The Gist - Ar U for Spelling Reform?

Today on The Gist, an update from Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick on the abortion bans in Kansas and Oklahoma. She’s the host of the Slate podcast Amicus. Plus, Masha Bell joins us to discuss the effects of irregular English spellings on educational achievement in English-speaking countries. She’s the author of Spelling It Out: The Problems and Costs of English Spelling. For the Spiel, Mike celebrates his favorite tense: the historical present. Today’s sponsors: Citrix GoToMeeting. When meetings matter, millions choose GoToMeeting. Get a free 30-day trial by visiting GoToMeeting.com and clicking the “try it free” button. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at slate.com/gistplus.

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The Gist - Thomas Jefferson as Touchstone

Do women make better presidents? Today on The Gist, we talk with Debbie Walsh, director of the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University. Plus, we wish Thomas Jefferson a happy 272nd birthday by discussing how his name is evoked today. Historian Andrew Burstein is the author of Democracy's Muse: How Thomas Jefferson Became an FDR Liberal, a Reagan Republican, and a Tea Party Fanatic, All the While Being Dead. For the Spiel, vetting the vetting of Hillary Clinton. Today’s sponsor: Stamps.com. Sign up for a no-risk trial and get a $110 bonus offer, when you visit Stamps.com and enter promo code TheGist. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at http://www.slate.com/gistplus.

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More or Less: Behind the Stats - UK election podcast 1

Can you trust the figures given to you by the political parties during the UK's General Election campaign period? We examine and unpick the statistics so you can decide how useful they are. The podcast features a collection of interviews from Radio 4's PM programme. We look at zero hours contracts, non-dom tax status and the broader economy.

Start the Week - David Sloan Wilson on Altruism

On Start the Week Tom Sutcliffe asks whether altruism is best explained through evolutionary science or moral philosophy. David Sloan Wilson argues for the former and believes altruism is part of group dynamics and social behaviour. William MacAskill may study the moral case for doing good, but is more interested in the practical impact than the heroic sacrifice. The Mexican campaigner Lydia Cacho knows what it means to make enormous personal sacrifices for the sake of others - her exposure of sexual and physical abuse has led to numerous threats on her life. While the composer Tansy Davies attempts to bring to the stage human beings in extremis as she creates an opera based on the events of 9/11.

Producer: Luke Mulhall.

Start the Week - David Sloan Wilson on Altruism

On Start the Week Tom Sutcliffe asks whether altruism is best explained through evolutionary science or moral philosophy. David Sloan Wilson argues for the former and believes altruism is part of group dynamics and social behaviour. William MacAskill may study the moral case for doing good, but is more interested in the practical impact than the heroic sacrifice. The Mexican campaigner Lydia Cacho knows what it means to make enormous personal sacrifices for the sake of others - her exposure of sexual and physical abuse has led to numerous threats on her life. While the composer Tansy Davies attempts to bring to the stage human beings in extremis as she creates an opera based on the events of 9/11.

Producer: Luke Mulhall.

Amicus With Dahlia Lithwick | Law, justice, and the courts - Marriage Arrives

On April 28, the Supreme Court will finally take up the constitutionality of same-sex marriage bans. Dahlia Lithwick previews the cases with Paul Smith, the lawyer involved in the 2003 gay rights case that helped set the stage for this historic event. Please let us know what you think of Amicus, our legal affairs podcast. Our email is amicus@slate.com. Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at http://slate.me/1ENza1a

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