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How Erdogan Stays in Power May 16, 2023

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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

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Trump Is Back. Is the Media Ready? May 15, 2023

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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.

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Space After NASA May 14, 2023

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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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Who’s Afraid of A.I.? May 12, 2023

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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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Debt Ceiling Dinner Theater May 11, 2023

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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.

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The Border's New Normal May 10, 2023

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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

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Why Richard Glossip Has Escaped Execution Nine Times May 09, 2023

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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.

Make an impact this Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund APIA Scholars. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.

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Can DeSantis Beat Disney? May 08, 2023

Show notes

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.

Make an impact this Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund APIA Scholars. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more.

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What's Going on at Meta? May 07, 2023

Show notes

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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What the Writers' Strike Is Really About May 05, 2023

Show notes

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

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate 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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