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It was reported this week that the U.S. Department of Energy now believes, “with low confidence,” that the COVID-19 virus came from a lab. But is there enough evidence for the “lab leak theory” to convince those who believe the virus emerged from animals in a wet market?Guest: Angela Rasmussen, virologist at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada.Host: Lizzie O’LearyIf 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 TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss the Supreme Court challenge to loan forgiveness; lab leak v. wet market Covid politics; and the future of humanities education–with John Plotz.Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:Nathan Heller for The New Yorker: “The End of The English Major”Recall This Book podcast with John PlotzUrsula Le Guin's Earthsea, by John Plotz“The Eden of the Author of Sleep,” by Brian TeareSarah Fullerton for UC Berkeley: “Defying Negative Stereotypes, Humanities Majors Are Booming At UC Berkeley”Culture: The Story of Us, From Cave Art to K-Pop, by Martin PuchnerThe Golden Compass; The Subtle Knife; and The Amber Spyglass, by Philip Pullman Here are this week’s chatters:John: Drew Harwell for The Washington Post: “Tech’s Hottest New Job: AI Whisperer. No Coding Required.”Emily: Michelle Goldberg for The New York Times: “Don’t Let Politics Cloud Your View of What’s Going On With Teens and Depression”; Matthew Yglesias for Slow Boring: “Why Are Y

On this episode: Elizabeth and Jamilah are joined by Lizzie O’Leary, host of Slate’s What Next: TBD. They help a mom whose toddler has practically become her shadow. He cries whenever his dad is caring for him and it’s made his bedtime routine near impossible. Our listener is desperately trying to change the situation before their youngest arrives in April. They also dive into their triumphs and fails of the week, which include: avoiding embarrassment on the big-screen, drawing body boundaries, and a misconnected meetup. Then on Slate Plus, they dive into the mailbag to read two pieces of interesting listener advice! If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Mom and Dad are Fighting. Sign up now at slate.com/momanddadplus to help support our work.Join us on Facebook and email us at momanddad@slate.com to ask us new questions, tell us what

President Biden’s student loan debt relief plan goes before the Supreme Court this week. Though the court’s conservative majority seems opposed to the program, debt-relief detractors are struggling to answer a major question: who does this program harm?Guests:Mark Joseph Stern, Slate senior writer covering the courtsAlice Turner, hospital pharmacist and compounderIf 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 Amicus—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.Make an impact this Women’s History Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund girls in STEM. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Erick Adame was a TV weatherman. Then someone sent pictures to his employer, his mother, and his boyfriend of him performing sex acts on a webcam.Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Money community? Every Wednesday we send out podcast listening recommendations, fascinating letters from our inbox, and updates from the show. Sign up at deathsexmoney.org/newsletter, and follow the show on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.Got a story to share? Email us at deathsexmoney@wnyc.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On today’s episode, Rachelle Hampton is joined by Time’s Moises Mendez II to talk about Selena Gomez’s internet history. They look at her early days on YouTube, discuss her tumultuous relationship with Justin Bieber, and explain why TikTok has blown up with commentary on the recent feud between Gomez and Justin’s wife, Hailey Bieber.This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Daisy Rosario.Subscribe to Slate Plus at http://slate.com/icymiplus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Dana, Julia, and Stephen begin by talking about the return of the Starz comedy Party Down. Then they discuss Andrea Riseborough’s Oscar-nominated performance in To Leslie. Finally, NPR’s Aisha Harris joins to chat about the newest entries to the Black Film Canon; a collaboration between Slate and NPR. In Slate Plus, the panel talks about the controversial changes to Roald Dahl’s books. Email us at culturefest@slate.com.Endorsements: Dana: Nathan Hiller’s article ‘The End of the English Major’ in The New Yorker.Julia: Art But Make It Sports on InstagramStephen: ‘Are You Sure’ by Willie Nelson from The Demos Project: Volume OnePodcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Yesica Balderrama.Outro music: "Backwards" by Staffan Carlen.If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows. You’ll also be supporting the work we do here on the Culture Gabfest. Sign up now at Slat

It’s a rare bi-partisan point of agreement: the price of insulin is too high—and it’s still rising. With the stakes literally life-or-death for millions of Americans, what can be done?Guest: Bram Sable-Smith, Midwest correspondent for Kaiser Health News.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 Amicus—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.Make an impact this Women’s History Month by helping Macy’s on their mission to fund girls in STEM. Go to macys.com/purpose to learn more. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When John Fetterman checked himself into a hospital for clinical depression in mid-February, he was praised by both parties and public health officials for his bravery. But not long ago, being diagnosed with depression or taking time for your mental health were seen as disqualifying for those seeking public office. Guest: Jason Kander, President of National Expansion at Veterans Community Project, author of Invisible Storm: A Soldier's Memoir of Politics and PTSD, and co-host of Crooked Media’s podcast Majority 54.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 Amicus—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.

