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After weeks of controversy, piled upon intrigue, heaped with scandal and topped with crisis at the Supreme Court, it can be hard to get your bearings. What’s illegal, what’s unethical, what’s just a bit hinky? And what does it really mean for an institution that is about to hand down decisions that reach into every part of our lives, from justice to climate, from youtube to universities? On this week’s Amicus, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Lisa Graves from True North Research. Lisa ia a veteran investigator of the dark money spigot that has been flooding the Supreme Court and rewarding some of the justices, and the causes and people close to their hearts. If you can’t see the woods for the trees, Lisa will paint you a picture. And that painting will, of course, include; Clarence Thomas, Leonard Leo, Harlan Crow and Mark Paoletta. 

In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Dahlia is joined by Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern to talk about the possible end of Chevron deference the impacts for the administrative state, the Texas abortion case that is a case study in SB8 working exactly as it was intended, and why it is so puzzling that the Justices won’t rescue themselves from the ethics quagmire that’s sinking trust in SCOTUS.

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Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers talk about the failure of First Republic Bank, the (maybe) end of interest rate hikes, and how the shopping app Temu is shaking up e-commerce. Also, a more humane approach to chickens.

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Podcast production by Patrick Fort.

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Emily Bazelon talks with author author Curtis Sittenfeld about her new book Romantic Comedy. 

They discuss why ordinary guys get to be with famous women, but usually not the other way around, the fun of writing a fictional version of Saturday Night Live, and how to write witty email exchanges.  

Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at [email protected]. (Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

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On this week’s episode of The Waves, we’re doing a very special Mom and Dad Are Fighting crossover with host Jamilah Lemieux. Jamilah sits down with author Virginia Sole-Smith to talk about her new book, Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture. They discuss helping kids accept their bodies in whatever form they take, dealing with our own internalized fatphobia, and more.

In Slate Plus, answering a listener’s question on secret snacking.

If you liked this episode, check out Making Friends As An Adult.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Rosemary Belson 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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When television and screenwriters went on strike in 2007, Netflix had just started offering the option to stream content. This week, the Writer’s Guild of America went on strike to update pay structures for the streaming era—and to get ahead of A.I. and the changes it may bring. 

Guests: 

Michelle Dean, television writer and journalist

Anousha Sakoui, entertainment industry writer for the Los Angeles Times

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This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and the New York Times’s Jamelle Bouie @jbouie discuss the battle between President Joe Biden and Speaker Kevin McCarthy on raising the debt ceiling; the courtroom drama of E. Jean Carroll v. Donald J. Trump; and the power of Republican supermajorities in state legislatures. 

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

Nick Mourtoupalas and Derek Hawkins for The Washington Post: “Washington is running out of workdays to strike a debt ceiling deal” 

Jacob Bogage for The Washington Post: “Debt ceiling showdown: 5 possible outcomes”

Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution of the United States

Lola Fadulu for The New York Times: “In Trump Trial, a Lawyer Pushes, and E. Jean Carroll Pushes Right Back”

Jamelle Bouie for The New York Times: “A Sinister New Page in the Republican Playbook” and “Republicans Did Something Most People Don’t Like, So They’re Changing the Rules”

Article IV, Section 4 of the Constitution of the United States

Movement Advancement Project: “Snapshot: Democracy Ratings By State”

Michael Waldman for the Brennan Center for Justice: “The Great Resignation … Of Election Officials”

James Madison: “Federalist No. 10” 

Here are this week’s chatters:

Jamelle: the films of Seijun Suzuki, including Tokyo Drifter and Branded to Kill

John: using ChatGPT to simplify text, such as statements by the Federal Reserve and George Washington’s farewell address

Emily: Eleanor Klibanoff for The Texas Tribune: “Three Texas women are sued for wrongful death after allegedly helping friend obtain abortion medication” and “Women accused of facilitating abortion in Galveston wrongful-death lawsuit file countersuit”

Listener chatter from Ted Hogeman: Community Media Center, Institute for Contemporary Art, Virginia Commonwealth University

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Jamelle, John, and Emily discuss cooking, including roast chicken with bread, Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking by Toni Tipton-Martin, broccoli and cauliflower salad with curried dressing, broccoli salad with peanuts and tahini-lime dressing, and Soom tahini.

In the next Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Curtis Sittenfeld @csittenfeld about her latest book, Romantic Comedy.

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

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth 

Research by Julie Huygen

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It’s the first British coronation in 70 years and along with the celebration, questions abound: What kind of king will Charles be? Who is Charles anyway? And why even have a king? 

Guest: Imogen West-Knights, writer and Slate contributor

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Guns are now the leading cause of death for children in America. Each tragedy can be visceral, whether it’s in your community or across the country. And it’s especially heartbreaking when your kid voices that fear directly, as our listener Allison recently experienced. On this episode of How To!, co-host Amanda Ripley brings in Melinda Wenner Moyer. Melinda is an author and science journalist with years covering gun violence and parenting issues. She’s also the author of the substack, Is My Kid the Asshole? where she shares science-based approaches to lower the possibility of gun violence, help kids feel safe, and, ultimately, change the environment. 

If you liked this episode, check out: “My Kid’s Anxiety Is Giving ME Anxiety! How Do I Fix This?”

Do you wonder how best to use your time? Send us a note at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show.

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It's been nearly a year since the Supreme Court set a precedent that gun control laws should be judged against “America's historical tradition.” That ruling has opened the door to more than 100 legal challenges — and dozens of gun control laws being overturned. But experts say when it comes to actual U.S. history... lax gun laws are the exception, not the rule. What's the truth behind America's history with firearms? And what can America's present learn from its past?

Guest: Robert J Spitzer, professor emeritus at SUNY Cortland, author of The Gun Dilemma.

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 Amicus—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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On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… Mission Accomplished? 

This year marks the 20th anniversary of then-President Bush’s infamous address aboard an aircraft carrier, declaring that the war had been won and Iraqis were free.

We know now, of course, that the war had not been won – and in 2003, it was far from over. Many thousands of lives were lost. With the gift of hindsight, can we see the war as anything other than a costly mistake?

Iraqi-American and President of Ideas Beyond Borders Faisal Saeed Al Mutar joins Celeste to argue that the war, while mismanaged, was a victory — and that the alternatives could have been far, far worse. 

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

Podcast production by Maura Currie

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