Slate Daily Feed

Candice Lim is joined by internet culture writer Steffi Cao (It’s Steffi) to answer some very special, holiday-specific internet questions from her readers, such as: should I block my boyfriend’s aunt on Instagram? And how do I battle Facebook conspiracy theories at the dinner table? This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Daisy Rosario and Candice Lim, with production assistance from Alexandra Botti. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The mullet, the love-to-hate-it hairstyle, is as associated with the 1980’s as Ronald Reagan, junk bonds, and breakdancing. But in at least one major way, we are suffering from a collective case of false memory syndrome. In this episode we track the rise and fall of the mullet, and also the lexical quandary at its heart: Who named the mullet? We learn how David Bowie, hockey players, the Oxford English Dictionary, the Beastie Boys, a mysterious Reddit user named Topsmate, and a group called Annoy Club all played a part in the strange history of the mullet. Some of the voices you’ll hear in this episode include proud mullet-wearer Lauren Wright, amateur mullet-sleuth Oskar Sigvardsson, writer, market researcher, and 1980’s hockey teenager John Warner, head of product for Oxford Languages Katherine Connor Martin, and novelist and Grand Royal contributor Warren Fahy. This episode was produced by Willa Paskin and Benjamin Frisch. If you have any cultural mysteries you want us to decode, email us at DecoderRing@sl

André has known for years that they have to execute the estate when their parents pass. They feel wholly unprepared for the task, especially since their parents are reluctant to share any important information. On this episode of How To!: Carvell Wallace brings on M.P. Dunleavey, journalist, author of the Squished Substack, and contributor to Next Avenue where she covers aging, caregiving, and money. M.P. walks André through the important paperwork that needs to be in place and gives them guidance for working with stubborn family members.  Additional resources:  M.P.’s follow-up story on Next Avenue Area Agencies on Aging Benefits check up Estate planning checklist Creating a financial roadmap Easing family burdens Writing a will If you liked this episode check out: How To Care for an Aging Parent and How To Make Aging Easier for Everyone Do you have a problem that needs solving? Send us a note at howto@slate.com or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show. Subscribe for free

When actor and performer Jeff Hiller first tried improv comedy, he was instantly amazing at it. Jeff is an excellent listener. He’s also accommodating, flexible, and undeniably hilarious. This week on the show, Jeff discusses his role on the critically acclaimed HBO series Somebody, Somewhere and the personal quirks and qualities that have made him such a funny and talented performer.  Mentioned in the episode: -Jeff’s conversation with his husband Neil on the podcast She’s a Talker.  -Anna’s interview with Mark Duplass.  -Death, Sex & Money will be at San Francisco’s Sketchfest on January 31st. Get tickets and info here!  Podcast production by Cameron Drews.  Death, Sex & Money is now produced by Slate! To support us and our colleagues, please sign up for our membership program, Slate Plus! Members get ad-free podcasts, bonus content on lots of Slate shows, and full access to all the articles on Slate.com. Sign up today at slate.com/dsmplus. And if you’re new to the show, welcome. We’re so glad you’re here

How problematic is it for Joe Biden to pardon his son Hunter after promising, again and again, that he wouldn’t? Guest: Ankush Khardori, senior writer for POLITICO and a former federal prosecutor at the Department of Justice. Want more What Next? Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to What Next and all your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the What Next show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hosts Alex Kirshner, Ben Lindbergh, and Lindsay Gibbs discuss Iga Swiatek’s and Janik Sinner's doping allegations and the huge implications for international tennis. They also get into this past weekend’s college football chaos and Saquon Barkley and Derek Henry’s running back revival. For Afterballs, Lindsay Gibbs examines the tragic passing of Alabama A&M linebacker Medrick Burnett Jr. after a recent head injury. On the bonus episode, available exclusively for Slate Plus members, the hosts talk about Bluesky and whether big sports media will eventually pivot to the new platform. Tennis and doping (2:37): Do Swiatek and Sinner deserve suspensions? College football chaos (25:50): Flag planting and the mess in the Mid-West Are runningbacks back? (46:57): How long can Barkely and Henry prop up their position? Afterballs (1:03:38): Lindsay on Medrick Burnett Jr’s head injury and death. (Note: time codes are only accurate for Slate Plus members, who listen ad-free.) Want more Hang Up and Listen? Subscribe

