Slate News

Black Republican Larry Elder is leading the race to replace California Governor Gavin Newsom. For decades, the GOP was the default choice of millions of Black voters. But that changed during the civil rights era, as that party emerged as the home of segregationists, white supremacists, and their sympathizers. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Michael Steele, Maryland’s former lieutenant governor, and ex-chair of the RNC to talk about Black Republican leadership and the future of Black conservatives.Guest: Michael Steele, former chair of the RNC, and a political analyst for MSNBCPodcast production by Ahyiana Angel and 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, Slate Money co-host Emily Peck and Slate senior editor Shannon Palus talk all things #girlboss. They explore how the concept went from being a sought-after status to a ridiculed slogan. Then they dive into the upcoming trial of possible former (and current?) girlboss Elizabeth Holmes and talk about whether potential trial strategies and defenses are sexist. Recommendations:Shannon: Jessica Knoll’s 2015 novel, The Luckiest Girl Alive. Emily: The Cathy comic strip podcast, Aack Cast.  Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews 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

The Colorado River Basin is experiencing its 22nd year of drought. Its reservoirs are at their lowest-ever levels. The water stored in the system is at just 40 percent of its capacity. How did the situation on the Colorado become so dire? And what does the shortage mean for the 40 million people who rely on its waters?Guest: Abrahm Lustgarten, senior investigative reporter at ProPublicaHost: Lizzie O’Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For Muslim Americans, the 20th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks marks a full generation of routine Islamophobia. In the years that followed, the war on terror wounded the nation’s Muslim communities in ways that still feel fresh today. Guest: Aymann Ismail, staff writer at Slate. 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

Four conservative talk radio hosts have died of COVID-19 this summer, further revealing the consequences of a politicized pandemic. Why aren’t prominent right-wing figures doing more to embrace the coronavirus vaccine? Guest: Brian Rosenwald, fellow at the University of Pennsylvania and author of Talk Radio’s America.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

Texas has passed a new law banning abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, enforced by citizens launching lawsuits against anyone suspected of “aiding and abetting” the procedures. And the Supreme Court has declined to stop it - effectively ending the precedent set by Roe v. Wade. How are Texas organizations supporting reproductive rights adapting? Guest: Anna Rupani, Co-Executive Director of Fund Texas Choice.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

Haiti was already reeling from a presidential assassination when a massive earthquake struck in August. And organizations that have “helped” Haiti in the past have exploited its people, filled their own pockets, and left the country off worse than before. On A Word, Jason Johnson talks about the Haitian crisis with Professor Marlene Daut, a professor of African-American and African Studies at the University of Virginia. She’s also the author of Tropics of Haiti: Race and the Literary History of the Haitian Revolution in the Atlantic World. Guest: Marlene Daut, professor of African-American and African Studies at the University of VirginiaPodcast production by Ahyiana Angel and 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, Slate TV critic Willa Paskin and Vulture staff writer Kathryn VanArendonk talk about the precarious position of white men on TV this summer. Their conversation, inspired by Kathryn’s recent piece in Vulture, TV's White Guys Are in Crisis, surveys the history of white men on TV, from the good-guy dad to the complex antihero, through to our current moment, where shows like Rutherford Falls and Kevin Can F**k Himself position their white guys as obstacles, and The White Lotus overtly asks, would we prefer white guys to disappear entirely? Willa and Kathryn get into it. After the break, our hosts contrast these shows to their glaring exception, Apple TV’s Ted Lasso, which allows its white guy lead to be uncomplicatedly beloved. Is his charming take on progressive masculinity too good to be true? For Slate Plus members, Willa and Kathryn contribute to our regular segment, Gateway Feminism, where they talk about one thing that helped make them feminists. For Willa, it’s the young adult series The Baby-Sitter’s Club, by Ann M. Martin, and for Kathryn it’s the Western TV drama Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. RecommendationsKathryn recommends three things: Felco garden clippers, the Toniebox, and the TV series What We Do in the Shadows.Willa thinks you should check out Richard Powers’ novel The Overstory.Podcast production by Asha Saluja filling in for Cheyna Roth. Editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas. Send your comments and thoughts about what The Waves should cover to thewaves@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A medicine meant to treat parasites is the latest unproven COVID treatment craze. With warnings from the FDA, and prescribers clamping down, some are going to extreme lengths to get their hands on the drug. What’s behind Ivermectin’s sudden rise?Guest: Brandy Zadrozny, senior reporter for NBC News Host: Lizzie O’Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

U.S. officials announced the end of the American military presence in Afghanistan this week, but thousands of people desperate to leave — American citizens and Afghans alike — remain in the country. A loose collection of volunteers is working to get them out. Guest: Matt Pelak, soldier in the Army National Guard and veteran of the war in Iraq. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices