Slate News

Two gig workers standing side-by-side can be offered the very same job and get offered two different wages. Set by an algorithm and based on calculations that are never explained to the workers themselves, this unequal pay for equal work is already subject to lawsuits that call it a form of price fixing and wage discrimination, but the tech is being tested in other industries. Guests: Veena Dubal...

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Semafor editor-in-chief Ben Smith to discuss his new book . They also break down Tucker Carlson’s departure from Fox News and the end of Buzzfeed News. In the Plus: A throwback to the olden days of blogging.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network...

Twitter’s “blue check” verification went from something you applied for, to something you could pay for, to something you had to pay for…to something that many celebrities wouldn’t even accept for free. Master of horror Stephen King told us he wouldn’t pay for a blue check, but he’s not going to fight it either—he just doesn’t really understand what’s going on. Does anyone at Twitter understand? G...

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss the kick-off of President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign; the firings of Tucker Carlson from Fox News and Don Lemon from CNN; and the Bud Light marketing misstep with Insta influencer Dylan Mulvaney.  Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Joe Biden Campaign: “ Let’s Finish the Job ”  Aaron Zitner for the Wall S...

A self-described activist had late-stage, fallopian tube cancer. She didn’t live in one of the 11 jurisdictions that allows terminally-ill patients the choice to medically end their own lives. But rather than relocating, she argued Vermont’s residency restrictions were unconstitutional.  Guest: Lynda Bluestein, a 75-year-old woman seeking to end her life on her terms, who successfully sued Vermont...

Tucker Carlson has now completed the holy trinity of cable TV news: joining — and leaving — MSNBC, CNN, and now Fox News. Why did Fox oust him so abruptly? And how did he create a feedback loop that made Fox millions — and changed American politics forever? Guest: Nicole Hemmer , Director of the Rogers Center for the Study of the Presidency at Vanderbilt University. If you enjoy this show, please...

“Stand Your Ground” laws have expanded across the country over the past 20 years, allowing people to use deadly force even when they could safely retreat from a perceived threat. But when someone shoots a person standing on their porch, or as they turn around in a driveway, or in a crowd, the claim that these laws exist for self-defense doesn’t seem to wash. Guest: Tamara Lave , professor of crimi...

Evan Gershkovich is the first foreign journalist arrested in Russia as a spy since the Cold War. When the war in Ukraine began, Evan - like most journalists - left the country. But then, he went back. Why?   Guest:  Drew Hinshaw , senior reporter at the Wall Street Journal If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate...

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Peter Kafka of Vox. They discuss episode five of the final season of HBO’s Succession, including a drug-fueled party, a very normal trip to Norway, and why the baguette may in fact be mightier than the bagel. Also, bags of blood. Really.  Check out how the Succession timeline (kind of) works.  If you enjoy this show, please consider sign...

Weather apps can be frustrating. And with how much we rely on them to know if we should wear pants or shorts, they'll still leave you in the rain. But as the climate gets wilder, the questions of how to tell people what they need to know—and quickly—can be an issue of life or death. Guest: Charlie Warzel , staff writer at the Atlantic Daniel Swain , UCLA climate scientist   Host: Lizzie O'Leary If...

As laughter ricocheted around the Supreme Court chamber Wednesday, Professor Mary Anne Franks wondered if she could quite believe her ears. The matter of some hilarity, it seems, were messages sent by a convicted stalker to his victim. Individual messages that were among what one detective estimated to number in the hundreds of thousands - possibly as many as one million messages - sent by Billy R...

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss the biggest business, tech and finance stories of the week. This week, Fox News settles with Dominion, Elon’s rocketship blows up, and Apple has a savings account now.  In the plus: Quantifying the value of domestic labor.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across th...

David Plotz talks with author  Alexandra Petri  about her new book,  Alexandra Petri’s US History: Important American Documents . They discuss how to transform staid history documents into rollicking parodies, how Petri found her “voice” multiple times, and her grander ambitions for the book. Plus, Petri reads some choice selections. Tweet us your questions  @SlateGabfest  or email us at  gabfest@...

Reddit announced it will start charging companies to use its huge, ever-growing trove of text to train A.I. chatbots. It’s another expense for the fledgling tech and another knock against the “open internet” ideals that Reddit once embodied.  Guest: Mike Isaac , tech reporter for the New York Times. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits...

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss the $787.5 million settlement of the Dominion Voting v. Fox News defamation lawsuit; the political game being played with raising the U.S. debt ceiling; and the Russian detention of American journalist Evan Gershkovich.  Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Jim Rutenberg and Katie Robertson for the New York Time...

Just as the defamation trial was set to begin, Fox News settled with Dominion Voting Systems at a cost of $787.5 million. While not nearly as expensive as a Rupert Murdoch divorce, surely the settlement and the airing of their texts and emails has taught them something valuable—right?  Guest: Justin Peters , Slate correspondent. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Sl...

The 89-year-old Dianne Feinstein has stated she plans to retire at the end of her term, but her health-related absences have stymied the Democrats’ ability to confirm judges—one of the few things the party can actually do in a divided government. Guest: Joe Garofoli , senior political writer at the San Francisco Chronicle, covering national and state politics. If you enjoy this show, please consid...

The defamation trial between Dominion Voting Systems and Fox News is slated to start this week. Though Dominion uncovered a trove of texts and emails from people at Fox News who knew calling the 2020 election stolen was a lie, proving “defamation” is a high bar in the United States. Can Dominion win the case? And even if Fox News can win the legal case, is their reputation shot?  Guest: Erik Wempl...

Iowa was one of the first states in the country to pass legislation against teaching that the United States is systemically racist — an idea some equate with “critical race theory.” But when one social studies teacher asked how he could teach U.S. history without running afoul of the new law, he didn’t get any clarity — or help.  What happens when legislation targets teachers? And as America’s tea...

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by graphic designer Michael Bierut to recap the fourth episode of the last season of HBO’s Succession. The family attends Logan’s wake where big moves are made. Someone gets a surprising phone call. And where did that piece of paper come from? If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-fr...

A new law in Utah that goes into effect next year states that anyone under 18 needs parental permission to use social media. Is it a necessary step to protect children from harms associated with social media, or are we blunting a tool of expression for the youth?  Guest: Dr. Mitch Prinstein , chief science officer at American Psychological Association Host: Lizzie O’Leary If you enjoy this show, p...

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers go over China’s expanding role in the international debt market. They discuss a new problem with the American mortgage system, and dive into the wild world of the collectibles market . In the Plus segment, Rupert Murdoch’s email divorce . If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience ac...

There’s a terrible legal Easter egg in Judge Matthew J. Kacsmaryk’s ruling on the abortion medication, Mifepristone. And that same Easter egg makes an appearance in the Fifth Circuit’s partial stay. It’s the Comstock Act - a mostly forgotten 19th century vice statute that is suddenly the anti-abortion movement’s favorite zombie legislation. On a special extra episode of Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick is...

Discord is a place to share a community online. Most often, it's for gaming. So why did classified intelligence from the Pentagon end up on a small server whose main interests seem to be video games, military equipment and memes? And how? Guest: Shane Harris , intelligence and national security reporter for the Washington Post. Host: Lizzie O’Leary If you enjoy this show, please consider signing u...

This week, David Plotz and Emily Bazelon discuss the federal court rulings on the F.D.A.-approved abortion medication mifepristone, the expulsion of two Democratic representatives by the Republican-supermajority state legislature in Tennessee, and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ latest ethics problem.    Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Adam Unikowsky for Adam’s Leg...