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What does it change to call Israel’s assault on Gaza a “genocide”? Guest:  Omer Bartov , Dean's Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Brown University and author of the op-ed, “ I’m a Genocide Scholar. I Know It When I See It. ” Another article mentioned in this episode: “ The Need to Forget ” by Yehuda Elkana Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the...

Outward is going on a little summer break, in the meantime we’re leaving you with a delightfully queer episode of Slate’s Hit Parade with Chris Molanphy : Little Richard was rock ‘n’ roll’s flamboyant architect. Lesley Gore sang that no one owned her. Sylvester was a gender-fluid icon who helped define disco. Freddie Mercury made rock operatic, and George Michael demanded freedom. What all of thes...

If Trump follows through and successfully shuts down the Department of Education, what does America stand to lose?  Guest:  Laura Meckler, national education writer for The Washington Post and author of Dream Town: Shaker Heights and the Quest for Racial Equity . Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slat...

Disinfect your groceries and mind the 5G, on this week’s show Steve, Dana, and guest host Sam Adams dive into the dread-inducing world of Ari Aster’s Eddington. Starring Joaquin Phoenix and Pedro Pascal, the neo-Western explores the conspiracy-brained, mentally unstable summer of 2020 when COVID brews unrest in a small town. Like said town, the panel is divided. Next, they talk about why one of th...

Kate Lindsay and Candice Lim break down everything that’s happened since a software CEO was caught in a suspicious position with his co-worker at a Coldplay concert. From Chris Martin’s viral dialogue to the dearth of content emerging from this story, they run through the tenets of a monocultural moment and debunk the misinformation that has transpired alongside this scandal. Get more of ICYMI wit...

In this Money Talks: Elizabeth Spiers is joined by Emily Mester to discuss her book American Bulk: Essays on Excess . They’ll get into the dopamine-driven appeal of haul videos and Costco, the comforts and horrors of retail chains, the variable signifiers of wealth among classes, and other ways in which overconsumption shapes and reflects our lives as Americans.  Want to hear that discussion and h...

Why the Epstein scandal—more than any of Trump’s other, lengthy list of scandals—is so damaging that even the Democrats can wield it effectively.   Guest:  Brian Beutler, author of the Substack “Off Message,” cohost of the podcast Politix . Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe t...

Brendan Paul co-owns the Graceland Wedding Chapel in Las Vegas, which claims to be the site of the world's first Elvis-themed wedding. Dressed in sparkly jumpsuits, Brendan marries sometimes as many as 75 people a day—in back to back 15-minute appointments. But while his portrayal of Elvis is generally a jovialone, his view on The King's life isn't entirely one of reverence. "That loneliness, that...

Hosts Alex Kirshner , Ben Lindbergh , and Lindsay Gibbs discuss the brilliant (but boringly calm) Scottie Scheffler, who racked up yet another victory at the Open Championship at Royal Portrush. The hosts then welcome Front Office Sports writer Annie Costabile to examine the WNBA’s All-Star weekend. They also get into the MLB All-Star game’s swing-off finale. On the bonus episode available exclusi...

Their son was immunocompromised and couldn’t get the measles vaccines. So his dad asked if everyone going to his school would get vaccinated.  And the thing is—people listened. Guest:  Carl and Rhett Krawitt Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clickin...

This week on Care & Feeding , a listener writes in with a question that tugs at the heart: Their five-year-old daughter—an only child, growing up in a rural area—is asking for a sibling. But more than that, she’s asking for connection, companionship, someone to play with. The hosts unpack the emotional weight behind the ask, and explore how parents can foster deep social bonds for solo kids—es...

It’s kind of strange that Grok, Elon Musk’s chatbot, went full Nazi a few weeks ago, and is just…still out there. But, then again, how are you supposed to hold an LLM accountable? Guest: Drew Harwell , technology reporter for the Washington Post Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe...

Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay are joined by New York Times reporter and former ICYMI host Madison Malone Kircher to break down the internet history of Jojo Siwa. The 22-year-old got her start on Dance Moms over ten years ago, and has gone on to be a singer, performer, and serial reality TV show contestant. During this time she came out as queer, and attempted to have her own Miley Cyrus Bangerz reb...

