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, standing on his second-fl

Fighting Words

2 May 12th, 2021 50m 6s

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 were.How did intellectual

The System

Dec 8th, 2021 44m 5s

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? And what happened when th

Glen

Nov 24th, 2021 39m 23s

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 eye? How did he think about

The Chief

1 Nov 17th, 2021 48m 25s

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 King’s beating had expose

Against the World

2 Oct 30th, 2019 35m 43s

On the first episode of Slow Burn’s third season: How a violent robbery severed Tupac’s friendship with Biggie Smalls and sparked a bicoastal beef that consumed the world of hip-hop.In November 1994, while on trial for sexual abuse, Tupac Shak

Martha

1 Nov 28th, 2017 30m 43s

People called her crazy, and to be fair she must have seemed crazy. But she was onto something. How Martha Mitchell, the celebrity wife of one of Nixon’s closest henchmen, tried to blow the whistle on Watergate—and ended up ruining her life.Wa

Women vs. Connecticut

Jun 15th, 2022 51m 19s

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 Slate podcasts. Subscribe now

Life or Death

1 Jun 8th, 2022 11m 42s

Get Married or Go Home

1 1 Jun 1st, 2022 56m 30s

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, she’d be prosecuted and publi

Damages

1 1 Dec 29th, 2021 53m 57s

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. And the riots had exposed

Into Ashes

Dec 22nd, 2021 44m 17s

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 frustration at living in poverty

No Peace

Dec 15th, 2021 45m 33s

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 jury failed to convict the o

SB6 Extra: Leading Up to the Riots

Dec 1st, 2021 20m 18s

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 Kelly—all who help to explain t

No Justice

1 Nov 10th, 2021 48m 57s

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 Holliday’s tape aired, the

The Exile

1 Apr 21st, 2021 53m 55s

Eighteen years have passed since the United States invaded Iraq. It’s a war that killed hundreds of thousands of people and destroyed America’s credibility on the world stage. How much can that war be traced to one Iraqi exile’s longstanding qu

Rabbit Holes

Jan 9th, 2018 38m 11s

Why were so many Americans ready to believe conspiracy theories after Watergate? How did those beliefs help trigger Nixon‘s downfall? And given what we know about Watergate—what separates a conspiracy theory from just a theory?Want more Slow B

True Believers

Jan 2nd, 2018 40m 49s

At a bar in Queens, and in the Senate offices, Nixon's supporters stood with him long after it was clear his hands were dirty. How did they rationalize their position? And what, finally, made them waver?Want more Slow Burn? Subscribe to Slate

Lie Detectors

Dec 19th, 2017 38m 2s

How a folksy segregationist senator, a team of young investigators, and a few whistleblowers staged the hearings that made Watergate must-see TV.Want more Slow Burn? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately access all episodes of Slow Burn (and

A Very Successful Cover-Up

Dec 12th, 2017 35m 59s

Woodward and Bernstein, Walter Cronkite, and a host of other journalists tried to make people care about Watergate in the run-up to the 1972 election. They totally failed.Want more Slow Burn? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately access all e

The Defeat of Wright Patman

Dec 5th, 2017 33m 41s

In 1973, the Senate Watergate hearings gripped the nation. But the first congressional hearings on the scandal took place a year earlier—and featured an angry Texan shouting at four empty chairs.Want more Slow Burn? Subscribe to Slate Plus to

Terror

Apr 28th, 2021 47m 27s

Just hours after 9/11, American decision makers had already started thinking about attacking Iraq. When the anthrax attacks began a month later, those ideas went into overdrive. Did Iraq have anything to do with mailing anthrax letters? Did it

A National Disgrace

Jun 21st, 2023 1h 6m

Anita Hill’s accusations launched urgent and heated conversations about racism and sexual harassment. They also stoked an anger in Clarence Thomas that’s never stopped raging.Want more Slow Burn? Subscribe to Slate Plus to immediately access a

I’m Their Guy

Jun 14th, 2023 56m 8s

When Clarence Thomas got nominated to the Supreme Court, his behavior during the 1980s would get put under a microscope. To understand who Thomas was then and who he is today, you need to hear how he treated the women he worked with. You also n

Smiling Faces

Jun 7th, 2023 49m 20s

Clarence Thomas went to Yale Law School because he thought it was a good fit for his left-wing politics. But when he arrived, it seemed like all the white liberals thought he was only there because he was Black. The sting Thomas felt fueled a l