The Slatest for Sept. 25: If You Thought 2020 Was Bad, You Aren’t Ready for What’s Coming in 2024

Slate Staff
·2 min read
Former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally on September 25.
Sean Rayford/Getty Images

You probably know by now that the 2024 presidential election is … not going to be normal. All signs point to Trump still being the Republican nominee, despite 91 (yes, really!) felony counts being leveled against him.

But just what exactly are we in for? Christina Cauterucci thinks through the particular agonies of this moment, and what actually lies ahead.

Plus, ICYMI: So how is that whole thing where Trump is facing four different criminal trials in an election year actually going to play out, in practice? Ben Mathis-Lilley breaks down the possible scenarios.

An aerial view of a snowy landscape with trees and a circular path carved through the snow.
Timothy E. Black

Ohio has a heritage site that may be as vital to human history as the pyramids. So why has it been ignored for so long? “The Hopewell Ceremonial Earthworks don’t reveal themselves to you right away,” Dan Kois writes. “When they do, the human history they chronicle—why they’re here, and what they were for—can be overwhelming.”

Come along with Kois as he travels to Ohio to check out some ancient mounds.

The United Auto Workers strike presents a big opportunity for Biden, Alexander Sammon writes—and it isn’t just a chance for Democrats to court organized labor. He explains why Biden’s appearance on the picket line in Detroit tomorrow has the chance to be particularly momentous.

All it took was a few internet sleuths digging around to instigate a pile-on that ruined Ray Epps’ life. Now he’s been officially charged for his actions on Jan. 6, but the conspiracy theories about him aren’t going anywhere. Molly Olmstead explains how they’re morphing.

A computer monitor, keyboard, and mouse. On the monitor appears a memorandum: "To All Employees," from "A.I."
Photo illustration by Slate. Photo by Scanrail/Getty Images Plus.

ChatGPT was just the preview—the real A.I. revolution is coming at work. Alex Kantrowitz explains why your boss is about to inflict A.I. on you, and what that’s going to look like.

Against the odds, a tight-knit group of Black families created the community of Shoe Lane in Newport News, Virginia, in the early 20th century. Then Christopher Newport University systematically took the land over, pushing out all but a handful of now-elderly residents.

On our A Word podcast, Jason Johnson digs into this history that serves as a bitter lesson in race and power.

… of small-boob bra ads seems to lurk around every corner of the internet these days.

What gives? Heather Schwedel investigates.

… much like TikTok, which Shannon Keating suggests you get onto, even if you feel like too much of an Old to be there. She explains why it’s not just for Gen Z.

Thanks so much for reading! We’ll see you tomorrow.