A self-described activist had late-stage, fallopian tube cancer. She didn’t live in one of the 11 jurisdictions that allows terminally-ill patients the choice to medically end their own lives. But rather than relocating, she argued Vermont’s residency restrictions were unconstitutional. Guest: Lynda Bluestein, a 75-year-old woman seeking to end her life on her terms, who successfully sued Vermont over their residency requirement in their “Patient Choice At End of Life” law. If you enjoy this sho...
Apr 27, 2023•27 min
Tucker Carlson has now completed the holy trinity of cable TV news: joining — and leaving — MSNBC, CNN, and now Fox News. Why did Fox oust him so abruptly? And how did he create a feedback loop that made Fox millions — and changed American politics forever? Guest: Nicole Hemmer, Director of the Rogers Center for the Study of the Presidency at Vanderbilt University. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcas...
Apr 26, 2023•25 min
If you haven’t heard of ChatGPT, chances are you will soon. Maybe you’ve tried casually playing with the artificial intelligent chatbot. Maybe you’ve tried avoiding it. Or maybe ChatGPT is the new host of this podcast and you haven’t realized it yet. Either way, we’re on the precipice of a new, powerful technology. On this episode of How To!, co-hosts Carvell Wallace and Amanda Ripley join forces to talk through all things artificial intelligence. They bring on Kevin Roose, tech columnist for th...
Apr 25, 2023•41 min
“Stand Your Ground” laws have expanded across the country over the past 20 years, allowing people to use deadly force even when they could safely retreat from a perceived threat. But when someone shoots a person standing on their porch, or as they turn around in a driveway, or in a crowd, the claim that these laws exist for self-defense doesn’t seem to wash. Guest: Tamara Lave, professor of criminal law at the University of Miami and a former public defender. If you enjoy this show, please consi...
Apr 25, 2023•27 min
Evan Gershkovich is the first foreign journalist arrested in Russia as a spy since the Cold War. When the war in Ukraine began, Evan - like most journalists - left the country. But then, he went back. Why? Guest: Drew Hinshaw, senior reporter at the Wall Street Journal 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 ...
Apr 24, 2023•26 min
Weather apps can be frustrating. And with how much we rely on them to know if we should wear pants or shorts, they'll still leave you in the rain. But as the climate gets wilder, the questions of how to tell people what they need to know—and quickly—can be an issue of life or death. Guest: Charlie Warzel, staff writer at the Atlantic Daniel Swain, UCLA climate scientist Host: Lizzie O'Leary If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like ze...
Apr 23, 2023•24 min
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and the African American community has a complicated relationship with corporal punishment of kids. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Stacey Patton, a writer, child abuse survivor, and the author of Spare the Kids: Why Whupping Children Won’t Save Black America. She debunks myths about spanking, including the idea that physical discipline of children has roots in Africa. They also discuss the emotional and psychological damage caused ...
Apr 23, 2023•27 min
As laughter ricocheted around the Supreme Court chamber Wednesday, Professor Mary Anne Franks wondered if she could quite believe her ears. The matter of some hilarity, it seems, were messages sent by a convicted stalker to his victim. Individual messages that were among what one detective estimated to number in the hundreds of thousands - possibly as many as one million messages - sent by Billy Raymond Counterman to singer Coles Whalen. Counterman’s campaign of harassment drove Whalen away from...
Apr 22, 2023•1 hr 2 min
Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss the biggest business, tech and finance stories of the week. This week, Fox News settles with Dominion, Elon’s rocketship blows up, and Apple has a savings account now. In the plus: Quantifying the value of domestic labor. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and an additional segment of our show every week. You’ll also be supporting the work we do h...
Apr 22, 2023•55 min
This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss the $787.5 million settlement of the Dominion Voting v. Fox News defamation lawsuit; the political game being played with raising the U.S. debt ceiling; and the Russian detention of American journalist Evan Gershkovich. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Jim Rutenberg and Katie Robertson for the New York Times: “A $787.5 Million Settlement and Embarrassing Disclosures: The Costs of Airing a Lie” Matthew Igle...
