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This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson concerning polls for Democrats, women protesting Iran’s regime, and the trial of Arkansas’ law targeting trans kids. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Roya Hakakian for The Atlantic: “ The Bonfire of the Headscarves ” A Beginner’s Guide to America for the Immigrant and the Curious , by Roya Hakakian  Matthew Yglesias...

On this episode: Zak and Jamilah are joined by Ophira Eisenberg , stand-up comedian and host of the podcast Parenting Is a Joke . They share some funny triumphs and fails spanning from spoiled birthday presents to a dance recital mix up. Then they continue the birthday train and advise a parent who is looking for party alternatives for their son’s first birthday bash with friends. The problem? The...

You can divide the career of the artist formerly known as Kanye West into chapters using off-script televised moments—announcing “George W. Bush doesn’t care about Black people” during a Hurricane Katrina telethon; interrupting Taylor Swift on stage at the VMAs; calling 400 years of slavery a choice in the TMZ offices. Now his Tucker Carlson appearance and subsequent bans from social media for ant...

At the beginning of World War II, the greatest threat to the American war effort wasn’t the Nazis or the Japanese—it was runaway inflation. The man in charge of stopping it was the country’s “price czar,” Leon Henderson. In 1942, he controlled how much coffee ordinary people could drink and how many tires they could buy. Those rules made him a nationwide villain. But would they save the country? O...

Musician and “Song Exploder” host, Hrishikesh Hirway, remembers his mother, Kanta, who died in 2020, and the music that’s helped him move through grief.  You can listen to Hrishikesh Hirway’s new solo music inspired by Kanta here , the podcast, “Song Exploder,'' here , and the podcast, “Home Cooking,” here .  Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Money community?...

On today’s episode, Rachelle is joined again by Daisy Rosario to discuss what’s been happening online. First they scrape heaps of butter off their cutting boards, and then Daisy explains all the drama surrounding actor Sara Porkalob’s recent interview in Vulture where they tear into their own production. And then Rachelle gets powered up to tell Daisy exactly what a linewife and a bucket bunny are...

This week, the panel begins by discussing Cate Blachett’s new film Tár . Then, they dig into the ways the Star Wars universe is expanded in the series Andor . Finally, Slate’s own Dan Kois joins the panel to discuss his recent feature on forgotten American poet Rod McKuen .  In Slate Plus, the panel talks about the practice of reading out loud.  Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements Dana...

Bryan Lowder is still out on book leave, but hosts Christina Cauterucci and Jules Gill-Peterson summon him back to discuss Bros , the gay rom-com of the moment. The film lingers on questions of queer history, shows what happens when a nerdy podcast guy dates a beefy gay bro, and is a fascinating meditation on what it means to be a cis gay man in a time of both progress and prosecution. (This segme...

Republican rhetoric paints America’s cities as cesspools of crime, homeless and, uh, out-of-touch elites, and the party has largely given up courting urban voters. The GOP may be able to hold on to power thanks to voting systems that favor rural areas, but legislating as though their responsibilities stop at the city lines is a growing concern for the Americans who actually live there. Guest: Henr...

Dahlia Lithwick is on the road with Amicus and Lady Justice. In this bonus episode, she’s joined by Loyola Law Professor, legal commentator and columnist Jessica Levinson for a conversation about what we can learn from the women lawyers who held the line during the Trump years, and how to respond to the steady drum beat of “Lock Her Up” threatening women around America today.  The conversation is...

Five years after exposés in the New Yorker and New York Times, Harvey Weinstein is in jail—but a major rallying point of #MeToo was just how widespread this sexual harassment, abuse, and violence really is in workplaces across industries. Looking back, from the top of media to blue- and pink-collar work, how much has the #MeToo movement changed? Guest: Christina Cauterucci , senior writer at Slate...

Joel Anderson and Stefan Fatsis are joined by Slate’s Ben Mathis-Lilley to review a crazy weekend in college football. ESPN’s Pablo Torre talks with Joel, Stefan, and Vinson Cunningham of The New Yorker about the new documentary 38 at the Garden on Jeremy Lin’s short but brilliant run with the New York Knicks a decade ago. Finally, Joel, Stefan, and Vinson discuss another new documentary, The Rede...

