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In 1972, Jerry Lewis—the actor and filmmaker known for slapstick comedies like The Nutty Professor —took the biggest risk of his career when he decided to make a drama called The Day The Clown Cried , about a circus clown who ends up in Auschwitz. This could have been a landmark as one of the first portrayals of the Holocaust in American cinema. Instead, it became a different kind of landmark: all...

On this week’s show, we preview the Oscars and Trump’s demolition throughout renowned institutions of art. Isaac Butler — author of The Method: How the Twentieth Century Learned to Act and host of the new Criterion Channel series, The Craft of Acting — sits in for Stephen Metcalf. First, the hosts discuss I’m Still Here and the continued addition of non-English speaking films getting some of the b...

Kate Lindsay and Candice Lim break down YouTuber Ethan Klein’s attack on Fauxmoi and why public figures are starting to fire back at snark pages. Earlier this month, Klein’s wife Hila became a topic of discussion on Fauxmoi, a popular celebrity subreddit, after she posted an Instagram story that claimed a potential collaboration fell apart due to anti-semitism. Posts of problematic behavior and la...

In town halls from Oregon to Georgia, people are letting Republicans know just how angry they are about the dramatic cuts to the federal government. And their displeasure is starting to sink Trump’s approval rating. Guest: Greg Bluestein, political reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution .  Ben Mathis-Lilley, senior writer for Slate . Want more What Next? Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-f...

Bryan Lowder sits down with journalist Nico Lang to discuss their recent article for Slate It Was Never About Protecting Kids on Trump’s Executive Order restricting gender-affirming care for minors. They examine how the administration is using “child protection” rhetoric as a cover for anti-trans policies, the real-world impact on trans youth and their families, and the history of this political s...

Barron Trump, the president’s youngest son, isn’t on the public speaking circuit and has no social media presence. But he’s nevertheless become a Gen-Z-aged avatar of Trump masculinity for the MAGA faithful. Where does reality end and speculation begin? Guest: Dan Adler , staff writer for Vanity Fair . Want more What Next? Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to What Next and all your ot...

When comedian Chelsea Devantez began writing her memoir, she knew exactly where to start: with a teenage relationship that spiraled into domestic violence. But when she submitted her draft, lawyers informed her she legally couldn't name her abuser or detail what happened. "I threw the book in the trash for a few months," Chelsea recalls. After consulting friends and family, she decided to continue...

Hosts Alex Kirshner , Lindsay Gibbs , and Ben Lindbergh speak to the Athletic’s Dermot Corrigan about the trial of former Spanish women’s soccer chief Luis Rubiales, who was found guilty of sexually assaulting World Cup star Jenni Hermoso. The trial not only condemned the Spanish Football Federation, but also spotlighted a deeper issue of misogyny in Spain. The panel also revisits the 4 Nations Fa...

On this episode: Lucy, Zak and Elizabeth tackle a letter from a mom who feels like she’s living in Wrestlemania. This mom and dad love tickle fights and wrestling with their two boys — but the younger one isn’t so good at honoring a tap-out. So, we’ll talk about how to prevent, or at least pause, the wrestling match before anyone gets hurt. We’ll also check in and share what’s on our minds this we...

In 2011, a Republican majority in the Wisconsin State House faced massive protests to their plans to strip power from public sector workers. State Democrats fled across the border and the possibility of a general strike loomed.  But the strike fizzled out and the legislation ultimately passed.  And now the situation in the federal government is shaping up in a similar way. Do the workers need to b...

The crypto industry threw its weight and money behind Donald Trump, in hopes of legitimizing the industry. Before his Inauguration Day was over, Donald Trump was already enriching himself via a memecoin, one of the scammier, least legitimate-looking uses of crypto. Guest: David Yaffe-Bellany, reporter covering cryptocurrency for the New York Times. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus...

Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay aren’t immune to TikTok marketing, even when it comes to healthcare. From Hims and Hers to nutritional gummies to something called “beef tallow,” social media promises the answers to all your medical woes. To figure out how to responsibly navigate this new online healthcare landscape, Candice and Kate talk to NPR pharmaceuticals correspondent, Sydney Lupkin. Sydney rec...

