Slow Burn

Episodes page 2 of 5

1. The Road to the Iraq War | 4. Fighting Words

   12 May 2021 · 44 min · S5 E4

   In the year leading up the invasion, George W. Bush sketched his justification for the war: good vs. evil, us vs. them. The president wasn’t interested in fleshing out the details beyond that, but lots of other people…

2. Extra: More on the Road to Iraq

   19 May 2021 · 13 min · S5 E4 · Bonus

   This week, we're highlighting a few excerpts from this season's Slate Plus episodes—interviews with Ann Curry, Slate writers and editors who blogged about the war in 2003, and people who personally knew Ahmad Chalabi.…

3. The Road to the Iraq War | 5. Four Dicks (and Vice President Cheney)

   26 May 2021 · 43 min · S5 E5

   Four men in Congress—two from each party—helped determine whether President George W. Bush would be given the authority to invade Iraq. All of them were named Dick. Which of these Dicks scrutinized the case for war the…

4. The Road to the Iraq War | 6. Big, if True

   2 Jun 2021 · 40 min · S5 E6

   On Feb. 5, 2003, Secretary of State Colin Powell went to the United Nations to make the Bush administration’s closing argument for war with Iraq. Powell didn’t know it at the time, but one major piece of intelligence…

5. The Road to the Iraq War | 7. Judy

   9 Jun 2021 · 5:32 · S5 E7

   This episode is member-exclusive. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate Plus. By joining, not only will you unlock exclusive Slow Burn episodes, but you’ll also access ad-free listening across all your favorite…

6. The Road to the Iraq War | 8. Shock and Awe

   16 Jun 2021 · 9:39 · S5 E8

   This episode is member-exclusive. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate Plus. By joining, not only will you unlock exclusive Slow Burn episodes, but you’ll also access ad-free listening across all your favorite…

7. One Year: Anita Bryant's War on Gay Rights

   9 Jul 2021 · 1 h 06 min

   Slate's new podcast One Year and will introduce you to people and ideas that changed American history--one year at a time. The show is hosted by Josh Levin, Slate's national editor and host of Slow Burn Season 4. And…

8. Decoder Ring: The Sign Painter

   22 Jul 2021 · 1 h 02 min

   Decoder Ring is Slate's show about cracking cultural mysteries. In each episode, host Willa Paskin takes a cultural question, object, or habit, examines its history, and tries to figure out what it means and why it…

9. One Year: Mary Shane's Rookie Season

   29 Jul 2021 · 50 min

   Mary Shane made history with the Chicago White Sox, becoming the first woman hired as a legitimate major-league baseball announcer. But in 1977, she had to fight to be taken seriously in one of America’s most sexist…

10. One Year: The Miracle Cure

    2 Aug 2021 · 57 min

    Medical authorities said that Laetrile was dangerous quackery. It became a sensation anyway. Diana Green saw this drug made from apricot pits as her son Chad’s best chance to survive leukemia. Her shocking actions, and…

11. One Year: Elvis, the Pledge, and Extraterrestrials

    5 Aug 2021 · 55 min

    Three stories from one day in August 1977. Elvis Presley dies, and the National Enquirer goes after the ultimate tabloid scoop: a photo of the King in his coffin. A New Jersey high schooler becomes a pariah when she…

12. One Year: Mr. Marijuana and the Drug Czar

    10 Aug 2021 · 49 min

    America’s top weed evangelist and the nation’s drug czar shared the same goal: to loosen up the country’s marijuana laws. In 1977, everything was trending their way—until a blowout Christmas party destroyed their…

13. One Year: Roots: The Saga of Alex Haley

    12 Aug 2021 · 52 min

    Alex Haley’s Roots displayed the brutal realities of slavery to more than 100 million Americans. The book and mini-series also made a bold claim: that Haley was the first Black American to trace his lineage all the way…

14. One Year: Jesus on a Tortilla

    20 Aug 2021 · 50 min

    After Maria Rubio saw Jesus on a tortilla, her family got besieged by believers and gawkers and the national press. But for the Rubios, the tortilla wasn’t just a public spectacle. It was the miracle that changed their…

15. Season 6 Trailer: The L.A. Riots

    26 Oct 2021 · 2:26 · Trailer

    In 1992, a jury failed to convict the four Los Angeles police officers who'd been captured on videotape beating Rodney King. The city erupted into fire and chaos – the culmination of decades of unchecked police abuse…

16. The L.A. Riots | 1. The Tape

    3 Nov 2021 · 39 min · S6 E1

    On the night of March 2nd, 1991, at a remote intersection just outside of L.A., four police officers surrounded an unarmed Black man. They struck him 56 times with their batons before arresting him. Across the street,…

17. The L.A. Riots | 2. No Justice

    10 Nov 2021 · 44 min · S6 E2

    In March 1991, the video of the Rodney King beating was national news. The LAPD was under intense scrutiny and many white Americans were seeing a side of policing they’d never seen before. Just a few days after George…

