There were absolute scenes in the House of Commons this week when Chancellor Rachel Reeves shot sadness bullets out of her skull and rocked the markets. So grab a Kleenex and help me clear this mess up will you!? Written and created by Cody Dahler Produced by Becky Carewe-Jeffries Contact the pod: [email protected]…

How does economics help us understand conflicts through history? That’s the question that economist and journalist Duncan Weldon tries to answer in his new book, Blood and Treasure. Tim talks to Duncan about the economic perspective on Viking raiders, Spanish conquest and the Vietnam war. Presenter: Tim HarfordProducer: Tom CollsProduction co-ordin…

This episode was originally published on April 27, 2025. The Trump administration has already begun cutting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which includes the U.S. National Weather Service. What’s the advantage to understanding the weather less? Guest: Daniel Swain, weather and climate scientist with the University of Californi…

Tim Harford looks at some of the numbers in the news and in life. This week: Is church-going making a comeback in the UK? Is it true that every day, 1000 people begin claiming personal independence payments, or PIP? When the government talks about how it “returns” illegal immigrants, what does it mean? Can a new telescope really see golf balls on t…

July 2nd resonates with profound significance – marking both the launch of this podcast four years ago and the day Pixie Africa broke free from MOVE with her five children. That courageous exodus, described as "driving a tank through a concrete wall," shattered decades of silence and control, allowing truth to finally emerge from within the organiz…

We're one year into the Starmer project and it gets a C- from me because the policies have clearly been prit sticked upside down as they're punsihing the poor not benefiting them. Sort it out. Written and created by Cody Dahler Produced By Elisabetta Malfiori-Bellingtropic (Becky Carewe-Jeffries) Contact the pod: [email protected]…

Under a normal administration, a merger between two large advertising firms might attract the government’s interest for anti-monopoly reasons. Under this one, the Federal Trade Commission is creating conditions to…ensure that X still gets advertiser dollars? Guest: Kate Conger, technology reporter for the New York Times. Want more What Next TBD? Su…

It’s been over three years since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and the human toll is growing on both sides. Recently, politicians and journalists have declared a grim milestone, one million Russian casualties. But is this number accurate? Tim talks to Seth Jones, from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Olga Ivshina, f…

It's a hattrick of cock ups for the government as they dine on a faulty can of Alphabetti Spaghetti for the third time in a month. Make sure you've got a napkin. Written and created by Cody Dahler Produced by Matilda Fromage (Becky Carewe-Jeffries) Contact the pod: [email protected]

In addition to the three-dimensional war of bombs and missiles, Iran and Israel—and the US—are squaring off in a cyber battle. With everything from water infrastructure to banking connected to the internet in some way, how much damage can cyberattacks do? Guest: Maggie Miller, POLITICO cybersecurity reporter Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Sl…

Tim Harford looks at some of the numbers in the news and in life. In this episode: Why is the data on the ethnicity of grooming gangs of such poor quality? Iran has apparently enriched uranium to 60%, but what does that number mean? Adam Curtis’s latest series, Shifty, includes claims about Margaret Thatcher’s rise to power. We ask Sir John Curtice…

What a few days it's been! If cowering under your own table and panic eating a Ben and Jerry's can legally allowed to be called a day. The news has finally thawed so grab a spoon and dive in you greedy baby! Written and created by Cody Dahler Produced by Rabellandra Frank Gideon (Rebecca Carewe-Jeffries) Contact the pod: [email protected]…

ARC, the data broker owned by the country’s major airlines, has been selling domestic flight data in the US to Customs and Border Protection. But in the contract, they told CBP not to reveal where the data was from… why? Guest: Joseph Cox, co-founder of 404 Media and the co-host of the 404 Media Podcast. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate …

Untruths sneak into our lives in all kinds of ways. Sometimes they’re outright lies. Blatant misinformation. But in this episode, we’re going to talk about something else - those sneaky numbers and claims that bounce around our society and that aren’t exactly false, but are leading you down the wrong path. That’s the subject of a book called May Co…

It's so nice to live in a world where there's nothing to worry about isn't it!? Where we can chill out, relax and munch on a drumstick without worrying about global societal collapse. Lovely. Written and created by Cody Dahler Produced by Becky Carewe-Jeffries Contact the pod: [email protected]

The Trump administration's anti-immigration campaign has become defined by distasteful memes that gleefully portray the mass deportations being carried out across the country. It’s impossible to ignore… which is exactly what the administration wants. Guest: Drew Harwell, tech reporter at the Washington Post. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Sl…

Tim Harford investigates some of the numbers in the news, and in life. This week: We debunk a false claim that the hotel bill for immigrants is the size of the tax bill for Manchester. An article in the Spectator claimed that 4% of women aged between 18 and 34 in the UK are OnlyFans creators. We track down the source and discover that it is not ver…

WW3 is here and can I just say the buffet spread laid on to welcome it in was delightful! Have a taste will ya! Written and created by Cody Dahler Produced by Cassandra Abbington Crusade (Becky Carewe-Jeffries) Contact the pod: [email protected] Cody Dahler

It's been a choppy week in every sense of the word and luckily Donald Trump is here with his aviation expertise to make it all worse. Written and created by Cody Dahler Produced by Ringtide Gape (Becky Carewe-Jeffries) Contact the pod: [email protected]

