Slate News

Is Musk's bid to take Twitter private a genuine attempt to mold the social network in his image? Or is he just going to have some fun, make some money, and walk away?Guest: Felix Salmon, host of Slate Money and chief financial correspondent for AxiosHost: Lizzie O'Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson and David Plotz discuss the approaching midterms, inflation, and whether social media is imperiling U.S. democracy—with guest Simon Bazelon.Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:Simon Bazelon for Slow Boring: “Democrats Are Sleepwalking Into A Senate Disaster”Thomas B. Edsall for The New York Times: “Trump Poses a Test Democracy Is Failing”Matthew H. Graham and Milan W. Svolik for The American Political Science Review: “Democracy in America? Partisanship, Polarization, and the Robustness of Support for Democracy in the United States”Jonathan Haidt for The Atlantic: “Why The Last Ten Years of American Life Have Been So Stupid”Paul Krugman for The New York Times: “Inflation Is About to Come Down — but Don't Get Too Excited”Stolen Focus: Why You Can't Pay Attention--and How to Think Deeply Again, by Johann HariThe Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom, by Jonathan HaidtHere are this week’s chatters:David: Little Dorrit, by Charles DickensJohn: Macbeth on BroadwayEmily: Christine Charnosky for Law.com: “A University of Arizona Law Grad on How the GRE Changed Her Life”; University of Arizona Law’s Innovation for Justice work Listener chatter from Nick Gaffney: Alex Hanson for the Valley News: “Croydon School Budget Cut Sets Up High-Stakes Battle Over Future of Town's Education System”; Alex Hanson for the Valley News: “Budget Cut Looks Bleak For Schools After Croydon Meeting”For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, John, and David discuss what constitutes time well spent.Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)Podcast production by Jocelyn Frank.Research and show notes by Bridgette Dunlap. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the French presidential election five years ago, Marine Le Pen lost badly to Emmanuel Macron. Now, Le Pen is back for a rematch—and this time, polls are pretty tight. Guest: Henry Grabar, staff writer at Slate. 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—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the Walt Disney Company are at odds over a controversial Florida law dubbed “don’t say gay,” which would limit instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in public schools. While DeSantis is a big supporter of the legislation, Disney’s CEO Bob Chapek eventually came out against it, vowing to work to repeal the law and setting up a showdown between the governor and the entertainment giant.Guest: Mary Ellen Klas, Capitol bureau chief for the Miami Herald in Tallahassee, Florida.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—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pennsylvania’s got a U.S. Senate seat up for grabs, and the primary is shaping up to be a showdown between moderate, establishment candidates and those on the fringes of each party. Guest: Jonathan Tamari, national political writer for the Philadelphia Inquirer. 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—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Slate Money Goes to the Movies, a miniseries in which Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and a different guest each week discuss popular business-themed movies.Author and algorithmic auditor Cathy O’Neil joins Felix and Emily to talk about the 1946 Christmas classic, It’s a Wonderful Life. They talk about whether Jimmy Stewart is too entitled to be this upset, the banks of the 1940s, and the finances of heaven. Email: slatemoney@slate.comPodcast production by Cheyna Roth Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How the experience of living in his car years ago helped reporter Ethan Ward focus his coverage of homelessness and housing in Los Angeles. Guest: Ethan Ward, unhoused communities reporter for KPCC and LAist.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—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The rideshare company's founder once called taxis “evil.” Now, Uber might need them to survive.Guest: Preetika RanaHost: Lizzie O'Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The rideshare company's founder once called taxis “evil.” Now, Uber might need them to survive.Guest: Preetika RanaHost: Lizzie O'Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the great legal history episode of Amicus, host Dahlia Lithwick is joined first by David Gans, director of the Human Rights, Civil Rights, and Citizenship Program at the Constitutional Accountability Center. While GOP Senators used the Ketanji Brown Jackson hearings to take potshots at important ideas like unenumerated rights and substantive due process to score points with their base, the talking points became entrenched in political discourse. Does it matter? Of course it does.Later in the show, Dahlia is joined by Rund Abdelfatah co-host and producer of NPR’s podcast Throughline. The podcast explores the history behind current events. Dahlia and Rund talk about Throughline’s episode Pirates of the Senate to take a closer look at the history behind the filibuster, and explore why so many of our ideas about the filibuster are just plain wrong. In our Slate Plus segment, Dahlia is joined by Mark Joseph Stern on the Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson confirmation, a case creating a new constitutional bar against malicious prosecution, and more shadow docket shenanigans. Podcast production by Sara Burningham and Cheyna Roth. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.