Slate News

Last week a federal judge in Texas refuted the FDA approval for mifepristone, a pill used for medication abortions, which would suspend that approval across the country. But some experts say - plenty of drugs don’t have FDA approval, and are still widely distributed… from baby formula, to multivitamins.  Guest: Rachel Rebouché , dean and James E. Beasley professor of law at the Temple University B...

The FDA just approved a version of Narcan, the most commonly used version of the overdose prevention medicine naloxone, for over-the-counter sales. The move comes in response to overdose deaths steadily rising since the late ‘70s and around 100,000 Americans dying from overdose just last year. What took so long? Guest: Nancy D. Campbell , department head at Rensselaer’s department of science and t...

The Tennessee House, which has a Republican supermajority, voted last week on motions to expel three Democratic members for “disorderly behavior” after they led protest chants from the floor of the chamber.  Two Black lawmakers, Rep. Justin Jones and Rep. Justin Pearson—both in their late 20s and new to the House this session—were ousted. The motion to boot the other Rep. Gloria Johnson, who’s whi...

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Slate’s Lizzie O’Leary to go over the shocking third episode of the last season of HBO’s Succession. Are Tom and Shiv going to get back together? What was in the “Logistics” folder? And was Connor’s wedding actually nice?  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience acro...

A ProPublica investigation revealed that Justice Clarence Thomas has been gifted luxury vacations by Republican donor and billionaire Harlan Crow. For over two decades, Justice Thomas has taken private jets, gone on yachts and stayed at private resorts alongside powerful Republican donors, all funded by Crow. For the most part, Justice Thomas did not disclose these vacations.  The investigation ra...

U.S. air travel is being strained on all sides—travel demand is back to 2019 levels, but the number of pilots and planes and ground crew hasn’t caught back up, and a rash of close calls are raising safety concerns about America’s aging flying infrastructure. Guest: Jon Ostrower , editor in chief of The Air Current . Host: Lizzie O’Leary If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate...

Slate Money hosts Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Elizabeth Spiers talk about the podcasting economy and if the bubble has burst—or if it will soon. They also talk about Anthony Scaramucci’s hedge fund troubles , and a story about how to win at roulette.  In the Plus segment: The implications of Supreme Court Justice Thomas’ ties to a billionaire, and the broader politicization of the American judici...

On this week’s Amicus Dahlia Lithwick is first joined by Sherrilyn Ifill , former President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, to talk about Tennessee and the mounting evidence of Republican state houses and governors finding novel (but also depressingly old) ways to disenfranchise voters and subvert democracy. Ifill sounded the alarm about all of this in a presc...

While TikTok’s parent company, Bytedance, is fighting to keep its flagship app from being banned in the United States, it’s also pushing a new app into the marketplace—Lemon8. One part Pinterest, one part Instagram and a dash of its sister app, Lemon8 is most likely saddled with the same security concerns that led lawmakers to consider banning TikTok. Guest: Sapna Maheshwari , business reporter fo...

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Washington Post’s Ruth Marcus discuss Donald Trump’s arraignment; the elections of Janet Protasiewicz to the Wisconsin Supreme Court and Brandon Johnson for Chicago mayor; and the possibility of No Labels playing spoiler in 2024 presidential politics.   Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Manhattan District Attorney’s Office: “ Dist...

Is the Manhattan DA’s case against Donald Trump something he can wriggle out of, or is the former president in real legal trouble this time? Some are already dismissing Alvin Bragg’s investigation as weak and small potatoes. But others are more optimistic. What’s the case for indicting - on these charges?  Guest: Norm Eisen , senior fellow at Brookings Governance, CNN legal analyst.  If you enjoy...

A federal judge has struck down a provision in the Affordable Care Act requiring private insurers to provide preventive care—screenings and the like—at no cost to patients.  But preventive care is a good investment for insurance companies and for national health. It’s something Americans already don’t get enough of — but is anyone willing to step in and save it? Guest: Julie Rovner , chief Washing...

