Slow Burn
Slate Podcasts
Slow Burn illuminates America’s most consequential moments, making sense of the past to better understand the present. Through archival tape and first-person interviews, the series uncovers the surprising events and little-known characters lurking within the biggest stories of our time.Want more Slow Burn? Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to Slow Burn and your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slow Burn show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/slowburnplus to get access wherever you listen.Season 10: The Rise of Fox NewsHow a cable news channel became a cultural and political force—and how a whole bunch of people rose up to try and stop it.Season 9: Gays Against BriggsA nationwide moral panic, a California legislator who rode the anti-gay wave, and the LGBTQ+ people who stepped up and came out to try and stop him.Season 8: Becoming Justice ThomasWhere Clarence Thomas came from, how he rose to power, and how he’s brought the rest of us along with him, whether we like it or not. Winner of the Podcast of the Year at the 2024 Ambies Awards.Season 7: Roe v. WadeThe women who fought for legal abortion, the activists who pushed back, and the justices who thought they could solve the issue for good. Winner of Apple Podcasts Show of the Year in 2022.Season 6: The L.A. RiotsHow decades of police brutality, a broken justice system, and a video tape set off six days of unrest in Los Angeles.Season 5: The Road to the Iraq WarEighteen months after 9/11, the United States invaded a country that had nothing to do with the attacks. Who’s to blame? And was there any way to stop it?Season 4: David DukeAmerica’s most famous white supremacist came within a runoff of controlling Louisiana. How did David Duke rise to power? And what did it take to stop him?Season 3: Biggie and TupacHow is it that two of the most famous performers in the world were murdered within a year of each other—and their killings were never solved?Season 2: The Clinton ImpeachmentA reexamination of the scandals that nearly destroyed the 42nd president and forever changed the life of a former White House intern.Season 1: WatergateWhat did it feel like to live through the scandal that brought down President Nixon? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Mar 1, 2025 • 27min
Supercommunicators | 2. How to Communicate Without Words
Why is it that we can tell someone “I’m totally fine!” and they instantly know we’re not? Gestures, facial expressions, tone of voice, and other subtle nonverbal cues play a huge role in how we connect with one another. In this episode, host Charles Duhigg explores how we communicate without words, including a deep dive into the visual and tonal cues embedded in one of the biggest sitcoms of all time, The Big Bang Theory. He talks with Dr. Dustin York, a professor at Maryville University who studies nonverbal communication and worked in public relations for Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. He also sits down with Dave Goetsch, a co-executive producer and longtime writer for The Big Bang Theory, and journalist Jessica Radloff, who wrote an exhaustive book about the show. This Slate miniseries dives into the art and science of meaningful conversations, inspired byDuhigg’s bestselling book, Supercommunicators. Supercommunicators was produced by Sophie Summergrad and Derek John, who also did the sound design. Our technical director is Merritt Jacob and our supervising producer is Joel Meyer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 26, 2025 • 52min
Decoder Ring | Jerry Lewis’ Lost Holocaust Clown Movie
Shawn Levy, author of 'King of Comedy: The Life and Art of Jerry Lewis,' dives into Jerry Lewis’s infamous unproduced film, 'The Day The Clown Cried.' He discusses the film’s audacious premise of a clown in Auschwitz and its status as a cult curiosity. Levy reveals the challenges Lewis faced in tackling such a sensitive subject and explores the film's mixed legacy, questioning the appropriateness of combining humor with tragedy. The conversation sheds light on Lewis's controversial career and the cinematic balance between comedy and serious themes.
Feb 22, 2025 • 31min
Supercommunicators | 1. How to Talk to Anyone
Why are some people able to talk with just about anyone—about almost anything? One answer may lie in the questions we ask—and how deeply we ask them. Stick with us here…In this episode, host Charles Duhigg examines why deep questions are so powerful and how to ask them in everyday life.He talks to Nick Epley, psychology professor at the University of Chicago and lifelong researcher of deep questions. And we catch up with Mandy Len Catron, 10 years after she wrote the viral New York Times article “The 36 Questions That Lead to Love.”This Slate miniseries dives into the art and science of meaningful conversations, inspired by Duhigg’s bestselling book, Supercommunicators. Supercommunicators was produced by Derek John and Sophie Summergrad. Our technical director is Merritt Jacob. Joel Meyer is our supervising producer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 22, 2025 • 1min
Introducing Supercommunicators
In a new miniseries inspired by Charles Duhigg’s bestseller, the former host of Slate’s How To! podcast sits down with psychologists, social scientists, and even a Hollywood writer to explore how to ask the right questions, communicate without words, and find meaningful connections in our lives. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Feb 12, 2025 • 34min
Decoder Ring | The Scratch-Off Ticket’s Instant Win
You may never have thought very hard about scratch-off tickets, but that’s part of their power. They’re a form of gambling that’s simply a pedestrian part of American life. But not so long ago, they were risky and innovative, the killer app of their time and the must-play game of the state lottery. In this episode, Ian Coss, host of the new podcast series Scratch & Win, is going to walk us through the history of the scratch-off ticket: its invention, its popularization, and its connection to the explosion in gambling that’s now all around us. This episode of Decoder Ring was produced by Katie Shepherd. Decoder Ring is also produced by Willa Paskin, Evan Chung and Max Freedman. Derek John is Executive Producer. Merritt Jacob is Senior Technical Director.Scratch & Win is a production of GBH News. It is produced by Isabel Hibbard and Ian Coss and edited by Lacy Roberts. Its editorial supervisor is Jenifer McKim with support from Ryan Alderman. Mei Lei is the project manager, and the Executive Producer is Devin Maverick Robins.If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, please email us at DecoderRing@slate.com. And you can also now call us at our Decoder Ring hotline — that number is 347-460-7281. We love hearing your ideas, and we especially enjoyed all the messages we got about our last episode on the ’90s swing craze. Keep ‘em coming! And even better, tell your friends to check us out.Want more Decoder Ring? Subscribe to Slate Plus to unlock exclusive bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of the Decoder Ring show page. Or, visit slate.com/decoderplus to get access wherever you listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Jan 29, 2025 • 60min
Decoder Ring | Jump, Jive and Fail: The ’90s Swing Craze
The late '90s swing revival was full of surprises, reshaping music and dance culture dramatically. Host Willa Paskin digs into its unexpected roots, with insights from iconic bands and dancers. The Super Bowl halftime show marked a peak, but the scene's rapid fall invites reflection on authenticity versus commercialization. A unique ad campaign for The Gap brought swing into the mainstream, showcasing a creative blend of dance and fashion. Ultimately, the episode captures the enduring allure and complexity behind a musical phenomenon that many remember as just a punchline.
Jan 15, 2025 • 40min
Decoder Ring | I am Tupperware, I Contain Multitudes
Amanda Mull, a senior reporter at Bloomberg Businessweek, and historian Bob Kealing, author of "Tupperware Unsealed," discuss the cultural legacy of Tupperware and its journey from a household staple to a symbol of empowerment. They explore how Tupperware parties revolutionized women's sales opportunities and reflect on the contemporary obsession with organizing, especially in the age of social media. The duo also highlights the emotional weight of home organization and how it serves as a coping mechanism in chaotic times.
Jan 1, 2025 • 30min
Introducing Planet Money: Can Money Buy Happiness?
People often say that money can't buy you happiness. Sometimes, if you ask them to tell you more about it, they'll mention a famous 2010 study by Nobel Prize winners Daniel Kahneman and Angus Deaton. That study found that higher household income correlates with greater emotional well-being, but only up to around $75,000 a year. After that, more money didn't seem to matter.This was a famous study by two famous academics. The result stood for over a decade. And it feels good, right? Maybe the rich aren't so much happier than anyone else. But researchers have recently done a complete 180 on this idea. In 2021, psychologist Matt Killingsworth found nearly the opposite: That more money does correlate with more happiness. And that the relationship continues well beyond $75,000 per year.Today on the show: Does more money mean fewer problems? Two researchers with totally different takes come together to hammer out a better understanding of the relationship between money and happiness.This episode was hosted by Sally Helm and Nick Fountain. It was produced by Sean Saldana, Sam Yellowhorse Kesler, and Emma Peaslee. It was edited by Meg Cramer and fact-checked by Sierra Juarez. Engineering by Cena Loffredo. Alex Goldmark is Planet Money's executive producer. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Dec 18, 2024 • 46min
Decoder Ring | Mailbag: Fruit Snacks, Waterbeds, and Lobster Tanks
Dive into a mailbag of quirky questions! Discover the surprising truth behind live lobsters in grocery store tanks. Explore how candy transformed into 'fruit snacks' and the nostalgic joy of Shark Bites. Learn about the rise and fall of waterbeds, straight from their inventor. Uncover the intriguing history of scented magazine ads and their impact on consumer culture. Plus, hear insights on the ethical dilemmas surrounding lobster consumption. A fun mix of nostalgia, food history, and cultural exploration awaits!
Dec 11, 2024 • 32min
Introducing SNAFU with Ed Helms
While the Slow Burn team is hard at work on our next season, we are excited to share the first episode of the second season from our friends at SNAFU with Ed Helms: MEDBURG.In March 1971, Washington Post reporter Betty Medsger receives a mysterious envelope full of classified documents. Soon, what's inside will change the way America sees the FBI. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
