What Next | Daily News and Analysis

An investigation into child welfare agencies around the country uncovered that the vast majority of searches of home environments happen without anything like a warrant, increasing the stress for parents as well as the children whose welfare is supposed to be being protected. Guest: Eli Hager, ProPublica reporter covering issues affecting children and teens in the Southwest.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 truth is, no one ever had a workable plan for Brexit. And as Liz Truss becomes the fourth Prime Minister to resign since the referendum and Rishi Sunak steps in as tribute, it’s an important lesson for voters on any side of the Atlantic: You can’t stake your party—or your country’s future—on a lie. Guest: Felix Salmon, host of Slate Money, chief financial correspondent at Axios. 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.

Reporters have questioned whether Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor John Fetterman, who had a stroke in May, is competent to serve in the U.S. Senate. The attention on his apparent aphasia – or ability to process conversation and speak clearly – reveals the biases that keep many disabled people from disclosing their conditions or even running for office in the first place.Guest: Sara Luterman, caregiving reporter for The 19th News. 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.

Ron DeSantis broke with tradition when he rejected the Florida legislature’s redistricting map and presented his own. But by splitting a majority Black district in northern Florida into four other districts, he may have violated both Florida and federal laws against gerrymandering.Guest: Joshua Kaplan, reporter at ProPublica. 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.

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

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 ProPublicaHost: Lizzie O'LearyIf 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. 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 https://slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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. 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.

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.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 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.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 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 journalistHost: Lizzie O’LearyIf 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.Thanks Avast.com! Learn more about Avast One at Avast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

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

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

When the January 6 committee reconvenes, one their first orders of business will likely concern longtime GOP operative and Trump ally Roger Stone. What have lawmakers discovered in the raw footage from a Danish documentary team, and Stone’s personal text messages? And what does it reveal about January 6? Guest: Josh Meyer, USA Today’s domestic security 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.

What Next is still enjoying the three-day weekend, so we proudly present this special episode of Amicus.Dahlia Lithwick is joined by two key players from this week’s consequential voting rights cases at the US Supreme Court. The NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund’s senior counsel Deuel Ross argued part of Merrill v Milligan at the High Court on Tuesday, and Evan Milligan of Alabama Forward is the named plaintiff in one of a pair of cases that argued that Alabama’s congressional maps are racially gerrymandered in violation of Section II of the Voting Rights Act. They take listeners inside the arguments, and provide vital context for the challenges faced by residents of Alabama’s Black Belt in accessing healthcare, infrastructure and not coincidentally, political representation. Next, Dahlia is joined by Sam Sankar, Senior Vice President of Programs at Earth Justice to discuss what went down in Sackett v EPA, a case argued Monday that could have wide-ranging effects on the waters and wetlands of the United States. In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Dahlia is joined by Mark Joseph Stern to talk about the new dynamics of arguments with Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson taking her seat at the High Court, the conservative reaction to their favorite text and history rubric being applied by the first African American woman on the court (huh, they don’t love it?), and what to expect from a new filing in the Mar A Lago investigation that’s on its way to 1, First Street. Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show. Dahlia’s new book Lady Justice: Women, the Law and the Battle to Save America, is also available as an audiobook, and Amicus listeners can get a 25% discount by entering the code “AMICUS” at checkout. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Churches are using accountability apps to keep tabs on their members' behavior. But if your pastor wants to monitor your phone, can you truly consent?Guest: Dhruv MehrotraHost: Lizzie O'Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Twenty-six words defined the internet as we know it today. What happens if they’re deleted?Guest: Jeff KosseffHost: Lizzie O'LearyThe Twenty-Six Words That Created the Internet Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With the war turning towards Ukraine’s favor, Vladimir Putin is becoming more isolated and more dangerous. Can Ukrainians expel the Russians—or the Russians expel Putin—while avoiding the worst-case scenario?Guest: Bryan Bender, senior national correspondent for POLITICO.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 bipartisan effort to prevent members of Congress from trading stock while in office is wildly popular. But so far, no such bill has gained much traction on Capitol Hill. Why? Guest: Sam Brodey, congressional reporter for The Daily Beast. 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 drastic shortage of infant formula this spring revealed how flaws in food regulation and the supply chain can threaten this most vulnerable part of our population—and everyone else.Guest: Helena Bottemiller Evich, founder of Food Fix, a publication about food policy.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.

Venezuela has lost about a fifth of its population since its economic collapse in 2014. Roughly 6.8 million people have fled the country, creating one of the largest refugee crises in the world. Why does Venezuela’s free-fall continue? And how is the U.S. government responding to increasing numbers of Venezuelan refugees?Guest: Cindy Arnson, a distinguished fellow at The Wilson Center and former director of its Latin American Program.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.

Longtermism, the idea that positively influencing the future is a key moral priority of our time, is hot in Silicon Valley. But does it miss the bigger picture?Guests: William MacAskill, Robert WrightHost: Lizzie O'LearyThanks Avast.com! Learn more about Avast One at Avast.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

With disaster relief funds from Hurricane Harvey, Houston's Harris County instituted a mandatory buyout program for residents in flood-prone areas. But some residents didn't want to leave.Guest: Amal Ahmed, Dolores MendozaHost: Mary C. Curtis Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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

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. 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 Mary Wilson, Elena Schwartz, Carmel Delshad, and Madeline Ducharme, with help from Anna Phillips and Jared Downing. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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.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 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 MexicoIf 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.

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 KeatingHost: Lizzie O'Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 SternHost: Lizzie O'Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 POLITICOIf 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.

