Virginia Heffernan talks to writer Molly McKew, who covers Russian influence and info warfare, about the story of a Russian military intelligence unit offering Taliban-connected militants cash bounties to kill American service members in Afghanistan; denial of the story by the Trump administration; the concept of being at war Russia; and cancel culture. 
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Kremlin Bounties and Cancel Culture

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Man-made per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, are found in all sorts of industrial and consumer products, including carpets, rain jackets, and makeup. They’re also in our drinking water—and in our blood.

The EPA has recently announced plans to regulate the amount of certain PFAS in our water supply. But will these rules do enough to control chemicals for which there is no safe level of exposure?

Guest: Esme Deprez, independent investigative journalist.

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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.
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What Next: Is It Too Late to Escape “Forever Chemicals”?

This week Bryan talks to writer Neil J. Young about his new book Coming Out Republican: A History of the Gay Right. They dig into some of the inherent contradictions of the Gay Right and the pillars of their political strategy and reveal how central whiteness and maleness is to their politic. 

Podcast production by Palace Shaw.
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Outward: A History of the Gay Right with Neil J. Young

How will impending abortion restrictions in Florida and Arizona impact votes this fall?

Guests: 
Anna Hochkammer, executive director of the Florida Women’s Freedom Coalition.
Grace Panetta, political reporter for The 19th. 

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What Next: Will Abortion in Florida and Arizona Decide the Election?

Over the weekend Iran fired flocks of missiles and drones towards Israel, but the damage was minimal. What role did Israel’s new network of regional allies play in tamping down the attack? —and how committed to war was Iran to begin with?

Guest: Graeme Wood, staff writer at The Atlantic.

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What Next: What Israel Does Now

On today’s episode of Hear Me Out: blaze it.

Ahead of the honorary stoner holiday that is 4/20, we’re taking a look at the marijuana landscape. Public opinion has warmed considerably to legal weed in the past few decades – both medicinal and recreational – even though it remains a Schedule 1 drug on the federal level.

But some public health experts are still sounding the alarm, because this has all happened very quickly… and though hard-line illegality was harmful, what we’re doing now might be causing harm, too.

Dr. Keith Humphreys, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Stanford University, joins us.

If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: hearmeout@slate.com

Podcast production by Maura Currie.

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Kremlin Bounties and Cancel Culture

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