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Does the NBA Have a Bully Problem? Sep 29, 2022

Show notes

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 Iranian Protesters Need Now Sep 28, 2022

Show notes

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.

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’s Up With the Midterms? Sep 27, 2022

Show notes

For decades, the conventional wisdom surrounding the midterm elections has been that the party in the White House will lose the seats in the House, Senate, or both. Earlier this year, skyrocketing gas prices and Biden’s sinking approval rating portended misfortune for Democrats, particularly those in swing districts. But now, the fall of Roe and some snappy social media campaigns have shaken up most politicos’ predictions.

Guest: Amy Walter, publisher and editor-in-chief of the Cook Political Report.

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Election Fraud Evangelists Coming to a Town Near You Sep 26, 2022

Show notes

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

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Can Nuclear Power Be Green? Sep 25, 2022

Show notes

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 Fight Over Online Speech Headed to the Supreme Court Sep 23, 2022

Show notes

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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Puerto Rico Without Power, Again Sep 22, 2022

Show notes

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

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A Student Ran For School Board … and Won Sep 21, 2022

Show notes

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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Is Hunter Biden’s Laptop Actually a Big Deal? Sep 20, 2022

Show notes

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.

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Abortion Can’t Be Settled by the States Sep 19, 2022

Show notes

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.

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