In Wisconsin, the state Supreme Court election is breaking records when it comes to campaign spending on a judicial race. With abortion rights for Wisconsinites, their state’s electoral geography, and potentially the fate of the 2024 presidential election on the line, that big ticket spending makes sense. But will it make a difference in who gets the seat?  Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, senior staff w...

In a history-making move, a grand jury voted to indict a former president. We’ll have more answers about the details of the charges after Donald Trump’s Tuesday arraignment, but what this means for the GOP nomination, the 2024 race, and for future presidents in politically-hostile states is still up in the air. Guest: Ankush Khardori , former federal prosecutor for the U.S. Department of Justice....

Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by The New Yorker’s Clare Malone to recap the latest episode of HBO’s Succession . Will Kerry get on ATN? Will the Kids squash the GoJo deal? Is anyone going to come to Connor’s wedding?  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 segmen...

CBP One, U.S. Customs and Border Protection's app that is supposed to make crossing the border more efficient, is littered with bugs. But even a perfectly functional smartphone app would pose problems for people seeking asylum on the southern U.S. border.  Guest: Arelis Hernández , Washington Post reporter Gia Del Pino, director of communications at the Kino Border Initiative Felicia Rangel Sampon...

This week, Felix Salmon , Emily Peck , and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Kevin Delaney, co-founder of Charter. They discuss the layoffs that have swept across multiple industries, and if letting workers go actually solve the issues CEOs say they are. They also take a look at how work has changed during the pandemic, digging into how middle managers have the worst jobs, and how having too many mee...

In a Gabfest Special edition, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss Donald Trump’s indictment. Here are some notes and references from today’s show: The New York Times: “ Live Updates: Trump Likely to Be Arraigned on Tuesday ” Slate Political Gabfest: The “Trump Will Be Indicted Next Tuesday” Edition Email your questions and chatters to gabfest@slate.com or Tweet us @SlateGabfest...

As Medicare Advantage plans have increased their reliance on software to determine what their customers require—and, therefore, receive—elderly patients are being denied coverage for care they need. What happens when an algorithm — not a doctor — decides how much care you need and it’s not enough? Guest: Casey Ross , national technology correspondent at STAT Host: Emily Peck If you enjoy this show...

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss Prime Minister Netanyahu’s decision to pause the legislation that will weaken Israel’s judiciary; the Congressional testimony of TikTok’s CEO Shou Chew; and the possibility of Chris Christie for President in 2024.   Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Emily Bazelon for The New York Times: “ Behind Protests’ Fur...

Two weeks after Roe v. Wade was overturned, Lauren Hall found out the baby she was carrying had a fatal condition: her head and skull weren’t properly developing. Texas’s three overlapping bans on abortion forced her to fly to Washington to terminate the unviable pregnancy. With the Center for Reproductive Rights, she’s now one of five plaintiffs suing the state, so no one else will have to go thr...

Two years ago, the NCAA changed their rules to allow college athletes to make money from their “name, image and likeness.” It was a stop-gap measure at best, and some folks even want to see athletes gain employee status. But, the NCAA has taken to Capitol Hill today to try to prevent just that.   Guest: Dan Murphy , staff writer at ESPN and author of Start By Believing . Spotify listeners, click h...

Israel ground to a halt on Monday after a series of massive protests against planned judicial reforms. Though Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the reforms will be delayed, getting them passed is a top priority for his far-right coalition government. How can the government—and country—move forward? Guest: Dahlia Scheindlin , international political and strategic consultant and fellow at...

In Chicago, a city plagued by recent crime concerns from its citizens, a progressive former Teachers Union organizer faces an opponent who has described himself in the past as “more of a Republican than a Democrat.”  Guest: Gregory Pratt , Chicago Tribune reporter covering Mayor Lori Lightfoot and City Hall. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get...

This week, Felix Salmon , Emily Peck , and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by author and journalist Jim Stewart to recap episode one, season four of HBO’s Succession. They talk architecture, business deals, and parallels between the television drama and real-life media moguls. Podcast production by Anna Phillips and Patrick Fort. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.