David Plotz talks with author Carl Hiaasen about his  new book,  Fever Beach .  Fever Beach  is a political satire that follows a couple of dimwitted white supremacists, a corrupt congressman, and the people that try to take them all down. They discuss the real-life racist event Hiaasen witnessed that inspired a central scene in the novel, how Matt Gaetz factors into the book, Hiaasen’s next moves...

Over the last six months, life has been upended for  millions of people in America as Stephen Miller's extreme immigration policies have been unleashed. And while the first weeks of the second Trump administration saw some genuine pushback from the Supreme  Court, six months in, that feint at checking and balancing has fallen away. On this week's Amicus podcast, Dahlia Lithwick welcomes Aaron Reic...

This week: A judge has blocked a Biden era rule that would prevent medical debt from affecting credit scores. Felix Salmon , Elizabeth Spiers , and Emily Peck discuss the logic behind the proposed rule and the economic consequences of this decision. Then, the French Prime Minister has proposed eliminating two national holidays as a way of reducing the national debt. The hosts discuss the likely ef...

In this political moment where hostility towards immigrants and outsiders is openly espoused, one of our own colleagues has released a book about growing up as a Muslim-American in the post-9/11 era—and raising his own kids now. Guest: Aymann Ismail , Slate staff writer and author of “ Becoming Baba: Fatherhood, Faith, and Finding Meaning in America .” This episode is member-exclusive. Listen to i...

When Kendrick Lamar took the Super Bowl halftime stage in 2025 and had the stadium chanting along to “Not Like Us,” it was clear: Diss tracks had gone stratospheric. The Kendrick vs. Drake beef echoes legendary rap rivalries like Biggie vs. Tupac and Jay-Z vs. Nas—but diss tracks stretch back through a century of American pop to the Tin Pan Alley era. Vaudeville singer Eddie Cantor, James Brown, J...

The MAGA world has been waiting for Jeffrey Epstein’s client list to be released since the first Trump administration. But with those like Kash Patel and Dan Bongino, who stoked interest in the list literally in power, the administration is now saying that no such list exists. For some MAGA fans, this is finally a bridge too far.  Guest: Anna Merlan , senior reporter at Mother Jones. Want more Wha...

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the epic MAGA meltdown over the DOJ’s “there’s nothing to see here” Epstein files memo, how the Supreme Court is using the “shadow docket” to bolster Trump’s efforts to dismantle the federal government, and whether rescission will kill NPR and PBS.  For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily, John, and David discuss what they a...

This week on Care & Feeding , Elizabeth and Lucy respond to a listener wondering how to help their child—and themselves—prepare for the leap to middle school. The hosts share practical tips and emotional insights on everything from shifting friendships to growing independence, academic pressure, and those moments when your once-chatty kid starts speaking in shrugs. They unpack how to build tru...

For years, Donald Trump was often the only Western leader with anything nice to say about Vladimir Putin. But with Russia and Ukraine still fighting six months into his term, their friendship is on the rocks. Are we seeing a temporary spat – or a real policy shift?  Guest:  Michael McFaul , U.S. ambassador to Russia 2012-2014, author of the upcoming book “ Autocrats vs. Democrats: China, Russia, A...

In this episode we’re opening our mailbag to answer three fascinating questions from our listeners. How did “ass,” a word for donkeys and butts, become what linguists call an “intensifier” for just about everything? How do pharmaceuticals get their wacky names? And why do we all seem to think that aliens from outer space would travel to Earth just to kidnap our cows? In this episode, you’ll hear f...

Kate Lindsay and Candice Lim parse through the annoying practice of logging in and downloading apps. From hiking in the woods to brushing our teeth , it seems like we can’t do anything online these days without being prompted to make an account or download an app. Why do tech companies pressure us to log in all the time? And if we log out, why do they shame us into downloading apps for fast food p...

On this week’s show, Dana and Steve are joined by guest host Isaac Butler to talk truth, justice, and the American way via James Gunn’s Superman . They discuss the latest incarnation of the man of steel and the cultural discourse he’s generating that has become as volatile as kryptonite itself. Next, they hop to another cultural lightning rod: Lena Dunham. They get into her new series Too Much whi...