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The Trump Veepstakes Is On Mar 19, 2024

Show notes

It’s hard to imagine anyone changing their opinion on Trump based on a new running mate. But there’s more at stake with this pick than just the 2024 election.

Guest: Benjy Sarlin, Washington Bureau Chief at Semafor

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Haiti’s Power Vacuum Mar 18, 2024

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With gangs controlling much of the capital and the prime minister out of office, what is Haiti’s path to stability? What role should the international community play?

Guest: Harold Isaac, independent journalist in Haiti.

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

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When Private Equity Gets in to Health Care Mar 17, 2024

Show notes

Private equity firms have been buying up doctors’ offices and hospitals around the country. But if profits are the primary goal, what happens to the cost and quality of healthcare for patients?

Guest: Gretchen Morgenson, senior financial reporter for the NBC News Investigative Unit and co-author of “These Are the Plunderers: How Private Equity Runs—and Wrecks—America”

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Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Patrick Fort, and Anna Phillips.

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Is TikTok Cooked This Time? Mar 15, 2024

Show notes

TikTok’s connection to the Chinese government has been a Washington talking point since the Trump administration, but earlier this month lawmakers in the House introduced a bill requiring the app’s parent company to either divest the company into American hands—or be banned.

Guest: Emily Baker-White, technology reporter and senior writer at Forbes.

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Mexico Is Full Of American Guns. So the Country’s Suing. Mar 14, 2024

Show notes

How Mexico’s $10 billion lawsuit against American gun manufacturers and distributors could pave the way for new gun control tactics in the U.S. and abroad.

Guest: Champe Barton, reporter for The Trace.

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Where is Kate Middleton? Mar 13, 2024

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Kate Middleton’s on-going absence has the internet tied in knots, and the heavily edited photo that the royal family released—and then rescinded—only made things worse. What do we know about the Princess of Wales’s whereabouts?

Guest: Imogen West-Knights, contributing writer for Slate based in London.

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Biden's War on Junk Fees Mar 12, 2024

Show notes

Extra charges and fees for everything from booking a hotel to buying concert tickets have become an insidious part of daily life. President Biden is hoping that by outlawing so-called “junk fees,” he can win some goodwill with voters before the election. Will it work?

Guest: David Dayen, Executive Editor of The American Prospect, author of Monopolized: Life in the Age of Corporate Power.

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.

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

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He Quoted Hitler. Now, He Could Be Governor. Mar 11, 2024

Show notes

On Super Tuesday, Lieutenant Governor Mark Robinson secured the Republican nomination for governor in North Carolina. His history of anti-semitic, misogynistic, and outright absurd comments wasn’t a problem for MAGA supporters in the state—and it certainly wasn’t a problem for the national Grand Old Party either.

Guest: Jeffrey Billman, politics and law reporter at The Assembly.

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

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

Instagram’s Pedophile Problem Mar 10, 2024

Show notes

As the debate around child safety online rages on, an investigation by The New York Times found a seedy world of pedophiles interacting with child influencer accounts, often run by their parents, on Instagram.

Guest: Jennifer Valentino-DeVries, investigative reporter at the New York Times.

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Why TikTok Went Silent Mar 08, 2024

Show notes

Thousands of songs have disappeared from TikTok in recent months as music giant Universal Music Group, or UMG, has pulled its catalog from the app. UMG claims that TikTok is a music platform, and that TikTok needs to pay more to license its music. TikTok claims they're a marketing platform that helps labels promote their artists. But while the two sides argue over contract negotiations for licensing music on the video platform, many artists are left scrambling.

Guest: Ethan Millman, staff writer at Rolling Stone covering the music industry.

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