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**Today’s episode discusses sensitive language, including the n-word, and may not be appropriate for all listeners.**

For decades, words and phrases that originate in Black homes, churches, and entertainment have been pulled into the national conversation…where their meanings are often changed or widely misunderstood. And social media has accelerated the process, taking Black vernacular from a group chat, to Twitter, to national headlines in record time. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by journalists Tre’vell Anderson and Jarrett Hill, co-authors of the new book, Historically Black Phrases: From ‘I Ain’t One of Your Lil’ Friends’ to ‘Who All Gon’ Be There?’ They talk about what inspired their book, and how they hope the book can provide a snapshot of authentic Black language, and the spark to more honest conversations about race and identity.

Guests: 

Acclaimed writer Tre’vell Anderson, author of We See Each Other: A Black, Trans Journey Through TV and Film.

Award-winning journalist Jarrett Hill, professor at the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School of Journalism.

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

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Refusing to play the traditional first Monday in October game, Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern squint through the cloud of ethics scandals enveloping the High Court to see a docket aimed squarely at unfettering commerce from outside supervision, with a side order of second amendment extremism. What could possibly go wrong?

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Dahlia’s book Lady Justice: Women, the Law and the Battle to Save America, is also available as an audiobook, and Amicus listeners can get a 25 percent discount by entering the code “AMICUS” at checkout.

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Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers are the two-percent! Well, not Emily, to be clear. They dig into what’s going on with all the changes to Delta Sky Miles, the newest lawsuit by the FTC against Amazon, and why LinkedIn is and is not the worst. 

In the Plus segment: What do you do with a concrete banana? 

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Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

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After years of being a rare spot of universal, American-government-funded health care, this fall’s new COVID-19 vaccine is hitting the commercial market for the first time. So far, the rollout has been mired by hiccups and confusion. 

Guest: Jen Kates, senior vice president at KFF

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Podcast production by Evan Campbell and Anna Philips.

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On this special episode of The Waves, Slate’s Lizzie O’Leary and Alex Sammon talk about Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s legacy and what her death means for Senate Democrats and the whole party going forward.

Further Reading: Dianne Feinstein’s Death Instantly Creates Two Big Problems to Solve

If you liked this episode, check out: Why All the First Ladies Want to Be Jackie O.

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry and Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery and Daisy Rosario.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to [email protected].

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Amazon evolved from a place to get cheap used books to the “everything store”—one encompassing warehouses, logistics and shipping. 

But with the FTC now run by Lina Khan—who wrote the essay ‘Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox” while at Yale Law School—a new contender for “antitrust trial of the century” has begun. 

Guest: Leah Nylen, antitrust reporter for Bloomberg

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 TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the second Republican presidential primary debate; the next federal case against Senator Bob Menendez, and the latest lawsuit of United States v. Big Tech. Join us for Political Gabfest Live in Madison, Wisconsin on October 25!

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Dan Balz for The Washington Post: “Republican debate brings chaos, attacks and a slog for second place”

G. Elliott Morris for 538: “How outlier polls happen – and what to do with them”

Nicole Hong for The New York Times: “Gold Bullion and Halal Meat: Inside the Menendez Investigation”

John Dickerson for CBS News Prime Time: “FTC chair Lina Khan discusses need for regulations on big business”

Lina M. Khan in The Yale Law Journal: “Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox”

Lisa Mascaro and Stephen Groves for AP: “House Speaker McCarthy is back to square one as the Senate pushes ahead to avert a federal shutdown”

John Dickerson and Kris Van Cleave for CBS News: “How a government shutdown could cause chaos at airports”

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Mary Harris for This American Life: Act One of The Call; Slate’s podcast What Next hosted by Mary Harris; Never Use Alone Inc. National Overdose Prevention Lifeline; Dr. Alison Block for the Post-Roe America series of The Nocturnists podcast; and Slate’s podcast Amicus hosted by Dahlia Lithwick: “SCOTUS Is Not Done With Guns and Abortion”

John: Michael Schneider for Variety: “CNN and Now-Canceled ‘Vice News Tonight’ Lead News & Documentary Night 1 Winners List” and John Dickerson for CBS News Prime Time: “How to stay safe online, according to CISA”

David: Jonathan O’Callaghan for Nature: “This is what Earth’s continents will look like in 250 million years”

Listener chatter from Kevin McEvilly: Adam Frank and Marcelo Gleiser in The New York Times: “The Story of Our Universe May Be Starting to Unravel”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David discuss the possible shutdown of the U.S. government.

In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Zadie Smith about her book, The Fraud: A Novel.

In the next Gabfest Reads, David talks with Kristi Coulter about her book, Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career.

Email your chatters, questions, and comments to [email protected] or X us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Jared Downing and Cheyna Roth

Research by Julie Huygen

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Why is everyone—on the left and the right—suddenly touting the benefits of a married two-parent family? And what is it about this institution that appeals to a certain class of politicians and pundits as means to address American poverty, even as it loses popularity?

We consider the public meltdown over lower marriage rates and the renewed interest in ending no-fault divorce. 

Guest: Rebecca Traister, author of All the Single Ladies: Unmarried Women and the Rise of an Independent Nation and writer-at-large for New York magazine. 

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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Madeline Ducharme, Anna Phillips, Paige Osburn, and Rob Gunther.

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Everybody loves pandas—and China knows it. As we say goodbye to the National Zoo’s pandas, we look back at 50 years of “panda diplomacy” and consider its uncertain future.

Guest: E. Elena Songster, author of Panda Nation: The Construction and Conservation of China’s Modern Icon and professor of environmental history of modern China at St. Mary’s College of California.

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.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Madeline Ducharme, Anna Phillips, Paige Osburn, and Rob Gunther.

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After five long months, the WGA and major Hollywood studios have reached a tentative agreement to end the strike—well, that one anyway. Who won what and where do the actors stand?

Guest: Michael Schulman, staff writer at The New Yorker.

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.

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