Category: 3-DailySometimeCommentary

Despite being perhaps the least experienced person to ever hold his position, Pete Hegseth has set about dramatically reforming the Department of Defense to Donald Trump’s specifications—which seem to have less to do with creating a more effective fighting force, and more to do with window dressing.

Guest: Tom Bowman, Pentagon reporter for NPR.

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

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The intimate and extremely personal experience of bringing a child into this world? There’s an app for that…and forums…and so much advice…that contradicts other advice…and a surprising amount of eugenics.

Guest: Amanda Hess, critic at the New York Times and author of the book “Second Life: Having a Child in the Digital Age.”

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As we head into Mother’s Day weekend (there’s still time to get to the florist if you hurry!), we dive into “motherhood in the moment”—where “pro-natalism”, the rising cost of childcare, and, um, Chapelle Roan are making the “Tiger Mom” era of a decade ago seem quaint. 

Guest: Jenée Desmond-Harris, staff writer for Slate and host of Dear Prudence.

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

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We have a new pope, and he’s from Chicago! On the second day of the papal conclave Thursday, Cardinal Robert Prevost was elected the 267th pope of the Roman Catholic Church, taking the name Pope Leo XIV. He’s the first American citizen to hold the position, but he also spent two decades serving in Peru, before the late Pope Francis chose him for an influential post at the Vatican. Pope Leo XIV now has a very, very big job leading the world’s 1.36 billion Catholics amid major tensions within the church, between those aligned with Francis’ efforts to make the church more inclusive and those who think those efforts have undermined Catholic tradition. Christopher White, Vatican correspondent for the National Catholic Reporter and author of the forthcoming book ’Pope Leo XIV: Inside the Conclave and the Dawn of a New Papacy,’ tells us more about the new pope’s selection and what we can expect from his papacy.

And in headlines: President Donald Trump unveiled his first big new trade deal with… the United Kingdom, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy announced plans for a much-needed update to the nation’s air traffic control system, and former President Joe Biden defended his time in office during an interview with The View.

Show Notes:

• Check out Christopher's work –www.ncronline.org/authors/christopher-white
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

Why artificial intelligence isn’t waiting for consumer demand.

Guest: Gerrit De Vynck, tech reporter for The Washington Post.

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Podcast production by Evan Campbell and Patrick Fort.

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Over the past few months, you might have been wondering to yourself, “Hey! The president of the United States is running roughshod over the rights of millions of Americans! Where the heck is Congress?” From shirking its constitutional power to regulate tariffs to Republican in-fighting over President Donald Trump’s ‘big, beautiful bill,’ Congress has been a bit M.I.A. In fact, in his first 100 days back in office, Trump signed fewer bills into law than any new president going back to Eisenhower in the 1950s. So… what gives? Annie Grayer, a senior reporter covering Capitol Hill for CNN, gives us the low-down on what Congress has been up to.

And in headlines: A federal judge blocked the Trump administration from deporting a group of Asian migrants to Libya, the Federal Reserve kept interest rates steady because of tariff uncertainty, and India and Pakistan escalated their decades-long tensions over the disputed Kashmir region.

Show Notes:

• Check out Brooklyn Delhi – https://tinyurl.com/42wf2hz4
• Subscribe to the What A Day Newsletter – https://tinyurl.com/3kk4nyz8
• What A Day – YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/@whatadaypodcast
• Follow us on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/crookedmedia/
• For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/whataday

The consequences of Donald Trump’s new tariffs are working their way through the supply chain and soon will start showing up for consumers in the form of empty shelves, higher prices, and potentially even layoffs and a recession. 

Guest:  Christopher Mims, Wall Street Journal tech reporter and the author of Arriving Today: From Factory to Front Door---Why Everything Has Changed About How and What We Buy.

Jessica Berger, CEO of Bundle x Joy.

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.

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

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