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Instagram has seen a recent influx of college “virginity club” accounts featuring sharp, funny memes about remaining chaste. On today’s episode, Madison and Rachelle put these accounts under the microscope. Is anything about these accounts real, or are they just a grift for merchandise and music promotion? After some internet sleuthing, they track down the creator of the most popular account, “ Br...

Six months after the Capitol riot, plea deals from cases against the rioters have begun to trickle in. Will the courts be able to do what Congress couldn’t, and insist on a shared version of events on January 6th?  Guest: Zoe Tillman , senior legal reporter at BuzzFeed News. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slat...

This week, Steve and Dana are joined by Isaac Butler, co-host of Slate’s Working podcast. First, the panel discusses the documentary Roadrunner about Anthony Bourdain. Next, they talk about the Apple TV show Schmigadoon . Finally, the hosts are joined by Laura Miller to discuss her review of Michael Wolff’s Landslide . In Slate Plus, the panel further discusses their thoughts on Roadrunner . Email...

A year-and-a-half into the pandemic, Christina, Bryan, and Rumaan look back at all the times we did not get to share our milestones -- good, bad, or just big -- with other queers. If a queer comes out in the forest where no one can hear them are they still queer? Yes, but perhaps less joyfully than if they had been in community. The hosts then speak with Lucia Lucas, the first female baritone to p...

It’s becoming harder to get all Americans vaccinated. While millions of people still get the shots each week, some conservatives are becoming more difficult to convince, and some politicians are increasingly hostile towards the public health departments tasked with helping fight COVID-19.  Guests: Michelle Fiscus, former medical director for vaccine-preventable diseases and immunization programs a...

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.  Dodai Stewart of The New York Times joins Emily and Felix to discuss the stunning winner of the 2020 Best Picture Oscar, Parasite . They discuss class solidarity (or lack thereof), how the film’s themes translate to America, and why onl...

You know the  Tootsie  Shot. It’s that shot from the movies: a really busy midtown street, protagonist smack in the middle of it all, everyone going somewhere. It’s one of the most recognizable shots in film. It can be found in  Working Girl, Midnight Cowboy, Wall Street ,  Heartburn ,  Elf ,  Bridget Jones’s Diary ,  The Devil Wears Prada ,  The Wolf of Wall Street , and so many more. This is a s...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin are joined by New York Times Tokyo bureau chief Motoko Rich to discuss the troubled run-up to the Olympics. They also talk about the dominance and humility of Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo. Finally, they review  Space Jam: A New Legacy .   Olympics (2:53):  The Summer Games face positive coronavirus tests, public antipathy, and heat and hum...

At the height of the pandemic, New York city put up some of its homeless population in the city’s empty hotels. Now, as the city comes back to life, the program is ending -- but the city’s unhoused population doesn’t want to go “back to normal” Guest: Jacquelyn Simone, Senior Policy Analyst for the Coalition for the Homeless. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate...

In the first of Amicus ’ summer season of conversations, Dahlia Lithwick tackles one of the major challenges of this moment: how to fix American democracy.  Dahlia is joined  by the Nation’s Elie Mystal and former chief of staff for Sen. Harry Reid and author of Kill Switch , Adam Jentleson . In a discussion that was taped as part of the Crosscut Festival , they discuss the filibuster, voting righ...

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Stacy-Marie Ishmael discuss the inflation spike, Felix’s favorite solution to the deadly deer problem , and Netflix getting into video games.  In the Plus segment: French pastry.  Mentioned in the show: “ How Do You Measure Inflation? ” on The Indicator by Planet Money “ How to Solve America’s Wild Deer Problem? Eat Them ” by Frank Hyman for the Wall Street...

On today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison turn the show into a sports podcast. First, they discuss the recent news in college sports that allows athletes like Sedona Prince to finally make money off their personal brands, a major shift after years of schools profiting off of students without compensation. Then, they talk about how even though the Olympics haven’t begun, they’re getting an early sta...

