Slate Daily Feed

This week: It was revealed that Donald Trump’s investment portfolio made a stunning 3,600 trades in one quarter.  Felix Salmon , Elizabeth Spiers , and Emily Peck , discuss theories on why the hell anyone would do this and whether it’s just weird or actually sinister. Then, they’ll get into the question of if it’s actually possible to “vote with your dollars” in the wake of the news that the...

The promise of an “internet for niche communities” and “the empowered independent creator” has been taking a beating as the web has become less open and increasingly dominated by a few platforms and players. But does it have to be that way? Guest: Jack Conte , CEO and cofounder of Patreon. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family an...

  This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss what Trump is actually trying to buy with his blatantly corrupt "anti-weaponization" slush fund and self-dealing, why Trump can exact primary election revenge on his Republican critics when his own popularity is so low, and how the federal government is obstructing attempts to hold ICE agents involved in shootings accountable...

When Cameron Hamilton testified to Congress that he did not believe “it is in the best interest of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” he was fired from his job as FEMA’s acting administrator.  But now, a year later, Hamilton has been nominated to lead FEMA permanently. Does this mean the agency’s future is more secure? Guest: Micah Loewinger, co-host of...

On this episode: Lucy Lopez , Elizabeth Newcamp , and Zak Rosen have a little bit of everything for you. First they share their triumphs and fails: Lucy brings tales of the theater kids, Elizabeth solicited her offering from the family, and Zak had a very special houseguest. Then, they dig into the mailbag and share your comments and triumphs. Finally, they do a dramatic reading of the hilarious e...

The late-night show is a staple of network television—maybe even one that has held on past its era. Still, that doesn’t mean The Late Show with Stephen Colbert had to end like this.  Guest: Adam Conover , comedian and host of the Factually! podcast.  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 p...

This week, we’ve got an all-guest-host panel with Gabfest faves Isaac Butler, Sam Adams, and June Thomas guiding the discourse… straight to hell. In this case, hell is the romantic relationships depicted in the buzzy indie horror Obsession . This rom-com/horror mashup—marking Curry Barker’s impressive feature directorial debut—deals with questions of codependency and consent. But the real question...

Like the palm tree, the Everglades, Disney World, and the “Florida Man,” the orange is a classic symbol of the Sunshine State. But maybe not for much longer. Production has declined to catastrophic levels, a decrease of more than 95% in less than 25 years. It’s a produce murder mystery—and Decoder Ring is tagging along with reporter Alex Sammon to crack the case. The suspects include insects, hurr...

When Justice Antonin Scalia died in February of 2016, the Supreme Court appeared to be headed for a 5-4 liberal majority. Instead, a staggering blockade by Senate Republicans and a shocking electoral upset helped steal a seat and clear the way for today’s conservative supermajority. In our second episode, we examine Neil Gorsuch’s politically fraught path to power and his time on the bench so far,...

On today’s episode, host Kate Lindsay is joined by writer and comedian Matt Buechele to talk about how the etiquette around phones is shifting, with previously phone-free spaces now welcoming them into the room. In almost all cases, this makes the experience worse for everyone else, but rather than rebelling, people are starting to accept this as a fact of life. Enough! Let Kate watch Hokum in pea...

The actor and travel writer Andrew McCarthy used to be a member of one of pop culture’s most famous friend groups: The Brat Pack. He starred in movies like Pretty in Pink and St. Elmo’s Fire and palled around with actors like Rob Lowe and Emilio Estevez. Four decades later, in middle age, he found himself nearly friendless and set out on a cross-country road trip to reunite with the buddies he mis...

With his approval rating dropping to its lowest point yet this term, why are politicians still giving in to Donald Trump? As Senator Bill Cassidy found out, Trump still has enough juice to sink a Republican in a primary. Guest: Molly Jong Fast, host of the podcast Fast Politics .  Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across...

On her way to a doctor’s appointment in January, a Minneapolis woman was surrounded by ICE agents who smashed her car’s window, cut her seat belt and dragged her out, while she tried to explain that she was disabled. Now, she’s planning to sue. Guest: Aliya Rahman, Minneapolis resident detained by ICE in January. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole...

