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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.  Joanne Lipman, author and journalist, joins to talk about the 2005 film Thank You For Smoking. They discuss the terrible trope of female reporters sleeping with their sources, The Marlboro Man, and “moral flexibility.”  Email: slatemone...

To say that hydration is an invention is only a slight exaggeration. Back in the 1970’s and ‘80s, no one carried bottled water with them, but by the ‘90s it was a genuine status object. How did bottled water transform itself from a small, European luxury item to the single largest beverage category in America? It took both technological innovation, but even more importantly it took savvy marketing...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss NBA injuries, Kevin Durant’s heroics, and Ben Simmons’ struggles. Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern also joins to assess the Supreme Court’s decision in  NCAA v. Alston . Finally, David Epstein talks about distance runner Shelby Houlihan, who claims her positive drug test came from eating a burrito.   NBA (3:14):  What does the data say about NBA injuri...

Fears that an ultra-conservative faction would take control of the country’s largest organization of evangelicals did not come to fruition at the Southern Baptist Convention’s annual meeting this year. But it was only a narrow loss, and, like conservatives around the country, the group remains sharply divided.  Guest: Bob Smietana , national reporter for Religion News Service.  If you enjoy this s...

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Stacy-Marie Ishmael discuss Lina Khan and tech antitrust, Anna Wiener ’s New Yorker piece on Silicon Valley , and the New York Times investigation into working at Amazon .  In the Plus segment: MacKenzie Scott gives again. Mentioned in the show: “ The Separation of Platforms and Commerce ,” by Lina M. Khan for the Columbia Law Review “ Does Tech Need a New...

From “woke bae” to “woke-a-cola,” the word woke has taken the internet and mainstream media by storm. But how many people who use the word actually know what it means? On today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison (but, really, mostly Rachelle) explain the decades-old origins of the word, and how its meaning has evolved as it’s gone from Marcus Garvey to being sung by the likes of Erykah Badu and Child...

Let’s be clear: Rap has always been musical. But back in the day, rappers generally, well, rapped: talked in cadence over a beat. Fans judged MCs primarily by their rhymes and rhythms, not their melodies. Now? Rappers are mostly singers: MCs from Drake to DaBaby slip seamlessly in and out of melody. Some hits that appear on Billboard’s Rap charts feature literally no rapping. When did this change?...

Ever since police used a DNA platform called GEDmatch to crack the Golden State Killer case in 2018, police departments around the country have rushed to use genetic genealogy to crack their own cold cases. The result? Hundreds of violent cases solved.  So--why are some states passing new laws to limit this new technology? Guest: Nila Bala , senior staff attorney at the Policing Project at NYU Law...

As the big decisions for the term start to cascade down from the high court, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by one of the nation’s foremost thinkers and writers about the Supreme Court: Dean Erwin Chemerinsky of Berkeley Law School. Together, they unravel the ruling on the Affordable Care Act, try to discern the significance of the unanimous decision in Fulton, and Dean Chemerinsky outlines why he’s ca...

Ever since police used a DNA platform called GEDmatch to crack the Golden State Killer case in 2018, police departments around the country have rushed to use genetic genealogy to crack their own cold cases. The result? Hundreds of violent cases solved.  So--why are some states passing new laws to limit this new technology? Guest: Nila Bala , senior staff attorney at the Policing Project at NYU Law...

Emily, John and David discuss President Biden's G7 summit and the meeting with President Putin, McConnell’s plans to block a Biden Supreme Court nominee, and they are joined by guest Melissa Murray on what “critical race theory” is and is not. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Julia Ioffe for Tomorrow Will Be Worse: “ ‘Everyone Gets What They Deserve’: Biden Takes On the Pu...

On this week’s episode: Dan, Jamilah, and Elizabeth have advice for a mom who is less than pleased at her in-law’s ongoing joke with her toddler. Let’s just say the joke involves knuckle sandwiches and a fake punch to the eye. Can she raise her concerns without causing conflict? Or should she just let the joke slide?  Then—a very special guest joins the show… Jamilah’s mom, Isoke! She chats about...