Bruce Springsteen has been a legend so long, it’s easy to forget that, for his first decade, he had trouble getting a hit. Yes, even the legendary “Born to Run”: It missed Billboard ’s Top 20. And yet, several of Springsteen’s songs became big hits for others: the song with the misheard lyric about “a deuce” that went to No. 1 for a British band. The song he couldn’t finish that became a hit for a...

Over the last month, North Americans have seen record-breaking heat, droughts, wildfires, and floods. The science is clear: we are living through the effects of climate change. Now scientists are trying to answer: is this the new normal? Guest: Daniel Swain , climate scientist at UCLA  Host Lizzie O’Leary   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Over the last month, North Americans have seen record-breaking heat, droughts, wildfires, and floods. The science is clear: we are living through the effects of climate change. Now scientists are trying to answer: is this the new normal? Guest: Daniel Swain , climate scientist at UCLA  Host Lizzie O’Leary   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

John, David and Josie discuss the escalating threats to democratic elections, minors’ rights to vaccination, and Josh Levin on the podcast One Year: 1977. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Slate’s One Year: 1977 The Queen: The Forgotten Life Behind an American Myth , by Josh Levin  Citizen Kan e Ulysses , by James Joyce Here’s this week’s chatter: John: Gaia Pianigiani and...

On this week’s episode: Jamilah, Elizabeth, and Isaac Butler answer a letter from a concerned mother who worries that she’s not able to fill the void of her step-daughter's biological mother.  Then, they share some advice for a listener whose son is having trouble reacting appropriately to gifts he doesn’t like.  In Slate Plus: 14-year-old Zaila Avant-garde wins the 2021 Scripps National Spelling...

Brittany Hogan worked in diversity and inclusion for the Rockwood School District for eight years. As public debate intensified over the way race is discussed in schools, and threats were made against her, Hogan eventually was pushed to resign. Guest: Brittany Hogan , former director of educational equity and diversity for the Rockwood School District in St. Louis County. If you enjoy this show, p...

I talk with the writer about going through fertility treatments in her late 30s, and why being "on the IVF train" made her get more comfortable with situations out of her control.  Have you had to jump through medical or legal hoops to start a family? Tell us the moment you realized that becoming a parent was going to be more difficult than you expected. Send in an email or voice memo to deathsexm...

On today’s episode, Madison and Rachelle talk about two of the internet’s favorite subjects: cats and Wendy Williams. First, they talk about the story that made “Slate” itself trend on Twitter: the debate surrounding a Slate essay published last week in which writer Alexis Nowicki revealed that the 2017 New Yorker story “ Cat Person ,” which became the first work of short fiction ever to go viral,...

This week, Steve is joined by Allegra Frank, Slate senior editor, and Heather Schwedel, Slate staff writer. First, the panel discusses the new Marvel blockbuster Black Widow. Next, they talk about the AMC show Kevin Can F**k Himself . Finally, the hosts are joined by Alexis Nowicki to discuss her essay in Slate “ ‘Cat Person’ and Me .” In Slate Plus, the panel talks about the rabbit holes they fel...

Texas Dems are on the lam. After walking out of their regularly scheduled legislative session to block an extremely restrictive election security bill, they’ve decided to go bigger. At the start of the special session called by Governor Greg Abbott to get that bill passed, 51 of 67 House Democrats broke quorum and fled to DC in a last-ditch effort to thwart the bill and spur national Democrats int...

In a special episode, Dan shares his new episode of Slate's Decoder Ring documentary podcast about his time as a junior book agent working on selling a secretive book proposal called  IT , a codename for what would eventually be revealed as the Segway personal scooter. This is the story of the invention and development of a potentially revolutionary device, how Dan may or may not have doomed it, h...

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.  Michael Bierut, graphic designer and self-described “recovering Ayn Rand fan”, joins Felix and Emily to discuss the 1949 film adaptation of The Fountainhead . They cover the film’s remarkable architecture, the clunky, long-winded dialog...

Oil-giant Exxon says publicly that it supports initiatives to fight climate change. But a new undercover investigation reveals the company’s quiet lobbying effort to stymie environmental protection legislation.  Guest: Lawrence Carter , Senior Reporter & Special Projects Editor at Unearthed, a journalism project from Greenpeace U.K.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate...