew Zeitlin for Grid: “Sam Bankman-Fried Gave Millions To Effective Altruism. What Happens Now That The Money Is Gone?”

Kelsey Piper for Vox: “Sam Bankman-Fried Tries To Explain Himself”

What We Owe the Future, by William MacAskill

William MacAskill for Effective Altruism Forum: “EA And The Current Funding Situation”

This American Life: “Watching the Watchers”

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: Jason P. Frank for Vulture: “Stephen Colbert, Emma Watson, and More Celebs to Relish in Pickleball Tournament”; Isabel Gonzalez for CBS News: “Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield Partner To Create Ear-Shaped, Cannabis-Infused Edibles”

Emily: William Melhado for The Texas Tribune: “Federal Judge In Texas Rules That Disarming Those Under Protective Orders Violates Their Second Amendment Rights”

David: Politics and Prose: City Cast DC Live Taping with Michael Schaffer, David Plotz, and Anton Bogomazov - at Union Market; Justin Jouvenal for The Washington Post: “D.C.’s Bitcoin King: Yachts, Penthouses, A Python — And Tax Dodging?”

Listener chatter from Kelly Mills: The Woman Who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine Who Outwitted America's Enemies, by Jason Fagone

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John contemplate the Thanksgiving traditions they would like to adopt or improve.

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

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What Next TBD: The Case Against Climate Reparations Nov 18, 2022

At this year’s annual UN conference on climate change, they are discussing “climate reparations,” wherein the rich countries that grew their wealth burning fossil fuels pay money to poorer and more vulnerable countries. It sounds sensible, but is the UN capable of administering something like this? And how much money are we talking here?

Guest: Vijay Vaitheeswaran, global energy and climate innovation editor at The Economist.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Shiny New Target for Political Spending Nov 17, 2022

State supreme court elections, for a long time, were an afterthought; filler for the ballot’s second page. But with questions of abortion rights on the line, this year both parties started pouring money and attention on the races across the country. Even where the races are explicitly “non-partisan,” the partisan political machine has arrived.

Guest: Erik Ortiz, staff writer for NBC News focusing on racial injustice and social inequality.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Will SCOTUS Take Native Children Away From Their Families? Nov 16, 2022

The Supreme Court case Brackeen v. Haaland concerns how adoption placement currently works under the Indian Child Welfare Act. The law prioritizes placing Native children with Native families. But depending on how the court rules, striking down or changing ICWA could affect not only adoption but Indian tribes’ entire status as sovereign nations.

Guest: Elizabeth Hidalgo Reese, Stanford law professor and scholar of American Indian tribal law, federal Indian law, and constitutional law.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: How New York Democrats Blew It Nov 15, 2022

After bracing themselves for a “red wave,” the Democrats will keep their Senate majority after the midterms. However, the Republicans will likely, narrowly take the House, thanks in part to gains made in deep blue New York State. How did the party bungle this so badly? And why do some Democrats say it’s Andrew Cuomo’s fault?

Guest: Jimmy Vielkind, reporter for the Wall Street Journal covering New York State politics and government.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Far Right’s Alarming Rise in Israel Nov 14, 2022

Though just last year he was ousted from office amidst corruption charges, Benjamin Netanyahu has returned to power, leading a coalition of three hard right-wing parties. Palestinians inside Israel are concerned that some of their leaders are now emboldened in their goal of expelling Arabs from the country.

Guest: Peter Beinart, professor of journalism and political science at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York and an editor-at-large at Jewish Currents.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Black Panther’s Pride Nov 13, 2022

Wakanda Forever carries on the story that thrilled fans of the 2018 blockbuster Black Panther. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Evan Narcisse. He’s one of the comic book writers whose work –including the Marvel Black Panther Wakanda Atlas– helped flesh out Wakandan mythology in the years since the original film debuted. Narcisse talks about how the Afro-futuristic utopia inspired him, and how he and other creators hope to build its legacy.

Guest: Writer Evan Narcisse

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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What Next TBD: Is This The Cryptocalypse? Nov 13, 2022

The (once) second-largest cryptocurrency exchange, FTX, collapsed in stunning fashion this week, highlighting why consumers really do want regulation, and why old financial institutions remain wary of crypto.

Guest: Felix Salmon, host of Slate Money, chief financial correspondent for Axios.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Slate Money: WTF SBF Nov 12, 2022

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and What Next TBD host Lizzie O’Leary discuss the ongoing disaster at crypto exchange platform FTX. They also talk about the slightly smaller meltdowns at Twitter and Meta.

In the Plus segment: the sale of Paul Allen’s art collection.

Podcast production by Anna Phillips.

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Political Gabfest: Extremely Surprising Midterms Nov 12, 2022

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss the midterm results we have so far and the Supreme Court case that could upend family law and more for Native Americans.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Stefan Becket for CBS News: “The Unresolved 2022 House And Senate Races That Will Determine Control Of Congress”

Rebecca Nagle for The Atlantic: “The Supreme Court Case That Could Break Native American Sovereignty”

Leah Litman and Matthew L.M. Fletcher for The Atlantic: “The Necessity of the Indian Child Welfare Act”

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Sarah McCammon for NPR: “Where Abortion Was On The Ballot, Midterm Voters Largely Signaled Support”

David: David chattered about how going on a “Twitter fast” is improving his well-being.

Listener chatter from Scott Grant: Sarah Linn for KCET: “The Dunites: Building a Utopia in the Oceano Dunes”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John take the under-the-radar state and local midterm results they find most interesting.

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

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The Waves: Oprah Has The Best Voice (and Other Vocal Thoughts) Nov 12, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior supervising producer of audio, Daisy Rosario is joined by actress and director Lake Bell to talk about voices. Bell’s new audio bookInside Voiceis all about her obsession with how people sound. They dig into why we should take better care of our voices, how trauma impacts our ability to speak, why candidate voices impact their electability, and more.

In Slate Plus, Lake and Daisy talk about the problem with the sexy baby voice.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next TBD: Senator Chris Murphy on Elon's Acquisition of Twitter Nov 11, 2022

The second largest investor in Twitter, after Elon Musk, is the Saudis, which raises questions about what kinds of “free speech” Musk is really committed to. But it also raises questions around national security in the U.S.

Guest: Chris Murphy, U.S. Senator from Connecticut

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Did Trump Crash the Red Wave? Nov 10, 2022

The dust still hasn’t settled from the midterm elections. But some themes have begun emerging: the GOP underperformed; the right to abortion won on state-level votes; Florida has gone red, but Democrats won gubernatorial races across the old “blue wall.” And it may be time for Republicans to consider who they are, apart from the party of Trump.

Guest: Jamelle Bouie, columnist at the New York Times.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: What Texas' Attacks on Trans Healthcare Did to One Family Nov 09, 2022

As Texas laws have become more discriminatory against trans individuals and their families, many wonder if they can even stay in the Lone Star State, especially when parents could be investigated as child abusers for providing healthcare to their children. This family made the difficult decision to move to Colorado.

Guests:

Katie Laird, social justice blogger.

Noah Laird, high school junior.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Frightening Rise in Political Violence Nov 08, 2022

Paul Pelosi joined a growing list of Congress members and their families who have been targets of violent political attacks. What can be done about the growing safety risk of being in the public eye? And what does living under threat do to the people charged with running the government?

Guest: Liz Goodwin, Congress reporter at the Washington Post.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: How the Dems Win Back the Rust Belt Nov 07, 2022

Trump won Ohio handily, and it’s been expected that JD Vance would cruise into a Senate seat this fall. But Democratic candidate Tim Ryan seems to have struck a chord with the very demographics that have been drifting away from his party. Does he have what it takes to win in Trump country? And could his success be replicated across the Midwest?

Guest: Alec MacGillis, politics and government reporter at ProPublica.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Gang Bangers with Badges Nov 06, 2022

Southern California’s gang violence has made national headlines for decades. Less well known are allegations of violent gangs within the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by journalist Cerise Castle, host and executive producer of A Tradition of Violence. This new podcast probes charges that the L.A. County Sheriff's Department tolerates violent gangs within its ranks, and has done so since the 1960s.

Guest: Journalist Cerise Castle, host and executive producer of A Tradition of Violence.

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

Thanks Avast.com! Learn more about Avast One at Avast.com

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ICYMI: How Are the Midterms Affecting Social Media? Nov 05, 2022

On today’s episode, Senior Supervising Producer Daisy Rosario is sitting in the host chair. She’s joined by Slate’s own Nitish Pahwa, who covers business and tech for the site, and has written a lot about these upcoming elections. They’ll be talking about which candidates are and aren’t using TikTok well, how easy it is to encounter election misinformation, Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover, and the state of right wing social media platforms.

This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Daisy Rosario.

Subscribe to Slate Plus at http://slate.com/icymiplus

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The Waves: Why Sarah Palin Won’t Go Away Nov 05, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, we dig into why Sarah Palin is still around - and if you should be paying attention. Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth is joined by Slate senior writer Christina Cauterucci to talk about Christina’s time spent in Alaska where Palin is trying to make a political comeback in a tight race for Alaska’s lone Congressional seat. Later in the show, Christina explains why it’s necessary to keep talking about Palin after all these years.

In Slate Plus, Cheyna and Christina talk about whether Sheryl Sandberg’s abortion rights donation to the ACLU is feminist.

Recommendations:

Christina: Cleanness by Garth Greenwell

Cheyna: When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus, Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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Political Gabfest: Live From Atlanta! Nov 05, 2022

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson are Live in Atlanta discussing Georgia’s midterm election with NPR-WABE’s Rose Scott, as well as increasing political violencein the U.S.; and affirmative action at the Supreme Court.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Closer Look with Rose Scott

John Dickerson for CBS Primetime: “Political Threats And Violence In The U.S.” (Inteview with Robert Pape)

Steal This Book, by Abbie Hoffman

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: Carrie McBride for The New York Public Library: “100 Years Ago Men and Boys Fought on the Streets of New York Over Wearing Straw Hats Past Summer”

Emily: Fleishman Is in Trouble

David: The Candy House, by Jennifer Egan; Fall; or, Dodge in Hell, by Neil Stephenson; The Immortal King Rao, by Vauhini Vara; Cloud Cuckoo Land, by Anthony Doerr; The Circle, by Dave Eggers

Listener chatter from John Campbell McMillian: Atlanta Police Department’s Citizen's Police Academy

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John take listener questions live.

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

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What Next: The Stakes of Nevada’s Latino Vote Nov 03, 2022

Democrats have been winning reliably in Nevada, but between the lack of enthusiasm for Joe Biden among Latino voters, and a lackluster voter-turnout effort from Vegas’s hospitality union, it’s very possible that the face of Nevada’s “Stop the Steal” effort may win a Senate seat.

Guest: Jon Ralston, CEO and Editor in Chief of The Nevada Independent.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Can an Anti-Trump Republican Still Win? Nov 02, 2022

Joe Biden won Colorado by 13 points, which is why Jim O’Dea is running for the Senate as a moderate Republican—one who will stand up to Donald Trump. It’s a message that isn’t winning support from Democratic voters, and may well be undermining his appeal to Republicans.

Guest: Jim Newell, senior politics writer at Slate.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: SCOTUS Reviews Affirmative Action…Again Nov 01, 2022

Yesterday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in two cases challenging race-conscious admissions programs. If the justices decide that affirmative action is unconstitutional—as they seem poised to do—how can universities still create diverse student bodies?

Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, senior writer at Slate covering the Supreme Court.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Should You Panic Over America's Test Scores? Oct 31, 2022

According to the recently released results of the National Assessment of Educational Progress, American students across the country are scoring lower on math and reading. But before we panic, it’s important to put those results in context, and consider what evaluations can actually tell us.

Guest: Jack Schneider, associate professor of education at the University of Massachusetts Lowell and co-host of the education policy podcast “Have You Heard.”

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Jim Crow’s Killers Oct 30, 2022

For every civil rights martyr like Emmett Till, there were many other Black Americans who were brutalized or killed by racist violence in the early 20th century and remain largely unknown. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Professor Margaret Burnham, author of By Hands Now Known: Jim Crow’s Legal Executioners. This new book unravels many of the lesser known stories of racist violence, the perpetrators, victims, and survivors. It’s also offering descendants of victims a platform, and an opportunity to fill in the blanks of their family history.

Guest: Professor Margaret Burnham, author of By Hands Now Known: Jim Crow’s Legal Executioners

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

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Political Gabfest Bonus Episode: The PA Midterms Edition Oct 30, 2022

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson talk to civil rights journalist and WHYY radio host Cherri Gregg about the Pennsylvania midterm campaigns.

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap

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What Next TBD: Big Brother, Big Tech and China Oct 30, 2022

There are some 400 million surveillance cameras installed in China, one for every three to four civilians. Built with the help of American tech companies, the surveillance state was pitched to the public as a way to make society safer and more efficient. But after severe lockdowns during COVID, the public has been objecting out of the eye of the camera lens. Protests are being written on bathroom walls.

Guest: Josh Chin, deputy bureau chief, China, for the Wall Street Journal

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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The Waves: Hocus Pocus Has No Focus Oct 29, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor Rebecca Onion is joined by Jess Zimmerman, who writes about witches, feminism, and all the scary ladies. They sit down to unpack their feelings about Disney’s Hocus Pocus films - both past and present and how the witch discussion has changed in the thirty years between movies.

In Slate Plus, is Taylor Swift’s Anti Hero music video feminist?

Recommendations:

Rebecca: The audiobook of The Mercies by Kiran Milwood Hargrave and read by Jessie Buckley.

Jess: The new book Toil and Trouble by Lisa Kroger and Melanie Anderson.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus, Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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Political Gabfest: Are British Politics More Or Less Crazy Than Ours? Oct 29, 2022

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss the final midterm sprint; the latest British Prime Minister; and Trump’s legal troubles.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Adrian Wooldridge for Bloomberg: “Rishi Sunak Is a New and Old-Fashioned Tory”

Barton Gellman for The Atlantic: “The Impeachment of Joe Biden”

The Trump Tapes: Bob Woodward's Twenty Interviews with President Donald Trump

Nathaniel Rakich for FiveThirtyEight: “The Most Important Elections Of 2022 Could Be In State Legislatures”

Brittany Bernstein for The National Review: “Why Some Trump-Country Pennsylvanians Still Aren't Sold on Dr. Oz”

Anna Bower for Lawfare: “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Georgia Special Purpose Grand Juries But Were Afraid to Ask”

Emily Bazelon for The New York Times: “I Write About the Law. But Could I Really Help Free a Prisoner?”

The Prison Letters Project

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: States United Democracy Center; Third Way Paul Revere Project

Emily: Charlie Savage for the New York Times: “Garland Formally Bars Justice Dept. From Seizing Reporters’ Records”

David: Dhruv Mehrotra for Wired: “Hot on the Trail of a Mass-School-Shooting Hoaxer”; Ben Collins’ Twitter thread collecting favorite tweets.

Listener chatter from Brian DeGeer: Theresa Vargas for The Washington Post: “Fiona Apple Uses Her Voice To Call Out Prince George’s Justice System”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily discusses The Prison Letters Project with John J. Lennon and Reginald Dwayne Betts.

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

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What Next TBD: Twitter Is Dead; Long Live Twitter Oct 28, 2022

Twitter has been a lot of things—where you posted your lunch, where you met your people, where you were subjected to a harassment campaign. Now, as Elon Musk prepares to take the reins, where is it headed?

Guest: Will Oremus, technology reporter for the Washington Post.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: When Child Protective Services Gets It Wrong Oct 27, 2022

An investigation into child welfare agencies around the country uncovered that the vast majority of searches of home environments happen without anything like a warrant, increasing the stress for parents as well as the children whose welfare is supposed to be being protected.

Guest: Eli Hager, ProPublica reporter covering issues affecting children and teens in the Southwest.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The True Origins of the U.K.’s Political Mess Oct 26, 2022

The truth is, no one ever had a workable plan for Brexit. And as Liz Truss becomes the fourth Prime Minister to resign since the referendum and Rishi Sunak steps in as tribute, it’s an important lesson for voters on any side of the Atlantic: You can’t stake your party—or your country’s future—on a lie.

Guest: Felix Salmon, host of Slate Money, chief financial correspondent at Axios.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Is Fetterman's Disability Anyone’s Business? Oct 25, 2022

Reporters have questioned whether Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman, who had a stroke in May, is competent to serve in the U.S. Senate. The attention on his apparent aphasia – or ability to process conversation and speak clearly – reveals the biases that keep many disabled people from disclosing their conditions or even running for office in the first place.

Guest: Sara Luterman, caregiving reporter for The 19th News.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: How DeSantis Redrew Florida’s Map Oct 24, 2022

Ron DeSantis broke with tradition when he rejected the Florida legislature’s redistricting map and presented his own. But by splitting a majority Black district in northern Florida into four other districts, he may have violated both Florida and federal laws against gerrymandering.

Guest: Joshua Kaplan, reporter at ProPublica.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: Can We Make an Alzheimer’s Drug That Works? Oct 23, 2022

Alzheimer’s treatment hasn’t changed much in the past two decades, and the way researchers have been thinking about and approaching the disease may be to blame.

Guest: Damian Garde, reporter for Stat covering the biotech industry.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: We Won’t Black Down Oct 23, 2022

In 2020, the Black vote proved critical for Joe Biden in key states, and helped win the Senate for the Democrats. But in the years since, Republican leaders have pushed through laws aimed at discouraging and diluting the power of the Black vote. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson speaks with Cliff Albright, executive director of the Black Voters Matter Fund, about why fighting for ballot access remains essential, even in the face of violence.

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

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Political Gabfest: The Polls Do Not Look Amazing For Democrats Oct 22, 2022

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson concerning polls for Democrats, women protesting Iran’s regime, and the trial of Arkansas’ law targeting trans kids.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Roya Hakakian for The Atlantic: “The Bonfire of the Headscarves”

A Beginner’s Guide to America for the Immigrant and the Curious, by Roya Hakakian

Matthew Yglesias for Slow Boring: “Pre-Registering Some Takes On The Midterms: Why I Think Democrats Will Undershoot Their Polling And What It Means”

Kelli María Korducki for The Atlantic: “'I Think the Women Are Winning': Roya Hakakian on Iran”

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: The Trump Tapes: Bob Woodward's Twenty Interviews with President Donald Trump; Michael Wines and Neil Vigdor for The New York Times: “Videos Show Confusion as Florida Police Arrest People on Voter Fraud Charges”

Emily: Emily Heil for The Washington Post: “Olivia Wilde Solves Salad Dressing Mystery With A Nora Ephron Recipe”

David: Jeff Maysh for The Atlantic: “The $30 Million Lottery Scam”

Listener chatter from Lara Lowenstein: The Mountain Dogs

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John discuss Ye buying Parler.

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

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The Waves: Why You Hate Women’s Voices Oct 22, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior supervising producer of audio Daisy Rosario is joined by author Elissa Bassist to talk about women’s voices. They discuss Elissa’s new book, Hysterical and unpack why we cringe when we hear vocal fry, and ask why we don’t have similar words to describe male vocal ticks. Later in the show, they dig into how the fear of scrutiny women have over their voices silences them in ways you haven’t imagined.

In Slate Plus, Elissa talks about her involvement in Cheryl Strayed’s famous quote, “Write like a motherfucker.”

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus, Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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What Next TBD: When An Algorithm Raises Your Rent Oct 21, 2022

One company’s software is helping set prices for apartments across the country. But when does an algorithm telling landlords how much to charge—by drawing on property data—cross the line from “handy tool” to “illegal price-fixing”?

Guest: Heather Vogell, reporter with ProPublica

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: What Happened to Kanye West? Oct 20, 2022

You can divide the career of the artist formerly known as Kanye West into chapters using off-script televised moments—announcing “George W. Bush doesn’t care about Black people” during a Hurricane Katrina telethon; interrupting Taylor Swift on stage at the VMAs; calling 400 years of slavery a choice in the TMZ offices. Now his Tucker Carlson appearance and subsequent bans from social media for antisemitic posts have Ye entering the “buying Parler phase” of his career. Fans of the “old Kanye” are missing more than just his choice samples.

Guest: Nitish Pahwa, staff writer and web editor at Slate.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at https://slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: GOP to Cities: Drop Dead Oct 19, 2022

Republican rhetoric paints America’s cities as cesspools of crime, homeless and, uh, out-of-touch elites, and the party has largely given up courting urban voters. The GOP may be able to hold on to power thanks to voting systems that favor rural areas, but legislating as though their responsibilities stop at the city lines is a growing concern for the Americans who actually live there.

Guest: Henry Grabar, staff writer at Slate.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Five Years of #MeToo Oct 18, 2022

Five years after exposés in the New Yorker and New York Times, Harvey Weinstein is in jail—but a major rallying point of #MeToo was just how widespread this sexual harassment, abuse, and violence really is in workplaces across industries. Looking back, from the top of media to blue- and pink-collar work, how much has the #MeToo movement changed?

Guest: Christina Cauterucci, senior writer at Slate.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: An American Surgeon in Wartime Ukraine Oct 17, 2022

As a Syrian American surgeon living in Chicago, Dr. Samer Attar felt compelled to be of service during the Syrian civil war, when doctors were being driven underground by Syria’s Russia-backed military. When Russian bombs began raining down in Ukraine this year, Dr. Attar once more raised his hand to cross the border and treat the war-wounded.

Guest: Dr. Samer Attar, associate professor of surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: Are You Ready to Be Composted When You Die? Oct 16, 2022

The idea of composting a human body may seem unsettling—or even gross—and it runs counter to the normal American funeral rites of embalming and internment, which preserve the body. But advocates say it’s a greener and more peaceful way to return our bodies to the Earth.

Guest: Eleanor Cummins, science journalist

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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How Tech Can Help—or Harm—Racial Justice Oct 16, 2022

From Ferguson to Minneapolis, protests against racist policing have been catalyzed by videos of the brutality being spread on social media. On today’s A Word, Jason Johnson sits down with Dr. Ruha Benjamin to talk about her book, Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want, and where social sciences and technology intersect.

Guest: Ruha Benjamin

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

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Political Gabfest Bonus Edition: Michigan and Arizona Midterms Oct 16, 2022

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson talk to Craig Mauger of The Detroit News about the major midterm elections in the swing state of Michigan. Then the hosts speak with the Washington Post’s Yvonne Wingett Sanchez about the MAGA diehards and their opponents in Arizona’s midterm election.

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

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The Waves: Why the Law Cares About Your Sex Oct 15, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate homepage editor Sol Werthan sits down with trans rights activist and author, Paisley Currah. They discuss Paisley’s new book, Sex Is As Sex Does and discuss why “male” and “female” are used as a legal and social classifier. And why, even for cis people who identify with the gender binary, that might not be the right way to go.

In Slate Plus, Sol and Paisley talk about the politicization of trans kids.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus, Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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Political Gabfest: Clarence Thomas Is A Prince Fan Oct 15, 2022

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson LA’s racism & redistricting scandal, the Andy Warhol copyright case at the Supreme Court, and developments in Putin’s war on Ukraine.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Anne Applebaum for The Atlantic: “Putin’s Newest Annexation Is Dire for Russia Too”

Anne Applebaum for The Atlantic: “The Kremlin Must Be in Crisis”

They Might Be Giants - Gab On (Theme to the Slate Political Gabfest)

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: The Cormac McCarthy Journal

Emily: The Fight for Privacy: Protecting Dignity, Identity, and Love in the Digital Age, by Danielle Keats Citron; The Other Side of Prospect: A Story of Violence, Injustice, and the American City, by Nicholas Dawidoff

David: David chattered about dining outside in Texas.

Listener chatter from Lara Lowenstein: The Mountain Dogs

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John interview John Flansburgh and John Linnell of They Might Be Giants about their work and the Gabfest’s new theme song.

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

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What Next TBD: The Next Amazon Union Fight Oct 14, 2022

Following their victory in Staten Island, the Amazon Labor Union is still facing an uphill battle. Both the company and the union are closely watching the organizing vote at a warehouse outside of Albany, NY.

Guest: Noam Scheiber, labor reporter for the New York Times.

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: How Bad Is the Economy Going to Get? Oct 13, 2022

With inflation up and unemployment down, the Federal Reserve is raising interest rates and signaling that they’re willing to risk a lot to stall the rising price of everything. But is Jerome Powell doing too much—or is he already too late to avoid a painful recession?

Guest: Jordan Weissmann, senior editor at Slate reporting on economics, politics, and public policy.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: How Is Herschel Walker Still in This? Oct 12, 2022

Herschel Walker’s campaign for the U.S. Senate has been rocky to say the least, with revelations of heretofore-unmentioned children, accusations of domestic abuse, and multiple abortions paid for by the aggressively pro-life candidate. Yet the race remains close with Reverend Raphael Warnock—and the outcome could determine which party controls the Senate.

Guest: Greg Bluestein, political reporter at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Roger Stone’s January 6th Oct 11, 2022

When the January 6 committee reconvenes, one their first orders of business will likely concern longtime GOP operative and Trump ally Roger Stone. What have lawmakers discovered in the raw footage from a Danish documentary team, and Stone’s personal text messages? And what does it reveal about January 6?

Guest: Josh Meyer, USA Today’s domestic security correspondent.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Amicus: Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson Gives SCOTUS a History Lesson Oct 10, 2022

What Next is still enjoying the three-day weekend, so we proudly present this special episode of Amicus.

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by two key players from this week’s consequential voting rights cases at the US Supreme Court. The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund’s senior counsel Deuel Ross argued part of Merrill v Milligan at the High Court on Tuesday, and Evan Milligan of Alabama Forward is the named plaintiff in one of a pair of cases that argued that Alabama’s congressional maps are racially gerrymandered in violation of Section II of the Voting Rights Act. They take listeners inside the arguments, and provide vital context for the challenges faced by residents of Alabama’s Black Belt in accessing healthcare, infrastructure and not coincidentally, political representation.

Next, Dahlia is joined by Sam Sankar, Senior Vice President of Programs at Earth Justice to discuss what went down in Sackett v EPA, a case argued Monday that could have wide-ranging effects on the waters and wetlands of the United States.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Dahlia is joined by Mark Joseph Stern to talk about the new dynamics of arguments with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson taking her seat at the High Court, the conservative reaction to their favorite text and history rubric being applied by the first African American woman on the court (huh, they don’t love it?), and what to expect from a new filing in the Mar A Lago investigation that’s on its way to 1, First Street. Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

Dahlia’s new book Lady Justice: Women, the Law and the Battle to Save America, is also available as an audiobook, and Amicus listeners can get a 25% discount by entering the code “AMICUS” at checkout.

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What Next TBD: When Your Church Surveils Your Phone Oct 09, 2022

Churches are using accountability apps to keep tabs on their members' behavior. But if your pastor wants to monitor your phone, can you truly consent?

Guest: Dhruv Mehrotra

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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A Word: Bleeding Heart on the Bayou Oct 09, 2022

The new Interview With the Vampire television series is giving life to a whole new generation of fans who love the human monsters created by the late Anne Rice. On today’s episode of A Word, actor Jacob Anderson talks with Jason Johnson about his role as the reimagined blood sucker, and his career as a singer and sci-fi screen star.

Guest: Jacob Anderson

Podcast production by Yanii Evans

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

Thanks Avast.com! Learn more about Avast One at Avast.com

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The Waves: Why Are We Obsessed With Queens? Oct 08, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor Rebecca Onion is joined by Slate contributing writer Imogen West-Knights to talk all about queens. From the daily news to Sunday nights on HBO, queens are everywhere right now. Rebecca and Imogen talk about the enduring appeal of shows like The Crown, House of the Dragon, Victoria, and more and what these representations are lacking.

In Slate Plus, is the modern iteration of Hillary Clinton still feminist?

Recommendations:

Rebecca: Dirty Dancing abortion fundraisers, like this one.

Imogen: Netflix’s Dahmer (in order to grapple with its lack of sensitivity)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus, Daisy Rosario, and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next TBD: Could the Supreme Court Kill the Internet As We Know It? Oct 07, 2022

Twenty-six words defined the internet as we know it today. What happens if they’re deleted?

Guest: Jeff Kosseff

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

The Twenty-Six Words That Created the Internet

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Political Gabfest: What Is Herschel Walker Lying About Today? Oct 06, 2022

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss the new Supreme Court term; Herschel Walker’s abortion lies; and the legal mess Dobbs created for doctors providing abortion via telemedicine.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Emily Bazelon for The New York Times Magazine: “The Doctors Risking Everything to Offer Abortions Across State Lines”

The New York Times: “Is Elon Musk’s Deal to Buy Twitter Back On? Here’s What We Know.”

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: Brian Hutton for The Irish Times: “Irishman Nears Galway After 112 Days of Rowing Across Atlantic From New York”; Damian Browne on Instagram: auld_stock

Emily: CNN: “‘We've Got Weights In Fish!': See The Moment Cheaters Are Caught During Fishing Tournament’”

David: Adam Dalva, The New Yorker: “Letters to Jeb Bush”

Listener chatter from Jamaica Popejoy: Staged

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John discuss the latest in the saga of Elon Musk and Twitter.

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

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What Next: Putin Is in a Dangerous Spot Oct 06, 2022

With the war turning towards Ukraine’s favor, Vladimir Putin is becoming more isolated and more dangerous. Can Ukrainians expel the Russians—or the Russians expel Putin—while avoiding the worst-case scenario?

Guest: Bryan Bender, senior national correspondent for POLITICO.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Congress Can't Quit the Stock Market Oct 05, 2022

A bipartisan effort to prevent members of Congress from trading stock while in office is wildly popular. But so far, no such bill has gained much traction on Capitol Hill. Why?

Guest: Sam Brodey, congressional reporter for The Daily Beast.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Baby Formula Crisis Is Still Happening Oct 04, 2022

The drastic shortage of infant formula this spring revealed how flaws in food regulation and the supply chain can threaten this most vulnerable part of our population—and everyone else.

Guest: Helena Bottemiller Evich, founder of Food Fix, a publication about food policy.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: What Venezuelan Migrants Are Fleeing Oct 03, 2022

Venezuela has lost about a fifth of its population since its economic collapse in 2014. Roughly 6.8 million people have fled the country, creating one of the largest refugee crises in the world. Why does Venezuela’s free-fall continue? And how is the U.S. government responding to increasing numbers of Venezuelan refugees?

Guest: Cindy Arnson, a distinguished fellow at The Wilson Center and former director of its Latin American Program.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: The Philosopher With Silicon Valley's Ear Oct 02, 2022

Longtermism, the idea that positively influencing the future is a key moral priority of our time, is hot in Silicon Valley. But does it miss the bigger picture?

Guests: William MacAskill, Robert Wright

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

Thanks Avast.com! Learn more about Avast One at Avast.com

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The Case for Critical Race Theory Oct 02, 2022

For decades, critical race theory was something discussed almost exclusively by scholars and academics. That was before conservatives turned it into a political football, even though most couldn’t define it properly. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by UCLA Law Professor LaToya Baldwin Clark, a leader of CRT Forward. That’s a project that tracks attacks on CRT, and works to reframe the public policy discussion around it. She and her colleagues say CRT could play a vital role in preparing American students to live cooperatively in our increasingly diverse nation.

Guest: UCLA Law Professor LaToya Baldwin Clark

Podcast production by Yanii Evans

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Political Gabfest: Is the Polling Wrong? Oct 01, 2022

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss potential polling inaccuracy, Brett Favre and the larger scandal of states misusing federal welfare funding, and Ruth Ben-Ghiat’s take on Italy’s neo-fascist future Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Nate Cohen for The New York Times: “Yes, The Polling Warning Signs Are Flashing Again”

Anna Wolfe and Mississippi Today’s coverage of the Mississippi welfare scandal.

Annie Lowry for The Atlantic: “The Time Tax”

Strongmen: Mussolini to the Present, by Ruth Ben-Ghiat

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: Adrienne LaFrance for The Atlantic: “What It's Like to Fly Into the Eye of a Hurricane”

Emily: Roya Hakakian for The Atlantic: “The Bonfire of the Headscarves”

David: The Guardian, YouTube: “Michael Sheen Gives Rousing Speech for Wales Football Team on A League of Their Own”

Listener chatter from Meredith Francis: Paul Fairie’s Twitter thread of "A List of Things People Blamed on Jazz."

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John discuss NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirection Test.

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

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The Waves: Do Co-Ed Sports Hurt Girls? Oct 01, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor Shannon Palus and transgender journalist Evan Urquhart pose the question: Do we really need to separate sports by sex? The pair discusses Maggie Merten’s recent piece in The Atlantic, “Separating Sports By Sex Doesn’s Make Sense” and what role biology does (and doesn’t) play in determining who the top player on the field is. Later in the show, Shannon and Evan talk about why co-ed sports would be great for transgender youth.

In Slate Plus, is the Adam Levine sexting controversy feminist?

Recommendations:

Shannon: Adopting a dog.

Evan: The Power Wash Simulator game.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus, Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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Amicus: A Hair-Raising SCOTUS Curtain-Raiser Oct 01, 2022

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern and Jay Willis of Balls and Strikes for a preview of the big cases headed our way this Supreme Court term. They tackle cases concerning voting rights, indigenous rights, environmental protection and affirmative action, before turning their attention to the tricky business of covering a court that is radically changed and how the traditionally deferential Supreme Court press corps needs to update its methods and reporting in response.

Dahlia’s new book Lady Justice: Women, the Law and the Battle to Save America, is also available as an audiobook, and Amicus listeners can get a 25% discount by going to slate.com/justice and entering the code “AMICUS” at checkout.

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 Amicus. Sign up now at slate.com/amicusplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: When Climate Change Makes You Sell Your House Sep 30, 2022

With disaster relief funds from Hurricane Harvey, Houston's Harris County instituted a mandatory buyout program for residents in flood-prone areas. But some residents didn't want to leave.

Guest: Amal Ahmed, Dolores Mendoza

Host: Mary C. Curtis

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What Next: Does the NBA Have a Bully Problem? Sep 29, 2022

Last week, Robert Sarver, the owner of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns and the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, announced he would be selling both teams. The decision came after ESPN revealed nearly two decades of harassing behavior by Sarver, and after the NBA slapped him with a one-year suspension and $10 million fine. How was Sarver’s bullying able to go unchecked for so long? Does his departure signal a positive step forward for professional U.S. basketball, or a continuation of the status quo?

Guest: Amira Rose Davis, assistant professor of Black studies at the University of Texas at Austin, and co-host of the feminist sports podcast, Burn It All Down.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: What Iranian Protesters Need Now Sep 28, 2022

What began as a revolt in the wake of an overstep by Iran’s morality police has evolved into a mass movement calling for “death to the dictator.” Protests in Iran are nothing new, but these demonstrations strike at the heart of the Islamic Republic’s repressive regime. Could the nascent movement change a sclerotic regime?

Guest: Gissou Nia, Director of the Atlantic Council’s Strategic Litigation Project.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Elena Schwartz, Carmel Delshad, and Madeline Ducharme, with help from Anna Phillips and Jared Downing.

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What Next: Election Fraud Evangelists Coming to a Town Near You Sep 26, 2022

The 2022 midterms are about to happen, but many Republicans still cling to the big lies that Donald Trump won the 2020 presidential election, or that Joe Biden could have only won through massive fraud. How do you hold an election when a large number of voters, officials, and even candidates are convinced the whole thing is rigged? How do you fight misinformation when it rolls into town like a circus?

Guests:

Annie Gowen, Midwest correspondent for the Washington Post.

Robyn Holmes, county clerk, Otero County, New Mexico

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: The Kids are Alright Sep 25, 2022

The growing racial diversity in American public schools is often framed as a challenge. In the new documentary Defining US: Children at the Crossroads of Change, veteran educator Paul Forbes focuses on the hard work of understanding how structural racism affects schools. The film spotlights success stories among “at risk” students of color, and the dedicated teachers who are making the system work for them. On today’s episode of A Word, Paul Forbes joins Jason Johnson to talk about Defining US, and the broader fight for racial equity in education.

Guest: Paul Forbes, executive producer of Defining US: Children at the Crossroads of Change

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola.

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

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What Next TBD: Can Nuclear Power Be Green? Sep 25, 2022

Nuclear technology has become more important than ever, thanks to a global energy crisis and climate change. But it also has a complicated history.

Guest: Joshua Keating

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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The Waves: Free Britney. From Her Fans. Sep 24, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Nicole Lewis, former Slate senior editor and Daisy Rosario, senior supervising producer of audio at Slate, talk about Britney…bitch. Mega-pop star Britney Spears is trying to navigate her life after being released from the court order that gave her father almost total control of her life. But the fans that put her conservatorship in the spotlight still can’t let her go. Nicole and Daisy unpack the toxic relationship between Britney Spears and fame—as well as whether there’s a way to be a fan without contributing to the damage.

In Slate Plus, is the TNFW Nique rap Baby Daddy Free about abortion feminist?

Recommendations:

Daisy: Love Is Blind: After the Alter on Netflix.

Nicole: House of the Dragon on HBO.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus, Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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Political Gabfest: Ron DeSantis’ Sadistic Plan Sep 24, 2022

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson New York’s massive fraud case against the Trumps; Ron DeSantis’ treatments of asylum seekers; and Dahlia Lithwick’s Lady Justice.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Trading Barriers: Immigration and the Remaking of Globalization, Margaret E. Peters

Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America, by Dahlia Lithwick

Ruth Igielnik for The New York Times: “Trump Support Remains Unmoved by Investigations, Poll Finds”

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: It was supposed to be...The Philosophy of Modern Song, by Bob Dylan

Emily: Somebody Somewhere; Reservation Dogs

David: The Space Force Anthem

Listener chatter from Danny Edgel: Frank Vaisvilas and Sarah Volpenhein for The Green Bay Press-Gazette: “Oneida Nation Steps In To Defend Indian Child Welfare Act In Us Supreme Court Case”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John discuss the vacation of Adnan Syed’s murder conviction.

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

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What Next TBD: The Fight Over Online Speech Headed to the Supreme Court Sep 23, 2022

Conservative lawmakers in Florida and Texas are taking aim at content moderation on social media, with implications that go far beyond just the platforms.

Guest: Mark Joseph Stern

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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What Next: Puerto Rico Without Power, Again Sep 22, 2022

When Hurricane Maria hit in 2017, it destroyed Puerto Rico’s power grid, leaving vast swathes of the island in the dark and claiming almost 3,000 lives. $9.5 billion was set aside to rejuvenate the island’s power grid and the government-run utility company was taken over by a private one. But five years later, before Hurricane Fiona even hit, the island lost electricity. How could this happen—again?

Guest: Gloria Gonzalez is the Deputy Energy Editor at POLITICO

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: A Student Ran For School Board … and Won Sep 21, 2022

Public schools have become hotly debated—what’s on the curriculum and what isn’t; which books are allowed and which aren’t. But one voice frequently missing from these debates is that of the people most affected: students.

One high school senior in Idaho decided to speak up by running for school board, and he won by unseating an incumbent who had been endorsed by right-wing extremists.

Guest: Shiva Rajbandari, senior at Boise High School and recently elected member to the Boise School District Board of Trustees

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Is Hunter Biden’s Laptop Actually a Big Deal? Sep 20, 2022

An obsession with Hunter Biden’s laptop has been written off as the byproduct of a right-wing media bubble—but the reality is that what you don’t know can hurt you. It’s past time for Democrats and their supporters to confront some uncomfortable facts.

Guest: Olivia Nuzzi, Washington Correspondent for New York magazine.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Is Hunter Biden’s Laptop Actually a Big Deal? Sep 20, 2022

An obsession with Hunter Biden’s laptop has been written off as the byproduct of a right-wing media bubble—but the reality is that what you don’t know can hurt you. It’s past time for Democrats and their supporters to confront some uncomfortable facts.

Guest: Olivia Nuzzi, Washington Correspondent for New York magazine.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Abortion Can’t Be Settled by the States Sep 19, 2022

For years anti-abortion activists have argued that Roe v. Wade wasn’t just immoral, it was federal overreach, and abortion laws should be written on the state level. Only months after Roe’s overturn, district courts are hearing cases that demonstrate why that won’t work—and Republican senators are proposing a national ban on abortions after 15 weeks.

Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, senior writer covering courts and the law for Slate.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Teaching While Black Sep 18, 2022

The student body of America’s public schools is more diverse than ever, with a solid majority of children of color. But the teacher corp doesn’t reflect that diversity. Fewer than a quarter of American teachers are non-white, and fewer than 10 percent of teachers are Black. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by former U.S. Secretary of Education John King about what’s driving Black teachers from the classroom, and the efforts to bring more young teachers in.

Guest: John King, former Secretary of Education and current president of The Education Trust

Podcast production by Yanii Evans

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

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What Next TBD: The Hidden Abuse Behind Those Spam Texts You're Getting Sep 18, 2022

Victims of a new and high tech kind of human trafficking are forced to scam people all around the world.

Guest: Cezary Podkul

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

Human Trafficking’s Newest Abuse: Forcing Victims Into Cyberscamming

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Political Gabfest: What if Ukraine Wins? Sep 17, 2022

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss Ukraine’s advances with Anne Applebaum; Lindsey Graham’s national abortion ban bill; and the controversy over requiring religious schools in New York to meet minimum educational standards.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Anne Applebaum for The Atlantic: “It’s Time to Prepare for a Ukrainian Victory”

Anne Applebaum for The Atlantic: “The Other Ukrainian Army”

Red Famine: Stalin's War on Ukraine, by Anne Applebaum

Shtisel

Fill The Void

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: A Swim in a Pond in the Rain: In Which Four Russians Give a Master Class on Writing, Reading, and Life,

by George Saunders

Emily: Shaila Dewan for The New York Times: “Philadelphia Prosecutor Is Found in Contempt by State Representatives”

David: Mosaic Magazine: “The Royal Mohel and the House of Windsor’s Relationship with the Jews”

Listener chatter from Andrea: NPR’s Planet Money: “Best By, Sell By, Use By”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John discuss the Death of Queen Elizabeth II.

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

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The Waves: How to Live With Your Partner’s PTSD Sep 17, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor Shannon Palus sits down with writer and political scientist Virginia Eubanks. They talk about Virginia’s New York Times magazine essay , “His PTSD, and My Struggle to Live With It,” and how the condition is more widespread than most people realize, even as terms like “trauma” and “triggered” are tossed around cavalierly. Later in the show, they talk about why you shouldn’t give unsolicited advice to people living with PTSD—and what kind of support caregivers of people with PTSD really need.

In Slate Plus: Why Virginia wanted to write her New York Times essay, and whether the COVID-19 pandemic is, technically speaking, a traumatic event.

Further Recommended Reading:

What to Say When Someone Tells You They’re Chronically Ill by Rachel Meeks

Irritable Hearts: A PTSD Love Story by Gabriel Mac

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus, Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next TBD: How Big Internet Keeps Small Communities Disconnected Sep 16, 2022

A small parish in Louisiana tried to get affordable, fast internet. An incumbent ISP stopped them.

