Think You’re Smarter Than Slate’s Senior Audience Development Editor for Podcasts? Find Out With This Week’s News Quiz. Ray Hamel
Test your knowledge of this week’s big stories.
Slate Mini Crossword for Dec. 13, 2024 Mike Dirolf
Take a quick break with our daily 5×5 grid.
Slate Crossword: Kyushu Currency (Three Letters) Quiara Vasquez
Ready for some wordplay? Sharpen your skills with Slate’s puzzle for Dec. 13, 2024.
The al-Assad Dictatorship in Syria Has Fallen David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson
Who and what will rise in Syria after the fall of the al-Assad dictatorship?
Everyone Is Making a Horrible Mistake in How They Watch Christmas Movies. Here’s How to Avoid It. Luke Winkie
Planning your Christmas movie watch list is a delicate art. I think I’ve cracked the code.
My Brother Proposed to His Girlfriend Without a Ring. Guess Who She Blames. Athena Valentine
Who could have seen this coming?
“Ugly” Christmas Sweaters Used to Have Character. They’ve Become Something Else Entirely. Ash Croce
Most modern interpretations are a sad imitation of what was once a kitschy holiday tradition.
One of 2019’s Most Acclaimed Books Is Now One of 2024’s Most Acclaimed Movies. It Took a Huge Risk. Dan Kois
Nickel Boys adapts Colson Whitehead’s novel by making a radical choice. I talked to the director about why.
I’m Dreaming Of A Full Night’s Sleep Zak Rosen, Jamilah Lemieux, and Elizabeth Newcamp
Plus: visiting the alma mater, trash on the floor, and putting a hit out.
I’ve Been Informed by a Member of Congress That an Iranian “Mothership” Is Buzzing My House With Drones? Ben Mathis-Lilley
If you can’t immediately understand what’s happening in a given situation, it surely must be a sea-based Iranian drone mothership.