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How Volodymyr Zelensky went from being one of Ukraine’s most successful entertainment moguls to its much-heralded wartime president.  Guest: Franklin Foer , staff writer at the Atlantic. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin are joined by Yahoo’s Hannah Keyser to discuss the Major League Baseball lockout. They also talk about WNBA star Brittney Griner’s detention in Russia and assess the spectacle of Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final home game.   Baseball (3:28):  When will the lockout end? What’s at stake?   Griner (23:16):  Why was she in Russia in the first place, and w...

The Biden administration’s new pandemic rules and countermeasures intend to bring us into a “new phase of the pandemic.” The CDC also released new guidelines for masking, and now about 70% of Americans can go mask free. What do these new guidelines actually say about what stage of the pandemic we’re in?  Guest: Megan Ranney , emergency room doctor at Brown Emergency Medicine.  If you enjoy this sh...

On this bonus episode from our friends at Slate's How To! podcast: Janey is the very definition of a woman trying to “have it all.” She’s an occupational therapist by day, a ghost writer for influencers by night and in between co-hosts a podcast . On top of that, she has two sons who play travel sports and a husband who works long hours. It’s left Janey wondering if she’ll ever catch her breath. O...

Second Sight restored partial vision to hundreds of patients around the world through retinal implants. Then, on the verge of bankruptcy, they abandoned the project. Now, over 300 patients with Second Sight technology in their bodies are asking: what will happen to us? Guest: Eliza Strickland , senior editor at IEEE Spectrum Host: Lizzie O'Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more info...

Nepotism is everywhere, and it’s always funny when a new generation realizes that. On today’s show, Madison is joined by Nichole Perkins to talk about the recent online conversation about nepotism babies that got started when people realized Lexi from Euphoria , played by Maude Apatow, is the daughter of two famous people. Madison and Nichole discuss the unending list of entertainment nepotism bab...

Election denialism and disinformation threaten the integrity of U.S. elections, but what can we do about this growing crisis? In this week’s Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick talks to election-law professor Rick Hasen about his new book Cheap Speech: How Disinformation Poisons Our Politics–and How to Cure It . Slate Plus members have access to an extended version of this interview.  Sign up for Slate Plus n...

This week Felix Salmon and Emily Peck are joined by the New York Times’ “On Tech” columnist Shira Ovide for an all-tech deep dive. Starting with the war in Ukraine, they explore the tech giants’ grappling with Russian restrictions, Amazon’s inflated image as the omnipotent retailer, and the United States’ flagging broadband access. In the Plus segment: The bill banning forced arbitration Email: sl...

Up against one of the world's most effective propaganda operations, Ukraine has taken control of the online narrative. With Russian troops closing in, how important is winning the information war? Guest: Casey Newton , writer at Platformer Host: Lizzie O'Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson and David Plotz discuss Ukraine's resistance, the State of the Union, and an increasing backlash against reformer prosecutors. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Thomas L. Friedman for The New York Times: “ I See Three Scenarios for How This War Ends ” Anne Appelbaum for the Atlantic: “ The Bad Guys Are Winning ” Gal Beckerman for The Atlantic:...

On this week’s episode: Dan is back from book leave and has an announcement. Dan, Jamilah, and Elizabeth answer a wild question about a teen asking if her mom has “vanilla sex.” How should the parent respond to an intensely personal question like that? Then Elizabeth and Jamilah pepper Dan with questions about his time on the show, including his biggest regret. On Slate Plus, if you could swap bod...

As hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians flee to safety in neighboring countries and beyond, the UN says this may become Europe’s largest refugee crisis this century. But it’s hard not to notice the stark difference between how the EU is welcoming Ukrainian refugees versus the non-European refugees who came before them. Guest: Serena Parekh , professor at Northeastern University in Boston and the di...

The metaverse wants to convince us it’s the future of retail, even for buying marijuana. On the show today, Madison is joined by Slate’s Shannon Palus to talk about Shannon’s recent journey into the metaverse to buy weed gummies . They discuss what it’s like to enter the metaverse, the mediocre graphics on display there, and if it really is the future of retail—or just a misguided lark from Big Te...

