Slate News

With Biden losing thousands of votes to “uncommitted” and Trump unable to pull incumbent numbers, the Michigan primaries seemed to show that the electorate isn’t exactly enthusiastic about either candidate. What options remain for two known quantities to win votes?Guest: David Faris, political science professor and Slate politics writer.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 now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Madeline Ducharme, Anna Phillips, Paige Osburn, and Rob Gunther. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sixteen-year-old Nex Benedict died one day after being beaten in an Oklahoma high school bathroom. His death has drawn attention to the more-than 50 bills that have been introduced in the state legislature targeting queer and trans people. Guest: Jo Yurcaba, reporter for NBC Out.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 now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The situation for Ukraine is slipping from a stalemate to again losing territory to the Russian invasion. After two years of combat, will American and EU allies support the Ukrainian cause for as long as it takes?  Guest: Fred Kaplan, Slate’s war stories correspondent.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 now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Is RNC chairperson Ronna McDaniel to blame for Republicans’ poor fundraising and recent underperformance in elections? Guest: Shelby Talcott, reporter covering Trump and national Republicans 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 now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Fertility doctors and their patients trying to conceive via in vitro fertilization (IVF) were stopped in their tracks this week, as the Alabama Supreme Court declared that embryos have the same rights as people. The decision has left doctors wondering if they can be sued for carrying out standard IVF procedures, and experts worry the ruling could have ramifications for IVF around the country. Guest: Dr. Elizabeth Constance, reproductive endocrinology and infertility specialist in Omaha, Nebraska.Want more What Next TBD? 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 now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.Check out Compiler here. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck and Elizabeth Spiers come with 0% interest and no fees! They discuss what the proposed merger between Capital One and Discover would mean for the rest of us and why the government probably won’t let it happen. Also: How long will Nvidia’s chip empire last, and why there are suddenly so many car washes everywhere. In the Plus segment: The gang reveals their all-time favorite kitchen gadgets. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and an additional segment of our show every week. You’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Slate Money. Sign up now at slate.com/moneyplus to help support our work.Podcast production by Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth.Clips and references in the show:“‘I’m gonna get totally and utterly X-ed.’: Constructing drunkenness”1986 Discover ad“Car Wash” by Rose RoyceVintage car wash documentary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dahlia Lithwick is drinking from the firehose of legal news again and this week is joined by election law professor Rick Hasen to figure out why we’re all still hanging on for the Supreme Court to make a call in former President Donald J Trump’s sweeping claim to immunity from prosecution over the events of January 6th, how Americans could actually achieve a real right to vote, and why no-one’s paying attention to a pair of incredibly consequential social media cases being argued at SCOTUS next week. In our Slate Plus segment, Dahlia and Slate’s own Mark Joseph Stern discuss the bonkers but very very real implications of the Alabama Supreme Court decision to bestow personhood on embryos being used in fertility treatment, creating an impossible legal landscape for clinics and those struggling to become pregnant. Next, they sift through Justice Samuel Alito’s grievance debris in a recent dissent to find the deeply worrying signposts toward overturning equal marriage rights. Finally, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court pleads with SCOTUS to clear up the mess it made of gun laws with its decision in Bruen.Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.Want more Amicus? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock exclusive SCOTUS analysis and weekly extended episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Studies have found that, in tiny increments, America’s East Coast is sinking into the ground thanks to climate change. Can a new approach to urban planning mitigate the effect?Guest: Matt Simon, senior staff writer at Wired.You can read Matt’s reporting here.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 TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the tragic death of Alexei Navalny and the fallout in the US; Donald Trump’s civil fraud case and consequences; and Alabama’s new stance on frozen embryos.    Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:Pam Belluck for the New York Times on A New Abortion Access StrategyAdam Liptak for the New York Times on Supreme Court Seems Ready to Block a Biden Plan on Air Pollution Jeffrey Blehar for National Review on We Need to Talk about TuckerBrett Stephens for the New York Times on How Biden Can Avenge Navalny’s DeathDavid Ignatius, for the Washington Post on Ukraine faces a valley of death. There’s a way Biden can help it get across.Neil MacFarquhar for the New York Times on Wife, Protector and Now Political Heir: Yulia Navalnaya Rallies RussiansJonah E. Bromwich and Ben Protess for the New York Times on What the Civil Fraud Ruling Means for Trump’s Finances and His EmpireJonathan O'Connell for the Washington Post on Hefty fines, penalties will rock Trump family's business and fortuneRuth Marcus for the Washington Post on Alabama’s frozen embryo ruling is misguidedJan Hoffman for the New York times on Alabama Says Embryos in a Lab Are Children. What Are the Implications?Here are this week’s chatters:Emily: The fight against the EPA’s “good neighbor” air pollution rule heats up at the Supreme Court. John: Allison Russel’s Grammy Award win for Eve Was Black, which some members of the Tennessee legislature sought to reject a congratulatory resolution for the singer.  David: Closet beds in the Netherlands. Listener chatter from Lee Underwood in Atlanta, Georgia: Caley Fretz for Escape Collective: Meet the man who rode more new roads than anyone else For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, John, and Emily are joined by Gongwer News Service Executive Editor and Publisher Zach Gorchow. Zach also co-hosts the Michigan politics podcast MichMash. They discuss the dustup among Democratic votes who may vote “uncommitted” in the primary because of Biden’s stance on Israel.   In the latest Gabfest Reads, John talks with Brad Stulberg about his book, Master of Change: How to Excel When Everything Is Changing – Including You. Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth Research by Keya Bajaj Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Iowa’s Caitlin Clark has scored more points than any other NCAA women’s basketball player in history, but her impact extends even further than her substantial range on the court.Guest: Hayley McGoldrick, associate editor at Sportsnet.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 now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.