This week: The US is weakening ties with its biggest ally while embracing an old enemy. Felix Salmon , Emily Peck , and Elizabeth Spiers explain how the Trump administration’s antagonization of Europe – and further alignment with Russia – could mean major economic blowback if it goes far enough. Then, rumor has it that Intel is looking to sell parts of its business off to foreign firms Broadcom an...

President Donald J Trump’s administration has been invoking a conservative legal theory as justification for his claim to possess king-like presidential powers. This new supercharged version of the “unitary executive theory” may just be extreme enough to stick in the craw of some conservative judges, but will it find a warm welcome when it inevitably lands at the Supreme Court, and should we brace...

Why are some people able to talk with just about anyone—about almost anything? One answer may lie in the questions we ask—and how deeply we ask them. Stick with us here… In this episode, host Charles Duhigg examines why deep questions are so powerful and how to ask them in everyday life. He talks to Nick Epley, psychology professor at the University of Chicago and lifelong researcher of deep quest...

In a new miniseries inspired by Charles Duhigg’s bestseller, the former host of Slate’s How To! podcast sits down with psychologists, social scientists, and even a Hollywood writer to explore how to ask the right questions, communicate without words, and find meaningful connections in our lives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As someone whose companies receive billions of dollars from the government, it’s worth asking why Elon Musk is so zealous about cutting government spending.  Guest: Max Chafkin , features editor and tech reporter at Bloomberg Businessweek and cohost of the Elon, Inc podcast . Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your fav...

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the apparent corrupt bargain involving NYC mayor Eric Adams and the bonfire of Justice Department resignations; what could possibly go wrong when Musk and DOGE access the IRS and Social Security; and talk to Marc Dunkelman about his new book Why Nothing Works: Who Killed Progress – and How to Bring it Back .  For this week’s Slate P...

On this episode: Elizabeth, Lucy and Zak answer a listener’s voicemail about planning a field trip to DC — and trying to avoid politics. The parents at this school have very different politics than our listener, and the listener’s already gotten her 10-year-old to agree to skip the White House… but is that the right call? And can you even avoid politics on a history lover’s tour of DC? If you want...

Trump's pick for labor secretary, Lori Chavez-DeRemer, is an outlier: She has experience in federal government, where she was one of three House Republicans to support the “Protecting the Right to Organize Act” to expand employees’ rights to organize and collectively bargain and she was accompanied by the head of the Teamsters when she went to visit Mar A Lago after the election. What did her hear...

On this week’s show, Slate Business and Tech reporter Nitish Pahwa sits in for Julia. The panel discusses Severance season 2 from Apple TV+. They then talk about the Oscar-nominated film No Other Land – a Palestinian documentary following a young activist fighting his community's mass expulsion by Israeli occupation. They end by discussing Nitish’s recent reporting on Buzzfeed’s upcoming AI-infuse...

In this episode, Bryan Lowder and Christina Cauterucci sit down with ACLU lawyer Chase Strangio to unpack the strategy behind the latest legal fights over trans healthcare, passports, and military service. They explore how the language of Trump’s executive orders are more overtly cruel than his last administration, what this progression signals policy-wise, and how we can think about the road ahea...

When enough people opt out of routine vaccinations for their children, diseases that have been all but eliminated can come roaring back, as is the case with a growing measles outbreak in West Texas.  Guest: Dr. Adam Ratner , pediatrician of infectious disease in New York City and author of Booster Shots: The Urgent Lessons of Measles and the Uncertain Future of Children’s Health . Want more What N...

Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay talk about the social media battle between Wishbone Kitchen’s Meredith Hayden and Bon Appétit. Hayden’s popularity exploded as a private chef in the Hamptons, where she’d post idyllic “day in my life” TikToks. Now, Hayden is accusing food magazine Bon Appétit of possibly stealing her “Dinner with Friends” concept, which is a video series she started back in January 202...

Hosts Alex Kirshner , Lindsay Gibbs , and Ben Lindbergh talk about the 4 Nations Face-off which kicked off with intense brawls and continued with high-stakes, best-on-best action. The panel also breaks down the NBA’s lackluster All-Star Weekend and wraps up with the latest moves in WNBA free agency. On the bonus episode available exclusively for Slate Plus members, the panel takes a look at JuJu W...