Slate Daily Feed

Over the last month, North Americans have seen record-breaking heat, droughts, wildfires, and floods. The science is clear: we are living through the effects of climate change. Now scientists are trying to answer: is this the new normal? Guest: Daniel Swain, climate scientist at UCLA  Host Lizzie O’Leary   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Many Cuban Americans have long called for new leadership in that nation, including Afro-Cubans who --from social media to the streets-- are challenging the historic American narrative about Cuba’s government. For Afro-Cuban professor, Amalia Dache, the fight is personal. She’s the author of the book Rise Up! Activism as Education. On today’s episode of A Word, Professor Dache joins host Jason Johnson to talk about the uprising, and the myths and realities of racial equity in Cuba. Guest: Amalia Dache, professor of higher education at the University of Pennsylvania Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel and Jasmine Ellis You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of The Waves, June Thomas, senior managing producer of Slate podcasts and a host of Working, talks with Willa Paskin, Slate TV critic and host of Decoder Ring, about the reboot of Gossip Girl. They discuss how the show messed up by making its characters too nice, why the teachers may be the most interesting part of the reboot, and whether Gossip Girl has finally figured out its class politics. Recommendations June: Reality competition show about ball culture, Legendary on HBO Max. Willa: The Succession meets Agatha Christie new show, The White Lotus on HBO.   Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.  Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

America’s top weed evangelist and the nation’s drug czar shared the same goal: to loosen up the country’s marijuana laws. In 1977, everything was trending their way—until a blowout Christmas party destroyed their plans, and transformed the future of marijuana in the United States. One Year is produced by Josh Levin, Evan Chung, and Madeline Ducharme. Mixing by Merritt Jacob. Slate Plus members get to hear more about the making of One Year and more about the culture of 1977 in supplementary episodes this season. Get access to those episodes, listen to the show without any ads, and support One Year by signing up for Slate Plus for just $1 right now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode, Madison and Rachelle talk about two of the internet’s favorite subjects: cats and Wendy Williams. First, they talk about the story that made “Slate” itself trend on Twitter: the debate surrounding a Slate essay published last week in which writer Alexis Nowicki revealed that the 2017 New Yorker story “Cat Person,” which became the first work of short fiction ever to go viral, was based on her life. Then, Madison shares a listener letter that validates all of her suspicions about those TikTok missed connections. (It also happens to feature a cat.) Finally, they close out the episode with High Speed Downloads about two recent online controversies: one about a woman who faced a flood of hate for tweeting about feeding feral cats, and another about a tasteless segment from a recent episode of The Wendy Williams Show. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John. Support ICYMI and listen to the show with zero ads. Sign up to become a Slate Plus member for just $1 for your first month.

Welcome to Slate Money Goes to the Movies, a miniseries in which Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and a different guest each week discuss popular business-themed movies.  Michael Bierut, graphic designer and self-described “recovering Ayn Rand fan”, joins Felix and Emily to discuss the 1949 film adaptation of The Fountainhead. They cover the film’s remarkable architecture, the clunky, long-winded dialogue, and its surprising watchability--despite Ayn Rand’s insistence on controlling everything.  Email: slatemoney@slate.com Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Twitter: @felixsalmon, @EmilyRPeck  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the year 2000, Dan Kois was a junior book agent working on selling a secretive book proposal called IT, a codename for what would eventually be revealed as the Segway personal scooter. This is the story of the invention and development of a potentially revolutionary device, how Dan may or may not have doomed it, how the hype got out of control, and how that speculation helped birth the modern internet. If you love the show and want to support us, consider joining Slate Plus. With Slate Plus you can binge the whole season of Decoder Ring right now, plus ad free podcasts, bonus episodes, and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dan Helfrich, CEO of Deloitte Consulting, joins Let’s Workflow It to talk about reinventing the consulting industry by bringing together a diverse set of problem solvers. Dan envisions an exciting future where agile, inclusive work environments empower individuals to challenge the status quo. He’s a big believer that the tone from the top can promote change from the bottom, unlocking value company wide. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