Around the country, states are casting off pandemic restrictions. But for millions of immunocompromised people, the pandemic isn’t nearly over. Guest: Dr. Lindsay Ryan, internist at San Francisco General Hospital and San Francisco VA Medical Center in California.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast,...

Talking with kids about death. Telling family that you've fallen in love with a man in prison. Breaking up with a longtime friend. Today: the hardest conversations you've ever had. If you've got a hard conversation that you've been waiting to have, and need a push to do it, we want to hear about it for an upcoming series we're working on. Send a voice memo or an email to deathsexmoney@wnyc.org.  S...

It’s Pride month, which means Outward is feeling particularly festive! Christina, Bryan, and Rumaan are joined by musician Julien Baker to discuss her feelings about Pride, queerness, fluidity, and ways of interpreting queer art. Then Jillian Hanlon, a trans cop in upstate New York, joins to offer her take on the recent debate over cops at Pride. Items discussed on the show: Skittles go gray for P...

On today’s episode, Madison is joined by producer Daniel Schroeder to talk about people accusing Billie Eilish of queerbaiting on Instagram. They then discuss the way TikTok seems to be replacing Craigslist as the spot for finding missed connections—but are the videos real? To find out, Madison interviews Val and Kaycie , two women who had a serendipitous encounter on a rooftop bar, only to lose t...

This episode is member-exclusive. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate Plus. By joining, not only will you unlock exclusive Slow Burn episodes, but you’ll also access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/slowburnplus to get access wherever you listen. The Bush administr...

This week Dana and Steve are joined by Monica Castillo, arts and culture reporter for Colorado Public Radio, to discuss In the Heights. Next, Atlantic staff writer Sophie Gilbert comes on to talk about HBO’s Hacks. Finally, Dana and Steve dive into Liz Phair’s new album, Soberish , with the expertise of Slate music critic Carl Wilson. In Slate Plus, Dana, Steve, and Carl talk about Gen X musicians...

The clock is winding down on the CDC’s eviction moratorium. The moratorium will lift in less than two weeks, marking an end to the pandemic-era protection. What happens to vulnerable tenants when the clock runs out?  Guest: Henry Granville Widener, rent strike organizer in Maryland   Alieza Durana , reporter for Princeton’s Eviction Lab  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate...

Turn on your favorite business news channel, and it seems like all anyone can talk about is inflation. Prices are rising, but is it anything to worry about in the long term?  Guest: Jordan Weissmann , Slate’s senior business and economics correspondent.  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 epis...

Welcome to a brand new season of Decoder Ring! On this episode, we investigate the wild world of soap operas through the lens of one legendary, decades-long, ripped-from-the-headlines storyline. The rape of Marty Seabrook dared to combine the melodrama of soaps with a serious examination of sexual assault, and over time morphed from an award-winning story about believing victims into a redemption...

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin discuss Danish soccer player Christian Eriksen’s collapse at the UEFA European Championship. Stephanie Apstein of Sports Illustrated also joins to talk about baseball pitchers slathering the ball with goo. Finally, Stefan and Josh interview Jon Wertheim about  Glory Days , his new book on sports in 1984.   Eriksen (2:14):  The agony of waiting to see if...

As U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland approaches 100 days of leading the Department of Justice, the department’s recent legal positions in support of former President Trump have mystified onlookers. Is the department lost at sea, and can Garland right the ship?  Guest: Ankush Khardori , attorney and former federal prosecutor. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Sl...

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Stacy-Marie Ishmael talk about the ProPublica report on the tax returns of US billionaires, how Uber prices are changing and what it means, and the consequences of Bitcoin becoming legal tender in El Salvador.  In the Plus segment: UI fraud. Mentioned in the show: “ The Secret IRS Files: Trove of Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest Avoid Inco...

On today’s episode, Rachelle  and  Madison explain the latest drama surrounding online provocateur Trisha Paytas. They recap Paytas’ history online, how they’re connected to David Dobrik’s Vlog Squad, and why their podcast Frenemies is in predictable turmoil. Then, two new High Speed Downloads, first on the grifting of internet chef Darius Williams (aka @DariusCooks) and then on the woman who got...