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In the last few years, New York City’s delivery workers have become a key part of the food industry’s infrastructure, allowing restaurants to do business with customers who are too stressed to leave their desks, or too cautious to leave their homes. But a spate of violent attacks and bike thefts has shown that the people delivering your Grubhub and Seamless orders are deeply vulnerable. Why are th...

What does a massing of Russian troops on the Ukrainian border mean? And could this conflict be defused yet by diplomacy? Guest: Slate’s Fred Kaplan , author of The Bomb: Presidents, Generals, and the Secret History of Nuclear War .  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 Slo...

Using experimental technology to pull gigatons of carbon out of the air and bury it deep beneath the Earth sounds like a bad sci-fi plot point. If things don’t change soon, it also might be one of our only options. Guest : Clive Thompson , journalist and author of Coders: The Making of a New Tribe and the Remaking of the World Host: Lizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more in...

After initially cooperating with the select committee investigating the events of January 6, former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows reversed course, deciding instead to assert executive privilege. But Meadows had already handed over documents and text messages relating to that day—painting a picture of how Trump’s inner circle reacted as the Capitol was under siege.  What happens to Meadow...

Maryland Democrats had a shot at an 8-0 gerrymander this redistricting cycle. To the frustration of the national Democratic party, they stopped just shy of that number. Should Maryland Democrats have just taken the total low road on partisan gerrymandering?  Guest: Jim Newell , senior politics reporter for Slate. Sign up for his weekly newsletter, The Surge .  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privac...

When Georgia Governor Brian Kemp announced his intent to run for reelection, he knew he was facing down a rematch with voting rights activist and former state lawmaker Stacey Abrams. What he likely didn’t expect was a challenge from the right in the form of David Perdue, a local businessman, former senator, and good friend who was encouraged to run against him by Donald Trump. Now, the question is...

Banning books in schools is on the rise. Around the country, parents are lobbying to banish from libraries and curriculums any work they deem to be “graphic” or “offensive,” often sweeping up books centered on queer or POC experiences in the process. Some authors say that’s no coincidence - nor is it surprising that this is happening just as the publishing industry is remaking itself to tell more...

The U.S. civil court system doesn’t get as much attention as the criminal courts, but it would be hard to overstate its importance. In 2018, for example, 47 percent of respondents to a Pew survey said they had dealt with the system in one way or another; from eviction proceedings, to debt collection, to child-support modifications.  What happened when the pandemic upended such an important pillar...

Michigan state Senator Rosemary Bayer has been fighting for years to get safe storage laws on the books in her home state. In the wake of the shooting at Oxford High School, a school that sits in her district, her mission has become that much more urgent.  Guest: Rosemary Bayer is a state senator in Michigan. She represents the northern suburbs of Detroit. If you enjoy this show, please consider s...

When Chinese tennis player Peng Shuai accused a former Chinese Vice Premier of rape, what came next was darkly predictable: the athlete disappeared from public view while the government scrubbed all mentions of her allegations and censored searches for her name. But few expected the Women’s Tennis Association to strike back, suspending all future tournaments in China and Hong Kong. As the WTA stan...

All signs point to rough congressional elections next year. What are House Democrats doing to hold their majority? Guest: Rep. Sean Maloney (D-N.Y.), chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. 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—...

After oral arguments last week, the Supreme Court looks ready to overturn Roe v. Wade . How did conservatives get to this moment when the majority of Americans favor legalized abortion? And do liberals have the patience to keep the fight alive? Guest: Mark Joseph Stern , staff writer at Slate covering the Supreme Court. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus...

On Monday, Jack Dorsey stepped down as CEO of Twitter. It’s not the first time he’s left the job.  Is this really the end for the man who guided Twitter through the Trump era? And how will the platform change without him at the helm? Guest : Nick Bilton , special correspondent at Vanity Fair Host: Lizzie O’Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

CNN anchor Chris Cuomo was recently placed on indefinite leave by the network for his involvement in the damage control operations of his brother, former NY governor Andrew Cuomo, over the last year. A trove of documents revealed that Chris had overstepped ethical lines to help protect Andrew while he was under fire for allegations of sexual harassment.  Why did the younger Cuomo wade into the pol...

In November, South Africa alerted the world to Omicron, a new strain of COVID-19. Then, as cases began to pop up worldwide, the World Health Organization labeled it a “variant of concern.” What do we know about Omicron, and just how worried should we be? Guest: Dr. Katelyn Jetelina , assistant professor with the School of Public Health at UTHealth and author of Your Local Epidemiologist on Substac...

Child care has long been a “textbook example of a broken market,” as Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said this fall . How have government efforts so thoroughly failed to fix this industry? And does Biden’s infrastructure bill threaten to hamper child care businesses even more? Guest: Claire Suddath , writer for Bloomberg Businessweek.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate P...

If you had to take the SAT for your college admissions process, you largely have the University of California System to thank for that. When the university adopted the test in 1968, hundreds of other colleges followed suit. But now, U.C. has decided not to use standardized tests in admissions anymore. Could the decision spur a retooling of the college admissions process more broadly?  Guest: Teres...

This episode originally aired in January 2021 The story of how GameStop went from the verge of a bankruptcy to a $15 billion market value isn’t an easy one to wrap your head around. But it helps to go back to the beginning; almost three years ago, in a subreddit called r/wallstreetbets. Guests: Brandon Kochkodin , reporter at Bloomberg Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This episode originally aired in January 2021 The story of how GameStop went from the verge of a bankruptcy to a $15 billion market value isn’t an easy one to wrap your head around. But it helps to go back to the beginning; almost three years ago, in a subreddit called r/wallstreetbets. Guests: Brandon Kochkodin , reporter at Bloomberg Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Supreme Court is considering a case that may strike down New York state’s strict restrictions on carrying a gun in public. Some public defenders think that might be a win for criminal justice reform.  Guest: Sharone Mitchell Jr. , Chief Defender for the Cook County Public Defenders.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ad...

Last August, then-17-year-old Kyle Rittenhouse and fatally shot two people and wounded another with a semi-automatic rifle during a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Rittenhouse’s lawyers leaned heavily on the teenager’s right to defend himself. In Wisconsin, that means the prosecution had to disprove self-defense beyond a reasonable doubt. Was it inevitable that Rittenhouse would walk free? And how...

How many times a day do you hear the word “inflation” now? Many items are getting more expensive, but what’s actually driving those price increases? And are we heading towards a repeat of the 1970s wage-price spiral, or is this a temporary blip?  Guest: Jordan Weissmann , senior editor at Slate.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits lik...

Over the weekend, Russia tested a new weapon​​—a type of missile that can fly into space and destroy a satellite in orbit.  The test created thousands of pieces of debris, which will hurtle around the Earth’s orbit for years to come. What’s the real risk of the rapid increase in space junk? And is there anything to be done about it? Guest : Laura Grego , Stanton Nuclear Security Fellow at MIT Host...

Beto O’Rourke is running to replace Greg Abbott as governor of Texas. Though it’s his first time in this particular race, you’d be forgiven for thinking, “again?”  Where does this habitually-losing smooth-talking Irish-guy-with-a-bordertown-nickname fit into a state with changing demographics and an incumbent governor under assault from both the right and left? Is Beto building a coalition, or hea...

After dragging its feet on reopening schools this winter, the San Francisco Unified School District school board is under fire. Their every decision is being scrutinized by angry parents and three of its members are facing recall elections. What happens when the school board debate comes to the Bay?  Guest: Jill Tucker , education writer for the San Francisco Chronicle.  If you enjoy this show, pl...