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What Next - How Big Media Obeys in Advance Sep 22, 2025

Show notes

Media giants like Paramount and Disney have been swift to capitulate to the Trump administration and the tenacious head of the FCC, Brendan Carr. Why new ownership from the likes of the Ellisons is likely to make things worse.

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

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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 | Tech, power, and the future - Is A.I. Taking Your Job? Sep 21, 2025

Show notes

If you’re hunting for a job, the odds are increasingly likely you’ll have an interview with an artificial intelligence “recruiter.” And why not? It’s also increasingly likely you’ll be working with A.I. anyway.

Guest: Danielle Abril, technology-in-the-workplace reporter for the Washington Post.

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Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts - Free Speech Is The Enemy of Free Speech, Apparently Sep 20, 2025

Show notes

Dahlia Lithwick talks to First Amendment law professor Mary Anne Franks to explore the inversion of free speech in America this past week, and to trace the ways our assumptions about the First Amendment helped to tip us into this upside-down. Dr. Franks, author of Fearless Speech: Breaking Free from the First Amendment, explains the contradictions inherent in free-speech absolutism, the role of government in suppressing dissent, and the impact of media and entertainment on public discourse. What are we to make of a movement that screamed “jawboning” and “censorship” for a decade, but when handed power enthusiastically enacts actual governmental speech suppression and censorship? And what does the First Amendment mean if the powerful are consistently afforded maximum power in the “marketplace of ideas”?

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Political Gabfest - Gabfest Reads | The Recent Past of Prison Punishment Sep 20, 2025

Show notes

Emily Bazelon talks with author and Yale professor Judith Resnik about her new book, Impermissible Punishments: How Prison Became a Problem for Democracy. They discuss the history of the prison system’s use of punishments like whipping, how the practice came to an end, and more.

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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Slate Money - The Nerds' Last Stand at the Fed Sep 20, 2025

Show notes

This week: The Fed announced an expected rate cut with an unexpected dissent. Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck are joined by Axios’ Neil Irwin who breaks down why the Fed meeting was so unusual – thanks to the very recent Trump appointee Stephen Miran– and what it means for the future of the central bank. Then, AMEX announced an increase that brings their Platinum fee to $895. Neil and the hosts reflect on the trend of making credit cards more and more premium and explain why you should think again before signing up. And finally, Publishers Clearing House filed for bankruptcy and its new owner ARB Interactive has said it won’t be honoring the “lifetime” winners from before July 15 of this year. What will happen to the people who have built their lives around those payouts?

In the Slate Plus episode: Labubus, the Avatar of 2025?

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Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.

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What Next: TBD | Tech, power, and the future - The Discourse | TikTok Ban: The Final Loop? Sep 19, 2025

Show notes

TikTok—which was supposed to be banned again on Wednesday but, again, isn’t—may be legal once more. The Trump administration says it’s meeting with Xi Jinping Friday to finalize the agreement, which may involve—get this—a wealthy Trump-supporting tech mogul.

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

This episode is member-exclusive. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate Plus. By joining, not only will you unlock exclusive episodes of What Next TBD—you’ll also access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the What Next show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

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What Next: TBD | Tech, power, and the future - A Very Online Shooter Sep 19, 2025

Show notes

As the Charlie Kirk murder demonstrated, law enforcement, the government, and media all need more internet fluency. But their reactions in the wake of the murder don’t seem to be moving towards a better understanding.

Guest: Ryan Broderick, reporter on online culture, author of the newsletter Garbage Day.

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Political Gabfest - The Domestic Terrorist Sep 18, 2025

Show notes

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the government’s intimidation tactics aimed at chilling free speech after Charlie Kirk’s assassination, why Trump seems intent to provoke armed conflict with Venezuela, and how the president and his Republican allies are upending DC self-governance with guest Michael Schaffer (City Cast DC, Politico).

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily, John, and David discuss the extraordinary corruption revealed by a new investigation into two major deals between Trump’s team and the United Arab Emirates.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Jonathan Mahler about his new book, The Gods of New York. They discuss the unraveling of Mayor Ed Koch’s New York City; how the city’s current mayoral race is mirroring the past; and more.

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

Podcast production by Nina Porzucki

Research by Emily Ditto

You can find the full Political Gabfest show pages here.

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 - Trump’s Getting His Economy. Yikes. Sep 18, 2025

Show notes

Donald Trump has been calling for the Fed to cut rates to bolster the economy, and yesterday, they announced they would. The bad news is that’s because the economy is going to need a lot more bolstering.

Guest: Justin Wolfers, economist and professor at the University of Michigan

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

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What Next - Can Kash Patel Survive This? Sep 17, 2025

Show notes

What happens to an organization when it purges much of its leadership and ranks irrespective of ability, and hires for sycophantic loyalty instead? The FBI is finding out.

Guests:

Michael Feinberg, former assistant special agent in charge at the FBI’s field office in Norfolk, VA, now a fellow at Lawfare.

Quinta Jurecic, staff writer at The Atlantic.

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

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.