Slate News

On the great legal history episode of Amicus, host  Dahlia Lithwick  is joined first by  David Gans , director of the Human Rights, Civil Rights, and Citizenship Program at the Constitutional Accountability Center. While GOP Senators used the Ketanji Brown Jackson hearings to take potshots at important ideas like unenumerated rights and substantive due process to score points with their base, the...

With 9.1% ownership of Twitter—and a board seat—Elon Musk is the new master of Twitter's future. Why did the wealthiest man in the world just take over the world's most influential platform? Guest: Ranjan Roy , writer of the Margins newsletter Host: Lizzie O'Leary  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emily, John and David discuss Russia’s war crimes; Disney’s reaction to “don’t say gay”; and Amazon’s first union. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Andrew Exum for The Atlantic: “ The Russian Military Has Descended Into Inhumanity ” Noam Scheiber for The New York Times: “ Amazon Workers Who Won a Union Their Way Open Labor Leaders’ Eyes ” Microsoft: “ The Rise of the Tripl...

In a speech before the United Nations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of the worst war crimes since World War II. But whether there will be accountability on the international stage is a separate question—especially with Russia sitting permanently on the UN Security Council.  How difficult would it be to prove war crimes have in fact been committed in Ukraine? And even if th...

Few were betting that a group of workers on Staten Island could win union recognition at their Amazon warehouse. Now that they’ve done it, can they replicate this win at other shops across the country? And what will the nation’s largest unions do to help Amazon workers join the labor movement? Guest: Steven Greenhouse , senior fellow at the Century Foundation and author of Beaten Down, Worked Up:...

At the beginning of the pandemic, Congress loosened the rules around school lunch programs, and approved additional funding to help schools provide more meals to more kids. But those allowances are set to expire on June 30th, leaving schools desperate for help as they anticipate a future of less funding and less flexibility.  Guest: Helena Bottemiller Evich , senior food and agriculture reporter a...

Welcome to Slate Money Goes to the Movies, a miniseries in which Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and a different guest each week discuss popular business-themed movies. Shazna Nessa  of  The Wall Street Journal  joins Felix and Emily to talk about the 1963 Bengali film,  The Big City . They talk about how the feminist themes resonate today, what makes it an “art house” film, and why the ending seems lik...

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene has become an avatar of the Republican far-right. But that has its downsides. It makes you a target. But Greene isn’t running scared.   Guest: Charles Bethea , staff writer at the New Yorker.  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 B...

For nearly a decade, Margrethe Vestager has led Europe's efforts to rein in big tech. One newspaper article described Vestager as putting the fear of God into Silicon Valley. How is she thinking about fairness in tech in 2022? Guest: Margrethe Vestager,  Executive Vice-President of the European Commission for a Europe fit for the Digital Age  Host: Lizzie O'Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/pri...

This week,  Felix Salmon  and  Emily Peck  are joined by Slate  Pay Dirt  columnist,  Elizabeth Spiers . They talk about how women (mostly college educated) might be doing okay in the workforce, and what happened when Barclays didn’t check the right box and Axie Infinity didn’t notice it didn’t have an SEC shelf registration.  In the Plus segment: The inflation and war nexus with gas prices. Menti...

Why did Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt spend over a decade building relationships with the most powerful Democrats in America? Guest: Alex Thompson , reporter at Politico Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson and David Plotz discuss Biden's gaffe in speaking too honestly about Russia; Trump’s missing phone logs; and Ginni Thomas’s efforts to subvert the election. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Bob Woodward and Robert Costa for The Washington Post: “ Jan. 6 White House Logs Given To House Show 7-Hour Gap In Trump Calls ” Hugo Lowell for The Guardi...

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization is having a moment. The alliance dates back to the early years of the Cold War, and ever since, it has seesawed in and out of favor with Western leaders. But now, as Russia continues to wage its attack on Ukraine, NATO has assumed some of its old relevance. Guest: Mary Elise Sarotte , professor of Historical Studies at the Henry A. Kissinger Center for Global...

