Episodes
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the revival of Arizona’s 1864 abortion ban; the end of No Labels; and the past and future of presidential debates.    Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Mary Jo Pitzl and Reagan Priest for The Arizona Republic: Arizona House GOP halt Democrats’ effort to overturn Civil War era law in chaotic session Dan Balz for The Washington Post: The Arizona Supreme Court just upended Trump’s gambit on abortion Jamelle...
Published 04/13/24
This week, Slate Money hacks the mainframe! Washington Post tech writer Shira Ovide joins Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers to discuss what’s wrong with America’s internet industry, how YouTube became the media empire no one talks about, and the promise and peril of the AI toothbrush. In the Plus segment: OpenAI is using YouTube to train ChatGPT. Is that legal? If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across...
Published 04/13/24
Why lately our search engines just don’t seem to deliver results.  Guest: Jason Koebler, cofounder of 404 Media and co-host of the 404 Media Podcast.  Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...
Published 04/12/24
How Florida Judge Aileen Cannon is delaying Donald Trump’s trial over classified documents taken to Mar-a-Lago—and what special prosecutor Jack Smith can do to get things moving. Guest: Lee Kovarsky, professor of law at University of Texas, co-director of the UT Capital Punishment Center Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free”...
Published 04/11/24
How did an attempt to simplify a tedious student-aid form turn into a full-on debacle that has some high school seniors wondering if they will have to delay starting college?  Guest: Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, national higher education reporter for the Washington Post. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our...
Published 04/10/24
2024 is down to two historically unpopular candidates. That may leave the door open for third-party candidates to make some noise. But Democrats have been burned before – and aren’t going down without a fight. Guest: Dave Weigel, reporter for Semafor. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up...
Published 04/09/24
Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by the Athletic’s Chantel Jennings to talk about South Carolina’s victory over Iowa. They also ponder Caitlin Clark’s WNBA future, John Calipari’s reported move to Arkansas, and Tennessee’s decision to move beyond the Pat Summitt coaching tree. Finally, Sam Koppelman joins to discuss Hunterbrook Media’s new report on Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia’s mortgage company and how Hunterbrook is trying to use journalism to make money in the stock market. South...
Published 04/08/24
In response to a spike in child labor violations, some states are strengthening their laws against the practice—while 16 states have weakened laws against child labor. What’s going on? Guest: Lauren Kaori Gurley, labor reporter for the Washington Post. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up...
Published 04/08/24
A young Black man, wrongfully accused of sexual assault, is convicted nonetheless. Evidence that could’ve exonerated him is withheld or covered up, and he spends much of his youth in prison. It sounds like a movie-of-the-week, but it was the real life nightmare of Jarrett Adams. Throughout his incarceration, he fought for his freedom and eventually won. Now, he’s a defense attorney who helps other wrongfully convicted people find justice, and build better lives on the outside through his...
Published 04/07/24
Spring is a time for fresh starts. For a lot of us, that means spring cleaning. But don’t worry, we’re not talking about the whole house.  This week, the Well, Now team is spring cleaning our medicine cabinets. What are some medicinal must-haves, and what things should we definitely toss? Joining us to help tidy up is Dr. Mauricio Gonzalez, a board-certified physician in internal, emergency and obesity medicine. If you liked this episode, check out: What “Wellness” Is and Isn’t Podcast...
Published 04/07/24
The demand for electricity is surging in the U.S. With increasing amounts of power going towards artificial intelligence, manufacturing and electric vehicles, can the grid keep up? Guest: Evan Halper, business reporter covering the energy transition for the Washington Post Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our...
Published 04/07/24
After weeks of the Trump trials (and the run-up to the Trump trials) becoming ever more engrossing spectator sports, both the public and the media may have lost sight of some of the stakes. They also may have lost sight of the truth of what the legal system can actually deliver in terms of protecting democracy from Donald J Trump.  On this week’s Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Juliette Kayyem to dissect Trump's impact on legal, national security, and ideological fronts. Kayyem brings...
Published 04/06/24
Here are this week’s chatters: Emily: Scott Bauer for AP: Wisconsin voters approve ban on private money support for elections and Unfair Share: The Gerrymandered Chocolate Bar on Kickstarter John: Joey Roulette and Will Dunham for Reuters: Exclusive: White House directs NASA to create time standard for the moon and John Dickerson Introduces: Navel Gazing  David: Corvid Research: All in the (crow) family; 3 Body Problem on Netflix; The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu; and Foundation and For...