On this episode: Elizabeth, Zak, and Dan debate what to do about a dad who threw a half-eaten bite of burger at his preteen. The fight started because his daughter protested that he took too big of a bite from her burger. But when he was questioned as to why he threw the bite of burger, he said he was justified because he had purchased it for her. Our letter writer is concerned that this spat is j...

As a Syrian American surgeon living in Chicago, Dr. Samer Attar felt compelled to be of service during the Syrian civil war, when doctors were being driven underground by Syria’s Russia-backed military. When Russian bombs began raining down in Ukraine this year, Dr. Attar once more raised his hand to cross the border and treat the war-wounded.  Guest: Dr. Samer Attar , associate professor of surge...

The idea of composting a human body may seem unsettling—or even gross—and it runs counter to the normal American funeral rites of embalming and internment, which preserve the body. But advocates say it’s a greener and more peaceful way to return our bodies to the Earth.  Guest: Eleanor Cummins , science journalist Host: Lizzie O’Leary If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Pl...

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson talk to Craig Mauger of The Detroit News about the major midterm elections in the swing state of Michigan. Then the hosts speak with the Washington Post’s Yvonne Wingett Sanchez about the MAGA diehards and their opponents in Arizona’s midterm election.  Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may...

On the show today, Rachelle is joined by Slate’s Dear Prudence, Jenée Desmond-Harris to talk all about online advice. They discuss what her online life was like before she took over as Dear Prudence, how she decides what sort of advice to give out, and why she really enjoys being on Twitter. And Rachelle continues to wonder, was Jesus hot? This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Ham...

This week, Emily Peck , Elizabeth Spiers and guest host Ed Lee discuss inflation, the first policymaker to win an economics Nobel Prize, and begrudgingly, updates in the Elon Musk Twitter saga.   In the Plus segment: introducing a new anti-woke bank.   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 episod...

In the ’70s, funk was pop—the cutting edge of Black music and the way listeners got their groove on, before disco and hip-hop. After James Brown taught a generation a new way to hear rhythm, and George Clinton tore the roof off with his P-Funk axis, nothing would be the same. Rising alongside blaxploitation at the movies, funk took many forms: Curtis Mayfield’s superfly storytelling. War’s low-rid...

Following their victory in Staten Island, the Amazon Labor Union is still facing an uphill battle. Both the company and the union are closely watching the organizing vote at a warehouse outside of Albany, NY. Guest: Noam Scheiber , labor reporter for the New York Times. Host: Lizzie O'Leary If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero...

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson LA’s racism & redistricting scandal, the Andy Warhol copyright case at the Supreme Court, and developments in Putin’s war on Ukraine. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Anne Applebaum for The Atlantic: “ Putin’s Newest Annexation Is Dire for Russia Too ” Anne Applebaum for The Atlantic: “ The Kremlin Must Be in Cr...

On this episode: Elizabeth, Zak, and Dan answer a question from a dad who is so frustrated with trying to get his squirming, shrieking kids in their car seats that sometimes… the kids win and he drives them unbuckled. Now he’s wondering if he should continue the car seat battle or if there’s a happy medium where the kids are safe and he’s calm enough to pilot the car.  Then on Slate Plus, they dis...

With inflation up and unemployment down, the Federal Reserve is raising interest rates and signaling that they’re willing to risk a lot to stall the rising price of everything. But is Jerome Powell doing too much—or is he already too late to avoid a painful recession? Guest: Jordan Weissmann , senior editor at Slate reporting on economics, politics, and public policy. If you enjoy this show, pleas...

This week, the panel begins by going Blonde as they dive into Andrew Dominik’s Marilyn Monroe biopic on Netflix. Then, the panel continues by chipping in on the reboot discussion, specifically through the lens of Hulu’s new show (you guessed it) Reboot . Finally, Slate’s music critic, Carl Wilson, joins the panel to explain the legacy of the late country music titan Loretta Lynn . In Slate Plus, t...

Rachel Matlow’s mother refused to get the surgery that could have saved her. That often left her and Rachel trying to love each other while bitterly at odds. You can listen to the full audio piece Rachel made here, and order their memoir here . Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Money community? Every Wednesday we send out podcast listening recommendations, fas...