Inside the DOGE assault on the federal government.
23 min
2
Politcal Gabfest | Elon Musk’s DOGE Rampage
Musk’s DOGE rampages through federal agencies; the gap widens between US prosperity and quality of life; and states confront immigration with their own aggressive approaches.
65 min
3
Care & Feeding | Are Kids Worried About the News?
Slate’s parenting podcast on current events (sorry).
41 min
4
What Next | Guantanamo Bay’s Comeback Is a Warning
The government keeps finding uses for a difficult-to-scrutinize detention camp offshore.
23 min
5
Culture Gabfest: Noah Wyle Lures Us Into The Pitt
This week, the hosts discuss The Pitt, September 5, and cruelty as the style of the GOP.
61 min
6
What Next | DOGE V. USAID
Is the shuttering of USAID—a small department in the context of the federal budget—just a practice run for something bigger from this administration?
Historian Quinn Slobodian joins Felix Salmon to discuss the tech billionaires who idealize a world without democracy.
38 min
8
What Next | Are Airplane Crashes Inevitable?
The safety systems are there, but is the political will to keep them healthy?
24 min
9
Hang Up | Luka’s A Laker
“Yes, this is real.”
72 min
10
What Next | Trump’s Anti-Trans Agenda
Can a wave of the president’s pen undo what years of activism have built?
28 min
11
Culture Gabfest: One of Them Movies About Women...
This week, the hosts discuss One of Them Days, Asura, and the men of YouTube.
60 min
12
What Next TBD | The DeepSeek Panic
How one app brought the US-China A.I. war out into the open.
22 min
13
Slate Money | The Federal Employee ‘Buyout’ Mak...
Federal employees are sent a resignation offer, Invidia’s stock drops thanks to Deepseek, and bookstores are booming.
47 min
14
Amicus | Trump’s American Takeover
Autocracy doesn’t always start with tanks in the streets.
52 min
15
What Next TBD | RFK Jr. Is a Feature, Not a Bug
The vaccine skeptic’s nomination reveals the Trump 2.0 approach to public health.
23 min
16
Political Gabfest | Elon Musk’s Fork in the Road
Chaos and confusion reigns as the White House freezes and thaws federal grants; surprise app DeepSeek overturns assumptions in the AI sector; and Jonathan Rauch writes on Christianity and democracy.
72 min
17
What Next | Was Tulsi Gabbard Always Like This?
Of all of Trump’s cabinet nominees, the betting lines say she has the worst odds of being confirmed.
25 min
18
What Next | Trump’s DIY Government Shutdown
How Donald Trump’s freeze on federal funding flies in the face of the constitutional separation of powers.
24 min
19
Amicus | Extra: The Federal Funding Freeze
Trump’s chaotic and illegal order to freeze agency funding usurps Congress’s power and sets up a dangerous game of constitutional chicken at SCOTUS.
38 min
20
What Next | Who Will Mourn DEI?
An imperfect system for creating a fairer society became a boogeyman—and Trump’s attacks on it are turning government employees against each other.
26 min
21
What Next | Trump’s Gift to Militias
For a brief moment, militias were pariahs to both parties. Then the GOP called J6ers “patriots.”
24 min
22
Culture Gabfest: Chalamet Goes Electric
This week, the hosts discuss A Complete Unknown, On Call, and David Lynch’s legacy.
74 min
23
What Next TBD | The A.I. Will See You Now
Doctors are increasingly using artificial intelligence to help with appointments. But do the risks outweigh the benefits?
20 min
24
Slate Money | Trump’s TikTok Backtrack
Tiktok is back (for now), Trump has a memecoin, and everyone is digital shoplifting.