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On this week’s episode of the Waves, Hanna, Noreen, and June discuss why the indictment of Mariia Butina has captured our imaginations, and how her story matches up (or doesn’t) with the “sexy Russian spy” trope. Then, they unpack the way we talk about Trump and Putin’s dynamic, whether jokes about a gay relationship between the two are homophobic, and the language we can and should be using to describe foreign policy generally. Finally, they take on the now-infamous Refinery29 money diary from a wealthy 21-year-old intern living rent free in New York City: Is it real? Is the backlash justified? And what would the hosts’ own money diaries look like?
Slate Plus: Is it sexist that women’s haircuts are more expensive than men’s?
Other items discussed on the show:
- “Maria Butina, Suspected Secret Agent, Used Sex in Covert Plan, Prosecutors Say” by Sharon LaFraniere and Adam Goldman, in the New York Times
- “What Is Going on With Maria Butina’s Tragic Food Instagrams?” by Madeleine Aggeler, in the Cut
- The Americans Podcast, hosted by June Thomas
- Francis Lawrence’s Red Sparrow, starring Jennifer Lawrence
- “Trump and Putin: A Love Story” in the New York Times
- “Donnie and Vlad: A Love Story” by Frank Bruni, in the New York Times
- “In Missouri Senate Race, Challenger Makes His Point With a Blindfold and Rifle,” by Nick Corasaniti, in the New York Times
- “A Week in New York City on $25/Hour and $1k Monthly Allowance” in Refinery29
- “Refinery29, Kylie Jenner, and the Denial Underlying Millennial Financial Resentment” by Jia Tolentino, in the New Yorker
- “Money Diaries, Where Millennial Women Go to Judge One Another’s Spending Habits” by Carrie Battan, in the New Yorker
- “A Week in Juneau, Alaska, on a $73,000 Salary” in Refinery29
Recommendations:
- Noreen: Killers of the Flower Moon, by David Grann
- Hanna: Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade and Tim Wardle’s Three Identical Strangers
- June: Ol Parker’s Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again, and the upcoming Slate Spoiler Special about it
This podcast was produced by Jessamine Molli. Our production assistant is Alex Barasch.
The Waves plugs: Please remember to like our Facebook page. Send your emails to thewaves@slate.com. Tell us what we should cover in the next episode.