Slate News

Yes, Democrats won Congress, but they haven’t defeated the Accountability Death Star that is the Roberts court. This week on Amicus, guest host and Slate executive editor Susan Matthews is joined by Court Accountability’s Alex Aronson to discuss the next phase of the fight—and why a few reasonable-looking Supreme Court decisions shouldn’t lull anyone into thinking the justices have changed their stripes.

Aronson expects the court to work on rehabilitating its reputation after the midterms, all the while frustrating congressional oversight. They discuss what separates an investigation from a sternly worded letter, why Leonard Leo’s network remains a formidable foe, and how Democrats can avoid squandering their mandate while waiting for someone to honor a subpoena. Plus: lame-duck judicial confirmations, the Alito-and-Thomas retirement guessing game, and why court reform is vital, but definitely not a silver bullet for rescuing democracy.

Alex Aronson’s piece on what must come next: https://www.contrariannews.org/p/the-roberts-court-is-next

Alex mentioned the following episodes from the Amicus archive:

Kim Lane Scheppele on legal autocracy: https://slate.com/podcasts/amicus/2026/01/scotus-and-project-2025-ushered-in-magas-lawlessness

Niko Bowie and Daphna Renan on ending judicial supremacy:

https://slate.com/podcasts/amicus/2026/07/supreme-court-term-recap-birthright-citizenship-voting-rights

https://slate.com/podcasts/amicus/2026/10/stacey-abrams-ilyse-hogue-and-daphna-renan-on-reclaiming-the-constitution-from-scotus

Want more Amicus? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes with exclusive legal analysis. On this week’s bonus episode of Amicus Plus, Jay Willis and Madiba Dennie examine Supreme Court oral arguments this week about a federal prisoner’s fight to sue over alleged abuse—and the consequences of letting federal agents operate with impunity. The justices keep saying Congress can fix it. Could that invitation finally come back to haunt them?

Slate Plus members also get access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Amicus show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/amicusplus to get access wherever you listen.

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This week: We got confirmation that rumors that Nvidia’s CEO and chairman was having an affair with a Chinese spy. Felix Salmon, Elizabeth Spiers, and Emily Peck dig into all the drama surrounding the Jensen Huang honeypot plot. Then, they discuss the resulting blame game at the White House and what it could all mean for the A.I. market (and try to keep the scandals straight). Finally, Washingtonians voted to keep the tax on income over a million dollars. Is this a wealth tax that could stick?

In the Slate Plus episode: It’s all Grand Theft Auto bay-beeee.

Want to hear that discussion and hear more Slate Money? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are we in a backlash to the backlash to the backlash in our gender politics? We can learn a lot from the GOP’s past embrace of odious figures like Russell Brand, the voters’ ousting of Rep. Max Miller in Ohio, and Congresswoman Sarah McBride’s recent Stephen Miller roast.

This episode is member-exclusive. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate Plus. By joining, not only will you unlock exclusive episodes of What Next —you’ll also access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the What Next show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Madeline Thames-Ducharme and Patrick Fort.

Paige Osburn is the senior supervising producer of What Next and What Next TBD.

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Between the midterm elections and the ouster of Jensen Huang from Nvidia, the future of artificial intelligence—including how it will be regulated and who gets to participate—has been flipped upside down.

Guest: Robbie Whelan, tech reporter for the Wall Street Journal

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Madeline Thames-Ducharme and Patrick Fort.

Paige Osburn is the senior supervising producer of What Next and What Next TBD.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss what the next two years will look like for Trump, his new chief of staff Stephen Miller, and Congress, the ripple effects of Jensen Huang's resignation from Nvidia on the U.S.-China AI race with guest Matt Sheehan, and how Defense Secretary Hegseth survived an impeachment vote.

Listeners: We want your questions! We're doing an AMA episode this month. Email your burning questions to [email protected]

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Adam Liptak for The New York Times: Judge Richard A. Posner Has Died. His Influence in Law Was Beyond Compare.; Larissa MacFarquhar for The New Yorker: The Bench Burner

John: Henry Larson for NPR: World's fastest ocean liner is sunk to break another record: largest artificial reef; CNN: A photo tour of the SS United States

David: David Plotz on LinkedIn: David is Leaving City Cast

Listener chatter from Suley Hussain in Denver, Colorado: Blue Ridge Parkway Association: Experience the Blue Ridge Parkway: “America’s Favorite Drive”; National Park Service: Blue Ridge Parkway; Blue Ridge Parkway Foundation: History & Timeline

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus episode, Emily, John, and David discuss the story of a new charter school in the Bronx that aims to support both students and working parents with expansive operating hours, the potential impacts of this open-weekends model, and what the need for such solutions says about our society.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, John Dickerson interviews Angela Duckworth about her new book, Situated: Find the People and Places That Bring Out Your Best. This new book argues that the most successful people don’t just grind harder; they reshape their circumstances to make success feel automatic.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to [email protected]. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Nina Porzucki

Research by Emily Ditto

You can find the full Political Gabfest show pages here.

Want more Political Gabfest? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Political Gabfest show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or visit slate.com/gabfestplus to get access wherever you listen.

Find out more about David Plotz's monthly tours of Ft. DeRussy, the secret Civil War fort hidden in Rock Creek Park.

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@SlateGabfest on X / https://twitter.com/SlateGabfest

Slate Political Gabfest on Facebook / https://www.facebook.com/Gabfest/

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Whether Democratic leadership wants it or not, “corruption” was a top priority for voters. And judging from how the Trump administration has been acting, it seems like they—like the voters—expect Democrats to try to do something about it.

Guest: Liz Oyer, former US Pardon Attorney, and host of the podcast Is This Really Legal?

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Madeline Thames-Ducharme and Patrick Fort.

Paige Osburn is the senior supervising producer of What Next and What Next TBD.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Nvidia CEO, Jensen Huang is one of the most important people in the A.I. boom and, therefore, of the economy as a whole. So when he has an extramarital affair with someone U.S. intelligence suspects of being a Chinese operative, it’s not exactly a “My family and I appreciate privacy at this time,” sort of situation.

Guest: Elizabeth Lopatto, senior writer at The Verge.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Madeline Thames-Ducharme and Patrick Fort.

Paige Osburn is the senior supervising producer of What Next and What Next TBD.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dire safety warnings and escalating security breaches have become a regular feature of the tech world’s breakneck race for A.I. dominance. Is there any way to avoid disaster?

On this episode of Money Talks, host Elizabeth Spiers talks to Justin Hendrix of Tech Policy Press, about the importance of A.I. regulation and what effective tech safety policy looks like.

Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The “blue tsunami” of the midterms swept Democrats into power in places they haven’t won in decades and decades. What will it take for the Dems to hold what they’ve won?

Guests:

Clare Malone and Galen Druke, co-hosts of the podcast “Still Counting.”

Jim Newell, Slate’s senior politics writer and author of The Surge newsletter.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Madeline Thames-Ducharme and Patrick Fort.

Paige Osburn is the senior supervising producer of What Next and What Next TBD.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As Democrats were routing their way through the midterms, Hakeem Jefferies said they were going to be focused on affordability, not on getting even. But corruption was a big issue for voters. What should the priorities be when the Democrats take control of Congress next January?

Guests:

Adam Smith, congressman from Washington’s 9th district and ranking member of the House armed services committee.

JoAnna Mendoza, representative elect for Arizona’s 6th congressional district.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Madeline Thames-Ducharme and Patrick Fort.

Paige Osburn is the senior supervising producer of What Next and What Next TBD.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.