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Jun 21, 2023 • 21min
What Next: Why There’s a Cop at Your Kid’s School
It’s been one year since the Uvalde school shooting – and while Texas hasn’t passed any gun control legislation, it has passed a measure aimed at “hardening schools.” Last week, Governor Greg Abbott signed HB-3 into law, requiring every public school to have an armed officer on campus. The legislation comes even as a former sheriff’s deputy is on trial in Florida for failing to protect students when a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018. Do school safety officers stop school shootings? And if they don’t – what do they do instead? Guest: Anya Kamenetz, education reporter and author of "The Stolen Year: How Covid Changed Children’s Lives, And Where We Go Now."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 Amicus—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, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 20, 2023 • 47min
Hear Me Out: Descendants Of Slaves Don’t Need Reparations
On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… an archaeology of grievances.In honor of the third Juneteenth being celebrated as a national holiday, it’s worth unpacking symbolic gestures like Juneteenth — and, as many states are finding out, like Reparations.The movement to compensate the descendants of slaves is gaining more traction than ever before, in many parts of the country. Could this be our chance to clear a massive, lingering blight on our nation’s history? Our guest today argues no. Podcast host and columnist Coleman Hughes joins us to make the case that compensating the victims of slavery was something we should’ve done long ago – and now, it’s too late for it to be anything other than a problem. If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can now email the show: hearmeout@slate.comPodcast production by Maura CurrieYou 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

Jun 20, 2023 • 29min
What Next: They Pledged to Stop Sex Abuse. Instead, They Targeted Women.
Last week, the Southern Baptist Convention held its annual meeting in New Orleans – and its main order of business was to tighten the reins on what women can, and can’t, do in the church. It’s the result of a years-long push from the SBC’s ultraconservative wing to reverse what it calls a “liberal drift.” As the nation’s largest Protestant denomination prepares to crack down on gender roles, what does that mean for American evangelicals – and for the rest of us? Guest: Beth Allison Barr is a history professor at Baylor University. She’s also the author of “The Making of Biblical Womanhood.”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 Amicus—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, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 18, 2023 • 40min
A Word: More Than A Hashtag
Police killings of Black men have their own grim, but established, rituals in American society. But what happens to those who survive police violence? On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Leon Ford, who survived being shot multiple times by Pittsburgh police more than a decade ago. In his new memoir An Unspeakable Hope, Ford candidly describes his legal, physical, and mental health challenges, and why he eventually dedicated himself to working with police, including reaching out to the man who shot him. He also discusses The Hear Foundation—his non-profit group that builds partnerships between the community and police—and his complicated views of politics, gun violence, and activism.Guest: Activist Leon Ford, co-founder of The Hear Foundation, and author of An Unspeakable Hope: Brutality, Forgiveness, and Building a Better Future for My SonPodcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 18, 2023 • 28min
What Next TBD: The George Soros Succession
One son was preparing to take over George Soros’s multi-billion-dollar empire. Then, there was a falling out, and a new heir-apparent was chosen. Who is Alex Soros? And, as he takes over for one of the most influential figures in American politics, what can we expect from him? Guest: Gregory Zuckerman, special writer at the Wall Street JournalHost: Emily PeckIf 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

