Slate News

Stuart Frisch gave security training to the members of Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas, less than six months before they found themselves under siege and held hostage—a training the rabbi cited when explaining how they managed to escape.  How does Frisch approach protecting spaces that aren’t meant to be fortresses? Can faith and security coexist? Guest: Stuart Frisch, advisor for t...

This week, Felix Salmon and Emily Peck are joined by economics journalist and author, Peter Goodman. They discuss Goodman’s new book “ Davos Man: How the Billionaires Devoured the World ” Microsoft’s biggest deal ever, and what’s going on with 5G networks and airplanes.  In the Plus segment:  Peloton is down, will it survive? Further Reading: “ Microsoft Buys Scandal-Tainted Activision in Bet on M...

A recent advertisement for crypto.com, featuring Matt Damon, was met with widespread mockery online. But Damon’s ad is only the most visible example of a much broader—and more insidious—trend of celebrity cryptocurrency endorsements. Is the partnership between crypto and Hollywood really dangerous? And what separates the trend from run-of-the-mill salesmanship? Guests: Jacob Silverman , staff writ...

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson and David Plotz discuss Biden’s first year, SCOTUS's block of OSHA’s vax-or-test rule, and Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s busy start. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: John Dickerson for CBS Sunday Morning: “ President Joe Biden: The First Year ” Station Eleven , by Emily St. John Mandel  Station Eleven series on HBO Max Here’s this week’s...

President Biden, unlike his predecessor, was able to spend some time planning his COVID-19 response. One year in, is the plan working? Guest: Dan Diamond , national health reporter for the Washington Post.  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—a...

The Supreme Court heard two challenges to the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccination mandates this month. It blocked one mandate and upheld another, giving some observers whiplash.  How did the court come to such different rulings on similar workplace mandates, and what do the rulings say about how the court views the federal government as a whole? Guest: Mark Joseph Stern , staff writer cove...

Conservative talk radio host Dan Bongino sits atop a media ecosystem that is fueling the fervor behind Trump and his big lie.  Guest: Evan Osnos is staff writer at The New Yorker and a fellow at the Brookings Institute. He’s also the author of Wildland: The Making of America’s Fury . If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on...

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Ranjan Roy of  Margins  talk about the death of ZIRP (a zero-interest rate policy) and what that means for the future; Felix’s glee about the sale of Citi Bank’s Mexican unit, Banamex; and the puzzle game sweeping the Internet.  In the Plus segment: Ken Griffin’s Citadel Securities gets big investment from crypto.  Mentioned In the Episode:  Axios Markets Ne...

In the wake of two major vaccine-mandate decisions at the high court this week, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Andy Slavitt, former senior adviser to Biden’s White House pandemic response team. Slavitt was also the acting administrator of the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid Services from 2015 to 2017. He hosts the In the Bubble podcast, and is the author of Preventable: The Inside Story of How Lead...

Today on What Next TBD: What is going on with little kids' vaccines? Why don’t they seem to be a priority for the government or the pharmaceutical companies, while parents are stressed to a breaking point? We discuss with Meg Tirrell, health and science correspondent for CNBC, and co-host of the Readout Loud podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Today on What Next TBD: What is going on with little kids' vaccines? Why don’t they seem to be a priority for the government or the pharmaceutical companies, while parents are stressed to a breaking point? We discuss with Meg Tirrell, health and science correspondent for CNBC, and co-host of the Readout Loud podcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson and David Plotz discuss voting rights, Russia's recent moves, with guest Nina Jankowicz; and the increasing politicization of cable news. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Cornell Law School’s Legal Information Institute: Electoral Count Act of 1887 David Becker on Face the Nation : “Elections Expert David Becker Denounces ‘Efforts to Sow Confu...

For the past year, Democrats have been touting the importance of passing two huge federal voting protections bills. If those plans can’t pass, should the party tackle straight-up election subversion?  Guest: Rick Hasen, professor of law and political science at the University of California–Irvine School of Law and author of Election Meltdown: Dirty Tricks, Distrust, and the Threat to American Demo...

