Slate News

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss the UAW autoworkers’ strike against the Big Three automakers, talk with Yoel Roth about social media trust and safety, and weigh teachers’ burden to engage in parent diplomacy. Join us for Political Gabfest Live in Madison, Wisconsin on October 25!

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

Danielle Kaye for NPR: “Why the UAW is fighting so hard for these 4 key demands in the auto strike”

Yoel Roth in The New York Times: “Trump Attacked Me. Then Musk Did. It Wasn’t an Accident.” 

Yoel Roth on Lawfare: “Content Moderation’s Legalism Problem”

Sarah Chaves in The Atlantic: “Parent Diplomacy Is Overwhelming Teachers”

9News: “Surveillance video: “Boebert seen vaping, arguing with patrons before removal from Denver theater” 

Here are this week’s chatters: 

Emily: Susan Haigh and Eric Tucker for AP: “Former federal prosecutor who resigned from Trump-Russia probe says she left over concerns with Barr” 

John: Ashley Strickland for CNN: “How NASA has prepared to scoop up an asteroid sample landing in the desert” and The Art of Explanation: How to Communicate with Clarity and Confidence by Ros Atkins 

David: NOAA National Marine Sanctuaries: “Mallows Bay-Potomac River National Marine Sanctuary” and National Trust for Historic Preservation: “Ghost Fleet of the Potomac, Mallows Bay”

Listener chatter from Kevin Collins: Thomas Kole’s a portrait of Tenochtitlan: a 3D reconstruction of the capital of the Aztec Empire

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David discuss the surveillance camera video of Representative Lauren Boebert behaving badly in a Denver theater. 

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

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 Cheyna Roth 

Research by Julie Huygen

Hosts

Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz

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Following “The Call,” our series on the opioid epidemic continues in Seattle. 

Harm reduction focuses on meeting people where they are, including enabling them to use drugs safely when experiencing addiction. But some advocates are asking, what happens when you think bigger?

Guest: Lisa Daugaard, criminal justice reform activist and Co-Executive Director of the nonprofit organization Purpose. Dignity. Action.

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Wisconsin has been something of a model for Republicans looking to entrench themselves in the state legislature, and one key move has always been to draw the electoral map as favorably as possible. But now, the state Supreme Court has swung to the left – for the first time in 15 years. The GOP is scrambling to keep this battleground state deeply gerrymandered—and keep power in their own hands.

Guest: Ari Berman, national voting rights correspondent for Mother Jones.

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On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… the conscription question.

The U.S. military is having trouble meeting recruitment goals — and for the first time in recent history, the Army has actually failed to meet its minimum. 

Joe Plenzler, a writer, consultant and Marine Corps veteran, joins us to argue that it’s time to bring back the draft; more specifically, a partial one. It’d help address recruiting shortfalls, but more importantly, it might also change how Americans feel about public service… and how politicians feel about endless war.

If you have thoughts you want to share, or an idea for a topic we should tackle, you can email the show: [email protected]

Podcast production by Maura Currie

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Thousands of members of the United Auto Workers walked off the line at Midwestern auto plants Friday, putting an exclamation mark on a summer where labor—from screenwriters to UPS drivers—flexed its muscles. But is this a true resurgence of the broader U.S. labor movement?

Guest: Barry Eidlin, associate professor of sociology at McGill University

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Thousands of members of the United Auto Workers walked off the line at Midwestern auto plants Friday, putting an exclamation mark on a summer where labor—from screenwriters to UPS drivers—flexed its muscles. But is this a true resurgence of the broader U.S. labor movement?

Guest: Barry Eidlin, associate professor of sociology at McGill University

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 In this episode of the Criminals series, the gang talks with Rebecca Jarvis, host of “The Dropout” about Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos. Who were the real victims of Holmes’ crimes? How did her lofty goals drift into scandal? And where does she sit on a scale of “one to evil”?

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Podcast production by Patrick Fort.

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House speaker Kevin McCarthy announced the opening of an impeachment inquiry into President Biden, but members of the Freedom Caucus—a group of right-wing Republicans with a taste for dramatic, extreme actions—had already moved on to fighting the next spending bill, potentially steering the government to another shutdown. 

Guest: Jim Newell, Slate’s senior politics writer.

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The teaching of Black history has been under increasing political attack in recent years. But the version of African American history taught –even to Black people– has always been incomplete. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by columnist Michael Harriot to discuss his new book, Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America. They discuss the inspiration for the book, the most persistent myths of race and racism, and fighting the backlash against Black history.

Guest: Michael Harriot, author of Black AF History: The Un-Whitewashed Story of America

Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola

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On this week’s episode of The Waves, Host Kat Chow dives into the public divorce of actress Sophie Turner and pop artist Joe Jonas. But we’re not so much getting into the actual divorce, more the way tabloid news is covering it and leaning into some seriously sexist tropes. As news spread about the marriage’s end, articles immediately started speculating as to who was at fault, and tabloids reported using anonymous sources saying Turner was more focused on partying and going out, leaving Jonas at home with their two young kids.

Kat is joined by Rolling Stone senior writer Ej Dickson, to dig into the long history of sexist tropes about mothers and motherhood, the “bad mommy” PR spin, and more. 

Further Reading:

In Slate Plus: Ej Dickson on why Gweneth Paltrow is uncancellable.

If you liked this episode, check out: Is The Wedding Dress Dead?

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

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

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