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The idea that COVID-19 vaccines are linked to sudden deaths among young people has no scientific support, but the theory nevertheless has a lot of traction on social media. How can public health officials educate the public—especially on subject like vaccines, where their effectiveness renders them effectively invisible? Guest: Katelyn Jetelina, epidemiologist and data scientistHost: Lizzie O’LearyIf 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, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss the discovery of classified documents at Biden’s home; the justices of the Supreme Court exhibiting open animosity toward one another; and fears of a “polycrisis” at Davos.Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:Matt Viser, Tyler Pager, Carol Leonnig and Yasmeen Abutaleb for The Washington Post: “Inside The White House Document Strategy And Its Pitfalls”Steven Mazie for The Atlantic: “The Supreme Court Justices Do Not Seem to Be Getting Along”Jess Bravin and Sadie Gurman for The Wall Street Journal: “Supreme Court Investigators Have Narrowed Leak Inquiry to Small Number of Suspects”Andrew Van Dam for The Washington Post: “The Happiest, Least Stressful, Most Meaningful Jobs In America”Working: People Talk About What They Do All Day and How They Feel About What They Do, by Studs TerkelHere is the poem (by an unknown author) that listener Christina Roosen sent to David after his cat died:Eyes bright,claws sharp,tail held high.Go keenly into the mist, old warrior.Valhalla waits for youA compilation of poems about pet loss: Rome Thorstenson for In Valhalla: “Pet Loss Poems”Here are this week’s chatters:John: Joseph Berger for The New York Times: “Adolfo Kaminsky Dies at 97; His Forgeries Saved Thousands of Jews”Emily: Joshua Vaughn for Penn Live: “Dauphin County Made Millions On Jail Phone Calls And Spent It On Staff Perks, Contractors”David: His Dark Materials on BBC One; The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass, by Philip PullmanListener chatter from Muirinn O'Neill: Josh Baker’s I'm Not a Monster podcastFor this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John discuss the jobs people find most meaningful. Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the early 2000s, economic growth exploded in South America—and the citizens of Brazil, Peru, Chile and elsewhere enjoyed increasing prosperity. But over the last decade, the churn of the world economy has made it hard for leaders across the region to meet their people’s raised expectations. Guest: Brian Winter, editor-in-chief of Americas Quarterly, former foreign correspondent for Reuters in Brazil, Argentina, and Mexico.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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the wake of mass protests and a depressing effect on its economy, China has ended its “zero COVID” policy. But with cases now rising, is the country ready for the upcoming Spring Festival, a huge holiday for travel that could spread the virus to its remotest corners? Guest: Dake Kang, reporter for the Associated Press Beijing bureau.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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Since the 1980s, hospice has been covered by Medicare, and it’s come to be an expected part of the healthcare that millions of Americans receive at the end of their lives. But beneath the pamphlets of patients living out their days in comfort lies an uglier reality: a cottage industry that frequently misappropriates taxpayer dollars in the name of profit.Guest: Ava Kofman, investigative reporter for ProPublica.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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the wake of the anniversary of the January 6th insurrection, and now similar riots in Brazil’s capital, we’re picking up our conversation about how to reduce political violence. In the first episode of our two-part series, we heard from Dr. Rachel Kleinfeld, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. This week, we’re talking with Curtis Toler, director of outreach at Chicago CRED. After joining his first street organization at the age of 9, Curtis went from a gang leader to a violence interrupter. He talks about how to reach people entrenched in cycles of conflict, how to get to the peace table, and what Congress (and all of us) can learn from his success on the streets of Chicago.Resources:Chicago CREDA Savage Order: How the World’s Deadliest Countries Can Forge a Path to Security by Rachel KleinfeldAn Ex-Gang Leader’s Advice for Deescalating Violence in Politics by Amanda RipleyIf you liked this episode, check out: “​​How To Talk Politics With Your Dad (Without Yelling) Part 1 and Part 2.”Do you have a question without an answer? 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Elon Musk was promising an “epic” Q4 at Tesla last year. But 2022 ended closer to what might be considered an “epic fail,” with the stock price down 65 percent. In an uncertain economic environment like this one, how much blame goes to Musk for unloading $40 billion worth of stock and focusing on his shiny new social media network? Or are these just growing pains that every company goes through as they mature? Guest: Dana Hull, automotive and technology reporter for Bloomberg News in San FranciscoHost: Lizzie O’LearyIf 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 Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss how the avian flu has skyrocketed egg prices, even as inflation continues to plateau. They also talk about the ongoing controversy over gas stoves and scrutinize a recent article about Columbia Business School’s new campus. In the plus segment: Noma, an extravagant restaurant in Copenhagen hailed as the world’s best restaurant, is closing. What does that say about that status of “fine dining”? Podcast production by Anna Phillips. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Amicus is sponsored by Betterhelp.The Supreme Court of the United States got back into the swing of things its first week back after New Years, with a case about cement workers and the rights of organized labor. The “swing” the court was getting “back into” with this case was potential precedent-busting. Dahlia Lithwick is joined on this week’s show by Terri Gerstein, director of the State and Local Enforcement Project at Harvard Law School’s Center for Labor and a Just Economy, to discuss what this case could mean for worker’s rights, and for democracy more broadly. Next, Dahlia is joined by Brad Meltzer, a serial best selling author of so many kinds of books. This week Brad has two books coming out, I Am John Lewis for the kids, and The Nazi Conspiracy - The Secret Plot to Kill Roosevelt, Stalin, and Churchill. Brad and Dahlia discuss legal writing, book bans, and what these two seemingly very different books have in common. In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Dahlia is joined by Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern for an update on abortion legislation at the state and national level. They discuss the smoke and mirrors of the new republican house majority’s “Born Alive” Bill, and the devastating fallout if Virginia’s 15 week ban gets passed. Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

You might think of noncompete agreements as mostly limited to highly skilled, highly paid tech workers to protect trade secrets. But one-third of workers bound by noncompetes make $13/hour or less: fast-food workers, security guards, and the like.Noncompete clauses not only give employers leverage over their employees—both during and after their employment—but studies have shown the agreements are a weight on the economy, which is why the FTC is angling for a federal ban. Guest: Elizabeth Wilkins, director of the Office of Policy Planning, Federal Trade CommissionHost: Lizzie O’LearyIf 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.