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This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson discuss what the special election results suggest for the midterms, an unprecedented $1.6B donation to a secretive conservative organization; and Biden’s student loan forgiveness and repayment plans.Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:The Sum of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together, by Heather McGheeThe Sum of Us podcastHere are this week’s chatters:John: The Bullshit Generator; The Age of Acrimony: How Americans Fought to Fix Their Democracy, 1865-1915 Hardcover, by Jon GrinspanEmily: Igor Derysh for Salon: “‘That’s Not What Our Report Said’: Ex-Mueller Prosecutor Says Barr's Trump Memo Is ‘legally Wrong’”; The Bazelon Center for Mental Health LawDavid: Courtney E. Smith for Ultimate Classic Rock: “35 Years Ago: Los Lobos’ ‘La Bamba’ Returns Ritchie Valens to Spotlight”Listener chatter from Rebecca Vernon: Sarina E. Miller for the Washington Post: “Thanks To Middle-Schoolers Like Me, There Are At Last No

On this episode: Zak, Jamilah, and Elizabeth help a letter writer who is hurt by the cliquey moms in her parenting group. All the kids get along great. But the moms constantly make her feel like an outsider, despite her initiating conversation and planning hang outs. Zak, Jamilah, and Elizabeth share some tips for making friends with other parents, knowing your value, and ditching people who aren’t giving you the time of day. Then on Slate Plus, they discuss Angela Garbes’ piece, The Morning Rush: Parenting at its Most Essential. Join us on Facebook and email us at momanddad@slate.com to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we should talk about in future episodes. Podcast produced by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola and Rosemary Belson.Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on MADAF each week, and no ads. Sign up now at slate.com/momanddadplus to listen and support our work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After winning 23 Grand Slam singles titles, four Olympic gold medals, and over $100 million in prize money, this month Serena Williams announced the end of her professional tennis career. While her on-court accomplishments and longevity put her in the sporting pantheon, her cultural impact is just as remarkable. Guest: Amira Rose Davis, assistant professor of Black studies at the University of Texas Austin and co-host of the feminist sports podcast Burn It All Down.If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2018, David Buckel died by self-immolation to protest climate change. His husband Terry talks about respecting David's message while grieving him, and finding new joy in his own life. For more Terry, listen to him on Vox’s Today Explained, along with Tim DeChristopher who was imprisoned for his climate activism, and if you are experiencing climate grief, we encourage you to go back and listen to our episode with researcher Britt Wray about our emotional reactions to the reality of climate change where we also link to resources. Did you know we have a weekly email newsletter for the Death, Sex & Money community? Every Wednesday we send out podcast listening recommendations, fascinating letters from our inbox, and updates from the show. Sign up at deathsexmoney.org/newsletter, and follow the show on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.Got a story to share? Email us at deathsexmoney@wnyc.org. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The realm of fan fiction is a wild, magical place to be, especially if that fan fiction is set at Hogwarts. On today’s episode, Rachelle and Madison talk about All the Young Dudes, an extensive Harry Potter fan fiction that has inspired a fandom all its own, and just how that fandom came to be. But first, they chat about National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and spend time listening to the first line of some listeners’ NaNoWriMo novels.Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis, Daniel Schroeder, and Derek John.This episode originally ran on November 20, 2021.Subscribe to Slate Plus at slate.com/icymiplus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Dana and Julia hold down the fort in Steve’s absence while Slate’s book critic, Laura Miller, fills in as a third host. First, the panel breaks down the Neil Gaiman adaptation that no one thought would happen, The Sandman. Then, the panel discusses the new installment in the Predator franchise: Prey. Finally, supplemented by Laura’s great piece on the author, the panel attempts to answer: Who is Colleen Hoover?In Slate Plus, the panel discusses pairs of notable people that they’d like to see in conversation with one another.Email us at culturefest@slate.com.EndorsementsDana: Pulling a Julia with a food endorsement: Off-Script’s Samin-Nosrat-inspired thyme pistachio pesto.Julia: More Summer Strut afterglow: “I Wish That I Could See You Soon” by Herman Dune.Laura: The New Zealand comedy series, Wellington Paranormal, which is a spin-off of the original What We Do in the Shadows film. Specifically: season 4 episode 3, “The Coolening.”Podcast production by Cameron Drews. Production assistance by Nadira

The Department of Justice announced this month that they were investigating allegations that leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention mishandled sexual abuse accusations for decades. How have abusers exploited the church’s decentralized structure and notions of forgiveness to avoid accountability, and how have church teachings about sexuality and “purity culture” allowed the abuse to continue?Guest: Robert Downen, reporter at the Houston Chronicle. Jules Woodson, co-Founder & COO of Help;Hear;Heal, a nonprofit providing therapy funding for survivors of sexual abuse.If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Host Willa Paskin talks about topics versus narratives, translating fabulists, and creating a sound landscape for the world of Mae West. Slate Plus members have access to this whole interview. Sign up for Slate Plus to access this exclusive episode and support the show. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Despite its fraught history of botched executions, the state of Oklahoma is preparing to begin a 29 month execution spree this week. 25 dates have been set for men with severe mental illness, personal histories of childhood abuse, inadequate legal representation, or claims of innocence. Though these inmates have been deemed "the worst of the worst," activist nun Sister Helen Prejean implores the world to look at fuller pictures of their lives, and seek out an alternative to the death penalty.Guest: Sister Helen Prejean, anti-death penalty activist and author of Dead Man Walking, The Death of Innocents, and River of Fire.If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Josh Levin, Stefan Fatsis, and Vinson Cunningham are joined by Defector’s Maitreyi Anantharaman to discuss the WNBA playoffs. Dion Wright also joins to explain what it was like to guard LeBron James. Finally, they talk about Isiah Thomas’ “No Crime Day,” the subject of the first episode of Slate’s One Year: 1986 podcast. WNBA (2:48): Can Sue Bird lead the Seattle Storm to a fifth title? Dion Wright (23:39): How it felt to go viral for going up against one of the greatest of all time. No Crime Day (42:20): A conversation about basketball and athlete activism in the 1980s. Afterball (1:05:56): Stefan on the agony and ecstasy of watching Pete Carril’s Princeton teams. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this episode: Jamilah, Zak, and Elizabeth jump back into the potty-training trenches to help a parent who is at her wit’s end. Her kid is potty trained—or so she thought—but will not stop peeing in his pants before taking himself to the toilet. They share some tips for making the toilet actually appealing to her son. They also respond to a listener who wrote in following the How to Address Death episode and check in about their plans for the fast-approaching (or already underway) school year. Recommendations: Zak recommends the show, A League of Their Own on Amazon Prime. Elizabeth recommends the books Yo MIllard Fillmore! and Yo Sacramento!Jamiliah recommends Loot on Apple TV. Join us on Facebook and email us at momanddad@slate.com to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we should talk about in future episodes. Podcast produced by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola and Rosemary Belson.Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on MADAF each week, and no ads. Sign

As part of a stunt to protest the Biden administration’s immigration policies, the governors of Texas and Arizona have been sending bus-loads of migrants to DC and New York without any support. Immigrant advocate groups are scrambling to take care of these people, who were vulnerable well before being used as political props.Guest: Murad Awawdeh, Executive Director at New York Immigration Coalition & NYIC ActionIf you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

David Plotz talks with author Mat Johnson about his new novel Invisible Things. Johnson’s novel tells the story of a group of astronauts that land in a bubble colony on Jupiter's biggest moon. They talk about the challenges of writing satire when reality feels fake, how mediocre people rise up by sucking up, and why we need to look at the invisible things in our daily lives.  Tweet us your questions @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages could be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)Podcast production by Cheyna Roth Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

There's no way to remove politics from public health.Guest: Tim RequarthHost: Lizzie O'Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Last week, Maya Cade, the creator and curator of the Black Film Archive tweeted about how Tumblr, specifically screengrabs and gifsets, has changed the way we watch movies. On today’s show, Daisy Rosario is back with Rachelle and they decided to give Maya a call. They ended up talking about the communal nature of encountering film through social media screenshots, how Maya was inspired to create the Black Film Archive, and why Tumblr might be the best current online archive tool.This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Daisy Rosario.Subscribe to Slate Plus at slate.com/icymiplus Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Felix Salmon, and Elizabeth Spiers are joined by Eric Newcomer to discuss his piece on Marc Andreessen’s surprising choice to back Adam Neumann’s new company Flow, the current VC landscape, and Bed, Bath & Beyond’s wild meme-stock moment. In the Plus segment: Eric’s interview with Uber’s former business chief. Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Inflation Reduction Act is spurring progress towards new climate technology that, at times, sounds like something out of a science fiction movie. Will it make a dent in the fight against climate change?Guest: Pranshu VermaHost: Lizzie O'Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and Benjamin Wittes discuss the Trump investigations; Liz Cheney’s defeat; and Dana Goldstein’s reporting on controversies over how to teach kids to read.Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:Jack Goldsmith for Lawfare: “Prosecuting Trump: A Reply to Josh Marshall”Dana Goldstein for The New York Times: “An Old and Contested Solution to Boost Reading Scores: Phonics”Dana Goldstein The New York Times: “In the Fight Over How to Teach Reading, This Guru Makes a Major Retreat”Dana Goldstein The New York Times: “New Reading Curriculum Is Mired in Debate Over Race and Gender”Belinda Luscombe for Time: “Inside the Massive Effort to Change the Way Kids Are Taught to Read”Ronald Brownstein for The Atlantic: “Liz Cheney’s Kamikaze Campaign”Invisible Things by Mat JohnsonHere are this week’s chatters:Emily: Sam Levine for The Guardian: “Memphis Prosecutor Who Charged Black Woman Over Voting Error Loses Re-Election Bid”; Kim Bellware and Lateshia Beachum for The Wa

On this episode: Jamilah, Zak, and Elizabeth dish about a baking disaster, being the non-fun mom while setting up camp, and why cool big kids make summer camp so magical. They then answer a question from an aunt who would love to be more of a presence in her nieces and nephews’ lives and support their kids at games and concerts. The catch? They don’t know how to get invited.Then on Slate Plus, they’re discussing their favorite baby gear—a conversation inspired by Kevin Roose’s column in the New York Times called I Was Skeptical of Baby Gear. Then I Became a Dad. Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on MADAF each week, and no ads. Sign up now at slate.com/momanddadplus to listen and support our work.Join us on Facebook and email us at momanddad@slate.com to ask us new questions, tell us what you thought of today’s show, and give us ideas about what we should talk about in future episodes. Podcast produced by Rosemary Belson and Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inform

State treasurers in red states have been banding together to punish companies that are trying to divest themselves from the fossil fuel industry. But it isn’t clear if, say, BlackRock needs West Virginia more than West Virginia needs BlackRock. And this new front in the culture war may come with a bill that taxpayers have to pay. Guest: David Gelles, correspondent on the Climate desk at The New York Times, covering the intersection of public policy and the private sector.If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.