Slate News

The clock is winding down on the CDC’s eviction moratorium. The moratorium will lift in less than two weeks, marking an end to the pandemic-era protection. What happens to vulnerable tenants when the clock runs out? Guest: Henry Granville Widener, rent strike organizer in Maryland Alieza Durana, reporter for Princeton’s Eviction Lab 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Turn on your favorite business news channel, and it seems like all anyone can talk about is inflation. Prices are rising, but is it anything to worry about in the long term? Guest: Jordan Weissmann, Slate’s senior business and economics correspondent. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland approaches 100 days of leading the Department of Justice, the department’s recent legal positions in support of former President Trump have mystified onlookers. Is the department lost at sea, and can Garland right the ship? Guest: Ankush Khardori, attorney and former federal prosecutor.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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Stacy-Marie Ishmael talk about the ProPublica report on the tax returns of US billionaires, how Uber prices are changing and what it means, and the consequences of Bitcoin becoming legal tender in El Salvador. In the Plus segment: UI fraud.Mentioned in the show:“The Secret IRS Files: Trove of Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest Avoid Income Tax” by Jesse Eisinger, Jeff Ernsthausen and Paul Kiel for ProPublica“We Ran the Treasury Department. This Is How to Fix Tax Evasion.” by Timothy F. Geithner, Jacob J. Lew, Henry M. Paulson Jr., Robert E. Rubin and Lawrence H. Summers for the New York Times“Farewell, Millennial Lifestyle Subsidy” by Kevin Roose for the New York Times“Cryptocurrency Comes to Retirement Plans as Coinbase Teams Up With 401(k) Provider” by Anne Tergesen for The Wall Street Journal “There’s a New Vision for Crypto, and It’s Wildly Different From Bitcoin” by Joe Weisenthal for Bloomberg “Half of the Pandemic's Unemployment Money May Have Been Stolen” by Felix Salmon for AxiosEmail: [email protected] production by Jessamine Molli.Twitter: @felixsalmon, @EmilyRPeck, @s_m_i Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the last decade, billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Richard Branson have come to embody the future of space travel and exploration. What does it mean when the ideas and ambitions of a few powerful men come to dominate the conversation so thoroughly?Guest: Lucianne Walkowicz, astronomer at the Adler Planetarium and founder of the Just Space AllianceHostLizzie O’LearyThis episode is sponsored by Teamistry. You can listen here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the last decade, billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Richard Branson have come to embody the future of space travel and exploration. What does it mean when the ideas and ambitions of a few powerful men come to dominate the conversation so thoroughly?Guest: Lucianne Walkowicz, astronomer at the Adler Planetarium and founder of the Just Space AllianceHostLizzie O’LearyThis episode is sponsored by Teamistry. You can listen here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emily, John and David discuss Joe Manchin, how the Trump DOJ lives on, and George Packer’s four Americas.Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:John Dickerson for CBS News: “Sen. Joe Manchin on Face the Nation, June 6, 2021”Ruth Marcus for the Washington Post: “Attorney General Garland, Please Stop Digging”George Packer for the Atlantic: “How America Fractured Into Four Parts”Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal, by George PackerGeorge Packer for the Atlantic: “Can Civics Save America?”The Ezra Klein Show: “Obama Explains How America Went From ‘Yes We Can’ to ‘MAGA’ ”Jane Mayer for the New Yorker: “Inside the Koch-Backed Effort to Block the Largest Election-Reform Bill in Half a Century”Here’s this week’s chatter:John: Elizabeth Weise for USA Today: “This Man Spent Last Year Flushing Hundreds of Toilets. The New Fear as the Pandemic Wanes: Legionnaires' Disease”Emily: Michael Powell for the New York Times: “Once a Bastion of Free Speech, the A.C.L.U. Faces an Identity Crisis”David: Rachel Gutman for the Atlantic: “A Crumpled, Dried-Out Relic of the Pandemic”Listener chatter from Andrew Goetz: Mick West's YouTube videos explaining UFO footage. If you enjoy the 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 Danny Lavery's new show Big Mood, Little Mood" and you’ll be supporting the Political Gabfest. Sign up now at slate.com/gabfestplus to help support our work. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David consider how their names may have shaped their personalities.Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at [email protected]. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank.Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Conor Lamb has been one of the most reliable moderates and institutionalists among the House Democrats. The Capitol breach on January 6th changed that. Now, the Pennsylvania congressman says his focus is shifting to “not allowing things like respect and bipartisanship to be something that hides the truth.” Guest: Congressman Conor Lamb, Democrat from Pennsylvania. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the last year, New York City has experienced a surge in violent crime, reflecting a trend across major cities nationwide. In a heated race to be the city’s next mayor, one candidate, former New York police captain Eric Adams, is using the issue of public safety to his advantage. Guest: Eric Lach, staff writer at The New Yorker.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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly urged the Biden administration to give her a portfolio -- a clear way to contribute to the work of the White House while also building her political reputation. But now that she’s been tasked with the immigration crisis and the protection of voting rights, is she getting more than a vice president alone can handle? Guest: Edward-Isaac Dovere, reporter for The Atlantic. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The NFL recently announced it would stop using “race norming” when assessing who would receive a share of their recent $1 billing settlement for former players. The practice, which assumed Black players started with lower cognitive function and made it harder to collect their share, is standard in many areas of medicine. Guest: Darshali Vyas, Physician at Massachusetts General Hospital 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dahlia Lithwick and Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern offer analysis of the big decisions due from SCOTUS any minute, and Dahlia hosts a conversation with Rep Katie Porter about the need for laws to shore up toppled norms. In our Slate Plus segment, Mark returns to discuss the Stanford law student targeted by the Federalist Society. Nicholas Wallace nearly missed out on getting his diploma after fellow law students and the university mistook satire for defamation. Also Mark and Dahlia are getting “free speech for me but not for thee” tattoos.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 Political Gabfest—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on Amicus. Sign up now at slate.com/amicusplus to help support our work.Podcast production by Sara Burningham. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Stacy-Marie Ishmael talk about AMC’s meme stock moment and the pros and cons of working from home. Then, Charles Duhigg of the New Yorker and Slate’s How To! podcast, joins to talk about his recent article on Chamath Palihapitiya.In the Plus segment: The latest Jobs Report. Mentioned in the show:“Employees Are Quitting Instead of Giving Up Working From Home,” by Anders Melin and Misyrlena Egkolfopoulou for Bloomberg“Commuting is Psychological Torture,” by Luke O'Neil“The Pied Piper of SPACs,” by Charles Duhigg for the New Yorker“America’s Cruel Unemployment Experiment,” by Emily Stewart for VoxEmail: [email protected] production by Jessamine Molli.Twitter: @felixsalmon, @EmilyRPeck, @s_m_i Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two weeks ago, as wildfires burned north of Los Angeles, the crime app Citizen offered $30,000 for information that would lead to the arrest of a suspected arsonist. They had the wrong guy. Why is Citizen offering bounties in the first place? And what does this bounty debacle say about the app’s aspirations for the future?Guest: Joseph Cox, reporter at Motherboard HostHenry Grabar Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Two weeks ago, as wildfires burned north of Los Angeles, the crime app Citizen offered $30,000 for information that would lead to the arrest of a suspected arsonist. They had the wrong guy. Why is Citizen offering bounties in the first place? And what does this bounty debacle say about the app’s aspirations for the future?Guest: Joseph Cox, reporter at Motherboard HostHenry Grabar Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:The Ezra Klein Show: “Obama Explains How America Went From ‘Yes We Can’ to ‘MAGA’”Uneasy Peace: The Great Crime Decline, the Renewal of City Life, and the Next War on Violence, by Patrick Sharkey AmericanViolence.orgMonica C. Bell for the Yale Law Journal: “Police Reform and the Dismantling of Legal Estrangement”Penn Wharton Budget Model: “COVID-19 School Closures: Long-Run Macroeconomic Effects”Hang Up and Listen: “The Naomi Osaka Withdraws Edition”Here’s this week’s chatter:John: Kathryn Schulz for TED: “Don’t Regret Regret”; Cal Newport for The New Yorker: “What if Remote Work Didn’t Mean Working from Home?”Emily: Mare of Easttown; Julie Miller for Vanity Fair: “Kate Winslet on Mare of Easttown and Creating a Real Heroine for Tired Times”David: CityCast Denver: “Responding to 911 Calls With Sweatpants and Snacks, Not Guns”Listener chatter from James Williams: Arnstein Aassve, Guido Alfani, Francesco Gandolfi, and Marco Le Moglie for Health Economics: “Epidemics and Trust: The Case of the Spanish Flu”For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David talk about Naomi Osaka withdrawing from the French Open.If you enjoy the 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 Political Gabfest. Sign up now at slate.com/gabfestplus to help support our work.Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at [email protected]. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)Podcast production by Margaret Kelley.Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap.HostsEmily Bazelon, John Dickerson, David PlotzFollow@SlateGabfest on Twitter / https://twitter.com/SlateGabfestSlate Gabfest on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Texas Republicans, sensing the state’s slow, leftward drift, barreled ahead with legislation to make voting more cumbersome this week. Democratic lawmakers did the one thing they could to resist it: They refused to show up for a vote. But the fight over voting rules isn’t over in Texas, and Republicans maintain the upper hand. Guest: Alexa Ura, reporter for the Texas Tribune. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After the Capitol riot on January 6th, Republicans proposed a bipartisan commission to investigate what took place as an alternative to impeaching then-President Trump. But last Friday, Senate Republicans led by Mitch McConnell killed the bill to establish that commission.Why was the bipartisan commission dead on arrival? And is there a way for an investigation to move forward without one?Guest: Jim Newell, senior politics writer at Slate.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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Despite the pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics are set to kick off in late July. Many Japanese citizens are worried that such a large-scale event might worsen the pandemic in their country but the International Olympic Committee insists on pushing forward. Will the Olympics this year be a disaster? Guest: Henry Bushnell, features writer for Yahoo Sports.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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hi Amicus listeners. Some of you might be familiar with The Waves, Slate’s podcast about feminism and gender, which has been around for years in various forms. The Waves went on hiatus at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, but I’m glad to say that it is back. Every Thursday, you’ll find a new episode in your feed, looking at the news and culture through the lens of gender. We thought Amicus listeners would enjoy this week’s episode, featuring a conversation between Slate's Christina Cauterucci and Robin Marty, author of The New Handbook for a Post-Roe America, gaming out the potential post-Roe future. If you like it, please subscribe to The Waves wherever you get your podcasts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joe Weisenthal of Bloomberg joins Slate Money to talk about his take on inflation, Exxon’s new activist investors, and Amazon buying MGM. In the Plus segment: Joe on the importance of semiconductors. Mentioned in the show:"It’s Time to Talk About Something and Inflation Isn’t the Right Word for it,” by Joe Weisenthal for Bloomberg“What Scaremongering About Inflation Gets Wrong,” by Rebecca L. Spang for the Washington Post"Daniela Gabor on the Critical Case Against Private Sector ESG,” by Joe Weisenthal for Bloomberg"The Texas Winter Storm and Power Outages Killed Hundreds More People Than the State Says,” by Peter Aldhaus, Stephanie M. Lee, and Zahra Hirji for Buzzfeed"How the Texas Legislature Could Change the state's Power Grid This Session,” by Erin Douglas and Mitchell FermanEmail: [email protected] production by Jessamine Molli.Twitter: @felixsalmon, @EmilyRPeck, @s_m_i Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After years of careful planning and public spats, Apple and Epic—the maker of Fortnite—have spent the last three weeks in court, fighting over the future of mobile gaming. What happens if, for once, Apple loses?Guest: Elizabeth Lopatto, deputy editor at the Verge HostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After years of careful planning and public spats, Apple