Slate Daily Feed

First up, an opening statement from Prudence on the merits of 3D BC movies. Then, your letters! When is it okay to ask for exclusivity in a relationship? Can I cut down my reclusive neighbor’s dead tree? I’m trying to get back into the dating world, but last time I dated Tinder wasn’t even a thing. How do I do this? My boyfriend wants to be a “known” sperm donor for his friend, but I’m against it. I bought my son’s girlfriend a pregnancy test and her mom found out. Did I do something wrong? Hear more Prudence by joining Slate Plus: Slate.com/Prudiepod.

Mary Wilson with today’s rundown: Did President Trump fire Preet Bharara because his personal lawyer told him to? China is snubbing Trump’s cabinet. And Sergey Kislyak celebrates Russia Day. 

John McWhorter interrupts the hosts of Unorthodox to discuss hallmarks and stereotypes of Jewish communication style.Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at www.slate.com/podcastsplus. Twitter: @lexiconvalleyFacebook: facebook.com/LexiconValleyEmail: lexiconvalley@slate.com 

Brian Koppelman is joined by El-P to discuss his musical development and growing up in New York City. Best known as one half of Run The Jewels, El-P has been producing and rapping for decades, first as part of Company Flow and then as a solo artist and producer on albums like Cannibal Ox’s The Cold Vein, Killer Mike’s R.A.P. Music, and his solo albums Fantastic Damage and Cancer 4 Cure. They discuss how El-P got into hip-hop, high school delinquency, achieving massive success, and finding his place in music.

Bassem Youssef hasn’t cut open a chest in six years. And he doesn’t miss it. “Being into medicine for 19 years, it’s a character builder,” says the Egyptian comedian, who says his old job prepped him well for his new one. Youssef went from being a surgeon in Cairo to the Jon Stewart of Egypt, a satirist with 40 million views a week. Youssef’s brief reign as the king of Egyptian comedy is the focus of a new documentary, Tickling Giants, which is now out on VOD. On the Spiel, Trump has finally accomplished something unthinkable as president. He’s got people talking about Shakespeare in the Park.  Join Slate Plus! Members get bonus segments, exclusive member-only podcasts, and more. Sign up for a free trial today at Slate.com/gistplus.

Stefan Fatsis and Josh Levin are joined by Kevin Arnovitz to discuss the NBA Finals. George Dohrmann also joins to talk about U.S. soccer phenom Christian Pulisic. Plus, an interview with Ice Cube about the documentary Celtics/Lakers: Best of Enemies. NBA Finals (1:35): A conversation with Kevin Arnovitz about the Golden State Warriors’ 3-1 lead and whether the Cavaliers have any chance of a comeback. Christian Pulisic (17:30): George Dohrmann joins to discuss his story on how Christian Pulisic came to be a star, and whether U.S. soccer will learn the right lessons from his development. Ice Cube (33:59): The narrator of the ESPN 30-for-30 documentary Celtics/Lakers: Best of Enemies explains his affection for his hometown team and how race played a role in the Boston/L.A. rivalry. He also talks about 3-on-3 basketball becoming an Olympic sport. Afterballs (50:48)

Jacob Weisberg talks to Sharon Begley of STAT News about Donald Trump's cognitive decline and whether it's just a matter of age or something else.

Mary Wilson with today’s rundown: Peter Thiel’s software company Palantir has the ear of the defense secretary, and Comey Week overtook Infrastructure Week, and why that’s good for Republicans.  

In his much-anticipated testimony on Capitol Hill this week, former FBI Director James Comey described several uncomfortable interactions with President Trump that preceded his firing. The big question for all watching was: could any of those interactions be considered “obstruction of justice?” On this week’s episode, we put the question to Stanford Law School Professor Robert Weisberg. We also discuss the ongoing litigation around President Trump’s executive order on immigration with Kate Shaw, an associate professor at the Cardozo School of Law and a Supreme Court analyst for ABC News. Shaw is the author of a new article in the Texas Law Review that considers what sorts of presidential speech is and isn’t admissible in a court of law. [Read Shaw’s recent New York Times op-ed on the subject here.] Transcripts of Amicus are available to Slate Plus members, several days after each episode posts. For a limited time, get 90 days of free access to Slate Plus in the new Slate iOS app. Download it today at slate.com/app. Please let us know what you think of Amicus. Join the discussion of this episode on Facebook. Our email is amicus@slate.com.Podcast production by Tony Field. 

Felix Salmon of Fusion, emerging-markets expert Anna Szymanski, and Slate Moneybox columnist Jordan Weissmann discuss:-       The UK election-       The Spanish banking crisis-       If Qatar is financing extremismCheck out other Panoply podcasts at panoply.fm.Email: slatemoney@slate.comTwitter:@felixsalmon, @Three_Guineas, @JHWeissmannProduction by Daniel Schroeder.

Last August, Larry Wilmore’s talk show was canceled. The Nightly Show focused on issues like equality, activism, and how racism subtly wormed its way into American life. In hindsight, it feels ahead of its time. Wilmore is out with a new podcast, Black on the Air. In the Spiel: Sometimes democracy sucks.  

Rebecca Solnit reads her story The Loneliness of Donald Trump.You can follow along or read the story on LitHub by clicking here.And hey, are you a Slate Plus member yet? If not, why not? Join Slate Plus today to listen to Rebecca Solnit chat with Virginia Heffernan for this week's bonus segment. Just go to Slate.com/TrumpcastPlus.

Chris Berube is joined by June Thomas to break down the surprising outcome of the British election. 

Aisha Harris talks to Stella Meghie, the director behind the Amandla Stenberg–starred big screen adaptation of YA best-seller, Everything, Everything. But first, the Washington Post’s Alyssa Rosenberg joins us to discuss what Wonder Woman's super box-office performance means for the future.For links on what we discuss check out our show page. Tell a friend to subscribe! Share this link: megaphone.link/representEmail: represent@slate.comFacebook: Slate RepresentTwitter: @SlateRepresent, @craftingmystyleProduction: Veralyn WilliamsSocial media: Marissa Martinelli

Jamelle Bouie talks to Greg Sargent of the Washington Post about James Comey's testimony and whether or not this will change the Republicans' approach to Donald Trump.