Slate News

Without infrastructure to support all-electric vehicles, consumers have increasingly embraced the hybrid. The lower emissions are good—but are they slowing down our transition into an electric future? Guest: Patrick George, editor-in-chief of InsideEVs.com, contributor to The Atlantic and The Verge.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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After his character, Kang the Conqueror, was set up to be the big villain of the next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Jonathan Majors was dismissed from the franchise after being found guilty of reckless assault and harassment. Guest: Michael Schulman, staff writer for the New Yorker.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.Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Madeline Ducharme, Anna Phillips, Paige Osburn, and Rob Gunther. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In September, Brittany Watts had a miscarriage at her home in Ohio. Prosecutors are now charging her with “abuse of a corpse,” a felony that could result in up to a year in prison. When does a miscarriage become a felony? And could the anti-abortion movement be using this case as a step towards achieving “fetal personhood”?Guest: Mary Ziegler, law professor at UC Davis and author of Roe: The History of a National Obsession.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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

West Virginia University is wrapping up its first semester following dramatic cuts to undergraduate and graduate programs. Its president calls the “restructuring” an effort to better focus on majors like medicine, nursing, and business – degrees that will lead directly to lucrative jobs. But what is a degree really for? And how do you decide when a diploma is “worth it?”Guest: Michael Powell, staff writer at The Atlantic.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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amanda Mull, staff writer at The Atlantic, discusses the rise of online sales returns, the labor-intensive process of dealing with unwanted items, the decision-making tree that determines the fate of each returned product, and the excessive waste generated through liquidation. She argues for a fundamental shift in retailer business models to reduce waste significantly and offers tips for being a more mindful online consumer.

In ancient times, hundreds of years before the dawn of history, director Rob Reiner gave the world a band named Spinal Tap. No one knows who they were or what they were doing … except for legendary designer Paula Scher, the mind behind 40 years of music artwork and branding. She chats with Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers about the true stories that inspired the classic mockumentary.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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Danielle Kurtzleben, NPR political correspondent and author of the Substack, discusses the shortcomings and strengths of Sheryl Sandberg's book Lean In. The podcast explores the lack of nuance in feminism discussions, the evolution of the feminist movement, and the importance of structural change and political advocacy for women's rights.

In recent years, several states and localities have passed “crown” laws, statutes that keep employers from discriminating against African Amercans for wearing their hair in natural styles. That’s because, historically, having straight hair has often been a requirement for professional advancement for Black women in particular. But there is more science emerging that connects chemical relaxers with cancer. In today’s episode of A Word, reporter and cancer survivor Victoria St. Martin speaks with host Jason Johnson about the dangers of formaldehyde in hair relaxers, the history of marketing toxic cosmetics to African Americans, and consumer efforts to raise awareness.Guest: Victoria St. Martin, Inside Climate News reporter Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-MakanjuolaYou can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for $15 for your first three months. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Going through airport security is a legal requirement. Is it fair for a private company to interject itself in that process—and cut to the front of the line?Guest: David Zipper, visiting Fellow at Harvard Kennedy School, focused on mobility, cities and technology.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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this week, the Texas Supreme Court said Kate Cox couldn’t have an abortion.Cox’s doctors had diagnosed the fetus with Trisomy 18, an almost certainly fatal genetic condition. On top of that, there were concerns about whether or not Cox would be able to have children again in the future if she continued with this pregnancy. None of this was enough for nine judges in Texas to allow Cox to have an abortion.Cox’s story isn’t unique. Amanda Zurawski almost died after a Texas court said she couldn’t have an abortion. Today, she’s the lead plaintiff in Zurawski v. State of Texas. She joins Amicus this week to show the real, human effects of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Zurawski is joined by one of the lawyers representing her in the case, Jamie Levitt.In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern talks about another made-up case that this time, won’t make it to SCOTUS. Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices