Slate News

While the What Next team enjoys the holiday, we’re proud to feature this episode from our colleagues at How To . When Elle started a new career as a therapist, she never imagined she would be the one in need of help. After just a few months, her position at a group practice became untenable amid a lack of support from colleagues. Now she’s looking for a new job and wants to avoid a similar scenari...

Telegram was supposed to be the platform with the freest of free speech, which meant it was also rife with the worst the internet has to offer—"criminal activity” puts it lightly. But are French authorities setting a dangerous precedent with the arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov?  Guest: Joseph Menn, tech reporter for the Washington Post covering privacy and security. Want more What Next TBD? Sub...

This week, Felix Salmon , Emily Peck , and Elizabeth Spiers discuss the lawsuit against RealPage, a software company the DOJ says helps landlords collude to keep rents too damn high. Also: Was Nvidia’s earnings report worth the hype? And Australia got a new “right to disconnect.” Will Americans ever get to unplug? In the bonus mini-episode, the hosts debate whether airports should limit alcohol an...

In the last episode of our series The Law According to Trump, we try to figure out what it all means. In the months since SCOTUS gave Trump even more immunity than he asked for, the people prosecuting the former president are finding themselves in uncharted waters. How are they doing?  Slate’s Jurisprudence editor Jeremy Stahl talks with host Andrea Bernstein about how Jack Smith has tweaked the e...

Since the pandemic, schools have been reporting that their students are more anxious and having trouble learning. How much does simply removing cell phones from the classroom address these problems? Guests:  Laura Meckler , national education writer for the Washington Post Russell Shaw, head of Georgetown Day School and author of “ Why We’re Banning Phones at Our School ” for the Atlantic. Want mo...

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the Kamala Harris-Donald Trump debate and other campaign goings-on; the January 6th and classified documents cases brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith; and the national housing shortage with  Conor Dougherty  of The New York Times.  Here are this week’s chatters: Emily: Wayne Homes:  The Great Debate: Front Porch vs. Back Porch ; ...

Say what you will about Donald Trump, the man can work a crowd. His running mate on the other hand… Guest: Sam Adams, Slate writer and senior editor for Slate’s Culture department. 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 podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of...

Why has this Venezuelan presidential election led to so much violence and controversy? Guest: Ana Vanessa Herrero , Washington Post correspondent based in Venezuela, reporting on South America.  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 podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free”...

Since becoming the nominee, Kamala Harris has renounced some of her more progressive policy goals from her 2020 campaign, tacking closer to the Biden administration line and political center. So far, though, it hasn’t cost her progressive support. Guest: Pramila Jayapal , U.S. representative for the 7th congressional district of Washington.  Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access a...

Do Georgia’s new “electoral integrity” laws create more faith in the voting process—or just make it more restrictive? Guest: Sam Gringlas , politics reporter at WABE in Atlanta. 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 podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our...

Why are national politicians like Nancy Pelosi lining up alongside artificial intelligence companies to oppose safety regulations on this new industry proposed in California’s state legislature?  Guest: Rachael Myrow , senior editor on KQED’s Silicon Valley news desk. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Sl...

This week, Felix Salmon , Emily Peck , and Elizabeth Spiers discuss Disney’s disastrous attempt to block a man from seeking justice for his deceased wife and the impact of the forced arbitration clauses most of us sign. Also: The political fallout of Kamala Harris’ vague remarks on price control and the White House’s “vibe-rarian,” and what the rise of sports betting means for the financial well-b...

Former President Donald J Trump keeps figuring out ways to escape criminal liability. The Supreme Court has thrown a wrench into the insurrection case and delayed sentencing in the campaign finance hush money case, while a Florida judge helped him slip out from under charges of recklessly mishandling classified documents… at least, for now. But Trump has seen less success defending himself in civi...

The last crypto boom left the industry cash-rich and reputation-poor, so they’re doing what any beleaguered industry does—donating to politicians. Guest: Zeke Faux, investigative reporter for Bloomberg and author of Number Go Up . 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...

This week, John Dickerson returns and joins Emily Bazelon and David Plotz to discuss the Democratic National Convention; presidential polls; and overtourism.  Here are this week’s chatters: John: @jdickerson on Threads: Background Sounds on iPhone Emily: Tablets Shattered by Joshua Leifer; Gabfest Reads: Where Does the American Jewish Experience Go from Here? ; and Ginia Bellafante for The New Yor...

They swapped candidates, are on the offensive, and almost all in accord. The Democrats are suddenly feeling good.  Guest: Jim Newell , senior politics writer at Slate . 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 podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show pag...

What happened when a blue city inherited a red state problem.  Guests:  Brandon Johnson, mayor of the city of Chicago . Dr. Kenneth D. Phelps , senior pastor at Concord Missionary Baptist Church (CMBC) in Chicago. 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 podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by c...

Democrats frustrated by Joe Biden’s policy towards Israel and Gaza voted for “uncommitted” in the primaries, notably in the crucial swing state of Michigan. Does Kamala Harris have an opportunity to reach those voters now? Guest: Yazan “Yaz” Kader, uncommitted DNC delegate from the state of Washington and registered nurse. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to...

How do you save a region from an economic tailspin? For this Money Talks, Felix Salmon chats with Paul Collier, author of The Bottom Billion and, most recently, Left Behind: A New Economics for Neglected Places . They discuss the economic and political forces that drag countries and regions to the bottom — and how they might be saved. Paul gives examples across time and geography, from Cold War-er...

Voters, especially young voters, increasingly split parties along gender lines. Can an “all-disaffected-men” strategy propel the Republicans back to the White House, or is the Democrats’ “freedom” messaging broad enough to win the election?    Guest: Jill Filipovic, journalist, lawyer, and author of OK Boomer, Let’s Talk: How My Generation Got Left Behind and The H-Spot: The Feminist Pursuit of Ha...

GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy are in high demand and short supply. The internet makes it easy for you to have a compounding pharmacy whip you up a batch—but should you? Guest: Kate Knibbs, senior writer at Wired.  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 b...

The power of the presidential pardon is a holdover from America’s colonial roots. But no one had used it like former President Trump. Over and over he kept pardoning his allies, and then, he’d welcome them back into the fold. . It seemed like he was rewarding these criminals for their loyalty, and belittling whole categories of crime, like fraud, campaign finance violations, and corruption. Is tha...

Political Gabfest host Emily Bazalon talks with author Joshua Leifer about his new book,  Tablets Shattered: The End of An American Jewish Century and the Future of Jewish Life . They discuss Leifer’s experience growing up Jewish in America, the conflict in Gaza, how what it means to be Jewish has evolved, and more.  Tweet us your questions  @SlateGabfest  or email us at  gabfest@slate.com . (Mess...

This week, author and data journalist Nate Silver joins Felix Salmon , Emily Peck , and Elizabeth Spires to discuss his new book On the Edge: The Art of Risking Everything , a deep dive into the risk-taking class that shapes modern society. They discuss the low-risk world of “the village,” and the community of high stakes, go-big-or-go-home investors on “the river.” How do these reams affect inves...

Since Elon Musk took over Twitter - now X - in 2022, he’s increasingly used it to push his conservative views. A suit against a non-profit brand safety group of advertisers and an exclusive interview with former President Trump show that Elon was never interested in keeping Twitter as a town square, but rather, a soapbox for him to push his political agenda.  Guest: Nitish Pahwa, associate writer...