Apr 22, 2023•54 min
Reddit announced it will start charging companies to use its huge, ever-growing trove of text to train A.I. chatbots. It’s another expense for the fledgling tech and another knock against the “open internet” ideals that Reddit once embodied. Guest: Mike Isaac, tech reporter for the New York 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 Dear Prudence—and you’l...
Apr 21, 2023•25 min
Just as the defamation trial was set to begin, Fox News settled with Dominion Voting Systems at a cost of $787.5 million. While not nearly as expensive as a Rupert Murdoch divorce, surely the settlement and the airing of their texts and emails has taught them something valuable—right? Guest: Justin Peters, Slate 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 Bu...
Apr 20, 2023•26 min
The 89-year-old Dianne Feinstein has stated she plans to retire at the end of her term, but her health-related absences have stymied the Democrats’ ability to confirm judges—one of the few things the party can actually do in a divided government. Guest: Joe Garofoli, senior political writer at the San Francisco Chronicle, covering national and state politics. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bon...
Apr 19, 2023•24 min
The defamation trial between Dominion Voting Systems and Fox News is slated to start this week. Though Dominion uncovered a trove of texts and emails from people at Fox News who knew calling the 2020 election stolen was a lie, proving “defamation” is a high bar in the United States. Can Dominion win the case? And even if Fox News can win the legal case, is their reputation shot? Guest: Erik Wemple, Washington Post media critic If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Sl...
Apr 18, 2023•32 min
Iowa was one of the first states in the country to pass legislation against teaching that the United States is systemically racist — an idea some equate with “critical race theory.” But when one social studies teacher asked how he could teach U.S. history without running afoul of the new law, he didn’t get any clarity — or help. What happens when legislation targets teachers? And as America’s teacher shortage grows — what will this mean for the country’s kids? Guest: Greg Wickenkamp, former eigh...
Apr 17, 2023•29 min
The deadline for filing taxes this year is April 18th, and tax season brings on anxiety in lots of Americans. For Black folks, a lack of intergenerational wealth often means fewer contacts and networks that can offer guidance on taxes. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Washington Post personal finance columnist Michelle Singletary to talk about some of the tax challenges that disproportionately affect the Black community, last minute filing tips, and how to plan now for a ...
Apr 16, 2023•25 min
A new law in Utah that goes into effect next year states that anyone under 18 needs parental permission to use social media. Is it a necessary step to protect children from harms associated with social media, or are we blunting a tool of expression for the youth? Guest: Dr. Mitch Prinstein, chief science officer at American Psychological Association Host: Lizzie O’Leary If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate p...
Apr 16, 2023•33 min
Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers go over China’s expanding role in the international debt market. They discuss a new problem with the American mortgage system, and dive into the wild world of the collectibles market. In the Plus segment, Rupert Murdoch’s email divorce. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and an additional segment of our show every week. You’ll also be supporting the work ...
Apr 15, 2023•53 min
There’s a terrible legal Easter egg in Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk’s ruling on the abortion medication, Mifepristone. And that same Easter egg makes an appearance in the Fifth Circuit’s partial stay. It’s the Comstock Act - a mostly forgotten 19th century vice statute that is suddenly the anti-abortion movement’s favorite zombie legislation. On a special extra episode of Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Mary Ziegler, an expert on the law, history, and politics of reproduction, health care, an...
Apr 15, 2023•35 min
On this week’s episode of The Waves - the freelancing side of acting with Marvelous Mrs. Maisel actress Caroline Aaron. Slate senior supervising producer Daisy Rosario is joined by Caroline Aaron - a familiar face in movies for over forty years, if not a household name. They discuss building a life with an unstable career path, how women’s stories are done a disservice in film and television, and how Caroline’s show The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel seeks to overturn all of that. In Slate Plus, Caroline...
Apr 15, 2023•31 min
Discord is a place to share a community online. Most often, it's for gaming. So why did classified intelligence from the Pentagon end up on a small server whose main interests seem to be video games, military equipment and memes? And how? Guest: Shane Harris, national security reporter for the Washington Post. Host: Lizzie O’Leary 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 Slo...
