Author: Slate Podcasts

Officials in New York’s Rockland County declared a state of emergency after yet another measles outbreak. In Brooklyn, more cases of measles have cropped up over the last several months as well. Both places are home to a tight-knit Orthodox Jewish population that has become increasingly skeptical of vaccinations. Why is this particular community so susceptible to the disease? And how are they getting their information about vaccines? Rockland County has gone so far as to bar unvaccinated children from public places. So, is this the right approach? And is all this news coverage just making hysteria worse?

Guests: Gwynne Hogan, health reporter at WNYC Dan Engber, Slate’s science columnist

Tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or sending an email to whatnext@slate.com. Follow us on Instagram for updates on the show.

Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Anna Martin.

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After the Ethiopian Airlines crash on March 10—and the Indonesian Airlines crash before that, in October—country after country began grounding the deadly Boeing 737 Air Max fleet, and the U.S. belatedly followed suit. This week, Congress held hearings with Boeing and the FAA, questioning them about how the planes were certified and what went wrong. There were a lot of public apologies and a lot of corporate humility. But questions remain: Who’s to blame for the deadly crashes, whom do we hold accountable, and how do we prevent this from happening again?

 

Guest: Rob Mark, commercial pilot and publisher of Jetwhine.com.

Tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or sending an email to whatnext@slate.com. Follow us on Instagram for updates on the show.

Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Anna Martin

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This week, the Supreme Court returned to the subject of partisan gerrymandering. After kicking the can down the road last time, will the court finally decide on the constitutionality of drawing election maps to rig elections? And who’s the most interesting justice to watch?

Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, who covers the courts and the law for Slate.

Tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or sending an email to whatnext@slate.com. 

Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Anna Martin.

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The president’s week was off to a great start. The Attorney General’s letter regarding Mueller’s Russia investigation largely exonerated him of any crimes. So why did Trump start talking about health care again? It’s anybody’s guess, but Democrats are ecstatic.

Guest: Dan Diamond, Health Care Reporter at Politico

Tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or sending an email to whatnext@slate.com. Follow us on Instagram for updates on the show. 

Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Anna Martin.

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New York City’s top public high school has a diversity problem. How did the crown jewel of the city’s public education system come to look so unlike the public?

Guest: Mara Gay, writer for the New York Times Editorial Board.

Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Anna Martin.

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What we know about the Mueller report. Spoiler: not a whole lot.

Guest: Dahlia Lithwick, Slate’s legal correspondent and host of the Amicus podcast.  Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Anna Martin.

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California has a new moratorium on executions, despite the fact that voters upheld capital punishment twice in recent statewide elections. Could this mark the beginning of a lasting policy change?

Guest: Jordan Steiker, director of the Capital Punishment Center at the University of Texas School of Law.

Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Anna Martin.

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This week, we’re following the enormous flooding in the Midwest. Climate change is magnifying the shortcomings of our river policies. We build in the flood plains, and we bracket our rivers with dams and reservoirs. But is it folly to think that we can control where the rivers run?

Guest: Tony Messenger, metro columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Anna Martin.

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Some of your favorite presidents have tried to pack the Supreme Court. So why does it sound like such an extreme tactic? And why are top Democrats finally embracing it as a way out of the wilderness?

Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, Slate’s legal correspondent.

Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Anna Martin.

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