Slate News

Ever since police used a DNA platform called GEDmatch to crack the Golden State Killer case in 2018, police departments around the country have rushed to use genetic genealogy to crack their own cold cases. The result? Hundreds of violent cases solved.  So--why are some states passing new laws to limit this new technology? Guest: Nila Bala , senior staff attorney at the Policing Project at NYU Law...

As the big decisions for the term start to cascade down from the high court, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by one of the nation’s foremost thinkers and writers about the Supreme Court: Dean Erwin Chemerinsky of Berkeley Law School. Together, they unravel the ruling on the Affordable Care Act, try to discern the significance of the unanimous decision in Fulton, and Dean Chemerinsky outlines why he’s ca...

Emily, John and David discuss President Biden's G7 summit and the meeting with President Putin, McConnell’s plans to block a Biden Supreme Court nominee, and they are joined by guest Melissa Murray on what “critical race theory” is and is not. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Julia Ioffe for Tomorrow Will Be Worse: “ ‘Everyone Gets What They Deserve’: Biden Takes On the Pu...

Around the country, states are casting off pandemic restrictions. But for millions of immunocompromised people, the pandemic isn’t nearly over. Guest: Dr. Lindsay Ryan, internist at San Francisco General Hospital and San Francisco VA Medical Center in California.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast,...

The clock is winding down on the CDC’s eviction moratorium. The moratorium will lift in less than two weeks, marking an end to the pandemic-era protection. What happens to vulnerable tenants when the clock runs out?  Guest: Henry Granville Widener, rent strike organizer in Maryland   Alieza Durana , reporter for Princeton’s Eviction Lab  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate...

Turn on your favorite business news channel, and it seems like all anyone can talk about is inflation. Prices are rising, but is it anything to worry about in the long term?  Guest: Jordan Weissmann , Slate’s senior business and economics correspondent.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus epis...

As U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland approaches 100 days of leading the Department of Justice, the department’s recent legal positions in support of former President Trump have mystified onlookers. Is the department lost at sea, and can Garland right the ship?  Guest: Ankush Khardori , attorney and former federal prosecutor. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Sl...

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Stacy-Marie Ishmael talk about the ProPublica report on the tax returns of US billionaires, how Uber prices are changing and what it means, and the consequences of Bitcoin becoming legal tender in El Salvador.  In the Plus segment: UI fraud. Mentioned in the show: “ The Secret IRS Files: Trove of Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest Avoid Inco...

Over the last decade, billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Richard Branson have come to embody the future of space travel and exploration. What does it mean when the ideas and ambitions of a few powerful men come to dominate the conversation so thoroughly? Guest: Lucianne Walkowicz , astronomer at the Adler Planetarium and founder of the Just Space Alliance Host Lizzie O’Leary This episode...

Over the last decade, billionaires like Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Richard Branson have come to embody the future of space travel and exploration. What does it mean when the ideas and ambitions of a few powerful men come to dominate the conversation so thoroughly? Guest: Lucianne Walkowicz , astronomer at the Adler Planetarium and founder of the Just Space Alliance Host Lizzie O’Leary This episode...

Emily, John and David discuss Joe Manchin, how the Trump DOJ lives on, and George Packer’s four Americas. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: John Dickerson for CBS News: “ Sen. Joe Manchin on Face the Nation , June 6, 2021 ” Ruth Marcus for the Washington Post: “ Attorney General Garland, Please Stop Digging ” George Packer for the Atlantic: “ How America Fractured Into Four...

Conor Lamb has been one of the most reliable moderates and institutionalists among the House Democrats. The Capitol breach on January 6th changed that. Now, the Pennsylvania congressman says his focus is shifting to “not allowing things like respect and bipartisanship to be something that hides the truth.”  Guest: Congressman Conor Lamb , Democrat from Pennsylvania.   If you enjoy this show, pleas...

In the last year, New York City has experienced a surge in violent crime, reflecting a trend across major cities nationwide. In a heated race to be the city’s next mayor, one candidate, former New York police captain Eric Adams, is using the issue of public safety to his advantage.    Guest: Eric Lach , staff writer at The New Yorker. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Pl...

Vice President Kamala Harris reportedly urged the Biden administration to give her a portfolio -- a clear way to contribute to the work of the White House while also building her political reputation. But now that she’s been tasked with the immigration crisis and the protection of voting rights, is she getting more than a vice president alone can handle?  Guest: Edward-Isaac Dovere , reporter for...

The NFL recently announced it would stop using “race norming” when assessing who would receive a share of their recent $1 billing settlement for former players. The practice, which assumed Black players started with lower cognitive function and made it harder to collect their share, is standard in many areas of medicine.  Guest: Darshali Vyas , Physician at Massachusetts General Hospital  If you e...

Dahlia Lithwick and Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern offer analysis of the big decisions due from SCOTUS any minute, and Dahlia hosts a conversation with Rep Katie Porter about the need for laws to shore up toppled norms.  In our Slate Plus segment, Mark returns to discuss the Stanford law student targeted by the Federalist Society. Nicholas Wallace nearly missed out on getting his diploma after fellow l...

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Stacy-Marie Ishmael talk about AMC’s meme stock moment and the pros and cons of working from home. Then, Charles Duhigg of the New Yorker and Slate’s How To! podcast, joins to talk about his recent article on Chamath Palihapitiya . In the Plus segment: The latest Jobs Report.  Mentioned in the show: “ Employees Are Quitting Instead of Giving Up Working From...

Two weeks ago, as wildfires burned north of Los Angeles, the crime app Citizen offered $30,000 for information that would lead to the arrest of a suspected arsonist. They had the wrong guy.  Why is Citizen offering bounties in the first place? And what does this bounty debacle say about the app’s aspirations for the future? Guest: Joseph Cox , reporter at Motherboard  Host Henry Grabar Hosted on A...

Two weeks ago, as wildfires burned north of Los Angeles, the crime app Citizen offered $30,000 for information that would lead to the arrest of a suspected arsonist. They had the wrong guy.  Why is Citizen offering bounties in the first place? And what does this bounty debacle say about the app’s aspirations for the future? Guest: Joseph Cox , reporter at Motherboard  Host Henry Grabar Hosted on A...

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: The Ezra Klein Show: “ Obama Explains How America Went From ‘Yes We Can’ to ‘MAGA’ ” Uneasy Peace: The Great Crime Decline, the Renewal of City Life, and the Next War on Violence , by Patrick Sharkey  AmericanViolence.org Monica C. Bell for the Yale Law Journal: “ Police Reform and the Dismantling of Legal Estrangement ” Penn Wharton Budget...

Texas Republicans, sensing the state’s slow, leftward drift, barreled ahead with legislation to make voting more cumbersome this week. Democratic lawmakers did the one thing they could to resist it: They refused to show up for a vote. But the fight over voting rules isn’t over in Texas, and Republicans maintain the upper hand.  Guest: Alexa Ura , reporter for the Texas Tribune.  If you enjoy this...

After the Capitol riot on January 6th, Republicans proposed a bipartisan commission to investigate what took place as an alternative to impeaching then-President Trump. But last Friday, Senate Republicans led by Mitch McConnell killed the bill to establish that commission. Why was the bipartisan commission dead on arrival? And is there a way for an investigation to move forward without one? Guest:...

Despite the pandemic, the Tokyo Olympics are set to kick off in late July. Many Japanese citizens are worried that such a large-scale event might worsen the pandemic in their country but the International Olympic Committee insists on pushing forward. Will the Olympics this year be a disaster?  Guest: Henry Bushnell , features writer for Yahoo Sports. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing...

Hi Amicus listeners. Some of you might be familiar with The Waves, Slate’s podcast about feminism and gender, which has been around for years in various forms. The Waves went on hiatus at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, but I’m glad to say that it is back. Every Thursday, you’ll find a new episode in your feed, looking at the news and culture through the lens of gender. We thought Amicus list...

Joe Weisenthal of Bloomberg joins Slate Money to talk about his take on inflation , Exxon’s new activist investors, and Amazon buying MGM.  In the Plus segment: Joe on the importance of semiconductors.  Mentioned in the show: " It’s Time to Talk About Something and Inflation Isn’t the Right Word for it ,” by Joe Weisenthal for Bloomberg “ What Scaremongering About Inflation Gets Wrong ,” by Rebecc...