Guest: Issie Lapowsky, Wanda Manning

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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What Next: The Master of Monkeypox Messaging Sep 15, 2022

One of the many things laid bare by COVID-19 was the importance of public health messaging—and the many ways it can fail. So when monkeypox began spreading in the U.S., the White House found someone who understands just how important it is to know your audience.

Guest: Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, White House National Monkeypox Response Deputy Coordinator and former director of the CDC Division of HIV Prevention.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: If Russia Loses the War Sep 14, 2022

A Ukrainian counteroffensive has pushed Russian forces back to the east surprisingly quickly and effectively. Military experts are now wondering if Ukraine will win the war outright and avoid the stalemate that seemed likely only a few weeks ago. But if Vladamir Putin starts to feel the heat both in the field and from citizens at home, what is he capable of? And lacking a mechanism to remove their leader from office, what can Russians do?

Guest: Fred Kaplan is Slate’s war stories correspondent and author of The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The U.K.’s Actual Leadership Crisis Sep 13, 2022

The United Kingdom is saddled with an energy crisis, a pandemic-weary national health service, and continued economic fallout from Brexit. For now, the country is observing an official mourning period, after losing its longest-serving monarch. But soon it will be time for King Charles and newly-installed Prime Minister Liz Truss to show what they’ll do to lead the U.K. through what’s expected to be a grim winter.

Guest: Charlotte Ivers, political correspondent for Times Radio, and columnist for the Sunday Times.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Starbucks Unions' Next Fight Sep 12, 2022

Unions have won more elections in 2022 than they have in nearly 20 years, and they’re making in-roads in high-turnover, retail and service jobs like Starbucks, Chipotle and Amazon. As corporate leaders close down stores, fire union stalwarts, and stall bargaining, unionized workers fear they may never get a contract.

Guest: Rani Molla, senior correspondent at Recode covering business, technology, and the future of work.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: The Chaos That Made YouTube a Juggernaut Sep 11, 2022

An inside look at the rise of YouTube into a social media behemoth.

Guests: Mark Bergen and Claire Stapleton

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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A Word: Save the Children Sep 11, 2022

Over the last two decades, suicide among Black youth has surged to crisis levels. And many schools, doctors and parents are unprepared to recognize the signs early enough to stop a tragedy. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr. Kevin Simon to discuss the issue. Dr. Simon is also the Chief Behavioral Health Officer for the city of Boston, and a leading voice in preventing suicides among African American children.

Guest: Dr. Kevin Simon, Chief Behavioral Health Officer for the city of Boston

Podcast production by Yanii Evans

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

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How To!: Have a Healthier News Diet Sep 10, 2022

In the second of a two-part episode on reimagining the news we continue our conversation with Nicole Lewis, Senior Editor of Jurisprudence at Slate, and a longtime reporter on the criminal justice beat; and David Bornstein, co-founder/CEO of the Solutions Journalism Network, and former contributor to the New York Times’ Fixes column. The discussion picks up where we left off on how journalists can regain the trust of their audience, and how news consumers can find stories that inspire hope, agency and dignity — our democracy may depend on it.

Resources:

https://trustingnews.org

https://wearehearken.com

https://results.org

If you liked this episode, check out Part 1: “How To Unbreak the News”

Do you have a burning question? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show. Subscribe for free on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Derek John, Rosemary Belson, and Kevin Bendis.

Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now at slate.com/howtoplus.

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How To!: Unbreak the News Sep 10, 2022

About five or six years ago, host Amanda Ripley started noticing that her normal news diet left her feeling depleted and depressed. She tried mixing up her news habits, even avoiding it for awhile, but nothing helped. It felt like a shameful secret. Shouldn’t journalists love consuming the news? She began to wonder, is it me....or is it the news itself? On this episode of How To!, the first of two parts, we’ll hear from several of our listeners who feel the same way. We’ll also talk with Nicole Lewis, Senior Editor of Jurisprudence at Slate, and a longtime reporter on the criminal justice beat; and David Bornstein, co-founder/CEO of the Solutions Journalism Network, and former contributor to the New York Times’ Fixes column. Together they’ll discuss how the news became so broken, and how we can put it back together again.

Resources:

Solutions Story Tracker®

Fear of Rampant Crime Is Derailing New York City’s Recovery by Fola Akinnibi and Raeedah Wahid

I stopped reading the news. Is the problem me — or the product? by Amanda Ripley

Do you have a burning question? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show. Subscribe for free on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Derek John, Rosemary Belson, and Kevin Bendis.

Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now at slate.com/howtoplus.

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The Waves: The Undying Appeal of Very Sexy Trash Sep 10, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, erotic thrillers are making a comeback and The Waves is ready to dig into it. Freelance podcaster and writer, Nichole Perkins is joined by Slate features editor Jeffrey Bloomer to talk about why they love these movies, while also acknowledging the many flaws they contain. Then, Nichole and Jeffrey talk about what they want to see change and evolve as we enter into a new era of erotic thrillers.

In Slate Plus, is taking your partner’s last name feminist?

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus, Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next TBD: Can A.I. Make Great Art? Sep 09, 2022

Technology is transforming the creative economy and ideas about what "art" even is.

Guest: Drew Harwell

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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Political Gabfest: Semi-Fascist Sep 08, 2022

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss the inexplicable success of Trump’s special master gambit in the Espionage Act investigation, Biden calling out anti-democratic elements of the electorate; and the roots of the Jackson, MS water crisis.

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: Professor Vejas Gabriel Liulevicius for The Great Courses: Turning Points in Modern History

Emily: Jerusalem Demsas for The Atlantic: “What’s Causing Black Flight?”

David: Pepperidge Farm Farmhouse Hearty White Bread

Listener chatter from Cynthia Lerner: Ruth Marcus for The Washington Post: “I Usually Ignore The Sexism And Ageism Directed at Me. Now I’m Calling It Out.”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily and David interview John about his new streaming nightly news show, CBS News Primetime.

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Kevin Bendis.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

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What Next: The DeSantis Ally on the School Board Sep 08, 2022

Under Governor Ron DeSantis, the Parental Rights in Education Act—what critics call the “Don’t Say Gay” bill—and “curriculum transparency” laws are going into effect in Florida schools. Supporters say the laws are there to protect students and keep them from being “indoctrinated.” But the state now faces a “critical teacher shortage” and teachers are pointing to state intervention as a reason for low morale.

Guest: Bridget Ziegler, Sarasota County school board member and co-founder of Moms for Liberty.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: An Out Teen in the “Don’t Say Gay” State Sep 07, 2022

Today’s high schoolers have lived in an America with legally recognized gay marriage for nearly half of their lives, but this fall, Florida students are starting the first school year under the “Parental Rights in Education” law, a.k.a. “Don’t Say Gay,” and LGBTQ students are bracing for a very different classroom experience.

Guest: Will Larkins, a 17-year-old senior at Winter Park High School, Florida and cofounder of the school’s Queer Student Union.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Christian College Upending Florida's Schools Sep 06, 2022

In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis has encouraged a small Christian college to exert an unusual amount of influence over education policy. Hillsdale College is an institution growing in notoriety among conservative luminaries. Now, Hillsdale is using Florida public schools as a laboratory for its plans to reshape public education across the country.

Guest: Anita Carson, a former sixth-grade teacher in Florida, and Sommer Brugal, education reporter for the Miami Herald.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: The Summer Vaccine of the Future Sep 04, 2022

LYMErix, the first vaccine against Lyme, was pulled from the market amid poor sales and pressure from the public. Now, over 20 years later, a new vaccine is in late-stage trials.

Guest: Cassandra Willyard

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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A Word: A Dream Defaulted: Black College Debt Sep 04, 2022

While political conservatives slammed it as wasteful, President Biden’s student debt plan was greeted with relief by many borrowers. But questions remain about whether it goes far enough to help most of the Black students burdened by student loans. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson discusses the issue with Professor Fenaba Addo, co-author of A Dream Defaulted: The Student Loan Crisis Among Black Borrowers.

Guest: UNC Professor Fenaba Addo, co-author of A Dream Defaulted: The Student Loan Crisis Among Black Borrowers

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

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Political Gabfest: Diligent Search Sep 03, 2022

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss Trump’s strange legal maneuvering in the obstruction investigation; what Trump’s second term would do to U.S. democracy; and what voters deserve to know about a candidate’s health.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Jonathan Rauch for The Atlantic “Trump’s Second Term Would Look Like This”

Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton

Portrait of a Lady, by Henry James

Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad

Lord Jim, by Joseph Conrad

Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do, by Studs Terkel

This Is Chance!: The Shaking of an All-American City, a Voice That Held It Together, by Jon Mooallem

The Way We Live Now, by Anthony Trollope

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: Ella Koeze, Denise Lu and Charlie Smart for The New York Times: “Can You Gerrymander Your Party to Power?”

Emily: Aaron Byrd, Weiyi Cai, Geoff Macdonald, Emily Rhyne, Noah Throop, Joe Ward and Jeremy White for The New York Times: “The Toss”

David: CityCast DC; Bad Sisters

Listener chatter from Michael Koehler: Christo Grozev for Bellingcat: “Socialite, Widow, Jeweller, Spy: How a GRU Agent Charmed Her Way Into NATO Circles in Italy”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John discuss the non-political books that most influenced their understanding of politics.

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Kevin Bendis.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

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The Waves: Why Women Carry the Bulk of Student Debt Sep 03, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Lizzie O'Leary host of What Next: TBD is joined by Emily Peck co-host of Slate Money to explain the new Student Debt Relief Plan. They delve into the reason women often carry more debt on average and why they stand to benefit the most from even modest relief. Then, Lizzie and Emily unpack debt-relief criticism itself, what Biden’s plan does well, and where it could improve.

In Slate Plus, some hard-hitting, in-depth analysis on whether or not laundry-folding is feminist.

Recommendations

Lizzie: Crime thriller Girl, Forgotten by author Karin Slaughter

Emily: She-Hulk: Attorney at Law from Marvel and Disney+

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus, Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery. With production help from Anna Rubanova.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next TBD: A.I. Made to Fight Child Porn Ensnared an Innocent Dad Sep 02, 2022

A father took a photo of his son for their doctor. He wound up being investigated by the police.

Guest: Kashmir Hill

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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What Next: Best Of 2022 | The Michigan Democrat Who Said “Enough” Sep 01, 2022

Michigan state Senator Mallory McMorrow went viral in April for striking back at an extreme characterization made by a Republican colleague. The video of McMorrow’s speech—viewed over 14 million times—tells a bigger story about how national political rhetoric is affecting local political debates. But is the senator really demonstrating how to reset the terms of debate? Or is she just one more person who went viral for speaking to her echo chamber?

As summer winds down, we're replaying some of our favorite episodes from this year. This episode originally aired on May 3, 2022.

Guest: Mallory McMorrow, Michigan state senator representing Grand Oak and the suburbs north of Detroit.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Best Of 2022 | When Your Book Gets Banned By the School Board Aug 31, 2022

Banning books in schools is on the rise. Around the country, parents are lobbying to banish from libraries and curriculums any work they deem to be “graphic” or “offensive,” often sweeping up books centered on queer or POC experiences in the process. Some authors say that’s no coincidence - nor is it surprising that this is happening just as the publishing industry is remaking itself to tell more diverse stories. The question is, what’s the best way to respond to the outrage?

This week as we wind down the summer, we're replaying some of our favorite episodes of this year. This episode originally aired on February 13, 2022.

Guest: Ashley Hope Pérez, author of three YA novels, including Out of Darkness, and professor of literature at Ohio State University.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Best Of 2022 | The NFL’s Race Problem Aug 30, 2022

Until last month, Brian Flores was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, and one of only three Black head coaches among the NFL’s 32 teams. That number has since dropped to one.

On Tuesday, Flores announced he was suing the NFL, alleging that the league's hiring practices are racist. His suit comes almost 20 years after the creation of the Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview ethnic-minority candidates for senior positions, and eight years after Colin Kaepernick was black-balled from the sport for kneeling during the national anthem—begging the question of how much has really changed in that time.

This week as we ease out of summer, we are replaying some of our favorite episodes from the last year. This episode originally aired February 7, 2022.

Guest: LZ Granderson, columnist for the Los Angeles Times and host of ABC News’ “Life Out Loud with LZ Granderson.”

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Best Of 2022 | Ginni Thomas Wanted a Revolution Aug 29, 2022

Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, is a fervent right-wing activist. She was also a supporter of the attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, as evidenced by a batch of texts shared with the congressional committee investigating January 6th.

The Ginni Thomas texts create a conflict of interest for Justice Clarence Thomas as he hears cases pertaining to the insurrection. But the Supreme Court is not expected to do much to dispel notions of bias. Why?

Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, senior writer covering courts and the law for Slate.

This week as we ease out of summer, we are replaying some of our favorite episodes from the last year. This episode originally aired March 30, 2022.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: The Streaming TV Bloodbath Aug 28, 2022

Shows are disappearing. Staff are getting axed. Is It greed, or necessary for the networks' survival?

Guest: Julia Alexander

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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A Word: Ballers and Shot Callers Aug 28, 2022

Are you ready for some football! After decades of being kept out of the quarterback position, more Black quarterbacks are creating success and finding stardom in the NFL. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by ESPN’s Jason Reid, author of “Rise of the Black Quarterback: What It Means for America.” They discuss how the business and politics of race have changed for football’s most sought after players, and what challenges remain for Black quarterbacks.

Guest: Sports writer Jason Reid, author of “Rise of the Black Quarterback: What It Means for America”

Podcast production by Yanii Evans

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The Waves: Why Jane Austen Still Slaps Aug 27, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth is joined by culture writer Anna Nordberg to talk all about Jane Austen. The romance novelist may have written her seven books well over a century ago, but as Cheyna and Anna discuss, her work still endures in popular culture. They talk about why Austen’s characters are even more modern than the men and women we see on screen today and why some of the men are kind of meh. Later in the show, they talk about what makes an endearing Jane Austen adaptation, and why Netflix’s Persuasion fails so miserably.

In Slate Plus, are Jane Austen’s proposals feminist?

Recommendations:

Anna: The 1995 Sense and Sensibility adaptation starring Emma Thompson.

Cheyna: The music of Cosmo Jarvis. Plus a dedication to a beloved professor, Dr. Brent Chesley.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus, Daisy Rosario, and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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One Year 1986: No Crime Day Aug 27, 2022

Basketball star Isiah Thomas had an audacious plan to transform Detroit: asking criminals to stay on the good side of the law for 24 hours. Would “No Crime Day” set the city on a new path, or was it a recipe for failure?

One Year is produced by Evan Chung, Sophie Summergrad, Sam Kim, Madeline Ducharme, and Josh Levin.

Derek John is Sr. Supervising Producer of Narrative Podcasts and Merritt Jacob is Sr. Technical Director.

Slate Plus members get to hear more about the making of One Year. Get access to extra episodes, listen to the show without any ads, and support One Year by signing up for Slate Plus for just $15 for your first three months.

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Political Gabfest: Could the Democrats Actually Win? Aug 27, 2022

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss what the special election results suggest for the midterms, an unprecedented $1.6B donation to a secretive conservative organization; and Biden’s student loan forgiveness and repayment plans.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together, by Heather McGhee

The Sum of Us podcast

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: The Bullshit Generator; The Age of Acrimony: How Americans Fought to Fix Their Democracy, 1865-1915 Hardcover, by Jon Grinspan

Emily: Igor Derysh for Salon: “‘That’s Not What Our Report Said’: Ex-Mueller Prosecutor Says Barr's Trump Memo Is ‘legally Wrong’”; The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law

David: Courtney E. Smith for Ultimate Classic Rock: “35 Years Ago: Los Lobos’ ‘La Bamba’ Returns Ritchie Valens to Spotlight”

Listener chatter from Rebecca Vernon: Sarina E. Miller for the Washington Post: “Thanks To Middle-Schoolers Like Me, There Are At Last No More Salem ‘Witches’”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John discuss Gavin Newsom’s veto of a bill allowing safe injection sites in California.

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

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What Next TBD: The Hacker Blowing the Whistle on Twitter Aug 26, 2022

Legendary hacker Peiter "Mudge" Zatko’s reputation in the cybersecurity world is unmatched. His allegations against Twitter’s security are all the more damning because of it.

Guest: Joseph Menn

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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What Next: How Serena Transcended Tennis Aug 25, 2022

After winning 23 Grand Slam singles titles, four Olympic gold medals, and over $100 million in prize money, this month Serena Williams announced the end of her professional tennis career. While her on-court accomplishments and longevity put her in the sporting pantheon, her cultural impact is just as remarkable.

Guest: Amira Rose Davis, assistant professor of Black studies at the University of Texas Austin and co-host of the feminist sports podcast Burn It All Down.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention Aug 24, 2022

The Department of Justice announced this month that they were investigating allegations that leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention mishandled sexual abuse accusations for decades. How have abusers exploited the church’s decentralized structure and notions of forgiveness to avoid accountability, and how have church teachings about sexuality and “purity culture” allowed the abuse to continue?

Guest: Robert Downen, reporter at the Houston Chronicle.

Jules Woodson, co-Founder & COO of Help;Hear;Heal, a nonprofit providing therapy funding for survivors of sexual abuse.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Oklahoma's Upcoming Execution Spree Aug 23, 2022

Despite its fraught history of botched executions, the state of Oklahoma is preparing to begin a 29 month execution spree this week. 25 dates have been set for men with severe mental illness, personal histories of childhood abuse, inadequate legal representation, or claims of innocence. Though these inmates have been deemed "the worst of the worst," activist nun Sister Helen Prejean implores the world to look at fuller pictures of their lives, and seek out an alternative to the death penalty.

Guest: Sister Helen Prejean, anti-death penalty activist and author of Dead Man Walking, The Death of Innocents, and River of Fire.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Migrants Texas Sent to New York City Aug 22, 2022

As part of a stunt to protest the Biden administration’s immigration policies, the governors of Texas and Arizona have been sending bus-loads of migrants to DC and New York without any support. Immigrant advocate groups are scrambling to take care of these people, who were vulnerable well before being used as political props.

Guest: Murad Awawdeh, Executive Director at New York Immigration Coalition & NYIC Action

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: We're Expecting the Wrong Things From the CDC Aug 21, 2022

There's no way to remove politics from public health.

Guest: Tim Requarth

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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A Word: Black Wombs Matter Aug 21, 2022

The U.S. has some of the worst maternal mortality rates in the industrialized world. And African Americans are three times more likely to die in childbirth than whites. The documentary Aftershock focuses on how the healthcare system is failing Black mothers at the most vulnerable time of their lives, and how their families are fighting to change that. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson speaks with the film’s co-director and co-producer Tonya Lewis Lee about the history of the crisis and the movement to solve it.

Aftershock is currently streaming on Hulu.

Guest: Tonya Lewis Lee

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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The Waves: It’s Not TV. It’s a Sh*tshow. Aug 20, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, the streaming wars have come for us all. The Daily Beast’s Allegra Frank sits down with Inkoo Kang of The Washington Post to talk about what happened at HBO and where gender fits into it all. HBO Max recently canceled the nearly done Batgirl, and has been quietly removing content from its streaming service as it prepares to merge with Discovery+. Allegra and Inkoo talk about how streaming services reducing their content offering likely spells trouble for non-white, non-male voices.

In Slate Plus, is Batman feminist?

Recommendations:

Allegra: Never Have I Ever on Netflix

Inkoo: The Harley Quinn series on HBO Max

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus, Alicia Montgomery and Daisy Rosario.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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Political Gabfest: The Martyrdom of Liz Cheney Aug 20, 2022

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and Benjamin Wittes discuss the Trump investigations; Liz Cheney’s defeat; and Dana Goldstein’s reporting on controversies over how to teach kids to read.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Jack Goldsmith for Lawfare: “Prosecuting Trump: A Reply to Josh Marshall”

Dana Goldstein for The New York Times: “An Old and Contested Solution to Boost Reading Scores: Phonics”

Dana Goldstein The New York Times: “In the Fight Over How to Teach Reading, This Guru Makes a Major Retreat”

Dana Goldstein The New York Times: “New Reading Curriculum Is Mired in Debate Over Race and Gender”

Belinda Luscombe for Time: “Inside the Massive Effort to Change the Way Kids Are Taught to Read”

Ronald Brownstein for The Atlantic: “Liz Cheney’s Kamikaze Campaign”

Invisible Things by Mat Johnson

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Sam Levine for The Guardian: “Memphis Prosecutor Who Charged Black Woman Over Voting Error Loses Re-Election Bid”; Kim Bellware and Lateshia Beachum for The Washington Post: “Desantis Sued By Prosecutor Suspended Over Stance On Abortion-Related Crime”

Ben: The Lawfare Podcast: Allies

David: Dwight Garner for The New York Times: “Jared Kushner’s ‘Breaking History’ Is a Soulless and Very Selective Memoir”

Listener chatter from Josh Forsythe: Elizabeth P. Derryberry, Jennifer N. Phillips, Graham E. Derryberry, Michael J. Blum, and David Luther for Science: “Singing In A Silent Spring: Birds Respond To A Half-Century Soundscape Reversion During The Covid-19 Shutdown”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and Ben discuss Ben’s performance art protests at the Russian embassy in D.C.

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

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What Next TBD: What All That Money for Green Tech in the Climate Bill Is Buying Aug 19, 2022

The Inflation Reduction Act is spurring progress towards new climate technology that, at times, sounds like something out of a science fiction movie. Will it make a dent in the fight against climate change?

Guest: Pranshu Verma

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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What Next: The Red States Punishing Green Businesses Aug 18, 2022

State treasurers in red states have been banding together to punish companies that are trying to divest themselves from the fossil fuel industry. But it isn’t clear if, say, BlackRock needs West Virginia more than West Virginia needs BlackRock. And this new front in the culture war may come with a bill that taxpayers have to pay.

Guest: David Gelles, correspondent on the Climate desk at The New York Times, covering the intersection of public policy and the private sector.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Will Kentucky Fail Breonna Taylor Again? Aug 17, 2022

When Kentucky attorney general Daniel Cameron investigated the night Breonna Taylor was killed, his office concluded that the two officers who shot Taylor acted in good faith while executing the warrant provided. The Department of Justice’s investigation, however, suggests the warrant itself had false information, without which officers would never have been at Taylor’s home in the first place. Now a candidate for governor, will Cameron pay for his inattention in this high-profile case?

Guest: Tessa Duvall, Frankfort bureau chief for the Lexington Herald-Leader.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: What the DOJ Should Do About Trump Aug 16, 2022

After an FBI search of Mar-a-lago last week, it was revealed that Donald Trump is being investigated for federal crimes including violating the Espionage Act, obstruction of justice, and criminal handling of government records. How can the Justice Department do its job with the former president calling the investigation a hoax and his supporters demonstrating a willingness to respond violently? Who should be worried here?

Guest: Ankush Khardori, contributing writer for New York Magazine's Intelligencer, and contributing editor at POLITICO Magazine.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Who Influences the Influencers? Aug 15, 2022

During his presidency, Donald Trump demonstrated the power that social media can have in politics. Now, influencers are taking money to spread messages from across the spectrum. Unlike political ads in older media, though, influencers don’t have to disclose who is paying them—or even that they’re being paid at all.

Guest: Ben Wofford, writer based at Stanford Law School, contributor to Wired.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: Big Pharma’s Bet on Psychedelics Aug 14, 2022

The psychedelic renaissance is here. But not everyone’s on board.

Guest: John Semley

Host: Sonari Glinton

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A Word: Designing Wakanda Aug 14, 2022

Black Panther: Wakanda Forever premieres in theaters this November. The franchise has provided a showcase for African Americans across the entertainment industry, including those behind the scenes. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson speaks with one of those rising creatives, conceptual artist Phillip Boutte Jr. Boutte left an acting career for film design, working on several sci-fi blockbusters. They discuss how Black Panther has helped change the dynamic for African American film professionals who had struggled to get a foothold in Hollywood.

Guest: Production designer Phillip Boutte Jr., co-founder of 9B Collective, the first Black owned conceptual artist incubator in the industry.

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola.

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

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Political Gabfest: What’s in Trump’s Safe? Aug 13, 2022

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and Juliette Kayyem discuss the Mar-a-Lago search; the Inflation Reduction Act; and Caitlin Dickerson’s article investigating how separating families at the border became U.S. policy.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Caitlin Dickerson for The Atlantic: “An American Catastrophe: The Secret History of Family Separation”

Juliette Kayyem for The Atlantic: “The Bad and Good News About Trump’s Violent Supporters”

Curated Decay: Heritage Beyond Saving, by Caitlin DeSilvey

Serena Williams and Rob Haskell for Vogue: “Serena Williams Says Farewell to Tennis On Her Own Terms—And In Her Own Words”

Claudia Rankine for The New York Times Magazine: “The Meaning of Serena Williams”

King Richard

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: “Downbad” by PJ Frantz

Juliette: Jim Farber for The New York Times: “Olivia Newton-John, Pop Singer and ‘Grease’ Star, Dies at 73”

David: Jack Fitzpatrick for Bloomberg Government: “Old Capitol Stones to Be Stored Away After Decades Piled in Park”

Listener chatter from Sebastian Cray: The Bingham Cup

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, Juliette, and David discuss Serena Williams’ retirement from tennis.

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

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The Waves: Live. Laugh. Lexapro. Aug 13, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor Shannon Palus is joined by the managing editor of Future Tense, Mia Armstrong. This week is all about selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a class of drugs commonly used to treat depression and anxiety. Shannon and Mia discuss their own experiences with their mental health and SSRIs. Then they dig into the cultural narrative around using medication for anxiety and depression,a recent study disproving an old adage about depression, and why SSRIs might be overprescribed to women.

Why Has the Misleading “Chemical Imbalance” Theory of Mental Illness Persisted for So Long? by Sahanika Ratnayake

In Slate Plus, is marrying young feminist?

Recommendations:

Shannon: Guided meditations from UCLA Health.

Mia: Counting backwards from 100 by seven to help calm down while you’re feeling anxious.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus, Alicia Montgomery and Daisy Rosario.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next TBD: Crypto Could Leave Texas in the Dark Aug 12, 2022

Crypto mining is booming in Texas. Will the power grid be able to handle it?

Guest: Russell Gold

Host: Sonari Glinton

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What Next: The Crisis of Trust That Dobbs Created Aug 11, 2022

New abortion restrictions following the repeal of Roe v. Wade have turned some reproductive care into a criminal liability. After a traumatic ectopic pregnancy, one Texas woman is wondering whether state laws delayed her diagnosis and treatment, ultimately leaving her with a ruptured fallopian tube.

Guest: Fatima Abdelwahab of Houston, Texas.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Is This Climate Bill Worth the Wait? Aug 10, 2022

After decades of dragging their feet on action to slow climate change, the Senate passed what is modeled to be the most impactful climate policy yet. What’s in the Inflation Reduction Act, and how did Democrats finally get the mercurial Joe Manchin on board?

Guest: Robinson Meyer, staff writer at The Atlantic and author of the newsletter The Weekly Planet.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Taliban vs. the Press Aug 09, 2022

Afghan women and LGBTQ+ people immediately felt the impact of the Taliban’s return to power last year. But journalists trying to tell their stories could face intense and even violent backlash from the extremist group—like what happened to Lynne O’Donnell.

Guest: Lynne O’Donnell, columnist at Foreign Policy and former Afghanistan bureau chief for Agence France-Presse and the Associated Press.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The New Era of Child Labor Aug 08, 2022

With an ongoing labor shortage, companies turn to third-party labor brokers to fill jobs. But with little oversight and a surge of immigrants, the line between “ recruiter” and “ trafficker” gets blurred as vulnerable children are sent to work in dangerous conditions.

Guest: Mica Rosenberg, national immigration reporter for Reuters.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: The Monkeypox Vaccine Monopoly Aug 07, 2022

It makes intuitive sense for companies that develop a technology to hold its intellectual property rights. But in the case of vaccines and medical treatments, IP laws slow down manufacturing and distribution and give private companies the power to make huge decisions that affect public health globally.

Guest: Zain Rizvi, researcher for advocacy group Public Citizen, specializing in pharmaceutical innovation and access to medicine.

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A Word: Full-Court Fighter Aug 07, 2022

NBA star Bill Russell, the first Black American to coach a major-league sports team, died this week. His playing earned him 11 championships. His activism won him respect in the Black community, but the hatred of many white fans, and surveillance from the FBI during the civil rights era. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by sports journalist Howard Bryant to discuss Russell’s legacy, on and off the court.

Guest: Veteran sports journalist Howard Bryant

Podcast production by Eric Aaron

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The Waves: Liz Cheney’s Mom Energy Aug 06, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior writer Christina Cauterucci and Slate books and culture columnist Laura Miller talk all things Liz Cheney. They discuss Laura’s piece on how the Republican Congresswoman is coming across like a disappointed mom during the January 6 hearings—and whether comparing women politicians to mother figures is always sexist. Then they dig into what Cheney’s long-game is as she defies the Republican party and goes against Donald Trump.

In Slate Plus, Christina and Laura discuss the January 6 hearings’ breakout star, Cassidy Hutchinson.

Recommendations:

Christina: Caesar salad dressing from Once Upon a Chef

Laura: Trailed by Kathryn Miles

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus, Alicia Montgomery and Daisy Rosario.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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Political Gabfest: Nothing’s The Matter With Kansas Aug 06, 2022

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and Heather McGhee discuss the primaries and Kansan voters’ defense of abortion; Alex Jones on trial; and Annie Lowrey’s story of surviving pregnancy in the United States.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Sam Adler-Bell for The New York Times: “The Violent Fantasies of Blake Masters”

Jason Beeferman for The Texas Tribune: “How Sandy Hook Lies and the Jan. 6 Inquiry Threaten to Undo Alex Jones”

Annie Lowrey for The Atlantic: “American Motherhood”

Annie Lowrey for The Atlantic: “The Most Important Study in the Abortion Debate”

The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together, by Heather McGhee

The Sum of Us podcast

Charged: The New Movement to Transform American Prosecution and End Mass Incarceration, by Emily Bazelon

Black Reconstruction in America, by W. E. B. Du Bois

Forbidden City, by Vanessa Hua

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: The Law & Justice Journalism Project

Heather: A Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah J. Maas

David: Piranesi, by Susanna Clarke; Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke; Testament of Youth, by Vera Brittain

Listener chatter from Mohamed El-Sheik: Adriana E. Ramírez for The Atlantic: “Everyone Loses on Jeopardy Eventually”

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

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What Next TBD: The Homes We Forgot to Build a Decade Ago Aug 05, 2022

The US has been in a housing shortage for decades. Can it ever be fixed?

Guest: Conor Dougherty

Host: Emily Peck

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What Next: The Democrats’ MAGA Gambit Aug 04, 2022

In the primaries of purple states like Michigan, Arizona, and Pennsylvania, Trump-backed, far-right candidates have been getting a boost from a surprising source: the Democrats. Calculating that it will give their party the edge in general elections, local and national Dems have spent thousands elevating extremists. But will the strategy pay off?

Guest: Jim Newell, senior politics writer for Slate

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Is It Time to Free the “Merchant of Death”? Aug 03, 2022

Known as the “Merchant of Death,” Viktor Bout illegally ferried weapons, diamonds, and even UN peacekeepers around the world. The man who wrote the book on Bout thinks it’s time to send him home, if it can free Brittney Griner.

Guest: Douglas Farah, co-author ofMerchant of Death: Money, Guns, Planes and the Man Who Makes War Possible.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Kansas's Sketchy Abortion Vote Aug 02, 2022

Following a 2017 state supreme court decision, the right to an abortion is recognized by Kansas’s state constitution. But with some suspect scheduling and seemingly deliberately confusing language, citizens of Kansas are voting today on whether to return control over reproductive healthcare to the state’s deeply Republican legislature.

Guest: Stephen R. McAllister, former U.S. district attorney and University of Kansas law professor.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Jan. 6 Rioter Whose Son Turned Him In Aug 01, 2022

Like many families during the Trump years, the Reffitts fought about politics. But not many families had a son calling the FBI on his father. Now Guy Reffitt is facing a 15-year sentence for domestic terrorism for his actions on Jan. 6 while his loved ones pick up the pieces.

Guest: Ilya Marritz, senior reporter at WNYC, co-host of the Wondery podcast “Will be Wild”.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: The Third COVID Summer Jul 31, 2022

People are back in the office; schools are planning full classes in the fall; masks are seen less and less frequently. It’s the third COVID summer, but the latest variant of the virus is causing another surge in infection rates and hospitalizations. What do we need to do to protect ourselves now? And how can we be prepared for monkeypox, and the next pandemic?

Guest: Dr. Ebony Hilton, practicing physician, and a frequent medical analyst for MSNBC.

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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What Next TBD: The Dark Web of Online Spider Sales Jul 31, 2022

Researchers have untangled a world of illicit trade that threatens ecosystems and endangers species.

Guest: Dr. Alice Hughes, Richard Stewart

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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The Waves: Cafeteria Catholics Can Support Abortion Rights Jul 30, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth is joined by staff writer Molly Olmstead to talk about the much-hyped threat against the Catholic Church in the wake of Roe’s dismantling. They talk about Molly’s piece, “Is the Catholic Church Under Attack” and where the vandalism against churches stacks up against other religious persecution. Then they take a look at “Cafeteria Catholics” - those who follow the religion, but not all the teachings at the top of the male hierarchy.

In Slate Plus, is the “Little Miss” meme feminist?

Recommendations:

Cheyna: Apple+ series Stillwater

Molly:Build Your House Around My Body by Violet Kupersmith

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus, Alicia Montgomery, and Daisy Rosario.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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Political Gabfest: Did You Apologize to Manchin Yet? Jul 28, 2022

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss the surprise deal for climate legislation, new January 6th revelations, and the deadliest road in America.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Carol D. Leonnig, Devlin Barrett, Josh Dawsey and Spencer S. Hsu for The Washington Post: “Justice Dept. Investigating Trump’s Actions In Jan. 6 Criminal Probe”

Carol D. Leonnig and Maria Sacchetti for The Washington Post: “Secret Service Watchdog Knew in February That Texts Had Been Purged”

Forbidden City, by Vanessa Hua

Dan Kaufman for The New Yorker: “Will Wisconsin’s Republicans Make Voting Meaningless, or Just Difficult?”

Richard L. Hasen for Slate: “What the Critics Get Incredibly Wrong about the Collins-Manchin Election Bill”

Marin Cogan for Vox: “The Deadliest Road In America”

Robert James Schneider, Rebecca Sanders, Frank Proulx, Hamideh Moayyed for the Journal of Transport and Land Use: “United States Fatal Pedestrian Crash Hot Spot Locations And Characteristics”

Unsafe At Any Speed, by Ralph Nader

Strong Towns: A Bottom-Up Revolution to Rebuild American Prosperity, by Charles L. Marohn Jr.

Allison Russell’s Outside Child

John Dickerson for Slate: “Getting Naked Every Night: Girlyman and the Pursuit of Creative Risk.”

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Jonathan Bernstein for Rolling Stone: “‘She Schooled Us All’: Inside Joni Mitchell’s Stunning Return to Newport Folk Festival”; David McCabe and Mike Isaac for The New York Times: “F.T.C. Sues to Block Meta’s Virtual Reality Deal as It Confronts Big Tech”

John: Oliver Whang for The New York Times: “‘Parentese’ Is Truly a Lingua Franca, Global Study Finds”

David: April Rubin and Jesus Jiménez for The New York Times: “4,000 Mistreated Beagles Need Homes. These Folks Stepped Up.”

Listener chatter from Mark Allender: The Dollop #283: “James Clark McReynolds, the Worst Supreme Court Justice Ever”

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

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What Next: Why Adoption Isn’t Enough Jul 28, 2022

Adoption is often invoked as an alternative to abortion. But looking back at how adoption worked before Roe v. Wade—and looking at how it works now—the option is cold comfort for many people facing unintended pregnancies.

Guest: Ann Fessler, author of The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v. Wade.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Fight to Defend Gay Marriage Jul 27, 2022

The “Respect for Marriage Act” protects same-sex marriages nationwide and already has bipartisan support. If put to a vote in the Senate, it seems likely to pass. So why aren’t Democrats making it a priority?

Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, senior writer at Slate.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Worst Drought in 1,200 Years Jul 26, 2022

The American southwest is in a megadrought. Water levels in lakes are dropping, threatening the local environment as well as agriculture, hydroelectric power, and the people living there. As global temperatures rise, it could be a preview of worse things to come.

Guest: Dr. Jason Smerdon, ocean and climate physicist, and Lamont research professor at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University and co-director at the Earth Institute Faculty.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Price Liz Cheney Will Pay Jul 25, 2022

Liz Cheney rose through Republican leadership based on her conservative bona fides, but thanks to her prominent role in the Jan 6th committee, she’s gained donors and admirers from across the aisle. Her constituents back in Wyoming aren’t so enthusiastic though, throwing her future in Congress into doubt.

Guest: Bob Beck, news director of Wyoming Public Radio.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Hip Hop McCarthyism? Jul 24, 2022

In Georgia, award-winning hip hop artist Young Thug and rapper Gunna are awaiting trial on multiple charges, and prosecutors used some of their lyrics in their indictment. Is that fair game, or an attack on free speech? On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by ACLU attorney Stephanie Willis to talk about the broader implications of the case, and ways that artists are learning to protect themselves.

Guest: Attorney Stephanie Willis

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

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Political Gabfest: Hot, Hotter, Hottest Jul 23, 2022

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Josie Duffy Rice discuss Europe’s deadly heat wave, Joe Manchin’s balk at climate legislation, and the inevitable tragedies already happening post-Roe.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Lindsay Whitehurst, Camille Fassett, and Jasen Lo for the Associated Press: “Social Programs Weak in Many States With Tough Abortion Laws”

The Ministry for the Future, by Kim Stanley Robinson

The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness, by Meghan O'Rourke

Forbidden City, by Vanessa Hua

Homesick and Happy: How Time Away from Parents Can Help a Child Grow, by Michael Thompson

John Dickerson for Slate: “My Daughter Went Away to Camp and Changed”

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: Carol D. Leonnig and Maria Sacchetti for The Washington Post: “Secret Service Watchdog Knew in February That Texts Had Been Purged”

Josie: Zak Cheney-Rice for New York Magazine: “Larry Wilmore Knows No Bounds”;

David: Uncomfortable Conversations with Josh Szeps; Elias Esquivel for World Athletics: “Patterson Takes Surprise High Jump Gold In Oregon”

Listener chatter from Mark Wegener: Gamaliel Bradford for the January 1930 issue of The Atlantic: “The Genius of the Average: Calvin Coolidge”

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

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The Waves: The 10 Year Old Who Needed An Abortion Jul 23, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor of Jurisprudence, Nicole Lewis is joined by Susan Matthews, Slate’s executive editor and host of Slow Burn: Roe v. Wade. Earlier this month, a story about a 10-year-old girl seeking an abortion after she was raped went viral, and Nicole and Susan dive into how themedia’s handedthe story, before questioning how news outlets should handle the influx of first-person abortion narratives in a post-Roe world.

In Slate Plus, is asking Vice President Kamala Harris to not be so public-facing, feminist?

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus, Daisy Rosario, and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next: Three Theories on Joe Manchin Jul 21, 2022

Is there any climate-saving legislation that could win the vote of U.S. Senator Joe Manchin?

Guest: Jim Newell, senior politics writer at Slate.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: A Different Kind of Pollution Jul 20, 2022

Animals navigate the world using echolocation, ultraviolet vision, and a sensitivity to sounds and scents that humans can only imagine. That means things like light pollution or the noise of a highway can impact them in ways we might not readily consider. But with an empathic ear—and eye, and nose—we can make small changes to be much better neighbors to our fellow species.

Guest: Ed Yong, science writer at the Atlantic and author of An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Prosecutors Stuck With Abortion Bans Jul 19, 2022

Abortion is now illegal in eight states, and more trigger laws banning the procedure are expected. The new state policies usher in an era of criminalized abortion. In Missouri, one liberal prosecutor is still struggling to predict how strictly these laws will be enforced.

Guest: Jean Peters Baker, elected prosecutor of Jackson County, Missouri.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Biden Problem Jul 18, 2022

Joe Biden broke through the Democratic primaries as the safe choice, the one to beat Trump and get stuff done by reaching across the aisle. But two years into his presidency, his approval rating has plunged, his own party has stymied most of his agenda, and the most effective political body in Washington is the conservative-majority Supreme Court. What’s Biden’s plan here?

Guest: Perry Bacon Jr., columnist for the Washington Post.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: They Want to Kill Americans Jul 17, 2022

This week’s January 6th congressional hearings offered an in-depth look at the Proud Boys, the Oath Keepers, and other violent extremist groups that organized the insurrection. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson discusses the issues with counter terrorism expert Malcolm Nance, who has spent years chronicling the rise of white supremacist and other American political extremist movements. His new book is “They Want to Kill Americans: The Militias, Terrorists, and Deranged Ideology of the Trump Insurgency.”

Guest: Analyst Malcolm Nance

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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Amicus: Eric Holder's Supreme Court Protest Jul 16, 2022

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by former Attorney General Eric Holder as Amicus begins its summer season while the Supreme Court is in recess. General Holder describes his feelings when, as President Barack Obama’s Attorney General, he realized he could not in good conscience take part in the long-held tradition of the AG arguing an “easy case” before the Supreme Court. The issue? That same court had just eviscerated the Voting Rights Act in a case that will forever bear his name: Shelby County v Holder. General Holder wants us to take the steps beyond anger at the assault on voting rights, and move forward with joy toward action. His book, Our Unfinished March, is both a history of how voting rights became broken, and an action plan for delivering the promise of democracy: that the people pick their leaders.

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Political Gabfest: Lowest Approval Rating Jul 16, 2022

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Mark Leibovich discuss Biden’s 2024 plans, the establishment Republicans who stand by Trump, and Herschel Walker’s alarming Senate campaign.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Thank You for Your Servitude: Donald Trump's Washington and the Price of Submission, by Mark Leibovich

Anne Applebaum for The Atlantic: “History Will Judge The Complicit”

Mark Leibovich for the New York Times Magazine: “Donald Trump Is Not Going Anywhere”

Mark Leibovich for the New York Times: “Kevin McCarthy, Four Months After Jan. 6, Still on Defensive Over Trump”

Here are this week’s chatters:

John: The New York Times: “168 Writing Prompts to Spark Discussion and Reflection”

Mark: Mark shared his thoughts on whether life was better before cell phones.

David: City Cast DC’s July 12, 2022 newsletter.

Listener chatter from Josie Beyer: Julia Medina for Sleepopolis: “Sleeping While Rowing in the Great Pacific Race”; Lat 35 Racing Team on Instagram

Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

Research by Bridgette Dunlap.