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

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

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

Victims of a new and high tech kind of human trafficking are forced to scam people all around the world.Guest: Cezary PodkulHost: Lizzie O'LearyHuman Trafficking’s Newest Abuse: Forcing Victims Into Cyberscamming Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A small parish in Louisiana tried to get affordable, fast internet. An incumbent ISP stopped them.Guest: Issie Lapowsky, Wanda ManningHost: Lizzie O'Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the many things laid bare by COVID-19 was the importance of public health messaging—and the many ways it can fail. So when monkeypox began spreading in the U.S., the White House found someone who understands just how important it is to know your audience. Guest: Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, White House National Monkeypox Response Deputy Coordinator and former director of the CDC Division of HIV Prevention.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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A Ukrainian counteroffensive has pushed Russian forces back to the east surprisingly quickly and effectively. Military experts are now wondering if Ukraine will win the war outright and avoid the stalemate that seemed likely only a few weeks ago. But if Vladamir Putin starts to feel the heat both in the field and from citizens at home, what is he capable of? And lacking a mechanism to remove their leader from office, what can Russians do? Guest: Fred Kaplan is Slate’s war stories correspondent and author of The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War.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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The United Kingdom is saddled with an energy crisis, a pandemic-weary national health service, and continued economic fallout from Brexit. For now, the country is observing an official mourning period, after losing its longest-serving monarch. But soon it will be time for King Charles and newly-installed Prime Minister Liz Truss to show what they’ll do to lead the U.K. through what’s expected to be a grim winter. Guest: Charlotte Ivers, political correspondent for Times Radio, and columnist for the Sunday 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 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Unions have won more elections in 2022 than they have in nearly 20 years, and they’re making in-roads in high-turnover, retail and service jobs like Starbucks, Chipotle and Amazon. As corporate leaders close down stores, fire union stalwarts, and stall bargaining, unionized workers fear they may never get a contract. Guest: Rani Molla, senior correspondent at Recode covering business, technology, and the future of work.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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

An inside look at the rise of YouTube into a social media behemoth.Guests: Mark Bergen and Claire StapletonHost: Lizzie O'Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Technology is transforming the creative economy and ideas about what "art" even is.Guest: Drew HarwellHost: Lizzie O'Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Under Governor Ron DeSantis, the Parental Rights in Education Act—what critics call the “Don’t Say Gay” bill—and “curriculum transparency” laws are going into effect in Florida schools. Supporters say the laws are there to protect students and keep them from being “indoctrinated.” But the state now faces a “critical teacher shortage” and teachers are pointing to state intervention as a reason for low morale. Guest: Bridget Ziegler, Sarasota County school board member and co-founder of Moms for Liberty.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.

Today’s high schoolers have lived in an America with legally recognized gay marriage for nearly half of their lives, but this fall, Florida students are starting the first school year under the “Parental Rights in Education” law, a.k.a. “Don’t Say Gay,” and LGBTQ students are bracing for a very different classroom experience.Guest: Will Larkins, a 17-year-old senior at Winter Park High School, Florida and cofounder of the school’s Queer Student Union.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 Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis has encouraged a small Christian college to exert an unusual amount of influence over education policy. Hillsdale College is an institution growing in notoriety among conservative luminaries. Now, Hillsdale is using Florida public schools as a laboratory for its plans to reshape public education across the country. Guest: Anita Carson, a former sixth-grade teacher in Florida, and Sommer Brugal, education reporter for the Miami Herald. 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.

We’ve got something special for you this Labor Day: an episode from the new season of Slate’s narrative history podcast One Year. Evan Chung tells the story of the American teachers who competed for an unprecedented prize: a spot on the January 1986 launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger. Three of the finalists describe the grueling selection process and the tragedy that killed one of their own.One Year is produced by Evan Chung, Sophie Summergrad, Sam Kim, Madeline Ducharme, and Josh Levin. Derek John is Sr. Supervising Producer of Narrative Podcasts and Merritt Jacob is Sr. Technical Director.Slate Plus members get to hear more about the making of One Year. Get access to extra episodes, listen to the show without any ads, and support One Year by signing up for Slate Plus for just $15 for your first three months. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

LYMErix, the first vaccine against Lyme, was pulled from the market amid poor sales and pressure from the public. Now, over 20 years later, a new vaccine is in late-stage trials.Guest: Cassandra WillyardHost: Lizzie O'Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A father took a photo of his son for their doctor. He wound up being investigated by the police.Guest: Kashmir HillHost: Lizzie O'Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michigan state Senator Mallory McMorrow went viral in April for striking back at an extreme characterization made by a Republican colleague. The video of McMorrow’s speech—viewed over 14 million times—tells a bigger story about how national political rhetoric is affecting local political debates. But is the senator really demonstrating how to reset the terms of debate? Or is she just one more person who went viral for speaking to her echo chamber?As summer winds down, we're replaying some of our favorite episodes from this year. This episode originally aired on May 3, 2022.Guest: Mallory McMorrow, Michigan state senator representing Grand Oak and the suburbs north of Detroit. 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.

Banning books in schools is on the rise. Around the country, parents are lobbying to banish from libraries and curriculums any work they deem to be “graphic” or “offensive,” often sweeping up books centered on queer or POC experiences in the process. Some authors say that’s no coincidence - nor is it surprising that this is happening just as the publishing industry is remaking itself to tell more diverse stories. The question is, what’s the best way to respond to the outrage?This week as we wind down the summer, we're replaying some of our favorite episodes of this year. This episode originally aired on February 13, 2022.Guest: Ashley Hope Pérez, author of three YA novels, including Out of Darkness, and professor of literature at Ohio State University.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.