Slate Daily Feed

As natural disasters like wildfires and floods ravage the country, a growing chorus of Americans is calling for action now to fight climate change. And Black environmentalists who’ve seen their communities suffer from environmental abuse and neglect for generations are pushing the issue to the top of the civil rights agenda. On today’s episode of A Word, Professor Robert Bullard, known as the “father of environmental justice,” speaks about the cost of environmental racism, and how a new generation is leading the fight to stop it. Guest: Robert Bullard, co-chair of the National Black Environmental Justice Network, and the Distinguished Professor of Urban Planning and Environmental Policy at Texas Southern University 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

If you enjoyed exploring 1977 in One Year, you'll want to listen to this season's Slate Plus episodes, where Slatesters like June Thomas, Chris Molanphy, Willa Paskin, Matthew Dessem, Sam Adams, and Karen Han dive deeper into the music, movies, TV, and culture of 1977. Become a Slate Plus member now for just $1 to hear all these episodes in full, and to support the One Year podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate news director Susan Matthews is joined by Slate senior writer Christina Cauterucci to talk about the saga of former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. They delve into the risks vs benefits of an investigation into sexual harassment complaints, and why it seemed so unlikely that Cuomo would go until suddenly he did. In the second half of the show, Susan and Christina look at the women behind the men in these scandals, and the impact this particular scandal had on Times Up, a nonprofit devoted to helping victims of sexual harassment and assault.  Recommendations: Susan: Sending postcards, even after you’ve returned from your trip. Christina: Harper’s Magazine piece, “Women Corinne Does Not Actually Know” by Rebecca Makkai.    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

In 2012, the non-profit organization Invisible Children released Kony 2012, a short film about the human rights violations in Uganda perpetrated by Joseph Kony, which rapidly took over the internet and made Joseph Kony a household name. On today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison look back at the origins of the organization, how its creator handled the extreme popularity of their viral moment, and what lessons we learned from its utter failure. 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

The compounding crises in Haiti aren’t a product of bad luck. They are the result of hundreds of years of international interference and poorly-designed aid programs.  Guest: Jonathan M. Katz, author of the forthcoming book, Gangsters of Capitalism: Smedley Butler, the Marines, and the Making and Breaking of America’s Empire. Check out his Substack newsletter, The Long Version.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There is always a bunch of hand-wringing surrounding cancel culture, but after your bank account hits a certain threshold, there’s not much more to worry about. On today’s episode, Madison is joined by BuzzFeed’s Scaachi Koul to discuss why Chet Hanks just won’t go away, and what happens when a journalist finds themselves as a character in a YouTuber’s drama. We knew Trisha Paytas would be back on our radar. Make sure to check out Scaachi Koul’s profile of Trisha Paytas, “Don’t Piss Off Trisha Paytas.” If you enjoyed this episode, check out this past Wednesday’s episode about a human bone salesman going viral on TikTok and whether it’s even legal to participate in the human skeleton marketplace. 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

At the start of the pandemic, parents across the country became first-time homeschool teachers. Now, as millions of kids head back to classrooms, many Black parents are keeping their children at home to learn. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson speaks with Khadijah Ali-Coleman, the co-founder of the Black Family Homeschool Educators and Scholars group. She explains why more and more Black families are homeschooling their kids, and the benefits and challenges these families face. Guest: Khadijah Ali-Coleman, co-founder of the Black Family Homeschool Educators and Scholars group.  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

The Biden administration says a third dose of vaccines for all American adults will end the pandemic faster. And experts say there is evidence of waning vaccine effectiveness against mild-to-moderate disease. But globally, what’s the best use of the next available dose?  Guest: Saad Omer, director of the Yale Institute for Global Health.  Host: Lizzie O’Leary This episode was produced by Alyssa Edes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of The Waves, show producer and true crime author Cheyna Roth sits down with Rebecca Lavoie, co-host of the Crime Writers On podcast and fellow true crime author. The pair start by talking about the current state of true crime and beg Hollywood to stop making sexy serial killer movies. After the break, Rebecca and Cheyna dissect how the genre treats victims and whether criticisms of true crime are sexist. Recommendations: Cheyna: The pyramid scheme podcast series The Dream and the 2018 episode of Decoder Ring, Clown Panic. Rebecca: True crime documentary Murder on Middle Beach on HBO; Season 1 of The Staircase on Netflix; and the podcast Canary from the Washington Post.   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

After Maria Rubio saw Jesus on a tortilla, her family got besieged by believers and gawkers and the national press. But for the Rubios, the tortilla wasn’t just a public spectacle. It was the miracle that changed their family. And decades later, they’re still reckoning with how that tortilla upended everything. 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. For a behind-the-scenes look into some of the articles we read when we create the show, check out our Pocket collection at http://getpocket.com/slate.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison try to figure out if it’s legal to buy and sell human remains. They’re joined by Tanya Marsh, a professor at Wake Forest who specializes in funeral and cemetery law, to find out what the legal system says about the human bone market, the ethical questions surrounding such a market, and why we still have rights even after we die. If you’d like to know more about the history of the human bone trade, check out this video, “Can You Legally Buy a Real Human Skeleton?” 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