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The Waves: Brittney Griner and the Problem With Women’s Basketball Jul 16, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth is joined by Amira Rose Davis, professor, historian, and co-host of the feminist sports podcast Burn It All Down to talk about Brittney Griner. The WNBA superstar has been detained by the Russians for months. Cheyna and Amira talk about how Russia treats its women athletes like superstars (until they don’t), while in America it takes weeks for people to really notice when a star WNBA player is missing. Later in the show, they discuss the impact of having Brittney Griner out of the league and Amira recommends WNBA players to watch.

In Slate Plus, the fascinating (and feminist!) history of cheerleaders.

Recommendations:

Amira: Formula 1 racing, including Netflix’s Formula 1: Drive to Survive and F1 romance novels like the Fast and Hard series.

Cheyna: Jana Schmieding for her roles on Hulu’s Reservation Dogs and Peacock’s Rutherford Falls.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next: The Proud Boys' New Plan for Power Jul 14, 2022

The Proud Boys started as a loose coalition of men who filtered misogyny and racism through an ironic, “just joking” veneer. But once Donald Trump told them to “stand back and stand by” from the debate stage, it became clear that something more serious was happening. After taking part in the Jan. 6 insurrection, the Proud Boys have become even more active in GOP politics, choosing candidates, and even running candidates from their own ranks.

Guest: Andy Campbell, Senior Editor at HuffPost and author of upcoming book We Are Proud Boys.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Real Risks of Monkeypox Jul 13, 2022

Doctors feel confident they can deal with the ongoing monkeypox outbreak. But, once again, our public health agencies have been stumbling to get a hold of this virus before it spreads widely.

Guests: Matt Ford and Shannon Palus, Slate senior editor.

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What Next: The Russians Invaded. The Opera Played On. Jul 12, 2022

Persistent Russian missile strikes since February and an ongoing blockade have silenced Odesa’s normally busy port—but not its 19th century opera house. Performances now end with a singing of the Ukrainian national anthem.

Guest: Ekaterina Tsymbalyuk, a soloist at the Odesa Opera.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The War on LGBTQ+ Rights Jul 11, 2022

As anti-gay and anti-trans politics become more mainstream, the Trevor Project has a unique perspective. They run a hotline where queer kids are talking about how Republican rhetoric is meeting reality. Bullying once thought to be confined to high schools has made its way to mainstream politics.

Guest: Sam Ames, civil rights lawyer and director of advocacy and governmental affairs at The Trevor Project.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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The Waves: The Caregiver Crisis Jul 09, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Brigid Schulte, author of Overwhelmed: How to Work, Love and Play When No One Has the Time and director of the Better Life Lab, is joined by author Angela Garbes. They unpack the modern challenges of motherhood, further illustrated and then exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. They talk about Angela’s new book, Essential Labor, how caregiving is seen as sacred, yet we make it so hard in the United States, and why we pay caregivers—a key part of our society—poverty wages.

In Slate Plus, Angela and Brigid talk about the subtitle of Angela’s book: Mothering As Social Change.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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A Word: Back to Black Colleges? Jul 08, 2022

While the vast majority of African American students attend predominantly white institutions –or PWIs– for college, many Black scholars are giving historically Black colleges and universities a second look. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson discusses the issue with Michelle Purdy, an associate professor of education at Washington University at St. Louis. She has studied the intersection of race and education, and is also the author of “Transforming the Elite: Black Students and the Desegregation of Private Schools.”

Guest: Professor Michelle Purdy

Podcast production by Eric Aaron

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What Next: How to Fix the Economy Jul 07, 2022

Last month, inflation hit a new 40-year high. Americans are feeling it in their grocery bills, at the gas pump, in airline tickets, electrical bills, and rental costs. What can be done to combat rising prices in the current economy – and at what price?

Guest: Jordan Weissmann, senior editor and writer at Slate focused on economics, politics, and public policy.

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What Next: The Supreme Court Needs an Upgrade Jul 06, 2022

The Supreme Court treated its most recent term like the opening salvo in a conservative revolution, approving prayer in schools, establishing a constitutional right to conceal and carry a firearm, and eliminating the constitutional right to abortion. What options do President Biden and Congress have to check the power of this co-equal branch of government?

Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, Slate senior writer.

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What Next: A Fight to Put Abortion on Arizona’s Ballot Jul 05, 2022

After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the question of abortion rights became a state issue. Although Arizona was one of 26 states with so-called “zombie laws” that banned abortion when Roe was struck down, it’s also one of three states that lets its citizens write l amend the state’s constitution. Now, abortion rights activists are racing to collect more than 350,000 signatures by July 7 to put the question of abortion rights in the hands of Arizona voters.

Guest: Shasta McManus, activist and treasurer of Arizonans For Reproductive Freedom.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: No Choice: Fighting for Abortion Rights Jul 03, 2022

Activists and abortion rights supporters are trying building a movement in the post-Roe v. Wade era. An empowered conservative court, a potential digital dragnet, and an unfocused Democratic response is making that complicated. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by legal analyst Imani Gandy, who explains why –despite the setback– she feels energized and hopeful about this moment.

Guest: Legal analyst Imani Gandy, co-host of the Boom! Lawyered podcast

Podcast production by Eric Aaron

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The Waves: Unpacking NY Mag’s Teen Cancel Culture Piece Jul 02, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate staff writer Heather Schwedel and Slate senior editor Rebecca Onion sit down to talk about New York magazine cover story “Canceled at 17,” which features a boy who was ostracized by his peers after he showed a nude of his girlfriend. The talk about whether the article is a display of “himpathy,” and the fact that the writer had a personal connection to the school that she did not initially disclose. (New York magazine’s statement on that matter is available here.)

In Slate Plus, Rebecca and Heather talk about what they regret from high school.

Recommendations:

Rebecca: Apple+’s series For All Mankind.

Heather: Netflix’s series, The Summer I Turned Pretty.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and Alicia Montgomery.

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What Next: The Shocking Jan. 6 Hearing Was Not a Slam Dunk Jun 30, 2022

A surprise session of the House’s Jan. 6 committee featured testimony from Cassidy Hutchinson, the former executive assistant to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. Hutchinson was inside the White House as the Jan. 6 riot happened, and she testified that Trump knew an armed crowd was chanting “hang Mike Pence”—the thing that upset him most was not being able to join them.

Hutchinson’s testimony was the bombshell the committee had been waiting for. Is it enough to actually hold Donald Trump accountable?

Guest: Ben Mathis-Lilley, senior writer at Slate.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: What Texas Can’t Forget Jun 29, 2022

One tragedy replaces another in the headlines—that’s just how things go.

The Texas state legislature isn’t scheduled to convene until January 2023, when the shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde will no longer be fresh in people’s minds, and the momentum for changing Texas’s gun laws will be long gone. One state senator, however, won’t accept that.

Guest: Roland Gutierrez, Democratic Texas State Senator for District 19, which includes Uvalde.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The State That Brought Down Roe Jun 28, 2022

How did Mississippi go from resoundingly voting down a “fetal personhood” amendment in 2011 to being the state that brought down Roe v. Wade? Outsiders have long viewed the state as a potential fulcrum to overturn abortion laws in America, to the point where three different legislators introduced three identical bills to ban abortion 15 weeks after fertilization in 2018.

Guest: Ashton Pittman, senior reporter for the Mississippi Free Press.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Your Body, Their Choice Jun 27, 2022

For years the conservative justices slow rolled abortion restrictions, limiting how the procedure is done and who can perform an abortion, making accessing reproductive health care harder and harder. Now, with a majority of justices agreeing to completely overturn Roe v. Wade, the slow roll is over.

Guest: Susan Matthews, Slate’s news director and host of Slow Burn Season 7: Roe v. Wade.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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The Waves: What The F*** Do We Do Now? Jun 25, 2022

On this emergency episode of The Waves, Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth and Slate senior staff writer Christina Cauterucci respond to the decision by the US Supreme Court to overturn Roe v. Wade and get real about how they’re handling this devastating blow.

Read Christina’s piece on medication abortions here. Find all of Slate’s coverage of Roe v Wade here, and a guide to basic questions about what happens next here.

Recommendations:

Cheyna: Getting your kid the COVID vaccine and JellyCat stuffed animals.

Christina: Fire Island on Hulu.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and Alicia Montgomery.

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Amicus: Abortion, Guns, and Justices Doing What They Were Put On The Court To Do Jun 25, 2022

Well it happened, Roe v Wade has been swept away and Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Mary Ziegler, a law professor at the University of California, Davis, and the author of “Dollars for Life: The Anti-Abortion Movement and the Fall of the Republican Establishment.”

And then we turn to the other blockbuster decision this week, in New York State Rifle and Pistol Association v Bruen. Dahlia talks to the Duke Center for Firearms Law, Joseph Blocher.

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Dahlia and Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern process more of the fallout from Dobbs and Bruen, and also examine the other blockbuster-in-normal-times case that almost escaped notice.

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Slow Burn: Roe v. Wade, Roe Against Wade Jun 24, 2022

Harry Blackmun wasn’t Richard Nixon’s first choice to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court. But after Blackmun was confirmed, he got the assignment of a lifetime: writing the majority opinion in Roe v. Wade. His approach to that case would have consequences he never imagined.

Season 7 of Slow Burn is produced by Susan Matthews, Samira Tazari, Sophie Summergrad, and Sol Werthan.

Derek John is Sr. Supervising Producer of Narrative Podcasts.

Editorial direction by Josh Levin, Derek John, and Johanna Zorn. Merritt Jacob is our Technical Director.

Our theme music is composed by Alexis Cuadrado. Artwork by Derreck Johnson based on a photo provided by Robert Wheeler.

The season’s reporting was supported by a grant from the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Howard G. Buffett Fund for Women Journalists.

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A Word: Full Court Stress Jun 24, 2022

With the Golden State Warriors wrapping up another championship, NBA players are settling in for the off-season when many will be working on physical fitness and strength. But more teams are recognizing that mental fitness –especially for a league full of young Black men– is just as important. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Corey Yeager, a life coach and psychotherapist for NBA’s Detroit Pistons. They discuss how Black athletes are dealing with the mental challenges of the pandemic, the racial reckoning, and other political issues, on top of the pressure to perform on the court.

Guest: Corey Yeager, psychotherapist, life coach and author of the forthcoming book “How Am I Doing?: 40 Conversations to Have with Yourself.”

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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What Next: The Poll Workers Targeted by Trump Jun 23, 2022

The third week of the House of Representatives investigation into the Jan. 6 riot is focusing on the weeks-long pressure campaign waged by Trump and his allies. Individuals around the country were harassed by Trump loyalists in order to change the election outcome. Trump’s “stochastic terrorism” campaign set the stage for what would happen at the capitol come January.

Guest: Ben Mathis-Lilley, Slate senior writer

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What Next: Why Biden Can’t Ice Out Saudi Arabia Jun 22, 2022

On the campaign trail, Joe Biden called Saudi Arabia a “pariah” and said its ruling regime should be held accountable for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. But now, rising oil prices have caused President Biden to soften his tone and plan a visit to Saudi Arabia next month. How much can the U.S. really demand of its allies?

Guest:Gregory Gause, head of the Department of International Affairs at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: An Overlooked Tool to Stop School Shootings Jun 21, 2022

A school with armed teachers and every door locked sounds a lot more like a prison than a nourishing educational environment. How does the discussion around school shootings change when you change your starting point from “how can we stop this?” to “what kind of world do we want to live in?”

Guest: Ron Avi Astor, professor of public affairs, social work, and education at UCLA.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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The Waves: The Truth About “Normal” Sex Jun 18, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate science writer and editor Shannon Palus is joined by Popular Science executive editor and author Rachel Feltman to talk about sex, baby. Rachel’s new book, “Been There, Done That” explores the quirky, wild, and often queer side of the history of sex. Shannon and Rachel talk about why animal sex is so relevant to human sex, the “loop-de-loop” of sexual evolution, and they ponder the age old question, “Why are even men?”

In Slate Plus, Rachel talks about why Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) may in some cases not be as terrible as you think.

Recommendations:

Shannon: Spindrift seltzer

Rachel: The horror anthology, Your Body is Not Your Body

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and Alicia Montgomery.

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A Word: Black Gay Pride and Prejudice Jun 17, 2022

*This will be a frank discussion about homophobia, and our guest will talk about his experience being called an anti-gay slur.*

This LGBTQ Pride Month has been marred by a rash of anti-gay and anti-trans laws, and some groups plotting physical attacks at Pride events. For Black members of the community, racism has added even more tension to this year’s Pride. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Clay Cane, author of Live Through This: Surviving the Intersections of Sexuality, God, and Race.They discuss how anti-Black and anti-gay violence is affecting Pride this year, as well as concerns about ongoing homophobia among African Americans, and racism within the LGBTQ movement.

Guest: Clay Cane, host of SiriusXM’s The Clay Cane Show

Podcast production by Eric Aaron

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What Next: Bill Barr Calls B.S. on Trump Jun 16, 2022

The hearings have started for the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. The televised hearings have already circled in on a major, and possibly criminal theme: Donald Trump would not accept that he lost the election and was willing to listen to any theory or allegation—no matter how little evidence there was to support it—that would let him stay in office. Why are former Trump officials finally willing speak out against the former president?

Guest: Jeremy Stahl, Slate senior editor.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Real Lesson of San Francisco's D.A. Recall Jun 15, 2022

San Francisco is all but short-hand for “liberal American city,” but their progressive district attorney Chesa Boudin just got booted from office in a not-so-close recall. Elected as part of a wave of progressive prosecutors, why is Boudin now out, while his reformer-minded peers remain popular? And what does it mean for criminal justice reform in America?

Guest: Jessica Brand,founder and co-director of the Wren Collective, a consulting service focused on transforming the criminal justice system.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Slow Burn: Roe v. Wade, Women vs. Connecticut Jun 15, 2022

Soon after Ann Hill arrived at Yale Law School in 1968, she realized she was pregnant. Her options were limited: she could give birth—or get an illegal abortion. The decision she faced inspired her to take on Connecticut’s abortion ban. The legal battle that followed would set the stage for Roe v. Wade.

Season 7 of Slow Burn is produced by Susan Matthews, Samira Tazari, Sophie Summergrad, and Sol Werthan.

Derek John is Sr. Supervising Producer of Narrative Podcasts.

Editorial direction by Josh Levin, Derek John, and Johanna Zorn. Merritt Jacob is our Technical Director.

Our theme music is composed by Alexis Cuadrado. Artwork by Derreck Johnson based on a photo provided by Robert Wheeler.

The season’s reporting was supported by a grant from the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Howard G. Buffett Fund for Women Journalists.

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How To!: Run for Office Without Being an A**hole Jun 14, 2022

We all know the country is deeply fractured right now, and that’s especially true in our politics. There is vitriol, bitter partisanship and an expectation that in order to succeed you need to beat up on your opponent. So is it possible to fight for your beliefs, remain civil and still win elections? On this episode of How To!, we brought together two politicians from either side of the aisle who are living proof that we can practice politics with humanity. Utah Governor Spencer Cox and Vermont State Senator Becca Balint share how they resist negativity, meaningfully work with the other side, and stick to their values even when they are forced to stand up to their own party.

If you liked this episode, check out “How To Get Things Done in a Divided Nation with Samantha Power”

Do you have a problem that needs solving? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show.

Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now at slate.com/howtoplus.

Thanks Avast.com!

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What Next: The Killing of Shireen Abu Akleh Jun 14, 2022

Last month, Palestinian American journalist Shireen Abu Akleh was shot and killed while reporting on an Israeli military raid of a Palestinian refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. Multiple media investigations say the evidence suggests Abu Akleh was killed by targeted Israeli fire, not stray bullets from a chaotic skirmish. Meanwhile, the U.S. has called for an impartial investigation into Abu Akleh’s death, but has stopped short of leading such a probe.

Guest: Dalia Hatuqa, a journalist specializing in Israeli/Palestinian affairs and regional Middle East issues.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Does Gun Violence Need an Emmett Till Moment? Jun 13, 2022

To the people who deal with the reality of bullet wounds, the aftermath of shootings aren’t so abstract. If politicians and the public had to see what military weaponry actually does to the body, would that change the conversation around gun control?

Guest: Dr. Amy Goldberg, interim dean of the Lewis Katz School of Medicine and surgeon-in-chief at the Temple University Health System.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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The Waves: The Hidden Cost of Breast Implants Jun 11, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate science editor and writer Shannon Palus is joined by freelance science journalist Eleanor Cummins to talk about plastics. Surgery that is. And all the physical and mental concerns that come with altering your body. They start out by talking about Eleanor’s recent piece on the health concerns of breast implants. Then they talk about VIP Syndrome, and how it’s coming for all of us.

In Slate Plus, is breast reduction surgery feminist?

Recommendations:

Shannon: Perfect Bars

Eleanor: Cotopaxi gear.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and Alicia Montgomery.

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Slow Burn: S7 Ep. 2: Life or Death Jun 11, 2022

Jack and Barbara Willke got their start on the Catholic speaking circuit talking about the pleasure of sex within marriage. Their daughter would convince them to shift their focus to another hot-button issue. The Willkes’ Handbook on Abortion, and the photographs they distributed along with it, would help kickstart the right-to-life movement.

To see the cover of the Handbook on Abortion, some of the photos the Willkes used, and the brochure “Life or Death,” go to slate.com/handbook

Season 7 of Slow Burn is produced by Susan Matthews, Samira Tazari, Sophie Summergrad, and Sol Werthan.

Derek John is Sr. Supervising Producer of Narrative Podcasts.

Editorial direction by Josh Levin, Derek John and Johanna Zorn. Merritt Jacob is our Technical Director.

Our theme music is composed by Alexis Cuadrado. Artwork by Derreck Johnson based on a photo provided by Robert Wheeler.

The season’s reporting was supported by a grant from the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Howard G. Buffett Fund for Women Journalists.

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A Word: Black Crypto Boom Jun 10, 2022

The market for cryptocurrency crashed in May, losing billions of investor dollars. That’s a special concern for African Americans, who are twice as likely as white people to invest in crypto. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by economist Darrick Hamilton to discuss the unique appeal of cryptocurrency among Black Americans, and whether the potential rewards outweigh the risks.

Guest: Darrick Hamilton, the founding director of the Institute for the Study of Race, Power and Political Economy at The New School.

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis and Eric Aaron

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

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What Next: What The Jan. 6 Hearings Are Really About Jun 09, 2022

The House hearings to examine the events of Jan. 6, 2021, begin this week and the party lines are drawn. Republicans are calling the hearings a distraction from issues that voters care about—inflation, rising prices of gas and food. Democrats are trying to remind voters which party tried to override American democracy. Will it be enough to stem the “red tide” projected for fall midterms?

Guest: Jim Newell, senior politics writer at Slate.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Can 20 Years of Oversight Reform a Police Department? Jun 08, 2022

In the early 2000s, following a civil lawsuit with over 100 plaintiffs against a group of Oakland police officers known as “the Riders,” the Oakland PD was put under federal oversight. Now after nearly two decades of reforms, backslides into scandals, and close watch from activists and the feds, Oakland can enter a probationary period. But has the culture of the department really changed?

Guest: Darwin BondGraham, News Editor of the Oaklandside and co-author of a forthcoming book about the Oakland police department. He and his partner Ali Winston have been covering the OPD for almost two decades.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Right’s Poll-Watcher Army Jun 07, 2022

Republicans who still haven’t accepted that Joe Biden beat Donald Trump in 2020 are recruiting “a volunteer army” of poll watchers and poll workers for upcoming elections. For those who want transparent and fair elections, an influx of enthusiasm is theoretically a good thing. But if new poll workers and poll watchers have an agenda— chasing after fraud that didn’t happen—can they hurt more than they help?

Guest: Alexandra Berzon, investigative reporter for the New York Times.

Guest hosted by Mary C. Curtis, columnist at Roll Call and host of its Equal Time podcast.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Does Proof Matter at the Supreme Court? Jun 06, 2022

The Sixth Amendment is supposed to guarantee the right to a fair trial—including a lawyer, even if the defendant can’t afford one. But Indigent Defense is woefully underfunded and, sometimes, State-appointed lawyers are nowhere near as competent as Federal attorneys. A new Supreme Court ruling makes it more difficult to use exonerating evidence discovered on a federal level to prove innocence, even if state counsel didn’t look for it.

Guest: Leah Litman, law professor at University of Michigan, specializing in constitutional law and federal courts, and co-host of the podcast Strict Scrutiny

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Black to the Future Online Jun 05, 2022

Like so much of pop culture, online culture is largely rooted in the work of Black and other marginalized people.Writer and activist Bridget Todd celebrates their stories on her podcast There Are No Girls on the Internet. On today’s episode of A Word, she joins Jason Johnson to talk about the challenge of preserving that history, and building communities for women, LGBTQ people, and Black folks in an increasingly hostile online world.

Guest: Bridget Todd, host of the “There Are No Girls on the Internet” podcast.

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

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Slow Burn: Roe v. Wade, Episode 1 Jun 04, 2022

In 1970, 22-year-old Shirley Wheeler got an illegal abortion in Florida. When she refused to tell the police who performed the procedure, she was arrested and charged with manslaughter. In the months that followed, she’d be prosecuted and publicly condemned. She’d also become the unlikely face of the fight for reproductive rights.

Season 7 of Slow Burn is produced by Susan Matthews, Samira Tazari, Sophie Summergrad, and Sol Werthan.

Derek John is Sr. Supervising Producer of Narrative Podcasts.

Editorial direction by Josh Levin, Derek John and Johanna Zorn. Mixing by Merritt Jacob and Kevin Bendis.

Our theme music is composed by Alexis Cuadrado. Artwork by Derreck Johnson based on a photo provided by Robert Wheeler.

The season’s reporting was supported by a grant from the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Howard G. Buffett Fund for Women Journalists.

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The Waves: Abortion on the Ballot Jun 04, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth is joined by Slate senior writer Mark Joseph Stern to talk about Michigan’s ballot initiative to save abortion rights in the state. They dig into the positives and negatives of going to the ballot, what we can learn from Ireland, and why, at the end of the day, you really need the courts. Mark also explains the one big thing that citizens can and should be doing to help secure abortion access.

In Slate Plus, is Ginny Thomas maintaining a career that directly conflicts with her Supreme Court Justice husband’s work feminist?

Mentioned in the Show:

“The Ironic, Unintended Consequence of SCOTUS’s Plan to Overturn Roe” by Mark Joseph Stern

Recommendations:

Mark: The album Two Ribbons by Let’s Eat Grandma

Cheyna: Everything by the band HAIM.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and Alicia Montgomery .

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next: How Gun-Makers Are Arming the Culture War Jun 02, 2022

After a mass shooting, gun manufacturers follow a set playbook—they offer “thoughts and prayers,” go quiet, and wait for the bump in sales driven by fear of new gun restrictions. The company Daniel Defense’s products were used in Uvalde and in the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas. Do they have a responsibility for how they market their rifles—or how their weapons are used?

Guest: Todd C. Frankel is an enterprise reporter on the Washington Post's Financial desk, covering people and policy.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: How Soccer's Best Women Finally Got Paid Jun 01, 2022

If you want to understand the way inequality is baked into the systems and structures all around us, examining the pay equity issue in U.S. soccer is a pretty good place to start. But after a six-year battle, the U.S. Women’s National Team struck an agreement with U.S. Soccer, ensuring equal pay for equal work for the men’s and women’s teams — another victory for a team that doesn’t take no for an answer.

Guest: Christina Cauterucci, senior writer at Slate and a former middle school soccer star.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Reporting on Guns from Texas May 31, 2022

Following the shooting in Uvalde, we talked to a Texas reporter who has covered mass shootings for five years. The Lone Star state remains a GOP strong-hold, which means Texas Republicans tailor their messaging and legislation to avoid being primaried from the right. This impacts how gun laws are written and how mental health is instead elevated, leaving both underserved.

Guest: Lauren McGaughy, investigative reporter, the Dallas Morning News.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Amicus: When a Shooter Comes to Your School May 30, 2022

In light of the Uvalde school shooting, we’re rebroadcasting a special audio presentation from Amicus that originally aired in 2018. Dahlia Lithwick spoke to three educators who survived gun violence at their schools. Heather Martin was a student at Columbine during the 1999 mass shooting; Mary Ann Jacob was library clerk at Sandy Hook at the time of the 2012 shooting; and Ken Yuers was a teacher at Rancho Tehama Elementary School when it suffered a school shooting in 2017. They discussed what they experienced, what it was like going back to the classroom, and what they want changed.

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A Word: Debtor Nation Strikes Back May 29, 2022

WithAmericans owing more than $1.7 trillion in student loan debt, Black and other marginalized students are bearing a disproportionate share of the burden. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Braxton Brewington, the spokesperson for The Debt Collective. That organization, dedicated to ending what it considers unjust debt, closed out more than a million dollars owed by students at Bennett College. They talk about what went into making this happen, and the myths about student borrowing that are standing in the way of solutions.

Guest: Braxton Brewington, spokesperson for The Debt Collective

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

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The Waves: Protecting Abortion Is Vital For The Economy May 28, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor for Jurisprudence Nicole Lewis is joined by Slate Money co-host, and correspondent for Axios, Emily Peck to talk about the economic implications of overturning Roe v. Wade. A leaked Supreme Court draft opinion shows the court has the votes to abolish the constitutional right to abortion, which Roe established in 1973.Our hosts dig into all the ways ending abortion will undermine women’s economic gains and participation in the workforce, including gains that conservatives champion - like low rates of teenage motherhood, stable homes and being able to work and provide for yourself. And finally, they look at how eliminating the right to an abortion would disproportionately impact poor women and women of color.

Mentioned in the Episode:

“Overturning Roe Could Reverse Economic Gains” by Emily Peck

“The Horrifying Implications of Alito’s Most Alarming Footnote” by Dahlia Lithwick

National Network of Abortion Funds

In Slate Plus: Are Brazillian Butt Lifts feminist?

Recommendations:

Nicole: The Netflix series Bonding.

Emily: All kinds of gummy candy, from bears to sour worms.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next: A Sandy Hook Parent Speaks May 26, 2022

The school shooting in Uvalde, Texas was the deadliest since the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut nearly a decade ago. Today, we’re re-airing an interview with a parent who lost her child at Sandy Hook and went on to channel her grief into activism. In February, she and a group of other Sandy Hook families announced a $73 million settlement with Remington Arms, forcing the gunmaker to accept responsibility for marketing its weapons to disaffected young men.

Guest: Nicole Hockley, co-founder and CEO of the Sandy Hook Promise Foundation.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The End of Ending the Pandemic May 25, 2022

More than a million people have died of COVID in America, and infection rates across the country are climbing again. But public officials seem reluctant to enact mask mandates or lockdowns this time around.

Doctors and scientists who work in public health are hoping that “harm reduction” techniques, which were developed to treat addiction and chronic illnesses, can tamp down this latest wave.

Guest: Dr. Deepika Slawek, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Division of General Internal Medicine & an attending physician at Montefiore Comprehensive Family Care.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: New York State’s Redistricting Mess May 24, 2022

An effort to counterweight GOP-friendly maps in Ohio and Florida in New York state has backfired on the Democrats.

How did Democratic state politicians bungle their redistricting process? Will the error cost the party nationally?

Guest: Dave Wasserman, U.S. House editor of the nonpartisan @CookPolitical Report.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Biden’s Student Loan Ambivalence May 23, 2022

President Biden ran on a promise to forgive $10,000 in student loans back in 2020—but so far, there hasn’t been much movement on that front. Between the pros, the cons, and the politics, one thing is clear: fixing higher education will take more than an executive order.

Guest: Jordan Weissmann, writer and editor focused on economics, public policy, and politics at Slate.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: North Korea's Hacking Army May 22, 2022

They’ve stolen billions of dollars. Is the U.S. ready to crack down?

Guest: Jason Bartlett, research associate in the Energy, Economics, and Security Program at the Center for a New American Security

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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A Word: Reparations for Racist Violence? May 22, 2022

The recent massacre targeting the Black community in Buffalo has led to strong words from President Biden and other leaders, denouncing white supremacist violence. But for the remaining survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and their descendants, those words ring hollow. On this week’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Damario Solomon-Simmons, a civil rights lawyer who is leading an effort to win reparations for Tulsa Race Massacre survivors. He won a historic legal victory this month, but argues that the president has failed to follow through on promises to do everything he could to pursue justice for Tulsa.

Guest: Damario Solomon-Simmons is a civil rights attorney, and is leading efforts to win reparations for Tulsa Race Massacre victims and their descendants. He’s the Managing Partner of SolomonSimmonsLaw.

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

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The Waves: What Reality TV Says About Us May 21, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, historian and original Waves host, Marcia Chatelain is joined by sociologist Danielle Lindemann to talk all things reality TV. They discuss Danielle’s new book, True Story: What Reality TV Says About Us and why we don’t take reality television as seriously as we should. Later in the show they talk about why women are more successful at monetizing their reality TV brand and how the genre takes us on a tour of the class system.

In Slate Plus: Is The Bachelorette feminist?

Recommendations:

Marcia: The True Crime Obsessed podcast, Let the Women Do the Work

Danielle: The Netflix series Selling Sunset

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next TBD: How Buffalo Could Transform Social Media May 20, 2022

The shooting in Buffalo raises questions about the effectiveness of content moderation. Is the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism the answer to how social media can moderate extremist content?

Guest: Emma Llansó, director of the Free Expression Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology

Host: Ray Suarez

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What Next: China’s Zero-COVID Policy May 19, 2022

When China first instituted its zero-COVID policy, it was a success: as other countries struggled with soaring infection rates and overburdened hospitals, life for many Chinese citizens began to look normal again within months—so long as they weren’t infected. But the omicron variant changed the game. Now, people are speaking out against draconian lockdown measures they say are inappropriate to face the current level of threat.

How did zero-COVID evolve from being the most effective virus prevention strategy in the world to a disproportionate and punitive system? And how has that evolution expanded state control?

Guest: Dake Kang, journalist in the Beijing bureau of the Associated Press.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: No Lone Wolves May 18, 2022

A shooting Saturday at a supermarket in a predominantly-Black neighborhood in Buffalo left at least 10 people dead and three more injured. The suspected shooter left a manifesto riddled with racist ideology, laying out plans to specifically target Black people and citing the so-called “great replacement theory” as his motivation.

How much will white supremacist violence be a part of the everyday lives of Americans — and what’s being done to stop it?

Guest: Wesley Lowery, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist covering race in America.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: How Corporations Are Taking Advantage of Inflation May 17, 2022

Consumers are paying higher prices almost everywhere as inflation continues to rise. But corporate earnings calls have revealed that many companies are using inflation as a cover to jack up prices and increase profits — all on the backs of customers.

Guest: Lindsay Owens, executive director of the Groundwork Collaborative.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Evolution of Pro-Choice Messaging May 16, 2022

The likely end of Roe v. Wade marks a bitter setback for the pro-choice movement. But the success of abortion legalization campaigns in Ireland and Argentina may be models for a way forward.

What are the ingredients for effective public messaging? What can American activists learn from the examples of international movements?

Guest: Anat Shenker-Osorio, communications researcher and campaign advisor, host of the podcast “Words To Win By.”

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Is Big Tech Pro-Choice? May 15, 2022

In light of the threat to Roe v. Wade, abortion rights advocates are asking many companies –including in the tech industry– to take a stand. But many industry leaders are silent, and could be poised to profit from data that tracks abortion providers, advocates, and patients. On this week’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Bärí Williams, an expert on diversity in tech and artificial intelligence. They talk about the political, financial, and social priorities that may be keeping tech leaders quiet about the abortion issue.

Guest: Bärí Williams, an expert on diversity in tech and AI. She’s also the COO of Bandwagon Fan Club, Inc., a data and identity analytics tech company focused on sports and entertainment.

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

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What Next TBD: Inside Trump’s Twitter Clone May 15, 2022

Trump's Truth Social network was supposed to be the right's answer to Twitter. What happens to the company if Elon takes over?

Guest: Drew Harwell, reporter for the Washington Post

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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The Waves: How the Fall of Bitch Media is a Sign of Disastrous Things to Come. May 14, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, we’re reflecting on the impact of Bitch Media, which started as a zine in the 90s, and grew into a print publication and website . Slate staff writer Heather Schwedel is joined by Bitch co-founder Andi Zeisler to talk about the history of Bitch. Then, they explore why feminist media is struggling, despite maybe being more necessary than ever.

In Slate Plus: Is asking if things are feminist, feminist?

Recommendations:

Heather: Ghosts by Dolly Alderton

Andi:Time Zone J by Julie Doucet

Mentioned in the Show:

“Bitch and the End of Independent Feminist Media” by Jude Ellison S. Doyle

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next TBD: Can A.I. Know What You're Feeling? May 13, 2022

Companies are developing and selling A.I. products intended to tell your boss or your teacher how you're feeling.

Guest: Kate Kaye, reporter for Protocol

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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What Next: The Future of IVF Post-Roe May 12, 2022

As the country awaits a final decision on whether the Supreme Court will overturn Roe. v Wade, fertility doctors are sounding the alarm about what that could mean for the future procedures like IVF.

Guests: Dr. Natalie Crawford, OBGYN and reproductive endocrinologist at Fora Fertility in Austin, Texas.

Emily, an IVF patient in West Virginia. Emily asked Slate to withhold her last name so she could speak freely about her fertility treatments.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Russia’s Next Target? May 11, 2022

Curious explosions in a Russian stronghold of Moldova have the world wondering if Putin is making his next play. Why is a tiny country on Ukraine’s western border of such strategic importance?

Guest: Monika Pronczuk, Brussels-based reporter for the New York Times.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Ukrainian War, American Intelligence May 10, 2022

It’s not unusual for the U.S. to lend intelligence to another country. It’s a little more unusual for the U.S. to talk about it.

Why is the American military confirming reports that it’s helping Ukraine vanquish Russian targets? Could that candidness lead to an expansion of the war? Or will it be the deciding factor in finishing the conflict?

Guest: Shane Harris, reporter covering intelligence and national security for the Washington Post.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: How Connecticut Became An Abortion Safe Haven May 09, 2022

In the wake of a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion indicating that Roe v. Wade will soon be a thing of the past, some states are rushing to fortify the right to an abortion within their borders. Nowhere has gone as far as Connecticut, though, which has expanded the field of people permitted to perform abortions and created legal protections for anyone who aids in the procedure. But will it make a difference when abortion will likely soon be outlawed in half the country?

Guest: Matt Blumenthal, State Representative for Connecticut’s 147th District.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: Is Free Speech Online Just a Myth? May 08, 2022

A conversation with one of the smartest First Amendment lawyers in the country.

Guest: Jameel Jaffer

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

Thanks Avast.com!

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A Word: Joy and Pain: Navigating Grief May 08, 2022

With one million dead from COVID, many Americans are suffering through profound grief. And for Black Americans, the pandemic combined with the racial reckoning has made the mourning feel endless. On this week’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson talks with writer Marisa Renee Lee about her new book Grief Is Love: Living With Loss, and about making space for joy in the midst of grief.

Guest: Marisa Renee Lee, a writer, speaker, and entrepreneur. Her new book is Grief Is Love: Living With Loss.

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

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The Waves: What Amber Heard’s Make-up Palette Says About the Legal System. (Plus: Roe v Wade) May 07, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, we start with a conversation with upcoming Slow Burn: Roe v Wade host, Susan Matthews and Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth about the implications of the recently leaked Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe.

In the main show, we shift focus to gender violence as the Johnny Depp v. Amber Heard trial continues. Cheyna sits down with Dr. Nicole Bedera about what happens when fans try to play detective and how we should actually be talking to victims of violence. Later in the show they talk about Men’s Rights Activists and the broader implications of suing people who accuse someone of assault.

In Slate Plus, is Mother’s Day feminist?

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next TBD: Can the Internet Rescue Abortion Access? May 06, 2022

The pandemic changed the way abortion care could be provided online. So what happens now?

Guest: Dr. Mai Fleming, family medicine physician and Fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health.

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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What Next: Depp v. Heard May 05, 2022

Johnny Depp’s defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard is making headlines—not just for the spectacle taking place within the courtroom, but for its implications for victims of domestic violence.

In a case of domestic ugliness, is it possible to know the truth? And does trying to uncover it through legal action serve anyone’s best interests?

Guest: John Culhane, professor at the Delaware Law School.

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What Next: The Supreme Court Tips Its Hand May 04, 2022

This week, Politico published a shocking leak from within the Supreme Court, indicating that a majority of the judges have voted to overturn Roe v. Wade. Beyond who leaked the draft opinion, questions remain about what the rollback of the landmark constitutional law will mean for abortion rights in America.

Guest: Dahlia Lithwick, Slate courts and law writer and host of the podcast Amicus.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Michigan Democrat Who Said “Enough” May 03, 2022

Michigan state Senator Mallory McMorrow went viral in April for striking back at an extreme characterization made by a Republican colleague. The video of McMorrow’s speech—viewed over 14 million times—tells a bigger story about how national political rhetoric is affecting local political debates. But is the senator really demonstrating how to reset the terms of debate? Or is she just one more person who went viral for speaking to her echo chamber?

Guest: Mallory McMorrow, Michigan state senator representing Grand Oak and the suburbs north of Detroit.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Mexico’s Disappearing Women May 02, 2022

The body of 18-year-old Debanhi Escobar was discovered in late April, inside a water tank in a motel on the outskirts of Monterrey, Mexico—weeks after she went missing. The identity of her killer is still unknown.

The case has prompted a national outcry over the Mexican government’s consistent failure to deliver justice for missing women. But femicide in Mexico isn’t new, and past protests haven’t yielded meaningful change. Will this time be any different?

Guest: Oscar Lopez, reporter for the New York Times based in Mexico City.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: The Fantasy of Internet for All May 01, 2022

Today on the show: Can Starlink ever fulfill its promise of connecting the world, especially places left behind by traditional internet? Or will it be just another toy for the rich?

Guest: Meaghan Tobin, reporter at Rest of World

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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A Word: Could Musk Kill Black Twitter? May 01, 2022

Black Twitter has grown into a community where jokes, memes, and activism flourish. But with Elon Musk taking over, many users fear the most vital conversations will be silenced. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Omar Wasow, a pioneer in online culture, and the co-founder of the BlackPlanet social network. They discuss what Musk’s definition of free speech and his record on race could mean for the future of Black Twitter, and whether it’s time to leave the platform.

Guest: Omar Wasow, assistant professor of politics at Pomona College

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

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The Waves: Edible Arrangements Is Getting Into the Wellness Industry Apr 30, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior writer, Christina Cauterucci and Slate science editor Shannon Palus, talk pineapples on sticks. Christina’s new piece, “What’s Eating Edible Arrangements” on the changes at Edible Arrangements sparked a conversation about gender roles that likely led do the creation of the company that now goes by Edible. Then they unpack the company’s pivot to CBD and what its attempt at “wellness culture” really means.

In Slate Plus, are workout selfies feminist?

Recommendations:

Shannon: Harry & David fruit boxes.

Christina: Season 2 of HBO’s The Flight Attendant.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next TBD: What Elon Wants With Twitter Apr 29, 2022

Twitter is the platform of choice for politicians, journalists, academics, and many other agenda-setters. Twitter influences conversations that take place in newsrooms and statehouses. What happens if the company’s placed in the hands of a pugnacious, provocative plutocrat like Elon Musk?

Guest: Will Oremus, tech reporter for the Washington Post

Host: Seth Stevenson

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What Next: L.A.’s Alarming Latino Mortality Rate Apr 28, 2022

People may want to throw their masks in the trash, but in communities with the highest COVID-19 mortality rates, the pandemic is not over.

Guest: Dr. Don Garcia, medical director at Clínica Romero in Los Angeles.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Crisis in Special Education Apr 27, 2022

Federal law guarantees that students with disabilities have access to special educators. But widespread teacher shortages mean that these students are often being taught by people without the mandated qualifications – or by no one at all.

Guest: Dylan Peers McCoy is an investigative reporter on WFYI’s education team.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Florida’s Most Powerful Flak Apr 26, 2022

How one spokesperson with an itchy Twitter-finger is sparking a moral panic.

Guest: Ben Mathis-Lilley, a senior writer at Slate.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Librarians Fighting Book Bans Apr 25, 2022

Carolyn Foote was furious when Republican lawmakers in Texas singled out hundreds of books about race or sexuality for removal from school libraries. So she and a group of other librarians stepped into the fray to push back against what they see as harmful censorship.

Guest: Carolyn Foote, former librarian for schools outside Austin, Texas.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Black Lives Matter: More Money, More Problems? Apr 24, 2022

The Black Lives Matter movement has emerged as a major political force. Now, questionable spending by the Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation has sparked questions about whether key movement leaders have lost their way. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Sean Campbell, an investigative journalist whose report on the foundation was published in New York Magazine. He addresses what he uncovered about the foundation’s finances, including the purchase of a $6 million dollar home in Malibu under the guidance of its former leader, Patrisse Cullors.

Guest: Sean Campbell, writer, and investigative journalist.

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis

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What Next TBD: A New High-Tech Weapon in Ukraine Apr 24, 2022

The conflict between Ukraine and Russia is uncovering new wartime applications for facial recognition technology.

Guest: Aric Toler, director of research and training at Bellingcat

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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The Waves: Ecofeminism Isn’t Just For Hippies Apr 23, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, senior producer Cheyna Roth is joined by freelance science writer Eleanor Cummins to talk about the possible resurgence of Ecofeminism. Eleanor recently published “Is Ecofeminism Due for a Comeback?” in The New Republic. They discuss how the term came to be “passe,” what places are embracing the concept of combining feminism and the environment (and trying to save the Amazon in the process), and why the time is right for feminists to embrace the planet.

In Slate Plus, the waves of Ecofeminism, and where the term “tree-hugger” came from.

Recommendations:

Cheyna: Anxious People by Fredrik Backman

Eleanor: Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next TBD: The COVID Data Disaster Apr 22, 2022

Are we facing down yet another COVID wave right now? Does it matter?

Guest: Katherine Wu, staff writer for The Atlantic

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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What Next: Putin’s Hunger for Money Apr 21, 2022

Bill Browder has been sounding the alarm about Vladimir Putin for decades. Formerly one of Russia’s largest foreign investors, Browder has made it his life's work to expose corruption in the country. Unsurprisingly, he’s one of Putin's personal targets. Browder believes that money is what's really driving the war in Ukraine.

Guest: Bill Browder, founder and CEO of Hermitage Capital Management. Browder ran the largest foreign investment firm in Russia until 2005, when he was kicked out of the country. His new book is Freezing Order: A True Story of Money Laundering, Murder, and Surviving Vladimir Putin's Wrath.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Biden's Immigration Mess Apr 20, 2022

Pro-immigration advocates had high hopes when the Biden administration came to office that some of the harsher policies imposed by Trump would ease. Instead, immigration policy has been a mess inside the White House. The move to rescind Title 42 – a health policy that the Trump administration used to restrict migration at the U.S.-Mexico border is now further dividing Democrats.