Jun 17, 2023 • 45min
Amicus: SCOTUS Wants To Drain The Swamp, Too
This episode is a part of Opinionpalooza. Slate’s coverage of Supreme Court decisions. We consider this coverage so essential that we’re taking down the paywall for all of it. If you would like to help us continue to cover the courts aggressively, please consider joining Slate Plus. And sign up for the pop-up newsletter to see the latest every week in your inbox.Dahlia Lithwick is joined by environmental appellate lawyer Sean Donahue to discuss the far-reaching consequences of one of the biggest decisions so far this term. In Sackett v EPA, the court decided that as many as 90 million acres of wetlands no longer qualify for environmental protection. Together, they trace the case’s history, its claims, and what tools are left for lawyers fighting to protect the environment.In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Dahlia is joined by Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern to answer listener questions, including how to counter dodgy originalism arguments, and whether there’s anything that could stop Donald Trump from running or even assuming office if he’s convicted of a crimeSign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 17, 2023 • 47min
Slate Money: Could Global Inequality Actually Be…Good?
This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss what the decline in global economic inequality really means for our future, why you shouldn’t take luxury pictures right after you burn an industry to the ground, and why the Instant Pot couldn’t survive. In the Plus segment: Felix’s piece on why you shouldn’t stress about commercial real estate. Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 17, 2023 • 1h
Political Gabfest: What Could Judge Cannon Do?
This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the federal case against Donald Trump involving national-security documents, Atlanta’s Cop City training facility, and Elizabeth Gilbert’s decision to delay her next book situated in Soviet-era Russia. Join us for a live taping! Political Gabfest Live in Washington, D.C., Wednesday June 28, 7:30 p.m., Sixth & I. In-person and virtual tickets on sale now. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America by Maggie HabermanJonathan Swan, Charlie Savage, and Maggie Haberman for The New York Times: “The Radical Strategy Behind Trump’s Promise to ‘Go After’ Biden”Esteban L. Hernandez for Axios: “Denver’s STAR set to expand amid tension over its future” Patrick Quinn for Atlanta News First: “’Stop Cop City’ Sen. Warnock interrupted during commencement address”Eat Pray Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth GilbertMark Healy for GQ: “Women’s Favorite Author to Women: Don’t Get Married!”Elizabeth Gilbert on Twitter: “Important announcement about THE SNOW FOREST.”Mike Dash for Smithsonian Magazine: “For 40 Years, This Russian Family Was Cut Off From All Human Contact, Unaware of World War II”Philip Kennicott for The Washington Post: “Ukraine wants a boycott of Russian culture. It’s already happening.”Franklin Foer for The Atlantic: “Eat, Pray, Pander”Peter Beaumont for The Guardian: “Author resigns from PEN America board amid row over Russian writers panel”Imogen West-Knights for Slate: “The Saga Over Elizabeth Gilbert’s “Russian Novel” Has an Uncomfortable Lesson—and It’s Not for Her”The Enigma of Clarence Thomas by Corey Robin Here are this week’s chatters:John: Simrin Singh for CBS News: “Phosphorus, essential element needed for life, detected in ocean on Saturn’s moon”; William Harwood for CBS News: “New evidence of water plumes on Jupiter’s moon Europa; could it support life?”Emily: The Forgotten Girls: A Memoir of Friendship and Lost Promise in Rural America by Monica Potts; When Crack Was King: A People’s History of a Misunderstood Era by Donovan X. RamseyDavid: Muster Dogs on The ABC: “Five graziers from across Australia are given five Kelpie puppies from the same litter and set with the challenge of transforming these uniquely Australian dogs into champion muster dogs.”Listener chatter from Phil: Jay Caspian Kang for The New Yorker: “Notes on Losing”; Winning Ugly: Mental Warfare in Tennis—Lessons from a Master by Brad Gilbert and Steve Jamison; John Dickerson for Slate: “Risk” For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, David, Emily, and John discuss with Joel Anderson @byjoelanderson his podcast, Slow Burn: Becoming Justice Thomas. In the next edition of Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Peter Singer @PeterSinger about his book, Animal Liberation Now: The Definitive Classic Renewed. Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com or Tweet us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna RothResearch by Julie Huygen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jun 16, 2023 • 27min
What Next TBD: Reddit’s Rolling Blackouts
Across Reddit, thousands of forums have gone “private” and effectively disappeared. Users are protesting the site’s plan to capitalize on its data, which has been enjoyed for free by people making third-party apps for Reddit, as well as some of the world’s biggest companies training their A.I.Guest: Sarah Needleman, reporter for the Wall Street Journal who writes about interactive entertainment and social mediaHost: Emily PeckIf 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

Jun 15, 2023 • 6min
Amicus: Is A New Supreme Court Emerging?
This episode is a part of Opinionpalooza. Slate’s coverage of Supreme Court decisions. We consider this coverage so essential that we’re taking down the paywall for all of it. If you would like to help us continue to cover the courts aggressively, please consider joining Slate Plus. And sign up for the pop-up newsletter to see the latest every week in your inbox.Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern join forces for this Opinionpalooza extra episode of Amicus where they discuss Haaland v Brackeen, a case that could have upended Indian Law, but didn’t. The case concerned the Indian Child Welfare Act, Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s majority opinion also reveals some tensions among the Supreme Court’s conservative justices. Together, Dahlia and Mark assess what another unexpected win can tell us about the shape of the current court. Sign up for Slate Plus now to support our show. Dahlia’s book Lady Justice: Women, the Law and the Battle to Save America, is also available as an audiobook, and Amicus listeners can get a 25 percent discount by entering the code “AMICUS” at checkout Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