and Epic—the maker of Fortnite—have spent the last three weeks in court, fighting over the future of mobile gaming. What happens if, for once, Apple loses?Guest: Elizabeth Lopatto, deputy editor at the Verge HostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:David Leonhardt for The New York Times: “The Lab-Leak Theory”Nicholson Baker for New York Magazine: “The Lab-Leak Hypothesis”Nicholas Wade for The Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists: “The Origin of COVID: Did People or Nature Open Pandora’s Box at Wuhan?”Anne Applebaum for The Atlantic: “Other Regimes Will Hijack Planes Too”The Skies Belong to Us: Love and Terror in the Golden Age of Hijacking, by Brendan I. KoernerEric Levitz for New York Magazine: “David Shor on Why Trump Was Good for the GOP and How Dems Can Win in 2022”Eric Levitz for New York Magazine: “David Shor’s Unified Theory of American Politics”Here’s this week’s chatter:John: Mark Mortensen and Heidi K. Gardner for Harvard Business Review: “WFH Is Corroding Our Trust in Each Other”Emily: Patrick Smith for WBEZ: “Mayor Lori Lightfoot Blamed Gun Violence On Judges, But Emails Show Her Staff Knew It Wasn’t True”David: Apple Photos “Memories” featureListener chatter from Jen Overbeck: Alan Burdick for The New York Times: “So You Want to End the Conversation?”For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David talk about the difficulties of ending a conversation that has run its course.If you enjoy the 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 Political Gabfest. Sign up now at slate.com/gabfestplus to help support our work.Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at [email protected]. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)Podcast production by Margaret Kelley.Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap.HostsEmily Bazelon, John Dickerson, David PlotzFollow@SlateGabfest on Twitter / https://twitter.com/SlateGabfestSlate Gabfest on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Sunday, authorities in Belarus took a prominent opposition journalist into custody by flagging down a commercial flight with a fighter jet and a false bomb threat. Since then, the small country has garnered international condemnation - though it’s evoked little contrition from President Alexander Lukashenko. What does this hijacking signal about the steadfastness of authoritarianism in Belarus and around the world?Guest: Julia Ioffe, correspondent for GQIf 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Abortion bills are making their way through the statehouses of the U.S. Last Wednesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott signed into law a ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. Before that, Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson instituted a ban on abortions from fertilization. And in the midst of these fights at the state level, the Supreme Court has announced it will take up a case challenging Roe v. Wade out of Mississippi.With a conservative supermajority on the court, how imperiled is abortion access? Is it time to prepare for a world without Roe v. Wade? Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, reporter on courts and the law for Slate.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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A year after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, residents near the intersection of 38th Street and Chicago Avenue - now dubbed George Floyd Square - continue to keep the area closed off. The city wants to reopen the intersection, but activists say they aren’t giving in until the community’s demands for justice are met. Guest: Marcia Howard, security volunteer and organizer in George Floyd Square. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

U.S. support for Palestinians seems to have swelled this past month, especially among progressive Democrats. With fighting between Israel and Hamas on hold, what will it take to shift U.S. policy? Guest: Peter Beinart, editor-at-large at Jewish Currents.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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by two independent abortion providers, Amy Hagstrom Miller of Whole Women's Health and Tammi Kromenaker of Red River Women's Clinic, to share their reactions to two huge pieces of news in reproductive rights and health this week: the Supreme Court’s Dobbs grant, and SB8 in Texas. Then, Ian Milhiser of Vox and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island join Dahlia to discuss the courts and democracy, and why Clarence Thomas may be the most consequential justice for a generation.In our Slate Plus segment, Mark Joseph Stern joins Dahlia to discuss why the justices feel emboldened to take up such blockbuster cases for next term.