Guest: Tyler Moran, former deputy assistant to President Biden and senior advisor for migration. Moran co-founded the Immigration Hub and has 20 years of experience developing and implementing immigration policy.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: A Caseworker Quits Over Texas’ Trans Kids Policy Apr 19, 2022

Morgan Davis saw his job as an investigator in the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services as a calling. As a transgender man, he joined the child welfare agency to be the advocate he never had while growing up. But Davis eventually quit, following Governor Greg Abbott’s order to investigate the families of transgender children. While Abbott’s order is currently paused due to an injunction, many families are still left in limbo due to open cases – and other child welfare workers are handing in their notices.

Guest: Morgan Davis, investigator at theTravis County office of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Cracking Down on Ghost Guns Apr 18, 2022

The Biden Administration recently announced a new policy aimed at cracking down on ghost guns—homemade weapons without serial numbers, making them harder to trace. But with gun violence on the rise, will this particular move make a meaningful difference?

Guest: David Chipman, senior policy advisor at Giffords, a gun violence prevention organization.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Holy Roller Racism? Apr 17, 2022

Although church and state are supposed to be separate, white evangelical power is a potent force in American politics. And it has historically been used to battle against racial equity. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Professor Anthea Butler, the author of White Evangelical Racism: The Politics of Morality in America. They discuss the resurgence of white evangelical influence in politics, and why so much of that movement has been focused on thwarting civil rights for African Americans.

Guest: Anthea Butler, chair of the Religious Studies Department at the University of Pennsylvania

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis and Sam Kim

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

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What Next TBD: How TurboTax Tricks Taxpayers Apr 17, 2022

How did Intuit build its TurboTax empire?

Guest: Justin Elliott, reporter for ProPublica

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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One Year 1977 Rewind: Anita Bryant's War on Gay Rights Apr 16, 2022

This is a reprise of the first episode of our season on 1977.

Miami, 1977: Pop singer and orange juice spokeswoman Anita Bryant takes a stand against a local ordinance—and becomes the leader of a national anti-gay movement. Her campaign against gay rights, and the gay community's fight against her, would change America.

One Year is produced by Josh Levin, Evan Chung, and Madeline Ducharme. Mixing by Merritt Jacob.

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The Waves: The Vagina Et. Al. Apr 16, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor Shannon Palus is joined by science journalist, Rachel E. Gross to talk all about female anatomy. They discuss Rachel’s new book, Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage and how much science has to learn when it comes to diagnosing female maladies. Then they get into ovaries and all the misconceptions about these “egg baskets.”

In Slate Plus, is the term “pussy” feminist?

Articles discussed in this episode:

The Word for Anatomy That Shouldn’t Be “Vulgar” by Zoe Mendelson

Seventeen Years of Bad Sex by Allyson Rudolph

Ovaries Are Prone to ‘Exhaustion’ and ‘Fatigue.’ Or Are They? By Rachel Gross

Recommendations:

Shannon: Wearing wide-legged jeans.

Rachel: Showing yourself some, ah-hem, love.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next TBD: Elonnnnnnnnnnnnn! Apr 15, 2022

Is Musk's bid to take Twitter private a genuine attempt to mold the social network in his image? Or is he just going to have some fun, make some money, and walk away?

Guest: Felix Salmon, host of Slate Money and chief financial correspondent for Axios

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

Get Surfshark VPN at https://surfshark.deals/TBD - Enter promo code TBD for 83% off and 3 extra months free!

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What Next: Is France About to Elect a Far-Right President? Apr 14, 2022

In the French presidential election five years ago, Marine Le Pen lost badly to Emmanuel Macron. Now, Le Pen is back for a rematch—and this time, polls are pretty tight.

Guest: Henry Grabar, staff writer at Slate.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Disney vs. DeSantis Apr 13, 2022

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the Walt Disney Company are at odds over a controversial Florida law dubbed “don’t say gay,” which would limit instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools. While DeSantis is a big supporter of the legislation, Disney’s CEO Bob Chapek eventually came out against it, vowing to work to repeal the law and setting up a showdown between the governor and the entertainment giant.

Guest: Mary Ellen Klas, Capitol bureau chief for the Miami Herald in Tallahassee, Florida.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Pennsylvania’s Nutty Senate Race Apr 12, 2022

Pennsylvania’s got a U.S. Senate seat up for grabs, and the primary is shaping up to be a showdown between moderate, establishment candidates and those on the fringes of each party.

Guest: Jonathan Tamari, national political writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: From Homeless to Housing Reporter Apr 11, 2022

How the experience of living in his car years ago helped reporter Ethan Ward focus his coverage of homelessness and housing in Los Angeles.

Guest: Ethan Ward, unhoused communities reporter for KPCC and LAist.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: Uber Makes Nice With Cabs Apr 10, 2022

The rideshare company's founder once called taxis “evil.” Now, Uber might need them to survive.

Guest: Preetika Rana

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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A Word: Taxes, Death, and Trouble Apr 10, 2022

It’s tax season, a stressful time for millions of Americans. But for many Black Americans, financial issues are complicated year-round by the “Black Tax;” that’s the complex web of structural bias in finance, banking, and housing policy that can make it harder for African Americans to build wealth. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by financial advice author Lynnette Khalfani-Cox to discuss the biggest tax and financial hurdles for African Americans, and how to overcome them.

Guest: Lynnette Khalfani-Cox, a personal finance expert and author of several books on financial planning and strategy.

Podcast production by Sam Kim and Jasmine Ellis

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The Waves: Prepping for Doomsday, Feminist Edition. Apr 09, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate staff writers Rebecca Onion and Lili Loofbourow are talking about the prepper community. Is it all toxic masculinity? Is there already a space for women in the community, or do they have to carve their own space? They dig into Lili’s piece on the schism in the prepper reddit community and explore the gender dynamics of a culture that ranges from coupon clipping to hoarding guns. They also discuss Rebecca Onion’s 2016 piece on what prepper fiction reveals about American virtues.

In Slate Plus: Martha Stewart was in the news for an Instagram post about her dead cat. Is her empire feminist?

Recommendations:

Rebecca: The PBS series Sanditon.

Lili: Wearing men’s sweatpants.

Thanks Avast.com!

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus.

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What Next TBD: Elon Trolls the SEC Apr 08, 2022

With 9.1% ownership of Twitter—and a board seat—Elon Musk is the new master of Twitter's future. Why did the wealthiest man in the world just take over the world's most influential platform?

Guest: Ranjan Roy, writer of the Margins newsletter

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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What Next: Who Can Hold Russia Accountable? Apr 07, 2022

In a speech before the United Nations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of the worst war crimes since World War II. But whether there will be accountability on the international stage is a separate question—especially with Russia sitting permanently on the UN Security Council.

How difficult would it be to prove war crimes have in fact been committed in Ukraine? And even if they were, would Putin ever actually be punished?

Guest: Stephen Rapp, former United States Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues in the Office of Global Criminal Justice under President Obama.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Amazon Gets Its First Union Apr 06, 2022

Few were betting that a group of workers on Staten Island could win union recognition at their Amazon warehouse. Now that they’ve done it, can they replicate this win at other shops across the country? And what will the nation’s largest unions do to help Amazon workers join the labor movement?

Guest: Steven Greenhouse, senior fellow at the Century Foundation and author of Beaten Down, Worked Up: The Past, Present, and Future of American Labor.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Fight Over Free Lunch Apr 05, 2022

At the beginning of the pandemic, Congress loosened the rules around school lunch programs, and approved additional funding to help schools provide more meals to more kids. But those allowances are set to expire on June 30th, leaving schools desperate for help as they anticipate a future of less funding and less flexibility.

Guest: Helena Bottemiller Evich, senior food and agriculture reporter at POLITICO.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Marjorie Taylor Greene vs. Everyone Apr 04, 2022

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has become an avatar of the Republican far-right. But that has its downsides. It makes you a target. But Greene isn’t running scared.

Guest: Charles Bethea, staff writer at the New Yorker.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: It Hits Different Apr 03, 2022

Chris Rock is back on tour, days after Will Smith struck him and won his first Oscar in the same night. While the Academy strongly condemned Smith, several Black stars and writers have publicly defended him, or even applauded him for standing up for his wife. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson talks with entertainment journalist Chris Witherspoon about how race is playing out in the debate over what happened, and what should happen next.

Guest: Chris Witherspoon, entertainment journalist and founder/CEO of @PopViewers.

Podcast production by Sam Kim

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

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What Next TBD: A Conversation With Europe's Top Tech Cop Apr 03, 2022

For nearly a decade, Margrethe Vestager has led Europe's efforts to rein in big tech. One newspaper article described Vestager as putting the fear of God into Silicon Valley. How is she thinking about fairness in tech in 2022?

Guest: Margrethe Vestager, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for a Europe fit for the Digital Age

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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What Next TBD: The White House's Favorite Tech Billionaire Apr 01, 2022

Why did Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt spend over a decade building relationships with the most powerful Democrats in America?

Guest: Alex Thompson, reporter at Politico

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What Next: NATO, Back From the Brink Mar 31, 2022

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is having a moment. The alliance dates back to the early years of the Cold War, and ever since, it has seesawed in and out of favor with Western leaders. But now, as Russia continues to wage its attack on Ukraine, NATO has assumed some of its old relevance.

Guest: Mary Elise Sarotte, professor of Historical Studies at the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global Affairs at Johns Hopkins University. She’s also a research associate at Harvard University's Center for European Studies. Her most recent book is Not One Inch: America, Russia, and the Making of Post-Cold War Stalemate.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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The Waves: Romance Novels Are For Everyone Mar 31, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, the co-host of Slate’s internet culture podcast ICYMI, Rachelle Hampton sits down with Slate associate editor and romance author, Marissa Martinelli to talk about romance novels and, of course, the television show Bridgerton. In the first half, they dig into the longstanding race and gender politics at play within the romance writing community and gatekeeping, why we need more Short Kings and Fat Women in romance, and of course…Fabio. Then they get into the Netflix phenomenon, Bridgerton and talk about the problematic dynamics the show didn’t sort out when it “solved” racism, why making Daphne pretty ruined season one for Rachelle, and how season two kinda, sorta, almost cured some of the problems of season one.

In Slate Plus, are corsets feminist?

Recommendations:

Marissa: The romance novel book club podcast, Hot and Bothered.

Rachelle: Season one of Netflix’s Virgin River.

Further Reading:

Dangerous Books for Girls by Maya Rodale

“Inside the List” by Gregory Cowels

“How Bridgerton Touches on Colonialism in India” by Desiree Ibekwe

“The Biggest Changes Between Bridgerton Season 2, and The Steamy, Ridiculous Book It’s Based On” by Marissa Martinelli

“Under the Covers” by Anne Wallentine

“One Romance Novelist’s Fight for Diverse Love Stories” by Rachelle Hampton

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and June Thomas.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next: Ginni Thomas Wanted a Revolution Mar 30, 2022

Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, is a fervent right-wing activist. She was also a supporter of the attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, as evidenced by a batch of texts shared with the congressional committee investigating January 6th.

The Ginni Thomas texts create a conflict of interest for Justice Clarence Thomas as he hears cases pertaining to the insurrection. But the Supreme Court is not expected to do much to dispel notions of bias. Why?

Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, senior writer covering courts and the law for Slate.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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After more than 70 weeks on the Billboard U.S. Hot 100, Dua Lipa and her song “Levitating” have run into trouble: two separate copyright complaints claiming the pop star ripped off other artists in writing her hit. These aren’t the first lawsuits to test the boundaries of what counts as plagiarism in the musical realm; and if either suit succeeds, it will have far-reaching consequences for creativity in the industry.

Guest: Jeremy Orosz, associate professor of music theory at the University of Memphis.

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What Next: Where is Brittney Griner? Mar 28, 2022

In February, WNBA star Brittney Griner was arrested at an airport near Moscow for allegedly possessing hash oil in her carry-on luggage. She’s been held in a Russian prison ever since — and a court recently extended her detention until May 19.

Why is Russia pursuing charges so vigorously against an American basketball player with a large Russian fanbase? And how long could it be until Griner gets to go home?

Guest: Meredith Cash, sports reporter for Insider.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Heroes, Victims, or Threats: Race and Refugees Mar 27, 2022

White Ukrainians have been praised for defending their homeland, and embraced when they’re forced to leave. It’s a sharp contrast to what has faced Black Ukrainians, Syrians, Afghans, and others who have fled war zones. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Patrick Gaspard, who served in the Obama administration, and currently leads the Center for American Progress. He addresses how race and ethnicity play out in the Ukrainian crisis, the U.S. response, and what’s at stake.

Guest: Patrick Gaspard, former U.S. Ambassador to South Africa, and the president and CEO of the Center for American Progress

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis

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What Next TBD: The Cost of Going Off-Grid Mar 27, 2022

Going off-grid can seem appealing in lots of ways. But are there consequences if everyone unplugs from the system? Are there costs we haven’t considered?

Guest: Ivan Penn, renewable energy correspondent for the New York Times

Host: Seth Stevenson

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The Waves: Power of the Dog's Sneaky Feminism Mar 26, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, we’re saddling up and taking the reins to talk Westerns. Film critic and host of the podcast Watch With Jen, Jen Johans is joined by Washington Post TV critic and host of the All About Almodóvar & All About Campion podcasts, Inkoo Kang.

First they dive into the history of the genre: What makes something a Western, and how the genre has challenged stereotypes when it comes to the sexes. Then they explore Jane Campion’s Oscar-nominated film, and the latest big Western, Power of the Dog.

In Slate Plus, Jen and Inkoo talk about whether pianos are feminist.

Recommendations:

Jen: The films of Terrence Malick and Wim Wenders

Inkoo: Jane Campion’s 1999 film, Holy Smoke

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and June Thomas.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next TBD: Why the Zelensky Deepfake Failed Mar 25, 2022

The FBI warned that Russia would use deepfakes to support its invasion of Ukraine. Are they missing the real threat?

Guest: Noah Giansiracusa, professor of math and data science at Bentley University.

Host: Seth Stevenson

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What Next: Syria Was Putin’s Testing Ground Mar 24, 2022

Russia’s indiscriminate shelling of civilian targets in Ukraine is eerily reminiscent of its involvement in the war in Syria, where the goal was to crush civilian morale amid an uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. How did top global powers allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to be successful in Syria? Are there signs that he’ll enjoy similar success now, in Ukraine?

Guest: William Wechsler, senior director of the Rafik Hariri Center and Middle East Programs at the Atlantic Council.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Congress Is In Denial About COVID Mar 23, 2022

The White House and Senate Republicans are at an impasse when it comes to passing a $15 billion pandemic relief package. And there are growing concerns about money running out for COVID-19 response essentials like tests, therapeutic treatments and vaccines.

This week, some of those pandemic relief federal funds will start drying up. What does that mean for America's state of pandemic readiness – especially if another wave is on the horizon?

Guest: Dan Diamond, national health and policy reporter at The Washington Post.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: A Stalemate in Ukraine Mar 22, 2022

It’s been more than three weeks since Russia declared war on Ukraine. Here’s how each country is preparing for the next brutal stage of this conflict.

Guest: Fred Kaplan covers national security for Slate and is the author of The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: What the Sackler Family Won Mar 21, 2022

A very strange bankruptcy case is coming to a close. Its settlement hinges not on payments rendered or bills neglected, but on the pain of millions of American families who slid into the jaws of the opioid crisis. Now, the people who set off the crisis are about to settle their debts.

Guest: Brian Mann, reporter on addiction for NPR.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: The Startup Delivering Adderall Mar 20, 2022

In just two years, the mental-health startup Cerebral has grown to operate in 50 states, registered more than 200,000 patients, and reached a $4.8 billion valuation. Has it prioritized growth over patient care?

Guest: Caleb Melby

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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A Word: Are Oscars STILL So White? Mar 20, 2022

This year, several Black artists have been nominated for Oscars, including Ariana DeBose, Aunjanue Ellis, Will Smith, and Denzel Washington. But there’s concern that diversity –in front of and behind the camera– hasn’t been fully embraced in Hollywood. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by April Reign, whose 2015 hashtag #OscarsSoWhite sparked a vigorous debate over inclusion in the film business. She addresses the state of her effort, and the work that still needs to be done to make entertainment better reflect the reality of Americans’ lives.

Guest: April Reign, media strategist, and creator of the movement #OscarsSoWhite

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

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The Waves: Negotiate Like a Woman Mar 19, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, it’s all about getting paid. Slate Money co-host Emily Peck is joined by Phoebe Gavin, a career coach and executive director of talent and development for Vox.com. In the first part of the show they unpack Emily’s New York Times article, “What Do You Think You Should Be Paid” and the trap of that question. In the second half, Phoebe gives her advice on how to make sure you are paid what you’re worth.

You can find Phoebe’s career coaching information here.

In Slate Plus, is International Women’s Day feminist?

Recommendations:

Emily: These Precious Days: Essays, by Ann Patchett

Phoebe: Watching Gardeners’ World while wearing Nuit de Feu perfume.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and June Thomas.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next TBD: Hong Kong’s Covid Crisis Mar 18, 2022

Hong Kong's zero-COVID policy got enviable results, but inadvertently set the stage for disaster. What will it take to change course?

Guest: Dr. Karen Grépin, Associate Professor at the School of Public Health at the University of Hong Kong

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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What Next: What It Takes to Get an Abortion in Texas Mar 17, 2022

Last week, the Texas Supreme Court handed down a decision: Abortion providers can no longer sue state medical licensing offiicials to challenge Texas’ six-week abortion ban. Senate Bill 8, as it’s known, went into effect six months ago with ongoing legal battles in local, state and federal courtrooms. As abortion access is further restricted in the state, abortion rights advocates are doing everything they can to continue their work – including flying women out of state to get care – while navigating geographic constraints at the southern border.

Guest: Cathy Torres, organizing manager for Frontera Fund, an abortion fund for the Rio Grande Valley in South Texas.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Russian Media Crackdown Mar 16, 2022

Russian state propaganda has kicked into overdrive as its war on Ukraine continues. State news depicts Ukrainians as the aggressors and the Kremlin’s military as a heroic force. In times like these, how can Russians get accurate information?

Guest: Kevin Rothrock, managing editor of the English side of Meduza and host of the podcast “The Russia Guy.”

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: What Banning Russian Oil Really Means Mar 15, 2022

While the U.S. ban on Russian oil correlates with rising prices in the U.S., it’s still subject to a global market that was on the upswing anyway. In the long run, could the rising prices, whether the result of the ban or not, actually help accelerate decarbonization efforts and move the U.S. to more sustainable forms of energy?

Guest: Robinson Meyer, staff writer at The Atlantic. He is the author of the newsletter The Weekly Planet, and a co-founder of the COVID Tracking Project at The Atlantic.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Persistence of Anti-Asian Violence Mar 14, 2022

In early 2020, reports of violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders began to go up. More alarming is that two years later, the attacks don’t seem to be going anywhere. Why, after so much time passed, hasn’t the story changed?

Guest: Jo-Ann Yoo, Executive Director of the Asian American Federation.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Lynching’s Legacy - Emmett Till to George Floyd Mar 13, 2022

This week, Congress passed the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act to make lynching a federal crime. It’s named for Emmett Till, a Chicago teenager who was brutally killed in Mississippi in 1955. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by historian Lopez Matthews, Jr. to discuss the harmful myths about lynching, and how its specter haunts African Americans to this day.

Guest: Lopez Matthews, Jr. is an executive council member for the Association for the Study of African American Life and History

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis

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What Next TBD: How Minnesota Spied On Protesters Mar 13, 2022

When Minnesota's Operation Safety Net, a coordinated effort among nine Minnesota law enforcement agencies, was announced in February 2021, its mission was to ensure the trial of Derek Chauvin would proceed peacefully. It also promised to protect people's right to gather and demonstrate peacefully.

Did Operation Safety Net keep its promise?

Guest: Tate Ryan-Mosley, reporter for MIT Tech review

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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The Waves: What I Wish I Knew Before I Started IVF Mar 12, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, we’re talking about infertility treatments–and what happens when they don’t work. The Waves producer Cheyna Roth shares her personal struggles and talks about going through IVF with Slate’s Dear Prudence columnist, Jenée Desmond Harris. They talk about what they wished they had known before starting IVF, how to be a good friend of someone experiencing infertility, and Jenée offers advice on how to cope with IVF. Later in the show, Cheyna talks to author Pamela Mahoney Tsigdinos about the ethics of the infertility industry, what to say to a loved one who is going through treatments, and what it means to be an “IVF survivor,”

In Slate Plus, Cheyna and Jenée talk about the slippery slope to IVF and its high price tag. And Slate’s Lili Loofbourow shares what happened when she tried to get insurance to cover IVF.

Additional Reading:

“An IVF Survivor Unravels ‘Fertility’ Industry Narratives,” by Pamela Tsigdinos

“Would You Tell Someone You Were Infertile?” by Pamela Tsigdinos

“As The Dark Side of IVF Slowly Comes Into Focus, EvenMore Transparency Is Needed,” by Pamela Tsigdinos

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and June Thomas.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next TBD: Putin's Internet Crackdown Mar 11, 2022

Vladimir Putin has always regarded the internet with suspicion. Now, with western tech companies pulling out of Russia and control of the war narrative slipping, he sees an opening. Will Putin wall off Russia from the rest of the digital world?

Guests:

Yana Pashaeva, Moscow-based journalist

Justin Sherman, fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative

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What Next: On the Ground With a Ukrainian Journalist Mar 10, 2022

What it’s been like for one Ukrainian-American journalist to cover the Russian attack on his homeland: “The first couple of days of the war, I threw myself into work, and then after that, I couldn't function for a day or two. And I quickly figured out that if I keep working, then I have to abstract it on some level.”

Guest: Romeo Kokriatski, managing editor of The New Voice of Ukraine and co-host of the podcast Ukraine Without Hype.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The January 6th Case Against Trump Mar 09, 2022

The congressional committee investigating January 6th has outlined potential criminal charges against former President Trump. Why did the Department of Justice let someone else beat them to it?

Guest: Ankush Khardori is a DC-based lawyer and a former federal prosecutor who specialized in financial fraud and white-collar crime. He’s a contributing writer for Intelligencer and a contributing editor at Politico.

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What Next: How Zelensky Met the Moment Mar 08, 2022

How Volodymyr Zelensky went from being one of Ukraine’s most successful entertainment moguls to its much-heralded wartime president.

Guest: Franklin Foer, staff writer at the Atlantic.

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What Next: The *New* New Phase of the Pandemic Mar 07, 2022

The Biden administration’s new pandemic rules and countermeasures intend to bring us into a “new phase of the pandemic.” The CDC also released new guidelines for masking, and now about 70% of Americans can go mask free. What do these new guidelines actually say about what stage of the pandemic we’re in?

Guest: Megan Ranney, emergency room doctor at Brown Emergency Medicine.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Supreme Court Showdown Mar 06, 2022

President Joe Biden’s nomination of Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court made history. But according to MSNBC legal analyst Elie Mystal, it will take a lot more than her confirmation to break the conservative hold on the nation’s judiciary. On today’s episode of A Word, he talks with Jason Johnson about the confirmation battle ahead, and about his new book Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution.

Guest: Elie Mystal, MSNBC political analyst and the justice correspondent for The Nation. His new book Allow Me to Retort: A Black Guy’s Guide to the Constitution is out now.

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis

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What Next TBD: When Your Retina Needs a Software Update Mar 06, 2022

Second Sight restored partial vision to hundreds of patients around the world through retinal implants. Then, on the verge of bankruptcy, they abandoned the project. Now, over 300 patients with Second Sight technology in their bodies are asking: what will happen to us?

Guest: Eliza Strickland, senior editor at IEEE Spectrum

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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The Waves: The GOP’s All-Out Assault on Trans People Mar 05, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, we’re talking Texas. Slate community manager Evan Urquhart and author and co-host of Slate’s Outward podcast Jules Gill-Peterson dig into the Texas governor’s directive to treat gender-affirming health care for transgender youth as child abuse. In the first half of the show, they explore what’s going on in Texas and the harm it’s already causing. Later they talk about how the problem in Texas is symptomatic of a much bigger trans obsession by the GOP.

In Slate Plus: Is Trans Exclusionary Radical Feminism feminist?

Recommendations:

Evan: Do your research

“What does the scholarly research say about the effect of gender transition on transgender well-being?”

“U.S. Transgender Survey”

“Mental Health Outcomes in Transgender and Nonbinary Youths Receiving Gender-Affirming Care”

Jules: Support on the ground organizations in Texas and contacting lawmakers to demand they support trans kids.

Donate to TENT

Equality Texas

Campaign For Southern Equality

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and June Thomas.

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What Next TBD: Ukraine’s Information War Mar 04, 2022

Up against one of the world's most effective propaganda operations, Ukraine has taken control of the online narrative. With Russian troops closing in, how important is winning the information war?

Guest: Casey Newton, writer at Platformer

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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What Next: Europe’s Refugee Hypocrisy Mar 03, 2022

As hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians flee to safety in neighboring countries and beyond, the UN says this may become Europe’s largest refugee crisis this century. But it’s hard not to notice the stark difference between how the EU is welcoming Ukrainian refugees versus the non-European refugees who came before them.

Guest: Serena Parekh, professor at Northeastern University in Boston and the director of its politics, philosophy and economics program.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Putin Alone Mar 02, 2022

No one knows what’s going on in Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s head – and while that’s a worrisome idea during the best of times, it’s an especially grim one during a war of his own creation. Putin is increasingly isolated, away from his inner circle and the oligarchs who once had some influence with him.

Guest: Ben Judah is a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and the author of This Is London and Fragile Empire: How Russia Fell In and Out of Love With Vladimir Putin.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Texas’s Attack on Trans Kids Mar 01, 2022

Texas’s Republican governor and attorney general are pursuing a new crackdown on trans kids and their families. Their directive compelling Child Protective Services to treat gender-affirming care as child abuse is raising alarms among trans rights advocates, who say the order, if enforced, will prove dangerous for a vulnerable population.

Why did Republican leaders pick this moment to trumpet an anti-trans effort? How does it fit into a wider culture war—or perhaps a larger effort to drive trans people from public life?

Guest: Katelyn Burns, columnist at MSNBC and co-host of the podcast Cancel Me, Daddy.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: President Biden’s First Supreme Court Pick Feb 28, 2022

President Biden has nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to fill Justice Breyer’s seat on the Supreme Court. If confirmed, she would be the first Black woman to hold a seat on the court. What does her backstory say about her as a jurist?

Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, senior writer for Slate.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Long View on Russia’s Invasion Feb 27, 2022

Russia went all in last week, sending troops across the border with Ukraine and raining shells on the country. Experts are saying Putin’s brash invasion of his neighbor is shifting the world order in significant ways. In the face of this aggression, how should NATO respond? Can history serve as a guide?

Guest: Fred Kaplan, Slate’s War Stories correspondent.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: “Black City. White Paper.” Feb 27, 2022

Philadelphia may be the cradle of American democracy. But the city has a difficult history with race. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s new project, “A More Perfect Union,” is seeking to shed light on the city’s historic racism. It started with itself, acknowledging a history of its role in perpetuating racism in the opening story “Black City. White Paper.” On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by veteran political journalist Errin Haines. She’s leading the Inquirer’s year-long project to expose the bias at the foundation of Philadelphia’s institutions. They talk about what the city –and the country– could learn from the effort.

Guest: Errin Haines, veteran political journalist and a founder of The 19th*, a news non-profit focused on gender, politics, and policy.

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis

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What Next TBD: Peter Thiel, Patron of the Populist Right Feb 27, 2022

Peter Thiel spent the better part of two decades molding the tech industry in his image. Now, he's leaving Facebook behind and turning his attention to politics. Is Thiel the next kingmaker for the populist right?

Max Chafkin, writer for Bloomberg and is the author of The Contrarian: Peter Thiel and Silicon Valley's Pursuit of Power

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The Waves: Why You Need to Downsize Your Skin-Care Routine Feb 26, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor Shannon Palus is joined by freelance beauty reporter, and author of The Unpublishable, Jessica DeFino to talk about why you probably don’t need all the lotions and potions in your cupboards. They start out by discussing Jessica’s recent Slate piece, “Why Your Skin Doesn’t Need Skin Care” and why other outlets turned the piece down. They then go behind the scenes of the beauty industry and talk about the toxicity of celebrity skin-care brands, what it’s like being fake Internet Khloe Kardashian, and why the industry keeps targeting women.

In Slate Plus, is the upcoming bar-soap trend feminist?

Recommendations:

Shannon: Using the Peloton app for exercise (but not buying the equipment)

Jessica: TheAngela Caglia vibrating rose quartz facial roller

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and June Thomas.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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Amicus: And the Nominee Is … Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson Feb 26, 2022

As President Joe Biden announces his pick to replace Justice Stephen Breyer on the Supreme Court, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Olivia Warren, a former clerk of nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, and Slate’s own Mark Joseph Stern to discuss Judge Jackson’s character, her qualifications, and the qualities she’ll bring to the highest court in the land if confirmed.

In our Slate Plus segment, members will hear more from Mark and Dahlia on the other big news of the week: the Supreme Court’s decision to take up a First Amendment case next term that could have sweeping implications for LGBTQ people—and for a lot of other folks besides. They also dig into Florida’s deeply disturbing “don’t say gay” legislation and Texas’ new vigilante directive targeting trans youth and their loved ones.

Podcast production by Sara Burningham.

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Gabfest Special: Justice Jackson Feb 25, 2022

Stanford Law professor Nathaniel Persily joins David and Emily to discuss President Biden’s nomination for associate justice of the Supreme Court, Ketanji Brown Jackson.

You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest. Tweet us your cocktail chatter using #cocktailchatter or post it to our Facebook page. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

The email address for the Political Gabfest is gabfest@slate.com. (Email may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank.

Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap.

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What Next TBD: Russia's Other Battlefront Feb 25, 2022

For seven years, Ukraine has served as a virtual testing ground for a generation of cyber weaponry capable of taking down power grids, networks, and supply chains. With an invasion of Ukraine underway, will these weapons come into play?

Guest: Andy Greenberg, senior writer at WIRED and the author of the book Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt for the Kremlin's Most Dangerous Hackers

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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What Next: The Anti-Government Blueprint in California Feb 24, 2022

Earlier this month in Northern California, a militia-backed anti-government group won a recall vote that will effectively give it control over a county’s local government. The recall ousted a Republican politician from his supervisor seat and was preceded by two years of threats and contentious county meetings stemming from pandemic precautions. Could this style of government takeover become a blueprint for other far-right groups nationwide?

Guest: Doni Chamberlain is a former newspaper reporter and the founder of A News Cafe, a website covering Shasta County in Northern California..

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Putin’s Obsession With Ukraine Feb 23, 2022

President Vladimir Putin has begun sending Russian soldiers into Ukraine after spending months massing troops on the country’s borders. Why is Putin risking so much to take the Donbas region? And does this latest incursion signal a failure of the west’s foreign policy approach to Russia?

Guest: Josh Keating, global security reporter at Grid.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Path to the Sandy Hook Settlement Feb 22, 2022

Last week, the Remington Arms Company reached a $73 million dollar settlement with the families of nine victims killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook massacre—the largest payout by a gun manufacturer in a mass shooting case.

Federal law protects manufacturers from a broad swath of liability in civilian shootings, so the families’ legal team took an interesting tack: they sued under Connecticut’s consumer protection laws and exposed the reckless way Remington marketed their weapons.

Guest: @NicoleHockley is co-founder and CEO of Sandy Hook Promise Foundation.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Gabfest Reads: Heartbreak Feb 21, 2022

Gabfest reads is a new monthly series from the hosts of the Political Gabfest. This month David Plotz talks with author Florence Williams about divorce, affection, good friendships, and her new book Heartbreak: A Personal and Scientific Journey.

Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank.

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A Word: Porn and Prejudice Feb 20, 2022

Pornography is more than a dirty secret. It’s a profitable one, making billions from American consumers each year. And like much of entertainment, it trafficks in damaging racial stereotypes. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Dr. Carolyn West. She’s a psychology professor at the University of Washington who produced the documentary “Let Me Tell Ya’ll Bout Black Chicks: Images of Black Women in Pornography.” They discuss the often violent racism within the porn industry, and how that impacts the way society views African American sexuality.

Guest: Dr. Carolyn West, Professor of Psychology at the University of Washington

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis

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What Next TBD: The COVAX Fantasy Feb 20, 2022

Over two years into the pandemic, much of the world remains either unvaccinated, partially vaccinated, or lacking access to mRNA vaccines entirely. How did the leading effort to vaccinate the world go so wrong?

Guest: Achal Prabhala, coordinator of the AccessIBSA project and a fellow of the Shuttleworth Foundation, in Bangalore.

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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The Waves: Hockey Mom Charm Couldn’t Save Sarah Palin Feb 19, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior writer and host of the Outward podcast Christina Cauterucci is joined by Slate senior writer Seth Stevenson to talk about Sarah Palin and her recent trial against the New York Times. In the first half of the show, they unpack what happened at Palin’s trial and dig into why Palin’s clothes are a major part of her personality. Later on, Seth and Christina discuss how Palin’s time in court mirrored her 2008 run for vice president.

In Slate Plus, our hosts discuss a piece by Jessica M Goldstein in the Washingtonian titled, “More and More Women Are Paying Alimony to Failure-to-Launch Ex-Husbands. And They’re Really, Really Not Happy About It,” and whether or not the title issue is feminist.

Read Seth’s coverage of the trial in Slate here.

Recommendations:

Christina: Studio portraits of pets.

Seth: Hate-watching Apple TV+’s The Morning Show.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and June Thomas.

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What Next TBD: "Rampant Racism" at Tesla Feb 18, 2022

Last week, California's Department of Fair Employment and Housing sued Tesla. It accuses the electric vehicle maker of fostering a workplace rife with racism and discrimination.

What's happening inside Tesla's Fremont plant?

Guest: Dana Hull, reporter for Bloomberg

Host: Lizzie O'Leary

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What Next: The Olympics’ Latest Doping Scandal Feb 17, 2022

Olympic athletes and commentators were stunned this week to learn that 15-year-old Russian figure skater Kamila Valieva will be allowed to compete in Beijing’s Winter Games, despite testing positive in December for a banned substance. The controversy has kicked up raw feelings about Russia’s history of doping and the fecklessness of Olympics officials to apply rules evenly across countries.

Guest: Justin Peters, Slate correspondent and the author of The Idealist: Aaron Swartz and the Rise of Free Culture on the Internet.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: A Trump Protege Auditions for 2024 Feb 16, 2022

Florida governor, Ron DeSantis has been on a tear promoting hyper-conservative policies – from his “Stop Woke Act” to gerrymandering, he’s shocking even fellow Republicans. Is this his way of preparing for a 2024 presidential run?

Guest: Mary Ellen Klas is the Miami Herald Capitol Bureau Chief.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Sarah Palin v. the New York Times Feb 15, 2022

For decades, the press has enjoyed a wide latitude when writing about public figures. But the high legal standard for defamation may be coming in for some scrutiny in the libel suit of Sarah Palin versus the New York Times.

Guest: Slate contributor Seth Stevenson. Read his latest coverage of the trial of Sarah Palin v. New York Times.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Where Does Minneapolis Go Now? Feb 14, 2022

Old wounds are open again in Minneapolis. The city is struggling to investigate a police shooting from earlier this month, when officers carried out a “no-knock” search warrant and fatally shot a 22-year-old Black man in bed. The victim, Amir Locke, was not a suspect in the crime police were investigating. The shooting comes months after city voters rejected a plan to defund the police, and some city officials are struggling to figure out a path forward with a police force that’s been difficult to reform and an electorate that has little appetite for radical change.

Guest: Jeremiah Ellison, member of the Minneapolis City Council.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: The Rise of a Fast Fashion Juggernaut Feb 13, 2022

In just a few short years, the Chinese fast fashion company Shein upended the way countless young women shop online. It’s approach could soon shape the way everyone else shops, too.

Guest: Louise Matsakis, freelance technology reporter

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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A Word: Black Balled in the NFL? Feb 13, 2022

The NFL claims that Black coaches are treated fairly in the league. But former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores is suing, saying he can’t get a job because of racial bias. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Joel Anderson, co-host of Slate’s sports podcast Hang Up and Listen, to talk about the controversy, and the limits of the “Rooney Rule” in ending racism in hiring for NFL coaches.

Guest: Joel Anderson, co-host of Slate’s sports podcast Hang Up and Listen, and host of Slow Burn: The LA Riots

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis

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The Waves: All The Layers of Mess at the Winter Olympics Feb 12, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, co-host of Slate’s podcast, Working, June Thomas is joined by Amira Rose Davis, history professor and co-host of the feminist sports podcast Burn It All Down. They dig into the “bog standard” sexism we keep seeing in the Games, the lack of diversity in the Winter Games (despite the International Olympic Committee constantly saying the Games are more diverse than ever), and why they still can’t stop watching the Olympics. (Spoiler: One reason is insomnia.)

In Slate Plus, is the IOC method of increasing female participation in the Games by introducing more mixed-gender events feminist?

Recommendations:

June: Amazon Prime’s The Expanse

Amira: HBO’s The Fallout and Season 3 of Blue Wire’s podcast American Prodigies out Feb. 21.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and June Thomas.

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What Next TBD: How Safe is the Metaverse? Feb 11, 2022

Facebook’s first crack at the metaverse has a problem: kids. Underage users seem to be flooding Horizon Worlds, potentially putting themselves at risk.

Is Meta doomed to repeat Facebook’s mistakes?

Guest: Will Oremus, technology news analysis writer for the Washington Post.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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What Next: What You Don’t See At The Olympics Feb 10, 2022

As the Winter Olympics unfold in Beijing, a darker reality remains: China’s abuses against the Uyghurs, an ethnic minority in the country’s Xinjiang region. While much of the world remains glued to the sports coverage, Uyghurs in the diaspora are calling on people to pay attention to China's treatment of their family members back home.

Guest: Gulchehra Hoja, a Uyghur journalist with Radio Free Asia.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Canadian Trucker Revolt Feb 09, 2022

The Ottawa truckers protest is neither exclusive to Ottawa nor strictly composed of truckers. And its supporters are hoping to head to a city near you.

Guest: Jesse Brown, editor-in-chief of Canadaland.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: When Planned Parenthood Burns Down Feb 08, 2022

With Roe v. Wade on the chopping block, abortion access is under fire in states around the country. At Planned Parenthood’s Knoxville location, the clinic faced that literally when an arson attack burned the building to the ground. How will providers rebuild when the things they stand for are so threatened?

Guest: Tory Mills, director of community engagement for Planned Parenthood’s Knoxville Health Center.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The NFL’s Race Problem Feb 07, 2022

Until last month, Brian Flores was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, and one of only three Black head coaches among the NFL’s 32 teams. That number has since dropped to one.

On Tuesday, Flores announced he was suing the NFL, alleging that the league's hiring practices are racist. His suit comes almost 20 years after the creation of the Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview ethnic-minority candidates for senior positions, and eight years after Colin Kaepernick was black-balled from the sport for kneeling during the national anthem—begging the question of how much has really changed in that time.

Guest: LZ Granderson, columnist for the Los Angeles Times and host of ABC News’ “Life Out Loud with LZ Granderson.”

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next TBD: The Code That Runs Your Life Feb 06, 2022

Banks, healthcare providers, and retailers around the world still rely on COBOL, a programming language originally developed in the 1960s. By all accounts the code is powerful, practical, and very rarely problematic. But the small group of people who still know the language are aging out of the workforce.

What happens when there are no more COBOL coders left?

Guest: Clive Thompson, journalist and author of "Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World."

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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A Word: Homegrown Black History Feb 06, 2022

Searching for truthful versions of Black history can be tough, especially as honest lessons about racism are caught up in the controversy over Critical Race Theory. In his new book Who Are Your People?, political commentator Bakari Sellers delivers Black history to a generation of kids, something inspired by his own experience as a father. Bakari Sellers joined Jason Johnson on today’s episode of A Word to talk about the importance of being truthful about Black history with kids in a way that they can understand.

Guest: Bakari Sellers, political commentator, attorney, and author of the book Who Are Your People?

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis

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The Waves: Romantic Comedies Are Making a Comeback. Will They Be Better This Time? Feb 05, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate culture writer LIli Loofbourow is joined by Nichole Perkins, pop culture writer, author, and co-host of This Is Good for You. They talk about the history of the romantic comedy—and what makes it such an enjoyable, but sometimes insidious, genre. Then they unpack the return of the rom-com, why bromantic comedies are sometimes good for you, and shout to the heavens for more sex in rom-coms.

In Slate Plus, are the cartoon makeovers of M&M’s and Minnie Mouse feminist?

Recommendations:

Lili: One in Me I Never Loved, by Carla Guelfenbein

Nichole: The Worst Best Man, by Mia Sosa.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and June Thomas.

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What Next TBD: Spotify’s Joe Rogan Mess Feb 04, 2022

For Spotify, the last month has seen a cascade of controversies around its exclusive podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience. Is it time for the streaming service to rethink its role as a podcast publisher? And is it even possible to moderate podcast misinformation?

Guest: Evelyn Douek, lecturer at Harvard Law School, and Affiliate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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What Next: A New Kind of Gun Control Feb 03, 2022

A popular, outgoing liberal mayor in Silicon Valley is taking on gun rights groups with a splashy municipal ordinance fashioned to curb gun violence—and be the first of its kind. Gun rights groups are foretelling doom for the new law, and the NRA called it a “ridiculous publicity stunt.”

Does this city’s initiative have the hallmarks of a breakthrough on gun violence prevention? Will lawsuits tank it before anyone has the chance to find out?

Guest: Sam Liccardo, mayor of San Jose, California.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Mineral The Future Is Built On Feb 02, 2022

Cobalt is the most important mineral of the future. It’s a key part of lithium-ion batteries, which power cell phones and laptops, not to mention electric cars. That demand is giving rise to a mining industry in Idaho, which sits atop a giant cobalt deposit. But the environmental costs of extraction raise questions about what “clean energy” really means.

Guest: Michael Holtz, freelance journalist and author of “Idaho Is Sitting on One of the Most Important Elements on Earth.”

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Life and Death of the Expanded Child Tax Credit Feb 01, 2022

The expanded Child Tax Credit slashed childhood poverty in the U.S. by an estimated 30%. Why won’t congress revive it?

Guest: Jordan Weissmann, writer and editor at Slate focused on economics, politics, and public policy.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: How China Is Spinning the Olympics Jan 31, 2022

No one is happy with the way this year’s Winter Olympics are unfolding. Athletes are frustrated with China’s excessive pandemic precautions. Diplomatic tensions are rising. Are the second COVID games on thin ice?

