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Can We Make an Alzheimer’s Drug That Works? Oct 23, 2022

Show notes

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

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When An Algorithm Raises Your Rent Oct 21, 2022

Show notes

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

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What Happened to Kanye West? Oct 20, 2022

Show notes

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.

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GOP to Cities: Drop Dead Oct 19, 2022

Show notes

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.

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Five Years of #MeToo Oct 18, 2022

Show notes

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.

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An American Surgeon in Wartime Ukraine Oct 17, 2022

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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.

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Are You Ready to Be Composted When You Die? Oct 16, 2022

Show notes

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

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The Next Amazon Union Fight Oct 14, 2022

Show notes

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

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How Bad Is the Economy Going to Get? Oct 13, 2022

Show notes

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.

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How Is Herschel Walker Still in This? Oct 12, 2022

Show notes

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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