Slate Daily Feed

Whether it’s a phone screen or a coffee machine, why is it so hard to fix our own stuff? And what can we do to make it a bit easier? Guest: Jason Koebler , editor-in-chief of Motherboard and contributor to the CYBER podcast Host Lizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Whether it’s a phone screen or a coffee machine, why is it so hard to fix our own stuff? And what can we do to make it a bit easier? Guest: Jason Koebler , editor-in-chief of Motherboard and contributor to the CYBER podcast Host Lizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emily, John and David discuss the January 6th Commission, the return of masks and they are joined by guest Annie Lowrey to talk about the "time tax." Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Annie Lowrey for The Atlantic: “ The Time Tax: Why is so much American bureaucracy left to average citizens? ” Here’s this week’s chatter:  John: Max Fisher for the New York Times: “Disinforma...

Mary Shane made history with the Chicago White Sox, becoming the first woman hired as a legitimate major-league baseball announcer. But in 1977, she had to fight to be taken seriously in one of America’s most sexist industries. One Year is produced by Josh Levin, Evan Chung, and Madeline Ducharme. Mixing by Merritt Jacob. To support this show, subscribe to One Year on Apple , Spotify , or wherever...

On this week’s episode: Elizabeth, Dan, and Jamilah discuss how we should be talking to our kids about Simone Biles’ decision to withdraw from the Olympics.  Then, they answer a question from a listener who is wondering how to deal with their bad babysitter. The problem is, the babysitter is grandma.   In Slate Plus: Is it a faux pas to request no gifts at a child’s birthday party? Or is it OK?  R...

This episode features Cynt Marshall, CEO of the Dallas Mavericks and the NBA’s first Black female CEO. After spending 36 years in senior management at AT&T, Cynt pivoted to the sports industry where her values-based leadership has transformed the Mavericks’ culture to emphasize community and employee engagement. Cynt’s authentic and humanizing perspectives shed light on how empathy and technol...

This week, four officers from the U.S. Capitol Police and D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department testified in front of a bipartisan House select committee investigating the events of January 6. They each gave powerful and emotional statements, describing the harrowing moments the Capitol was attacked. But what can the committee actually do about it?  Guest: Jeremy Stahl , senior editor at Slate. If...

This week, Steve and Dana are joined by Slate editor and writer Dan Kois. First, the panel discusses the TV show White Lotus, airing on HBO. Then they talk about the Nicholas Cage movie Pig . Finally, the hosts review the second season of the podcast The Plot Thickens, based on the book The Devil’s Candy. In Slate Plus, the panel talks about their past summer jobs. Email us at culturefest@slate.co...

On Tuesday morning, Simone Biles, the most decorated gymnast of all time, withdrew from the team all-around competition at the Tokyo Olympics citing mental health concerns. Biles’ move shocked most watchers but may reveal a deeper cultural shift happening within USA Gymnastics.  Guest: Rebecca Schuman, former gymnast and the author of Schadenfreude, A Love Story . If you enjoy this show, please co...

75 Hard, a new trend sweeping TikTok, is just another fad diet pretending to be a mental toughness challenge. On today’s episode, Madison and Rachelle revisit the world of diet culture to unpack exactly what makes 75 Hard so insidious, and why it’s so hard to curate a healthy approach to wellness culture on your TikTok feed. They also down a gallon of water during the episode, something we do not...

The delta variant is now the most-prevalent strain of COVID-19, causing a handful of so-called “breakthrough” infections in fully-vaccinated people. Unvaccinated people account for 97% of severe cases of the virus. How worried should you be about infections as the delta variant continues to dominate? And is it time to mask up again? Guest: Susan Matthews , Slate’s news director.  If you enjoy this...

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.  Ben Smith, media columnist for The New York Times , joins Emily and Felix to discuss the urtext of business-themed movies, Orson Welles’ 1941 film Citizen Kane. They discuss Charles Foster Kane’s real life counterpart William Randolph H...