Guest: Henry Bushnell, features writer for Yahoo Sports.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Black Horror is Killing It Jan 30, 2022

For decades, it has a running joke that Black characters were the first to die in horror movies. But movies like Nia DaCosta’s Candyman and Jordan Peele’s Get Out are rewriting the script, and creating horror villains and heroes who represent the real Black experience. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Tananarive Due, an award-winning author and producer who teaches Black Horror and Afrofuturism at UCLA, to discuss the past and future of Black horror.

Guest: Tananarive Due, award-winning author, and producer who teaches Black Horror and Afrofuturism at UCLA

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis

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The Waves: Can Women Exercise Without the Patriarchy Getting in Our Heads? Jan 29, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate podcast producer Cheyna Roth is joined by author Danielle Friedman. Friedman’s new book Let’s Get Physical explores the history of women’s exercise, and how some old attitudes still linger. They talk about the double bind women have faced when it comes to exercising, the “uterus myth,” and where we’re at with anti-fatness and inclusivity in exercise.

In the Slate Plus segment: Are yoga pants feminist?

Recommendations:

Cheyna: YouTube yogi Yoga With Adriene.

Danielle: Watching movies from the 1930s. Especially Jewel Robbery.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.

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What Next TBD: The Downfall of One of the World's Biggest Brains Jan 28, 2022

Ten years ago, IBM made a gamble. Through a monumental advertising and PR campaign, it promised that its AI technology–Watson–would transform the health care industry as we know it. A decade and billions of dollars later, Watson Health is being sold for parts.

What went wrong with IBM’s “moonshot?” And what does Watson’s failure tell us about the promise of AI for health care?

Guest: Casey Ross, national technology correspondent for STAT

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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What Next: Bye Bye, Breyer Jan 27, 2022

This week, Justice Stephen G. Breyer is expected to announce his plan to retire from the Supreme Court at the end of its term this summer. Breyer’s signal comes after a year-long pressure campaign from the political left and others anxious to ensure that Democrats control who replaces the court’s most senior liberal justice.

Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, who covers courts and the law for Slate.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Putin’s Plan Jan 26, 2022

The odds of a Russian invasion of Ukraine are increasing, with thousands of Russian troops stationed near the two countries' border. Vladimir Putin is set on ensuring Ukraine gives up its ambitions to join NATO and the European Union, and it’s unclear how much he’s willing to risk to meet that objective.

How far will the Russian leader go to get what he wants? Is there any way to end the standoff without violence?

Guest: Amy Mackinnon, national security and intelligence reporter at Foreign Policy.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Policing-for-Profit Jan 25, 2022

Over the last few years, a sleepy southern town has seen its arrest rate grow more than 1100%. It’s not because of a spike in crime in Brookside, Alabama; instead, the town’s law enforcement has adopted a policing-for-profit model that treats citizens as revenue generators and cracks down on them accordingly. In turn, some residents enter debt spirals as the town’s police force rakes in more cash, with no signs of stopping anytime soon.

Guest: John Archibald, columnist for AL.com and the Birmingham News.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Danielle Hewitt, Elena Schwartz, and Carmel Delshad.

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What Next: How the Texas Synagogue Survived Jan 24, 2022

Stuart Frisch gave security training to the members of Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, less than six months before they found themselves under siege and held hostage—a training the rabbi cited when explaining how they managed to escape.

How does Frisch approach protecting spaces that aren’t meant to be fortresses? Can faith and security coexist?

Guest: Stuart Frisch, advisor for the Secure Community Network.

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If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Home Robbery Jan 23, 2022

In theory, the Fair Housing Act of 1968 outlawed all forms of real estate discrimination. In reality, Black home sellers often see their homes valued much lower than similar homes owned by whites. Andre Perry of the Brookings Instititution joins the show today to talk about the how real estate discrimination has robbed Black Americans billions of dollars in generational wealth, and what can be done to change it.

Guest: Andre Perry, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and author of Know Your Price: Valuing Black Lives and Property in America’s Black Cities

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis and Asha Saluja

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The Waves: Was the Women’s March Successful? Jan 22, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior writer Christina Cauterucci looks back to the first Women’s March that took place on Jan. 21, 2017. She talks to New YorkMagazine’s Rebecca Traister about what the march accomplished for progressive organizing and the role protests can have going forward. Then she sits down with Angela Peoples, an activist and organizer who went to the march with a sign saying “White Women Voted for Trump”—and went viral.

In Slate Plus, Christina and Angela continue their conversation and talk about the connection between the Women’s March and the Black Lives Matter protests during the summer of 2020.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next TBD: Why Does Matt Damon Want Me to Buy Crypto? Jan 21, 2022

A recent advertisement for crypto.com, featuring Matt Damon, was met with widespread mockery online. But Damon’s ad is only the most visible example of a much broader—and more insidious—trend of celebrity cryptocurrency endorsements. Is the partnership between crypto and Hollywood really dangerous? And what separates the trend from run-of-the-mill salesmanship?

Guests: Jacob Silverman, staff writer for the New Republic and Ben McKenzie, actor, writer, and director.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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What Next: Is Biden Flunking COVID? Jan 20, 2022

President Biden, unlike his predecessor, was able to spend some time planning his COVID-19 response. One year in, is the plan working?

Guest: Dan Diamond, national health reporter for the Washington Post.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Supreme Court, Unmasked Jan 19, 2022

The Supreme Court heard two challenges to the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccination mandates this month. It blocked one mandate and upheld another, giving some observers whiplash.

How did the court come to such different rulings on similar workplace mandates, and what do the rulings say about how the court views the federal government as a whole?

Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, staff writer covering courts and the law for Slate.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The New King of Conservative Media Jan 18, 2022

Conservative talk radio host Dan Bongino sits atop a media ecosystem that is fueling the fervor behind Trump and his big lie.

Guest: Evan Osnos is staff writer at The New Yorker and a fellow at the Brookings Institute. He’s also the author of Wildland: The Making of America’s Fury.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Biden: Fighting or Failing on Voting Rights? Jan 16, 2022

President Biden and Vice President Harris made impassioned speeches in Georgia this week, calling voting rights a top political priority. But the grassroots organizers who helped turn Georgia in 2020 want more than words, and many refused to attend the president’s event. One of those people is Nsé Ufot, the CEO of the New Georgia Project voting rights group. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson talks with Ufot about dangers to voting rights, frustrations with Biden, and the dire consequences for people of color should voting protection efforts fail.

Guest: Nsé Ufot, CEO of the New Georgia Project

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

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The Waves: What's Different About Women's Brains? Jan 15, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor Shannon Palus is joined by author Emily Willingham. Emily’s new book The Tailored Brain: Feeling Better and Thinking Smarter is all about how our brains work and whether gender plays a role in brain enhancement. They talk about how to be more empathetic and the ways empathy can boost your brain, the importance of using a feminist lens in brain science, and the old theory that brains are made of sperm.

In the Slate Plus segment, Emily and Shannon talk about Emily’s other book, Phallacy: Life Lessons From the Animal Penisand explore why the duck vagina is like a gated community.

Recommendations:

Shannon: Wearing perfume to turn your mood around.

Emily: Lightly meditating by beholding a tree.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus, Susan Matthews and June Thomas.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next: Should Democrats Compromise on Election Reform? Jan 13, 2022

For the past year, Democrats have been touting the importance of passing two huge federal voting protections bills. If those plans can’t pass, should the party tackle straight-up election subversion?

Guest: Rick Hasen, professor of law and political science at the University of California–Irvine School of Law and author of Election Meltdown: Dirty Tricks, Distrust, and the Threat to American Democracy.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Greg Abbott’s PR Play at the Border Jan 12, 2022

Back in March, Texas Governor Greg Abbott sent a couple hundred members of the Texas National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border to counteract what he called President Biden’s “open border policies.” Almost a year later, around 10,000 troops are stationed there at Abbott’s command. Many guardsmen have had to upend their lives for a mission that seems to have little purpose.

Guest: Davis Winkie, staff reporter for Army Times.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Chicago’s Public School Meltdown Jan 11, 2022

Chicago Public Schools canceled classes for three consecutive days this year, following a vote by the teachers union to defy in-person teaching orders amid a rise in COVID-19 cases. The union wants additional safety measures in place as teachers and students return to school. Meanwhile, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the union’s actions are “illegal,” and the public schools system said the refusal to teach in-person amounted to a strike.

How will the showdown end? And when will students get back into the classroom?

Guest: Sarah Karp, education reporter at WBEZ in Chicago.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: J.D. Vance’s Long Game Jan 10, 2022

J.D. Vance became a sought-after cultural translator when he published Hillbilly Elegy. Now, he’s a rhetorical bomb-thrower running for the Republican nomination for Senate in Ohio. But underneath Vance’s transformation is a relatively consistent appreciation for a new strain of conservatism still in the process of defining itself. Could Vance’s candidacy advance this intellectual movement on the political right?

Guest: Simon van Zuylen-Wood, who wrote about J.D. Vance for the Washington Post Magazine.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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One Year: Ann Arbor's DNA Dragnet Jan 09, 2022

This week, we’re bringing you an episode from another show we think you’ll like.

Slate's history podcast One Year introduces you to people and ideas that changed American history, one year at a time. The new season of One Year covers 1995, a year when homegrown terrorists attacked Oklahoma City, America went online, and the Macarena took over nightclubs.

When a serial rapist struck Ann Arbor, Michigan, the police turned to drastic measures, based on the promise and power of DNA. For law enforcement, genetic testing seemed like a can’t-miss idea. But DNA didn’t fix anything in Ann Arbor. Instead, it ripped the community apart.

One Year is produced by Josh Levin, Evan Chung, and Madeline Ducharme. Additional production help from Cheyna Roth. Mixing by Merritt Jacob.

Slate Plus members get to hear more about the making of One Year. Get access to extra episodes, listen to the show without any ads, and support One Year by signing up for Slate Plus for just $1 right now.

For a behind-the-scenes look into some of the articles we read when we create the show, check out our Pocket collection at http://getpocket.com/slate.

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The Waves: Middle-Aged Women Are Getting Their Due on TV Jan 08, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate managing producer Asha Saluja and Slate senior editor Shannon Palus discuss women and aging on television. Through two seemingly unrelated shows—HBO Max’s And Just Like That and Showtime’s Yellowjackets—they dig into how these shows portray their protagonists for better and worse, and what makes the relationships between women compelling in both shows.

In Slate Plus: Was it feminist that Carrie was an anti-hero in the original series of Sex and the City?

Recommendations:

Asha: The album Urban Driftwoods by Yasmin Williams.

Shannon: Swabbing your throat for COVID and this Lululemon yoga mat.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews, Shannon Palus, and June Thomas.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next: Rapid Test Blues Jan 06, 2022

Back in March of 2020, a scientist working at MIT developed a rapid test for the novel coronavirus. It wasn’t quite as accurate as a PCR, but would have gone a long way in detecting infectious cases during the emerging pandemic. But her test was never approved—and today, the U.S. is still behind other developed countries in our mass testing scheme.

Guest: Lydia Depillis, reporter for ProPublica.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Is the Pandemic Getting Better... Or Worse? Jan 05, 2022

It's easy to look at the latest pandemic-related disruptions and assume we're careening into another full-blown COVID crisis. But in many ways, we’re getting better at combating this coronavirus.

Guest: Dan Diamond, national health reporter for the Washington Post.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Coup Next Time Jan 04, 2022

Months before the attack on the Capitol, Bart Gellman predicted that the 2020 election would usher in a make-or-break year for American democracy. He was correct. Now, he’s trying to sound the alarm again. This time he says American democratic institutions and systems are being broken before our eyes, and the people in power aren’t doing enough to stop it.

Guest: Barton Gellman, staff writer at The Atlantic.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Capitol Rioters, A Year Later Jan 03, 2022

The Justice Department’s criminal investigation into the January 6th insurrection is unprecedented. More than 700 rioters face charges, and federal prosecutors are still adding names to the pile. As cases work their way through the courts, judges are sparring over the proper approach to sentencing rioters. How do you hold an individual responsible for a collective event?

Guest: Zoe Tillman, senior legal reporter with BuzzFeed News.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Get Facts, Get Free: The Emancipator Jan 02, 2022

Should journalists work to end American racism, not just report on it? That’s what the Boston Globe’s new project, The Emancipator, is making its mission. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by its co-editor-in-chief, Amber Payne. They discuss The Emancipator’s history, and its vision for an anti-racist American future.

Guest: Amber Payne, co-editor in chief of The Emancipator at the Boston Globe

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

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The Waves: “It Was and Is Horrible” Jan 01, 2022

On this week’s episode of The Waves, former hosts Christina Cauterucci, Nichole Perkins and Marcia Chatelain return for a special reunion. They haven't been on the microphones together since the pandemic started, and they have a lot to discuss. They cover the nighttime doula Twitter fight, thoughts on the generational battles that are raging, how race plays a role in nostalgia, and the horrors of dating during the pandemic.

In Slate Plus: Is gift giving sexist?

Recommendations:

Christina: Sheertex tights

Nichole: Candles, especially from Brooklyn Candle Studio and Posh Candle Company.

Marcia: Checking out interesting children’s books like Julián Is a Mermaid, by Jessica Love.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next: Best of 2021 | When Your Town Burns Down Dec 30, 2021

We’re re-running some of our favorite episodes from the past year. This episode originally aired in August 2021.

Last week, the northern California mountain town of Greenville was wiped out by the Dixie Fire, which lasted for two months and is now the second largest wildfire in California history. As Greenville residents assess the damage to their homes and businesses, is it safe to rebuild? Is it even ethical, when wildfires are expected to only get worse?

Guest: Margaret Garcia, also known as Meg Upton, reporter at Plumas News.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Danielle Hewitt, Elena Schwartz, Davis Land, and Carmel Delshad.

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What Next: Best of 2021 | Will the NFL Finally Support Gay Players? Dec 29, 2021

We’re re-running some of our favorite episodes from the past year. This episode originally aired in June 2021.

The Las Vegas Raiders’ defensive end, Carl Nassib, came out in an Instagram post back in June, making him the first openly gay active player in NFL histroy. The league immediately posted in celebration of Nassib’s announcement. But given the NFL’s sorry history of standing by players on the vanguard, will the league really put its money where its mouth is this time?

Guest: LZ Granderson, LA Times opinion columnist and host of ABC News’ “Life Out Loud with LZ Granderson.”

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Danielle Hewitt, Elena Schwartz, Davis Land, and Carmel Delshad.

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What Next: Best of 2021 | How Should We Remember Colin Powell? Dec 28, 2021

We’re re-running some of our favorite episodes from the past year. This episode originally aired in October 2021.

Colin Powell, known as a “trailblazer” and “pathbreaker” in his military career, leaves behind a complicated legacy. The four-star general became a household name during the first Gulf War as the first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and later the first Black secretary of state.

Thirty years after his rise to national prominence, Powell’s death has prompted reflections on the Iraq War and his role in using false intelligence to justify the U.S. invasion.

Guest: Fred Kaplan, Slate’s War Stories columnist.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Danielle Hewitt, Elena Schwartz, Davis Land, and Carmel Delshad.

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What Next: Best of 2021 | God Doesn’t Want Me Vaccinated Dec 27, 2021

We’re re-running some of our favorite episodes from the past year. This episode originally aired in September 2021.

Who are the people seeking a religious exemption to the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate? What are their religious claims? And how do workplaces decide who has a real claim to belief versus a convenient letter from a pastor-for-hire?

Guest: Ruth Graham, reporter for The New York Times.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Danielle Hewitt, Elena Schwartz, Davis Land, and Carmel Delshad.

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The Waves: A Very Waves Reunion Dec 25, 2021

On this week’s episode of The Waves, it’s a very special reunion episode. Original hosts of The Waves, June Thomas, Noreen Malone, and Hanna Rosin gather together to catch up on everything that’s happened since their last episode in July 2019. They talk about topics they wish they could have covered, how the workforce has changed for women, bits of culture they’ve loved over the last couple of years, and how hosting The Waves made them more interesting people.

In Slate Plus: Are the holidays sexist?

Recommendations:

June: Showtime’s Yellowjackets

Noreen: Hulu’s series Only Murders in the Building

Hanna: The Electricity of Every Living Thing, by Katherine May, and The Great British Baking Show

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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A Word: Black Christmas Movie Bonanza Dec 24, 2021

It’s the holiday season, which means it’s time to press play on your favorite Christmas movies. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by essayist and pop culture critic Rebecca Theodore-Vachon to talk about what really makes a Black Christmas movie, and which classics they recommend.

Guest: Rebecca Theodore-Vachon, essayist, pop culture critic, and host of The Spectrum Lounge podcast.

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis

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What Next: Best of 2021 | When the Culture War Comes For Your Job Dec 23, 2021

We’re re-running some of our favorite episodes from the past year. This episode originally aired in July 2021.

Brittany Hogan worked in diversity and inclusion for the Rockwood School District for eight years. As public debate intensified over the way race is discussed in schools and threats were made against her, Hogan eventually was pushed to resign.

Guest: Brittany Hogan, former director of educational equity and diversity for the Rockwood School District in St. Louis County.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Danielle Hewitt, Elena Schwartz, Davis Land, and Carmel Delshad.

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What Next: Best of 2021 | One Woman’s Year Protecting George Floyd Square Dec 22, 2021

We’re re-running some of our favorite episodes from the past year. This episode originally aired in May 2021.

A year after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, residents near the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue—now dubbed George Floyd Square—continue to keep the area closed off. The city wants to reopen the intersection, but activists say they aren’t giving in until the community’s demands for justice are met.

Guest: Marcia Howard, security volunteer and organizer in George Floyd Square.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Danielle Hewitt, Elena Schwartz, Davis Land, and Carmel Delshad.

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What Next: Best of 2021 | The Plight of the Delivery Worker Dec 21, 2021

In the last few years, New York City’s delivery workers have become a key part of the food industry’s infrastructure, allowing restaurants to do business with customers who are too stressed to leave their desks, or too cautious to leave their homes. But a spate of violent attacks and bike thefts has shown that the people delivering your Grubhub and Seamless orders are deeply vulnerable. Why are these essential workers being exploited by apps and abandoned by the police, forced to band together just to get by?

Guest: Josh Dzieza, an investigations editor and feature writer at The Verge covering technology, business, and climate change.

We’re re-running some of our favorite episodes from the past year. This episode originally aired in September of 2021.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Joe Biden's Putin Problem Dec 20, 2021

What does a massing of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border mean? And could this conflict be defused yet by diplomacy?

Guest: Slate’s Fred Kaplan, author of The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Black and Missing: Finding Our Own Dec 19, 2021

It’s already a devastating situation when a loved one goes missing. And if you’re Black, you’ll likely have fewer resources and help to find your family member. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Derrica Wilson. She’s the co-founder and CEO of the Black and Missing Foundation, the group that inspired the HBO documentary Black and Missing. They talk about the disparities in the way the media and police treat missing people of color, how that impacts the chances that people are found, and what the Black and Missing Foundation is doing to change the dynamics.

Guest: Derrica Wilson, Co-Founder, and CEO of the Black and Missing Foundation, Inc.

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis

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The Waves: The Case Against Ghislaine Maxwell Dec 18, 2021

On this week’s episode of The Waves, senior managing producer of Slate podcasts June Thomas is joined by Slate senior writer Seth Stevenson to talk about the ongoing trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, which Seth has been covering since it started at the end of November. Maxwell is accused of helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse minors by recruiting and grooming underage girls. First, Seth and June catch up on what has been happening in the courtroom now that the prosecution has rested its case. In the second half of the show, they unpack some of Maxwell’s history of benefiting from shady men and Seth predicts what’s to come. Looming over the trial, and our discussion: Is it fair to hold a woman accountable for aiding in a man's wrongdoings?

Also mentioned in the episode: Seth’s 2019 account of his experience being a member of the jury in a murder trial.

In Slate Plus, Seth and June discuss TV shows that focus on young women trying to make it in New York media, like Younger and The Bold Type.

Recommendations:

June: The British TV show Antiques Road Trip

Seth: The Peter Jackson documentary The Beatles: Get Back.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next TBD: The Carbon Capture Fantasy Dec 17, 2021

Using experimental technology to pull gigatons of carbon out of the air and bury it deep beneath the Earth sounds like a bad sci-fi plot point. If things don’t change soon, it also might be one of our only options.

Guest: Clive Thompson, journalist and author of Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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What Next: What Mark Meadows Knew Dec 16, 2021

After initially cooperating with the select committee investigating the events of January 6, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows reversed course, deciding instead to assert executive privilege. But Meadows had already handed over documents and text messages relating to that day—painting a picture of how Trump’s inner circle reacted as the Capitol was under siege.

What happens to Meadows now that he’s been held in contempt of Congress? And could possible criminal charges for defying the committee spur other witnesses to speak?

Guest: Nicholas Wu, congressional reporter for Politico.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Why Didn’t Maryland Democrats Go For the Jugular? Dec 15, 2021

Maryland Democrats had a shot at an 8-0 gerrymander this redistricting cycle. To the frustration of the national Democratic party, they stopped just shy of that number. Should Maryland Democrats have just taken the total low road on partisan gerrymandering?

Guest: Jim Newell, senior politics reporter for Slate. Sign up for his weekly newsletter, The Surge.

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What Next: Abrams vs. Kemp vs. Perdue Dec 14, 2021

When Georgia Governor Brian Kemp announced his intent to run for reelection, he knew he was facing down a rematch with voting rights activist and former state lawmaker Stacey Abrams. What he likely didn’t expect was a challenge from the right in the form of David Perdue, a local businessman, former senator, and good friend who was encouraged to run against him by Donald Trump. Now, the question is whether Trumpism can be a winning argument in Georgia—or whether Democrats might be able to exploit Republicans’ division to score a win in the deeply purple state.

Guest: Greg Bluestein, reporter covering state politics for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: When Your Book Gets Banned By the School Board Dec 13, 2021

Banning books in schools is on the rise. Around the country, parents are lobbying to banish from libraries and curriculums any work they deem to be “graphic” or “offensive,” often sweeping up books centered on queer or POC experiences in the process. Some authors say that’s no coincidence - nor is it surprising that this is happening just as the publishing industry is remaking itself to tell more diverse stories. The question is, what’s the best way to respond to the outrage?

Guest: Ashley Hope Pérez, author of three YA novels, including Out of Darkness, and professor of literature at Ohio State University.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Abbott Elementary’s Top Teacher Dec 12, 2021

How do you make a struggling public school --with outdated textbooks, a shady principal, and broken everything-- funny? Ask comedian Quinta Brunson, star and creator of the new ABC show Abbott Elementary. Brunson joins Jason Johnson on today’s episode of A Word to discuss the sitcom, her work on HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show, and her unconventional path to comedy stardom.

Guest: Quinta Brunson, writer, producer, comedian, and actress. She’s the author of the memoir “She Memes Well.” Brunson’s new show Abbott Elementary on ABC is out now.

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

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The Waves: The Fight Over Abortion Is About to Get Extremely Local Dec 11, 2021

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate’s news director Susan Matthews interviews the Nation’s abortion-access correspondent, Amy Littlefield about her reporting for her recent New York Times piece, “Where the Pro-Choice Movement Went Wrong.” They start by talking about how America got to the precipice of overturning Roe v. Wade, and whether reproductive rights advocates are prepared for the fight to come. Later in the show, they discuss how women will continue to access abortion without Roe, and why organizing needs to become more local.

In Slate Plus Susan is joined by What Next senior producer Danielle Hewitt and The Waves producer Cheyna Roth to talk about the upcoming Sex and the City TV sequel, And Just Like That...

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next TBD: Who Online Justice Leaves Behind Dec 10, 2021

The U.S. civil court system doesn’t get as much attention as the criminal courts, but it would be hard to overstate its importance. In 2018, for example, 47 percent of respondents to a Pew survey said they had dealt with the system in one way or another; from eviction proceedings, to debt collection, to child-support modifications.

What happened when the pandemic upended such an important pillar of the justice system? Did new technologies fix existing problems—or just create new ones?

Guest: Qudsiya Naqui, officer at the Pew Charitable Trust

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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What Next: The School Shooting Down the Street Dec 09, 2021

Michigan state Senator Rosemary Bayer has been fighting for years to get safe storage laws on the books in her home state. In the wake of the shooting at Oxford High School, a school that sits in her district, her mission has become that much more urgent.

Guest: Rosemary Bayer is a state senator in Michigan. She represents the northern suburbs of Detroit.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: What Peng Shuai Started Dec 08, 2021

When Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai accused a former Chinese Vice Premier of rape, what came next was darkly predictable: the athlete disappeared from public view while the government scrubbed all mentions of her allegations and censored searches for her name. But few expected the Women’s Tennis Association to strike back, suspending all future tournaments in China and Hong Kong.

As the WTA stands up to China - leaving millions of dollars on the table - will other sports organizations follow suit and hold the government to account over its human rights abuses?

Guest: Ben Rothenberg, senior editor of Racquet Magazine and host of the tennis podcast No Challenges Remaining.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: House Democrats’ Long-Shot Plan to Dodge Disaster Dec 07, 2021

All signs point to rough congressional elections next year. What are House Democrats doing to hold their majority?

Guest: Rep. Sean Maloney (D-N.Y.), chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

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What Next: The 30-Year Plan to End Roe Dec 06, 2021

After oral arguments last week, the Supreme Court looks ready to overturn Roe v. Wade. How did conservatives get to this moment when the majority of Americans favor legalized abortion? And do liberals have the patience to keep the fight alive?

Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, staff writer at Slate covering the Supreme Court.

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A Word: Planes, Trains and Pandemic Travel Plans Dec 05, 2021

With a growing number of Americans vaccinated, many are contemplating traveling for the holidays, despite concerns about a new COVID variant. For Black travelers, navigating an unfamiliar society’s ideas about race adds another complication. On this episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by veteran lifestyle journalist and travel expert Dayvee Sutton to talk about her experience while traveling as a Black woman during the pandemic.

Guest: Dayvee Sutton, veteran lifestyle journalist and travel expert

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis

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The Waves: Can Kamala Harris Turn Things Around? A Skeptic and an Optimist Debate Dec 04, 2021

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate editor-at-large Noreen Malone and executive producer of Slate podcasts Alicia Montgomery talk about Vice President Kamala Harris. They unpack what she’s done (and hasn’t done) and how the White House may be using her as a shield for unpopular policies. Then they dig into whether it’s possible to turn Harris’ abysmal approval ratings around.

In the Slate Plus “Is This Feminist?” segment, Noreen and Alicia discuss whether the move toward more casual clothing at work is feminist.

Recommendations:

Noreen: Happy Hour, by Marlowe Granados

Alicia: HBO’s Succession and Insecure.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next TBD: Did @jack Ruin Twitter? Dec 03, 2021

On Monday, Jack Dorsey stepped down as CEO of Twitter. It’s not the first time he’s left the job.

Is this really the end for the man who guided Twitter through the Trump era? And how will the platform change without him at the helm?

Guest: Nick Bilton, special correspondent at Vanity Fair

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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What Next: Why No One Told Chris Cuomo No Dec 02, 2021

CNN anchor Chris Cuomo was recently placed on indefinite leave by the network for his involvement in the damage control operations of his brother, former NY governor Andrew Cuomo, over the last year. A trove of documents revealed that Chris had overstepped ethical lines to help protect Andrew while he was under fire for allegations of sexual harassment.

Why did the younger Cuomo wade into the political muck, putting his job at risk? And will CNN hold him accountable?

Guest: Erik Wemple, media critic for the Washington Post.

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What Next: Everything We (Don’t) Know About Omicron Dec 01, 2021

In November, South Africa alerted the world to Omicron, a new strain of COVID-19. Then, as cases began to pop up worldwide, the World Health Organization labeled it a “variant of concern.” What do we know about Omicron, and just how worried should we be?

Guest: Dr. Katelyn Jetelina, assistant professor with the School of Public Health at UTHealth and author of Your Local Epidemiologist on Substack.

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What Next: Are the Democrats Making Child Care Even Worse? Nov 30, 2021

Child care has long been a “textbook example of a broken market,” as Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said this fall. How have government efforts so thoroughly failed to fix this industry? And does Biden’s infrastructure bill threaten to hamper child care businesses even more?

Guest: Claire Suddath, writer for Bloomberg Businessweek.

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What Next: RIP to the SAT Nov 29, 2021

If you had to take the SAT for your college admissions process, you largely have the University of California System to thank for that. When the university adopted the test in 1968, hundreds of other colleges followed suit. But now, U.C. has decided not to use standardized tests in admissions anymore. Could the decision spur a retooling of the college admissions process more broadly?

Guest: Teresa Watanabe, education reporter for the Los Angeles Times.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Cooking for the Culture Nov 28, 2021

The holidays bring out the chef in many of us. For Vallery Lomas, stress-baking through her final year of law school laid the foundation for a career as a chef, and a victory in the Great American Baking Show. This week, she joins host Jason Johnson this week to talk about her unlikely path to celebrity chef status, and her new book Life is What You Bake It.

Guest: Vallery Lomas, cookbook author, recipe developer, and creator at @foodieinnewyork on Instagram

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel and Jasmine Ellis

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The Waves: Why Women Are in Charge of Leftovers Nov 27, 2021

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate staff writer Rebecca Onion is joined by leftovers expert and cookbook author Tamar Adler, author of An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace, to talk about what to do with all your excess food. They start out by discussing why dealing with leftovers has historically fallen on women and the division of labor in their own homes. Then they shift gears and give ideas for new dishes to transform your leftovers into—from the gravy to the cranberry sauce.

In Slate Plus, Rebecca and Tamar talk about whether cooking for a date and “engagement chicken” is feminist.

Recommendations:

Rebecca: Mowing, instead of raking, your leaves.

Tamar: Making cleaning part of your work schedule and watching videos during your home exercise class.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.

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What Next: Whose Second Amendment Is It? Nov 24, 2021

The Supreme Court is considering a case that may strike down New York state’s strict restrictions on carrying a gun in public. Some public defenders think that might be a win for criminal justice reform.

Guest: Sharone Mitchell Jr., Chief Defender for the Cook County Public Defenders.

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What Next: Inflategate Nov 22, 2021

How many times a day do you hear the word “inflation” now? Many items are getting more expensive, but what’s actually driving those price increases? And are we heading towards a repeat of the 1970s wage-price spiral, or is this a temporary blip?

Guest: Jordan Weissmann, senior editor at Slate.

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A Word: Colorism, Cluelessness, and Carefree Black Girls Nov 21, 2021

Zeba Blay popularized the hashtag #carefreeblackgirls, a celebration of positive online representation of Black women and girls. In her book Carefree Black Girls, she reckons with why––even in a pop culture led by people of color––so many critics are white men. Blay joins the show this week to discuss The Harder They Fall, Passing, Dave Chappelle, and where today’s artists are, and aren’t, hitting the mark on race.

Guest: Zeba Blay, culture and film critic and author of the book Carefree Black Girls

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel and Jasmine Ellis

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The Waves: Taylor Swift and Adele Take Different Approaches to Aging and Pop Stardom Nov 20, 2021

On this week’s episode of The Waves, managing producer of Slate Podcasts Asha Saluja and senior editor Shannon Palus dive into new releases from superstars Adele and Taylor Swift. In the first half, they talk about how Taylor Swift shaped their views of romance and being 22, and whether her move to take back her song catalogue is actually feminist. Then, Asha and Shannon explore the conversation around Adele’s weight loss and the patriarchal expectations put on female pop stars.

In our Slate Plus segment, Asha and Shannon talk about whether it’s feminist when female pop stars don’t dance in their music videos.

Recommendations:

Asha: Jao Refresher hand sanitizer and singing in the shower.

Shannon: Getting a latte and going for a walk with said latte.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.

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What Next TBD: Space Junk! (And Space Wars?) Nov 19, 2021

Over the weekend, Russia tested a new weapon—a type of missile that can fly into space and destroy a satellite in orbit.

The test created thousands of pieces of debris, which will hurtle around the Earth’s orbit for years to come. What’s the real risk of the rapid increase in space junk? And is there anything to be done about it?

Guest:

Laura Grego, Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow at MIT

Host: Seth Stevenson

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What Next: Can Beto O’Rourke Fail Up? Nov 18, 2021

Beto O’Rourke is running to replace Greg Abbott as governor of Texas. Though it’s his first time in this particular race, you’d be forgiven for thinking, “again?”

Where does this habitually-losing smooth-talking Irish-guy-with-a-bordertown-nickname fit into a state with changing demographics and an incumbent governor under assault from both the right and left? Is Beto building a coalition, or heading for a third and final defeat?

Guest: Patrick Svitek, political correspondent for the Texas Tribune.

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What Next: The Battle Over San Francisco’s Schools Nov 17, 2021

After dragging its feet on reopening schools this winter, the San Francisco Unified School District school board is under fire. Their every decision is being scrutinized by angry parents and three of its members are facing recall elections. What happens when the school board debate comes to the Bay?

Guest: Jill Tucker, education writer for the San Francisco Chronicle.

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What Next: Is the FBI’s Surveillance of Muslims Really a State Secret? Nov 16, 2021

Members of an Orange County mosque noticed a new convert was asking some strange questions. He turned out to be an FBI informant. Will the Supreme Court allow the bureau to be held accountable?

Guest: Rowaida Abdelaziz, national reporter covering Islamophobia & immigration for HuffPost.

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What Next: “I Quit My Job Today” Nov 15, 2021

You’ve likely heard about the great resignation -- this moment when millions of workers across the country have handed in their notice. Sometimes, people left because they were overworked. Sometimes, it’s because they wanted to change paths, or make more money elsewhere. But for every employee quitting, there’s an employer being quit on. These are stories from the great resignation: Who’s quitting, who’s hiring, and how long this moment is likely to last.

Guests:

Betsey Stevenson, professor of public policy and economics at the University of Michigan.

Rachel, a recently resigned employee from Massachusetts.

Julia James, co-owner of Radish and Rye Food Hub in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Lights, Camera, Revolution Nov 14, 2021

Decades before Moonlight, Black Panther, or anything from Spike Lee, Black film artists worked through and around the studio system to bring their visions to the big screen. Now the Black Film Archive has brought together classics from 1915 to 1979. Its creator Maya Cade joins Jason Johnson on A Word to talk about the importance of African Americans connecting with movies from the past.

Guest: Maya Cade, creator of Black Film Archive and audience development specialist for the Criterion Collection

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis

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The Waves: What the Debate Over ‘Pregnant People’ Is Really About Nov 13, 2021

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate’s news director Susan Matthews talks with Slate writer and community manager Evan Urquhart about the phrase, “pregnant person.” What started as an effort to be inclusive of transgender men has devolved into an argument that at times has become transphobic. Susan and Evan unpack what’s going on with this “debate,” and, later in the show, get into more productive ways to be a trans ally, the perils of the health care system, and how to better include trans and nonbinary people in coversations about them.

In Slate Plus, Evan and Susan talk about the Torrey Peters novel, Detransition Baby.

Additional Reading:

“Words for Every Body” by Ray Briggs and B R George

“Should feminists talk about ‘pregnant people’?” by Jennie Kermode

“You Can Still Say ‘Woman’ But You Shouldn’t Stop There” by Irin Carmon

“BIPOC or POC? Equity or Equality? The Debate Over Language on the Left” by Amy Harmon

“Healthcare avoidance due to anticipated discrimination among transgender people: A call to create trans-affirmative environments” by Luisa Kcomt, Kevin M. Gorey, Betty Jo Barrett, Sean Esteban McCabe

Recommendations:

Susan: Kiese Laymon’s book Heavy and Laymon’s The Ezra Klein Show interview with Tressie McMillan Cotton.

Evan: The “best game of 2021” Inscription and Metroid Dread for the Nintendo Switch.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next TBD: The Kid-Vaccine Holdouts Nov 12, 2021

A recent poll showed that about a third of parents of younger children would get their kids vaccinated, a third would not, and the final third said they wanted to wait and see how the vaccines worked.

Public health officials are asking: what will it take to convince that third group that now is the time to vaccinate?

Guests:

Julie Hamill

Dr. Aaron Carroll, pediatrician and professor of pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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What Next: The Astroworld Tragedy Nov 11, 2021

Last Friday, a surging crowd killed at least eight people and left hundreds injured at Travis Scott’s music festival Astroworld in Houston. Public uproar over the needless deaths has placed responsibility at the rapper’s feet - and at those of police officers who failed to intervene and shut the show down.

How did Scott’s signature “raging” spill over into a mass casualty event? And how do we tease out blame between Scott himself, and the way music festivals are run?

Guest: Tom Breihan, senior editor at Stereogum.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: A Controversial New Plan to Fight Homelessness Nov 10, 2021

The Los Angeles City Council has passed a new policy giving Council members the power to target specific encampments for cleanup. While the effort might eventually result in less visible homelessness in some parts of the city, critics say it might be more in service of political gain than anything else.

Guest: Benjamin Oreskes, Metro reporter at the LA Times.

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What Next: Has Minneapolis Given Up on Police Reform? Nov 09, 2021

Minneapolis voters have rejected a referendum to dissolve and replace their police department by a dramatic 12-point margin. The election result reflects a different mood from what the city saw a year ago, when protesters booed the mayor for resisting the movement to defund the police.

Why were the planned police reforms so unpopular in the city where George Floyd’s murder sparked an international movement for justice? And what lessons should activists for and against the measure take from this moment?

Guest: Jon Collins, senior reporter for MPR News.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Do Vaccine Mandates Work? Nov 08, 2021

In mid-October, Mayor Bill DeBlasio announced that New York City municipal workers would have just nine days to get the COVID vaccine or risk being put on unpaid leave. Thousands of workers showed up the next week to protest the mandate. A week after the hammer came down, did Mayor DeBlasio correctly call their bluff?

Guest: Eric Lach, staff writer for The New Yorker.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Legacy of Fire: The L.A. Riots Nov 07, 2021

It’s been almost 30 years since the Los Angeles riots rocked the nation. Even now, many Americans remember where they were when they heard that four L.A.P.D. officers were acquitted for beating Rodney King. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Joel Anderson, host of Slate’s Slow Burn Season 6: The L.A. Riots. They talk about the roots of the 1992 crisis, and whether it’s better understood as a riot or an uprising.

Guest: Joel Anderson, Slate writer and host of Slow Burn: The L.A. Riots

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis

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The Waves: Daddy Love Me! Breaking Down the Men and Women of Succession Nov 06, 2021

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate Money Succession podcast host Emily Peck and Slate staff writer Lili Loofbourow talk about the men versus the women of HBO’s Succession. They start out by talking about the power struggles and anxieties facing the female characters, and debate whether Shiv Roy just sucks. Then they talk about men in this bro-y show, including all that toxic masculinity and the relationship between Greg and Tom.

In Slate Plus, this week’s “Is This Feminist” discussion is all about Seinfeld’s Elaine Benes.

Recommendations:

Lili: Using vintage gold nibbed fountain pens

Emily: The podcast “The Just Enough Family”

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.

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What Next TBD: How Schools Surveil Your Kids Nov 05, 2021

In schools across the country, tighter digital controls were put in place to keep kids on task during the pandemic. Are they here to stay?

Guests: Priya Anand, reporter at Bloomberg

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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What Next: Is It Time for Democrats to Panic? Nov 04, 2021

Democrats suffered major losses in local and state elections this week. Are the results a harbinger for the party’s fate heading into the 2022 midterms?

Guest: Jim Newell, Slate’s senior politics writer.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: White Supremacy on Trial in Charlottesville Nov 03, 2021

It’s been over four years since white supremacists gathered in a violent and deadly demonstration in Charlottesville, Virginia. Now, nine people are suing the organizers and groups involved with the Unite the Right rally as they try to prove the protest was a conspiracy to commit racially-motivated violence. This isn’t the first time white supremacists have been taken to court -- but could this trial spell real consequences?

Guest: Kathleen Belew, a historian at the University of Chicago, and the author of Bring the War Home: The White Power Movement and Paramilitary America and A Field Guide to White Supremacy.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: A Rust-Belt City Might Elect a Socialist Nov 02, 2021

India Walton won the Democratic primary for Mayor of Buffalo, New York, in June. Her victory put her on track to become the first socialist mayor in the city’s history, and the first nationwide in more than half a century. The only problem is, her opponent - current mayor Byron Brown - refuses to bow out, and is waging a well-funded write-in campaign in the hopes of keeping his post.

How has a self-styled socialist gotten so close to running Buffalo? And why are some Democrats standing in her way?

Guest: Ross Barkan, a contributing writer to The Nation and the author of The Prince: Andrew Cuomo, Coronavirus, and the Fall of New York.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: How Long Can Mark Zuckerberg Be King? Nov 01, 2021

The public scrutiny applied to Facebook has been building for years, as the company grows its user base faster than its ability to regulate its content. But distrust among Facebook employees is also building, as evidenced by the remarkable disclosure of internal Facebook documents by whistleblower Frances Haugen. A crisis of trust could be what undoes Mark Zuckerberg’s plans to dominate the internet of the future.

Guest: Steven Levy is editor-at-large at WIRED and author of numerous books, including, most recently,Facebook: The Inside Story.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: From Schoolyards to Prisonyards Oct 31, 2021

School is supposed to be a safe environment for students to thrive. But too many school policies put non-white and disabled students on the path to prison. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson speaks with professor and author Lori Martin, about fighting the school-to-prison pipeline, and how parents can protect their children from falling into the criminal justice system.

Guest: Lori Martin, sociology professor at Louisiana State University and author of Big Box Schools: Race, Education, and the Danger of the Wal-Martization of Public Schools in America

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis

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The Waves: Does Your Favorite Scary Movie Have a Lady Problem? Oct 30, 2021

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor Allegra Frank and Waves producer Cheyna Roth embrace the Halloween season and talk about horror movies. They get into the mainstays of horror and slasher movies that continue to haunt the genre to this day, ask whether the “final girl” trope is feminist, and question whether it’s possible to remake a classic without all its original (often sexist) baggage.

In Slate Plus, Allegra and Cheyna keep the Halloween theme going and discuss whether sexy Halloween costumes are feminist.

Recommendations:

Allegra: A very specific TikTok sound.

Cheyna: Hulu’s series Only Murders in the Building.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next TBD: Why Are Bots Buying Sneakers? Oct 29, 2021

The bots aren’t just buying cool sneakers. They’re buying concert tickets. Tickets to basketball games and Broadway shows. At the beginning of the pandemic, they were buying hand sanitizer and face masks. And later, they were booking vaccine reservation spots.

Why are bots taking over certain markets? And is there anything we can do to slow them down?

Guests:

Derreck Johnson, designer at Slate

Eric Budish, economics professor at the University of Chicago

Host: Seth Stevenson

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What Next: Why I Quit Advising Kyrsten Sinema Oct 28, 2021

Last week, five members of Senator Kyrsten Sinema’s Veterans Advisory Council publicly stepped down. In their resignation letter, they claimed that they were just “window dressing for her image” and called her “one of the principal obstacles to progress.” One of those veterans explains why she finally said enough.

Guest: Sylvia González Andersh, former member of Senator Kyrsten Sinema’s Veterans Advisory Council.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Is Bill Gates to Blame for Lagging Vaccinations? Oct 27, 2021

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation funds many, if not most, of the world’s global health initiatives, so much so that the Foundation has become one of the most influential deciders of global health policy. With the distribution of vaccines to developing countries all but completely failing, how do we assess the Gates’ culpability? And is it time to imagine another model for global health cooperation?

Guest: Tim Schwab, investigative reporter.

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What Next: The Afghans Who Got Out Oct 26, 2021

Sharifa Abbasi knows exactly what it’s like to board a plane to a new country. She immigrated from Afghanistan to the U.S. with her family in 1993. Now, she’s helping other Afghans navigate the complicated red tape of American immigration law after the Taliban takeover. For these immigrants, coming to America wasn’t easy -- being able to stay here might prove even harder.

Guest: Sharifa Abbasi, immigration lawyer at The HMA Law Firm.

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What Next: A Brazen Kidnapping in Haiti Oct 25, 2021

Last weekend, 17 foreign missionaries living in Haiti were taken hostage by a criminal gang demanding million-dollar ransom payments. Kidnappings have become routine in Haiti over the past two years, as the national government has weakened in the wake of years of foreign influence, corruption, persistent poverty, natural disasters, and political upheaval. But the latest mass abduction of so many Americans is a provocation that could prompt an international intervention, in spite of the long history of botched foreign meddling in Haiti.

Guest: Jacqueline Charles, Caribbean correspondent for the Miami Herald.

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A Word: Uneven Playing Field Oct 24, 2021

Whether the issue is Covid policy or police violence, Black athletes can’t run, jump, or score their way out of the racial power dynamics of major sports. On today’s episode of A Word, veteran sportswriter and author Howard Bryant joins Jason Johnson to talk about the intersection of sports and race. They discuss the controversy over basketball star Kyrie Irving’s vaccine resistance, former NFL coach Jon Gruden’s offensive emails, and Colin Kaepernick’s endless campaign to return to the football field.

Guest: Howard Bryant, veteran sportswriter, commentator, and author of several books including The Heritage: Black Athletes, a Divided America, and the Politics of Patriotism

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis

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The Waves: Why Being the Chef on a Yacht Could Drive Anyone to Yell “Eat My Cooter!” Oct 23, 2021

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate news director Susan Matthews and Waves producer Cheyna Roth talk about one of the most popular reality TV shows: Below Deck. First, they share why they love it even though it is...a bit problematic, and then they bring on Rachel Hargrove, the chef from Seasons 8 and 9. Hargrove dishes on what it’s really like to be behind the camera, the backlash she received after her first season, working in the male-dominated yachting industry, and how yachts and their kitchen are making more room for women.

In Slate Plus: More from Susan and Cheyna’s chat with Rachel. They talk about what you don’t see on television and get Rachel’s thoughts on the upcoming season of Below Deck.

Recommendations

Susan: The HBO and BBC series I May Destroy You.

Cheyna: Setting your parents up with Spotify.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next TBD: Honey, I Sold the House to Zillow Oct 22, 2021

Between April and June of this year, Zillow bought nearly 4,000 homes. And they had no intention of holding onto them. The plan was to flip houses, often and at scale, joining the ranks of companies like Opendoor and Offerpad, also known as iBuyers.

So, why did Zillow put their plans on pause last weekend? Can online middlemen really change the way we buy and sell houses?

Guests:

Tony Santos, homeowner

Patrick Clark, reporter at Bloomberg

Host: Henry Grabar

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What Next: How Immunity for Cops Ends Oct 21, 2021

Once an obscure legal doctrine, the practice of qualified immunity for police has drawn widespread public scrutiny in the past year. But as mainstream support for ending qualified immunity grows, police unions are amping up their opposition.

Guest: Kimberly Kindy, national investigative reporter for The Washington Post.

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What Next: Is Trump Still On Virginia’s Ballot? Oct 20, 2021

Virginia’s gubernatorial election is just weeks away, with former Virginia governor, Democrat Terry McAuliffe, vying against newcomer Republican Glenn Youngkin. Many polls show a slim margin between the two candidates, as they spar over issues like critical race theory and Trump’s legacy in an election seen as a bellwether for the upcoming midterm elections.

Guest: Ben Paviour, state politics reporter at VPM.

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What Next: How Should We Remember Colin Powell? Oct 19, 2021

Colin Powell, known as a “trailblazer” and “pathbreaker” in his military career, leaves behind a complicated legacy. The four-star general became a household name during the first Gulf War as the first Black chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and later the first Black secretary of state. Thirty years after his rise to national prominence, Powell’s death has prompted reflections on the Iraq War and his role in using false intelligence to justify the U.S. invasion.

Guest: Fred Kaplan, Slate’s War Stories columnist.

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What Next: No One's Got Mail Oct 18, 2021

Democrats spent months fretting last year about the Postal Service and the fate of democracy. Now the Democrats are in charge. So why is the mail slowing down? And could planned changes fix what ails the Postal Service?

Guest: Jacob Bogage, business reporter for the Washington Post.

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A Word: Black to the Land Oct 17, 2021

California’s Governor Newsom recently signed legislation to return Bruce’s Beach, beachfront property that had been seized from a Black family after a campaign of racist violence and intimidation. But it’s only one of thousands of cases where African American families lost property to everything from extra legal land seizures, to systematic lending discrimination. Professor Thomas Mitchell, a law professor at Texas A&M University and MacArthur Genius Grant winner, joins the show this week to talk about protecting and reclaiming African-American land.

Podcast production by Samira Tazari, Jasmine Ellis, and Asha Saluja

This year marks the 25th anniversary of Slate. And for a limited time only, we’re offering our annual Slate Plus membership at $25 off. As a member, you’ll get no ads on any of our podcasts, unlimited reading on the Slate site, and member-exclusive episodes and segments.

Sign up for Slate Plus at slate.com/awordplus to keep us going for another 25 years. This special offer goes through Oct. 31st, so sign up now at slate.com/awordplus.

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The Waves: Finding Hope for Women in the Climate Crisis Oct 16, 2021

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate staff writer Rebecca Onion is joined by Grace Lynch, host of As She Rises, a podcast that centers the poems of artists around the world to explore the climate crisis. The pair talk about the dangerous impact climate change has on the lives of women—emotionally, physically, and, in some cases, as mothers. Is there hope? Depends on how you look at it.

In our Slate Plus “Is This Feminist” segment, Rebecca and Grace debate if “Bond girls” are feminist.

Recommendations:

Rebecca: The Trouble With White Women, by Kyla Schuller and the Netflix show Midnight Mass.

Grace: The podcasts Encyclopedia Womanica and Fall of Civilizations.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.

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What Next TBD: The Return of Hacktivism Oct 15, 2021

Over the last month, the domain company Epik and the streaming service Twitch have fallen prey to massive-scale hacks. The hackers revealed not just email addresses, but detailed personal information too. For Twitch, it was the entire source code for their site.

But the attackers aren’t holding this data for ransom. In fact, they don’t seem to want much of anything. What’s motivating this new wave of activist hacks? And who suffers?

Guest: Drew Harwell, tech reporter at the Washington Post

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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What Next: The Strike That Could Paralyze Hollywood Oct 14, 2021

For as glamorous as Hollywood often seems, the workers behind the scenes rarely experience the star treatment. They do everything from sound design and makeup to cinematography and lighting, and they’ve had enough with the industry’s dizzying production pace and long hours that stretch into the early morning. Motivated by shifts in the industry due to the pandemic, workers from the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees union are gearing up for a strike that could halt movie and show productions alike.

Guest: Anousha Sakoui, entertainment industry writer for the Los Angeles Times.

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What Next: Is Someone Brain-Zapping American Operatives? Oct 13, 2021

The Havana Syndrome sounds like something straight out of a spy novel: microwaves are being directed towards U.S. embassies, causing hearing loss, headaches, and in some cases, permanent brain damage. The Biden administration is taking these “anomalous health incidents” very seriously. Should we?

Guest: Micahel Wilner, a Senior National Security and White House Correspondent for McClatchy.

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What Next: When Airbnb Takes Over Your Neighborhood Oct 12, 2021

Galveston is a small island off the south east coast of Texas. It’s become a hot spot for short term rentals through start-ups like Airbnb. But what the city has gained in tourism dollars, they’ve lost in actual residents.

Guest: Peter Holley is a senior editor at Texas Monthly.

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A Word: Supreme Injustice Oct 10, 2021

The Supreme Court is back in session and its public support is in free fall. But the unpopular court seems poised to radically alter the lives of millions of Americans. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by political analyst Elie Mystal to discuss what’s on the docket, and why so many Americans are braced for the Court to shred their rights.

Guest: Elie Mystal, MSNBC political analyst and the justice correspondent for The Nation

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel and Jasmine Ellis

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The Waves: Can You Really Have a Feminist Wedding? Oct 09, 2021

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate’s news director, Susan Matthews sits down with former colleague and host of the Why Oh Why relationship podcast, Andrea Silenzi to talk about all things weddings. They get into the weirdness of weddings, the sexist nature of some of the traditions, and how to reckon with all that while still having a good time on the dance floor.

In Slate Plus: Is The New York Times Vows column feminist?

Recommendations:

Susan: The new album, An Overview on Phenomenal Nature by Cassandra Jenkins.

Andrea: A brand new pasta shape called Cascatelli.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.

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What Next TBD: Will the Facebook Whistleblower Make a Difference? Oct 08, 2021

The last month has seen a steady drip of leaked documents from inside Facebook, each seemingly more damning than the next. This week, the whistleblower behind the leaks revealed her identity.

What motivates Frances Haugen? And can she do real damage to the social media giant?

Guest: Jeff Horwitz, tech reporter at the Wall Street Journal.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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What Next: Congress Plays Chicken Oct 07, 2021

Congressional Republicans are forcing Democrats into a game of chicken over the debt ceiling where the stakes are the well-being of the global economy. It’s a showdown that has played out time and again since 2011, but it doesn’t have to be this way.

Guest: Jordan Weissmann, senior editor for Slate

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What Next: Are We Ready for the Next Pandemic? Oct 06, 2021

You might think that the wreckage caused by COVID-19 would be enough to make the U.S. take pandemic planning seriously. But a close look at current pandemic preparedness efforts reveals that’s far from the truth. It’s not too late, though, to get ready for the next Big One - if we’re willing to make serious investments beyond fighting germs.

Guest: Ed Yong, a staff writer at The Atlantic covering science.

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What Next: Democrats’ Gerrymandering Dilemma Oct 05, 2021

With the results of the 2020 census in hand, all 50 states have begun the process of redistricting. Extremely thin margins in the House of Representatives mean that this hyper-local process has big implications on the balance of power at a national scale.

After aggressive Republican gerrymandering in the 2011 redistricting cycle, many Democrats came out in favor of creating non-partisan commissions to draw new voting maps. But how much of a moderating force are they really? And what happens if either side decides not to play by the commissions’ rules?

Guest: Nick Riccardi, a western political writer for AP.

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What Next: The Supreme Court Confronts Its Critics Oct 04, 2021

As the U.S. Supreme Court begins a new session, several justices are trying to reassure the public of the court’s nonpartisanship. But, as Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick argues, when you dig into the recent decisions of the court, you’ll see it becoming steadily more political.

Guest: Dahlia Lithwick writes about the courts and the law for Slate and hosts the podcast Amicus.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Las Vidas Negras Importan Oct 03, 2021

The 2020 Census revealed that a growing number of Latino Americans are acknowledging their Black heritage. But that choice has never been simple. Professor Tanya Hernández of Fordham University School of Lawjoins Jason Johnson to talk about the bias Afro-Latinos have faced across the Americas, from their governments and even their own families. They also explore how Afro-Latinos pressing for greater representation in entertainment, media, and politics.

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

Guest: Professor Tanya Hernández, Fordham University School of Law

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel, Jasmine Ellis, and Asha Saluja

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The Waves: Does the New Clinton Impeachment Show Do Monica Lewinsky Justice? Oct 02, 2021

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate executive producer of podcasts Alicia Montgomery and The Waves producer, Cheyna Roth talk about the Clinton impeachment and the why, decades later, we can’t seem to let go of this story. They start out by unpacking Ryan Murphy’s new show, American Crime Story: Impeachment and how feminist thinking has evolved since the mid-90s. After the break they talk about the characters surrounding Monica Lewinsky, and whether the show treats them fairly.

In Slate Plus’s “Is This Feminist” segment, Alicia and Cheyna talk about whether the ongoing Britney Spears saga is feminist.

Recommendations:

Alicia: Diving headfirst into Fall.

Cheyna: Lindy West’s new Substack Butt News.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.

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What Next TBD: What Instagram Does to Teens Oct 01, 2021

Since 2018, internal research teams at Facebook have been studying the effect on Instagram on mental health. Their results couldn’t be more clear: Instagram is causing problems, especially for teen girls.

Why has it taken so long for their research to surface? And what can be done to improve the relationship between kids and the platform?

Guest: Georgia Wells, tech reporter at the Wall Street Journal.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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What Next: The Vaccine Holdouts in the NBA Sep 30, 2021

The 2021-2022 NBA season will be underway in less than a month. The league has set strict testing and distancing rules for unvaccinated players. Largely, that strategy has worked but there are some vocal holdouts.

Guest: Bomani Jones is an ESPN commentator and the host of the Right Time with Bomani Jones podcast.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Why a Hollywood #MeToo Organization Imploded Sep 29, 2021

Time’s Up was founded in 2018 in the wake of the #MeToo movement to fight sexual harassment and gender discrimination in the workplace. How, then, was the organization felled by accusations of a toxic work environment and close associations with abusers?

Guest: Lili Loofbourow, staff writer at Slate.

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What Next: A Doctor’s Hardest Call Sep 28, 2021

It’s hard to imagine, but many states had a plan for how they would make tough calls about the distribution of scarce medical resources during a pandemic. As our present crisis has dragged on, and hospitals have become overwhelmed, those plans are beginning to go into effect -- with some interesting caveats.

Guest: Sheri Fink, correspondent at The New York Times.

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Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Davis Land, Danielle Hewitt, Elena Schwartz, and Carmel Delshad.

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What Next: Death and Desperation at Rikers Island Sep 27, 2021

In the past year, twelve inmates on Rikers Island have died and it’s corrections staff has started refusing to come to work. The jail is slated for closure in 2027, but what can be done now to alleviate its problems?

Guest: Jan Ransom is a metro investigative reporter focused on criminal justice for the New York Times.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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The Waves: Is Overthrowing Capitalism the Best Path to More Consensual Sex? Sep 25, 2021

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate staff writer and co-host of the podcast Outward, Christina Cauterucci sits down with author Amia Srinivasan to discuss her new book The Right to Sex. They talk about why false rape accusations are like plane crashes—greatly feared, but not as prevelant as we think. Then they dig into what could help us all start having a better kind of sex, and why just giving women money could go a long way in preventing domestic violence.

In Slate Plus, we debut our new segment, “Is This Feminist?” Slate News Director Susan Matthews and The Waves producer Cheyna Roth discuss Dr. Jill Biden’s decision to keep teaching while also carrying out her First Lady “duties”.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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A Word: Texas Political Power Twins Sep 24, 2021

Recorded as part of the Texas Tribune Festival, this week’s episode is a conversation with brothers US Representative Joaquin Castro and 2020 presidential candidate Julián Castro. The brothers join Jason to discuss how the Biden administration is measuring up on the issues that were important to their own campaigns, the potential ripple effects of Texas’ new extreme abortion legislation, and the importance of Latino representation in the media.

Guests: Joaquin Castro, US Representative for Texas’ 20th District, and Julián Castro, former Secretary of HUD and 2020 presidential candidate

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel, Jasmine Ellis, and Asha Saluja.

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

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What Next TBD: Are We Getting COVID Testing All Wrong? Sep 24, 2021

In the U.S., the PCR test is the gold standard for COVID testing. Common knowledge would have it that the test is more accurate—and therefore more effective at containing the spread of the dease—than the rapid antigen test.

What if that isn’t quite true?

Guest: Michael Mina, assistant professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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TRAILER: This Is Critical Sep 23, 2021

Introducing a new podcast from Trumpcast host Virginia Heffernan! Fearless, sophisticated culture criticism for all generations. Nothing is off-limits, nothing dumbed down. With American culture on the rocks, we're split into fake "wars" about everything from avocados to bicycles to medical masks. It's time we took a critical lens to every facet of our shared experience. And that's what Virginia Heffernan is prepared to do.

To hear more, be sure to subscribe to This Is Critical wherever you get your podcasts.

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What Next: How Biden’s Agenda Could Fall Apart Sep 23, 2021

Congressional Democrats are struggling to bring together their moderate and progressive factions to pass an infrastructure bill and its gigantic sidecar, a budget plan filled with tax hikes, climate-related legislation, and social spending. With the party divided, is Biden’s agenda about to hit the skids?

Guest: Jim Newell, Slate’s senior politics writer and author of the weekly newsletter, The Surge.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Haitian Refugees Blocked at the Border Sep 22, 2021

By last weekend, nearly 14,000 migrants primarily from Haiti had amassed along the border in Texas. Then the Biden administration began a massive deportation effort.

Now, Haitians facing violence and instability at home are caught at the intersection of multiple disasters and an American president whose immigration goals remain murky, with many migrants saying they were never given the chance to make an asylum claim in the first place.

Guest: Jacqueline Charles, Caribbean correspondent for the Miami Herald

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Did Gen. Milley Go Too Far? Sep 21, 2021

General Mark Milley, the nation’s top military officer, is making sure the press knows about the role he played in safeguarding democracy under President Trump. How singular were his efforts? And what do they reveal about our governmental institutions?

Guest: Fred Kaplan, Slate’s War Stories correspondent and author of the book, The Bomb.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: God Doesn’t Want Me Vaccinated Sep 20, 2021

Who are the people seeking a religious exemption to the Biden administration’s vaccine mandate? What are their religious claims? And how do workplaces decide who has a real claim to belief versus a convenient letter from a pastor-for-hire?

Guest: Ruth Graham, reporter for the New York Times.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Cancelling the “Black Friend” Excuse Sep 19, 2021

Your barista, your golf buddy, your ex-college roommate...just because you are friendly with a Black person doesn’t mean you’re friends. And even if you are, you can still be a racist. Scholar Khalil Gibran Muhammad explores the “Black buddy” myth of racial healing this through his podcast “Some of My Best Friends Are…”, which he co-hosts with his white best friend, Ben Austen. On today’s episode of A Word, Muhammad joins Jason Johnson to talk about interracial friendships, and evolving views about how they reflect racial progress in America.

Guest: Khalil Gibran Muhammad is a historian, author, and the co-host of “Some of My Best Friends Are…,” a new podcast on the Pushkin network.

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel and Jasmine Ellis

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The Waves: Where Have All The Teen Magazines Gone? Sep 18, 2021

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate staff writers Rebecca Onion and Heather Schwedel dive into girls’ and women’s magazines. Many outlets like Sassy and CosmoGirl have been shuttered or moved to online-only editions. With the recent resurrection of teen magazine icon Atoosa Rubenstein in the media, Rebecca and Heather talk about what made these types of magazines pop and how problematic they were for their audience—especially the young girls. Then they dig into the lasting impact these relics have in the digital age.

Recommendations:

Rebecca: The 2016 PBS show Victoria and Nicola Griffith’s book Ammonite.

Heather: Listening to music, especially if you usually listen to podcasts.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next TBD: China vs. Video Games Sep 17, 2021

Recently, China restricted video game playing to just three hours a week for its young people: 8pm to 9pm, Friday through Sunday.

And that’s not the only change. Over the last few months, private tutors, diehard celebrity fans, and tech giants have all faced fresh restrictions from Beijing. What’s behind this new wave of crackdowns?

Guest: Brenda Goh, technology correspondent for Reuters

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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What Next: The Plight of the Delivery Worker Sep 16, 2021

In the last few years and particularly during the pandemic, New York City’s delivery workers have become a key part of the food industry’s infrastructure, allowing restaurants to do business with customers too stressed to leave their desks or too afraid of catching a dangerous virus to show up themselves. But a growing incidence of violent attacks and bike thefts has laid bare just how vulnerable the people who bring you your takeout are. Why is it that such essential workers have been exploited by the apps that rely on them, abandoned by the police and the city, and forced to band together just to get by?

Guest: Josh Dzieza, an investigations editor and feature writer at The Verge covering technology, business, and climate change.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Steve Bannon’s “War Room” is Mobilizing Sep 15, 2021

Listeners of Steve Bannon’s “War Room” podcast have mobilized to take over the GOP from the ground up. Convinced the 2020 election was stolen, many far-right Republicans are moving to run elections themselves as precinct officers.

Guest: Isaac Arnsdorf, national politics reporter for ProPublica.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Why College Professors Have Had It Sep 14, 2021

As the fall semester begins at U.S. universities, faculty and staff and institutions of higher education are at a breaking point. Widespread feelings of burnout were laid bare by the coronavirus pandemic, but the conditions leading to them were present long before.

Guest: Lindsay Ellis, senior reporter at The Chronicle of Higher Education.

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What Next: Empty Shelves Everywhere Sep 13, 2021

The coronavirus pandemic has left no part of the world untouched, including global manufacturing supply chains. The complex system that keeps goods moving throughout the world has struggled to catch up ever since it was disrupted in early 2020. Now, 18 months later, product delays aren’t going anywhere.

Guest: Austen Hufford, U.S. manufacturing reporter for The Wall Street Journal.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Is Larry Elder the Best of Black Republicans? Sep 12, 2021

Black Republican Larry Elder is leading the race to replace California Governor Gavin Newsom. For decades, the GOP was the default choice of millions of Black voters. But that changed during the civil rights era, as that party emerged as the home of segregationists, white supremacists, and their sympathizers. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Michael Steele, Maryland’s former lieutenant governor, and ex-chair of the RNC to talk about Black Republican leadership and the future of Black conservatives.

Guest: Michael Steele, former chair of the RNC, and a political analyst for MSNBC

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel and Jasmine Ellis

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month.

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The Waves: Did Elizabeth Holmes Kill the Concept of the Girlboss? Sep 11, 2021

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate Money co-host Emily Peck and Slate senior editor Shannon Palus talk all things #girlboss. They explore how the concept went from being a sought-after status to a ridiculed slogan. Then they dive into the upcoming trial of possible former (and current?) girlboss Elizabeth Holmes and talk about whether potential trial strategies and defenses are sexist.

Recommendations:

Shannon: Jessica Knoll’s 2015 novel, The Luckiest Girl Alive.

Emily: The Cathy comic strip podcast, Aack Cast.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next TBD: Can This River Be Saved? Sep 10, 2021

The Colorado River Basin is experiencing its 22nd year of drought. Its reservoirs are at their lowest-ever levels. The water stored in the system is at just 40 percent of its capacity. How did the situation on the Colorado become so dire? And what does the shortage mean for the 40 million people who rely on its waters?

Guest: Abrahm Lustgarten, senior investigative reporter at ProPublica

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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What Next: What 9/11 Did to My Life Sep 09, 2021

For Muslim Americans, the 20th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks marks a full generation of routine Islamophobia. In the years that followed, the war on terror wounded the nation’s Muslim communities in ways that still feel fresh today.

Guest: Aymann Ismail, staff writer at Slate.

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What Next: Dying of COVID to Own The Libs Sep 08, 2021

Four conservative talk radio hosts have died of COVID-19 this summer, further revealing the consequences of a politicized pandemic. Why aren’t prominent right-wing figures doing more to embrace the coronavirus vaccine?

Guest: Brian Rosenwald, fellow at the University of Pennsylvania and author of Talk Radio’s America.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Texans Fighting for Abortion Access Sep 07, 2021

Texas has passed a new law banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, enforced by citizens launching lawsuits against anyone suspected of “aiding and abetting” the procedures. And the Supreme Court has declined to stop it - effectively ending the precedent set by Roe v. Wade. How are Texas organizations supporting reproductive rights adapting?

Guest: Anna Rupani, Co-Executive Director of Fund Texas Choice.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Haiti’s DIY Recovery Sep 05, 2021

Haiti was already reeling from a presidential assassination when a massive earthquake struck in August. And organizations that have “helped” Haiti in the past have exploited its people, filled their own pockets, and left the country off worse than before. On A Word, Jason Johnson talks about the Haitian crisis with Professor Marlene Daut, a professor of African-American and African Studies at the University of Virginia. She’s also the author of Tropics of Haiti: Race and the Literary History of the Haitian Revolution in the Atlantic World.

Guest: Marlene Daut, professor of African-American and African Studies at the University of Virginia

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel and Jasmine Ellis

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The Waves: What’s Next for TV’s White Guys? Sep 04, 2021

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate TV critic Willa Paskin and Vulture staff writer Kathryn VanArendonk talk about the precarious position of white men on TV this summer. Their conversation, inspired by Kathryn’s recent piece in Vulture, TV's White Guys Are in Crisis, surveys the history of white men on TV, from the good-guy dad to the complex antihero, through to our current moment, where shows like Rutherford Falls and Kevin Can F**k Himself position their white guys as obstacles, and The White Lotus overtly asks, would we prefer white guys to disappear entirely? Willa and Kathryn get into it.

After the break, our hosts contrast these shows to their glaring exception, Apple TV’s Ted Lasso, which allows its white guy lead to be uncomplicatedly beloved. Is his charming take on progressive masculinity too good to be true?

For Slate Plus members, Willa and Kathryn contribute to our regular segment, Gateway Feminism, where they talk about one thing that helped make them feminists. For Willa, it’s the young adult series The Baby-Sitter’s Club, by Ann M. Martin, and for Kathryn it’s the Western TV drama Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman.

Recommendations

Kathryn recommends three things: Felco garden clippers, the Toniebox, and the TV series What We Do in the Shadows.

Willa thinks you should check out Richard Powers’ novel The Overstory.

Podcast production by Asha Saluja filling in for Cheyna Roth. Editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.

Send your comments and thoughts about what The Waves should cover to thewaves@slate.com.

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What Next TBD: The Rush for Ivermectin Sep 03, 2021

A medicine meant to treat parasites is the latest unproven COVID treatment craze. With warnings from the FDA, and prescribers clamping down, some are going to extreme lengths to get their hands on the drug. What’s behind Ivermectin’s sudden rise?

Guest: Brandy Zadrozny, senior reporter for NBC News

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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What Next: The Last-Ditch Effort to Get Afghans Out Sep 02, 2021

U.S. officials announced the end of the American military presence in Afghanistan this week, but thousands of people desperate to leave — American citizens and Afghans alike — remain in the country. A loose collection of volunteers is working to get them out.

Guest: Matt Pelak, soldier in the Army National Guard and veteran of the war in Iraq.

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What Next: Why Paid Family Leave Might Finally Happen Sep 01, 2021

The United States is the only rich industrialized nation without a universal paid family leave policy. But as child and home care costs balloon, and the pandemic continues to leave families in precarious work situations, many caretakers have hit a wall. Congress might finally be ready to do something about it.

Guest: Chabeli Carrazana, economy reporter for the 19th.

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What Next: Afghanistan’s Power Vacuum Aug 30, 2021

On Friday, in the midst of the effort to evacuate thousands of people from Kabul, two suicide bombers attacked the Kabul airport, killing about 160 people. A jihadi group ISIS Khorasan, or ISIS-K, claimed responsibility. Who are these extremists? And how do they impact the Taliban’s plans to govern after the U.S. completely pulls out of Afghanistan?

Guest: Colin Clarke, a Senior Research Fellow at the Soufan Center and the author of After the Caliphate: The Islamic State & the Future Terrorist Diaspora.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: The Color of Climate Change Aug 29, 2021

As natural disasters like wildfires and floods ravage the country, a growing chorus of Americans is calling for action now to fight climate change. And Black environmentalists who’ve seen their communities suffer from environmental abuse and neglect for generations are pushing the issue to the top of the civil rights agenda. On today’s episode of A Word, Professor Robert Bullard, known as the “father of environmental justice,” speaks about the cost of environmental racism, and how a new generation is leading the fight to stop it.

Guest: Robert Bullard, co-chair of the National Black Environmental Justice Network, and the Distinguished Professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy at Texas Southern University

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel and Jasmine Ellis

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The Waves: What We Learned From the Andrew Cuomo Scandal Aug 28, 2021

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate news director Susan Matthews is joined by Slate senior writer Christina Cauterucci to talk about the saga of former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. They delve into the risks vs benefits of an investigation into sexual harassment complaints, and why it seemed so unlikely that Cuomo would go until suddenly he did. In the second half of the show, Susan and Christina look at the women behind the men in these scandals, and the impact this particular scandal had on Times Up, a nonprofit devoted to helping victims of sexual harassment and assault.

Recommendations:

Susan: Sending postcards, even after you’ve returned from your trip.

Christina: Harper’s Magazine piece, “Women Corinne Does Not Actually Know” by Rebecca Makkai.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.

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What Next TBD: Elizabeth Holmes on Trial Aug 27, 2021

Elizabeth Holmes convinced countless people that her company would change the world. Can she convince 12 jurors that she didn’t intend to deceive her company’s patients and investors?

Guest: Rebecca Jarvis, host of “The Dropout” podcast and ABC News Chief Business, Technology & Economics Correspondent

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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What Next: The OnlyFans Debacle Aug 26, 2021

OnlyFans, a website famous for empowering sex workers, decided to ban -- and then unban-- sexual content. According to Charlotte Shane, sex workers find this story all too familiar.

Guest: Charlotte Shane, co-founder of the TigerBee Press. Author of the memoir, Prostitute Laundry.

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What Next: What Does Haiti Actually Need? Aug 25, 2021

The compounding crises in Haiti aren’t a product of bad luck. They are the result of hundreds of years of international interference and poorly-designed aid programs.

Guest: Jonathan M. Katz, author of the forthcoming book, Gangsters of Capitalism: Smedley Butler, the Marines, and the Making and Breaking of America’s Empire. Check out his Substack newsletter, The Long Version.

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What Next: Will R. Kelly Survivors Finally Get Justice? Aug 24, 2021

Celebrated R&B star R. Kelly is accused of using his music empire to sexually exploit women and minors for decades. Currently on trial in New York, the singer also faces federal charges in Illinois, and state charges in both Illinois and Minnesota. But will Kelly finally be brought to justice? And if he is, what took so long?

Guest: Jim DeRogatis, co-host of Sound Opinions and the author of Soulless: The Case Against R. Kelly.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: California's Recall Nightmare Aug 23, 2021

With just a month left, the California recall election is looking a little too close for comfort for Democrats. Governor Gavin Newsom’s approval rating is doing alright at the moment, but because of the way California conducts its recalls, if more than 50% of voters vote to oust Newsom, he loses his office, and whichever candidate garners even a small plurality of votes becomes his replacement.

How likely is it that California swears in a new executive next month? And how would the state fare under potential new leadership?

Guest: Guy Marzorati, politics and government reporter for KQED.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Black to School, At Home Aug 22, 2021

At the start of the pandemic, parents across the country became first-time homeschool teachers. Now, as millions of kids head back to classrooms, many Black parents are keeping their children at home to learn. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson speaks with Khadijah Ali-Coleman, the co-founder of the Black Family Homeschool Educators and Scholars group. She explains why more and more Black families are homeschooling their kids, and the benefits and challenges these families face.

Guest: Khadijah Ali-Coleman, co-founder of the Black Family Homeschool Educators and Scholars group.

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel and Jasmine Ellis

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The Waves: Can We Love True Crime When We’re the Victims? Aug 21, 2021

On this week’s episode of The Waves, show producer and true crime author Cheyna Roth sits down with Rebecca Lavoie, co-host of the Crime Writers On podcast and fellow true crime author. The pair start by talking about the current state of true crime and beg Hollywood to stop making sexy serial killer movies. After the break, Rebecca and Cheyna dissect how the genre treats victims and whether criticisms of true crime are sexist.

Recommendations:

Cheyna: The pyramid scheme podcast series The Dreamand the 2018 episode of Decoder Ring, Clown Panic.

Rebecca: True crime documentary Murder on Middle Beach on HBO; Season 1 of The Staircase on Netflix; and the podcast Canary from the Washington Post.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next TBD: Will Booster Shots Make a Difference? Aug 20, 2021

The Biden administration says a third dose of vaccines for all American adults will end the pandemic faster. And experts say there is evidence of waning vaccine effectiveness against mild-to-moderate disease. But globally, what’s the best use of the next available dose?

Guest: Saad Omer, director of the Yale Institute for Global Health.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

This episode was produced by Alyssa Edes.

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What Next: The Afghans Who Couldn’t Get Out Aug 19, 2021

The rapid collapse of the Afghan government has left tens of thousands of people struggling to leave their country. Afghans who helped U.S. forces were promised a life in the states, but many of them have been mired in paperwork as they try to obtain their visas. What hope do they have now that they’ll be able to leave before an expected Taliban crackdown?

Guest: Ahmadullah Sediqi of No One Left Behind, a group trying to secure visas for Afghan and Iraqi interpreters who worked for the U.S.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: A Texas Standoff Aug 18, 2021

The Texas state legislature is at a standstill. A month ago, House Democrats fled to DC to prevent the passage of a restrictive voting law but as time ticks by it’s becoming clear that they might have to go back to the drawing board -- and back to Texas.

Guest: Ashley Lopez, Senior Reporter at KUT

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What Next: How Afghanistan Ended Like This Aug 17, 2021

American forces are leaving Afghanistan after 20 years of fighting the country’s longest war. Following a hasty withdrawal of U.S. forces, the Taliban now controls most of the country, including the capital of Kabul. The U.S.-backed government has fled, leaving many civilians desperate to find a way out. How did things get so bad so quickly?

Guest: Fred Kaplan, Slate’s War Stories columnist. Kaplan is the author of The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Mask Wars and the Start of School in the South Aug 16, 2021

Masks were uncontroversial for many state leaders at the onset of the pandemic last year. But now, masks have become politicized, and in Mississippi, Governor Tate Reeves has reversed his previous stance, refusing to order a mask mandate and leaving local school districts to fend for themselves during a massive surge in COVID cases.

Guest: Nick Judin, reporter for the Mississippi Free Press.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Tuskegee’s Ghosts Haunt COVID Fight Aug 15, 2021

As the Delta variant continues to spread, African American doctors worry that the pandemic will claim thousands more Black lives. Veteran physician Dr. Reed Tuckson, cofounder of the Black Coalition Against COVID, speaks on today’s episode of A Word about increasing access to vaccines in Black communities, and debunking misinformation surrounding the virus and vaccines.

Guest: Dr. Reed Tuckson, public health expert, and the cofounder of the Black Coalition Against Covid

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel and Jasmine Ellis

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The Waves: COVID Exhaustion Aug 14, 2021

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor and science writer Shannon Palus is joined by staff writer Rebecca Onion to talk parenting and family life during the Delta wave. They start by talking about how they get through the days when all the news feels apocalyptic and Rebecca’s fears for her unvaccinated child. Then they get real about their varying levels of optimism and tolerance for those who refuse to get vaccinated.

Recommendations:

Rebecca: The Paramount+ show Evil.

Shannon: The young adult novel They’ll Never Catch Us, by Jessica Goodman.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next TBD: What's Taking the FDA So Long? Aug 13, 2021

Experts say that a “fully approved” designation for the vaccines could have sweeping effects. Broader vaccination mandates, inclusion for new age groups, and reassurance for those hesitant to take a vaccine without the designation. As calls for approval grow louder and more urgent, the Food and Drug Administration is yet to give its blessing. What’s happening inside the FDA as they work toward this milestone?

Guest: Sarah Owermohle, health care reporter at Politico

Host:

Lizzie O’Leary

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What Next: When Your Town Burns Down Aug 12, 2021

Last week, the northern California mountain town of Greenville was wiped out by the Dixie Fire, which has lasted for nearly a month and is now the largest wildfire in California history. Greenville residents have just begun to assess the damage to their homes and businesses. Is it safe to rebuild? Is it even ethical, when wildfires are only expected to get worse?

Guest: Margaret Garcia, also known as Meg Upton, reporter at Plumas News.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: A DOJ Lawyer’s Attempt to Overthrow the Election Aug 11, 2021

We’re still learning the details about how Donald Trump and his supporters tried to get the 2020 presidential election results overturned. One scheme involved attorneys general across several states, and lawyers deep in the Department of Justice. This is the story of one of those lawyers, Jeffrey Bossert Clark, and his desperate attempts to keep Trump in power.

Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, staff writer for Slate on the courts and law.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Latest Blow to American Workers Aug 10, 2021

For decades, Richard Trumka was the head of the country’s largest labor federation. Widely considered to be the face of the American labor movement while workers faced a surge in union busting campaigns, Trumka presided over an organization that was diverse and fractious. Last week, he passed away.

What is the state of the labor movement without its longtime leader? And how can his successor steer workers to safer waters?

Guest: Erik Loomis, a labor historian at the University of Rhode Island and the author of A History of America in Ten Strikes.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: A Doctor in the Middle of the Florida Surge Aug 09, 2021

The delta variant is making its way through the country, becoming the leading strain of the coronavirus and increasing case counts as it goes. In few places is the crisis more severe than in Florida, where new daily case counts are hitting all-time highs and vaccination rates have leveled out around 50%. Gov. Ron DeSantis has refused to instate a mask mandate and insists that the spike is just a “seasonal wave” -- even as healthcare workers are pushed to the brink trying to care for ill patients.

Guest: Bernard Ashby, a vascular cardiologist in Miami and the Florida director of the Committee to Protect Healthcare.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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A Word: Eviction Restriction Showdown Aug 08, 2021

Millions of Americans have faced eviction during the economic crunch sparked by the COVID crisis. After a high pressure campaign by progressives including former HUD Secretary Julian Castro, the Biden administration extended the eviction moratorium this week. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson talks with Castro about the eviction crisis, and why progressives are demanding stronger presidential action on issues like housing and voting rights.

Guest: Julian Castro is a former San Antonio Mayor, US Housing Secretary and presidential candidate. He’s also the host of the Our America podcast.

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis and Ahyiana Angel

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The Waves: Can Feminists Visit FBoy Island? Aug 07, 2021

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Waves producer Cheyna Roth and Slate senior culture editor Allegra Frank take a trip to FBoy Island. They discuss the ups and sexisms of HBO Max’s newest dating show and question why the narrative of women saving men persists. Later in the show, Allegra and Cheyna talk about the deception inherent in these shows and ask why everyone is the same type of beautiful.

Recommendations:

Allegra: Keeping your hands busy during the final days of summer with Pokémon UNITE.

Cheyna: The children’s books authors and illustrators Lauren and Natalia O’Hara, especially their book The Bandit Queen.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com

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What Next TBD: Can America Fix Its Trains? Aug 06, 2021

America used to be at the vanguard of railroad technology. What went wrong? And can the new infrastructure bill fix our broken system?

Guests: Alon Levy and Eric Goldwyn of the Marron Institute at NYU

Host

Henry Grabar

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What Next: Washington’s Most Broken Institution? Aug 05, 2021

The Federal Election Commission can barely get anything done. With its commissioners stuck in partisan gridlock, one is finding new ways to make sure election law is upheld.

Guest: Ellen Weintraub, commissioner at the FEC.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Cuomo vs. Everyone Aug 04, 2021

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is back on his heels again, following the release of the state attorney general’s extensive report on his pattern of sexually harassing women working around him. Now, even former allies of the governor are calling for him to resign or face impeachment. How long can Cuomo hang onto his office?

Guest: Brigid Bergin, political reporter for WNYC.

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What Next: Why Republicans Compromised Aug 03, 2021

After months of negotiation, an infrastructure bill is finally on its way to the Senate floor. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are touting their one big successful bipartisan move, but what’s actually in the legislation? And why are Republicans willing to sign off on a win for Joe Biden?

Guest: Jordan Weissmann, Slate’s senior business and economics correspondent.

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What Next: Take This Job, Please! Aug 02, 2021

Why aren’t people returning to jobs they lost during the pandemic? The answer is more complicated than generous unemployment checks.

Guest: Bram Sable-Smith, investigative reporter at Wisconsin Watch.

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A Word: Black Man With a Gun Aug 01, 2021

Gun violence kills thousands of Americans every year, and that pain is especially sharp in the nation’s Black communities.Andduring the last year of the Trump Administration, Black gun purchases surged. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Kenn Blanchard, a minister and gun rights activist who has branded himself as a “Black Man with a Gun.” Blanchard shares how he reconciles his gun advocacy with his faith, and how he thinks Black gun owners can make themselves safer from police violence.

Guest: Kenn Blanchard, gun rights advocate, and host of the Black Man with a Gun podcast

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel and Jasmine Ellis

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The Waves: The Olympics Are Still Sexist. Can We Enjoy Them Anyway? Jul 31, 2021

On this week’s episode of The Waves, it’s all about the Olympics. Amira Rose Davis, assistant professor of history and African American studies at Penn State University and co-host of the feminist sports podcast Burn it All Down, is joined by Slate’s gymnastics reporter Rebecca Schuman. The pair start with a discussion of the racial and gender inequalities that have permeated the Games, past and present. Then they get into whether it’s time for us all, like Simone Biles, to “nope” out of this complicated tradition. Davis also talks about a recent piece she did for Slate, in which she interviewed several Black women Olympians about their experiences in the Games.

Recommendations:

Amira: Rooting for Guan Chenchen on the beam. She also recommends the podcast Blind Landing, about a disastrous equipment error that had a massive impact on the gymnastics competition in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

Rebecca: Watching Anna Cockrell in the 400-meter hurdles and Idalys Ortiz in judo. She also loves Ted Lasso.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.

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What Next TBD: I Bought It. Why Can't I Fix It? Jul 30, 2021

Whether it’s a phone screen or a coffee machine, why is it so hard to fix our own stuff? And what can we do to make it a bit easier?

Guest: Jason Koebler, editor-in-chief of Motherboard and contributor to theCYBER podcast

Host

Lizzie O’Leary

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What Next: Will the Jan. 6 Hearings Accomplish Anything? Jul 29, 2021

This week, four officers from the U.S. Capitol Police and D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department testified in front of a bipartisan House select committee investigating the events of January 6. They each gave powerful and emotional statements, describing the harrowing moments the Capitol was attacked. But what can the committee actually do about it?

Guest: Jeremy Stahl, senior editor at Slate.

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What Next: What Happened to Simone Biles? Jul 28, 2021

On Tuesday morning, Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast of all time, withdrew from the team all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympics citing mental health concerns. Biles’ move shocked most watchers but may reveal a deeper cultural shift happening within USA Gymnastics.

