Slate Daily Feed

After one of the deadliest floods in American history in central Texas, people are looking at cuts to the National Weather Service and FEMA’s absence contributing to the devastation. But one looming problem is much, much bigger. Guest:  Jeff Goodell, [https://bsky.app/profile/jeffgoodell.bsky.social] writer covering climate change, author of The Heat Will Kill You First: Life and Death on a Scorched Planet [http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BLNFBH1K/?tag=slatmaga-20] and The Water Will Come: Rising Seas, Sinking Cities, and the Remaking of the Civilized World [http://www.amazon.com/dp/0316260207/?tag=slatmaga-20]. 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 [http://slate.com/whatnextplus] to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Ethan Oberman, Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, and Rob Gunther. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

Candice Lim is joined by Dazed senior writer Laura Pitcher to discuss her piece [https://www.dazeddigital.com/life-culture/article/64662/1/meet-the-people-using-chatgpt-as-their-therapist-client-ai-tech], “Meet the people using ChatGPT as their therapist.” Since ChatGPT’s public release in late 2022, there has been a growing reliance on the artificially intelligent chatbot in people’s everyday lives. TikTok users [https://www.tiktok.com/@taylalamaz/video/7409721598237822250] are talking about the way they use ChatGPT as their therapist, their best friend, their life organizer, and more. But is reliant, daily use of an AI service worth possible consequences such as climate change, loneliness, and data privacy concerns? On today’s episode, ICYMI dives into the unexpected ways people have been using ChatGPT and whether we can predict its role in the near future. This podcast episode was produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Daisy Rosario and Candice Lim, with production assistance from Alexandra Botti and Kat Hong. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

This week, Bryan is joined by theologian, activist, and ballroom historian Michael Roberson to discuss his new book, Ballroom: A History, A Movement, A Celebration. Roberson traces the rich legacy of the ballroom scene—from its origins in resistance and survival, to its role in shaping public health responses during the height of the AIDS crisis and beyond, to its ongoing significance as a spiritual and communal refuge for Black and Latinx queer and trans people.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

On this week’s show, Julia and Dana are joined by June Thomas for a decidedly feminist discussion. They start with Sorry, Baby, the debut feature from writer, director, and actor Eva Victor, about a young academic’s life after a terrible trauma. The panel debates whether the film— which was a Sundance hit for A24 — is a tart, surprising traumedy or a frustratingly evasive experiment. Next, they get into Dear Ms.: A Revolution in Print, the HBO documentary about the pioneering feminist magazine. Finally, they take up a recent New York Times piece to determine whether the straight white male novelist is a thing of the past—and if we should care. Steve hops on the call to offer his token male perspective, naturally. In an exclusive plus bonus episode, the feminist discourse continues with a conversation about  the oft overlooked fashion designer Claire McCardell, who is the subject of a recent biography Claire McCardell: The Designer Who Set Women Free by Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson and book review by our very own Julia Turner. Endorsements: Dana: The essay “It’s Only An Island If You Look At It From The Water [https://www.brightwalldarkroom.com/2016/04/01/its-only-an-island-if-you-look-at-it-from-the-water/]” by Elizabeth Cantwell in Bright Wall Dark Room about the film Jaws on its 50th anniversary. June : The action film Heads of State [https://www.primevideo.com/detail/Heads-of-State/0Q0ZD7AIZGM4ISJE4J5T9AF9FA] starring John Cena and Idris Elba, or “Mamma Mia! with explosions.” Julia -  The new book Empire of the Elite [https://bookshop.org/p/books/empire-of-the-elite-inside-conde-nast-the-media-dynasty-that-reshaped-america-michael-grynbaum/21871822] by Michael Grynbaum about the magisterial publishing reign of Condé Nast. (Recently excerpted in the New York Times [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/27/business/media/conde-nast-magazines-vogue-vanity-fair.html].) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]

A federal force—often defying local governance—coming to take people away without due process has happened before. What lessons can be drawn from parallels between a law that led to the Civil War and what’s happening today with Trump’s hardline immigration enforcement? Guest: Jamelle Bouie [https://www.nytimes.com/by/jamelle-bouie], columnist at the New York Times 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 [http://slate.com/whatnextplus] to get access wherever you listen. Podcast production by Ethan Oberman, Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, and Rob Gunther. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices [https://megaphone.fm/adchoices]