Slate Conversations

Barbara Ehrenreich is the author of Natural Causes: An Epidemic of Wellness, the Certainty of Dying, and Killing Ourselves to Live Longer. She sits down with Isaac Chotiner to discuss why Americans thinks “mindfulness” will make them happy, whether smoking bans are a form of condescension towards the working-class, and the problems with Oprah’s very real ideology. Email: ask@slate.comTwitter: @IHaveToAskPod Podcast production by Max Jacobs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Parul Sehgal is a book critic at the New York Times. She sits down with Isaac Chotiner to discuss the daily life of a book reviewer, looking hard at the novels of very bad men, and the current state of cultural criticism. Email: ask@slate.comTwitter: @IHaveToAskPod Podcast production by Max Jacobs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ross Douthat is an op-ed columnist at the New York Times, and the author of the new book To Change the Church: Pope Francis and the Future of Catholicism. He sits down with Isaac Chotiner to discuss what the pope and the president have in common, whether liberals are declaring too much commentary “beyond the pale,” and whether the Times should hire a pro-Trump columnist.  Email: ask@slate.comTwitter: @IHaveToAskPod Podcast production by Max Jacobs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Judd Apatow is a comedian, writer, director, and producer. He sits down with Isaac Chotiner to discuss his new documentary on the life of Garry Shandling, which comedians are actually “normal” people, and having your friends accused of bad behavior in the age of #MeToo. Email: ask@slate.comTwitter: @IHaveToAskPod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Corn and Michael Isikoff are the authors of Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin’s War on America and the Election of Donald Trump.  In a wide-ranging conversation with Isaac Chotiner, they discuss what new details of Trump's trip to a Vegas nightclub can tell us about the Steele dossier, the history of Trump’s Putin crush, and why reporting on the Russia scandal is such a minefield. Email: ask@slate.comTwitter: @IHaveToAskPod Podcast production by Max Jacobs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Josh Barro is a senior editor at Business Insider, as well as contributor to MSNBC, and the host of KCRW’s Left, Right, and Center podcast.  In a wide-ranging conversation with Isaac Chotiner, they discuss how Trump uses comedy to sugarcoat his cruelty, how to think about the president’s intelligence, and why centrism has been on such a political losing streak.    Email: ask@slate.comTwitter: @IHaveToAskPod Podcast production by Max Jacobs.Please fill out the Slate podcast survey at slate.com/podcastsurvey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Benjamin Wittes is a writer and national security expert, and the editor-in-chief of Lawfare. In a wide-ranging conversation with Isaac Chotiner, he discusses how to read the tea leaves of the Mueller investigation, why people are too critical of James Comey, and why even the Trump administration hasn’t changed his (positive) opinion of the national security state.   Email: ask@slate.comTwitter: @IHaveToAskPod Podcast production by Max Jacobs.Please fill out the Slate podcast survey at slate.com/podcastsurvey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chuck Klosterman is a writer and essayist. In a wide-ranging conversation with Isaac Chotiner, he discusses the costs of politicizing pop culture, the roots of Trump’s shamelessness, and why music is such a subjective art form.   Email: ask@slate.comTwitter: @IHaveToAskPod Podcast production by Max Jacobs.Please fill out the Slate podcast survey at slate.com/podcastsurvey Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Steven Pinker is the author of the new book Enlightenment Now: The Case for Reason, Science, Humanism, and Progress. He sits down with Isaac Chotiner to discuss why he thinks life is improving despite the worldwide rise of demagogues, what Trump tells us about America’s relationship to Enlightenment ideals, and whether global warming and nuclear weapons should call into question our notion of progress.Email: ask@slate.comTwitter: @IHaveToAskPod Podcast production by Max Jacobs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Katie Roiphe is a writer and essayist. She sits down with Isaac Chotiner to discuss her controversial Harper’s essay on #MeToo, why she thinks the movement has gone too far, and whether people who speak out against feminism are really at risk of being “silenced.”  Email: ask@slate.comTwitter: @IHaveToAskPod Podcast production by Max Jacobs. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices