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The best of Slate, delivered late
Justice Samuel Alito’s majority opinion in Sackett v. EPA—which deals a devastating blow to the country’s wetlands—was so brazen, it was all a bit much for Brett Kavanaugh!
Justice Kavanaugh wrote a dissenting opinion that “did an admirable job explaining the totally ahistorical and atextual nature” of Alito’s argument, Mark Joseph Stern writes. Stern digs into Alito’s tortured logic (“Honestly, it’s like he’s barely even trying”) and the consequences the court’s decision will have for the environment.
Beaver Leavers
There’s a faction of Oregonians who are trying to split from the Beaver State to join Idaho—aspiring Beaver Leavers, if you will! (They call themselves something else.) Nitish Pahwa examines the underlying factors driving the movement, and why it’s gained more traction than past attempts, by the left and the right, to reshape the Northwest.
Remembering George Floyd
It’s been three years since a police officer murdered George Floyd, sparking protests across the country.
From our archives: Aymann Ismail took a close look at the store that called the cops on Floyd, and the painful reckoning after his killing.
Plus: Hear Me Out imagines what a world without police could look like.
Max-ed out
HBO Max just launched its rebrand in just about the grossest way possible, Sam Adams writes. He reviews the lurid debacle that is The Idol.
When whales attack
“I’m a bitch / I’m an orca / Sinking boats / Just off Majorca”
The recent rise of whale attacks on boats has let a hundred memes bloom. But what’s actually going on here? Anna Guasco explains.
Feinstein can retire
Hillary Clinton says Dianne Feinstein can’t afford to retire from the Senate because Republicans won’t allow a Democrat to replace her on the Judiciary Committee. “I understand why Hillary Clinton, who has lived the life that Hillary Clinton has lived, would assume the worst of Republicans,” Jim Newell writes. “But her analysis of this situation doesn’t make sense.” That’s in part, he argues, because this would be quite a bad move for Republicans.
Chill out on China
Biden recently predicted that U.S.–China relations will be thawing very soon. That’s likely true—and unequivocally a good thing, despite the widespread bipartisan belief that we’re headed for war with China, Fred Kaplan writes. He explains what the U.S. can do to cool tensions now.
The end is nigh
As Succession’s finale draws near, we put our heads together and came up with five theories about how the show will end.
Today, Slate is… ROOTED IN A SELF-ASSURED ZEAL*
…much like the politics of queer utopianism in Edward Carpenter’s fiction. In the midst of the horrifying anti-LGBTQ+ backlash we’re living through, Theodore McCombs turns to these works for a glimmer of hope.
Thanks so much for reading! We’ll see you tomorrow.
