Slate News

The Slate Money crew is joined by a familiar voice in Jordan Weissmann to discuss “The Insider”. They talk about the many conflicts of interest, how to make journalism look interesting, and the problem with Michael Mann movies. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and an additional segment of our show eve...

Next week, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in one of the most significant—and potentially deadly—cases of the term - United States v Rahimi . The case, a follow on from New York State Rifle & Pistol Association Inc. v. Bruen , has the potential to weaponize the court’s Second Amendment extremism against victims of domestic abuse and protect adjudicated abusers. Dahlia Lithwick is joined...

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers tackle the verdict in the Sam Bankman-Fried trial and a lawsuit against realtors. They also discuss the UAW contract negotiations and how it will affect car manufacturers in the rest of the United States.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and an additiona...

Sam Bankman-Fried was found guilty on seven charges of wire fraud, conspiracy and money laundering and is facing a 110-year sentence.  Cryptocurrency, itself, has lost an ambassador, a lot of value, and quite a bit of credibility.  Guest: Nitish Pahwa , associate business and tech writer covering the trial for Slate. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus mem...

Biden’s executive order on A.I. indicates his administration is taking it seriously. Does it go far enough?  Guest: Cecilia Kang , covering technology and policy for the New York Times. 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 episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporti...

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Nikki Haley’s progress and Ron DeSantis’s stagnation in Iowa, Donald Trump’s testimony in New York, and Dean Phillips’s campaign in New Hampshire; the first social-media cases of the term at the Supreme Court; and  Ours Was the Shining Future: The Story of the American Dream  with author  David Leonhardt . And you can be a part of t...

What does the history of Hamas tell us about where the Israel-Palestine conflict could go from here? Guest: Mohammed Hafez , professor who studies Islamist movements, political militancy, and violent radicalization at the Naval Postgraduate School and author of Why Muslims Rebel and Suicide Bombers in Iraq: The Strategy and Ideology of Martyrdom . If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up...

The FBI was overwhelmed trying to ID people who stormed the Capitol on January 6th. An online group picked up the slack and helped catch hundreds of rioters.  Guest: Ryan Reilly , Justice reporter at NBC News, and author of Sedition Hunters: How January 6th Broke the Justice System . If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on...

After mass shootings, one refrain becomes, “We don’t need gun control to treat a mental health problem.” But in a case like the mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, there were mental health interventions and red flags raised by the military and the shooter’s family. Why didn’t it work—and what’s a better way forward? Guest: Mark Follman , national affairs editor at Mother Jones and the author of Trig...

In early August, wildfire tore across West Maui. Months later, the tourism economy is struggling to get back to speed, while residents remain displaced. Guest: U’i Kahue , cultural practitioner and the co-owner of Maui Grown 808, LLP . 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 episodes of shows like...

Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers and Emily Peck talk about the latest GDP numbers and why people still feel bad about the economy. They also break down two big fossil fuel mergers, and Felix explains why dimes shouldn’t exist. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and an additional segment of our show every...

On this week’s show, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Slate’s Jurisprudence Editor, Jeremy Stahl . Jeremy is also the lucky person tasked with helming Slate’s coverage of the many many criminal and civil trials of Donald J Trump and Amicus listeners can expect to hear a lot from Jeremy over the next year. After a week of big news across a number of the former President’s courtroom battles, Jeremy give...

The man at the center of it all takes the stand in his own defense—but what’s left to say? Guest: Nitish Pahwa , associate business and tech writer covering the trial for Slate. 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 episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the w...

In August, California regulators voted to allow self-driving car companies like Cruise and Waymo to expand their operations and start offering robotaxi services. 2 months later, after a litany of mistakes, Cruise is pulling all of its driverless cars off the road. Is this an existential threat to the entire AV industry? Guest: David Zipper , visiting fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School If you enj...

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz take the show on the road and gab live with Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers; discuss the new Speaker of the House Mike Johnson; and review the former lawyers and Chief of Staff who will testify against Donald Trump.    Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: City Cast Madison podcast  and  Madison Minutes newsletter Jennifer...

Is new House Speaker Mike Johnson a palatable face on the same hard-right politics? Guest: Tim Miller , political consultant and writer. 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 episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now...

Why one State Department official who worked in weapons transfers quit over America’s policy towards Israel and Gaza—and what that says about U.S. policy in the Middle East. Guest: Josh Paul , former State Department official working in arms transfers to foreign powers, who resigned on Oct. 18. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like...

Weeks after Kevin McCarthy was ousted, Republicans are still scrambling to elect a new Speaker of the House. After failed runs by Steve Scalise and Jim Jordan, the candidate pool keeps growing. Who is in the running now, and will anyone be able to snag the 217 votes needed?  Guest: Joseph Zeballos-Roig , Congress reporter at Semafor. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plu...

Before the new abortion clinic even opened in Casper, Wyoming, it was set ablaze. But to the clinic’s founder, property damage and violence aren’t new.  Guest: Julie Burkhart , founder of Wellspring Health Access 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 episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prud...

In this episode of the Movies series, the Slate Money gang talks with BNN Bloomberg’s Amanda Lang about “BlackBerry”. Are there really vampires in Waterloo, Ontario? Why are all movie business guys just people who yell?  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and an additional segment of our show every week...

As MAGA Republicans engage in extremist arm wrestling in the House Speaker race, and the sins of the 2020 election subversion scheme catch up with Donald Trump’s closest allies, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by brand new MacArthur “genius grant” recipient Ian Bassin of Protect Democracy to take a look at the stakes of this moment for American democracy. An attempt to walk and chew gum at the same time...

Since Microsoft announced its bid to buy Activision Blizzard last year, regulators around the world sounded the alarm that the merger would suppress competition in the industry.  Now that the deal has officially gone through, should gamers be worried?  Guest: Jason Schreier , covering the video game industry for Bloomberg If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plu...

This week, Felix Salmon , Emily Peck , and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Sara Fischer, senior media reporter at Axios, to break down recent media deals with sports leagues, and why cord-cutters are going old school and buying TV antennas. They also discuss Marc Andreessen’s unhinged tech manifesto. In the Plus segment: The recent survey of consumer finances. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli....

David Plotz talks with author and 12-year Amazon senior employee,  Kristi Coulter  about her new memoir,  Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career . They discuss the good, the bad, and the confusing parts of Coulter’s career at Amazon, starting in 2006. They talk about the culture of Amazon, the frustrating gender dynamics, and why she was constantly “a year away” from a promotion...

Since war broke out, Hamas has been efficient in getting its message out on social media - both in providing crucial information to refugees fleeing the area, and in waging psychological warfare. How can platforms meet the need for open lines of communication without spreading propaganda?  Guest: Sheera Frenkel , covering tech for the New York Times If you enjoy this show, please consider signing...