Slate Daily Feed

Over the past few years, ultra-conservative activists took aim at school boards, trying to shape curriculums to match their beliefs. But this year, from Pennsylvania to Iowa, “parental rights candidates” lost handily. What happened? Guest: Adam Laats , Professor of Education and History at Binghamton University. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members...

The bedbug break-out during Paris fashion week this fall was obviously horrifying, but the bad news doesn’t stop there. Bedbugs are on the rise—and on the move. Guest: Benji Jones, senior environmental reporter at Vox. 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 Dea...

Emily Bazelon talks with cartoonist  James Sturm , about his new graphic novel adaptation of  Watership Down . They discuss what makes the animal characters so compelling, going tharn[MOU1] , where  Watership Down  fits in the literary tradition, and so much more. Tweet us your questions  @SlateGabfest  or email us at  gabfest@slate.com . (Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipula...

Donald J Trump is signaling a split with the conservative legal movement’s kingmakers, The Federalist Society. Instead, the presumptive Republican Presidential nominee is planning a radical (and radically lawless) remaking of American government in his image.  On this week’s show, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Amanda Hollis Brusky, professor of politics at Pomona College and author of  Ideas with C...

In this episode, Rachelle Hampton and Candice Lim are joined by writer, comedian and  Glamorous Trash   host Chelsea Devantez to break down this watershed year of celebrity memoirs. The trio crowns the best and the worst titles, dissect what separates a good memoir from a great one, and reveal the shocking figure who has appeared in way more memoirs than you’d expect. This podcast is produced by S...

This week, Felix Salmon , Emily Peck , and Elizabeth Spiers chat with Ed Conway, economics and data editor of Sky News, whose new book “ Material World ” tells how a handful of everyday resources built civilization — and remain incredibly important today. Also: the astounding secrets of car paint…and why new cars look like mud. Podcast production by Patrick Fort and Jared Downing. Hosted on Acast....

In this special mini-episode of Hit Parade, recorded live on at Housing Works bookstore in New York City, host Chris Molanphy is joined by Dan Charnas—author of the New York Times bestseller Dilla Time, The Life and Afterlife of J Dilla , and the acclaimed The Big Payback: The History of the Business of Hip-Hop . They discuss Chris’s new book Old Town Road —how he came to write it, what made the s...

Girls at a New Jersey high school were early victims of a novel and growing problem: their images were taken from social media without consent to create “deep-fake pornography.”  Guest: Julie Jargon , Wall Street Journal family and tech columnist. 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...

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Joe Manchin’s departure from the U.S. Senate and what it means for the Democratic majority, No Labels, and the 2024 presidential race; the Supreme Court’s new code of conduct and whether it’s worthless; and the Israel-Hamas war and how it’s affecting Democratic politics. You can be a part of the show: submit your Conundrum at  slate...

On this episode: Zak, Jamilah and Elizabeth help a listener who’s struggling with a deep pessimism about the state of this country — and he wants to make sure that his kids have some hope to hold onto.  We also go over our week in parenting triumphs and fails. Then, if you’re sticking around for Slate Plus, we’ll share some strategies for explaining the war in Gaza to kids – and hopefully not frig...

As Palestinian allies like Hezbollah and Iran voice their support, is there a danger of more countries being pulled into the war in Gaza?  Guest: Gregory Gause , head of the Department of International Affairs at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, specialist in Middle East politics. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate...

When Giulia Lukach had her first manic episode, it seemed to come out of nowhere. She was in her late twenties, and had been married to her husband, Mark, for three years. “For him it was just so new because I’ve always been the happy girl,” Giulia told Anna in an interview in 2015. Her psychosis was dark and intense.“ The only thing she could talk about was the devil and that she needed to protec...

This week, guest host Danny Lavery talks with self-appointed lesbian pop culture expert Kira Deshler to dive into the lively queer subculture within the Taylor Swift fandom, and their quest to liberate her. From there they explore the relationship between queer fans and their often straight pop icons. Songs mentioned: Tim I Wish You Were Born a Girl by Of Montreal Pink Triangle by Weezer  Johnny A...

On today’s episode, Rachelle and Candice are joined by Patrick Marlborough to discuss their recent essay for Slate,  “The Death of the Internet as a Haven for People With Autism.”  They wrote, “Things began to shift, if imperceptibly at first, with the advent of social media, and the steady corralling and corporatization of that otherness, weirdness, fun, and joy.” On the show, Marlborough describ...

This week, Dana and Stephen are joined by Supreme Friend of the Pod, Isaac Butler, who co-hosts Slate’s Working podcast and is the author of The Method: How the Twentieth Century Learned to Act (which is now available in paperback!). The panel begins by pondering Dream Scenario , a provocative new film from Norwegian writer-director Kristoffer Borgli. The nightmarish social satire stars Nicolas Ca...

In 1992, a Minnesota-based software company known for its educational hit The Oregon Trail released another simulation-style game to school districts across the country. Freedom! took kids on a journey along the Underground Railroad, becoming the first American software program to use slavery as its subject matter. Less than four months later, it was pulled from the market. In this episode, we rev...

If you want to imagine what Donald Trump’s second presidential term would look like, look at what he left unfinished from his first—and listen to his long list of personal grievances. Guest: Susan Glasser , staff writer at The New Yorker, co-author of The Divider , a history of Donald Trump in the White House. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members ge...

A Jewish writer and Muslim journalist sit down to discuss the power dynamics, tribalism, and role of empathy in a far-away conflict that hits close to home in America.  Guests: Aymann Ismail , Slate staff writer Emily Tamkin , writer and author of The Influence of Soros and Bad Jews . If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads o...

Josh Levin, Joel Anderson, and Ben Mathis-Lilley weigh the evidence in the sign-stealing case against Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh. They also discuss Texas A&M’s decision to fire its football coach Jimbo Fisher. Finally, Josh and Joel speak with writer Megan Swanick about the career and legacy of Megan Rapinoe.   Harbaugh (4:04):  Should the coach go down or is he getting railroaded?   Fisher (...

In the first episode of Slate Money’s Travel series, Felix Salmon talks with The New York Times’ Lydia Polgreen about her time as a foreign correspondent and big-time business exec. What was it like to carry $10,000 in cash? And how buttery is the leather on a private jet?  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the ne...

Andy Beshear, Kentucky’s Democratic governor, maintained a Biden-like moderate image and rode it to victory in this year’s election. His state knows him best as the “infrastructure governor”—but his support for abortion rights might be the biggest takeaway for other Democrats staring down challenging 2024 races. Guest: John Nichols , national affairs correspondent for The Nation. If you enjoy this...

On this episode: Zak Rosen and Elizabeth Newcamp are joined by Dr. Lindsay Cavanagh , a psychologist and military marriage coach. She also hosts a podcast called Married to Military . Lindsay is here to help Zak and Elizabeth answer a listener question about a couple who cannot agree on parenting styles. The letter writer loves to research and consume parenting content. The husband, on the other h...

A review website became suddenly flush with new bylines, right as the newsroom was negotiating with management. But information on their new contributors was hard to find—were they people at all, or was this the first clumsy incursion of A.I. into their newsroom? Guest: Will Sommer , Washington Post media reporter If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus member...

In this episode, Rachelle and Candice map out what happened when TikTok food personality  Keith Lee  traveled to Atlanta and ignited a  culinary controversy . Lee is a former MMA fighter-turned-influencer who has been taking food tours around the country, ranking their cuisine and posting his reviews on TikTok. He was tasting restaurants in Atlanta when the itinerary took a turn for the worst: bad...

This week, Felix Salmon , Emily Peck , and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Rob Copeland of The New York Times to discuss his new book The Fund: Ray Dalio, Bridgewater Associates, and the Unraveling of a Wall Street Legend , which examines the vast difference between Ray Dalio’s public persona and Bridgewater’s private reality. Then, Felix, Emily and Elizabeth cover the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike,...