On this episode: Every year, like clockwork, we start getting questions about how to do, or not do, the whole Santa thing. We’ll answer a listener's question and muse on the nature of belief. We’ll also check in on where the hosts are this week – and then, if you’re coming to hang out on the Slate Plus Playground, we’re honoring peak holiday meal szn with a round of food would-you-rathers.  If you’re not part of the Slate Plus community, we hope you’ll consider joining! Keep reading to learn how. Jamilah’s check-in: Wicked and a cold Elizabeth’s check-in: terrifying VR jungle trek Zak’s check-in: Noa’s accent work Join us on Facebook and email us at careandfeedingpod@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 phone line: (646) 357-9318. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get to hang out with us on the Plus Playground every week fo

The House already voted to pass the “The Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act.” But with Donald Trump returning to the White House next year, some Democrats are viewing the power that the bill gives the executive branch—to label non-profit organizations as “funding terrorism” and strip them of their non-profit status—in a new light. But is it too late?  Guest: Emily Tamkin, global affairs journalist and the author of The Influence of Soros and Bad Jews. Want more What Next? Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to What Next and all your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the What Next show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Anyone stuck in a knotted snarl of interstate clovers knows that GPS is both important and imperfect. But if GPS fails while you’re bringing a 737 in for a landing it could be catastrophic.  Why is “GPS spoofing” on the rise—and how can airlines protect their flights against being caught up in conflict zones. Guest: Drew FitzGerald, telecom reporter for the Wall Street Journal. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Patrick Fort, and Cheyna Roth. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week: Felix back and we have some Felix-y topics to cover. Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss the latest Trump cabinet appointments and speculate if Scott Bessent will be able to rein in Trump’s economic plans.Then, much ink has been spilled over the sale of a conceptual artwork by Maurizio Cattelan for $6.2 million, yet no one really knows how to write about it. So, when is a banana taped to a wall more than a banana taped to a wall? And finally, this week, Warren Buffet published a letter explaining why and how he is giving away his billions after his death. The hosts discuss the efficacy and logic of his plan to give $1.2 billion to his family’s foundations.  In the Slate Plus episode: We’ll hear how Felix spent his time away.  Want to hear that discussion and hear more Slate Money? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate Money show page on Apple Podca

When it comes to gender affirming care for teenagers, parents’ rights no longer matter. Doctors’ opinions no longer matter. Next week, the Supreme Court will hear arguments in United States. v Skrmetti, challenging Tennessee’s ban on healthcare for trans kids, and upending half a century of gender protection doctrine.  Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Chase Strangio, co-director of the ACLU’s LGBT & HIV Project, who will also be the first openly trans lawyer to argue at SCOTUS when he argues, alongside the Biden administration, representing the parents and physician of trans adolescents seeking care, in what will be the biggest trans rights case the court has ever heard. Chase and Dahlia dig through the doctrine to reveal the conservative legal movement’s deep hypocrisy when it comes to trans rights as compared to the rights of parents and doctors when it comes to abortion. Want more Amicus? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes with exclusive legal analysis. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across

Candice Lim is joined by Read Max writer Max Read, whose Substack hit a new high this year when he coined the term “Zynternet” and its connection to “Hawk Tuah girl.” Prior to Substack, Read was the editor-in-chief of Gawker, and on today’s episode, he speaks about the stories he regrets publishing, his relationship with The X-Files fandoms, and his golden rules for engaging online. This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Daisy Rosario and Candice Lim, with production assistance from Alexandra Botti and Kat Hong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode, Carvell Wallace (author of Another Word for Love and host of Slate’s How To!) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to cancel on family vacation plans that sound horrible to you, how to break it to your butch lesbian girlfriend that her friends might be misogynists, and how to convince your parents to let you go to a high school in a not so great neighborhood.  Want more Dear Prudence? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/prudie-plus to get access wherever you listen. This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Daisy Rosario, and Jenée Desmond-Harris, with help from Maura Currie and Anuli Ononye. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Whatever X is, it ain’t the Twitter so many users fell in love with. Since the election, Bluesky has been on the rise, but it’s still only a fraction of the number of users on Twitter—at its peak or even now—or even fellow upstart Threads.  Is Bluesky set to take over the role Twitter used to play, or is it just one of many networks in a Balkanized social media landscape?  Guest: Will Oremus, a technology writer for the Washington Post Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You know her honorific: Queen of Soul. And heavy is the head that wears the crown. In her lifetime, Aretha Franklin didn’t just want to be revered. She wanted hits. But Franklin made pop come to her, not the other way around. When showtunes and standards didn’t work in the ’60s, Aretha switched to gritty R&B and gospel harmonies—and started topping the charts. When she recorded a live album in a church in the ’70s, it became her best-seller. When the MTV era changed the game in the ’80s, she did New Wave synthpop her way—and topped the charts again. In the ’90s, she tried house, hip-hop and New Jack Swing, scoring hits deep into her fifties. Join Chris Molanphy as he explains how Aretha Franklin earned her regal title, one hit at a time. She won our respect by infusing the charts with a holy spirit and amazing grace—and she always remained a natural woman. Podcast production by Kevin Bendis. Disclosure in Podcast Description: A Bond Account is a self-directed brokerage account with Public Investing, memb