Guest: Rebecca Schuman, former gymnast and the author of Schadenfreude, A Love Story.

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What Next: So... What Is COVID Now? Jul 27, 2021

The delta variant is now the most-prevalent strain of COVID-19, causing a handful of so-called “breakthrough” infections in fully-vaccinated people. Unvaccinated people account for 97% of severe cases of the virus. How worried should you be about infections as the delta variant continues to dominate? And is it time to mask up again?

Guest: Susan Matthews, Slate’s news director.

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What Next: On the Front Lines of California’s Wildfires Jul 26, 2021

The fires raging across the American West are like the climate crisis itself: Too big and too extreme to understand all at once. So today, we’re zooming in on some of the people fighting those fires: crews of incarcerated women. In California, they risk their lives for abysmal pay, and officials are just starting to realize how essential they are to the state’s fire response.

Guest: Jaime Lowe, author of Breathing Fire.

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A Word: Running on a Prayer Jul 25, 2021

Minister and scientist Chris Jones has launched a long-shot campaign to be governor in Arkansas. But does the Democratic candidate have what it takes to change the political landscape in his home state? On today’s episode of A Word, Chris Jones talks with host Jason Johnson about his unlikely path to politics, and his hopes for the race.

Guest: Chris Jones, Democratic candidate for governor in Arkansas, religious leader, and physicist

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel and Jasmine Ellis

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The Waves: What Does Bill Cosby’s Release Mean for the #MeToo Movement? Jul 24, 2021

On this week’s episode of The Waves, author and professor of history at Georgetown University Marcia Chatelain and Slate staff writer Lili Loofbourow dissect Bill Cosby’s release from prison, and what that could mean for the #MeToo movement. First they unpack exactly what happened in the Cosby case. Then they get into the potential ripple effects it could have on victims seeking justice more broadly.

Recommendations

Lili: The Netflix show Money Heist.

Marcia:As much Real Housewives on Bravo that you can handle.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.

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What Next TBD: How Spyware Mercenaries Hack Your Phone Jul 23, 2021

This week, Amnesty International and a French journalism nonprofit named Forbidden Stories revealed that technology from a spyware firm called NSO Group is being deployed on a massive scale. The spyware, called Pegasus, gives the user access to every part of a victim’s smartphone -- notes, messages, photos, and recordings.

What’s it like for security researchers to see their worst fears about digital spying play out? And what are they worried about next?

Guests:

John Scott Railton, Senior Researcher at the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto

Siddharth Varadarajan, Founding Editor of the Wire

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What Next: The Rise of Kristi Noem Jul 22, 2021

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has a problem. She’s ready to get beamed up to national political stardom, but she’s polling near the bottom among 2024 GOP presidential hopefuls. What issues can she use to raise her political profile? The answer came swiftly this year: anything and everything.

Guest: Joe Sneve, political reporter for the Argus Leader in South Dakota.

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What Next: Punishing the Capitol Rioters Jul 21, 2021

Six months after the Capitol riot, plea deals from cases against the rioters have begun to trickle in. Will the courts be able to do what Congress couldn’t, and insist on a shared version of events on January 6th?

Guest: Zoe Tillman, senior legal reporter at BuzzFeed News.

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What Next: The Right Wing War on Vaccines Jul 20, 2021

It’s becoming harder to get all Americans vaccinated. While millions of people still get the shots each week, some conservatives are becoming more difficult to convince, and some politicians are increasingly hostile towards the public health departments tasked with helping fight COVID-19.

Guests: Michelle Fiscus, former medical director for vaccine-preventable diseases and immunization programs at the Tennessee Department of Health, and Dan Diamond, health policy and politics reporter at The Washington Post.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: The Unhoused Don’t Want to “Go Back to Normal” Jul 19, 2021

At the height of the pandemic, New York city put up some of its homeless population in the city’s empty hotels. Now, as the city comes back to life, the program is ending -- but the city’s unhoused population doesn’t want to go “back to normal”

Guest: Jacquelyn Simone, Senior Policy Analyst for the Coalition for the Homeless.

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A Word: Cuba’s Color Revolution Jul 18, 2021

ManyCuban Americans have long called for new leadership in that nation, including Afro-Cubans who --from social media to the streets-- are challenging the historic American narrative about Cuba’s government. For Afro-Cuban professor, Amalia Dache, the fight is personal.She’s the author of the book Rise Up! Activism as Education. On today’s episode of A Word, Professor Dache joins host Jason Johnson to talk about the uprising, and the myths and realities of racial equity in Cuba.

Guest: Amalia Dache, professor of higher education at the University of Pennsylvania

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel and Jasmine Ellis

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The Waves: Did Gossip Girl Lose Its Bite? Jul 17, 2021

On this week’s episode of The Waves, June Thomas, senior managing producer of Slate podcasts and a host of Working, talks with Willa Paskin, Slate TV critic and host of Decoder Ring, about the reboot of Gossip Girl. They discuss how the show messed up by making its characters too nice, why the teachers may be the most interesting part of the reboot, and whether Gossip Girl has finally figured out its class politics.

Recommendations

June: Reality competition show about ball culture, Legendary on HBO Max.

Willa: The Succession meets Agatha Christie new show, The White Lotus on HBO.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.

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What Next TBD: It's Hot. It's Flooding. Is This the New Normal? Jul 16, 2021

Welcome to the Slate News feed! We’ll be sharing daily episodes from Slate’s podcasts What Next, What Next: TBD, The Waves, and A Word. Listen for everything you need to know about the news this week.

Over the last month, North Americans have seen record-breaking heat, droughts, wildfires, and floods. The science is clear: we are living through the effects of climate change. Now scientists are trying to answer: is this the new normal?

Guest: Daniel Swain, climate scientist at UCLA

Host

Lizzie O’Leary

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What Next: When the Culture War Comes for Your Job Jul 15, 2021

Brittany Hogan worked in diversity and inclusion for the Rockwood School District for eight years. As public debate intensified over the way race is discussed in schools, and threats were made against her, Hogan eventually was pushed to resign.

Guest: Brittany Hogan, former director of educational equity and diversity for the Rockwood School District in St. Louis County.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Texas Democrats' Last Stand? Jul 14, 2021

Texas Dems are on the lam. After walking out of their regularly scheduled legislative session to block an extremely restrictive election security bill, they’ve decided to go bigger. At the start of the special session called by Governor Greg Abbott to get that bill passed, 51 of 67 House Democrats broke quorum and fled to DC in a last-ditch effort to thwart the bill and spur national Democrats into action. Will it make any difference?

Guest: Jessica Huseman, Editorial Director of Vote Beat.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: How Exxon Gets Its Way Jul 13, 2021

Oil-giant Exxon says publicly that it supports initiatives to fight climate change. But a new undercover investigation reveals the company’s quiet lobbying effort to stymie environmental protection legislation.

Guest: Lawrence Carter, Senior Reporter & Special Projects Editor at Unearthed, a journalism project from Greenpeace U.K.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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What Next: Drugs and the Olympics Jul 12, 2021

Welcome to the Slate News feed! We’ll be sharing daily episodes from Slate’s podcasts What Next, What Next: TBD, The Waves, and A Word. Listen for everything you need to know about the news this week.

Olympics officials have created an anti-doping system to crack down on cheaters. We have no idea if it’s working. And it’s ensnaring athletes for seemingly bizarre infractions.

Guest: Lindsay Crouse, writer and producer for the New York Times Opinion section.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Davis Land, Danielle Hewitt, Elena Schwartz, and Carmel Delshad.

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A Word: The Cruelty Was the Point. Is It Still? Jul 11, 2021

Welcome to the Slate News feed! We’ll be sharing daily episodes from Slate’s podcasts What Next, What Next: TBD, The Waves, and A Word. Listen for everything you need to know about the news this week.

Donald Trump’s combination of bigotry, lies, and meanness led to a victory that stunned political pundits in 2016. Atlantic writer Adam Serwer would go on to coin the phrase that summed up Trump’s appeal: the cruelty is the point. Serwer has collected his essays chronicling the Trump era in the new book, The Cruelty is the Point: The Past, Present, and Future of Trump’s America, and joins host Jason Johnson to discuss it on this week’s episode of A Word.

Guest: Adam Serwer, staff writer for The Atlantic and author of The Cruelty is the Point: The Past, Present, and Future of Trump’s America.

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel and Jasmine Ellis

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The Waves: Amy Coney Barrett Is Following in the Footsteps of John Roberts Jul 10, 2021

Welcome to the Slate News feed! We’ll be sharing daily episodes from Slate’podcasts What Next,What Next: TBD, The Waves, and A Word. Listen for everything you need to know about the news this week.

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate Supreme Court reporters Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern join forces to dissect Amy Coney Barrett’s first term on the bench. They talk about how her confirmation hearings were shaped by Democrats’ desire to paint her as an enemy of health care, and how her recent decision upholding the Affordable Care Act has gotten her outsized praise. Then, they dissect her desire to be seen as an academic rather than a conservative, and unpack what we can expect from her in the years to come.

Recommendations

Dahlia: A Supreme Women Mug from Resistance By Design

Mark: A Washington D.C. statehood tank top from DC Statehood Gifts & Apparel

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.

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The Waves: Kyrsten Sinema Doesn't Care What You Think of Her Jun 21, 2021

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior writer and host of Outward Christina Cauterucci and Julia Craven, Slate staff writer covering race, politics, and health disparities, talk about one woman: Kyrsten Sinema. From her wardrobe to her position on the filibuster, Sinema has been in the news a lot recently. The hosts talk about the Arizona senator’s political evolution—she moved from the Green Party to run as a progressive Democrat, but when she got to the U.S. Senate, she tacked toward the center—and whether she is currently exhibiting any signs of political coherence. Christina unpacks the high note of Sinema at the Capitol: her wardrobe, noting that the flashy fashions that once brought visual interest to the normally drab walls of Congress have taken a turn for the worse. As Sinema started to stymie Democratic plans, her “fuck off” ring and “dangerous creature” sweater took on a whole new meaning.

After the break, Julia and Christina dive deep into the filibuster. While standing in the way of the Democrats’ ability to pass almost any legislation at all, Sinema has spouted inaccurate narratives of how the filibuster came into being. Julia and Christina talk about her earlier vote for John Lewis as House leader, and try to square that with her current position, which is holding up voting-rights legislation. But Sinema doesn’t seem to be listening to most of the criticism she’s getting for her position, instead dismissing parts of it as merely sexist.

For Slate Plus members, Julia and Christina continue our new segment, Gateway Feminism, where they talk about one thing that helped make them feminists. For Julia, it’s her great-grandmother and her enduring belief that Julia could become anything she set her mind to. Christina started her career as a feminist when she revamped her co-ed soccar team jersey in protest of the team name: The Molar Men.

Recommendations

Christina recommends celebrating Pride Month by educating yourself about queer politics. She suggests watching a conversation between Amy Walter and Sasha Issenberg hosted by Politics and Prose.

Julia finally finished reading her first book in almost a year! She finished The Vanishing Half, by Brit Bennett, and highly recommends finishing books. But Julia holds zero judgment on wherever you are at in your reading journey.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas. Additional production assistance by Rosemary Belson.

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A Word: Is Critical Race Theory Getting Canceled? Jun 11, 2021

Kendi joins the show this week to explain critical race theory, and why it has become such a political lightning rod. He also talks about how the backlash against critical race theory is threatening academic freedom, and specifically how it kept Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones from tenure at the University of North Carolina.

Dr. Kendi is the host of a new podcast, Be Antiracist with Ibram X. Kendi. You can listen here: https://www.pushkin.fm/show/be-antiracist-ibram-kendi/

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel and Jasmine Ellis

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A Word: No Whites Allowed? May 28, 2021

Hey Trumpcast listeners, here's another show from Slate: A Word, with Jason Johnson.

You’ve heard Jason on Trumpcast several times. Now, every Friday he brings his sharp analysis to discussions with policy-makers, journalists, entertainers, and other experts about America’s challenges around race, and ideas on the way forward. If you like the episode, subscribe to A Word right here in your podcast app.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, marking her second anniversary in office, would only grant one-on-one interviews to journalists of color. Lightfoot said she was highlighting a lack of media diversity. Critics call it racist. Could this policy change the status quo, or just be a distraction? Jason Johnson is joined by Errin Haines, editor-at-large of The 19th*, a non-profit news outlet focused on women. They discuss why too many urban newsrooms remain overwhelmingly white, and whether Lightfoot’s move was a step toward equality, or a political stunt.

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel and Jasmine Ellis.

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After Trump Episode Six: Getting It Done May 24, 2021

We’ve taken you on a Dantean journey in this series, revisiting the damage done to the Republic by the presidency of Donald Trump. Other the last five episodes, we’ve chronicled how norms were shattered; loopholes exploited; and the constitution’s ambiguities laid bare. But Jack Goldsmith and Bob Bauer, whose book “After Trump” gives the series its name, have not just catalogued damage. They’ve laid down practical plans for reconstructing the presidency.

So the question now is, Can it be done?

In this final episode of After Trump, we look at the prospects for the future. We examine opportunities to fix the problems exposed by Donald Trump’s tenure as President.

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What Next: The Palestinian Perspective May 14, 2021

This week’s violence across Israel and the occupied territories points to a new era in Israeli-Palestinian relations. Palestinian observers find themselves wondering: Is it a changing diplomatic paradigm, thanks to a growing movement to acknowledge the human rights of Palestinians and find lasting peace? Or is it something more frightening, more deafening -- is it the beginning of unbridled war?

Guests: Yousef Munayyer, a fellow at the Arab Center Washington, and Mariam Barghouti, a writer based in Ramallah.

If you like this episode, subscribe to What Next wherever you get podcasts.

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After Trump Episode Five: Prosecuting a President May 11, 2021

It’s a cliché now that the Justice Department should be independent of the president. Everyone says it—constantly. There’s just one problem. As a legal and constitutional matter, this “independent” Justice Department is a lot of nonsense.

For more of this show, go to AfterTrumpPod.com.

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After Trump Episode Four: Prosecuting a President May 06, 2021

In one sense maybe we should be thankful we’ve never had to grapple with these perplexing issues because a President has never run as wild as Trump did. But there’s a real precedent being set in the government’s approach to presidential criming. It’s not just about Mueller or Trump or Biden or Merrick Garland. It’s about renovating the whole system to make plain when and how a president is held to account.

If you like this episode, listen to more at AfterTrumpPod.com.

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What Next: Inside India’s COVID Wards May 03, 2021

Hey Trumpcast listeners! Your host Virginia has some big news. Her next podcast—After Trump—is a guidebook alongside legal scholars Jack Goldsmith and Bob Bauer—both former Trumpcast guests—to reforming our laws, norms, and ethical codes so we never get in that fix again. It's coming out in this feed, and you can subscribe and learn more at AfterTrumpPod.com. While you're at it, we want you to check out What Next, a daily news podcast from Slate.

India started 2021 with government officials repeatedly declaring victory over COVID-19. But the virus has overrun hospitals and crematoriums, in part due to massive gatherings and a slow vaccination rollout.

Guest: Chahat Rana, health reporting fellow at The Caravan magazine.

If you like what you hear, subscribe to What Next. You'll get a short episode every weekday taking on ONE story, and going deep, behind the headlines. What Next is news you’re not going to get just scrolling through your phone. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen.

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Amicus: The Verdict, the Video, and the Unreasonable Burden of Proof Apr 27, 2021

Hey Trumpcast listeners! Your host Virginia has some big news. Her next podcast—After Trump—is a guidebook alongside legal scholars Jack Goldsmith and Bob Bauer—both former Trumpcast guests—to reforming our laws, norms, and ethical codes so we never get in that fix again. To learn more, go to AfterTrumpPod.com. But first, there's another show we hope you'll check out: Amicus, Slate's podcast about the courts and the law.

In the wake of the conviction of former police officer Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd, journalism professor Allissa Richardson joins Dahlia Lithwick to discuss what it is to bear witness while Black in America, and why the media needs to stop airing the videos. (This is the interview with Vanita Gupta that Dahlia mentions.

In our Slate Plus segment, Mark Joseph Stern and Dahlia probe the duplicity at the high court in this week's shocking juvenile life without parole decision, why justices insisting they're best friends really isn't the answer to calls for court reform, and a look ahead to the biggest case so far this term that you probably haven't heard much about.

Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.

Podcast production by Sara Burningham.

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After Trump Episode Three: Obstruction & Pardons Apr 26, 2021

The pardon power was designed to be a tool for correcting wrongs. Any system of justice applied to a whole nation is going to have failures. A pardon is there to correct miscarriages of justice—and injustice. It was always believed that if a president abused his pardon authority, it would be so appalling to so many, at such a gut level, that the checks on the President would instantly kick in: He'd be impeached, forced to resign, voted out. Trump pushed this theory. And the results were worrisome—to say the least.

If you like this episode, subscribe here or go to AfterTrumpPod.com.

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After Trump Episode Two: Enemy of the People Apr 19, 2021

In this episode, we consider the problem of foreign interventions in American political campaigns—and what to do about it. And we’re also going to look at how Trump blocked and tackled the free press, especially when it reported on Trump’s foreign ties.

If you like this episode, subscribe here or go to AfterTrumpPod.com.

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Introducing: After Trump Apr 12, 2021

Virginia Heffernan is here to introduce the first episode of her new podcast. After Trump is a guidebook alongside legal scholars Jack Goldsmith and Bob Bauer—both former Trumpcast guests—to reforming our laws, norms, and ethical codes so we never get in that fix again. In this first episode, they explore some of President Trump’s most brazen transgressions—the conflicts of interest, the self-dealing, and those elusive tax returns.

Subscribe to After Trump wherever you listen to podcasts, or go to AfterTrumpPod.com.

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What Next: The Bizarre Origin Story of the Gaetz Scandal Apr 09, 2021

Hey Trumpcast listeners! Your host Virginia has some big news. Her next podcast—After Trump—is a guidebook alongside legal scholars Jack Goldsmith and Bob Bauer—both former Trumpcast guests—to reforming our laws, norms, and ethical codes so we never get in that fix again. After Trump is coming soon to a podcast app near you. To learn more, go to AfterTrumpPod.com. But first, Virginia is here to introduce an episode of a show she hopes you'll check out: What Next, a daily news podcast from Slate.

Last week, The New York Times reported that Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz was under investigation by the Justice Department over his relationships with women recruited online for sex, and whether he had sex with a 17-year-old girl. Gaetz gained national attention for his trollish, Trumpian antics and fiery loyalty to the then-president. What happens if the Trump playbook doesn’t work for the 38-year-old congressman? In this episode, host Mary Harris discusses all this and more with Jeff Weiner, Criminal Justice and Public Safety Editor for the Orlando Sentinel.

If you like what you hear, subscribe to What Next. You'll get a short episode every weekday taking on ONE story, and going deep, behind the headlines. What Next is news you’re not going to get just scrolling through your phone. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen.

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A Word: Battling Georgia’s Backlash Against Black Voters Apr 02, 2021

Hey Trumpcast listeners! Your host Virginia has some big news. Her next podcast—After Trump—is a guidebook alongside legal scholars Jack Goldsmith and Bob Bauer—both former Trumpcast guests—to reforming our laws, norms, and ethical codes so we never get in that fix again. After Trump is coming soon to a podcast app near you. To learn more, go to AfterTrumpPod.com.

But first, Virginia is here to introduce an episode of a new show from Slate: A Word, with Jason Johnson.

You’ve heard Jason on Trumpcast several times. Now, every Friday he’ll bring his sharp analysis to discussions with policy-makers, journalists, entertainers, and other experts about America’s challenges around race, and ideas on the way forward. In this episode, Jason is joined by LaTosha Brown, the co-founder of Black Voters Matter, one of the groups that helped Democrats win Georgia at the Senate and presidential level. After historic Black turnout flipped Georgia, Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed a new law that could hit Black and other voters of color hard. Listen for a discussion on how activists are fighting back against this new controversial law.

Subscribe to A Word right here in your podcast app.

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What Next: One Colorado Man’s Crusade Against Gun Violence Mar 26, 2021

Hey Trumpcast listeners! Your host Virginia has some big news. Her next podcast—After Trump—is a guidebook alongside legal scholars Jack Goldsmith and Bob Bauer—both former Trumpcast guests—to reforming our laws, norms, and ethical codes so we never get in that fix again. After Trump is coming soon to a podcast app near you. To learn more, go to AfterTrumpPod.com.

But first, Virginia is here to introduce an episode of a show she hopes you'll check out: What Next, a daily news podcast from Slate. In this episode, host Mary Harris talks to guest Colorado Rep. Tom Sullivan, who counts the number of Fridays since his son was killed in the Aurora theater shooting in 2012. The latest mass shooting in Boulder, which left 10 people dead, was yet another reason Sullivan says he’s continuing his quest to curb gun violence in the state.

If you like what you hear, subscribe to What Next. You'll get a short episode every weekday taking on ONE story, and going deep, behind the headlines. What Next is news you’re not going to get just scrolling through your phone. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen.

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What Next: Why Cuomo Won’t Resign Mar 19, 2021

Hey Trumpcast listeners! Your host Virginia has some big news. Her next podcast—After Trump—is a guidebook alongside legal scholars Jack Goldsmith and Bob Bauer—both former Trumpcast guests—to reforming our laws, norms, and ethical codes so we never get in that fix again. After Trump is coming soon to a podcast app near you. To learn more, go to AfterTrumpPod.com.

But first, Virginia is here to introduce an episode of a show she hopes you'll check out: What Next, a daily news podcast from Slate. In this episode, host Mary Harris talks to guest Jimmy Vielkind, Wall Street Journal reporter covering New York politics & government, as New York Governor Andrew Cuomo faces calls to resign over accusations of sexual harassment and allowing a toxic workplace culture to persist. To the people who know him best, it’s unlikely the governor will ever bow to those demands.

If you like what you hear, subscribe to What Next. You'll get a short episode every weekday taking on ONE story, and going deep, behind the headlines. What Next is news you’re not going to get just scrolling through your phone. Subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you listen.

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Introducing: A Word … with Jason Johnson Mar 08, 2021

Hey Trumpcast listeners! Your host Virginia has some big news. Her next podcast—After Trump—is a guidebook alongside legal scholars Jack Goldsmith and Bob Bauer—both former Trumpcast guests—to reforming our laws, norms, and ethical codes so we never get in that fix again. After Trump is coming soon to a podcast app near you. To learn more, go to AfterTrumpPod.com.

But first, Virginia is here to introduce an episode of a new show from Slate: A Word, with Jason Johnson.

You’ve heard Jason on Trumpcast several times. Now, every Friday he’ll bring his sharp analysis to discussions with policy-makers, journalists, entertainers, and other experts about America’s challenges around race, and ideas on the way forward. You’re about to hear the second episode, in which Jason discusses cancel culture with Professor. Loretta Ross. They talk about the role cancel culture plays in society and politics, and if there’s a better way to hold powerful people accountable. If you enjoy this episode, make sure to subscribe to A Word with Jason Johnson in your podcast app.

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The Trumpcast Finale Jan 30, 2021

For our series finale, Virginia Heffernan kicks off the show with Jay Rosen, a professor of journalism at NYU, who talks about why and how journalists came to normalize the extreme wrongs of the Trump presidency. Trumpcast producer Melissa Kaplan then joins Virginia for a series wrap, or Trumpcast cast, remembering some of our best shows and lessons learned.

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The Arc of History: An Update Jan 21, 2021

For the penultimate episode of Trumpcast, Virginia Heffernan welcomes back Dr. Ibram Kendi, director of the Center for Antiracist Research at Boston University, to talk about his anti-racist work, the Biden era ahead, and a question that’s been on Virginia’s mind since Dr. Kendi came on the show four years ago.

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The Former MAGA Soldier Who Skipped the War Jan 14, 2021

Virginia Heffernan talks to former Trump troll David Weissman about his experiences overcoming trauma as a war veteran, his relationship with white supremacist personality Baked Alaska, the right-wing calls for civil war, the different factions of MAGA, and what’s going on in the minds of the insurgents.

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The 1/6 Insurgency Jan 07, 2021

For this emergency episode reviewing today’s violence against Congress, we reached out to historian Joanne Freeman, author of The Field of Blood: Violence in Congress & the Road to Civil War. Dr. Freeman and Virginia Heffernan review the history of political violence in Congress and why these events had a different implication.

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Don’t Listen to the Lizard People Dec 31, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to cyberwarfare expert Molly McKew, author of the Great Power newsletter, about the Russian SolarWinds attacks, digital spies, 5G, lizard people, and other conspiracy theories.

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How Kathy Griffin Survived Trump Dec 25, 2020

In this Trumpcast Plus preview, Virginia Heffernan talks to comedian Kathy Griffin about the beheading performance art piece seen round the world, which spiraled into a nightmare scenario of harassment, the cancellation of her comedy tour, subsequent Hollywood blacklisting, and frequent check-ins with the FBI.

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Rep. Adam Schiff on the Culture of Cheating Dec 17, 2020

Virginia Heffernan welcomes back Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) to talk about how Trump champions cheating and has a sour response to empathy, and why Schiff’s colleagues are so afraid to speak out against Trump’s misdeeds and behavior.

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What Trump’s Foreign Policy Abuse Cost Us Dec 11, 2020

As his presidential term draws to a close, Virginia Heffernan does an overview of Donald Trump’s impact on U.S. foreign policy with Mieke Eoyang, senior vice president for Third Way’s National Security Program.

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Why Trump Won't Get Away With It Dec 04, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to former FBI special agent and CNN analyst Asha Rangappa about the case for Federalism and why even with pardons, Trump won’t get off completely scot-free.

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Will Trumpism Survive Trump? Nov 26, 2020

In this Trumpcast Plus preview, Virginia Heffernan talks to Princeton University professor Eddie Glaude Jr. about why she thinks Trumpism will fizzle out after Trump leaves office—and why he thinks he won’t, and why it’s also dangerous to call it “Trumpism.”

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Biden, Hope, and Vaccines Nov 25, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Andy Slavitt, former Acting Administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, about public health and the second wave of the pandemic, reviewing New York governor Andrew Cuomo’s handling of COVID, and how Joe Biden will handle the pandemic once he’s in office.

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Should Biden Prosecute Trump? Nov 20, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Jonathan Mahler, staff writer at the New York Times Magazine, about the possibilities for prosecuting Trump and the concept of “moving on” or healing from his crimes.

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What Will Become of Ivanka? Nov 18, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Emily Jane Fox, National Correspondent at Vanity Fair and co-host of Inside the Hive, about what will happen to Ivanka after her father’s presidency ends, her art collection and tackiness, who will stay in her social circle and who will snub her, and insights from covering her over the last five years.

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How Trump Hacked the Presidency Nov 13, 2020

In this Trumpcast Plus preview, Virginia Heffernan talks to Jack Goldsmith, Harvard Law School professor and co-author of After Trump, about why Donald Trump’s violation of norms come with more social or political penalties than legal ones, where his norm-crushing has potentially endangered us, and what reforms we can adopt to reduce those projected dangers.

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A Clownish Attempt at a Coup Nov 11, 2020

Virginia Heffernan welcomes back Jacob Weisberg, founder of Trumpcast and CEO of Pushkin Industries, and talks about the outrageousness of Trump’s coup attempt and why we’re still going to be OK, sorting out our feelings after election week, and a bookend to that fateful election night four years ago.

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This Is a Soft Revolution Nov 05, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Ekow Yankah, professor of law at Cardozo School of Law, about those wacky Trump election lawsuits, the Republican attempts at voter suppression in the wake of close counts, and about how learning someone else’s language in order to sell them something leads you to become more like them.

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Those Election Day 2020 Vibes Nov 03, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Amelia Thomson-DeVeaux, senior writer at FiveThirtyEight, about why we’re heading for a record gender gap in our presidential voting, issues for women voters and gender as a political frame, how differently individual voters interpret questions about issues like health care and the economy, and the drop in Trump support among white Christians.

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The Overall System Failure That Kept Trump In Office Oct 29, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Benjamin Wittes, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and editor-in-chief of Lawfare Blog, about how Trump was able to fulfill a full term in office despite everything, and the concept of majoritarianism.

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How to Avoid the Neo-Nazi Pothole Oct 27, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Christian Picciolini, a former neo-Nazi skinhead and musician who now works to disengage others from virulent bigotry and hate cults. He talks about his indoctrination into—and exodus from—the racist movement, neo-Nazi strategies of the 80s and 90s, the history of anti-racist skinheads in the U.S., and the psychology and needs of cult hoppers.

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Reading All Those Trump Books Oct 22, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Carlos Lozada, Washington Post nonfiction book critic and author of What Were We Thinking: A Brief Intellectual History of the Trump Era. They discuss a few of the 150+ Trump books Lozada has read; books from Trump sycophants and intellectual supporters; and thoughts on the books by Omarosa, Michael Cohen, and James Comey.

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What Democrats Still Get Wrong About Trump Voters Oct 20, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Kathleen Kingsbury and Farah Stockman of the New York Times editorial board about the publication’s weekend op-ed package making a verdict against Trump; Stockman’s experiences embedded with the Trump-voting working class for four years and how Democrats fail to reach them; and the importance of seniority on the job.

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Disestablish SCOTUS, or the Senate? Oct 16, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Trumpcast favorite, Fordham Law professor Jed Shugerman, about the big picture behind Amy Coney Barrett, ways we can disestablish the Senate, and the concept of originalism when interpreting the U.S. Constitution.

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No Saviors, Just Us Oct 09, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Sarah Jones, staff writer at New York Magazine’s Intelligencer, about the problem with putting Claudia Conway and other teenage girls on a pedestal, why Trump’s contracting of COVID doesn’t mean justice, and what she wants to see from Joe Biden.

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The Secret Code of the Proud Boys Oct 02, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to historian Nicole Hemmer about the Proud Boys—breaking down their hazing and hyper-masculinity, how to be initiated, conservative cults, and how Trump incites them.

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Here Comes The Slow-Rolling Coup Sep 25, 2020

Virginia Heffernan welcomes back Dahlia Lithwick, Slate staff writer and host of Amicus, about the loss of RBG, Rep. Adam Schiff’s call to the GOP’s conscience, not being “ladylike” in the face of disaster, and the strength of our system of checks and balances in the face of coup threats.

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Taxes, Trump, and Torment of GOP Donors Sep 17, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to producer Sally Herships and reporter Sarah Kleiner of The Heist, a new investigative podcast from the Center for Public Integrity covering a tax-centric political swindle and how power works in Trump’s presidency. Herships and Kleiner talk in-depth about the series, the benefits specific Republican donors have received, and what it’s like to try to track down Steve Mnuchin—or find out anything about him.

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How Trump Led Me to the Dharma Sep 10, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Tony Schwartz, the author infamous for penning Trump: The Art of the Deal, about his latest book, Dealing With the Devil: My Mother, Trump and Me, how Trump has impacted his life, how we grapple with our inner lawyers, and more.

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Violence, the Police, and Black Joy Sep 04, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Georgetown law professor Paul Butler, former trial attorney with the US Department of Justice and author of Chokehold: Policing Black Men, about the events in Kenosha and the Black Lives Matter movement, criminal justice, and what it means to celebrate black joy.

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When Political Economy Mugged Us Aug 27, 2020

In this Trumpcast Plus preview, Virginia Heffernan talks to prolific author Kurt Andersen about Evil Geniuses, his latest New York Times bestseller.

Only Slate Plus members get to listen to every Trumpcast episode in full. Sign up now to access every Trumpcast episode and support the show.

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Four Years of Trump on Foreign Policy Aug 21, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Ben Rhodes, former Deputy National Security Advisor under President Barack Obama and host of the new podcast Missing America, about Trump on foreign policy over the last four years, the U.S. fixation on Iran, Vladimir Putin, and what’s next.

This episode comes with a bonus segment at the end for Slate Plus members. Sign up now to listen, get every Trumpcast episode in full, and support the show.

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The Weird White Supremacist World of Stephen Miller Aug 14, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to investigative journalist Jean Guerrero, author of Hatemonger, about Stephen Miller's childhood and education, nurturing fringe white supremacist ideals, his relationship with anti-immigration activist David Horowitz, and how he's managed to survive so long and hold his power in Trump's ever-changing administrative line-up.

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Following Kushner’s Receipts to Democide Aug 07, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Katherine Eban, contributing editor for Vanity Fair and author of Bottle of Lies: The Inside Story of the Generic Drug Boom, about her recent piece on Jared Kushner’s botched COVID-19 response, and what happened when she followed a suspicious trail of his receipts.

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Black Uncles, White Uncles Jul 31, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to law professor Ekow Yankah about the different secrets in white and Black families, the archetypal uncles surfacing the disturbing truths about white supremacy from either side of it, Herman Cain, having opinions on scientific facts and living in a state of conspiracy-mindedness.

Only Slate Plus members get to listen to every Trumpcast episode in full. Sign up now to access every Trumpcast episode and support the show.

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Our Interview with Mary Trump Jul 23, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Mary L. Trump, niece of Donald Trump and author of "Too Much and Never Enough," going further into family stories from the book and insights into the Trump family; Donald Trump's enablers and inability to laugh; his weird sexuality; and iceberg lettuce.

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The Collaborators and the Dissidents Jul 17, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Anne Applebaum, staff writer for the Atlantic and author of The Twilight of Democracy, about how collaborators and dissidents emerge during a regime like Trump’s — or East Germany’s, how anti-communists like herself moved away from the Republican party, and Laura Ingraham.

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Kremlin Bounties and Cancel Culture Jul 10, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to writer Molly McKew, who covers Russian influence and info warfare, about the story of a Russian military intelligence unit offering Taliban-connected militants cash bounties to kill American service members in Afghanistan; denial of the story by the Trump administration; the concept of being at war Russia; and cancel culture.

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The Search for Melania's Intelligence Jul 01, 2020

In this Trumpcast Plus preview, Virginia Heffernan talks to Mary Jordan, Pulitzer Prize-winning national correspondent for the Washington Post and author of The Art of Her Deal, about Melania Trump—getting to the mystery of who she was before she met Donald Trump, her education, the way she manufactures her image, where she fails as a FLOTUS, and the supportive role she plays in propping up her husband.

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Worst AG, Barr None Jun 26, 2020

Virginia Heffernan welcomes back Fordham law professor Jed Shugerman to get into the weeds about AG Bill Barr, Michael Flynn’s story up until this point, Geoffrey Berman of the Southern District of New York, and the Unitary Executive Theory.

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White Supremacy, Tulsa, and the Mythology of America Jun 18, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to author Jared Yates Sexton about evangelical mythology, Bill Barr, rural understandings of globalism, the Confederacy, the coming Trump rally in Tulsa, how some Christian Trumpists may view COVID, and the “cult of the shining city.”

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Getting On The Same Page About Racism Jun 11, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to CNN legal analyst Elliot Williams about Cooper vs. Cooper, how white people apologize for and are now confronting systemic racism, the legality around questioning the actions of police officers, and the “Yanny versus Laurel” disconnect some white viewers will have watching viral police brutality videos.

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How Zuckerberg and Barr Are Trying to Stop the Protests Jun 04, 2020

In this Trumpcast Plus preview, Virginia Heffernan talks to Wired columnist Siva Viadhyanathan about his piece on Mark Zuckerberg; and, later in the show, she speaks with New York Times Magazine writer Matthatias Schwartz about his profile of William Barr.

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It’s Gonna Be A Rough Summer for Racial Tension May 29, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to MSNBC and theGrio contributor Dr. Jason Johnson about Christian Cooper, George Floyd, who in society is allowed to scold in public, COVID’s impact on black lives, why the protests are rebellions and not riots, and deeper implications behind names like "Karen" and "Becky."

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Klobuchar? How About Stacey Abrams? May 22, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to analyst and Fordham professor Dr. Christina Greer about white supremacy, the case for Stacey Abrams as Joe Biden’s running mate, whether black voters care less about policy than representation on the presidential ticket, and more.

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How Didier Raoult Became Hydroxychloroquine's Hype Man May 15, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to writer Scott Sayare about Didier Raoult, the man behind Trump’s favorite unproven treatment for COVID-19, exploring his successes as a French microbiologist, his big personality, and how we got to this point where hydroxychloroquine made headlines during the coronavirus pandemic.

Only Slate Plus members get to listen to every Trumpcast episode in full. Sign up now to access every Trumpcast episode and support the show. (edited)

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Kushner Mess-Ups Thrive Under D.C.’s Collective Amnesia May 08, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Rolling Stone D.C. Bureau Chief Andy Kroll about the specifics around Jared Kushner’s mishandling of the coronavirus crisis, the role of Oscar Health, the group of Bush-era doctors and epidemiologists calling themselves “Red Dawn,” and the collective amnesia in Washington, D.C. that prevents us from tackling sizable problems.

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“Opening Up” is a Meaningless Term Apr 30, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to CNN national security analyst Juliette Kayyem about what it really means—and what it takes— to safely re-open the country and heal from the coronavirus pandemic, the Waffle House Index, and how this crisis may affect our values.

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The Myriad Misdeeds of Moscow Mitch McConnell Apr 24, 2020

How did Mitch McConnell become Trump’s enabler-in-chief? Virginia Heffernan talks to Jane Mayer, staff writer at The New Yorker, about McConnell’s mishandling of the coronavirus crisis, his connections to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska and Rusal’s Kentucky investment, the business endeavors of wife Elaine Chao, and his feelings about the nickname Moscow Mitch.

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The Holy Trinity of Cuomo, Coronavirus, and Commerce Apr 17, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Mike Pesca, host of Slate podcast The Gist, about all things coronavirus, the leadership of Governor Andrew Cuomo, and what it might take to approach something that looks like normal.

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Coronavirus and the Struggle with Empirical Reality Apr 14, 2020

In this Trumpcast Plus preview, Virginia Heffernan talks to Laurie Garrett, a Pulitzer Prize-winning science journalist covering pandemics, about the typical multi-tiered responses of politicians to viruses, epidemics and the climate crisis, covering Ebola, and how religion still ties into the way some epidemics are managed.

To hear the full episode now, sign up for Slate Plus. Go to Slate.com/TrumpcastPlus.

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Coronavirus Won’t Stop GOP Voter Suppression Apr 09, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Mother Jones senior reporter Ari Berman about the 2020 presidential primary vote in Wisconsin, disenfranchised voters and a glance back at Jim Crow laws, why there’s ever any argument against mail-in votes, risks of the coronavirus negatively impacting the process of voting in the presidential election, and ways this could impact the process for the better.

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Narcissism Makes Trump The Worst Coronavirus President Apr 08, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to New York Times op-ed writer Jennifer Senior about her latest piece exploring the effect of Trump’s narcissism on the coronavirus crisis, a profile of narcissists’ weaknesses, and the strategy of using “yes, and” on the president in order to sneak actual facts in.

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Surviving Abusers During Coronavirus Quarantine Apr 03, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Tablet Magazine writer Carly Pildis about the tools some have used to cope while stuck in abusive situations at home during the coronavirus pandemic—also acknowledging a known abuser in the White House.

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How Drs. Fauci and Birx Negotiate with Trump Apr 01, 2020

In this Trumpcast Plus preview, Virginia Heffernan talks to former FBI Assistant Director Frank Figliuzzi about how Drs. Deborah Birx and Anthony Fauci are using hostage-negotiating tactics to buy time and help all of us survive during the coronavirus crisis.

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Coronavirus Reveals Trump’s Disaster Fault Lines Mar 27, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to history professor and disaster expert Dr. Scott Knowles about how care is rationed in U.S. society, how the elite respond to panic, meditations on Albert Camus’s The Plague and Edgar Allan Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death, and more.

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Civil Liberties Still Matter In The Coronavirus Crisis Mar 24, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Elie Mystal of The Nation about continuing to commit to political issues even in the wake of biological troubles, freeing prisoners and caged children during the health crisis, patriarchy problems, the upcoming presidential election, and more.

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When Conservative Media Got Serious About Coronavirus Mar 20, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Washington Post reporter Sarah Ellison about Fox News’ evolving thinking on the coronavirus crisis, some of the more dangerous pundit downplays of the virus, their view that Trump is doing well handling it, and the need to bring back local news.

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The President Without A Psychology Mar 18, 2020

In this Plus preview, Virginia Heffernan talks to psychology professor Dan McAdams about how Trump builds his internal narrative identity, and McAdams’ book The Strange Case of Donald J. Trump.

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The Bank That Backed Trump Mar 11, 2020

Virginia Heffernan welcomes David Enrich, a reporter for the New York Times and author of the book Dark Towers: Deutsche Bank, Donald Trump, and an Epic Trail of Destruction.

Only Slate Plus members get to listen to every Trumpcast episode in full. Sign up now to get access to every Trumpcast episode and support the show.

Podcast production by Phil Surkis and Melissa Kaplan.

Engineering help from Merritt Jacob.

Follow@realTrumpcast on Twitter / https://www.twitter.com/realTrumpcast

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Trump’s Mind Control Madness Mar 06, 2020

Virginia Heffernan welcomes back author and leading cult expert, Steven Hassan, to talk about his latest book, The Cult of Trump, and about his own experience being lured into and then recovering from a cult.

Only Slate Plus members get to listen to every Trumpcast episode in full. Sign up now to get access to every Trumpcast episode and support the show.

Follow@realTrumpcast on Twitter.

Podcast production by Phil Surkis and Melissa Kaplan.

Engineering help from Merritt Jacob.

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Coronavirus and the Democratic Primary Mar 04, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Dr. Greg Dworkin, a Daily Kos contributing editor and the Chief of Pediatric Pulmonology and Medical Director of the Pediatric Inpatient Unit at Danbury Hospital in Danbury, CT. They discuss pandemic preparedness, where to find facts, and how the eerily similar the Coronavirus and the Democratic primary election are reported.

Only Slate Plus members get to listen to every Trumpcast episode in full. Sign up now to get access to every Trumpcast episode and support the show.

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Podcast production by Phil Surkis and Melissa Kaplan.

Engineering help from Merritt Jacob.

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Trump Revisits This Whole ‘Intelligence’ Thing Feb 28, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Natasha Bertrand, national security correspondent at Politico, about Trump’s move to temporarily hire loyalist Richard Grenell—who has no intelligence experience—as the top U.S. intelligence official, replacing acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire.

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Fear is Our Common Political Enemy Feb 26, 2020

In this Trumpcast Plus preview, Virginia Heffernan talks to Mormon writer and activist Sharlee Mullins Glenn about the use of fear to manipulate politics, mistaken conflations of Mormons and Evangelicals when talking about conservative Christians, wedge issues that put Republicans in a hard position, and more.

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A Meditation on Conservatives Who Change Their Minds Feb 22, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Windsor Mann (USA Today, The Week) about his penchant for epigrams, Neo-conservatism, more on the relationship between Republicans and Russia, Mitt Romney, Lindsey Graham, and more.

