Slate Daily Feed

On today’s episode, Rachelle Hampton is joined by NPR’s Aisha Harris to talk about the return of the discourse about Addy Walker, the first Black American Girl doll. They discuss Aisha’s great piece from 2016, “ The Making of an American Girl ,” their own histories with the doll, and why this discourse pops up so frequently. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Daisy...

This week, Dana, Julia, and Stephen start by discussing the film, Women Talking . Then they chat about the new U.K. import Traitors with Slate’s own Carl Wilson. Finally, they finish by talking ChatGPT and the coming of AI chatbots. In Slate Plus, the panel talks about this year’s Oscar nominations.    Email us at culturefest@slate.com . Also, we're hiring! If you'd like to apply to be the product...

How COVID-stress, a tipped minimum wage locked in since 1991, and lobbying from the National Restaurant Association have pushed restaurant workers—and the industry as a whole—to the brink of crisis. Guest: Saru Jayaraman , President of One Fair Wage and the Director of the UC Berkeley Food Labor Research Center. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members...

The U.S. has hit the debt ceiling—again And with Congress divided, it’s unclear when or how the government will get approved to borrow more. Why is this perennial fight coming back around now? And what happens—locally and to the world economy—if the U.S. Treasury defaults?  Guest: Jordan Weissmann , Washington editor for Semafor. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. S...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin assess the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. They also discuss Tony Dungy’s history of anti-gay rhetoric, and whether NBC and the NFL should do something about it. Finally, Slate contributor Isaac Butler joins to talk about the rise of American men at the Australian Open and Netflix’s tennis reality series Break Point.   NFL (5:37):  The biggest tak...

California going from drought-to-downpour this month was a vivid illustration of the future we’re facing: with more dramatic weather in a warmer, wetter climate. But how can cities—built for a world where hundred-year floods happened only once a century—adjust to a new reality?  Guest: Henry Grabar , staff writer for Slate, author of Paved Paradise: How Parking Explains the World .  If you enjoy t...

On this episode: Elizabeth, Jamilah, and Zak answer a question about a princess-obsessed little girl who keeps asking if she can marry her mom. The mom finds it sweet but doesn’t know how to respond.  Recommendations:  Jamilah: Vintage Contemporaries by Dan Kois   Zak: Keep Going First Aid Kit Elizabeth: Help Your Kids with Adolescents by DK.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for...

It can feel very personal to have your Facebook or Instagram page hacked—they’re your pictures and your friends after all. But Meta, the social media parent company, handles hacks with anything but a personal touch.  Guest: Kirstin Grind , investigative reporter for the Wall Street Journal. Host: Lizzie O’Leary If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members g...

This week, Felix Gillette joins Felix Salmon , Emily Peck , and Elizabeth Spiers to talk about his new book It's Not TV: The Spectacular Rise, Revolution, and Future of HBO and discuss the state of streaming, the relationship between sports and advertisers, and the decline of the movie theater industry.   In the Plus segment: YouTube.   Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Hosted on Acast. See a...

On today’s episode, Rachelle Hampton is joined by Nadira Goffe to talk about Austin Butler and Kerrygold butter. First, High Speed Downloads return so Rachelle can explain why everybody was melting down about Irish butter online, and Nadira takes us through Austin Butler’s persistent Elvis accent. Then, they discuss the fact that Vanessa Hudgens’ online fans won’t let Austin Butler forget his ex-g...

David Plotz talks with author  Shahan Mufti  about his new book,  American Caliph:   The True Story of a Muslim Mystic, a Hollywood Epic, and the 1977 Siege of Washington, DC .  They discuss an Islamic group’s multi-location attack in D.C., the terror that hostages experienced while held captive for the two days, and the movie that started the whole thing.  Tweet us your questions  @SlateGabfest  ...

The idea that COVID-19 vaccines are linked to sudden deaths among young people has no scientific support, but the theory nevertheless has a lot of traction on social media.  How can public health officials educate the public—especially on subject like vaccines, where their effectiveness renders them effectively invisible?  Guest: Katelyn Jetelina , epidemiologist and data scientist Host: Lizzie O’...

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss the discovery of classified documents at Biden’s home; the justices of the Supreme Court exhibiting open animosity toward one another; and fears of a “polycrisis” at Davos. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Matt Viser, Tyler Pager, Carol Leonnig and Yasmeen Abutaleb for The Washington Post: “ Inside The White...

On this episode: Elizabeth, Jamilah, and Zak catch up on their week in parenting—which includes a lunchbox meltdown, a terrible board game, and bribing a kid to verbalize his emotions. Then they talk about parent shaming and share some wild listener submitted stories. Finally, on Slate Plus, they talk about the thing many parents are missing .   If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up f...

In the early 2000s, economic growth exploded in South America—and the citizens of Brazil, Peru, Chile and elsewhere enjoyed increasing prosperity. But over the last decade, the churn of the world economy has made it hard for leaders across the region to meet their people’s raised expectations.  Guest: Brian Winter , editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly, former foreign correspondent for Reuters in...

Pico Iyer, author of "The Half-Known Life," reflects on deliberately walking away from his dream job, his decades-long friendship with Leonard Cohen, and surrendering to the unknown. 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 from our inbox, and updates from the show. Sign up at...

On today’s episode, Rachelle Hampton is joined by BuzzFeed’s Kelsey Weekman for a crash course in the history and significance of YouTuber MrBeast. Kelsey tells Rachelle all about how he first got started counting numbers to camera, his wild philanthropic stunts, and why his blandness is so arresting and unnerving at the same time. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, an...

This week, Dana and Julia are joined by Slate writer Dan Kois. They start by discussing HBO’s new series, The Last of Us , a video game adaptation with culture editor and writer at The New Yorker, Alex Barasch. Then they discuss the French film, Saint Omer , shortlisted for Best International Film at the 2023 Oscars. Finally, they finish by talking about Dan's essay on how the Trunchbull, the form...

This month, hosts Christina Cauterucci, Jules Gill-Peterson, and Bryan Lowder take an in-depth look at the latest fixation of the far right: drag, an art form as old as gender itself, which has brought generations of queer people together. In the first segment, the hosts consider why conservatives are now trying to regulate drag shows out of existence and armed hate groups are showing up at drag e...

In the wake of mass protests and a depressing effect on its economy, China has ended its “zero COVID” policy. But with cases now rising, is the country ready for the upcoming Spring Festival, a huge holiday for travel that could spread the virus to its remotest corners?  Guest: Dake Kang , reporter for the Associated Press Beijing bureau. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slat...

Joel Anderson and Josh Levin are joined by Bomani Jones to discuss the Cowboys’ blowout win over the Bucs and other storylines from the opening weekend of the NFL playoffs. They also talk about all the high-scoring games in the NBA this season. Finally, Joel and Josh interview pool legend Jeanette Lee, aka the Black Widow, who’s featured in the new documentary  Jeanette Lee Vs.   NFL (4:23):  Is T...

Since the 1980s, hospice has been covered by Medicare, and it’s come to be an expected part of the healthcare that millions of Americans receive at the end of their lives. But beneath the pamphlets of patients living out their days in comfort lies an uglier reality: a cottage industry that frequently misappropriates taxpayer dollars in the name of profit. Guest: Ava Kofman, investigative reporter...

In the wake of the anniversary of the January 6th insurrection, and now similar riots in Brazil’s capital, we’re picking up our conversation about how to reduce political violence. In the  first episode  of our two-part series, we heard from  Dr. Rachel Kleinfeld , senior fellow at the  Carnegie Endowment for International Peace . This week, we’re talking with  Curtis Toler , director of outreach...

On this episode: Jamilah, Zak, and Elizabeth do a hard pivot from winter break to summer break. They help a new parent who wants to know how she should best structure the summer for her kid and herself. They also answer a follow-up question about kids lashing out at parents in anger. Only this time, what to do if your kid calls you names when they’re not angry.  Recommendations:  Elizabeth recomme...

Elon Musk was promising an “epic” Q4 at Tesla last year. But 2022 ended closer to what might be considered an “epic fail,” with the stock price down 65 percent. In an uncertain economic environment like this one, how much blame goes to Musk for unloading $40 billion worth of stock and focusing on his shiny new social media network? Or are these just growing pains that every company goes through as...