On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Capital B reporter, Brandon Tensley to discuss Trump’s cabinet picks, and their potential impact on the Black community. Guest: Brandon Tensley, Capital B News reporter Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola Want more A Word? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Or, visit slate.com/awordplus to get access wherever you listen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

You know her honorific: Queen of Soul. And heavy is the head that wears the crown. In her lifetime, Aretha Franklin didn’t just want to be revered. She wanted hits. But Franklin made pop come to her, not the other way around. When showtunes and standards didn’t work in the ’60s, Aretha switched to gritty R&B and gospel harmonies—and started topping the charts. When she recorded a live album in a church in the ’70s, it became her best-seller. When the MTV era changed the game in the ’80s, she did New Wave synthpop her way—and topped the charts again. In the ’90s, she tried house, hip-hop and New Jack Swing, scoring hits deep into her fifties. Join Chris Molanphy as he explains how Aretha Franklin earned her regal title, one hit at a time. She won our respect by infusing the charts with a holy spirit and amazing grace—and she always remained a natural woman. Podcast production by Kevin Bendis. Disclosure in Podcast Description: A Bond Account is a self-directed brokerage account with Public Investing, memb

We're off for Thanksgiving but still got together to share some things we're grateful for — and then, Zak is grateful to share an episode of his other show with you... all about being grateful for friendships, even in the rear-view. Join us on Facebook and email us at careandfeedingpod@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 phone line: (646) 357-9318. If you enjoy Care & Feeding, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get to hang out with us on the Plus Playground every week for a whole additional grab-bag of content — and you’ll get an ad-free experience across the network. And you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Care and Feeding. Sign up now at slate.com/careplus – or try it out on Apple Podcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Emily Bazelon, John Dickerson, and David Plotz discuss Donald Trump’s threatened tariffs and his pick for Treasury Secretary; the next Federal Communications Commission Chair and free speech; and the “bro-economy” with The Atlantic’s Annie Lowrey.  For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David discuss the most fulfilling jobs in America. In the latest Gabfest Reads, Emily talks with Stephanie Gorton about her new book, The Icon & the Idealist: Margaret Sanger, Mary Ware Dennett, and the Rivalry That Brought Birth Control to America.  Email your chatters, questions, and comments to gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be referenced by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)   Podcast production by Cheyna Roth Research by Julie Huygen   Want more Political Gabfest? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Political Gabfest show page on Apple Podcasts and Spot

More than half the population will experience menopause if they’re fortunate enough to age. Yet so much of this full-body transformation remains a mystery. Journalist and filmmaker Tamsen Fadal is out to change that.  Her new documentary The M Factor: Shredding the Silence on Menopause premiered on PBS earlier this year. In it, her team interviews patients and health experts worldwide about the lack of research into this important stage of life. On this week’s episode of Well, Now Kavita and Maya ask her what can be done to better care for the millions of women experiencing it now and in the future. If you liked this episode, check out: Michelle Obama Gets Health Advice From This Gyno. Now You Can, Too. Well, Now is hosted by registered dietitian nutritionist Maya Feller and Dr. Kavita Patel. Editing and podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with oversight from Alicia Montgomery. Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com. Want to listen to Well, Now uninterrupted? Subscrib