Virginia “Ginni” Thomas, the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, is a fervent right-wing activist. She was also a supporter of the attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results, as evidenced by a batch of texts shared with the congressional committee investigating January 6th.  The Ginni Thomas texts create a conflict of interest for Justice Clarence Thomas as he hears cas...

After more than 70 weeks on the Billboard U.S. Hot 100, Dua Lipa and her song “Levitating” have run into trouble: two separate copyright complaints claiming the pop star ripped off other artists in writing her hit. These aren’t the first lawsuits to test the boundaries of what counts as plagiarism in the musical realm; and if either suit succeeds, it will have far-reaching consequences for creativ...

Welcome to Slate Money Goes to the Movies, a miniseries in which Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and a different guest each week discuss popular business-themed movies. Author and businessman,  Ben Horowitz  joins Felix and Emily to talk about the quietest Quentin Tarantino movie,  Jackie Brown . They get into Ordell Robbie’s bad retirement plan, the romance of Jackie Brown and Max Cherry, and why you n...

In February, WNBA star Brittney Griner was arrested at an airport near Moscow for allegedly possessing hash oil in her carry-on luggage. She’s been held in a Russian prison ever since — and a court recently extended her detention until May 19.  Why is Russia pursuing charges so vigorously against an American basketball player with a large Russian fanbase? And how long could it be until Griner gets...

Going off-grid can seem appealing in lots of ways. But are there consequences if everyone unplugs from the system? Are there costs we haven’t considered? Guest: Ivan Penn , renewable energy correspondent for the New York Times Host: Seth Stevenson Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week,  Felix Salmon  and  Emily Peck  are joined by  Mary Childs , host of NPR’s Planet Money to talk about her upcoming book,  The Bond King , the exodus of Midtown’s working population, and Grimes’s confession to DDoS-ing the music blog “Hipster Runoff.” In the Plus segment: Behind the scenes of Mary’s publication journey. Mentioned In the Show:  “ Midtown Manhattan With Fewer Office Worker...

It was a week: Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearings, Justice Clarence Thomas in the hospital, Ginni Thomas’ tweets in the hands of the Jan. 6 committee, and an out-of-the-blue redistricting decision on the shadow docket.  First, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Angela Onwuachi-Willig, dean of Boston University Law School, to discuss why the Senate Judiciary Committee is a terrible venue...

The FBI warned that Russia would use deepfakes to support its invasion of Ukraine. Are they missing the real threat? Guest: Noah Giansiracusa, professor of math and data science at Bentley University. Host: Seth Stevenson Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Plotz and John Dickerson are joined by Ruth Marcus to discuss Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearing; Ukraine keeps fighting through atrocity; and more allegations of Republican candidates committing domestic abuse. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Dana Milbank for the Washington Post: “ Cruz Attacks Jackson For ‘Critical Race Theory’—But Sends His Own Daughter...

Russia’s indiscriminate shelling of civilian targets in Ukraine is eerily reminiscent of its involvement in the war in Syria, where the goal was to crush civilian morale amid an uprising against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. How did top global powers allow Russian President Vladimir Putin to be successful in Syria? Are there signs that he’ll enjoy similar success now, in Ukraine?  Guest: Willi...

The White House and Senate Republicans are at an impasse when it comes to passing a $15 billion pandemic relief package. And there are growing concerns about money running out for COVID-19 response essentials like tests, therapeutic treatments and vaccines. This week, some of those pandemic relief federal funds will start drying up. What does that mean for America's state of pandemic readiness – e...

Emily Bazelon talks with author Meghan O’Rourke about germ theory, biomarkers, medical mysteries, long COVID and the quest to return to health as chronicled in her new book The Invisible Kingdom: Reimagining Chronic Illness .   Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com . (Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Jo...