Slate News

As hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians flee to safety in neighboring countries and beyond, the UN says this may become Europe’s largest refugee crisis this century. But it’s hard not to notice the stark difference between how the EU is welcoming Ukrainian refugees versus the non-European refugees who came before them.

Guest: Serena Parekh, professor at Northeastern University in Boston and the director of its politics, philosophy and economics program.

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As hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians flee to safety in neighboring countries and beyond, the UN says this may become Europe’s largest refugee crisis this century. But it’s hard not to notice the stark difference between how the EU is welcoming Ukrainian refugees versus the non-European refugees who came before them.

Guest: Serena Parekh, professor at Northeastern University in Boston and the director of its politics, philosophy and economics program.

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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No one knows what’s going on in Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s head – and while that’s a worrisome idea during the best of times, it’s an especially grim one during a war of his own creation. Putin is increasingly isolated, away from his inner circle and the oligarchs who once had some influence with him. 

Guest: Ben Judah is a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council and the author of This Is London and Fragile Empire: How Russia Fell In and Out of Love With Vladimir Putin.

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Texas’s Republican governor and attorney general are pursuing a new crackdown on trans kids and their families. Their directive compelling Child Protective Services to treat gender-affirming care as child abuse is raising alarms among trans rights advocates, who say the order, if enforced, will prove dangerous for a vulnerable population.

Why did Republican leaders pick this moment to trumpet an anti-trans effort? How does it fit into a wider culture war—or perhaps a larger effort to drive trans people from public life?

Guest: Katelyn Burns, columnist at MSNBC and co-host of the podcast Cancel Me, Daddy.

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President Biden has nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to fill Justice Breyer’s seat on the Supreme Court. If confirmed, she would be the first Black woman to hold a seat on the court. What does her backstory say about her as a jurist? 

Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, senior writer for Slate. 

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President Biden has nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to fill Justice Breyer’s seat on the Supreme Court. If confirmed, she would be the first Black woman to hold a seat on the court. What does her backstory say about her as a jurist? 

Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, senior writer for Slate. 

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Russia went all in last week, sending troops across the border with Ukraine and raining shells on the country. Experts are saying Putin’s brash invasion of his neighbor is shifting the world order in significant ways. In the face of this aggression, how should NATO respond? Can history serve as a guide?

Guest: Fred Kaplan, Slate’s War Stories correspondent.

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Peter Thiel spent the better part of two decades molding the tech industry in his image. Now, he's leaving Facebook behind and turning his attention to politics. Is Thiel the next kingmaker for the populist right?

Max Chafkin, writer for Bloomberg and is the author of The Contrarian: Peter Thiel and Silicon Valley's Pursuit of Power

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Philadelphia may be the cradle of American democracy. But the city has a difficult history with race. The Philadelphia Inquirer’s new project, “A More Perfect Union,” is seeking to shed light on the city’s historic racism. It started with itself, acknowledging a history of its role in perpetuating racism in the opening story “Black City. White Paper.” On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by veteran political journalist Errin Haines. She’s leading the Inquirer’s year-long project to expose the bias at the foundation of Philadelphia’s institutions. They talk about what the city –and the country– could learn from the effort.

Guest: Errin Haines, veteran political journalist and a founder of The 19th*, a news non-profit focused on gender, politics, and policy. 

Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis

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On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor Shannon Palus is joined by freelance beauty reporter, and author of The Unpublishable, Jessica DeFino to talk about why you probably don’t need all the lotions and potions in your cupboards. They start out by discussing Jessica’s recent Slate piece, “Why Your Skin Doesn’t Need Skin Care” and why other outlets turned the piece down. They then go behind the scenes of the beauty industry and talk about the toxicity of celebrity skin-care brands, what it’s like being fake Internet Khloe Kardashian, and why the industry keeps targeting women.

In Slate Plus, is the upcoming bar-soap trend feminist? 

Recommendations:

Shannon: Using the Peloton app for exercise (but not buying the equipment) 

Jessica: The Angela Caglia vibrating rose quartz facial roller

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and June Thomas. 

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