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On this week’s episode of the Waves, June and Noreen are joined by Slate legal correspondent Dahlia Lithwick to discuss Brett Kavanaugh’s first term on the Supreme Court, assessing how he’s been received by his fellow justices, the court’s efforts to stay under the radar since his confirmation hearings, and some unexpected moves by the president’s “favorite justice,” Clarence Thomas. Then, the new season of Big Little Lies functions as both a semi-plotless soap and a sincere exploration of intergenerational trauma. Does it matter that the conversation around it has focused on the former at the expense of the latter? And how does a show about a coterie of rich white women work so well in 2019? Finally, the hosts make an announcement about what’s next for the Waves and reflect on some of their favorite moments thus far.
In Slate Plus: Was the coverage of E. Jean Carroll’s allegations against Trump sexist?
Other items discussed on the show:
• Dahlia Lithwick’s Amicus
• “Kavanaugh Is a Mentor to Women” by Amy Chua in the Wall Street Journal
• “So Much for Worshipping Meritocracy” by Sarah Jones in the Cut
• “Pete Buttigieg May Have Just Found a Way to Get Noticed in the Crowded Democratic Primary” by Josh Voorhees in Slate
• “Clarence Thomas Said What?” by Dahlia Lithwick in Slate
• “The Clarence Thomas Takeover” by Dahlia Lithwick and Mark Joseph Stern in Slate
• Big Little Lies
• “Big Little Lies and the Painful Truths of a Parent-Child Talk” by Megan Garber in the Atlantic
• Executive Stress starring Penelope Keith
• “The ‘Rage at Brett’ Edition” by Dahlia Lithwick, Noreen Malone, and Hanna Rosin in Slate
• “The ‘Butch Goddess’ Edition” by Hanna Rosin, June Thomas, and Katy Waldman in Slate
• “The ‘Call-In Show’ Edition” by Noreen Malone, Hanna Rosin, and June Thomas in Slate
• “The ‘Lady Bits’ Edition” by Noreen Malone, Willa Paskin, and Hanna Rosin in Slate
• “The ‘Walk of Shame’ Edition” by Ross Douthat, Noreen Malone, and Hanna Rosin in Slate
Recommendations
Noreen: Charlie Bird’s farro salad and Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s Fleishman Is in Trouble
June: Shaun Bythell’s The Diary of a Bookseller
This podcast was produced by Danielle Hewitt. Our production assistant is Alex Barasch.
Please remember to like our Facebook page. Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.
