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Apr 23, 2022 • 37min
The Waves: Ecofeminism Isn’t Just For Hippies
On this week’s episode of The Waves, senior producer Cheyna Roth is joined by freelance science writer Eleanor Cummins to talk about the possible resurgence of Ecofeminism. Eleanor recently published “Is Ecofeminism Due for a Comeback?” in The New Republic. They discuss how the term came to be “passe,” what places are embracing the concept of combining feminism and the environment (and trying to save the Amazon in the process), and why the time is right for feminists to embrace the planet. In Slate Plus, the waves of Ecofeminism, and where the term “tree-hugger” came from. Recommendations:Cheyna: Anxious People by Fredrik Backman Eleanor: Disorientation by Elaine Hsieh Chou Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and Alicia Montgomery.Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 22, 2022 • 25min
What Next TBD: The COVID Data Disaster
Are we facing down yet another COVID wave right now? Does it matter?Guest: Katherine Wu, staff writer for The AtlanticHost: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 21, 2022 • 26min
What Next: Putin’s Hunger for Money
Bill Browder has been sounding the alarm about Vladimir Putin for decades. Formerly one of Russia’s largest foreign investors, Browder has made it his life's work to expose corruption in the country. Unsurprisingly, he’s one of Putin's personal targets. Browder believes that money is what's really driving the war in Ukraine.Guest: Bill Browder, founder and CEO of Hermitage Capital Management. Browder ran the largest foreign investment firm in Russia until 2005, when he was kicked out of the country. His new book is Freezing Order: A True Story of Money Laundering, Murder, and Surviving Vladimir Putin's Wrath. 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

Apr 20, 2022 • 27min
What Next: Biden's Immigration Mess
Pro-immigration advocates had high hopes when the Biden administration came to office that some of the harsher policies imposed by Trump would ease. Instead, immigration policy has been a mess inside the White House. The move to rescind Title 42 – a health policy that the Trump administration used to restrict migration at the U.S.-Mexico border is now further dividing Democrats. Guest: Tyler Moran, former deputy assistant to President Biden and senior advisor for migration. Moran co-founded the Immigration Hub and has 20 years of experience developing and implementing immigration policy. 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

Apr 19, 2022 • 21min
What Next: A Caseworker Quits Over Texas’ Trans Kids Policy
Morgan Davis saw his job as an investigator in the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services as a calling. As a transgender man, he joined the child welfare agency to be the advocate he never had while growing up. But Davis eventually quit, following Governor Greg Abbott’s order to investigate the families of transgender children. While Abbott’s order is currently paused due to an injunction, many families are still left in limbo due to open cases – and other child welfare workers are handing in their notices.Guest: Morgan Davis, investigator at the Travis County office of the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. 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

Apr 18, 2022 • 24min
What Next: Cracking Down on Ghost Guns
The Biden Administration recently announced a new policy aimed at cracking down on ghost guns—homemade weapons without serial numbers, making them harder to trace. But with gun violence on the rise, will this particular move make a meaningful difference?Guest: David Chipman, senior policy advisor at Giffords, a gun violence prevention organization. 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

Apr 17, 2022 • 22min
What Next TBD: How TurboTax Tricks Taxpayers
How did Intuit build its TurboTax empire?Guest: Justin Elliott, reporter for ProPublicaHost: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 17, 2022 • 29min
A Word: Holy Roller Racism?
Although church and state are supposed to be separate, white evangelical power is a potent force in American politics. And it has historically been used to battle against racial equity. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Professor Anthea Butler, the author of White Evangelical Racism: The Politics of Morality in America. They discuss the resurgence of white evangelical influence in politics, and why so much of that movement has been focused on thwarting civil rights for African Americans. Guest: Anthea Butler, chair of the Religious Studies Department at the University of PennsylvaniaPodcast production by Jasmine Ellis and Sam KimYou can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 16, 2022 • 1h 5min
One Year 1977 Rewind: Anita Bryant's War on Gay Rights
This is a reprise of the first episode of our season on 1977.Miami, 1977: Pop singer and orange juice spokeswoman Anita Bryant takes a stand against a local ordinance—and becomes the leader of a national anti-gay movement. Her campaign against gay rights, and the gay community's fight against her, would change America.One Year is produced by Josh Levin, Evan Chung, and Madeline Ducharme. Mixing by Merritt Jacob. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Apr 16, 2022 • 39min
The Waves: The Vagina Et. Al.
On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor Shannon Palus is joined by science journalist, Rachel E. Gross to talk all about female anatomy. They discuss Rachel’s new book, Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage and how much science has to learn when it comes to diagnosing female maladies. Then they get into ovaries and all the misconceptions about these “egg baskets.”In Slate Plus, is the term “pussy” feminist? Articles discussed in this episode: The Word for Anatomy That Shouldn’t Be “Vulgar” by Zoe Mendelson Seventeen Years of Bad Sex by Allyson Rudolph Ovaries Are Prone to ‘Exhaustion’ and ‘Fatigue.’ Or Are They? By Rachel GrossRecommendations:Shannon: Wearing wide-legged jeans. Rachel: Showing yourself some, ah-hem, love. Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and Alicia Montgomery. Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices


