What Next | Daily News and Analysis - Abortion Providers in the Line of Fire

Before the new abortion clinic even opened in Casper, Wyoming, it was set ablaze. But to the clinic’s founder, property damage and violence aren’t new. 


Guest: Julie Burkhart, founder of Wellspring Health Access


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Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts - Donald Trump’s John Gotti Moment

As MAGA Republicans engage in extremist arm wrestling in the House Speaker race, and the sins of the 2020 election subversion scheme catch up with Donald Trump’s closest allies, Dahlia Lithwick is joined by brand new MacArthur “genius grant” recipient Ian Bassin of Protect Democracy to take a look at the stakes of this moment for American democracy. An attempt to walk and chew gum at the same time, Protect Democracy’s work focuses on the incremental ways the law can be applied to protect election workers and inhibit disinformation, while also looking to the big constitutional and cultural questions we have to answer if we’re going to reject authoritarianism.


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What Next | Daily News and Analysis - TBD | Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard Takeover

Since Microsoft announced its bid to buy Activision Blizzard last year, regulators around the world sounded the alarm that the merger would suppress competition in the industry. 


Now that the deal has officially gone through, should gamers be worried? 


Guest: Jason Schreier, covering the video game industry for Bloomberg


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Slate Books - Political Gabfest Reads: Exit Interview

David Plotz talks with author and 12-year Amazon senior employee, Kristi Coulter about her new memoir, Exit Interview: The Life and Death of My Ambitious Career. They discuss the good, the bad, and the confusing parts of Coulter’s career at Amazon, starting in 2006. They talk about the culture of Amazon, the frustrating gender dynamics, and why she was constantly “a year away” from a promotion. 


Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)


Podcast production by Cheyna Roth.

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What Next | Daily News and Analysis - TBD | Inside Hamas’ Social Media Strategy

Since war broke out, Hamas has been efficient in getting its message out on social media - both in providing crucial information to refugees fleeing the area, and in waging psychological warfare. How can platforms meet the need for open lines of communication without spreading propaganda? 


Guest: Sheera Frenkel, covering tech for the New York Times


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Slate Books - Dear Prudence: Roxane Gay, Is It Okay to Ghost A Friend? Help!

In this episode, Roxane Gay (best-selling author of Bad Feminist and Opinions) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about how to decline a colleague’s invitation to dinner, when it’s okay to ghost a friend for good reasons, and whether it’s possible to say positive about love when you’re burned out on dating apps.

If you want more Dear Prudence, join Slate Plus, Slate’s membership program. Jenée answers an extra question every week, just for members.

Go to Slate.com/prudieplus to sign up. It’s just $15 for your first three months.

Podcast production by Se’era Spragley Ricks and Daisy Rosario, with help from Maura Currie.

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What Next | Daily News and Analysis - Biden to Israel; Bombs to Gaza

With bombs falling in Gaza, President Biden traveled to Israel to make a show of support. But as meetings with allied government leadership around the region were canceled, is the president doing more harm than good?


Guest: Yousef Munayyer, Palestinian-American political analyst and writer and Senior Fellow at the Arab Center Washington DC.


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What Next | Daily News and Analysis - Bob Menendez: Secret Foreign Agent?

New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez, who was the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, was charged with conspiring to act as a foreign agent for the Egyptian government. This follows on the heels of an indictment for bribery and federal corruption. But Menendez says he isn’t stepping down.


Guest: Jessica Taylor, Senate-and-governors editor at The Cook Political Report. 


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What Next | Daily News and Analysis - Does Trump’s Violent Rhetoric Matter?

Donald Trump has been saying shocking—even violent—things for so long, it barely registers as news anymore. But after January 6, and with Trump again leading the field of Republican candidates for president, is there a real-world danger to what he’s saying?


Guest: Robert A. Pape, professor of political science and the director of the University of Chicago’s project on security and threats


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What Next | Daily News and Analysis - Israel’s New Wartime Government

While mounting a military response to Hamas, the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been forced to unite his far-right wing with his political rival, centrist Benny Gantz, a former military Chief of Staff. The plans for retaliation that are emerging are unlike any of Israel’s past skirmishes with Hamas.


Guest: Dov Waxman, director of the UCLA Y&S Nazarian Center for Israel Studies.


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