Danny Lavery welcomes Abby McEnany, mainstay of the Chicago improvisational comedy scene, and the creator of the Showtime comedy series, Work In Progress, and Celeste Pechous, a writer and actress, who also stars in Work In Progress, portraying Abby’s best friend, Campbell.  Lavery, McEnany, and Pechous tackle three letters: First, from a letter writer who is wondering how to find the right therapist. Another letter writer is wondering how to explain her asexuality to her family. The last letter is about someone who feels they lose their friends when they have babies. Plus, a deep dive into season 2 of Showtime’s critically acclaimed series, Work In Progress. Need advice? Send Danny a question here. Email: mood@slate.com Production by Phil Surkis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode of The Relentless is all about how to be a good communicator in an evolving, digital world. Kristen Meinzer talks to three guests who have valuable insights and perspectives about communication dynamics, both on and offline: Erica Dhawan, communication expert and author of Digital Body Language and Get Big Things Done, and Michael and Matthew Atwood, co-owners of Atwood Management and hosts of the Realty Brothers podcast. Their conversations explore how we can translate listening skills and body language to the digital realm, and why good communication is key to developing lasting relationships built on trust. Guests Erica Dhawan: Communication expert, advisor author, and speaker Michael and Matthew Atwood: Co-owners of Atwood Management and CENTURY 21 Atwood, and hosts of the Realty Brothers podcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

For many TikTok users, it’s been impossible to escape #BamaRush, the week of sorority recruitment at the University of Alabama. On today’s episode, Madison and Rachelle explain, how rush week actually works, why it’s flooded our feeds, and what its popularity says about whiteness, wealth, and class on the app. 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 the late ’70s and early ’80s, a scene and a sound cropped up on the West Coast: polished, perfectionist studio musicians who generated sleek, jazzy, R&B-flavored music. About a quarter-century later, this sound was given a name: Yacht Rock. The inventors of the genre name weren’t thinking about boats…well, unless the song was Christopher Cross’s “Sailing.” Yacht Rock was meant to signify deluxe, yuppified, “smooth” music suitable for playing on luxury nautical craft. Whatever you call it, this music really did command the charts at the turn of the ’80s: from Steely Dan to George Benson, Michael McDonald to Kenny Loggins, Toto to…Michael Jackson?! Believe it: even Thriller is partially a Yacht Rock album. This month, Hit Parade breaks down what Yacht Rock was and how it took over the charts four decades ago—from the perfectionism of “Peg,” to the bounce of “What a Fool Believes,” to the epic smoothness of “Africa.” This episode was released in August 2020 exclusively for Slate Plus listeners. Sign up for S

As the Delta variant continues to spread, African American doctors worry that the pandemic will claim thousands more Black lives. Veteran physician Dr. Reed Tuckson, cofounder of the Black Coalition Against COVID, speaks on today’s episode of A Word about increasing access to vaccines in Black communities, and debunking misinformation surrounding the virus and vaccines. Guest: Dr. Reed Tuckson, public health expert, and the cofounder of the Black Coalition Against Covid 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

Experts say that a “fully approved” designation for the vaccines could have sweeping effects. Broader vaccination mandates, inclusion for new age groups, and reassurance for those hesitant to take a vaccine without the designation. As calls for approval grow louder and more urgent, the Food and Drug Administration is yet to give its blessing. What’s happening inside the FDA as they work toward this milestone? Guest: Sarah Owermohle, health care reporter at Politico  Host: Lizzie O’Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor and science writer Shannon Palus is joined by staff writer Rebecca Onion to talk parenting and family life during the Delta wave. They start by talking about how they get through the days when all the news feels apocalyptic and Rebecca’s fears for her unvaccinated child. Then they get real about their varying levels of optimism and tolerance for those who refuse to get vaccinated.  Recommendations: Rebecca: The Paramount+ show Evil. Shannon: The young adult novel They’ll Never Catch Us, by Jessica Goodman.   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

Alex Haley’s Roots displayed the brutal realities of slavery to more than 100 million Americans. The book and mini-series also made a bold claim: that Haley was the first Black American to trace his lineage all the way back to Africa, and to a specific ancestor captured into slavery. What would it mean, for Haley and America, if he hadn’t found what he said he’d found? 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

Tumblr is once again trying a new way to monetize its content, but will its users allow it? On today’s episode, Rachelle is joined by fellow former Tumblr teen Allegra Frank to discuss their own origins on the platform, Tumblr’s numerous attempts to make money, and why the users who called a strike over its new Post+ feature might not have the best understanding of the legal system. (We reached out to some copyright professors to find out.) 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