Back in March, Texas Governor Greg Abbott sent a couple hundred members of the Texas National Guard to the U.S.-Mexico border to counteract what he called President Biden’s “open border policies.” Almost a year later, around 10,000 troops are stationed there at Abbott’s command. Many guardsmen have had to upend their lives for a mission that seems to have little purpose.  Guest: Davis Winkie , sta...

Chicago Public Schools canceled classes for three consecutive days this year, following a vote by the teachers union to defy in-person teaching orders amid a rise in COVID-19 cases. The union wants additional safety measures in place as teachers and students return to school. Meanwhile, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said the union’s actions are “illegal,” and the public schools system said the refu...

J.D. Vance became a sought-after cultural translator when he published Hillbilly Elegy. Now, he’s a rhetorical bomb-thrower running for the Republican nomination for Senate in Ohio. But underneath Vance’s transformation is a relatively consistent appreciation for a new strain of conservatism still in the process of defining itself. Could Vance’s candidacy advance this intellectual movement on the...

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Stacy-Marie Ishmael talk about the split verdict in the trial of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes, the short supply (and high prices) of COVID rapid tests, and whether restaurants should be allowed to sell cocktails to-go. Plus, we say goodbye to Stacy during her last episode of Slate Money.  In the Plus segment:  The   New York Times’  purchase of  The Ath...

Elizabeth Holmes was found guilty of defrauding investors this week in federal court. The former CEO, wunderkind, and blood mogul has been the subject of intense legal interest and public fascination ever since her company, Theranos, was beset by scandal in 2015. Today on What Next: TBD we follow-up with Rebecca Jarvis, host of “The Dropout” podcast and ABC News Chief Business, Technology & Ec...

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson and David Plotz discuss Jan. 6, with guest Jamelle Bouie and what to make of omicron's impact on schools, and the Theranos case. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Matt Levine for Bloomberg: “ Slaying the Blood Unicorn ” Wall Street Journal: Theranos and Elizabeth Holmes: History of the WSJ Investigation   Emily Bazelon for the New York Times Ma...

Back in March of 2020, a scientist working at MIT developed a rapid test for the novel coronavirus. It wasn’t quite as accurate as a PCR, but would have gone a long way in detecting infectious cases during the emerging pandemic. But her test was never approved—and today, the U.S. is still behind other developed countries in our mass testing scheme. Guest: Lydia Depillis , reporter for ProPublica....

It's easy to look at the latest pandemic-related disruptions and assume we're careening into another full-blown COVID crisis. But in many ways, we’re getting better at combating this coronavirus.  Guest: Dan Diamond , national health reporter for the Washington Post.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podca...

Months before the attack on the Capitol, Bart Gellman predicted that the 2020 election would usher in a make-or-break year for American democracy. He was correct. Now, he’s trying to sound the alarm again. This time he says American democratic institutions and systems are being broken before our eyes, and the people in power aren’t doing enough to stop it. Guest: Barton Gellman , staff writer at T...

The Justice Department’s criminal investigation into the January 6th insurrection is unprecedented. More than 700 rioters face charges, and federal prosecutors are still adding names to the pile. As cases work their way through the courts, judges are sparring over the proper approach to sentencing rioters. How do you hold an individual responsible for a collective event?  Guest: Zoe Tillman , seni...

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Stacy-Marie Ishmael are joined by  Joe Weisentahl  of the  Bloomberg podcast Odd Lots. They discuss this past very long year in markets – from labor to crypto to supply chains; what’s up and what’s making them go ‘huh?’ and how we should maybe be grateful to Steve Mnuchin.  In the Plus segment: How the lumber supply chain issue had very little to do with lum...

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, to reflect on the past year and her time at the head of the legendary civil rights organization as she prepares to step down in spring 2022.  In our Slate Plus segment, Dahlia is joined by Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern for the “Amicus Plus 2021 Hangover Edition,” in which they...