Slate Daily Feed

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss the merits of the Inflation Reduction Act and Larry Summers’ role in moving it along, the low GDP numbers, and a listener question about corporate landlords. In the Plus segment: This week’s Slate piece on the sham that is college financial aid.   Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After the so-called-but-not-really “death” of disco, dance music in the 1980s moved to its own beat. There was synthpop, electro, hi-NRG and house. But the scrappy genre that seemed to pull it all together was called freestyle—a breakbeat-tempo, Latin-flavored genre fortified with dizzying, proudly synthetic beats. Freestyle grew out of the clubs and streets of New York and Miami and briefly dominated ’80s dance-pop.Freestyle’s flagship artists were only medium-level stars: Shannon. Exposé. Lisa Lisa. Stevie B. Nu Shooz. Sweet Sensation. But these acts—most especially their yearning, floridly romantic, rhythmically hectic songs—punched above their weight on the charts and even affected the hits of superstars from Madonna to Duran Duran, Whitney Houston to Pet Shop Boys.Join Chris Molanphy as he defines the byways of this bespoke dance genre and traces how it bridged the disco era into the hiphop era.Podcast production by Kevin Bendis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In buying One Medical, Amazon is primed to be your doctor. Are they disrupting health care, or just collecting more data?Guest: Rebecca PiferHost: Lizzie O'Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss the surprise deal for climate legislation, new January 6th revelations, and the deadliest road in America. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:Carol D. Leonnig, Devlin Barrett, Josh Dawsey and Spencer S. Hsu for The Washington Post: “Justice Dept. Investigating Trump’s Actions In Jan. 6 Criminal Probe”Carol D. Leonnig and Maria Sacchetti for The Washington Post: “Secret Service Watchdog Knew in February That Texts Had Been Purged”Forbidden City, by Vanessa HuaDan Kaufman for The New Yorker: “Will Wisconsin’s Republicans Make Voting Meaningless, or Just Difficult?”Richard L. Hasen for Slate: “What the Critics Get Incredibly Wrong about the Collins-Manchin Election Bill”Marin Cogan for Vox: “The Deadliest Road In America”Robert James Schneider, Rebecca Sanders, Frank Proulx, Hamideh Moayyed for the Journal of Transport and Land Use: “United States Fatal Pedestrian Crash Hot Spot Locations And Characteristics”Unsafe At Any Spe

On this episode: Zak and Jamilah are joined by Autumn Brown. Autumn is a mother, organizer, theologian, artist, facilitator, and co-host of the podcast, How to Survive the End of the World. They weigh in on a custody conundrum. Our letter writer is furious that her ex-wife is slacking on bathing their children when they’re in her care. It’s come to a head because they’ve been showing up to summer camp grimy from the previous day’s activities and in the same dirty clothes. Our letter writer wants to know if she should change her custody agreement over the lack of hygiene. On Slate Plus, they brainstorm ideas for breaking the heat without breaking the bank. Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on MADAF each week, and no ads. Sign up now at slate.com/momanddadplus to listen and support our work.Join us on Facebook and email us at momanddad@slate.com to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we should talk about in future episodes. Podcast produced by Rosema

Adoption is often invoked as an alternative to abortion. But looking back at how adoption worked before Roe v. Wade—and looking at how it works now—the option is cold comfort for many people facing unintended pregnancies. Guest: Ann Fessler, author of The Girls Who Went Away: The Hidden History of Women Who Surrendered Children for Adoption in the Decades Before Roe v. Wade.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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We asked you about your relationships with alcohol—why you drink, or don't, the strategies you use to manage your consumption, and what alcohol brings you besides a buzz. Here's what you told us.If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol or seeking more information about alcohol consumption, check out these resources.Sign up for our newsletter at deathsexmoney.org/newsletter, and every Wednesday we'll send you podcast listening recommendations, listener letters from our inbox and updates from the show.Follow our show on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @deathsexmoney. Got a story to share? Email us any time at deathsexmoney@wnyc.org. Support Death, Sex & Money today at deathsexmoney.org/donate. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, the panel is joined by the host of Slate’s Hit Parade podcast, Chris Molanphy, for our annual Summer Strut episode. First, they discuss this year’s chart-topping songs of the summer and their lack of strut-ness. Then, the panel dives into the longest listener-suggested summer playlist to date (42 hours!), and takes turns in a roundtable discussion of their top favorites from the list.You can find the panel’s shortlist of favorite summer strut songs here:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2oc68EJC3OyLUi1Honhxlw?si=44ec68203e8d47a9&nd=1In Slate Plus, the panel gives one more bonus round of strut picks.Email us at culturefest@slate.com.Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Nadira Goffe.Outro music is "Lonely Calling" by Arc De Soleil.Slate Plus members get ad-free podcasts, a bonus segment in each episode of the Culture Gabfest, full access to Slate's journalism on Slate.com, and more. Sign up now at slate.com/cultureplus. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inf