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 Political Gabfest—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on Amicus. Sign up now at slate.com/amicusplus to help support our work.Podcast production by Sara Burningham.. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Edmund Lee of the New York Times joins Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Stacy-Marie Ishmael to talk about AT&T's massive WarnerMedia-Discovery merger, this week’s Bitcoin crash, and burnout. In the Plus segment: Future media merger speculation. Mentioned in the show:“U.S. Telecoms Decide Focusing on Pipes Isn’t So Dumb After All,” by Nic Fildes, Anna Nicolaou ,and Sujeet Indap for the Financial Times “‘Why the Bitcoin Crash Was a Big Win for Cryptocurrencies,” by Jim Bianco for Bloomberg “The Lie of ‘No One Wants to Work’,” by Gaby Del Valle for EaterEmail: [email protected] production by Jessamine Molli.Twitter: @felixsalmon, @EmilyRPeck, @s_m_i Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week, a hacker group called DarkSide shut down the Colonial Pipeline, which supplies 45 percent of the fuel consumed on the East Coast. Gas prices skyrocketed, people started hoarding gas, and DarkSide walked away with over $4 million in Bitcoin. How did they do it? And what makes this hack different from those we’ve seen before?Guest: David Uberti, cybersecurity reporter at the Wall Street JournalHostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week, a hacker group called DarkSide shut down the Colonial Pipeline, which supplies 45 percent of the fuel consumed on the East Coast. Gas prices skyrocketed, people started hoarding gas, and DarkSide walked away with over $4 million in Bitcoin. How did they do it? And what makes this hack different from those we’ve seen before?Guest: David Uberti, cybersecurity reporter at the Wall Street JournalHostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emily, John and David discuss the violence between Israel and Gaza, abortion at the Supreme Court, and the book Nine Nasty Words with author John McWhorter.Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:John Dickerson for CBS: “Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on "Face the Nation," May 16, 2021”Bernie Sanders for the New York Times: “Bernie Sanders: The U.S. Must Stop Being an Apologist for the Netanyahu Government”Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter: Then, Now, and Forever, by John McWhorter John McWhorter for the Atlantic: “How ‘White Fragility’ Talks Down to Black People” Here’s this week’s chatter:John: Tariro Mzezewa for the New York Times: “Hear a Harlem Choir Rejoice Again”Emily: Adam Liptak for the New York Times: “Ban on Non-Unanimous Verdicts Is Not Retroactive, Supreme Court Rules”David: Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky Listener chatter from Susan Bates: AMORALMAN: A True Story and Other Lies by Derek DelGaudio.For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David talk about the objects that most define them.If you enjoy the 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 Political Gabfest. Sign up now at slate.com/gabfestplus to help support our work.Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at [email protected]. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank.Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Patty Murray began her career in the Senate pushing for a landmark piece of legislation: the Family and Medical Leave Act. Now, nearly 30 years later, she’s putting her weight behind a plan to grant universal access to affordable childcare.Guest: U.S. Senator Patty Murray of Washington state. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo faces two investigations regarding accusations of sexual harassment and a culture of bullying in his office. Despite multiple calls to resign, the governor has clung to his office, hoping to ride out the scandals. Guest: Karen Hinton, former press secretary and adviser to Andrew Cuomo.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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After the passage of Joe Biden’s big coronavirus stimulus package, economists expected to see a huge jobs report in May. In the end, only a quarter of the expected 1 million new jobs materialized. Why is that? And what are the chances that $1.9 trillion in stimulus funding is backfiring?Guest: Jordan Weissmann, Slate’s senior business and economics correspondentIf 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 Mary Wilson, Davis Land, Danielle Hewitt, Elena Schwartz and Carmel Delshad. