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For decades, Richard Trumka was the head of the country’s largest labor federation. Widely considered to be the face of the American labor movement while workers faced a surge in union busting campaigns, Trumka presided over an organization that was diverse and fractious. Last week, he passed away. What is the state of the labor movement without its longtime leader? And how can his successor steer...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the end of the Tokyo Olympics. They also discuss NFL players who’ve refused to get the COVID vaccine, and what the league should do about it. Finally, author Simon Kuper explains the tearful end of Lionel Messi’s brilliant career at F.C. Barcelona.   Olympics (3:31):  The troubled 2020 Olympics could reset how fans view athletes and the games...

The delta variant is making its way through the country, becoming the leading strain of the coronavirus and increasing case counts as it goes. In few places is the crisis more severe than in Florida, where new daily case counts are hitting all-time highs and vaccination rates have leveled out around 50%. Gov. Ron DeSantis has refused to instate a mask mandate and insists that the spike is just a “...

This week, Felix Salmon and Stacy-Marie Ishmael are joined by their fellow finance-blogging alum, Cardiff Garcia. Cardiff sheds some light on the current situation in Cuba, they discuss skewed incentives in investment banking, and the state of bookselling.  In the Plus segment: The Fed chair decision. Email: slatemoney@slate.com Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Twitter: @felixsalmon , @s_m_i...

On today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison crack open some romance novels and talk about BookTok, the realm of TikTok where readers can find hyper-personal recommendations and niche memes about the horny books everybody is reading. They discuss how TikTok has caused some books to reappear on the New York Times bestseller list, Rachelle’s love of The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, and why the t...

In 2001, Oprah Winfrey invited Jonathan Franzen to come on her show to discuss his new novel The Corrections. A month later she withdrew the invitation, kicking off a media firestorm. The Oprah-Franzen Book Club Dust-Up of 2001 was a moment when two ways of thinking about selling out smashed into each other, and one of them—the one that was on its way out already— crashed and burned in public, bar...

America used to be at the vanguard of railroad technology. What went wrong? And can the new infrastructure bill fix our broken system? Guests: Alon Levy and Eric Goldwyn of the Marron Institute at NYU  Host Henry Grabar   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

America used to be at the vanguard of railroad technology. What went wrong? And can the new infrastructure bill fix our broken system? Guests: Alon Levy and Eric Goldwyn of the Marron Institute at NYU  Host Henry Grabar   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John and David are joined by Andrea Valdez of The Atlantic to discuss New York Mayor Andrew Cuomo refusing to resign, the survival of the eviction moratorium and the arrival of vaccine passports. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Annie Lowery for the Atlantic: “ The Time Tax ” Here’s this week’s chatter: Andrea: Planet Money: “ Three Reasons for the Housing Shortage ”; Jeru...

On this week’s episode: Jamilah, Elizabeth, and guest host Courtney Martin discuss triumphs and fails, co-housing and Courtney’s new book, Learning in Public: Lessons for a Racially Divided America from My Daughter's School .  Then they answer a question from a listener who is wondering how to help her child adapt to wearing a uniform at school while still encouraging self-expression. Jamilah sugg...

Three stories from one day in August 1977. Elvis Presley dies, and the National Enquirer goes after the ultimate tabloid scoop: a photo of the King in his coffin. A New Jersey high schooler becomes a pariah when she refuses to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance. Astronomers in Ohio get a mysterious signal from outer space—could it be a message from aliens? One Year is produced by Josh Levin, Evan...

The Federal Election Commission can barely get anything done. With its commissioners stuck in partisan gridlock, one is finding new ways to make sure election law is upheld.  Guest: Ellen Weintraub , commissioner at the FEC. 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 a...

In the first of three financial therapy sessions, a couple we're calling Cora and Garrett talk with therapist Amanda Clayman about the events that led to a breakdown of financial trust between them. Financial Therapy with Amanda Clayman is a special series from Death, Sex & Money. Listen to past episodes at deathsexmoney.org/financialtherapy. If you or a loved one is in crisis, please reach ou...

