226
What Next: Congress Wants to Know: Do Aliens Ex...
Three officials say UFOs aren’t just real; in the military, they’re an open secret.
27 min
227
What Next: Wait, China’s Taking Our Pandas Back...
A story of soft (and cuddly) power.
28 min
228
What Next: The Plot Against Pope Francis | 2023...
The 86-year-old knows there are people in the Vatican working to undo everything he’s done once he’s dead—but he has succession ideas of his own.
26 min
229
The Waves: What is a Feminist, Really?
For The Wave’s final episode, we consider throwing out the word “feminism” altogether.
36 min
230
A Word: A Black Power Radical’s Rise and Fall
Did a civil rights rebel become a murderer, or a scapegoat?
24 min
231
What Next TBD: Stephen King Is Just as Confused...
A meltdown over its subscription service reveals Twitter’s wheels coming off.
31 min
232
Political Gabfest: Trump versus Colorado
The Colorado Supreme Court blocks Donald Trump from the state primary ballot; Texas plans to block immigrants by arresting them; and Amanda Ripley has a plan for surviving 2024.
61 min
233
Amicus: The Many Trials of Donald J. Trump
Donald Trump needs the courts to work for him in 2024. Will they?
42 min
234
Slate Money: Our Surprisingly Great Year
Slate Money talks a strong year for the economy, the Warner Bros.-Paramount merger, and why more pedestrians are dying on the road.
45 min
235
What Next TBD: Can Hybrid Cars Save Us?
Are hybrids a bridge to fully electric vehicles, or a dead end?
24 min
236
What Next: Marvel’s Disastrous Year
The commercially-declining MCU ends 2023 with its rising star found guilty of reckless assault and harassment.
20 min
237
What Next: When a Miscarriage Becomes a Crime
How an anti-abortion legal strategy turned a miscarriage into “abuse of a corpse.”
20 min
238
What Next: Oh the Humanities!
It’s been three months since West Virginia University cut more than two dozen programs. We go inside an academic culling.
23 min
239
Slate Money Goes to the Movies: This Is Spinal Tap
Slate Money turns it to 11 with music industry veteran Paula Scher
36 min
240
What Next: Where Do Returned Gifts Go?
Sending something back has never been more convenient. But easy returns have hidden costs.
20 min
241
A Word: “Good” Hair; Bad Health
Why popular hair products could be fueling cancer in Black women.
26 min
242
The Waves: In Defense of Lean In Feminism
Sheryl Sandberg didn’t get feminism right ten years ago. That doesn’t mean she was wholly wrong.
27 min
243
What Next TBD: The Case Against CLEAR
What place does a private company have in a mandatory government service?
22 min
244
Amicus: Texas Abortion Laws’ Cruel Outcomes
The results of overturning Roe have reached their awful, logical conclusion.
57 min
245
Slate Money: Is Starbucks Still a Union Buster?
Slate Money talks the Fed’s falling interest rates, Starbucks’ labor woes, and star pitcher Shohei Ohtani’s lavish retirement plan.
41 min
246
Political Gabfest: Is Harvard Antisemitic?
University presidents go to Congress and fail antisemitism test; Special Counsel Jack Smith asks a Trump question of the U.S. Supreme Court; and abortion rights are obstructed by the Texas Supreme Court.
59 min
247
What Next TBD: Shein’s Newest Offering? An IPO
Shein has already faced criticism over its labor practices and environmental impact. What will it mean if the company goes public?
24 min
248
What Next: What Texas Abortion Laws Leave Unsaid
The State Supreme Court decides what constitutes “life-threatening.”
25 min
249
What Next: Some Israeli Hostages Came Home. His...
The Gaza ceasefire came and went; his son is still held by Hamas.
26 min
250
Hear Me Out: Race Isn’t Real. The Census Should...
Checking a box is oversimplifying.
39 min