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Join Decoder Ring as we unlock a whole new season of cultural mysteries. First, we’ll sniff around Italy’s best-loved cheese to test an incredible claim: Is the most authentic parmesan being made not in Parma—but in Wisconsin? Next, a group of seasoned concertgoers, hardcore punks and one heavy metal physicist help explain what’s going on inside mosh pits. Plus: a brief history of super sexy, on-t...

America’s winner-take-all electoral system casts third-party candidates as spoilers—but what would it take to open the door to not just a third party, but a fourth or more?  Guest: Lee Drutman, senior fellow in the Political Reform program at New America, author of Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop . If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits...

How the music streaming business opened the door to billions of dollars in fraud. Guest:  Ashley Carman , Bloomberg News reporter covering the podcasting, music, and audio beat. 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 w...

In honor of the holiday, enjoy this episode from our colleagues at Slow Burn. What Next resumes regular programming tomorrow. Anita Hill’s accusations launched urgent and heated conversations about racism and sexual harassment. They also stoked an anger in Clarence Thomas that’s never stopped raging. Season 8 of Slow Burn is produced by Joel Anderson, Sophie Summergrad, Sam Kim, and Sofie Kodner....

Josh Levin and Stefan Fatsis are joined by TV producer Mike Schur for a special episode: a debate on which sports have generated the best art and made the greatest contributions to culture. Topics discussed include Schur’s  Field of Dreams  adaptation, whether basketball or football has a greater canon, and if boxing will lose its cultural footprint.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mor...

Unpopular decisions and multiple scandals involving lavish, undisclosed gifts from conservative megadonors have the Supreme Court handing down decisions under a cloud of public outcry and controversy—but that hasn’t stopped the conservative majority from acting just as hardline as its critics feared.  Guest: Mark Joseph Stern , court watcher and senior writer at Slate. If you enjoy this show, plea...

On this episode: Jamilah Lemieux and Elizabeth Newcamp are joined by comedian Hari Kondabolu . They talk about Hari’s new standup special, Vacation Baby. They also answer a listener question about vacation. The letter writer’s mother requested a trip with her and her kids. No spouses or children. Is it a selfish ask?  Recommendations:  Hari: Vacation Baby and I’m a Virgo Elizabeth: Em & Friend...

Even if you like the convenience of your phone unlocking after it reads your face, there are reasons to be wary of the TSA bringing facial recognition technology to the airport.  Guest: Geoffrey Fowler , technology columnist for the Washington Post. 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...

On today’s episode, Rachelle dives into one of Candice’s most treasured subreddits:  r/bathandbodyworks . They trace the boom of candle consumption during the pandemic, how sale culture keeps the store in business, and Candice’s definitive rules for curating your haul. This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Candice Lim and Rachelle Hampton. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for mo...

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Elizabeth Spiers take on the Supreme Court’s decision on affirmative action. They also talk about the (very good!) marketing campaign behind the upcoming Barbie movie, and the (less good) influencer campaign for SHEIN.  In the Plus segment: Vanna White needs a raise!  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free e...

This episode is a part of Opinionpalooza . Slate’s coverage of Supreme Court decisions. We consider this coverage so essential that we’re taking down the paywall for all of it. If you would like to help us continue to cover the courts aggressively, please consider joining Slate Plus . And sign up for the pop-up newsletter to see the latest every week in your inbox. As the Supreme Court’s June term...

Today, the Pointer Sisters are mostly remembered for their flurry of ’80s hits, especially the “Excited” one about losing control and liking it. But their musical history is far more varied: jazz standards? Civil rights–era funk? Country music? Yacht rock? The Pointers applied their impeccable sibling harmonies to all of it. Billboard ranks the Pointer Sisters behind only the Supremes, TLC, and De...

A shortage of basic chemotherapy drugs to treat cancer is jeopardizing the care of hundreds of thousands of patients. The drugs aren’t expensive, or patented—so where are they?  Guest: Ed Yong , science journalist at The Atlantic. 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 episode...