On today’s episode, Madison and Rachelle try to answer a listener question about whether over-the-top DIY videos are secretly kink content. They end up get pulled into the world of online reaction videos and discuss why these DIY videos are so tempting to react to, how TikTok has made engaging with this content even easier, and if reaction videos are maybe just the internet’s own kink. Things disc...

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is back on his heels again, following the release of the state attorney general’s extensive report on his pattern of sexually harassing women working around him. Now, even former allies of the governor are calling for him to resign or face impeachment. How long can Cuomo hang onto his office? Guest: Brigid Bergin , political reporter for WNYC.  If you enjoy this show...

This week, Stephen Metcalf and Dana Stevens are joined by Working co-host and longtime Slate contributor Isaac Butler. First, the panel discusses David Lowery’s new movie The Green Knight , a retelling of the medieval story of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Next, they talk about Billie Eilish’s new album Happier Than Ever with Slate music critic Carl Wilson. Finally, the hosts dig into the quest...

After months of negotiation, an infrastructure bill is finally on its way to the Senate floor. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are touting their one big successful bipartisan move, but what’s actually in the legislation? And why are Republicans willing to sign off on a win for Joe Biden?  Guest: Jordan Weissmann , Slate’s senior business and economics correspondent. If you enjoy this show, pl...

Welcome to Slate Money Goes to the Movies, a miniseries in which Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and a different guest each week discuss popular business-themed movies.  Mary Childs of Planet Money joins Felix and Emily to talk about the 1992 film Glengarry Glen Ross, adapted by David Mamet from his play of the same name. They discuss toxic masculinity in the workplace, short-termism, and why this film...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the latest in the saga of Simone Biles at the Tokyo Olympics. They also assess the U.S. women’s national soccer team’s semifinals loss to Canada and other stories from the Summer Games. Finally, Jeff Passan of ESPN joins to talk about Major League Baseball’s trade deadline.   Biles (2:31):  What are the bigger picture lessons of the gymnastics l...

Medical authorities said that Laetrile was dangerous quackery. It became a sensation anyway. Diana Green saw this drug made from apricot pits as her son Chad’s best chance to survive leukemia. Her shocking actions, and the little boy affected by them, became the focus of a heated national debate over freedom of medical choice. One Year is produced by Josh Levin, Evan Chung, and Madeline Ducharme....

Why aren’t people returning to jobs they lost during the pandemic? The answer is more complicated than generous unemployment checks.  Guest: Bram Sable-Smith , investigative reporter at Wisconsin Watch.  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...

Continuing Amicus’ summer season of deep dives into books, films, and ideas beyond the confines of the Supreme Court chamber, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by historian and chair of African American studies at Emory University professor Carol Anderson to talk about her book The Second . They discuss the long anti-Black history of gun laws in the United States and how race defines gun rights today.  Po...

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, are joined by Cezary Podkul of ProPublica to talk about his in-depth article on unemployment insurance fraud , Robinhood’s IPO and ambitions of being a “super app,” and everything that’s going on with private companies in China and the stock market in Hong Kong.  In the Plus segment: Payment for order flow.  Mentioned in the show: “ How Unemployment Insurance F...

On today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison call up an ex-Mormon listener, who provides some further insight into our previous investigation of the BYU Virginity Club and explains why she thinks it’s clear that the person behind the account is unaware of Mormon culture. Then, it’s another round of High Speed Downloads. Rachelle speeds through the controversy surrounding rapper DaBaby , and Madison te...

In Part 2 of this episode of Hit Parade, Chris Molanphy continues his analysis of the career and legacy of the legendary and sometimes-misunderstood Bruce Springsteen. In his second decade, Springsteen wasn’t just a hitmaker—he was the archetype: the symbol of flag-waving American rock, even when the song was less patriotism than protest. Advertisers, other pop stars, President Ronald Reagan—every...