The “Respect for Marriage Act” protects same-sex marriages nationwide and already has bipartisan support. If put to a vote in the Senate, it seems likely to pass. So why aren’t Democrats making it a priority?Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, senior writer at Slate.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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s show: more scams! Rachelle is joined by Daily Beast entertainment editor and former Slatester Allegra Frank; the two discuss the launch and social media rollout of the new multi-level marketing company Elomir. Later in the episode they examine how, despite the abundance of information on MLMs predatory nature, they still manage to pull people in.This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, Daisy Rosario and Kevin Bendis. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What do we lose if we lose the mall? 70 years into their existence, these hulking temples to commerce are surprisingly resilient and filled with contradictions. In this episode, Alexandra Lange, the author of the new book Meet Me at the Fountain: an Inside History of the Mall walks us through the atriums, escalators, and food courts of this singular suburban space. We also hear from mall-goers whose personal experiences help us make sense of this disdained yet beloved, disappearing yet surviving place.This episode of Decoder Ring was written by Willa Paskin and produced by Willa Paskin and Katie Shepherd. Derek John is Sr. Supervising Producer of Narrative Podcasts. Merritt Jacob is our Technical Director.If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, email us at DecoderRing@slate.comIf you love the show and want to support us, consider joining Slate Plus. With Slate Plus you get ad-free podcasts, bonus episodes, and total access to all of Slate’s journalism. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy

The American southwest is in a megadrought. Water levels in lakes are dropping, threatening the local environment as well as agriculture, hydroelectric power, and the people living there. As global temperatures rise, it could be a preview of worse things to come. Guest: Dr. Jason Smerdon, ocean and climate physicist, and Lamont research professor at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory of Columbia University and co-director at the Earth Institute Faculty. 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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Josh Levin and the New Yorker’s Vinson Cunningham are joined by Tim Layden to discuss the record breakers of the world track and field championships; by Abe Riesman to talk about Vince McMahon’s scandal-laden retirement from WWE; and by Sarah Larson for a conversation about her New Yorker feature on pickleball. Track and field (1:30): What’s next for Sydney McLaughlin, Noah Lyles, and the sport as a whole? Vince McMahon (25:24): Why did he retire now? What’s next for WWE? Pickleball (47:23): Why is it so popular? Is a billionaire ruining it? Afterball (1:05:40): Josh on Carl Lewis’ mythical 30-foot long jump. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode: Elizabeth and Zak are joined by Stephanie Ryan, author, education consultant, and creator of Let’s Learn about Science. Stephanie shows them some kid-friendly science experiments that are fun for the entire family. Elizabeth’s husband, Jeff, also joins to answer a listener question addressed to him! The listener is wondering if they should keep their small four-door car or trade up to a minivan. Zak recommends joining an adult league, club, or class.Stephanie recommends Osmo.Elizabeth recommends Endlessly Ever After by Laurel Snyder. Join us on Facebook and email us at momanddad@slate.com to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we should talk about in future episodes. Podcast produced by Rosemary Belson and Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola.Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on MADAF each week, and no ads. Sign up now at slate.com/momanddadplus to listen and support our work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liz Cheney rose through Republican leadership based on her conservative bona fides, but thanks to her prominent role in the Jan 6th committee, she’s gained donors and admirers from across the aisle. Her constituents back in Wyoming aren’t so enthusiastic though, throwing her future in Congress into doubt.  Guest: Bob Beck, news director of Wyoming Public Radio.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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Emily Bazelon talks with author Vanessa Hua about her new historical fiction book, Forbidden City. The novel tells the story of sixteen-year-old revolutionary Mei who becomes a dancer in Chairman Mao’s inner circle. Emily and Vanessa talk about Vanessa’s inspiration for the novel, the complicated dynamics between Mei and Chairman Mao, and whether we’ll hear more from Mei. Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)Podcast production by Cheyna Roth Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Toronto’s Quayside project is a telling example of how smart cities have failed. Could it also show how to make them better?Guest: Ben Green, Jennifer KeesmaatHost: Lizzie O'Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss Amazon’s acquisition of One Medical, the complications of start-ups offering loans to employees against their stock options, and Evan Osnos’ New Yorker article on the rise of the superyacht. In the Plus segment: Why are Facebook and Instagram so bad now? Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It’s been a great run, but Madison is leaving ICYMI for new ventures. On today’s show, Rachelle interviews Madison about her time working on ICYMI, her own internet habits, and her first online scams. Plus, they’ve got a round of High Speed Downloads, perhaps the greatest one ever recorded, so get ready to be shocked and astonished in the best way.This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, Madison Malone Kircher, and Daisy Rosario. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The continent's deadly heat wave is only the tip of the melting iceberg.Guest: Henry GrabarHost: Lizzie O'Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.