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Refusing to play the traditional first Monday in October game, Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern squint through the cloud of ethics scandals enveloping the High Court to see a docket aimed squarely at unfettering commerce from outside supervision, with a side order of second amendment extremism. What could possibly go wrong? Sign up for Slate Plus now to support our show.  Dahlia’s book  Lady...

After years of being a rare spot of universal, American-government-funded health care, this fall’s new COVID-19 vaccine is hitting the commercial market for the first time. So far, the rollout has been mired by hiccups and confusion.  Guest: Jen Kates , senior vice president at KFF If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on a...

On today’s episode, Rachelle and Candice dive into the latest mystery plaguing the internet—the unprecedented rise of podcaster Bobbi Althoff. Althoff launched  The Really Good Podcast  in April and since then has landed interviews with some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry, including Drake, Offset, Tyga, Lil Yachty and Shaq. But the admitted “master interviewer with weeks of exp...

Amazon evolved from a place to get cheap used books to the “everything store”—one encompassing warehouses, logistics and shipping.  But with the FTC now run by Lina Khan—who wrote the essay ‘Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox” while at Yale Law School—a new contender for “antitrust trial of the century” has begun.  Guest: Leah Nylen , antitrust reporter for Bloomberg If you enjoy this show, please conside...

If an instrumental tops the charts, it’s probably an earworm: “Tequila.” “Wipeout.” “Dueling Banjos.” “The Hustle.” “Feels So Good.” “Chariots of Fire.” “Axel F.” You can probably whistle or hum several of those from memory. But do you remember the artists? All were one-hit wonders. By and large, instrumental hits throughout chart history were flukes. But there were exceptions: a trumpet player fr...

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the second Republican presidential primary debate; the next federal case against Senator Bob Menendez, and the latest lawsuit of United States v. Big Tech. Join us for Political Gabfest Live in Madison, Wisconsin on October 25! Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Dan Balz for The Washington Post: “ Republican d...

On this episode: Zak Rosen, Jamilah Lemieux, and Elizabeth Newcamp help a listener who’s struggling with a very outgoing kid who can’t seem to understand stranger danger. How can the listener help their child be more aware, without causing fear — and what should they do when a stranger is a little too friendly in return?  We also go over our week in triumphs and fails — and then, if you stick arou...

Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine transformed America and the world in ways that seemed unimaginable. But in 1955, there was a moment when everything was in doubt. This week, Josh Levin talks with Dr. Paul Offit about the medical mystery that threatened to derail one of history’s most important scientific breakthroughs. Josh Levin is One Year’s editorial director. One Year’s senior producer is Evan Chung...

Why is everyone—on the left and the right—suddenly touting the benefits of a married two-parent family? And what is it about this institution that appeals to a certain class of politicians and pundits as means to address American poverty, even as it loses popularity? We consider the public meltdown over lower marriage rates and the renewed interest in ending no-fault divorce.  Guest: Rebecca Trais...

Anna and Ellen Burstyn check in 9 years after they first spoke. Ellen talks about the relationships that make up her life in this moment, her dog, and finding novelty in the everyday. You can listen to the original interview here .  Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Money community? Every Wednesday we send out a note from Anna, fascinating listener letters fro...

On today’s episode, Candice Lim and Rachelle Hampton are joined by Daisy Rosario to discuss the hottest show of the summer:  Suits.  The USA Network procedural follows a magnetic cast of law firm employees who bend the system, fire off quips in court and essentially, wear suits.  Suits  isn’t the most buzzy or exciting series out there, so how did a show that ended in 2019 experience a resurgence...

This week, Dana and Stephen are once again joined by Kat Chow, author of the memoir Seeing Ghosts . The panel begins by jumping into the ring with Cassandro , the oddly conflict-adverse biopic about the lucha libre superstar and exótico gay icon, Saúl Armendáriz, who is played terrifically by Gael García Bernal in a provocative, tour-de-force performance. Then, the trio wades into comedian–and fut...