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Joseph Goodman of AL.com to talk about the murder roiling the Alabama basketball program. They’re also joined by Jeremy Woo to discuss his Sports Illustrated cover story on French basketball phenom Victor Wembanyama. Finally, CNBC’s Alex Sherman comes on for a conversation about the death of regional sports networks. Alabama (5:08): Why is star freshman Brandon Miller still playing? Wembanyama (27:42): Inside the media rollout of the next NBA superstar. RSNs (48:41): Is the sports TV business model dead? Afterball (1:11:59): Stefan on a century of complaints about slow baseball games. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Beijing passed a new law that harshly penalized protests in Hong Kong, activists and dissident groups had to choose whether to shut down or get out. Now, 47 pro-democracy activists are facing charges and likely prison time, and a generation of dissent may be quelled. Guest: Emily Feng, NPR’s Beijing correspondent. 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 Amicus—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.CORRECTION (March 2, 2023): A previous version of this episode misidentified this trial as a closed trial. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode: Elizabeth and Jamilah are joined by friend of the show, Travis Nichols. Travis is a writer and editor from Georgia and recently wrote an interesting piece about his experience trying to find a youth basketball league for his daughters. Other parents pointed him towards an affordable, accessible option. The catch? It was run by the Southern Baptist Church. Which begs the question—should you still sign your kids up if you don’t agree with the church’s values and prayer is built into the program. Recommendations: Jamilah recommends baking a chocolate strawberry cake. Travis recommends revisiting The Diaries of Franz Kafka as a parent. Elizabeth recommends a good ole sing-along and dance party in the car. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Mom and Dad are Fighting. Sign up now at slate.com/momanddadplus to help support

New understandings of how our brains develop are changing how the law considers who is mature and who isn’t. But If our brains are still developing, when can the law treat us like adults? Guest: Jane C. Hu, independent science journalist.Host: Lizzie O’LearyIf 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 TBD. 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 episode, Rachelle Hampton is joined by WAMU’s Aja Drain to discuss North West’s TikTok presence. They talk about how North got started on the app like going live without her mother’s permission, the controversies that’ve bubbled up around her TikTok account, and what makes her so different from the other kids posting online.This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Daisy Rosario.Subscribe to Slate Plus at http://slate.com/icymiplus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For every person screaming about Section 230 (looking at you, Ted Cruz), there are approximately 0.0000001 Danielle Citrons, i.e. folks who actually understand it, what it does, and how it might be tweaked or interpreted to do better. Luckily, we have a whole Professor Danielle Citron on this week’s show. Professor Citron not only manages to make sense of Section 230 for us, she also takes us through this week's internet cases involving Twitter and Google, and content moderation and liability. She explains how eight out of nine justices apparently failed to read the briefs, instead deciding on an "it's so hard" shruggy head-scratch strategy instead. Danielle Citron’s latest book is The Fight for Privacy: Protecting Dignity, Identity, and Love in the Digital Age.In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, Dahlia is joined by Slate’s Mark Joseph Stern to look ahead to next week’s arguments about the Biden administration’s student debt forgiveness program, and to romp through some of the decisions that came down from th

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss why the market for newly built homes is outperforming the market for existing homes. They also talk about the increased employment rate for people with disabilities, as well as the new slew of charges against Sam Bankman-Fried. In the Plus segment: the new World Bank president. Podcast production by Anna Phillips. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

One of the most improbable blockbuster successes of the ’90s was Hootie and the Blowfish: a South Carolina bar band fronted by a Black lead singer that played jangly alt-pop. That singer, Darius Rucker, built a career that’s one of a kind. Rucker’s tastes growing up were eclectic, as were the influences on his young bandmates. Their Cracked Rear View album took a year to catch on, but then it dominated the charts.The story gets more interesting after Hootie fell off: Darius Rucker’s career is a prime example of how chart success is a product of musical trend. First, Rucker tried to become a neo-soul star. Then he tried his hand at country music, even though Nashville had not produced a major Black solo star since Charley Pride.Join Chris Molanphy as he traces this improbable journey—the role Rucker’s band played in mainstreaming alt-rock, Rucker’s effort to find a genre to call home, and how he finally became a chart-conqueror again..Podcast production by Kevin Bendis.Make an impact this Black History Month b

Microsoft has been testing out their new artificial intelligence on their long-ridiculed search engine Bing. The results? A chatbot that lies brazenly and confidently, and has a penchant for manipulation. What are the risks and rewards of letting bots loose on the world?Guest: Drew Harwell, Washington Post tech reporter covering artificial intelligence Host: Emily PeckIf 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 TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

* Due to an audio issue, the original episode has been replaced.This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss the year of war on Ukraine with Anne Applebaum; the smoking gun Fox News text messages; and Google’s defense of Section 230 at the Supreme Court.Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:Anne Applebaum and Nataliya Gumenyuk for The Atlantic: “‘They Didn’t Understand Anything, But Just Spoiled People’s Lives’”Anne Applebaum for The Atlantic: “Biden’s Hope vs. Putin’s Lies”Anne Applebaum for The Atlantic: “Biden Went to Kyiv Because There’s No Going Back”Emily Bazelon for The New York Times Magazine: “Billionaires vs. The Press in the Era of Trump”Jenna Russell for The New York Times: “In Vermont, a School and Artist Fight Over Murals of Slavery”Here are this week’s chatters:John: The Kid Should See This: “How It’s Made” videosEmily: Jill Filipovic: “Fear of a Female Body”David: Morgan Wade; City Cast DC liveListener chatter from Dylan O’Leary: Miles Ellingham for The

On this episode: Elizabeth, Zak, and Jamilah dish about traveling with kids (featuring forgotten carseats and a TSA scramble), searching for love, and appreciating your kids for the wonderfully unique people they are. They also answer two listener questions. The first is about combating the colds kids constantly bring into the house and the second is about creating a cozy sleep environment for your little ones. On Slate Plus, they dig into the mailbag and read some wonderful listener letters. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Mom and Dad are Fighting. Sign up now at slate.com/momanddadplus to help 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. You can also call our NEW P