The Slatest for Nov. 8: The Biggest Election Issue Heading Into 2024

As election results came in last night, a very clear pattern emerged: “When abortion was on the ballot, abortion won,” Jill Filipovic writes. She examines what this should mean for Biden in 2024.

This pattern was on full display in Virginia, where Gov. Glenn Youngkin gambled on a 15-week abortion ban—and lost. Ryan Teague Beckwith has a breakdown of what happened, and Molly Olmstead takes a closer look at a big win for abortion rights in Ohio.

Plus:

• David S. Cohen and Carole Joffe explain why ending Roe v. Wade may have had the opposite effect conservatives had hoped it would.

• And Mary Ziegler looks at some reproductive rights cases working their way through the courts that could do more damage to the judiciary than Dobbs.

There’s another GOP debate tonight—yes, again! This time with a nice, cozy, narrowed field of five. And with Nikki Haley gaining in the polls as of late, things could get interesting. Alexander Sammon explains why tonight’s debate might actually matter.

Elon Musk’s tribute to The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy kind of suggests he has not actually, uh, read it? Nitish Pahwa details all the reasons why Musk looking to Douglas Adams as his guiding philosopher makes no sense at all.

And speaking of Musk: Ben Mathis-Lilley spoke to a labor expert about why the United Auto Workers are gearing up to take on Tesla, and the big stakes for the union’s future.

The Supreme Court is going to be deciding whether to let domestic abusers keep their guns—and during Tuesday’s oral arguments, Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas strained to find a justification for letting abusers keep them. Dahlia Lithwick explains how the court’s conservatives have made a big mess for themselves in what should have been the blockbuster gun case of the year.

From re-creating the insurrection to putting Reese Witherspoon in a spacesuit, The Morning Show is really “firing on all cylinders of crazy,” David Mack writes. “The result? It’s the most gripping and entertaining version of The Morning Show yet.” He explains how the show has managed to become must-see TV.

Back in 2022, Mike Johnson admitted that he and his son monitor each other’s internet usage to make sure neither of them have been looking at porn. That little tidbit has been circulating since he became House speaker. Kelsy Burke explains why evangelical Christian men are so happy to have their porn habits monitored—and what Johnson’s comments might reveal about his broader agenda.

… much like some of Jack Antonoff’s detractors! Carl Wilson explains why everyone is so mad at Taylor Swift’s go-to producer.

Thanks so much for reading! We’ll see you back in your inbox tomorrow—and in the meantime, keep an eye out for our coverage of the third GOP debate on Slate dot com!