Everybody loves pandas—and China knows it. As we say goodbye to the National Zoo’s pandas, we look back at 50 years of “panda diplomacy” and consider its uncertain future. Guest: E. Elena Songster, author of Panda Nation: The Construction and Conservation of China’s Modern Icon and professor of environmental history of modern China at St. Mary’s College of California. If you enjoy this show, pleas...

After five long months, the WGA and major Hollywood studios have reached a tentative agreement to end the strike—well, that one anyway. Who won what and where do the actors stand? Guest: Michael Schulman , 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 lik...

Stefan Fatsis is joined by writer and podcaster Spencer Hall to talk about a busy weekend in college football. The Ringer's Ben Lindbergh discusses Major League Baseball’s playoff races, and the future of Shohei Ohtani. Finally, Slate’s Nadira Goffe and Defector’s Dan McQuade assess the budding Taylor Swift-Travis Kelce relationship, and a new documentary about Kelce’s brother, Jason. College foot...

At 92, Rupert Murdoch is retiring and handing the reins over to his son. Will Lachlan Murdoch watch over a period of managed decline—or will he chase the audience Fox News has been losing to the even-more extreme right? Guest: Nicole Hemmer , Director of the Roger Center for the American Presidency at Vanderbilt University. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode: Jamilah Lemieux, Zak Rosen, and Elizabeth Newcamp are joined by Slate writer, Aymann Ismail , to talk about his piece, Closed Book . He tracked down one of the most challenged books—a health and sexual education book called It’s Perfectly Normal— to see why it’s being banned. It’s “particularly blunt and graphic” yet Aymann was surprised at the feelings of embarrassment and shame...

Emily Bazelon talks with author Zadie Smith about her new book,  The Fraud . They discuss what happens when justice comes through an unjust symbol, how much Zadie does and doesn’t know about her characters, and more.  Tweet us your questions  @SlateGabfest  or email us at  gabfest@slate.com . (Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Ro...

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Ryan Busse , a former gun-industry executive turned gun-safety advocate, who is now running for governor in his home state of Montana. As the right to bear arms for domestic abusers is set to be argued at SCOTUS this term, Dahlia and Ryan discuss how gun culture has been radicalized in order to… sell more guns. They also examine how that radicalization has reached the...

As other tech companies that rode the pandemic to success started sinking, Instacart managed to stay above water—they turned a profit and even made it to an IPO. But a stubbornly static stock price has some asking if Instacart—and the whole gig economy—hasn’t already peaked.   Guest: Erin Griffith , who reports on tech startups and venture capital for the New York Times If you enjoy this show, ple...

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Kashmir Hill to talk about her new book,  Your Face Belongs to Us . They dig into the way facial recognition technology is used in unexpected (and sometimes creepy) ways. They also talk about the A.I. revolution and Rupert Murdoch’s “exit” from the Fox empire.  In the Plus segment: Kashmir talks about  tracking her husband .  If you enjo...

On today’s episode, Rachelle Hampton is joined by  Alexia Fawcett,  a PhD candidate in linguistics at UC Santa Barbara and  Kendra Calhoun , an assistant professor of linguistic anthropology at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. Calhoun and Fawcett wrote a presentation titled, “ They edited out her nip-nops: Linguistic innovation as textual censorship avoidance on TikTok ,” which explor...

The sword of regulation, which has been swinging over New York AirBnBs for over a decade, is falling at last. But will new laws for short-term rentals have the effect housing advocates are hoping for? And after many failed efforts, can these laws actually be enforced?  Guest: Heather Tal Murphy , Slate writer covering tech and business. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate...

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the UAW autoworkers’ strike against the Big Three automakers, talk with  Yoel Roth  about social media trust and safety, and weigh teachers’ burden to engage in parent diplomacy. Join us for  Political Gabfest Live  in Madison, Wisconsin on October 25!   Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Danielle Kaye for NPR...

On this episode: Zak Rosen, Jamilah Lemieux, and Elizabeth Newcamp talk about toxic achievement culture. The three of them talk with Jennifer Breheny Wallace , journalist and author of Never Enough: When Achievement Culture Becomes Toxic – And What We Can Do About It — about how we push our kids, and ourselves, even when we don’t need to. We also go over our week in parenting. And then, for Slate...