What Next | Daily News and Analysis - TBD | Would You Choose Your Child’s Sex?

The ability to choose the sex of your child through IVF is banned in most of the world. In America, however, parents can—and do—for a price.


Guest: Emi Nietfeld, writer and software engineer, author of “The Parents Who Want Daughters—and Daughters Only” for Slate.


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Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts - How Originalism Ate The Law: The Trap

Get your tickets for Amicus Live in Washington DC here. 

In the second part of our series on Amicus and at Slate.com, Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern are back on the originalism beat. This week they’re trying to understand the mechanisms of what Professor Saul Cornell calls “the originalism industrial complex” and how those mechanisms plug into the highest court in the land. They’re also asking how and why liberals failed to find an effective answer to originalism, even as the various “originalist” ways of deciding who’s history counts, what constitutional law counts, which people count, were supercharged by Trump’s SCOTUS picks. Madiba Dennie, author of The Originalism Trap, highlights how the Supreme Court turned to originalism to gut voting rights. In 2022, the US Supreme Court’s originalism binge ran roughshod over precedent and unleashed Dobbs and Bruen on the American people - Mark and Dahlia talk to a state Supreme Court justice about what it’s like trying to apply the law amid these constitutional earthquakes. 

In today’s Slate Plus bonus episode, Dahlia talks to AJ Jacobs about his year of living constitutionally, and she confesses to an attempt to smuggle contraband into One, First Street. 

Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show. 

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What Next | Daily News and Analysis - TBD | Meet the Trump Campaign’s A.I. Guy

You might not know Brad Parscale by name, but you know his work: he was the digital campaign operative behind Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential victory. This election cycle, he’s back—and advising conservatives on how to utilize A.I. in their campaigns. 


Guest: Garance Burke, global investigative journalist for the Associated Press.


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Podcast production by Evan Campbell, Patrick Fort, Cheyna Roth and Anna Phillips.

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What Next | Daily News and Analysis - Stormy Daniels Takes the Stand

Spare a thought for the judge in Donald Trump’s hush-money trial. Justice Juan Merchan has gone from holding the former president in contempt of court… to telling Trump’s defense they probably should have objected more during Stormy Daniels’ testimony. 


Guest: Jeremy Stahl, Slate’s jurisprudence editor.


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What Next | Daily News and Analysis - Conservative Candid Camera in the Darién Gap

Crossing the Darién Gap, a 66-mile stretch of jungle in Panama, was hard enough before right-wing influencers began showing up with cameras, trying to bait would-be migrants into providing pro-Trump soundbites. 


Guest: Ken Bensinger, New York Times political reporter covering right-wing media and national campaigns.


Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across 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.

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Slate Books - Well, Now: Overcoming a Complicated Pregnancy

For many, pregnancy is a time of heightened and joyful anticipation. There are doctor’s appointments, tests, preparation…All with a focus on bringing home a healthy baby. 

The other side of pregnancy–the complications–is not readily discussed. 

On this week’s episode of Well, Now we discuss all of these potential roadblocks with economist Emily Oster. In her latest book The Unexpected: Navigating Pregnancy During and After Complications, she arms patients with the data they need to advocate for themselves in their appointments.

If you enjoyed this episode, check out: How a Former Surgeon General Took on a $5,000 ER Bill

Well, Now is hosted by Kavita Patel, MD and Maya Feller, MS, RD, CDN.

Podcast production by Vic Whitley-Berry with editorial oversight by Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to wellnow@slate.com 

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What Next | Daily News and Analysis - Hamas Agreed to a Ceasefire. Now What?

In a last minute twist, Hamas has agreed to a ceasefire with Israel. But targeted airstrikes are already underway in Rafah. With its infrastructure in shambles, Gaza is facing famine – and worse. What’s next for Gaza’s people? 


Guest: Gregg Carlstrom, Middle East correspondent for the Economist.


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Slate Books - How To!: Big Dating Energy

When Allen’s gym crush asked him—point blank—if he liked someone, he panicked. Should he tell her? What should he do if she wasn’t actually flirting with him? On this episode of How To!: Courtney Martin finds out what happened and brings in Jeff Guenther, therapist and author of the new book Big Dating Energy. (You might know him as TherapyJeff from TikTok, Instagram, or YouTube.) Jeff gives Allen the tools to flirt more authentically, stick to his non-negotiables, and lean into his self-confidence. 


If you liked this episode check out: How To Ditch the Apps & Actually Find a Date


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 on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen.


How To’s executive producer is Derek John. Joel Meyer is our senior editor/producer. The show is produced by Rosemary Belson and Kevin Bendis. 


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What Next | Daily News and Analysis - Why Democrats Will Save Mike Johnson’s Job

Marjorie Taylor Greene is calling for Mike Johnson’s job—again. But unlike Kevin McCarthy before him, Johnson has support from a surprising place.


Guest: Jim Newell, Slate’s senior politics writer.


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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme and Rob Gunther.

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What Next | Daily News and Analysis - TBD | Can California Save Journalism?

The California Journalism Preservation Act would make companies like Google and Meta pay publishers for the news content appearing in their feeds and search results—and force news organizations to spend that money on their journalists. How have similar laws worked in Canada and Australia? And could it solve journalism’s on-going revenue problem?


Guest: Matt Pearce, former LA Times journalist, the president of Media Guild of the West.



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