Apr 14, 2023•33 min
This week, David Plotz and Emily Bazelon discuss the federal court rulings on the F.D.A.-approved abortion medication mifepristone, the expulsion of two Democratic representatives by the Republican-supermajority state legislature in Tennessee, and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ latest ethics problem. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Adam Unikowsky for Adam’s Legal Newsletter: “Mifepristone and the rule of law, part II” Allison McCann for the New York Times: “Insi...
Apr 13, 2023•54 min
Last week a federal judge in Texas refuted the FDA approval for mifepristone, a pill used for medication abortions, which would suspend that approval across the country. But some experts say - plenty of drugs don’t have FDA approval, and are still widely distributed… from baby formula, to multivitamins. Guest: Rachel Rebouché, dean and James E. Beasley professor of law at the Temple University Beasley School of Law and faculty fellow at the Center for Public Health Law Research. If you enjoy thi...
Apr 13, 2023•29 min
The FDA just approved a version of Narcan, the most commonly used version of the overdose prevention medicine naloxone, for over-the-counter sales. The move comes in response to overdose deaths steadily rising since the late ‘70s and around 100,000 Americans dying from overdose just last year. What took so long? Guest: Nancy D. Campbell, department head at Rensselaer’s department of science and technology studies, author of OD: Naloxone and the Politics of Overdose. If you enjoy this show, pleas...
Apr 12, 2023•32 min
On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… a former president got indicted, and all we got was this stupid t-shirt. Writer and former federal prosecutor Ankush Khardori joins Celeste to make the case that, while historic, this indictment is not a victory for anyone; it’s far from a legal slam dunk, it’s a symptom of a sluggish Justice Department, and it might actually worsen this nation’s political divide (which, in case you haven’t noticed, is already pretty bad). Read the pieces Ankush mentions here a...
Apr 11, 2023•38 min
The Tennessee House, which has a Republican supermajority, voted last week on motions to expel three Democratic members for “disorderly behavior” after they led protest chants from the floor of the chamber. Two Black lawmakers, Rep. Justin Jones and Rep. Justin Pearson—both in their late 20s and new to the House this session—were ousted. The motion to boot the other Rep. Gloria Johnson, who’s white, failed by one vote. Guest: Melissa Brown, state politics reporter for The Tennessean. If you enjo...
Apr 11, 2023•33 min
A ProPublica investigation revealed that Justice Clarence Thomas has been gifted luxury vacations by Republican donor and billionaire Harlan Crow. For over two decades, Justice Thomas has taken private jets, gone on yachts and stayed at private resorts alongside powerful Republican donors, all funded by Crow. For the most part, Justice Thomas did not disclose these vacations. The investigation raises questions on the legality of these types of gifts, as well as the lack of oversight and ethics s...
Apr 10, 2023•32 min
U.S. air travel is being strained on all sides—travel demand is back to 2019 levels, but the number of pilots and planes and ground crew hasn’t caught back up, and a rash of close calls are raising safety concerns about America’s aging flying infrastructure. Guest: Jon Ostrower, editor in chief of The Air Current. Host: Lizzie O’Leary 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...
Apr 09, 2023•35 min
Folklorist and Harlem Renaissance author Zora Neale Hurston made her hometown of Eatonville, Florida famous in her writing, including her novel Their Eyes Were Watching God. But her fame hasn’t saved the town from the pressures that many African American communities have endured: a population fighting poverty, government indifference, and developers that want to scoop up the land to build housing that current residents can’t afford. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Aallya...
Apr 09, 2023•28 min
On this week’s Amicus Dahlia Lithwick is first joined by Sherrilyn Ifill, former President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, to talk about Tennessee and the mounting evidence of Republican state houses and governors finding novel (but also depressingly old) ways to disenfranchise voters and subvert democracy. Ifill sounded the alarm about all of this in a prescient piece in Slate last month that deserves your attention. Next, Dahlia is joined by Professor Step...
Apr 08, 2023•1 hr 13 min