18. The L.A. Riots | 3. The Chief

    17 Nov 2021 · 44 min · S6 E3

    In 1991, Daryl Gates was the face of the LAPD. Over the course of his 13-year tenure as chief, he had built his police department into a paramilitary-style force that enforced the racial boundaries of the city. Rodney…

19. The L.A. Riots | 4. Glen

    24 Nov 2021 · 33 min · S6 E4

    Rodney King never asked to be famous. The video that captured his beating at the hands of four LAPD officers plunged an ordinary man into an extraordinary situation. So how did he navigate his new life in the public…

20. The L.A. Riots | Extra: Leading Up to the Riots

    1 Dec 2021 · 16 min

    This week, we're highlighting a few excerpts from this season's Slate Plus episodes—interviews with George Holliday, professor Edward Chang, L.A. Times journalist Jim Newton, and Rodney King’s best friend Johnnie…

21. The L.A. Riots | 5. The System

    8 Dec 2021 · 39 min · S6 E5

    A year after they were caught on tape beating Rodney King, four LAPD officers went on trial. None were convicted. How did the prosecution make its case against the cops? How did the officers hold up under questioning?…

22. The L.A. Riots | 6. No Peace

    15 Dec 2021 · 39 min · S6 E6

    In March 1991, Black people in Los Angeles had seen the videotape of Rodney King being beaten. In November, they’d seen Soon Ja Du sentenced to probation for killing 15-year-old Latasha Harlins. On April 29, 1992, a…

23. The L.A. Riots | 7. Into Ashes

    22 Dec 2021 · 38 min · S6 E7

    On April 29, 1992, Los Angeles had erupted into chaos. Over the following days, thousands of people took to the streets. Some were unleashing their anger at the police and the justice system. Some were driven by…

24. The L.A. Riots | 8. Damages

    29 Dec 2021 · 47 min · S6 E8

    After the largest civil disturbance in American history, Los Angeles faced a daunting task. Dozens of people had been killed and thousands injured. The city had sustained more than a billion dollars in property damage.…

25. Roe v. Wade | 1. Get Married or Go Home

    1 Jun 2022 · 52 min · S7 E1

    In 1970, 22-year-old Shirley Wheeler got an illegal abortion in Florida. When she refused to tell the police who performed the procedure, she was arrested and charged with manslaughter. In the months that followed,…

26. Roe v. Wade | 2. Life or Death

    8 Jun 2022 · 10 min · S7 E2

    This episode is member-exclusive. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate Plus. By joining, not only will you unlock exclusive Slow Burn episodes, but you’ll also access ad-free listening across all your favorite…

27. Roe v. Wade | 3. Women vs. Connecticut

    15 Jun 2022 · 8:17 · S7 E3

    This episode is member-exclusive. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate Plus. By joining, not only will you unlock exclusive Slow Burn episodes, but you’ll also access ad-free listening across all your favorite…

28. Roe v. Wade | 4. Roe Against Wade

    22 Jun 2022 · 11 min · S7 E4

    This episode is member-exclusive. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate Plus. By joining, not only will you unlock exclusive Slow Burn episodes, but you’ll also access ad-free listening across all your favorite…

29. Slow Burn presents: Decoder Ring - The Mall is Dead (Long Live the Mall)

    26 Jul 2022 · 44 min

    (While we work on the next season of Slow Burn we're showcasing Slate's other narrative podcasts, starting with a new season of Decoder Ring.) What do we lose if we lose the mall? 70 years into their existence, these…

30. Decoder Ring: The Most Famous Poet No One Remembers

    2 Aug 2022 · 43 min

    Rod McKuen sold multiple millions of poetry books in the 60s and 70s. He released dozens of albums, was a regular on late night, and was even nominated for an Oscar. So, how did the most salable poet in American…

31. Decoder Ring: The First Alien Abductees

    9 Aug 2022 · 36 min

    When you think of an alien abduction, what do you picture? Humanoid creatures, medical experiments, lost memories retrieved through hypnosis? That narrative was largely unknown until Betty and Barney Hill went public…

32. Decoder Ring: The “Sex” Scandal That Made Mae West

    16 Aug 2022 · 41 min

    In the early 1930s, Mae West’s dirty talk and hip swiveling walk made her one of the biggest movie stars in America. But before West hit the big-screen, she was prosecuted for staging not one, but two scandalous plays.…

33. Decoder Ring: McGruff Takes a Bite Out of Crime Pt. 1

    4 Oct 2022 · 33 min

    McGruff the Crime Dog arrived on the scene at the dawn of the 1980s, just as a firehose of anti-drug PSAs was inundating the youth of America. These messages didn’t always work as intended—but they did work their way…

