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Slate Money - DiscoDance Oct 10, 2026

Show notes

This week, we’re talking about a mega-merger, Spain, and artificial intelligence. First up, hosts Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers go deep on the Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery merger. They unpack David Ellison's calculus, the potential ripple effects, and more. Then they look to Europe at the economic woes in Spain and France. Finally, Silicon Valley really, really wants A.I. in schools. But pretty much everyone else is unconvinced.

In the Slate Plus episode: Stocks for Kids!

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 Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.

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Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts - Grab Them by the Constitution Oct 10, 2026

Show notes

Donald Trump brags about his boundless freedom while the same Supreme Court that handed him that power has curtailed everyone else's. Confidence in the court has cratered to historic lows, and waiting for a justice to retire is not actually a plan. Could a “shadow court”––a body set up to critique and even to rival SCOTUS—rescue democracy?

In her new book, The Shadow Court: Rescuing Democracy from the Supreme Court, Fordham law professor Julie Suk argues that the court isn't just making some bad decisions—it's working exactly as designed. Drawing on constitutional courts in democracies around the world that rebuilt the rule of law after falling to fascism and authoritarianism, Suk outlines a bold institutional answer: a shadow court that would issue advisory opinions on the same issues the Supreme Court decides, giving lawmakers and the public a concrete alternative to judicial supremacy.

Dahlia and Julie also discuss how America’s legal and constitutional systems continue to fail women (also by design), from the stalled Equal Rights Amendment to Justice Alito's claim that women's reliance on Roe was merely "abstract"—and why the path to real change might run through state ratifying conventions, rather than state and federal institutions that have failed to reform themselves.

Want more Amicus? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes with exclusive legal analysis. If you’ve been peering longingly through the steamed-up windows of the Amicus Plus smokeless cigar bar—your finger hovering over that “subscribe to Slate Plus” button—now is the time to join. For a limited time (like, until Oct. 16), you can join Slate Plus for 50 percent off and get bonus episodes of Amicus. You’ll also enjoy ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts and unlimited reading on Slate.com. Visit slate.com/amicusplus and use the promo code AMICUS50 to receive the discount AND get access wherever you listen. Support what we do and help us absolutely crush it during Slate’s 30th anniversary pledge drive!

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What Next - Bonus: What Cornell Says About “Duty Of Care” Oct 09, 2026

Show notes

How the Cornell University rape allegations show we’re not really “post-MeToo.”

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 —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.

Podcast production by Rob Gunther, Evan Campbell, Madeline Thames-Ducharme and Patrick Fort.

Paige Osburn is the senior supervising producer of What Next and What Next TBD.

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What Next: TBD | Tech, power, and the future - The Making of Elon Musk Oct 09, 2026

Show notes

An exchange of insults on X was all that director Alex Gibney got directly from the main character of his new documentary, “Musk.” But by interviewing his business partners, father, wives and girlfriends—and using a bit of movie magic—Gibney takes viewers inside Elon Musk’s head. Spoiler alert: it’s not pretty.

Guest: Alex Gibney, filmmaker and director of the documentary “Musk.”

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.

Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Madeline Thames-Ducharme and Patrick Fort.

Paige Osburn is the senior supervising producer of What Next and What Next TBD.

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Political Gabfest - Blue Wave or Blue Ripple? Oct 08, 2026

Show notes

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss where the midterms stand mere weeks out from Election Day, the legal and cultural issues at the heart of the deeply disturbing Cornell University rape case, and the perennial American debate over whether to make Daylight Saving Time permanent.

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Samuel A. Alito Jr. for The Wall Street Journal: Opinion: Commentary: Justice Samuel Alito: Even Originalists Make Mistakes

John: Hamed Aleaziz, David A. Fahrenthold, Nicholas Nehamas, Tyler Pager, and Niraj Chokshi for The New York Times: Kristi Noem’s Agency Gave Her Donor a Lucrative Contract Just Before She Left; David Gilmour for Mediaite: ABC News Mysteriously Deletes Report on Trump Sons’ ‘$6B’ Business Dealings (original from ABC News on Internet Archive); Dana Mattioli, Drew Hinshaw, Rebecca Ballhaus, and Joe Parkinson for The Wall Street Journal: Exclusive: ‘Honey Please’: Kimberly Guilfoyle Pushed Donor to Wire $100,000 to Her Amex Account; Record Lows by CJ Green; Historian T.J. Stiles on Bluesky on Grant documentary (also available on Netflix)

David: Acquired Podcast: Season 13, Episode 2: Costco (also on Apple Podcasts); Lioness on Paramount Plus

Listener chatter from Mark Phillips in Baltimore, Maryland: Katie Bo Lillis and Zachary Cohen for CNN: Exclusive: US military had close call after using AI for false intelligence report, sources say

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily, John, and David react to a New York Times list of 100 open scientific questions by coming up with some unanswered questions of their own. Their lists run from the cosmic (is interstellar travel possible?) to the intimate (what is it like to be my dog?) to the unsettling (how much of memory is made up in the moment?).

