Katy Waldman
Politics
Republicants, Republicons …The “Democrat Party” needs a counter-epithet for the GOP. What should it be?
Politics
Not the President’s Fault, but Exactly What He WantedTrump is trapped between the myth of his omnipotence and a desperate need to evade accountability for his administration’s failures.
Books
Our Disheveled WorldElif Batuman sets out to write a novel as chaotic, random, and intoxicating as real life.
Politics
Our Brilliant Plan Cannot Fail!Trump and his henchmen keep ruining their Muslim ban by bragging about it like dumb movie villains.
The Audio Book Club
It’s Swing Time for the Audio Book ClubSlate critics discuss Zadie Smith’s latest novel.
The XX Factor
Melania Trump Reads to Kids in a Hospital—and Is Read by the Press Pool Report in Return
Politics
“Rogue” Twitter Feeds as Liberal Self-CareWhy we can’t stop retweeting @AngryWHStaffer, @RoguePOTUSStaff, and fake Sally Yates.
Future Tense
Which Version of Donald Trump Got Donors to Part With Their Money?An RNC memo about Trump’s website offers some clues.
Culturebox
Is My Novel Offensive?How “sensitivity readers” are changing the publishing ecosystem—and raising new questions about what makes a great book.
Politics
Obamacare Is Imploding! Obamacare Is Exploding!Donald Trump has said both. Does he know something about physics that we don’t?
Politics
Republicans Spent the Gorsuch Hearing Chatting About Sheep and BasketballDid you think confirmation hearings were for real questions?
Politics
How Good a Listener Is Donald Trump?He leans forward, tilts his head to the side, and doesn’t quite catch what you’re talking about.
Politics
The Power of Pain in American PoliticsWhy Trump had to trot out grieving families to seem like a “normal president.”
Books
Glamorous WoundsCat Marnell and Alana Massey both mine their darkest, messiest selves in first-person writing. But their styles couldn’t be more different.
The Audio Book Club
The Audio Book Club Gets Tangled Up in BlueSlate critics discuss the poetry of Bob Dylan’s lyrics.
Politics
Conspiracy Theory TheoryWhy are so many people convinced that Donald Trump has a master plan?
Politics
The C Student in ChiefDonald Trump and his administration are lazy, sloppy, and lack imagination.