Time does funny thing to everything, but especially to tattoos. Today, four stories about tattoos whose meanings have shifted with the passage of years, decades, or centuries: first, a look into an archive of 300 preserved tattooed skins, then a personal investigation into into the Tasmanian Devil tattoo, the story of the Zune tattoo guy, and finally mistranslated Chinese character tattoos. If you...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss the weirdness of the Tokyo Olympics being staged without spectators. They also assess the wobbly starts by the U.S. men’s basketball and women’s gymnastics teams. Finally, they examine the implications of Texas and Oklahoma seeking to leave the Big 12 for the powerhouse SEC.   Olympic atmosphere (2:39):  The absence of fans has made for a weird...

The fires raging across the American West are like the climate crisis itself: Too big and too extreme to understand all at once. So today, we’re zooming in on some of the people fighting those fires: crews of incarcerated women. In California, they risk their lives for abysmal pay, and officials are just starting to realize how essential they are to the state’s fire response.  Guest: Jaime Lowe, a...

How did a clip from In the Heights lead to a new TikTok face filter that has helped some of the app’s users express their gender identity? On today’s episode, Madison and Rachelle trace the timeline of this trend, and how it ended up causing a number of trans and nonbinary users to experience gender euphoria. Even though this is a wholesome trend, In the Heights isn’t free from criticism. As we me...

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Stacy-Marie Ishmael discuss the billionaire space race we saw this week, Johnson & Johnson’s “Texas two-step” plan, and two big workplace issues -- expenses and meetings.  In the Plus segment: Private markets.  Mentioned in the show: “ Are You a Bezos? ” by Jacob Bernstein for the New York Times “ Emergency Skin ” by N. K. Jemisin ‘ Just Expense It’ is...

Radiolab producer Rachael Cusick talks together with her grandmother about their shared loss, and about their experiences with Elisabeth Kübler-Ross's five stages of grief. Listen to Rachael's Radiolab episode " The Queen of Dying ," about the story and legacy of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross. And read Rachael Cusick's Modern Love essay for The New York Times , about her relationship with her grandmother....

Slate's new podcast One Year and will introduce you to people and ideas that changed American history--one year at a time. The show is hosted by your Hang Up and Listen host Josh Levin. And our first season covers 1977: a year when gay rights hung in the balance, Roots dominated the airwaves, and Jesus appeared on a tortilla. This episode introduces you to Mary Shane, who made history with the Chi...

This week, Amnesty International and a French journalism nonprofit named Forbidden Stories revealed that technology from a spyware firm called NSO Group is being deployed on a massive scale. The spyware, called Pegasus, gives the user access to every part of a victim’s smartphone -- notes, messages, photos, and recordings.  What’s it like for security researchers to see their worst fears about dig...

This week, Amnesty International and a French journalism nonprofit named Forbidden Stories revealed that technology from a spyware firm called NSO Group is being deployed on a massive scale. The spyware, called Pegasus, gives the user access to every part of a victim’s smartphone -- notes, messages, photos, and recordings.  What’s it like for security researchers to see their worst fears about dig...

Emily, John and David discuss the Delta variant and the vaccination decline, the bipartisan infrastructure plan living another day, and the pandemic Olympics. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: David Leonhardt for The New York Times: “ Why Aren’t the Vaccines Approved? ” Matthew Yglesias for Slow Boring: “ Let's Get More People Vaccinated ” Ross Douthat for The New York Time...

On this week’s episode: Elizabeth and Dan answer a letter from a mother who worries that her 8-year-old daughter may be reading books that aren’t age-appropriate. Then, they share some tips with a listener who wonders if potty training right before vacation is a good idea.  In Slate Plus: The super-moms set to compete in the Tokyo Olympics. Thanks to Goodnight World for their support.  Recommendat...

Decoder Ring is Slate's show about cracking cultural mysteries. In each episode, host Willa Paskin takes a cultural question, object, or habit, examines its history, and tries to figure out what it means and why it matters. This episode introduces you to Ilona Granet, who was a New York art-scene fixture who won the praise of the art world when she put up anti-harassment street signs in lower Manh...

South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem has a problem. She’s ready to get beamed up to national political stardom, but she’s polling near the bottom among 2024 GOP presidential hopefuls. What issues can she use to raise her political profile? The answer came swiftly this year: anything and everything.  Guest: Joe Sneve , political reporter for the Argus Leader in South Dakota. If you enjoy this show, pl...