Slate Daily Feed

On this episode: Slate’s own Aymann Ismail is with us to talk about his new book, Becoming Baba – which is out TOMORROW!  We’ll talk about the book. But first, Aymann, Jamilah, Zak and Elizabeth take a question from a listener who’s hoping to reclaim the time that she feels like she lost during the newborn phase. And on Slate Plus: Elizabeth has a dilemma, and Aymann sticks around to help. If you’...

Built in just eight days, Donald Trump and Kristi Noem toured “Alligator Alcatraz,” a migrant detention facility built on a disused airstrip in the Florida Everglades. Even before Trump touched down in South Florida, branded merchandise was being sold. Soon after he headed back to Washington, the first detainees were brought in. Guest:  Sommer Brugal , Miami reporter for Axios . Want more What Nex...

As the One Big Beautiful Bill bounced around Congress, one provision—the 10-year moratorium on states making laws to regulate artificial intelligence—fell out. But AI-fans don’t need to worry, there’s still plenty of industry support in the bill.  Guest: Will Oremus , technology news analysis writer for the Washington Post. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listeni...

This week: The US stock market has reached a new all time high.  Felix Salmon , Emily Peck and Elizabeth Spiers are joined once again by investments expert Barry Ritholtz who talked us through the market turmoil of Trump’s tariff spree back in April . Barry helps the hosts break down the behavior of the markets right now, examine the historical context of record breaking highs, and theorize why th...

Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern answer your questions about threats to federal judges, how far religious opt-outs can go in public schools in light of  Mahmoud v. Taylor , and whether or not the rule of law in America is, in fact, cooked.  This episode is member-exclusive. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate Plus. By joining, not only will you unlock weekly bonus episodes of Amicus—you’...

Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay are joined by Slate senior tech editor Tony Ho Tran to parse through what Meta’s victory in a recent AI lawsuit means for its users. Tools like ChatGPT are becoming more common at home and at work, but without protections, they could threaten not just the creativity of artists, but anyone who posts online. As regulation lags behind, how can we protect ourselves? And ho...

Is anyone having fun on the internet anymore? Let’s all go touch grass. Guest: Scaachi Koul , Slate senior writer and author of “ It’s Time to Log Off.” This episode is member-exclusive. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate Plus. By joining, not only will you unlock exclusive episodes of What Next —you’ll also access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe...

This episode was originally published on April 27, 2025.  The Trump administration has already begun cutting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which includes the U.S. National Weather Service. What’s the advantage to understanding the weather less? Guest: Daniel Swain , weather and climate scientist with the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources. Want more W...

This week, David Plotz and guest hosts Will Saletan and Catherine Rampell discuss what the Senate’s regressive budget bill will do to the health of America, whether there is space left for non-Trump conservatives in American politics, and how Paramount’s settlement of Trump’s meritless lawsuit signifies the fall of another guardrail against an authoritarian president. Here are this week’s chatters...

Trump wants his “One Big Beautiful Bill” passed by July 4. But the bill is so large and expensive—with deep tax cuts only partially offset by huge cuts to Medicaid and SNAP—there’s something in there for almost every member of Congress to hate. Guest: David Dayen , executive editor of the American Prospect. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What...

On this episode: Zak, Elizabeth and Jamilah talk about summer boredom. We get questions about this every year — so we’re coming in early this year with some ideas for how to handle that classic, but dreaded, complaint… that no, really, there’s nothing to do.  And after that, of course, we’re sharing a round of triumphs and fails.  Join us on Facebook and email us at careandfeedingpod@slate.com to...

White noise has a very precise technical definition, but people use the term loosely, to describe all sorts of washes of sound—synthetic hums, or natural sounds like a rainstorm or crashing waves—that can be used to mask other sounds. Twenty years ago, if you’d told someone white noise was a regular part of your life, they would have found that unusual. Nowadays, it’s likely they use it themselves...

Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay discuss an American woman in her 50s who is going viral for her plastic surgery journey . Michelle Wood is a mom who traveled to Guadalajara to undergo several procedures, including a facelift and a chin implant. She documented her journey before and after the procedure, creating intrigue, curiosity, and surprisingly positive responses online. TikTok reacted similarly...

Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern host the panel that’s guaranteed to help you understand what happened during the Supreme Court’s latest term – examining the major decisions, the emergency docket, and the evolving dynamics on the court. Dahlia and Mark welcome the New York Times’ Jamelle Bouie, civil rights lawyer and 14th Amendment scholar Sherrilyn Ifill of Howard University, and Professor...

White noise has a very precise technical definition, but people use the term loosely, to describe all sorts of washes of sound—synthetic hums, or natural sounds like a rainstorm or crashing waves—that can be used to mask other sounds. Twenty years ago, if you’d told someone white noise was a regular part of your life, they would have found that unusual. Nowadays, it’s likely they use it themselves...

The Trump administration’s plans to strip funding from PBS and NPR is the latest in a long line of Republican fights against public broadcasting. The House has already voted to take back over a billion dollars it had previously agreed to pay. Will the Senate sign off on it next? Guest:  Brian Stelter , chief media analyst at CNN. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free liste...

On this week’s show, Steve, Julia, and guest host Sam Adams are off to races with F1:The Movie , the new Brad Pitt racing vehicle featuring lots of racing vehicles. Is the thrill ride more than the sum of its sports movie cliches, high-octane action sequences, and perpetually handsome movie-star? Does the answer even matter? Next, they’re joined by Slate senior supervising producer Daisy Rosario t...

Alexandra Paul always loved connecting with fans. She had many, from her breakout role in the 1983 horror film Christine to her years playing a lifeguard on Baywatch . In 2011, Paul's career was slowing down, but it was also the year that she met her biggest fan: a woman who would come to stalk her for over a decade, costing Paul tens of thousands of dollars in legal bills, strain on her family, a...

Last week’s big Supreme Court decisions walked back rights for individuals and the powers of the lower courts—and in aggregate made it ever more difficult to believe the court is anything other than another vehicle for delivering the outcomes favorable to Republicans and the conservative project.  Guest:  Mark Joseph Stern , Slate senior writer covering courts and the law. Want more What Next? Sub...

Hosts Alex Kirshner , Ben Lindbergh , and Lindsay Gibbs discuss Caitlin Clark’s injuries, controversies, and dramas that continue to spotlight the Fever and WNBA. They also get into the effects of major league baseball teams' use of minor league ballparks, plus a talk with SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell to break down the NBA draft. On the bonus episode available exclusively for Slate Plus members, th...

On this episode: Zak, Lucy and Elizabeth chat about screentime. We’ve got two great questions that are variations on the theme: are podcasts screentime? And you missing out on something if your little ones don’t get to watch a certain children’s YouTuber? We’ll discuss. After that, we’re circling up for a round of triumphs and fails, because why not? And if you stick around for the Slate Plus Play...

ICE agents have begun concealing their identities in masks and plainclothes while making arrests. Experts—including a former ICE official—say that endangers those agents, and violates the trust between law enforcement and the citizenry. Guests: Philip Bump , columnist for the Washington Post Scott Shuchart , ICE’s Assistant Director for Regulatory Affairs and Policy Counselor to the Director, 2022...

Under a normal administration, a merger between two large advertising firms might attract the government’s interest for anti-monopoly reasons. Under this one, the Federal Trade Commission is creating conditions to…ensure that X still gets advertiser dollars? Guest: Kate Conger , technology reporter for the New York Times. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening...

Kate Lindsay and Candice Lim are joined by Ingrid Nilsen , an OG beauty lifestyle YouTuber who you may know as “MissGlamorazzi,” to reflect on the 10-year anniversary of her most iconic video to date.  Throughout the 2010s, YouTube was the platform of choice for “coming out” videos. During those years, the U.S. saw progress in LGBTQ+ acceptance and representation, including a SCOTUS decision legal...

The cataclysmic opinions from SCOTUS on Friday certainly suggest that the courts can no longer save us. In fact, in Trump v. CASA., we learned that it’s somehow not actually the job of the courts to save us from blatant violations of our rights. With universal injunctions drop-kicked and district court judges sidelined, it’s going to be nearly impossible to vindicate your rights in Trump’s America...