GETTR, a new social media network from former Trump aide Jason Miller, launched on July 1 and quickly became an unmanageable mess. On today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison discuss this low-budget Twitter clone, how it got overrun with hentai, and why its privacy issues may indicate that the network is already dead. If you’d like to read more on GETTR, Slatester Aaron Mak wrote about what happened when he tried to make a profile on the platform as Donald Trump. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John. Support ICYMI and listen to the show with zero ads. Sign up to become a Slate Plus member for just $1 for your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Supercuts revolutionized the haircutting industry, and managed to stay in style as trends changed. But then came the pandemic. Podcast production by Jess Miller and Cleo Levin with help from Grace Woodruff. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast and bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn. Sign up now to listen and support our work. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For many white-collar workers, the full-time work from home era is coming to an end. Some are going back into offices five days a week. Many others will be expected to split the week between home and the office.  As the new rules are laid down, office workers are asking themselves: do we want work to go back to the way it was? Or is it time, finally, to try something different?  Guest: Brigid Schulte, director of the Better Life Lab at New America Host Henry Grabar   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald Trump’s combination of bigotry, lies, and meanness led to a victory that stunned political pundits in 2016. Atlantic writer Adam Serwer would go on to coin the phrase that summed up Trump’s appeal: the cruelty is the point. Serwer has collected his essays chronicling the Trump era in the new book, The Cruelty is the Point: The Past, Present, and Future of Trump’s America, and joins host Jason Johnson to discuss it on this week’s episode of A Word. Guest: Adam Serwer, staff writer for The Atlantic and author of The Cruelty is the Point: The Past, Present, and Future of Trump’s America.  Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel and Jasmine Ellis You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate Supreme Court reporters Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern join forces to dissect Amy Coney Barrett’s first term on the bench. They talk about how her confirmation hearings were shaped by Democrats’ desire to paint her as an enemy of health care, and how her recent decision upholding the Affordable Care Act has gotten her outsized praise. Then, they dissect her desire to be seen as an academic rather than a conservative, and unpack what we can expect from her in the years to come. In Slate Plus, Mark reveals how Mama Bear getting overlooked in The Berenstain Bears series made him a feminist, and Dahlia gives a deep dive on another overlooked icon, Pauli Murray. Recommendations Dahlia: A Supreme Women Mug from Resistance By Design Mark: A Washington D.C. statehood tank top from DC Statehood Gifts & Apparel Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Susan Matthews and June Thomas.  Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thew

Miami, 1977: Pop singer and orange juice spokeswoman Anita Bryant takes a stand against a local ordinance—and becomes the leader of a national anti-gay movement. Her campaign against gay rights, and the gay community's fight against her, would change America. One Year is produced by Josh Levin, Evan Chung, and Madeline Ducharme. Mixing by Merritt Jacob. Slate Plus members get to hear more about the making of One Year and more about the culture of 1977 in supplementary episodes this season. Get access to those episodes, listen to the show without any ads, and support One Year by signing up for Slate Plus for just $1 right now. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zola, a new movie based on the infamous Twitter thread by Aziah “Zola” Wells King, follows a part-time stripper who goes on a weekend trip to Florida with a new friend to make money, and how things quickly escalated until their friendship fell apart. On today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison talk to Tony-nominated playwright and screenwriter Jeremy O. Harris about how he and director Janicza Bravo translated the 148-tweet saga into a feature-length film, the scene that almost made members of the crew quit, and why he considers Zola’s tale to be akin to Homer’s epic poetry. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John. Support ICYMI and listen to the show with zero ads. Sign up to become a Slate Plus member for just $1 for your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Welcome to Slate Money Goes to the Movies, a miniseries in which Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and a different guest each week discuss popular business-themed movies.  Katherine Bell, Editor in Chief of Quartz, joins to talk about The Hudsucker Proxy. They discuss the heightened depiction of corporate culture, circles, and yet another female reporter character who sleeps with her source.  Email: slatemoney@slate.com Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Twitter: @felixsalmon, @EmilyRPeck  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ilona Granet was a New York art-scene fixture who won the praise of the art world when she put up anti-harassment street signs in lower Manhattan in the mid- 1980s. Her career seemed like a sure thing, but three decades on, and so much more art later, it still hasn’t materialized, even as her contemporaries are now hanging in museums. This episode is not about the familiar myth of making it, but the mystery of not making it. What happens, to an artist—to anyone—when they’re good enough, but that’s not enough? If you love the show and want to support us, consider joining Slate Plus. With Slate Plus you can binge the whole season of Decoder Ring right now, plus ad free podcasts, bonus episodes, and much more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode features Cynt Marshall, CEO of the Dallas Mavericks and the NBA’s first Black female CEO. After spending 36 years in senior management at AT&T, Cynt pivoted to the sports industry where her values-based leadership has transformed the Mavericks’ culture to emphasize community and employee engagement. Cynt’s authentic and humanizing perspectives shed light on how empathy and technology can help us stay connected and enhance shared experiences. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Black dance creators on TikTok are sick of white influencers stealing their work without credit. Now, they have collectively refused to choreograph dance challenges for the app’s latest trendy hit, Megan Thee Stallion’s new song, “Thot Shit.” On today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison discuss the origins of this strike, the ineptitude of white dancers trying to create their own dances for the song, and how empty TikTok is without these Black creators. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder and Derek John. Support ICYMI and listen to the show with zero ads. Sign up to become a Slate Plus member for just $1 for your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In Part 2 of this episode of Hit Parade, Chris Molanphy continues his analysis of when singing became central to rap music. Rap has always been musical. But back in the day, rappers generally, well, rapped: talked in cadence over a beat. Fans judged MCs primarily by their rhymes and rhythms, not their melodies. Now? Rappers are mostly singers: MCs from Drake to DaBaby slip seamlessly in and out of melody. Some hits that appear on Billboard’s Rap charts feature literally no rapping. When did this change? Part 2 takes a close look at an integral pivot point in this progression: when Beyoncé changed the game by singing with triple-time flow like the baddest MC.   Podcast production by Asha Saluja. Hit Parade episodes are now split into two parts, released two weeks apart. For the full episode right now, sign up for Slate Plus and you'll also get The Bridge, our Trivia show and bonus deep dive. Click here for more info.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices