Slate News

For decades, the press has enjoyed a wide latitude when writing about public figures. But the high legal standard for defamation may be coming in for some scrutiny in the libel suit of Sarah Palin versus the New York Times. Guest: Slate contributor Seth Stevenson. Read his latest coverage of the trial of Sarah Palin v. New York Times. 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

Old wounds are open again in Minneapolis. The city is struggling to investigate a police shooting from earlier this month, when officers carried out a “no-knock” search warrant and fatally shot a 22-year-old Black man in bed. The victim, Amir Locke, was not a suspect in the crime police were investigating. The shooting comes months after city voters rejected a plan to defund the police, and some city officials are struggling to figure out a path forward with a police force that’s been difficult to reform and an electorate that has little appetite for radical change. Guest: Jeremiah Ellison, member of the Minneapolis City Council. 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

In just a few short years, the Chinese fast fashion company Shein upended the way countless young women shop online. It’s approach could soon shape the way everyone else shops, too. Guest: Louise Matsakis, freelance technology reporterHost: Lizzie O’Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The NFL claims that Black coaches are treated fairly in the league. But former Miami Dolphins coach Brian Flores is suing, saying he can’t get a job because of racial bias. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Joel Anderson, co-host of Slate’s sports podcast Hang Up and Listen, to talk about the controversy, and the limits of the “Rooney Rule” in ending racism in hiring for NFL coaches.  Guest: Joel Anderson, co-host of Slate’s sports podcast Hang Up and Listen, and host of Slow Burn: The LA RiotsPodcast production by Jasmine EllisYou 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

On this week’s episode of The Waves, co-host of Slate’s podcast, Working, June Thomas is joined by Amira Rose Davis, history professor and co-host of the feminist sports podcast Burn It All Down. They dig into the “bog standard” sexism we keep seeing in the Games, the lack of diversity in the Winter Games (despite the International Olympic Committee constantly saying the Games are more diverse than ever), and why they still can’t stop watching the Olympics. (Spoiler: One reason is insomnia.) In Slate Plus, is the IOC method of increasing female participation in the Games by introducing more mixed-gender events feminist? Recommendations:June: Amazon Prime’s The ExpanseAmira: HBO’s The Fallout and Season 3 of Blue Wire’s podcast American Prodigies out Feb. 21.  Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and June Thomas. Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Facebook’s first crack at the metaverse has a problem: kids. Underage users seem to be flooding Horizon Worlds, potentially putting themselves at risk. Is Meta doomed to repeat Facebook’s mistakes?Guest: Will Oremus, technology news analysis writer for the Washington Post. Host: Lizzie O’Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As the Winter Olympics unfold in Beijing, a darker reality remains: China’s abuses against the Uyghurs, an ethnic minority in the country’s Xinjiang region. While much of the world remains glued to the sports coverage, Uyghurs in the diaspora are calling on people to pay attention to China's treatment of their family members back home.Guest: Gulchehra Hoja, a Uyghur journalist with Radio Free Asia. 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

The Ottawa truckers protest is neither exclusive to Ottawa nor strictly composed of truckers. And its supporters are hoping to head to a city near you. Guest: Jesse Brown, editor-in-chief of Canadaland.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

With Roe v. Wade on the chopping block, abortion access is under fire in states around the country. At Planned Parenthood’s Knoxville location, the clinic faced that literally when an arson attack burned the building to the ground. How will providers rebuild when the things they stand for are so threatened?Guest: Tory Mills, director of community engagement for Planned Parenthood’s Knoxville Health Center.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

Until last month, Brian Flores was the head coach of the Miami Dolphins, and one of only three Black head coaches among the NFL’s 32 teams. That number has since dropped to one. On Tuesday, Flores announced he was suing the NFL, alleging that the league's hiring practices are racist. His suit comes almost 20 years after the creation of the Rooney Rule, which requires teams to interview ethnic-minority candidates for senior positions, and eight years after Colin Kaepernick was black-balled from the sport for kneeling during the national anthem—begging the question of how much has really changed in that time. Guest: LZ Granderson, columnist for the Los Angeles Times and host of ABC News’ “Life Out Loud with LZ Granderson.”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