Slate Daily Feed

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...

“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 crimi...

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Slate’s Jack Hamilton to talk about Draymond Green, Dillon Brooks, and NBA villainy. Chicago White Sox announcer Jason Benetti also joins to discuss how to call a baseball game in the pitch-clock era. Finally, Talia Barrington comes on for a conversation about same-sex pairs in figure skating.   NBA villains (3:01):  The basketball playoffs need bad guys....

On this episode: Zak, Jamilah, and Elizabeth advise a listener who is fed up with her partner’s picky eating. His preferences have made it nearly impossible to meal prep, which he doesn’t help with. On top of that, he’s taken to complaining about the food in front of their kid.  Recommendations:  Jamilah: Cheetos’ Flamin’ Hot with Limón Elizabeth: Self-Compassion Workbook for Kids   Zak: Tomorrow...

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...

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Peter Kafka of Vox. They discuss episode five of the final season of HBO’s Succession, including a drug-fueled party, a very normal trip to Norway, and why the baguette may in fact be mightier than the bagel. Also, bags of blood. Really.  Check out how the Succession timeline (kind of) works.  If you enjoy this show, please consider sign...

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...

On today’s episode, Rachelle is joined by Alex Sujong Laughlin, a supervising producer and co-owner of Defector Media where she makes the podcast,  Normal Gossip . Alex and Rachelle dive deep into the age-old debate over concert spoilers, a debate that’s been turbo-charged by TikTok where over 80 million people watched the first two nights of Taylor Swift's "Eras" The ease of finding a livestream...

David Plotz talks with author  Alexandra Petri  about her new book,  Alexandra Petri’s US History: Important American Documents . They discuss how to transform staid history documents into rollicking parodies, how Petri found her “voice” multiple times, and her grander ambitions for the book. Plus, Petri reads some choice selections. Tweet us your questions  @SlateGabfest  or email us at  gabfest@...

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 th...

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 R...

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...

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 Time...

On this episode: Zak, Jamilah, and Elizabeth answer a question from an exhausted parent of two little kids. She is tired and ‘touched out.’ It has left her wanting to scale back physical intimacy on multiple levels but especially sex. Honestly, she says she’d love a pass to be celibate for a few years until they want to try for a third child.  Then on Slate Plus, what public places should babies b...

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. Sl...

Spring is in the air, and the Outward hosts are gay like tulips and queer like allergies! First, they discuss a new animated version of the beloved Frog and Toad series of children’s books, which premieres on Apple TV+ on April 28. Then they welcome Daniel M. Lavery to the pod. Danny was Slate’s own Dear Prudence for many years, and now a Dear Prudence book is here to grace our bookshelves. Danny...

Last week , we put on the proverbial raincoat and made like Columbo to investigate Peter Falk’s claim that he recorded a special Cold War message telling Romanians to “put down their guns.” This week, we’re back on the case, and what started out as a zany inquiry goes to some serious and surprising places. Part two of this caper, involves dubbers, propagandists, a couple of 90 year olds and the le...

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 consid...

This week, Slate’s Sam Adams joins Dana and Stephen to talk about auteur Ari Aster’s newest film, Beau is Afraid . Then they discuss the new Hulu limited series, Tiny Beautiful Things . Finally, they chat about the state of the music business as inspired by this recent article: https://www.thenation.com/article/society/music-industry-ipod/ In Slate Plus, the panel goes deep into spoilers and speci...

On today’s show, Rachelle is joined by Jonquilyn Hill, reporter and host of Vox’s politics and policy show  The Weeds . The two take a deep dive into the  most recent season of the Netflix reality dating show  Love is Blind  and how the internet has become the show’s shadow producer. They discuss Netflix’s attempt to muscle its way into the live-streaming market and  the spectacular failure of the...

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 Wempl...

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Defector’s Patrick Redford to talk about the Sacramento Kings’ first playoff win in 17 years. Defector’s Dave McKenna also joins to commemorate the (supposed) end of Dan Snyder’s ownership of the Washington Commanders. Finally, Sports Illustrated’s Jon Wertheim comes on to assess the WTA’s decision to return to China.   Kings (3:21):  What it felt and sou...

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 tea...

On this episode: Elizabeth, Jamilah, and Zak answer a question from a family who has a very sick dog. The dog, who is two, has been experiencing chronic health issues and requires more care than the mom and her two daughters can provide. Our letter writer is thinking about rehoming the dog but doesn’t know how to break it to her girls who have bonded deeply with their dog. Also on this show, recom...

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by graphic designer Michael Bierut to recap the fourth episode of the last season of HBO’s Succession. The family attends Logan’s wake where big moves are made. Someone gets a surprising phone call. And where did that piece of paper come from? If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-fr...