Slate News

There’s plenty to be learned from past pandemics. They tend to follow a dramatic arc: denial, blame, and mass mobilization. So far, the coronavirus tracks with some contagions of the past—but can history tell anything about where we’re headed? Guest: David S. Jones , professor of the culture of medicine at Harvard University. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up...

As the COVID-19 pandemic worsens, the United States might have to figure out how to hold an election in a time of social distancing. Will local, state and federal officials be able coordinate in time to transform our election infrastructure? Guest: Nate Persily, Stanford University Law Professor Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acas...

In this Slate Money mini-series, Felix Salmon talks to guests about the economics of food. Jordan Thaeler of WhatsBusy joins Slate Money Food to talk about the tech and data side of the food biz. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To understand where the country is right now in battling this pandemic you have to confront some pretty grim statistics. Roughly one in three Americans are under some kind of orders to stay at home. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases surpassed 33,000. And a nearly $2 trillion dollar coronavirus rescue package is hanging in the Senate’s balance. With many Americans and health care workers needi...

This week, the Slate Money hosts discuss the government’s plan to send out checks, the senators who used inside information to profit off the COVID-19 pandemic, and the latest news from China.  “ Coronavirus: The Hammer and the Dance ,” by Tomas Pueyo And in the Slate Plus segment: Brazil. Email us your questions about personal finance during the pandemic at slatemoney@slate.com ! Podcast producti...

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson and David Plotz are joined by Dr. Amesh Adalja to discuss efforts to address the pandemic, journalist Neil Irwin on whether the U.S. economy can be saved, and author Jon Mooallem on his new book This is Chance! about communities uniting in a crisis. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment David challenges Emily and John to a surprise topic that invites them to examin...

Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence.  Sign up now  to listen and support our work. Google has spent the last decade trying to find a foothold in the health care industry. Now they’re partnering with the federal government to build a website that will seek to address the crisis. Can Google be trusted with our medical data? Guest: Maso...

Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence.  Sign up now  to listen and support our work. Google has spent the last decade trying to find a foothold in the health care industry. Now they’re partnering with the federal government to build a website that will seek to address the crisis. Can Google be trusted with our medical data? Guest: Maso...

Many Americans still can’t imagine how the coronavirus pandemic will upend their lives. In northern Italy, no imagination is needed. Coffins pile up in churches and cemeteries as funeral gatherings remain banned. Hospitals are overwhelmed. And those who die from COVID-19 die alone.  Guest: Greta Privitera , an Italian journalist on her fourth week of lockdown in Milan.  Slate Plus members get bonu...

In this weekly, day-of update, the Slate Money hosts discuss what’s going on right now amid the COVID-19 pandemic.  Email: slatemoney@slate.com Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As the novel coronavirus spreads sickness and anxiety around the U.S., it’s tempting to point fingers at government agencies that seemed wholly unequipped for the crisis. And, to be clear, Washington was not prepared. But here’s what decision makers can be doing right now to figure out what comes next.   Guest: Beth Cameron , vice president for global biological policy and programs at the Nuclear...

When Senator Elizabeth Warren announced the end of her presidential campaign, she was asked about the role of sexism in the race. Warren didn’t venture an answer, promising she’d have more to say later. In the meantime, we have some thoughts.  Guest: Rebecca Traister , writer for New York Magazine and author of Good and Mad: The Revolutionary Power of Women’s Anger .  Slate Plus members get bonus...

In the face of the coronavirus outbreak, U.S. political leaders are moving faster than they have in years. But it still might not be fast enough. Guest: Jordan Weissmann , Slate’s senior business and economics correspondent.  Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this Slate Money mini-series, Felix Salmon talks to guests about the economics of food. In the first episode of the mini-series, Felix talks to Zachary Crockett about the cult of Costco and what makes the no-frills warehouse such an alluring shopping experience. (Especially now that everyone is stockpiling toilet paper.) And you can read Zachary’s piece on Chik-fil-A here .  Hosted on Acast. Se...

Open or closed? Across the country, state governors and mayors are asking themselves that question: Are we safer staying open, or are we safer closing down?  Over the weekend, more cities and states ordered shutdowns to temper the spread of COVID-19. But we’re dealing with a threat we haven’t seen before. How are we supposed to make decisions when we’re lacking basic information about how this cor...

This week Ben Hubbard, author of “MBS: The Rise to Power of Mohammed bin Salman” , joins Felix, Emily, and Anna to discuss the global economic effects of the Coronavirus, the oil situation in the Middle East and the pros and cons of working from home.  In the Slate Plus segment: More on “MBS: The Rise to Power of Mohammed bin Salman” Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Professor Michele Goodwin, Chancellor’s Professor of Law and Director of the Center for Biotechnology and Global Health Policy at the University of California Irvine School of Law. Professor Goodwin unpacks the oral arguments in this term’s big reproductive health case, June Medical Services , and delves into the history of racism and civil-rights trampling in the name...

Last week, the superintendent of the Northshore school district near Seattle made a difficult decision. With the coronavirus spreading rapidly in the area, she closed all 34 schools in her district and moved all classes online. But for many schools, remote learning at this scale simply isn’t an option.  With new cases appearing around the country, how will schools respond? And what happens when yo...

Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence.  Sign up now  to listen and support our work. Last week, the superintendent of the Northshore school district near Seattle made a difficult decision. With the coronavirus spreading rapidly in the area, she closed all 34 schools in her district and moved all classes online. But for many schools, re...

Emily Bazelon, David Plotz, and John Dickerson discuss the coming COVID-19 crisis, Biden as the presumptive nominee, and guest Leon Neyfakh joins the show to talk about his podcast Fiasco Season Two: Iran-Contra. For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, David, and John discuss how to make the most of social distancing. Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on the Gabfest each week, and ac...

We talk about polls a lot on this podcast. State polls, national polls, polls that make you shrug and vote for the other guy. Today, we’re talking about one of the most unusual polls we’ve ever seen: Slate teamed up with The Marshall Project to conduct a survey of incarcerated people across the country. We received 8,000 responses about political awakenings, party affiliations, and the biggest pro...

Even though Kareem Shaheen left Syria a few years back, the reminders of his time there are everywhere. For nine years a brutal conflict has left millions seeking refuge with millions more still stuck in limbo. This past December, the Assad regime launched its latest attempt to seize back control of the largest rebel-held territory in Syria, Idlib.  Today on the show, Kareem tells us about Idlib,...

On Monday morning, the Dow saw its biggest one day drop since 2008. This time, the cause was a combination of a volatile oil market and heightened fears of a pandemic. The usual economic tools may not be enough to reassure markets.  Guest: Jordan Weissmann ,Slate’s Senior Business and Economics Correspondent Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dea...

The Trump 2016 campaign had unprecedented success on Facebook. Ever since, Trump's reelection campaign has been pumping out ads and collecting data on a massive scale. Democrats are only just beginning to catch up.  Guest: Andrew Marantz , staff writer at the New Yorker and author of Antisocial: Online Extremists, Techno-Utopians, and the Hijacking of the American Conversation Slate Plus members g...

This week Felix, Emily, and Anna discuss the Fed’s emergency, coronavirus-driven rate cut; the life of Jack Welch and the troubles of Jack Dorsey; and Lebanon’s Ponzi scheme. “‘Knowing the Right People’: The Embattled Concierge With Elite Connections” by Tabby Kinder and Daniel Thomas  In the Slate Plus segment: “ Paul Singer, Doomsday Investor ,” by Sheelah Kolhatkar in the New Yorker.   Email: s...