A guide to keeping your phone, and your digital life, safe when you’re crossing the border. Guest: Lily Hay Newman, senior writer for WIRED covering information security. Podcast production by Evan Campbell and Patrick Fort. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoicesBy Slate Podcasts

The number of satellites orbiting our planet has been rapidly increasing in recent years. But what are the risks when they start falling back down to earth? The European Space agency estimate that by 2030 there will be 100,000 satellites in orbit. We look at whether that estimate is realistic and what it means for those of us living on the ground b…

Elon Musk has ridden off into the sunset acrimoniously (maybe), but the Department of Government Efficiency is just getting started. Will DOGE continue wildly cutting or is something even more chaotic coming next? Guest: Makena Kelly, senior writer at WIRED. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole W…

WARNING: disturbing language and content. Behind the veneer of revolutionary rhetoric and claims of natural living lies a darker reality that few have ever glimpsed. For decades, MOVE has carefully cultivated an image of a loving, principled liberation movement, but newly uncovered internal communication reveals something far more sinister. These n…

It's an absolute delight to be back neck deep in the news. Hop in with me for goodness sake and let's get this over with. Written and created by Cody Dahler Produced by Elisabetta Fromage (Becky Carewe-Jeffries) Contact the pod: [email protected]

What does the government mean when it commits to developing a “10-times more lethal” army? Why was the much-missed Sycamore Gap tree said to be worth a strikingly exact £622,191? Are there really twice as many people teaching Yoga as there are in the fishing industry? Is the number of workers per pensioner really falling from 4 to 3 to 2? And what …

“I love y’all so much. Ain’t nothing I wouldn’t do for y’all.” —John Africa (Vincent Leaphart), founder of MOVE Thanks to a confidential source, we gained access to dozens of private MOVE letters sent to incarcerated followers. At first glance, some of these letters appear warm, loyal, even loving - representative of what MOVE says they are - a cho…

Assistant Attorney General Gail Slater inherited the government’s antitrust case against Google and is eager to follow it through—but likely not for the same reasons as her predecessors. Guest: Nancy Scola, reporter and contributing writer at POLITICO. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Ne…

Exactly how many people live on our planet is one of those difficult-to-answer questions. The UN estimates is 8.2 billion, but that’s largely based on census data, which is certainly not a perfect measure. So when a recent study from Finland found that rural populations around the world had been underestimated by 50 to over 80%, the media got quite…

One of the goals of DOGE was to get rid of the “silos” that keep government agencies from sharing freely amongst themselves efficiently and instead organize data using tools offered by companies like Palantir. The thing is, a lot of those silos are there by design, and removing them could be a nightmare for privacy advocates. Guest: Sheera Frenkel,…

*warning: discussion of violence, threats, and the use of a racial slur that is explained but is censored. What happens when a cult's carefully crafted narrative faces public scrutiny? The answer lies in this shocking exploration of MOVE's 2005 radio appearance and their confrontation with America's Most Wanted five years later. Following Fox 29's …

Tim Harford is here to sprinkle a refreshing shower of statistical insight over the parched lawns of misinformation. This week, we try to unpick the confusion over a claim made by London Mayor Sadiq Khan about the contribution skilled immigrants make to the nation’s finances. Mark Zuckerberg says that the average American has fewer than 3 friends. …

George Washington's words ring out across the annals of time and have seemingly got caught in the back of Primeministarmer's throat. Foind oiut why. Written and created by Cody Dahler Produced by Gertrude Van Winkle (Becky Carewe-Jeffries) Contact the pod: [email protected]

When MOVE feels threatened, they turn to friendly media outlets to control their narrative. This episode takes you inside a revealing 2005 WURD Radio broadcast where MOVE members responded to a Fox News segment about the unsolved murder of John Gilbride. The previously unreleased audio exposes how cult propaganda works in real-time. Ramona Africa, …

His time in Washington was brief, but we’ll be picking up the pieces for a long time. What Elon’s exit signals for the future of DOGE, and Musk’s political career. Guest: Kate Conger, reporter for the New York Times covering X and other technology companies. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole W…

Picking Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a known vaccine sceptic, as the Secretary for Public Health might not be the most ‘out there’ thing the Trump administration has done but it certainly raised some eyebrows. Since his appointment Kennedy has been on a mission to ‘Make America Healthy again’ and has set his sights on finding ‘the cure’ for Autism. Autis…

Well if it isn't the Supernanny we know and love trying to reign in the super toddler we know and hate. Wrap your ears round this before you laugh yourself into an aneurysm. Written and created by Cody Dahler Produced by Sylvia Cointreu (Becky Carewe-Jeffries) Contact the pod: [email protected]

The war between Ukraine and Russia is being fought increasingly via drone —and NATO and US military leadership is training troops for future conflicts that will pit man against machine. Guest: Jake Epstein, senior defense reporter for Business Insider. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Ne…

Here is the very interesting Howard Stern show mentioned in previous episode about Mumia - TC 01:30:47 -01:51:08 (thanks to listener Alex). A prison friendship leads to an unexpected confession that threatens to collapse the entire Free Mumia movement. Twenty-five years after a bombshell Vanity Fair article claimed Mumia Abu-Jamal admitted to killi…

Donald Trump's frontal lobe has taken another pounding as his neurons go into overdrive trying to work out why Putin is still bombing everything. Written and created by Cody Dahler Produced by Bethesda Barry (Becky Carewe-Jeffries) Contact the pod: [email protected]