Gabfest is coming to Providence, RI on October 21st. Tickets available now!

In the latest Gabfest Reads, David Plotz talks with journalist Annie Lowrey about her new book, The Time Tax: How the Government Wastes Our Time - and How to Fix It, an investigation into the hours Americans lose to broken bureaucracy, from 12-hour tax filings to multiyear waits for housing vouchers and building permits.

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.

Find out more about David Plotz's monthly tours of Ft. DeRussy, the secret Civil War fort hidden in Rock Creek Park.

Follow

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

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

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What Next - What Happens After a Blue Wave Oct 08, 2026

Show notes

Voters are angry and it looks like they’re eager to express themselves in the midterm elections. But even if Democrats take both chambers of Congress, they won’t have the power to change much—but they will have enough power to be blamed if things continue to get worse.

Guest: Jonathan V. Last, editor at The Bulwark

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 Evan Campbell, Madeline Thames-Ducharme and Patrick Fort.

Paige Osburn is the senior supervising producer of What Next and What Next TBD.

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

What Next - What Pablo Torre Is Finding Out Oct 07, 2026

Show notes

How Steve Ballmer, the richest owner in sports, was caught dead to rights by a humble podcaster, and what lessons the media and public can take from courtside seats to the halls of power.

Guest: Pablo Torre, investigative reporter and host of “Pablo Torre Finds Out.”

Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Madeline Thames-Ducharme and Patrick Fort.

Paige Osburn is the senior supervising producer of What Next and What Next TBD.

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

What Next - Hasan Piker and Adam Mockler Are Ready for Something New Oct 06, 2026

Show notes

From Michigan to Florida to Texas, there are new Democrats in town and on the ballot. But other than novelty, what do these candidates have in common?

Guests:

Hasan Piker, political commentator and streamer.

Adam Mockler, political commentator and YouTuber

Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Madeline Thames-Ducharme and Patrick Fort.

Paige Osburn is the senior supervising producer of What Next and What Next TBD.

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

What Next - The GOP Killed His District. He’s Not Giving Up. Oct 05, 2026

Show notes

Democrat Justin Pearson made national headlines in 2023 when he expelled from Tennessee’s general assembly while trying to talk about gun reform after a school shooting. That same spirit has driven him to run for Congress, despite the newly redrawn electoral map that erased the state’s only majority Black district.

Guest: Justin Pearson, state representative for Tennessee’s District 86, running for Congress.

Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Madeline Thames-Ducharme and Patrick Fort.

Paige Osburn is the senior supervising producer of What Next and What Next TBD.

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Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts - Cruel and Unusual, Bought and Paid For Oct 03, 2026

Show notes

This week, the Supreme Court blessed the torture of a condemned woman, and the court is set to kick off the new term by doing fossil fuel's bidding. So here at Amicus, we’re not really in the mood for a razzle-dazzle “curtain raiser.” Instead, we’re taking a clear-eyed look at the ways the Roberts court is pulling the constitutional rug out from under the American people.

First, Dahlia is joined by Corinna Barrett Lain, author of Secrets of the Killing State: The Untold Story of Lethal Injection, to discuss the botched execution of Christa Pike. After the Supreme Court overturned a last-minute stay without explanation, Tennessee attempted to execute Pike by lethal injection—twice. She survived and was taken to hospital where doctors tried to save her life. She was unconscious and on a ventilator at the time of writing. Professor Lain explains how lethal injection's medicalized facade hides state violence, why the court keeps green-lighting botched protocols, and what Pike's case reveals about a system that executes the broken and the poor while sparing those who can afford good lawyers.

Then, Dahlia speaks with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island about the Supreme Court's new term and its fossil-fuel patrons. They discuss the Suncor v. Boulder climate case, the flotilla of billionaire-funded front groups filing amicus briefs to signal the court's captured justices. Should we be optimistic that Alito has recused himself from the case that opens the term? Sen. Whitehouse says it is unlikely that decision reflects any sort of come-to-Jesus moment. It suggests instead that, if the Democrats take power in the midterms, the Supreme Court’s internal practices must be investigated. Although his peers are longing to return to regular, orderly government, the senator says “there has to be a reset.”

Want more Amicus? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes with exclusive legal analysis. If you’ve been peering through the steamed up windows of the Amicus Plus smokeless cigar bar longingly, hovering over that “subscribe to Slate Plus” button. Now is the time to join. For a limited time (like, until October 16th), you can join Slate Plus for 50 percent off and get bonus episodes of Amicus, like this one. You’ll also enjoy ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts and unlimited reading on Slate.com. Visit slate.com/amicusplus and use the promo code AMICUS50 to receive the discount AND get access wherever you listen. Support what we do and help us absolutely crush it during Slate’s 30th anniversary pledge drive!

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