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz are live and on stage with Maryland Governor Wes Moore and also discuss the Supreme Court’s legitimacy problem and the not-Trump Republican candidates’ struggle.    Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: C-SPAN: “ Maryland State of the State Address ” Jeffrey M. Jones for Gallup: “ Trust in Federal Government Branches Con...

This episode is a part of Opinionpalooza . Slate’s coverage of Supreme Court decisions. Thank you to our Slate Plus members for making this episode available to all listeners. The full version of this episode is now exclusively available to our Slate Plus members. If you want to have access to bonus content like this, go to slate.com/amicusplus to become a member. In an emergency episode of Amicus...

On this episode: Jamilah Lemieux and Elizabeth Newcamp are joined by comedian Hari Kondabolu . They share their parenting triumphs and fails, including a tooth shot out by a Nerf gun, a toddler with very cool music taste, and a pottery painting catastrophe. They also advise a listener who has her heart set on a big family. Her husband wants two kids, max. Then, if you’re sticking around for Slate...

To shore up sagging enrollment, the U.S. military is doing what American industry does—looking to immigrants to fill out their numbers. Once a faster way to citizenship, serving in the armed forces has become another place where being an immigrant can carry harsh penalties—and can instead be a step on the way to deportation. Guest: Sofya Aptekar, associate professor of urban studies, school of lab...

Kids look to their parents to keep them safe and to show them how much risk they can handle, but parents are often winging it as they walk that line. In this episode, Anna talks to Alexis, a parent of an 8 year-old with an anxiety disorder, about how she learned to adjust her parenting through a parent-focused therapy program directed by Dr. Eli Lebowitz, author of Breaking Free of Child Anxiety a...

In the last of our Pride month mini-episodes, host Jules Gill-Peterson is joined by Evan Urquhart, the community manager for Slate's comments section who also covers anti-trans propaganda on assignedmedia.org . They discuss Evan’s piece “ Don’t Look Away From Queer Despair ,” which was part of Slate’s “ Not Quite Pride ” package. In a galvanizing conversation, they discuss the need to resist putti...

This week, the panel begins with the question: is The Bear ’s second season even better than its first? Then, the trio discusses Jennifer Lawrence’s new “sex” comedy, No Hard Feelings . Finally, they examine an essay by Jonah Weiner of Blackbird Spyplane, “ Is Ssense hurting the cool-clothes eco-system? ” about the online clothing emporium that’s growing like a weed.  In the exclusive Slate Plus s...

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s politics, such as they can be parsed, are a mix of conspiracy theories and vibes. But in a post-Trump landscape, and with RFK polling at 20 percent among Democratic presidential candidates, cranky contrarians have to be taken seriously—right? Guest: Vera Bergengruen , investigative correspondent at Time magazine. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate...

On today’s special Pride Month episode, Rachelle and Candice hear from their queer listeners about finding love online. Stories come from digital spaces as far flung as  Buffy the Vampire Slayer  fandom boards to Craigslist missed connections, from Minecraft rose gardens to couch surfing websites. This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim and Rachelle Hampton. H...

This episode is a part of Opinionpalooza . Slate’s coverage of Supreme Court decisions. Thank you to our Slate Plus members for making this episode available to all listeners. The full version of this episode is now exclusively available to our Slate Plus members. If you want to have access to bonus content like this, go to slate.com/amicusplus to become a member. In deciding against the bonkers (...

Kevin McCarthy has always had his eyes on one job - Speaker of the House. But after Republicans won Congress’s lower chamber by a razor thin majority, the party’s right wing extracted major concessions before handing over the gavel. When the GOP accepted a deal with the Biden administration to raise the nation’s debt ceiling, House hardliners felt betrayed. Now McCarthy faces renewed attacks on hi...

Josh Levin and Stefan Fatsis are joined by the Ringer’s Ben Lindbergh to talk about Luis Arraez’s run at a .400 batting average. The Athletic’s Steph Yang also joins to discuss the U.S. women’s national team’s World Cup roster. Finally, college golfers Maycee Kay Aycock and Sarah Marshall come on to explain why they stuck with the sport despite shooting some of the worst scores of all time.   .400...