Published 04/06/24
This week: Americans are less revved up about EVs. Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss if Elon Musk’s mischief has played a role in slowing sales. Also: the crisis in the wine industry, and how a combination investigative publication/hedge fund wants to blow the lid off corporations — while shorting their stock. In the Plus segment: the proxy battle for the future of Disney.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an...
Published 04/06/24
Donald Trump got a huge financial boost when Truth Social went public last week—or did he? Guest: Nitish Pahwa, associate writer on business and tech for Slate. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad...
Published 04/05/24
Benjamin Netanyahu has been able to count on the support from Israel’s ultra-Orthodox parties. But as the IDF needs additional manpower to continue a two-front war, the military exemption that the ultra-Orthodox enjoy is coming under scrutiny, and could fracture Netanyahu’s hold on power. Guest: Yair Rosenberg, staff writer for The Atlantic. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts....
Published 04/04/24
Sports betting is now mostly legal, and, if you watch sports, its advertisements are inescapable. Now, a series of scandals has rocked the professional leagues. When everyone bets, odds are – someone will cross a line.   Guest: Jay Caspian Kang, staff writer for “The New Yorker” and author of The Loneliest Americans. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple...
Published 04/03/24
On today’s episode of Hear Me Out: housing the nation.  We have an affordable housing problem — and an affordability problem, period, but that’s another show.  When we talk about solutions to homelessness and cost burden for renters and homeowners alike, many progressives lean toward government intervention… because capitalism seems to have failed us. But has it, really? Or is for-profit development the surprising answer to affordable housing? Jon McMillan of TF Cornerstone – and author of...
Published 04/02/24
Democrat Marilyn Lands will be sworn in to the Alabama House of Representatives this week, having won a special election in the deep-red state by 25 points. How did Lands do it—and what can the national Democrats learn from her victory? Guest: Marilyn Lands, Alabama lawmaker who won a special election for the state’s House of Representatives. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts....
Published 04/02/24
Joel Anderson and Stefan Fatsis are joined by USA Today’s Lindsay Schnell to talk about the NCAA women’s college basketball tournament and by Buzzer’s Eamonn Brennan to discuss the men’s tournament. Finally, the Washington Post’s Kent Babb joins for a conversation about his profile of Kim Mulkey. NCAA women (5:55): Can anyone beat South Carolina? NCAA men (23:02): Why everyone loves North Carolina State’s DJ Burns Jr. Mulkey profile (38:31): Kent Babb on his reporting process and...
Published 04/01/24
The group that brought the case that overturned Roe v. Wade is back before the Supreme Court arguing for more restrictions on mifepristone, the “abortion pill.” Who are Alliance Defending Freedom, and what are their goals? Guest: David Kirkpatrick, staff writer for The New Yorker. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the...
Published 04/01/24
The American Dream has long been out of reach for many Black people in this country. Between police violence, the lack of economic opportunity, and the threat of a second Trump term, many African Americans are considering building their dream lives in another country. And for thousands of people, Mexico is one of the top destinations. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Adam Mahoney of the CapitalB News to talk about why many Black Americans are moving south of the...
Published 03/31/24
Eating disorders are one of the most deadly psychiatric disorders. But for decades, much of the criteria to diagnose one applied only to cisgender girls and those assigned female at birth – like a loss of menstruation. This meant that many cisgender boys and those assigned male at birth fell through the cracks.  On this week’s episode of Well, Now: The rise in eating disorders among boys and men with Dr. Jason Nagata, Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of California San...
Published 03/31/24
From science fiction writers to American presidents to Elon Musk, everyone’s eager to send people to Mars. But, even if you could nail the physical aspects, are Earthlings cut out for life on Mars mentally?  Guest: Nathaniel Rich, contributing writer for New York Times magazine.  Kate Greene, author and poet Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by...
Published 03/31/24
It’s not quite red-yarn-on-a-corkboard, but given how often we’ve been thinking about the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) over the years, it may as well be. The group has become a vital component of the conservative legal movement, with pay-to-play access afforded to corporate donors to boot. Despite all the money changing hands and obvious conflicts of interest, few have heard of them - and that’s very intentional. This week we’re joined by Lisa Graves of True North Research...
Published 03/30/24