Slate Daily Feed

Hosts Alex Kirshner , Ben Lindbergh , and Lindsay Gibbs discuss the WNBA playoffs and the Indiana Fever's surprise success, despite an injured Caitlin Clark. They get into the uptick in long NFL field goals. Then they speak with managing editor of True Blue LA, Eric Stephen , about the career and retirement of Clayton Kershaw. For Afterballs, Ben recaps the final week of the MLB regular season and...

On this episode: Lucy and Elizabeth are joined by guest host Rebecca Onion to dive into her and Dan Kois’ definitive list of the 25 best picture books of the last quarter century . Which modern stories have staying power? Which books belong beside the classics on your child’s shelf? The hosts debate and delight in the choices. But first, they share their latest triumphs and fails: hiding snacks, a...

Media giants like Paramount and Disney have been swift to capitulate to the Trump administration and the tenacious head of the FCC, Brendan Carr. Why new ownership from the likes of the Ellisons is likely to make things worse. Guest: Nitish Pahwa , staff writer for business and tech at Slate. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and...

If you’re hunting for a job, the odds are increasingly likely you’ll have an interview with an artificial intelligence “recruiter.” And why not? It’s also increasingly likely you’ll be working with A.I. anyway.  Guest: Danielle Abril , technology-in-the-workplace reporter for the Washington Post. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next fa...

On today’s episode, host Kate Lindsay is joined by sociologist and content creator Josh Lora, who goes by @tellthebeees on TikTok and Substack . In his viral piece, “ The Mainstreaming of Loserdom ,” Lora explores how a generation of people is becoming proudly anti-social, often in favor of staying home on their phones. While less and less people may be partying, they’re not exactly happy about it...

This week: The Fed announced an expected rate cut with an unexpected dissent.      Felix Salmon , Elizabeth Spiers , and Emily Peck are joined by Axios’ Neil Irwin who breaks down why the Fed meeting was so unusual – thanks to the very recent Trump appointee Stephen Miran– and what it means for the future of the central bank. Then, AMEX announced an increase that brings their Platinum fee to $895....

Emily Bazelon talks with author and Yale professor Judith Resnik about her new book,  Impermissible Punishments: How Prison Became a Problem for Democracy . They discuss the history of the prison system’s use of punishments like whipping, how the practice came to an end, and more.   Tweet us your questions  @SlateGabfest  or email us at  gabfest@slate.com . (Messages could be quoted by name unless...

Dahlia Lithwick talks to First Amendment law professor Mary Anne Franks to explore the inversion of free speech in America this past week, and to trace the ways our assumptions about the First Amendment helped to tip us into this upside-down. Dr. Franks, author of Fearless Speech: Breaking Free from the First Amendment , explains the contradictions inherent in free-speech absolutism, the role of g...

TikTok—which was supposed to be banned again on Wednesday but, again, isn’t—may be legal once more. The Trump administration says it’s meeting with Xi Jinping Friday to finalize the agreement, which may involve—get this—a wealthy Trump-supporting tech mogul.  Guest: Nitish Pahwa , staff writer for business and tech at Slate. This episode is member-exclusive. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slat...

As the Charlie Kirk murder demonstrated, law enforcement, the government, and media all need more internet fluency. But their reactions in the wake of the murder don’t seem to be moving towards a better understanding.  Guest:   Ryan Broderick , reporter on online culture, author of the newsletter Garbage Day . Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whol...

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the government’s intimidation tactics aimed at chilling free speech after Charlie Kirk’s assassination, why Trump seems intent to provoke armed conflict with Venezuela, and how the president and his Republican allies are upending DC self-governance with guest Michael Schaffer ( City Cast DC , Politico ). For this week’s Slate Plus b...

Donald Trump has been calling for the Fed to cut rates to bolster the economy, and yesterday, they announced they would. The bad news is that’s because the economy is going to need a lot more bolstering. Guest:  Justin Wolfers , economist and professor at the University of Michigan Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all...

Reporter and former Care & Feeding host Aymann Ismail joins Elizabeth & Lucy to talk about how to approach conversations with kids about violence in the news. The hosts discuss ways to frame scary or divisive headlines, how to balance honesty with reassurance, and how parents can manage their own reactions while guiding kids through uncertain times. Plus, Lucy reflects on her own experienc...

