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Persistent Russian missile strikes since February and an ongoing blockade have silenced Odesa’s normally busy port—but not its 19th century opera house. Performances now end with a singing of the Ukrainian national anthem. Guest: Ekaterina Tsymbalyuk , a soloist at the Odesa Opera. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on a...

As anti-gay and anti-trans politics become more mainstream, the Trevor Project has a unique perspective. They run a hotline where queer kids are talking about how Republican rhetoric is meeting reality. Bullying once thought to be confined to high schools has made its way to mainstream politics.  Guest: Sam Ames , civil rights lawyer and director of advocacy and governmental affairs at The Trevor...

There's still a lot unknown about COVID's new wonder drug. Guest: Rachel Gutman-Wei Host: Lizzie O'Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Climate change is causing unprecedented severe weather. Is the agency prepared for it to get worse? Guest: Craig Fugate and Ashley Nerbovig Host: Lizzie O'Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last month, inflation hit a new 40-year high . Americans are feeling it in their grocery bills, at the gas pump, in airline tickets, electrical bills, and rental costs. What can be done to combat rising prices in the current economy – and at what price?  Guest: Jordan Weissmann , senior editor and writer at Slate focused on economics, politics, and public policy. If you enjoy this show, please con...

The Supreme Court treated its most recent term like the opening salvo in a conservative revolution, approving prayer in schools, establishing a constitutional right to conceal and carry a firearm, and eliminating the constitutional right to abortion. What options do President Biden and Congress have to check the power of this co-equal branch of government?  Guest: Mark Joseph Stern , Slate senior...

After the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the question of abortion rights became a state issue. Although Arizona was one of 26 states with so-called “zombie laws” that banned abortion when Roe was struck down, it’s also one of three states that lets its citizens write l amend the state’s constitution. Now, abortion rights activists are racing to collect more than 350,000 signatures by July 7...

Harry Blackmun wasn’t Richard Nixon’s first choice to fill a vacancy on the Supreme Court. But after Blackmun was confirmed, he got the assignment of a lifetime: writing the majority opinion in  Roe v. Wade . His approach to that case would have consequences he never imagined. Season 7 of Slow Burn is produced by Susan Matthews, Samira Tazari, Sophie Summergrad, and Sol Werthan. Derek John is Sr....

According to the Justice Department, there’s a right way — and a wrong way — to be a hacker. Guest: Josephine Wolff Host: Lizzie O'Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Social media makes mental health information accessible. But it's not a perfect solution. Guest: Lindsay Lee Wallace Host: Mary C. Curtis Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A surprise session of the House’s Jan. 6 committee featured testimony from Cassidy Hutchinson, the former executive assistant to White House chief of staff Mark Meadows. Hutchinson was inside the White House as the Jan. 6 riot happened, and she testified that Trump knew an armed crowd was chanting “hang Mike Pence”—the thing that upset him most was not being able to join them.  Hutchinson’s testim...

One tragedy replaces another in the headlines—that’s just how things go.  The Texas state legislature isn’t scheduled to convene until January 2023, when the shooting at Robb Elementary in Uvalde will no longer be fresh in people’s minds, and the momentum for changing Texas’s gun laws will be long gone. One state senator, however, won’t accept that. Guest: Roland Gutierrez , Democratic Texas State...

How did Mississippi go from resoundingly voting down a “fetal personhood” amendment in 2011 to being the state that brought down Roe v. Wade? Outsiders have long viewed the state as a potential fulcrum to overturn abortion laws in America, to the point where three different legislators introduced three identical bills to ban abortion 15 weeks after fertilization in 2018.  Guest: Ashton Pittman, se...

For years the conservative justices slow rolled abortion restrictions, limiting how the procedure is done and who can perform an abortion, making accessing reproductive health care harder and harder. Now, with a majority of justices agreeing to completely overturn Roe v. Wade, the slow roll is over.  Guest: Susan Matthews, Slate’s news director and host of Slow Burn Season 7: Roe v. Wade. If you e...

Fidelity made headlines when they announced you could invest your retirement savings in Bitcoin. Then the crypto market crashed. Guest: Anthony Lee Zhang Host: Sonari Glinton Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fidelity made headlines when they announced you could invest your retirement savings in Bitcoin. Then the crypto market crashed. Guest: Anthony Lee Zhang Host: Sonari Glinton Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The openness of the internet is its greatest strength. Or a glaring weakness, depending on who you ask. Does something need to change? Guest: Jared Schroeder Host: Sonari Glinton Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The third week of the House of Representatives investigation into the Jan. 6 riot is focusing on the weeks-long pressure campaign waged by Trump and his allies. Individuals around the country were harassed by Trump loyalists in order to change the election outcome. Trump’s “stochastic terrorism” campaign set the stage for what would happen at the capitol come January. Guest: Ben Mathis-Lilley, Sla...

On the campaign trail, Joe Biden called Saudi Arabia a “pariah” and said its ruling regime should be held accountable for the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. But now, rising oil prices have caused President Biden to soften his tone and plan a visit to Saudi Arabia next month. How much can the U.S. really demand of its allies? Guest:   Gregory Gause , head of the Department of International...

A school with armed teachers and every door locked sounds a lot more like a prison than a nourishing educational environment. How does the discussion around school shootings change when you change your starting point from “how can we stop this?” to “what kind of world do we want to live in?”  Guest: Ron Avi Astor, professor of public affairs, social work, and education at UCLA.  If you enjoy this...

Soon after Ann Hill arrived at Yale Law School in 1968, she realized she was pregnant. Her options were limited: she could give birth—or get an illegal abortion. The decision she faced inspired her to take on Connecticut’s abortion ban. The legal battle that followed would set the stage for Roe v. Wade . Season 7 of Slow Burn is produced by Susan Matthews, Samira Tazari, Sophie Summergrad, and Sol...

This episode originally aired in July 2021. Last year, North Americans saw record-breaking heat, droughts, wildfires, and floods. The science is clear: we are living through the effects of climate change. Now scientists are trying to answer: is this the new normal? Guest: Daniel Swain , climate scientist at UCLA  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One state wants to stop people from buying one. But can electric vehicles be stopped?  Guest: Ryan Cornell Host: Sonari Glinton Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The hearings have started for the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol. The televised hearings have already circled in on a major, and possibly criminal theme: Donald Trump would not accept that he lost the election and was willing to listen to any theory or allegation—no matter how little evidence there was to support it—that would let him stay in offi...

San Francisco is all but short-hand for “liberal American city,” but their progressive district attorney Chesa Boudin just got booted from office in a not-so-close recall. Elected as part of a wave of progressive prosecutors, why is Boudin now out, while his reformer-minded peers remain popular? And what does it mean for criminal justice reform in America?  Guest: Jessica Brand , founder and co-di...