On this episode: Lucy Lopez , Elizabeth Newcamp , and Zak Rosen debate if you should bribe your kid to read. They are joined by Katie Day Good , media educator, communication professor at Calvin University , and the author of Bring the World to the Child: Technologies of Global Citizenship in American Education . But perhaps most importantly…Katie has been paying her kids to read. She’ll explain w...

Under fire for what critics say is inadequate protection of its young user base, Roblox nevertheless remains incredibly popular. Are the company’s new ballyhooed protections up for the task of keeping kids safe? Or is that asking the wrong question entirely? Guests: Cecilia D'Anastasio , video game reporter for Bloomberg.  Mary Harris, host of the other What Next Stella Harris, daughter of Ma...

This week: Kevin Warsh took over as Federal Reserve Chair, while Jerome Powell will remain on the board. Felix Salmon , Elizabeth Spiers , and Emily Peck , discuss how the Donald Trump appointee will deal with pressure from the president to lower rates despite rising inflation. Then, they cover Trump’s visit to China and what it could mean for the US-China power balance, particularly within the AI...

On today’s episode, host Kate Lindsay is joined by writer of Garbage Day and host of Panic World , Ryan Broderick. Ryan has been tracking the metrics of prominent right-wing creators like Ben Shapiro and Tim Pool over the past year or so, and noticed a surprising trend: once lauded as an unbeatable force of political influence, these creators are struggling with both their views and finances. Is t...

In this month’s episode of Gabfest Reads, John Dickerson interviews Bloomberg columnist Adrian Wooldridge about his new book The Revolutionary Center: The Lost Genius of Liberalism . In a moment when American democracy is under assault from authoritarian populists and dogmatic progressives, Wooldridge argues that liberalism itself offers the most resilient framework for pluralistic, self-correctin...

This week on Amicus, hosts Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern break down a whirlwind stretch of reproductive rights legal battles, from the Fifth Circuit's sweeping nationwide ban on telehealth medication abortion, to the Supreme Court's emergency order blocking it. Madiba Dennie (Deputy Editor, Balls and Strikes; and author of The Originalism Trap) joins to explain what the furious dissents fr...

The opening riff of “White Wedding” is instantly recognizable—a skittering, syncopated guitar line quickly swallowed by pummeling drums. But the song itself is a bit of an enigma. Is it rock? Pop? New wave? Rockabilly punk? Like much of Billy Idol’s career, the song exists somewhere in between. Idol was a shape-shifter, blurring genre lines in pursuit of bigger hooks, bigger audiences and, eventua...

Once a rising star of the New Right via New Media, Ben Shapiro and his Daily Wire have spent the second Trump administration in precipitous decline. Is it simply a case of bad business decisions running into their beloved capitalistic scythe or did their audience outpace them on a race to…let’s say “the right”? Guest: Will Sommer, senior reporter at The Bulwark. This episode is member-exclusive. L...

Between artificial intelligence, the Iran War, and the future of Taiwan, there’s a lot for the United States and China to hash out—not least of which being the pecking order. Guest: Josh Chin , senior global correspondent for the Wall Street Journal. 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. Subs...

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the geopolitical dynamics and possible outcomes of the Trump-Xi summit with former New York Times Beijing Bureau Chief  and host of Face-Off: the US vs. China , Jane Perlez , whether or not the United States has essentially lost the war it started in Iran, and how badly the latest round of gerrymandering will hurt the Democrats...

On this episode: Lucy Lopez , Elizabeth Newcamp , and Zak Rosen answer a classic dad conundrum. What should you do when meeting your daughter’s boyfriend for the first time? They also share their latest triumphs and fails. Including: a driving diss track, a mission impossible-type string, and the Detroit Pistons Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Rosemary Belson.  Follow us on YouTube !&nb...

As wealth disparity continues to grow, politicians in New York and California have suggested raising revenue through taxes that are aimed at their wealthiest residents. But the rich didn’t get that way by just letting themselves get taxed, now did they? Guest:  Stephanie Ruhle , anchor of MS NOW’s The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle . Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-f...