On this week’s show, Steve and Dana are joined by guest host Dan Kois to turn the volume up to… well, how hard Spinal Tap II: The End Continues rocks is the question of the day. They debate the mockumentary sequel which reunites the original Tap gang for a surprisingly tender portrait of aged rock stars. Next, they turn their icy gaze at the POV-shifting, soapy series The Girlfriend , starring Rob...

What happens to an organization when it purges much of its leadership and ranks irrespective of ability, and hires for sycophantic loyalty instead? The FBI is finding out.  Guests:   Michael Feinberg , former assistant special agent in charge at the FBI’s field office in Norfolk, VA, now a fellow at Lawfare . Quinta Jurecic , staff writer at The Atlantic. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Pl...

On today’s episode, host Kate Lindsay is joined by Slate senior writer Ben Mathis-Lilley to say goodbye after eleven years at Slate. Ben was responsible for iconic stories like “ Wouldn’t It Be Nice to Get Knocked Out Cold With a Shovel for Exactly Six Weeks and Five Days? ”, and is known as the “funniest person in Slack” despite spending his days reporting on our terrifying political climate. How...

When Megan Greenwell was 34 she landed a coveted job in journalism as the editor-in-chief of the sports and culture blog, Deadspin . Just over a year later a post about why she was resigning went viral – a private equity firm had bought Deadspin’s parent company, and was seeking "a quick cash-out rather than the growth that comes from a well-run business." Her experience led her to spend six years...

Conservatives have decried higher education as a center of liberal indoctrination for decades, and under the second Trump administration, colleges and universities are watching their federal funding be withheld or frozen, their presidents step down, and professors lose their jobs. What can be done to wrest back academic freedom and independence from a vindictive administration? Guest:  Sarah Brown...

In this Money Talks: Elizabeth Spiers is joined by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Gary Rivlin to discuss his book AI Valley , a deep dive into the Silicon Valley companies that are competing to create the best–and most profitable–AI model. Gary has been covering the tech world for decades and has seen the major players in this arms race evolve over that time. He discusses the perspectives of th...

Hosts Alex Kirshner , Ben Lindbergh , and Lindsay Gibbs discuss the beginning of the NFL season, and the Kansas City Chiefs’ 0-2 record; their worst start since 2014 when they last missed the playoffs. Has their aging lineup started to catch up to them? Plus, the return of tush-push discourse. Next, the 38-year-old Sidney Crosby has played a whopping 20 seasons for the Penguins and is arguably the...

Hasan Piker was scheduled to debate Charlie Kirk at Dartmouth College later this month, a left-vs-right, Vidal-vs-Buckley for the streaming age. In the wake of Kirk’s shocking death, Piker wants to continue to be clear about who Kirk was, what he stood for, and the reactionary political project he was working to advance. Guest: Hasan Piker, Twitch streamer and left-wing political commentator.  Wan...

A listener writes in about a toddler who loves bringing toys to the playground but rarely wants to share them. The hosts unpack why sharing is so tough at this age, how parents can set expectations, and their own philosophies on how kids—and adults—learn to share. Plus, check-ins: Lucy brings a delightfully funny Italian-American teen romance story to the table. Join us on Facebook and email us at...

After their daughter committed suicide, they found her ChatGPT log—and where artificial intelligence helped her write her suicide note. Guest:  Laura Reiley, writer for the Cornell Chronicle.  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 today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at th...

In this week’s episode of Amicus, we delve into the recent Supreme Court shadow docket order in Noem v. Vasquez-Perdomo, which in essence legalized racial profiling by roving ICE patrols, and in practice may have ushered in America’s “show your papers” era for Americans with brown skin, who speak Spanish, and/or go to Home Depot in work clothes. Join Dahlia Lithwick and Ahilan Arulanantham, a long...

This week: ICE raided a Hyundai plant in Georgia. Felix Salmon , Elizabeth Spiers , and Emily Peck discuss the somewhat hamfisted raid that detained hundreds of South Korean workers–disrupting both Hyundai’s operations and the local economy–and the potential fallout if foreign companies see this as a reason to avoid investing in the US. Then, Oracle’s stock surged this week thanks to its AI deals,...