What Next | Daily News and Analysis

The Biden administration is under no illusions that Russia President Vladimir Putin can be a willing partner of the U.S. But what tools remain to check Putin’s ambitions? Guest: Josh Keating, senior editor at Slate and the author of Invisible Countries .  Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What makes a police officer shoot when a suspect’s hands are up? To understand this, it helps to examine police training, and the predominant lesson that many young officers receive: Any encounter could be your last.  Guest: Michael Sierra-Arévalo , assistant professor at the University of Texas at Austin. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acas...

Like countless venture-funded start-ups before it, Substack is “disrupting” the media industry. The newsletter service is siphoning off high-profile talent with a promise of independence and bigger paychecks. But the platform’s influence might reach far beyond the media. Will Substack change the way we think about online creators and their audiences? Can it create a new kind of relationship betwee...

Like countless venture-funded start-ups before it, Substack is “disrupting” the media industry. The newsletter service is siphoning off high-profile talent with a promise of independence and bigger paychecks. But the platform’s influence might reach far beyond the media. Will Substack change the way we think about online creators and their audiences? Can it create a new kind of relationship betwee...

Federal officials have recommended halting distribution of the Johnson & Johnson coronavirus vaccine, citing rare but potentially severe blood clots. Now, health officials are trying to find out whether or not the clots are connected to the vaccine, creating confusion and sometimes panic for recipients. While the process may seem backwards for some, others say it’s science working the way it’s...

Republicans are smart to lean in on “cancel culture” as a campaign issue to unite voters. Dan Pfeiffer of Pod Save America says Democrats have the power to make that a losing strategy for the GOP. Guest: Dan Pfeiffer, co-host of Pod Save America. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How one theory about COVID-19’s origins went from the fringes to the mainstream -- and why it just might be plausible. Guest: Alina Chan , postdoctoral fellow at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Derek Chauvin stands trial for the murder of George Floyd, prosecutors are determined to show the justice system is going to work in this case. Beyond the courtroom, the future of Minneapolis’s relationship with its police department is an open question. Guest: Jon Collins , class and criminal justice reporter at Minnesota Public Radio. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast...

Since the start of the pandemic, usage of apps like BetterHelp and Talkspace has skyrocketed. These apps might make mental health care more accessible, but are the products they sell really the same as therapy? Guest:    Molly Fischer , features writer for the Cut at New York Magazine Host Lizzie O’Leary   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since the start of the pandemic, usage of apps like BetterHelp and Talkspace has skyrocketed. These apps might make mental health care more accessible, but are the products they sell really the same as therapy? Guest:    Molly Fischer , features writer for the Cut at New York Magazine Host Lizzie O’Leary   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In February 2020, Karlin Chan began a group called the Chinatown Block Watch to patrol his New York City neighborhood and act as a “visual deterrent” to anti-Asian attacks. One year and one pandemic later, Chan’s Block Watch is still patrolling the streets, and taking an expansive view of what it means to keep the community safe. Guest: Karlin Chan, founder of the Chinatown Block Watch. Hosted on...

Michigan is currently home to 13 of the worst performing metro areas when it comes to the coronavirus. They recently surpassed 10,000 new cases and their curve has “gone vertical”. With vaccine distribution ramping up across the country, is the Michigan surge a warning for the rest of the country?  Guest: Abdul El-Sayed, host of America Dissected Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free p...

Last week, President Biden rolled out an ambitious infrastructure plan that relies on increased taxes on corporations to fund big changes to America’s infrastructure. His plan goes beyond putting pavement on the ground, and lays out a different vision for what "infrastructure" really means. Guest: Jordan Weissmann , Slate’s senior business and economics correspondent.  Slate Plus members get bonus...

Last week, The New York Times reported that Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz was under investigation by the Justice Department over his relationships with women recruited online for sex, and whether he had sex with a 17-year-old girl. Gaetz gained national attention for his trollish, Trumpian antics and fiery loyalty to the then-president. What happens if the Trump playbook doesn’t work for the 38-year-old...

ICYMI is Slate’s new podcast about internet culture. It’s a show for people who have a healthy relationship with the internet, made by people who really, really don’t. It’s hosted by Slate’s Madison Malone Kircher and Rachelle Hampton. Twice a week they’ll explore what’s trending at the top of your feeds, investigate the ghosts of internet past, and help you sound like the smartest person in your...

There are at least 17 different “vaccine passport” initiatives underway in the United States. And leaked documents reveal that the Biden administration fears that “a chaotic and ineffective vaccine credential approach could hamper our pandemic response by undercutting health safety measures, slowing economic recovery, and undermining public trust and confidence.”  Without coordination, a chaotic a...

There are at least 17 different “vaccine passport” initiatives underway in the United States. And leaked documents reveal that the Biden administration fears that “a chaotic and ineffective vaccine credential approach could hamper our pandemic response by undercutting health safety measures, slowing economic recovery, and undermining public trust and confidence.”  Without coordination, a chaotic a...

Los Angeles’s Echo Park Lake is home to swan boats, running trails and space for members of it’s rapidly gentrifying community to gather during the pandemic. Up until last week, it was also home to over 100 people living in tents on the west side of the park. The encampment became the focal point of LA’s housing affordability crisis when the housed members of the Echo Park neighborhood called for...

Most kids in the country aren’t back to school in any way we’d recognize as normal. Republicans have noticed. Now, they’re launching a few trial balloons this year to see if “reopen the schools” can become their next winning campaign slogan. Guest: Edward-Isaac Dovere, staff writer at the Atlantic. Read his story, “ Democrats Are Failing the Schools Test .” Dovere is the author of the forthcoming...

Houston residents and elected officials are trying to stop the largest urban highway project of their lifetimes -- one that would clear out more than 1,000 homes in primarily Black and Latin neighborhoods and, they say, introduce additional flooding and health risks. Now, residents have a powerful new ally in Washington: the Biden administration. The fate of I-45 may tell us something about what 2...

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has become a Republican celebrity for his notably lax coronavirus policies, keeping the state mostly open during the pandemic. But in Miami Beach, tourists are using the lack of restrictions to their advantage, exposing the difficulty of managing a world that isn’t quite done with COVID-19, but desperately wants to be.   Guest: Verónica Zaragovia , healthcare reporter...

Back in April 2020, AstraZeneca was hailed as a frontrunner in the race to get an effective vaccine to market. A year later, after a series of trial pauses, communication blunders, and PR problems, the vaccine is on the cusp of FDA approval.  By all accounts, the company succeeded in making a safe, effective vaccine. So why has there been so much confusion about its rollout? Guest:    Peter Aldhou...

Back in April 2020, AstraZeneca was hailed as a frontrunner in the race to get an effective vaccine to market. A year later, after a series of trial pauses, communication blunders, and PR problems, the vaccine is on the cusp of FDA approval.  By all accounts, the company succeeded in making a safe, effective vaccine. So why has there been so much confusion about its rollout? Guest:    Peter Aldhou...

Colorado Rep. Tom Sullivan counts the number of Fridays since his son was killed in the Aurora theater shooting in 2012. The latest mass shooting in Boulder, which left 10 people dead, was yet another reason Sullivan says he’s continuing his quest to curb gun violence in the state. Guest: Colorado State Rep. Tom Sullivan . Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up no...

After four years of President Trump’s harsh immigration policies, many advocates for Central American migrants welcomed a change in administration. But after two months in office, President Biden has given a clear message to people arriving at the U.S.-Mexico border: “don’t come.” Still, thousands of people, including an increasing number of unaccompanied children, are making the trek and forcing...