
Hear Me Out
Hear Me Out is Slate's destination for tough, topical discussions with integrity, and without cliches. Join host Celeste Headlee and a guest each week for a smart, fair debate on issues that matter.
Latest episodes

Feb 27, 2024 • 45min
Horse Race Journalism Is Good, Actually
On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… are journalists killing democracy?Mainstream news outlets are starting to move away from horse race election coverage and toward policy substance. Though it’s a slow change, it’s heralded by much of the news industry as a good one. But what if the horse race was never really the problem? Journalist and writer Chris Cillizza joins us to defend the horse race.If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.comPodcast production by Maura Currie.You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus! Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 20, 2024 • 45min
Un-Cancel Woodrow Wilson
On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… making (fourteen) points. A piece in this month’s issue of the Atlantic argues that it’s time to re-evaluate the presidency of Woodrow Wilson. President Wilson was indisputably a productive president — but he’s now reviled by the left as a racist and the right as a tyrant. Is there room to meet somewhere in the middle?David Frum of the Atlantic joins us to argue that, yes: it’s time to un-cancel Woodrow Wilson. If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.comPodcast production by Maura Currie.You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus! Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 13, 2024 • 38min
The Constitution Can’t Save Us
Though most Americans have problems with the way this country is run, the Constitution remains popular — and untouchable, in our nation of laws. But it’s often difficult to solve 21st century problems with an 18th century document.Aaron Tang, author and professor of law at UC Davis, joins us once again to argue that, instead of aligning with the Constitution, courts should try to cause the least permanent harm possible.If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.comPodcast production by Maura Currie.You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus! Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Feb 6, 2024 • 37min
Campus Assault Hearings Are A Disaster
On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… dear colleague. The way universities and colleges handle sexual assault cases has changed a lot in the last 13 years. Part of that is because of the sheer vastness of the higher education system; everyone does everything differently.But federal guidance has also shifted with each of the last three administrations… and our guest today argues that none of those systems have worked. In fact, they’ve all been unmitigated failures.Lara Bazelon of the University of San Francisco joins us to argue that existing systems should be burned down — and replaced with restorative justice. If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.comPodcast production by Maura Currie.You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus! Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 30, 2024 • 38min
Actually, Trump Supporters Are Delusional
On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… folie à deux (again).A few weeks ago, Frank Buckley joined us to argue that Trump voters aren’t delusional. And a lot of you disagreed.One of you, though, turned out to be an expert in the nature of delusion. So who better to join us, and make the case that we got it wrong?Barry Mauer, a Hear Me Out listener and associate professor at the University of Central Florida, joins us to argue that the pro-Trump movement isn’t just delusional — it’s dangerous, it’s a cult, and it has to be called what it is.If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.comPodcast production by Maura Currie.You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus! Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 23, 2024 • 36min
Feminism Is Dying (But It Can Be Saved)
On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… which wave is this, anyway?There’s no denying that the feminist movement looks different now than it did 50 years ago — and in some ways, that’s a good thing. But there’s an argument to be made that the modern movement skews politically progressive… so much so that it’s leaving some women, and some issues, behind. Phyllis Chesler, author and second-wave feminist, joins us.If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.comPodcast production by Maura Currie.You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus! Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 16, 2024 • 44min
George Santos and Gypsy-Rose Aren’t Your Icons
On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… yas, queen?It’s been hard to avoid an onslaught of memes about bad people lately. People like Gypsy-Rose Blanchard and George Santos have been punished for their misdeeds in one way… but now, it seems, they’re being rewarded by the attention economy. The question is: is it our fault?Rachel Greenspan, writer and social strategist, joins us once again to argue for discretion in memeing.If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.comPodcast production by Maura Currie.You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus! Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jan 9, 2024 • 42min
Trump Voters Are Not Delusional
In this episode, the host and guest discuss the assumptions and stereotypes surrounding Trump voters. They explore the contrasting viewpoints on Trump supporters and the need for constructive dialogue. They address the unfair demonization of Trump supporters by Democrats and liberals and emphasize the importance of humanizing each other. The chapter also explores the reasons why some people continue to support Trump and advocates for understanding and goodwill in navigating political differences.

Jan 2, 2024 • 48min
Yes, You Can Self Improve Right Now
On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… new year, new you? If you’ve resolved to make 2024 your happiest, healthiest, most organized, most peaceful, etc. year yet? You’re not alone. And if you’re pretty sure the people who have made resolutions are doomed to abandon ship before January is over… you’re not alone, either. Nor are you wrong, exactly.In the season of giving, getting, and evaluating self-improvement advice, there’s a line between over-optimism and self-limiting skepticism. And our guest wants to help you walk that line. Zak Rosen, host of The Best Advice Show and co-host of Slate’s Care & Feeding, joins us. If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.comPodcast production by Maura Currie.You can skip all the ads in Hear Me Out by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/hearmeoutplus for just $15 a month for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dec 26, 2023 • 47min
How To Grieve an Estranged Parent
Hear Me Out is off this week, but we're so excited to bring you an episode from our friends at How To! — another Slate show that we think you'll love. We'll be back here with a new episode next week._______A parent’s main job is to protect. But what happens when your parent doesn’t protect you? What happens when they not only let bad things happen to you, but they doubt and dismiss you when you ask them for help? Our listener, Haylie, decided to go no-contact with her father after multiple attempts to reconcile their relationship. Now she wants to know how to grieve the death of the relationship. On this episode of How To!, Patrick Teahan, licensed clinical social worker and childhood trauma therapist, joins us to explain why cutting off a parent is so difficult, why we grieve these relationships, and how to start healing. If you liked this episode, check out: How To Walk Away from an Impossible ParentDo you have a problem that needs solving? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show. Subscribe for free on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen.How To’s executive producer is Derek John. Joel Meyer is our senior editor/producer. The show is produced by Rosemary Belson, with Kevin Bendis and Jabari Butler. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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