34. Decoder Ring: McGruff Takes a Bite Out of Crime Pt. 2

    12 Oct 2022 · 42 min

    McGruff the Crime Dog arrived on the scene at the dawn of the 1980s, just as a firehose of anti-drug PSAs was inundating the youth of America. These messages didn’t always work as intended—but they did work their way…

35. One Year: 1942 | 1. The Most Hated Man in America

    20 Oct 2022 · 42 min

    At the beginning of World War II, the greatest threat to the American war effort wasn’t the Nazis or the Japanese—it was runaway inflation. The man in charge of stopping it was the country’s “price czar,” Leon…

36. One Year: 1942 | 2. The Year Everyone Got Married

    27 Oct 2022 · 40 min

    There were 1.8 million weddings in 1942, the most that had ever been recorded in a single year in American history. But how many of them would last? 98-year-old Millie Summergrad tells the story of one that did: her…

37. One Year: 1942 | 3. The Day the Music Stopped

    3 Nov 2022 · 52 min

    On Aug. 1, 1942, the nation’s recording studios went silent. Musicians were fed up with the new technologies threatening their livelihoods, so they refused to record until they got their fair share. This week, Evan…

38. One Year: 1942 | 4. The Info Wars of World War II

    10 Nov 2022 · 44 min

    In March 1942, a new nightly radio show hit the American airwaves. The stated goal of Station Debunk was to correct all the lies getting tossed around about America’s involvement in the war. But the real story was a…

39. Decoder Ring: The Truth About #TheDress

    15 Nov 2022 · 33 min

    In the history of viral images, #TheDress has got to be in the top 10. This unassuming photo of a party dress kicked off a global debate when people realized they were seeing it completely differently. Is it black and…

40. One Year: 1942 | 5. When Internment Came to Alaska

    17 Nov 2022 · 37 min

    Six months after Pearl Harbor, Japan launched another attack on the United States. This time, Axis forces actually invaded, turning the Aleutian Islands into a battleground. What the country did next, in the name of…

41. Decoder Ring: The Butt and the Bustle

    22 Nov 2022 · 42 min

    For about two decades towards the end of the Victorian era, in the 1870s and 1880s, a large bustle-enhanced bottom was the height of fashion. In this episode we explore how it’s connected to today’s big booty craze. We…

42. One Year: 1942 | 6. The Black-Japanese Axis

    23 Nov 2022 · 36 min

    In 1942, federal officials targeted a group of Black Americans who were allegedly hoping for a Japanese invasion. They uncovered a plot that included stockpiles of weapons and secret passwords—but was any of it true?…

43. Roe v. Wade | Creating a Winning Show

    29 Nov 2022 · 2:41 · S7 E5

    This episode is member-exclusive. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate Plus. By joining, not only will you unlock exclusive Slow Burn episodes, but you’ll also access ad-free listening across all your favorite…

44. Slow Burn: Roe v. Wade special announcement

    29 Nov 2022 · 2:08 · Trailer

    Slow Burn: Roe v. Wade has been named Apple Podcasts Show of the Year! We’re so honored by this award and want to thank everyone who has listened and supported the show. On this season, we looked to the past to…

45. Decoder Ring: The New Age Hit Machine

    20 Dec 2022 · 25 min

    For this episode, a story from Slate senior producer Evan Chung about how Yanni, John Tesh and a number of other surprising acts made it big in the 1990s. It’s a throwback to a simpler time—when musicians struggled to…

46. Decoder Ring: How Preppy Became Streetwear

    23 Dec 2022 · 32 min

    We bring you a special episode from the Articles of Interest podcast hosted by Avery Trufelman about the incredible reach and adaptability of preppy clothes. It’s a story about the great modernizer of Ivy style, Ralph…

47. Decoder Ring: Cellino & Barnes, Injury Attorneys, 800-888-8888

    27 Dec 2022 · 36 min

    Ross Cellino and Steve Barnes were two Buffalo-based lawyers who became the literal poster-men for personal injury advertising. They poured millions of dollars into ads that did more than just bring in clients: it…

48. Decoder Ring: ‘You’ve Got Mail’ Got It Wrong

    30 Dec 2022 · 36 min

    (This episode originally aired in March 2020.) The 1998 romantic comedy You’ve Got Mail, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, is about the brutal fight between a beloved indie bookstore, the Shop Around the Corner, and…

49. Decoder Ring: The Mailbag Episode

    3 Jan 2023 · 34 min

    We’re really lucky to get a lot of listener emails, suggesting topics for the show. In this episode, we’re going to dig into a handful of the most fascinating ones that we’ve yet to tackle on the show. We’re taking on…

50. Announcing Slow Burn Season 8

    24 Feb 2023 · 0:34 · Trailer

    Hosted by Joel Anderson. Coming in May 2023. Need to set up your Slate Plus feed? If you subscribed through Slate.com, check out our FAQ at slate.com/podcastfaqs for easy instructions. Members subscribed via Apple…