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Bill Kristol's Long Strange Trip with Republicans Feb 20, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Bill Kristol about Trump's impact on liberal democracy, the unexamined reward structure of becoming a Trumpist, American conservatism in decades past versus today and conservatives' relationship to Russia, isolationist language creeping into politics, and much more.

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Dave Eggers and the Red Hats Feb 14, 2020

In this Plus preview, Virginia Heffernan talks to renowned author Dave Eggers about his new book, The Captain and The Glory, connecting with people at Trump rallies and the arch of Trump’s stump speeches, challenges to the “Trump followers are in a cult” theory, and whether Trumpites' minds can be changed.

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A New Election Forecasting Model for 2020 Feb 12, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to political analyst Rachel Bitecofer about her new electoral theory sweeping the forecasting world, the outlook for 2020, swing voters, and more.

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Joe Walsh's Mission is to Stop Trump Feb 08, 2020

On the day he dropped his campaign to be the Republican presidential nominee, Virginia Heffernan talks to former Illinois congressman Joe Walsh about facing Trumpites, the pressure to please conservative advertisers, when the Tea Party became populist, his now-infamous "grabbing my musket" tweet, and his pledge to support the 2020 Democratic nominee for president.

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Elitists Versus Trump and the Populists Feb 07, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Joel Stein, author of the book In Defense of Elitism, about the different kinds of elites and the people who both love and hate them, connections between crafting and populism, and how to avoid taking the low road in politics.

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Trump’s Contributions to the Fixer Economy Feb 05, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Michael Rothfeld, New York Times reporter and co-author of The Fixers, about the special cadre of supporters and enablers that allowed Trump to rise to power.

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Losing the Fear of Evangelical Hell Jan 31, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to ex-evangelical writer Chrissy Stroop, co-editor of “Empty the Pews: Stories of Leaving the Church,” about being raised in—and leaving—a fundamentalist discipline, what she learned in her religious school, Christian apologetics, where fundamentalism and authoritarianism intersect, and how she lost her visceral fear of Hell.

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The Creepiness Factor of Dershowitz and Starr Jan 29, 2020

In this Trumpcast Plus preview, Virginia Heffernan talks to writer Karen Schwartz about her recent piece in NBC News about Ken Starr and Alan Dershowitz, then dives deeper into Dershowitz’s former clients and the overall creepiness factor of it all.

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These Rhetorical Devices Help Trump Maintain Power Jan 25, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Dr. Jennifer Mercieca, professor of rhetoric and author of Demagogue for President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump, breaking down how he uses language to control his audience, philosophical explorations of Hobbes and Descartes, the unexamined rhetorical life of Hillary Clinton, and rhetorical devices to watch in the 2020 presidential campaigns.

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What Does The Presidency Even Mean After Trump Jan 22, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Susan Hennessey and Ben Wittes of Lawfare about their new book, Unmaking the Presidency, which explores Trump’s impact on the presidency and asks how his successor might be able to revive the role.

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A Hinky Feeling From The Trump GOP Jan 20, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to longtime GOP strategist Rick Wilson about evangelical political issues, media pundits, and stirring the ire of Rush Limbaugh.

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Why People Fall For Trump’s Political Cult Jan 09, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Steven Hassan, author of The Cult of Trump, about why we fall for cults, Trump’s brainwashing, and stories of his own deprogramming from a political cult in the 1970s.

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The Depth of the Pentagon’s Legal Concerns Jan 08, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Kate Brannen, editorial director of Just Security, about her story uncovering the unredacted version of emails, mostly between Michael Duffey, associate director of national security programs at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), and Elaine McCusker, the acting Pentagon comptroller.

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The Big Themes of Bit Trump Players Jan 05, 2020

Virginia Heffernan talks to Daily Beast White House reporter Asawin Suebsaeng about Jenna Ellis, Vanilla Ice, and reporting in the age of distraction and misinformation.

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Writing About Political Characters From New York Dec 31, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Olivia Nuzzi of New York magazine about her coverage of Trump, Rudolph Giuliani, and reporting on presidential candidates and New York characters.

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The World Through the Eyes of a Trump Impersonator Dec 27, 2019

Virginia Heffernan catches up with John Di Domenico, the peerless voice behind our Trump tweets, and goes deep into his experiences working different gigs as a full-time professional Trump impersonator and what he does when engaging with Trump’s fans.

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A Very Special Holiday Trumpcast Dec 25, 2019

Kick back and lighten your political load with never-before heard interpretations of Trump’s most infamous missives by John Di Domenico, and a new sketch from Kate James and Ben Rameaka of the Trumpcast Impeachers.

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A Historical Lens on Trump’s Authoritarianism Dec 21, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to renowned historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat about seeing Trump through an authoritarian lens, a deeper look at mafia culture, and how Trumpism will one day fall.

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A Backup Plan For Political Apocalypse Dec 18, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Eric Columbus, lawyer and Obama-appointed former member of the Senate Judiciary Counsel, about impeachment, Trump voters, Mike Pence, Bill Barr, and more.

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Wrangling Over the Articles of Impeachment Dec 12, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Third Way’s Mieke Eoyang about the House Judiciary mark-up conversation on impeachment.

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It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Impeachment Dec 11, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to writer David J. Roth about his latest post on impeachment in New York Intelligencer and connections between the Hallmark Channel and Trumpland.

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They Do Talk About Impeachment in Trump Country Dec 06, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to The Root’s Jason Johnson about middle America and impeachment, Matt Gaetz, and everything we project onto Nancy Pelosi.

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That ‘Trump is Anti-Corruption’ Defense Dec 04, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Washington Post opiner and Talking Feds host Harry Litman about the latest defense of Trump over Ukraine.

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All The President’s Misogyny Dec 01, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Christina Cauterucci, Slate staff writer and Waves / Outward co-host, about the book All The President’s Women, misogyny in show business and reality TV, The Apprentice, and the case of E. Jean Carroll.

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Last Roundup of Impeachment Thoughts Before Thanksgiving Nov 27, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Crooked Media’s Brian Beutler about everything related to the impeachment hearings up to this point, how polling on support for impeachment has worked, the influence of Representative Adam Schiff, attacks on Joe Biden, Fiona Hill, and much more.

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Slate Live: Women of Slate Nov 22, 2019

Virginia Heffernan joins the women of Slate for a political panel on the night of the Democratic debates. Recorded live at the Bell House in Brooklyn on Weds. Nov 20, 2019.

First segment: What Next host Mary Harris moderates Amicus host Dahlia Lithwick and Slate staff writers Ashley Feinberg and Julia Craven.

Second segment: Trumpcast host Virginia Heffernan moderates Thirst Aid Kit host Nichole Perkins and Slate staff writer Christina Cauterucci.

Live show produced by Faith Smith. Engineering and editing by Melissa Kaplan.

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Taylor and Kent Won’t Dance with the Stars Nov 14, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to CNN legal analyst Elie Honig about yesterday’s impeachment hearings, including our addiction to hyper-arousal, the work of Dan Goldman, the attempts to discredit William Taylor and George Kent, John Bolton not wanting to get caught up in a “drug deal,” and a grading of the Democrats’ in-court strategy.

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Irony, Solidarity, and the Internet Nov 14, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Andrew Marantz, a staff writer at the New Yorker and author of Anti-Social, about Facebook and the 2016 election, Hillary Clinton’s “tuberculosis” and other memes, the difference between word and lived experience, the philosophy of Richard Rorty,the line between speech and violence, and so much more.

This is a preview of a Slate Plus episode. To hear this episode in full, sign up here for Slate Plus.

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Transcripts Whispering Quid Pro No Nov 08, 2019

Virginia Heffernan has a conversation with CNN commentator and lawyer Ross Garber about the Ukraine call, the transcripts coming out of the White House, Rudy Guiliani and Trump’s advisers, Rep. Adam Schiff’s strengths and weaknesses, and much more.

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The Dangers of Trump’s Lower Court Judges Nov 05, 2019

Leon Krauze talks to Slate staff writer Mark Joseph Stern about the dangers of the judges Trump appoints, and not just the SCOTUS—nearly one in four appeals court judges in the federal judiciary was appointed by Trump. These are lifetime appointments.

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Now Approaching the Trump Impeachment Endgame Nov 01, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Fordham Law’s Jed Shugerman about how we’re approaching the “end game” of impeachment, what might happen to Trump in the courts post-impeachment, clarifying statements from Trump private lawyer William Consovoy, Tish James, the Washington Nationals’ booing of Trump at the World Series, and much, much more.

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How National Defense Issues Play Out in U.S. Culture Oct 31, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Katherine Voyles about the way national defense issues play out in culture, and the culture of national defense issues. They also discuss Jim Mattis and Steve Bannon.

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Say Yes to Rebuilding Post-Trump Oct 25, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks with law professor and MSNBC contributor Joyce Vance about Trump’s bloodlust, Turkey, building nonpartisan offices, that now-iconic Twitter image of Rep. Nancy Pelosi disciplining Trump, Sen. Marsha Blackburn’s pushback, and rebuilding after 2020.

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Real Activism in the Face of Trump Rot Oct 23, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks with activist lan Madrigal, known for their “cause play” work as the Monopoly Man, about the most potent times to be an activist, reckoning with the feelings that come up in our repressive politics, acknowledging trauma and being honest with your family, and the myths versus the realities of revolution.

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Trump Skewers the Pax Americana Oct 18, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Kate Brannen, editorial director of Just Security, about Gordon Sondland’s opening statement, a glance at Russian interference, Trump’s bizarre letter to Turkish President Recep Erdogan, that bizarre Trump-Pelosi Twitter photo exchange, and the future for U.S. diplomacy.

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There’s No Law in that White House Counsel Letter Oct 11, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Above the Law’s Elie Mystal, who breaks down the White House counsel’s letter attempting to invalidate the Trump impeachment inquiry.

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The Trump-Zelensky Call and the Language of Corruption Oct 09, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to info warfare expert Molly McKew about the how the Trump-Zelensky call benefits Vladimir Putin, the Ukraine, javelins, disarmament, Hunter Biden, and more.

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Trump Voters and the Power of Twelve Angry Men Oct 04, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to blogger Aneela Mirchandani about what the classic movie Twelve Angry Men can teach us about Trump supporters, the psychic permission Trump gives to his voters, and the archetypes of people that keep a con going.

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The Brett Kavanaugh Epistemological Crisis Oct 01, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Robin Pogrebin and Kate Kelly, New York Times reporters and co-authors of The Education of Brett Kavanaugh, about the process of reporting for the book, Kavanaugh’s middle-of-the-road college performance and tendency to stay by the keg, his unease around women during his college years, religion on the court, and more.

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The Dance Around Quid Pro Quo Sep 29, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Dahlia Lithwick, friend of the pod and host of Slate podcast Amicus, about everything happening with the Ukraine whistleblower debacle, quid pro quo, and abusing power in the workplace.

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The Trump Impeachment Story Is Unfolding Sep 25, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Jacob Weisberg, founder of Trumpcast, about how Pelosi threw down the gauntlet, the Senate spoke in unison, and the nation is now facing the impeachment of Donald Trump.

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Urgent Concern: This Unambiguously Constitutes an Impeachable Offense Sep 20, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Susan Hennessey of Lawfare blog and the Brookings Institution about why President Donald Trump’s reported pleas to Ukraine to help him rough up Joe Biden constitute an impeachable offense.

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When Trump Tried to Move to Hollywood Sep 18, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Allen Salkin, co-author of “The Method to the Madness,” about Trump’s struggles to fit in with the Hollywood in crowd, developing his reality TV life, and his visit to California.

This is a preview of a Slate Plus episode. To hear this episode in full, sign up here for Slate Plus.

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Bolton and Mattis Are Not White Horses Sep 13, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to information and political analyst Molly McKew about why we’re not getting more vital information from those leaving the Trump administration, institutional erosion, the lack of honorable men, lessons from Russia, and what she’s doing at the Oslo Freedom Forum in Taiwan.

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Decoding the Mystery of Jim Mattis Sep 11, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to the New Yorker’s Susan Glasser about dropping in on Jim Mattis’ book tour, the worldviews of figures like Mattis and Rod Rosenstein, and not taking the reality stars of the Trump administration seriously. Finally, what Trump did in August.

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Backstage on the Scaramucci Redemption Tour Sep 06, 2019

Anthony Scaramucci, the infamous 11-day communications director for President Donald Trump in 2017, talks to Virginia Heffernan about his conversion from Trumpism; his politics and his relationship to power; growing up working class; his wife, Diedre; fact-checking the Trump throwing a “dead-spiral through a tire” story; and the real story behind missing the birth of his son.

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Humor, Trump, and the Patriarchy Sep 05, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to comedian John Fugelsang about men and problematic humor in the MeToo movement, the excuse of “political correctness,” mansplaining, Trump, atheism, and his new Off-Broadway show “Laughing Liberally.”

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Mr. Trump Goes to Biarritz Aug 30, 2019

In this Plus preview, Virginia Heffernan talks to Eli Stokols, White House reporter for the LA Times–- who is fresh from reporting on Trump from the G-7 press pool–about how world leaders managed Trump now this time around, his G-7 specific “parade of lies,” and facing his usual lack of anything substantial to say.

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The Hacked Manafort Texts and #MeToo Aug 28, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Maya Gurantz, co-host of culture and politics podcast The Sauce, about the hacked Manafort texts, journalists’ efforts to confirm allegations, E Jean Carroll, “do me” feminism, #MeToo’s ability to free men from the Patriarchy.

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How Populist Messaging Obscures Conservative Policy Aug 23, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Paul Waldman about how the Trump administration reconciles a fiscal policy that favors the rich with a populist message aimed at the working class.

Podcast production by Melissa Kaplan and Ethan Brooks, with help from Danielle Hewitt.

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The Hidden Evangelical Power in Washington Aug 21, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to journalist Jeff Sharlet, author of The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power. Netflix recently released a documentary series based on his reporting.

Podcast production by Melissa Kaplan and Ethan Brooks, with help from Danielle Hewitt.

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Ivanka and the Reckoning of New York Society Aug 16, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Vanessa Grigoriadis, host of the Ivanka podcast Tabloid, about her lifestyle changes since her father came to office, life with Jared Kushner, her intelligence and bookishness, her relationship with New York high society, run-ins with Ivanka in real life, and how the rest of society relates to her.

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The Language Around Guns in America Aug 14, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to AC Valdez, editor of GunsAndAmerica.org and former Trumpcast producer, about the way we talk about guns in the US, how mass shootings are defined in media, strategies for de-escalating gun violence in gang situations vs. terrorism, united toxic male weirdness, and more.

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Facing and Erasing White Terrorism Aug 08, 2019

In an episode that originally aired as a Slate Plus exclusive on March 27, shortly after the horrendous attack in Christchurch, New Zealand, León Krauze talks to Ishaan Tharoor, foreign affairs and geopolitical reporter for the Washington Post, about white nationalism and white supremacy on social media, and what it might look like for President Donald Trump to handle these problems more responsibly.

Also featuring fresh Aug.t 8 Trump tweets from John Di Domenico.

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False Coherence and White Terrorism Aug 07, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Jane Coaston, senior politics reporter at Vox, about our current bout of white terrorism, knowing versus understanding, why some groups lean on conspiracies and myths of the elite, the conservative argument of political correctness, and much more.

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What Dangers Could Loom Under Ratcliffe? Aug 01, 2019

In this Trumpcast Plus preview, Virginia Heffernan talks to Mieke Eoyang, VP of Third Way’s National Security Program, about the realities of Dan Coats’ work while he was on the job, what could be in the future if Ratcliffe becomes Director of National Intelligence, and whether Mieke is a Mueller Report volume one or volume two person per our ongoing poll.

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Barr and the Overman Class Jul 31, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Washington Post columnist and constitutional law professor Harry Litman about the thickness of Trump administration lies and his experience working with Bill Barr.

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Which Volume of the Mueller Report are you? Jul 26, 2019

For a big think on former special counsel Robert Mueller's Wednesday testimony, Virginia Heffernan welcomes back Fordham Law professor Jed Shugerman.

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Robert Mueller's Testimony Before the House Judiciary Committee Jul 25, 2019

Robert Mueller's Testimony before the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY).

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Robert Mueller's Testimony Before the House Intelligence Committee Jul 24, 2019

This is the first half of the Robert Mueller's Testimony before the House Intelligence Committee, chaired by Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA).

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Bottle-Blond Clowns Take the Anglosphere Jul 24, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Washington Post columnist Brian Klaas about Boris Johnson, UK voters and Brexiteers, and conservative nostalgia.

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Tendencies of the Nuclear-Prone Jul 19, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Scott Sagan, political science professor at Stanford University known for his research on nuclear weapons policy and nuclear disarmament, about the results of his recently co-authored poll gauging Americans’ desire to go to war with North Korea.

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Trump the Criminal Co-Conspirator Jul 16, 2019

Virginia Heffernan welcomes back Garrett Graff, director at the Aspen Institute and Mueller specialist, for a look-ahead of Mueller's testimony next week, his first response to the Mueller Report, and where it's particularly damning.

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The Jeffrey Epstein Complicity Machine Jul 13, 2019

Vicky Ward returns to Trumpcast to chat with Virginia Heffernan about Jeffrey Epstein.

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Is Trump A Disease? A Medical Perspective Jul 10, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Dr. Bandy Lee, psychiatrist at Yale University, for a deep, compelling new take on the long debate about Trump’s mental fitness.

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Is The GOP Finished? History Weighs In Jul 03, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Kevin Kruse, professor of history at Princeton University, on battling revisions of Republican history on Twitter, racism as America’s original sin (and its other sins), the influence of Mike Pence and the religious right, and the narratives justifying their stances around the issues.

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An Interview With E. Jean Carroll Jun 28, 2019

Host Virginia Heffernan and special guest co-host Dahlia Lithwick of Amicus share an intimate conversation with journalist E Jean Carroll, author of "What Do We Need Men For," about details of the sexual assault she experienced from President Donald Trump, how she has responded, and as an advise columnist, what advice she would give to someone who faced her situation.

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What We Want From Mueller’s Testimony Jun 26, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to legal analyst Ross Garber about Mueller’s upcoming testimony, impeachment, and more.

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Understanding Mexico In The Migration Crisis Jun 25, 2019

León Krauze talks to Stephanie Leutert, Director of the Mexico Security Initiative at the University of Texas at Austin, about how the migration crisis at the border is being handled, understanding the Northern Triangle, the role Mexico is playing in the crisis, and where in particular we should shift our current focus in the region.

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The Trump Show Tales Of Siege Jun 21, 2019

Virginia Heffernan chats with author Michael Wolf about Siege, the sequel to Fire and Fury, covering Steve Bannon, Trumpian doublethink, how Wolff gets sources to open up, and much more.

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Democrats Dithering About Impeachment Jun 18, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to MSNBC’s Dr. Christina Greer on why Democrats are slow on impeachment, Trump and U.S. racism, the logic of reality TV, and more.

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Trump’s Relationship With Jews Jun 13, 2019

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Trumpcast Live: Vicky Ward And Aparna Nancherla Jun 12, 2019

From our full day of live shows at Slate Day comes Trumpcast Live! Virginia Heffernan welcomes to the stage Kushner Inc author Vicky Ward and comedian Aparna Nancherla to talk about the Kushners, the anxiety olympics, Trump’s penchant for cheating and the casino roots of the term “collusion,” and much more. Plus incredible live improv by Kate James, Ben Rameaka, and Marla Caceres, the “Trumpcast Colluders.”

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Brexit, Media, And The UK In Trump Times Jun 08, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Guardian reporter Carole Cadwalladr, bypassing Trump’s UK visit to talk conservatism and Facebook, Nigel Farage, Julian Assange, Brexit, and much more.

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When Interpreting Power Means Abuse Jun 04, 2019

Yascha Mounk talks to Protect Democracy counsel and colleague Kristy Parker about the way Trump abuses power with regard to national emergencies and the border wall, specific ways he criticizes the press, and lawsuits against the president.

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Trumpcast Sketch: What Mueller Meant To Say May 31, 2019

Comedian Steve Waltien gives his interpretation of Robert Mueller's statement this week.

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The Oracle Mueller Hath Spoken May 31, 2019

Virginia Heffernan welcomes back MSNBC’s Matt Miller to talk about Mueller’s statement this week, Barr’s ideology, what Trump has accidentally revealed in doublespeak during the aftermath, and more.

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Former Federal Prosecutors Agree On Trump May 29, 2019

Virginia Heffernan welcomes back Mimi Rocah, former federal prosecutor for the Southern District of New York and MSNBC legal analyst, to talk about the letter about the Mueller Report she’s spearheaded signed by former federal prosecutors, Barr’s ongoing damage to rule of law, defiance of subpoenas, speaking in mobster code, and more.

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Of FOIAs And Buzzfeed Investigative Fights May 25, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Buzzfeed senior investigative reporter Jason Leopold -- who with partner Anthony Cormier has broken several Trump stories -- about FOIAs, cultivating specific sources, media mistrust, insights into a checkered past, and of course, those Buzzfeed stories.

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Brainstorming Ways To Rekindle Democracy May 23, 2019

Yascha Mounk talks to the Berggruen Institute’s Nicholas Berggruen and Nathan Gardels, co-authors of “Renovating Democracy: Governing in the Age of Globalization and Digital Capitalism,” about how money influences government, Trump’s impact on democracy and capitalism, populism, owning robots, and ideas for what can be done.

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The Case Of Candidate Joe Biden May 20, 2019

León Krauze talks to Slate political writer about the Democrats’ struggle with Joe Biden, his double-digit lead in the polls, and why they hate him despite this significant advantage.

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When Trump Trolls Give Up The War May 18, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to David Weissman, once a hardcore self-described Trump troll, about his story -- how he first came into conservative writing and became involved in “Trump train” social media and group DMs, his interventions with media figures like Sarah Silverman, changing his viewpoints, and strategies to make yourself safe from Internet trolls.

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A Republican’s Journey Away From Trump May 12, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Max Boot, columnist for the Washington Post and author of “Corrosion of Conservatism: Why I Left The Right,” about his journey since Donald Trump took office.

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Trump’s Finances Are Taxing May 09, 2019

Virginia Heffernan dissects this week’s New York Times news on Trump’s tax losses with Richard Rubin, who writes about tax policy for the Wall Street Journal. Also discussed: Trump’s different mindset on taxes, his sources of income, and the cognitive dissonance between wealth and debt.

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The View Of Putin From Moscow May 03, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Russian journalist Alexey Kovalev about why Russians taking over the White House is a far-fetched idea, Putin’s main selling points, the American right-wing influence on Russian politics, fake Cyrillic, kettle logic, Russian penpals, and leaving Twitter.

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Surviving A Post-Mueller Report World Apr 30, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Elliot Williams, former deputy assistant attorney general and current principal at public affairs firm the Raben Group, about the Mueller Report, Barr, Rosenstein, obstructions of justice, and several meaningful pop culture references to Game of Thrones and beyond.

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Understanding Conspiracy In Trump Times Apr 25, 2019

Yascha Mounk talks to Nancy Rosenblum and Russ Muirhead, co-authors of “A Lot Of People Are Saying: The New Conspiracism and the Assault on Democracy,” about how and why conspiracies form, what makes a “theory,” and what conspiracies give to people.

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Trump Dangers After the Mueller Report Apr 23, 2019

Yascha Mounk talks to political activist and chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov about their responses to the Mueller report, Trumpism, what the Democratic Party gets hung up on, Russia, and learning from Kasparov’s efforts to oppose Vladimir Putin.

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A Mueller Report Next-Day Debrief Apr 19, 2019

On this first day after the release of the Mueller Report, Virginia Heffernan talks revelations and redactions with Jed Shugerman, Fordham Law professor and author of “The People’s Courts.”

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The Mueller Report: the Executive Summaries Apr 18, 2019

Don’t have time to read the whole Mueller report? Now there’s a podcast for that. Listen to Slate’s Gabriel Roth and June Thomas read the special counsel’s executive summaries in our free mini-audiobook.

Podcast production by Benjamin Frisch and Merritt Jacob.

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Finding Your Guts When The Spire Falls Apr 18, 2019

Virginia Heffernan welcomes back Dahlia Lithwick, host of Slate podcast Amicus, to talk Barr, Avenatti, Christine Blasey-Ford’s honor in TIME Magazine, and the strategies by which corrupt actors in the administration slip through our fingers.

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Special: Has Mexico's President Turned His Back on His Own People? Apr 15, 2019

To understand what’s happening on the border, you have to look at the policies and leaders on both sides of it. So, how has Mexico, under its new president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, changed its approach to refugees and migrants fleeing north? And how has the Mexican president changed, himself?

León Krauze, co-host of Trumpcast, joins What Next, Slate's daily news podcast, to explain. Subscribe to What Next via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, Stitcher, Overcast, Google Play, or iHeart.

Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Anna Martin.

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Climate Change Meets The U.S. Border Crisis Apr 14, 2019

León Krauze talks to the New Yorker’s Jonathan Blitzer about how climate change deepens the U.S. border crisis, stories of Central American migration, and the tremendous spiraling debt that is taken on to embark on this dangerous journey.

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The Collusion Effect On Our Norms Apr 10, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Washington Post national correspondent Philip Bump about Kristjen Nielsen, interpreting news headlines, Alpha Bank and the dossier, the non-disputable points of Adam Schiff, the Mueller Report to come, and more.

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Behind Closed Doors At Kushner Inc. Apr 05, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Vicky Ward, author of “Kushner Inc.,” about Jared and Ivanka’s rise to power; the influence and history of family patriarch Charlie Kushner; and the Trump and Kushner worlds of real estate and crime.

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A Trip To Barr-A-Lago Apr 03, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Rick Wilson, author of “Everything Trump Touches Dies,” and journalist Molly Jong-Fast about the Barr letters, Trumpism, who is at risk after being touched by Trump, and more.

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Facing And Erasing White Terrorism Mar 27, 2019

León Krauze talks to Ishaan Tharoor, foreign affairs and geopolitical reporter for The Washington Post, on the recent white terrorist attack in New Zealand, white nationalism and white supremacy on social media, and what it might look like for Trump to handle these problems more responsibly.

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The Barr Letter Is Not The Mueller Report Mar 25, 2019

Virginia Heffernan breaks down the weekend’s bombshell Mueller news with Jed Shugerman, Fordham Law professor, author of “The People’s Courts,” and co-author on an amicus brief in CREW v. Trump.

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Why Did Deutsche Bank Support Trump? Mar 22, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to David Enrich, finance editor for the New York Times, about Deutsche Bank's relationship with Donald Trump, how they began working together, and the bank’s funding of Nazi activities during World War II.

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The Six Groups Within The 2019 Democratic Party Mar 19, 2019

León Krauze talks to FiveThirtyEight writer Perry Bacon Jr. about how he defines six different groups within the Democratic party, where each stands on current issues, and how 2020 presidential candidates might fall within those factions.

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To Understand Trump World, Find The Women Mar 14, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Nina Burleigh, author of Golden Handcuffs: The Secret History of Trump’s Women, about Melania and Ivanka Trump, the controversy surrounding spa owner Cindy Yang, and the overlap of the legitimate and illegitimate worlds.

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Fear As Right-Wing Media’s Plot Mar 13, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Nicole Hemmer, author of Messengers of the Right, about the motives of right-wing media and its impact, this week’s Tucker Carlson scandal, and the bigotry conversation surrounding Rep. Ilhan Omar.

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2019 Ways To Spell Doomsday Mar 07, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to nuclear research and policy-making expert Sharon Squassoni about the Trump effect on the Doomsday Clock, our nuclear situation worldwide, how climate change moves the minute hand, and a realistic look at what it would look like for a sitting president to consider using “the button” (which is really a briefcase).

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Demystifying Putin’s Power And Clan Mar 05, 2019

Yascha Mounk talks to journalist Julia Ioffe, who covers Russia, about the reality of Putin’s position, how he uses his pedestal, who relies on him for support, rumors overheard in Moscow, and what may come in the leader’s future.

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Michael Cohen Testifies Before Congress, part 2 Feb 27, 2019

We know that many Slate podcast listeners were at work during Michael Cohen's testimony before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday, Feb. 27, so we're going to bring it to you in podcast form.

In the previous episode you heard Cohen’s opening remarks. In part 2, the committee members begin their questioning.

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Michael Cohen's Opening Statement to the House Oversight Committee Feb 27, 2019

We know that many Slate podcast listeners were at work during Michael Cohen's testimony before the House Oversight Committee on Wednesday, Feb. 27, so we're going to bring it to you in podcast form.

First we present Cohen's opening testimony--and the wrangling that preceded it. When the hearings are over, check back for the entire day's proceedings.

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All Eyes On Michael Cohen Feb 27, 2019

Virginia Heffernan dissects Michael Cohen in court with four-time Trumpcast visitor Elie Honig, CNN legal analyst and former prosecutor for the Southern District of New York. Plus, Steve Waltien and writer John Glynn depict a conversation between the truth-teller Michael Cohen of 2019 and the reporter-threatening Michael Cohen of 2015.

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How Our Branches Of Government Hold Up In 2019 Feb 26, 2019

Virginia Heffernan welcomes back Dahlia Lithwick, host of Slate podcast Amicus, for a deep journey into the health of the judicial branch in Trump times, the leanings of justices John Roberts and Neil Gorsuch, the 25th amendment, Corey Robin’s New York Magazine thesis that Trump is “weak,” and whether we should still rely on our institutions.

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Where Do Black Conservatives Align With GOP Issues? Feb 21, 2019

Yascha Mounk talks to Dr. Ted Johnson, senior fellow at the Brennan Center, about where black and white conservatives differ on racial issues and beyond, including economic policy and what they want in a 2020 presidential candidate.

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Paul Manafort And The Heart Of Collusion Feb 18, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Danny Cevallos, criminal defense attorney and legal analyst for MSNBC, about Paul Manafort and the theory that Trump is not the top of the Mueller investigation.

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Trump, Drug Smuggling, And The Opioid Epidemic Feb 14, 2019

In this Plus preview, Leon Krauze talks to Vox’s German Lopez about the severe state of the opioid crisis, drug smuggling, a response ot the State of the Union, and how to effectively stop the flow of drugs into the U.S.

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Trumpcast Live In LA Feb 13, 2019

Enjoy our live show, recorded Feb. 7 at the Ace Hotel Theater in downtown Los Angeles and featuring a conversation with Virginia Heffernan, Leon Krauze, and Jamelle Bouie. Special guests: Comedians Andy Kindler and Jake Johannsen, and our very own Trump impersonator John Di Domenico.

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The BuzzFeed Revelations on Trump Feb 09, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Anthony Cormier from BuzzFeed News about the chain of bombshell news stories his team has published this month and the Mueller team’s response to his reporting.

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How Trump’s Inaugural Committee Got Into Trouble: Trumpcast Presents What Next Feb 07, 2019

Inaugurations are ethically dubious in the best of times. So why is the Trump inaugural committee under investigation? Consider the scale of the swindle.

Guest: Ilya Marritz, co-host of Trump Inc., a podcast produced by WNYC and ProPublica.

Tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or sending an email to whatnext@slate.com. Follow us on Instagram for updates on the show. Subscribe to What Next via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, TuneIn, Stitcher, Overcast, Google Play, or iHeart. Or search for the show in your favorite podcast app.

Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Anna Martin.

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Calling Out Jared Kushner’s Insecure Clearance Feb 05, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) about why he’s called on Jared Kushner’s top-secret security clearance to be revoked, the process of gaining high-level security clearance, how Kushner’s access reflects on the administration, and what’s to come in the next few months.

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The Collusion Story Info Spectrum Jan 30, 2019

Yascha Mounk talks to Benjamin Wittes, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and editor-in-chief of Lawfare Blog, about why having more facts doesn’t help us understand what’s happening in the collusion story, potential narrative arcs from what we do know, and what we might be about to learn.

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A (Roger) Stone In A Barrel Jan 28, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Garrett Graff, contributing editor at Wired and co-author of “Dawn of the Code War,”about takeaways from the Roger Stone indictment, the story buried over the weekend of Jared Kushner enabler Carl Kline, and sanctions lifted on Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska.

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How The FBI Investigates A President Jan 24, 2019

In this Plus preview, Virginia Heffernan talks to former FBI special agent and CNN contributor Asha Rangappa about the procedural end of investigative work, from documentation and justification to putting your head down and just doing the next right thing.

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The Democratic Approach To Immigration In 2020 Jan 22, 2019

León Krauze talks to Simon Rosenberg, president of DC-based think tank NDN, about recent polls indicating more Democrats may be supporting Trump’s border wall. Plus deep considerations for how 2020 Democratic candidates could approach immigration.

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Make Conservatives Great Again Jan 17, 2019

Yascha Mounk talks to Charlie Sykes, editor-in-chief of conservative outlet the Bulwark and author of How the Right Lost Its Mind,” about Trump and the GOP, conservative vs. liberal values, the rise of tribalism, constitutional norms, Steve King, and how to get both sides of the aisle talking in a meaningful way again.

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The Compromises That Create Kremlin Double Agents Jan 15, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Bill Browder, financier and author of Red Notice, about Natalia Veselnitskaya, how the Kremlin influences even well-intentioned U.S. civil servants, the origins of the Magnitsky Act and the evolution of the Russian oligarchs, and what Putin might be doing next.

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Beacons Through Autocratic Gaslighting Jan 11, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Sarah Kendzior, author of The View From Flyover Country and co-host of the podcast Gaslit Nation, on specific examples of Trump’s gaslighting, the strategies autocrats employ as they wield power, and why it’s important to be relentless about calling out lies.

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The ‘Successful’ Political Candidate Template For 2020 Jan 08, 2019

On his first show as Trumpcast co-host, Yascha Mounk talks to Sam Koppelman, speechwriter for the Jon Favreau-run communications firm Fenway Strategies, about what traits successful political candidates share, what strategies candidates like Beto O’Rourke are employing, and a speechwriter’s power in a candidate’s world.

This episode is brought to you by Omax Health. Go to tryomax.com/trumpcast today to get 60 percent off a one-month supply, plus free shipping and a 60-day money-back

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No Sir, Romney Doesn't Like It Jan 03, 2019

Virginia Heffernan talks to Matt Miller, MSNBC Justice and Security Analyst, about why he’s supportive of Romney’s op ed in the Washington Post amidst cries that it comes off as hollow talk. Also, who is Romney now? What are his policies? Where is the GOP now? And are the Southern District of New York and the Justice Department competing?

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Wading Through The Democratic Presidential Pool Dec 29, 2018

León Krauze talks to Scott Detrow, NPR congressional correspondent and co-host of the NPR Politics Podcast, about the Democratic presidential hopefuls for 2020. Why are there so many potential candidates? Who really has a chance? Are there any dark horse candidates?

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How Can Trump's Administration Actually Help Central America? Dec 27, 2018

León Krauze talks to Dr. Cynthia Arnson, director of the Latin America program at the Wilson Center, about the crisis in Central America, who is migrating, how President Donald Trump’s policies affect the region, and the need to move beyond aid to building infrastructure.

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Explaining Trump To Young Adults Dec 24, 2018

Virginia Heffernan talks to Martha Brockenbrough, author of the YA novel “Unpresidented,” about breaking down the story of Trump, his bullying, and his ancestry. Includes forays into the dramatized letter Frederich Trump wrote to the prince regent of Bavaria to keep him from being deported; the Trump family’s history with real estate; Woodie Guthrie’s anti-Trump song; and the powerful influence of Roy Cohn.

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A Foxhole In The Cyberwar Dec 20, 2018

Virginia Heffernan hosts a roundtable with author Karen Schwartz and cyberwar expert Molly McKew exploring Russia’s relationship to tech, Facebook and Silicon Valley, the creepy control mentality of billionaire socialites, and the difference between mafias and oligarchic systems. Features a short cameo of Ex-FIFA official Chuck Blazer’s $6,000 Trump Tower apartment for cats.

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Trump’s 2013 Deal With Aras Agalarov Dec 18, 2018

This Trumpcast Plus trailer features part two of Virginia Heffernan’s talk with “Proof of Collusion” author Seth Abramson, where the pair put Trump’s trip to the Moscow Miss Universe Pageant under a microscopic lens. Plus, Trump’s ambition to build enormous Russian towers, his relationship with Evangelicals, and a sketch exploring how Trumpian logic could “fix journalism.”

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Trump, The NRA, And More Illegal Activity Dec 15, 2018

León Krauze talks to Mike Spies, a reporter for nonprofit news outlet The Trace, which covers the U.S. gun violence crisis. Mike broke a story about how the NRA and the Trump campaign coordinated their advertising strategies during the 2016 presidential campaign. Also covered: The NRA’s $30 million contribution in support of Trump in 2016 -- which is an exceptional amount of money for the association -- Marina Butina, and what it will take to turn around the U.S. gun crisis.

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The Depths Of Disinformation In 2016 Dec 11, 2018

Virginia Heffernan talks to David Corn, Washington Bureau Chief for Mother Jones and co-author with Michael Isikoff of Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin’s War on America and the Election of Donald Trump. Included: The lack of media attention on Trump-Russia ties around the election, the carnival cast of characters that come with political scandals, and of course, collusion.

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The Tragic Flaw Of James Comey Dec 08, 2018

Virginia Heffernan talks to analyst Mieke Eoyang, Vice President for Third Way’s National Security Program, about all things James Comey, including his testimony and takes on his role and righteousness, and what we would want to hear from him. Plus, Rex Tillerson, the new UN ambassador and how Trump elects women to his cabinet, and more Trump-Russia.

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Those 80s Moments That Politicized Trump Dec 06, 2018

Virginia Heffernan tackles the history of Trump-Russia ties with Seth Abramson, author of “Proof of Collusion” and an arbiter of curatorial journalism. Virginia poses questions for Seth from Twitter, including a speed round examining the role of women whitewashing Trump, the prospective futures of Ivanka Trump and Michael Flynn, and the best and worst case scenarios for Trump at this point.

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It’s All About Mogilevich Dec 01, 2018

In this Trumpcast Plus preview, Virginia Heffernan talks to Craig Unger, author of House of Trump, House of Putin, about Semion Mogilevich, Trump Tower and money laundering, and the odd connection with Chabad.

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Whodunit? Solving Trumpian Mysteries With A.G. Of Mueller, She Wrote Nov 29, 2018

Virginia Heffernan gets into the gritty details with A.G. of indie podcast Mueller, She Wrote about everything from Paul Manafort to Oleg Deripaska. Also explored: Russian oligarchy ties, Viktor Yanukovych, and Marina Butina. Further reading links highly recommended!

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Trump’s Ex-Associates Hit The Courts Nov 27, 2018

Virginia Heffernan talks to Elie Honig, CNN legal analyst and former federal and state prosecutor for the Southern District of New York, about Papadopoulos, proper sentencing for white-collar crime, and more speculations on the timing of Mueller indictments post-thanksgiving.

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The Disaster Of Trump’s Disaster Management Nov 22, 2018

León Krauze talks to Dr. Scott G. Knowles, disasters and public policy expert and author of the book “The Disaster Experts: Mastering Risks in Modern America,” on Trump’s response to the California wildfires and other disasters from a policy perspective, the realities of what it takes to effectively manage these events, and calling out the lighter-fluid effect Trump’s words have on people and policy.

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Trump Retreats Into His Cocoon Nov 20, 2018

Virginia Heffernan talks to Eli Stokols, White House reporter for the LA Times and political analyst at MSNBC, about Trump’s post-election mood and why it’s different from his other moods. Plus, his California wildfire gaffes, a guess at who’s on the short list to leave the White House in the next few weeks, and why he still may have the support of some veterans.

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Thirsting for Indictments Nov 17, 2018

In this Plus preview, Virginia Heffernan welcomes Daniel Goldman, MSNBC legal analyst and former Assistant US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, who reads the tea leaves and feels out the potential for Mueller indictments. Plus: Julian Assange, the art of hacker timing, and legal terms you might not know.

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Is Your Candidate Racist? Apply the Gillum Test Nov 14, 2018

Virginia Heffernan talks Rolling Stone senior writer Jamil Smith, who just penned a piece called “Trumpism is Racism, So Things Will Get Worse.” Also: the “Gillum Test” and this week’s heightened harassment of women of color in the White House press pool.

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Sessions’ Last Act Deals Blow to Police Reform: Trumpcast Presents What Next Nov 11, 2018

What Next is the new daily news podcast from Slate, hosted by Mary Harris. Today Trumpcast is proud to present the latest episode of What Next, which is all about former Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Just as he was getting kicked out the door, Sessions wanted to do one last thing: strongly limit the strength and use of consent decrees moving forward. It’s a move that deals a significant blow to the Department of Justice’s ability to reign in police abuse across the country.

Today on the show: what is a consent decree? And what happens in one small town in Louisiana when Jeff Sessions takes office and decides to turn a blind eye to its abuses?

This episode is brought to you Hello Fresh. For a total of $60 off (that’s $20 off your first 3 boxes) visit HelloFresh.com/WHATNEXT60 and enter WHATNEXT60.

And by Merrill Lynch. Get the advice and guidance to help you live the life you want at ML.com/you.

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Post-Election Truths of the Caravan Nov 10, 2018

León Krauze talks to Karla Zabludovsky, Mexico Bureau Chief and Latin American correspondent for Buzzfeed News, who has been on the ground with the migrant caravan the conservative media focused on so heavily this election. They explore how the caravan formed, how the coverage began, Mexico’s treatment of Central Americans, and one important, non-hype message people should take away from this story.

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The GOP Loves Voter Suppression Nov 08, 2018

Virginia Heffernan talks voter suppression in the 2018 midterm elections with Ari Berman, senior reporter at Mother Jones covering voting rights and author of Give Us the Ballot: The Modern Struggle for Voting Rights in America. Also, the significance of Kris Kobach’s defeat and Florida returning voting rights to ex-felons.

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Still Missing Khashoggi Nov 05, 2018

Virginia Heffernan discusses the murder of Jamal Khashoggi with Adam Coogle of Human Rights Watch, a sobering reminder that the current administration seems to be turning a blind eye to human rights abuses.

Further Reading:World Leaders Should Reject Saudi Whitewash

Why the US has to Hold Saudi Arabia to Account for the Disappearance and Alleged Slaying of Khashoggi Saudi Arabia: Reveal Fate of Jamal Khashoggi Trump administration appears in no hurry to judge Saudi Arabia for Khashoggi killing

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Return of the Repressed Nov 01, 2018

Virginia Heffernan talks to CNN contributor and impeachment attorney Ross Garber about the recently unsealed Watergate “Road Map,” and what it could imply for any reports issued by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Further Reading:

The Watergate “Road Map” and the Coming Mueller Report

Grand jury report and recommendation to the House

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Is There A Latino Vote? Oct 31, 2018

León Krauze talks with Roberto Suro, professor of public policy and journalism at the University of Southern California, about the much-buzzed-about Latino vote and the 2018 midterms. And John Di Domenico returns with more tweets.

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