This week, the panel begins by discussing the Norwegian Oscar contender The Worst Person in the World . Then, they're joined by Slate’s TV critic and host of the Decoder Ring podcast, Willa Paskin, to digest the New York Time’s latest hit podcast The Trojan Horse Affair. Finally, the panel is joined by screenwriter, director, and journalist Michael Idov to discuss Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s pivot from...

No one knows what’s going on in Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s head – and while that’s a worrisome idea during the best of times, it’s an especially grim one during a war of his own creation. Putin is increasingly isolated, away from his inner circle and the oligarchs who once had some influence with him.  Guest: Ben Judah is a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and the author of This Is Londo...

Texas’s Republican governor and attorney general are pursuing a new crackdown on trans kids and their families. Their directive compelling Child Protective Services to treat gender-affirming care as child abuse is raising alarms among trans rights advocates, who say the order, if enforced, will prove dangerous for a vulnerable population. Why did Republican leaders pick this moment to trumpet an a...

Stefan Fatsis, Josh Levin, and the New Yorker’s Vinson Cunningham discuss the sports world’s reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. They also talk about LeBron James’ plan to play alongside his son Bronny. And ESPN’s Katie Barnes joins Stefan and Josh for a conversation about trans swimmer Lia Thomas.   Russia (2:33):  What’s happened so far and what should come next.   Bronny (24:25):  Is LeBr...

President Biden has nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to fill Justice Breyer’s seat on the Supreme Court. If confirmed, she would be the first Black woman to hold a seat on the court. What does her backstory say about her as a jurist?  Guest: Mark Joseph Stern , senior writer for Slate.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zer...

Russia went all in last week, sending troops across the border with Ukraine and raining shells on the country. Experts are saying Putin’s brash invasion of his neighbor is shifting the world order in significant ways. In the face of this aggression, how should NATO respond? Can history serve as a guide? Guest : Fred Kaplan , Slate’s War Stories correspondent. If you enjoy this show, please conside...

Peter Thiel spent the better part of two decades molding the tech industry in his image. Now, he's leaving Facebook behind and turning his attention to politics. Is Thiel the next kingmaker for the populist right? Max Chafkin , writer for Bloomberg and is the author of The Contrarian: Peter Thiel and Silicon Valley's Pursuit of Power Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Millie Bobby Brown turned 18 last week, so of course those creepy “legal age” countdown clocks popped up as that day approached. On the show today, Madison is joined by Nichole Perkins to talk about the phenomenon of counting down to a celebrity’s 18th birthday, the history of their online and offline ickiness, and why girls of color always seem to be left out of this discussion. Podcast productio...

This week,  Felix Salmon  and  Emily Peck  are joined by  Wall Street Journal  reporter,  Nick Timiraos . They discuss the evolving crisis in the Ukraine and what impact (if any) sanctions would have on Russia, all the problems with inflation and how the fed deals with inflation, and Timiraos’s upcoming book,  Trillion Dollar Triage .  In the Plus segment: Money markets and the feds as firefighter...

As President Joe Biden announces his pick to replace Justice Stephen Breyer on the Supreme Court, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Olivia Warren, a former clerk of nominee Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, and Slate’s own Mark Joseph Stern to discuss Judge Jackson’s character, her qualifications, and the qualities she’ll bring to the highest court in the land if confirmed.  In our Slate Plus segment, membe...

Stanford Law professor Nathaniel Persily joins David and Emily to discuss President Biden’s nomination for associate justice of the Supreme Court, Ketanji Brown Jackson. You can tweet suggestions, links, and questions to @SlateGabfest . Tweet us your cocktail chatter using #cocktailchatter or post it to our Facebook page. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) The...

For seven years, Ukraine has served as a virtual testing ground for a generation of cyber weaponry capable of taking down power grids, networks, and supply chains. With an invasion of Ukraine underway, will these weapons come into play? Guest: Andy Greenberg , senior writer at WIRED and the author of the book  Sandworm: A New Era of Cyberwar and the Hunt for the Kremlin's Most Dangerous Hackers  H...