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On Thursday, the CDC announced that unvaccinated people can go unmasked in most situations. The decision was followed with many private companies dropping their mask requirements but not everyone is ready to go barefaced just yet. Guest: Megan Ranney, ER Doctor at Brown Emergency MedicineIf 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Stacy-Marie Ishmael are joined by Brad Stone to talk about the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack and his new book Amazon Unbound: Jeff Bezos and the Invention of a Global Empire, covering things like AMI’s extortion of Bezos, what the single cow burger tells about who Bezos has become, the impact of Amazon’s labor practices, and many more Bezos/Amazon topics. In the Plus segment: Neobanks. Mentioned in the show:“No Thank You, Mr. Pecker,” by Jeff Bezos“Colonial Pipeline Paid the Ransom. Bad Move,” by Timothy L. O'Brien for Bloomberg “The Deadly Toll of Amazon’s Trucking Boom,” by Paris Martineau for The Information“Inside Amazon: Wrestling Big Ideas in a Bruising Workplace,” by Jodi Kantor and David Streitfeld for the New York Times “Simple Banking Customers Still Locked Out; Parent BBVA Says Its Customer Service Crashed,” by Mike Rogoway for Oregon LiveEmail: [email protected] production by Jessamine Molli.Twitter: @felixsalmon, @EmilyRPeck, @s_m_i Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Serum Institute of India was supposed to supply vaccines not just to India, but to the entire Global South. Now, with cases surging, there aren’t nearly enough vaccines for India’s population, not to mention the many countries that are relying on it. How did such a successful institution come up so short? And what are the costs of that failure?Guest: Samanth Subramanian, senior reporter at QuartzHostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Serum Institute of India was supposed to supply vaccines not just to India, but to the entire Global South. Now, with cases surging, there aren’t nearly enough vaccines for India’s population, not to mention the many countries that are relying on it. How did such a successful institution come up so short? And what are the costs of that failure?Guest: Samanth Subramanian, senior reporter at QuartzHostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emily, John and David discuss the post-pandemic economy; vaccine hoarding; and they're joined by Alex Stamos to talk about infrastructure, cybersecurity and the Colonial Pipeline hack.Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:David Leonhardt for the New York Times: “A Misleading C.D.C. Number”Dana Goldstein for the New York Times: “President of Key Teachers’ Union Shares Plea: ‘Schools Must Be Open’ in Fall”Brian Krebs for Krebs on Security: “A Closer Look at the DarkSide Ransomware Gang”Here’s this week’s chatter:John: Craig Welch for National Geographic: “Groundbreaking Effort Launched to Decode Whale Language”Emily: A Good Mother by Lara Bazelon; America on Fire: The Untold History of Police Violence and Black Rebellion Since the 1960s by Elizabeth Hinton David: B-Side Books: Essays on Forgotten Favorites by John Plotz “Listener chatter from Adam Schear: Walker Caplan for LitHub: “The Key to Dodging Cyber Censorship Rules Might Be . . . A Minecraft Library?”If you enjoy the 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 Political Gabfest. Sign up now at slate.com/gabfestplus to help support our work.For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David each recount a decision that changed the trajectory of their lives (not marriage related).Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at [email protected]. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank.Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week’s violence across Israel and the occupied territories points to a new era in Israeli-Palestinian relations. Palestinian observers find themselves wondering: Is it a changing diplomatic paradigm, thanks to a growing movement to acknowledge the human rights of Palestinians and find lasting peace? Or is it something more frightening, more deafening -- is it the beginning of unbridled war?Guests: Yousef Munayyer, a fellow at the Arab Center Washington, and Mariam Barghouti, a writer based in Ramallah. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Does the looming ouster of a devoted Trump critic from House GOP leadership mean the party remains in thrall to the former president? Or does it just mean that Republican political leaders don’t want to keep talking about him?Guest: Eliana Johnson, Editor-in-chief at the Washington Free Beacon. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A complete recount of ballots from the 2020 election is underway in Maricopa County, where Arizona Senate Republicans still question the results of the general election. There’s no timeline or budget for the manual audit, and election experts say this effort is highly prone to errors.Guest: Andrew Oxford, reporter for the Arizona Republic. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now.Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Davis Land, Danielle Hewitt, Elena Schwartz, and Carmel Delshad. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Omar Alshogre survived years of detainment in Syria when he was just a teenager. Now, he’s in the U.S. and is telling his story of survival so you don’t look away.Guest: Omar Alshogre, a Georgetown Student and the Director of Detainee Affairs at the Syrian Emergency Task Force.Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now.Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Davis Land, Danielle Hewitt, Elena Schwartz, and Carmel Delshad. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Preet Bharara, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, host of Stay Tuned with Preet, and author of Doing Justice. Bharara gives an insider’s view of Rudy Giuliani’s current plight, they also discuss this week’s ruling from a federal judge rebuking former attorney general Bill Barr.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 Amicus. Sign up now at slate.com/amicusplus to help support our work.Podcast production by Sara Burningham. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Stacy-Marie Ishmael talk about the disappointing jobs report and how it relates to falling birth rates, the Bill and Melinda Gates divorce news and Trump’s Facebook ban.In the Plus segment: The Peloton treadmill recall. Mentioned in the show:“The Great Birth Rate Freak-Out” by Jill FilipovicMIT Media Lab director resigns over financial ties to Jeffrey Epstein” by Felix Salmon for Axios“How an Élite University Research Center Concealed Its Relationship with Jeffrey Epstein” by Ronan Farrow for The New YorkerEmail: [email protected] production by Jessamine Molli.Twitter: @felixsalmon, @EmilyRPeck, @s_m_i Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The question of Donald Trump’s banned account--to keep it blocked, or reinstate it--is one of the toughest that Facebook has ever faced. But the social network had a plan: punt the decision to its newly minted Oversight Board, a semi-independent “Supreme Court” tasked with making hard decisions about what content stays up, and what comes down. Did that plan just backfire?Guest: Kate Klonick, professor at St. John’s University School of Law HostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The question of Donald Trump’s banned account--to keep it blocked, or reinstate it--is one of the toughest that Facebook has ever faced. But the social network had a plan: punt the decision to its newly minted Oversight Board, a semi-independent “Supreme Court” tasked with making hard decisions about what content stays up, and what comes down. Did that plan just backfire?Guest: Kate Klonick, professor at St. John’s University School of Law HostLizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David, John and Emily discuss Liz Cheney's defiance of Trumpists; Trump’s Facebook suspension; and meatlessness getting (more) political.Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:Kimberly Robinson for Bloomberg Law: “Video: The Wild Hypotheticals Posed by Justice Stephen Breyer”John Dickerson for CBS News: “Ron Klain on ‘Face the Nation,’ May 2, 2021”Evelyn Douek for Lawfare: “It's Not Over. The Oversight Board's Trump Decision is Just the Start.”These Truths: A History of the United States, by Jill LeporeEzra Klein for the New York Times: “Let’s Launch a Moonshot for Meatless Meat”John Dickerson for Slate: “Go for the Throat!: Why if He Wants to Transform American Politics, Obama Must Declare War on the Republican Party.”John Dickerson for JohnDickerson.com: “End of the Year Thoughts 2020 (Five Months Too Late).”Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo IshiguroHard Knocks, HBOHere’s this week’s chatter:John: Klara and the Sun, by Kazuo IshiguroEmily: Mom Genes: Inside the New Science of Our Ancient Maternal Instinct, by Abigail TuckerDavid: Formula 1: Drive to Survive, Season 3, Episode 9: Man on FireListener chatter from Michael Sagmeister: Mitchell Clark for The Verge: “Bad Software Sent Postal Workers to Jail, Because No One Wanted to Admit It Could Be Wrong.”For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David discuss how the freedom they feel to share their opinions has changed with their jobs and the journalism environment.If you enjoy the 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 Political Gabfest. Sign up now at slate.com/gabfestplus to help support our work.Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at [email protected]. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank.Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.