Kate Cox’s fight to abort her pregnancy and save her fertility in Texas says a lot about America’s post- Roe , fractured approach to reproductive rights. Guest: Selena Simmons-Duffin , health policy correspondent at NPR. 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/wha...
Dec 14, 2023•29 min
Dan enlisted in the Army in 2003 during the early phase of the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. He just retired after 20 years of service—and is adjusting to myriad challenges of civilian life while also managing PTSD, ADHD and new sobriety. On this episode of How To!, Bob Beard of Arizona State University’s Center for Science and the Imagination joins us to talk about a new program that’s helping veterans like Dan plan for the distant future using science fiction, conceptual art, and strategi...
Dec 12, 2023•37 min
For pilots facing mental health problems, of almost any kind, the cost of getting help might be too much to bear. After a crisis on an Alaska Airlines flight, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are examining how to make the skies safer, while allowing pilots to get help. Guest: Pete Muntean, pilot, flight instructor and CNN correspondent covering aviation and transportation. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plu...
Dec 12, 2023•25 min
In March 1990, a story broke that shocked the nation: George H.W. Bush had banned broccoli from Air Force One. The frenzy that came next would change the fate of a vegetable—and maybe even alter the course of a presidency. This episode was written by Olivia Briley and Josh Levin, One Year’s editorial director. One Year’s senior producer is Evan Chung. This episode was produced by Olivia Briley and Kelly Jones. It was edited by Joel Meyer and Evan Chung. Derek John is Slate’s executive producer o...
Dec 07, 2023•41 min•Season 6Ep. 3
The Sacklers were set to pay $6 billion in exchange for immunity from any future lawsuits over their role in the opioid crisis. But the Supreme Court will now decide whether bankruptcy law can be wielded in this manner to protect the very wealthy—and trump the very-American right to sue for damages. Guest: Brian Mann , reporter on addiction at NPR. 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...
Dec 06, 2023•26 min
California’s new “CARE courts” are designed to help people struggling with psychotic disorders to get the help they need. But is having judges mandate treatment a step in the right direction? Guest: April Dembosky , health correspondent for KQED. 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. Si...
Nov 29, 2023•26 min
On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… great, but not enough. Mental health is on a lot of minds as we enter the holiday season — a time when we know many people struggle. So this week, we talk candidly about what it means to treat mental illness… and what it should mean, if we want that treatment to be effective, long-lasting, and sensitive. Spoiler: psychiatry and psychology are not the panaceas you might think. Erin Grimm, author and mental health advocate, joins us. ** NOTE: This episode contain...
Nov 28, 2023•41 min
Hot flashes, fatigue, and vaginal dryness were some of Katie’s first clues that her body was changing. Half the population will experience menopause, yet misinformation still abounds—with doctors ill-prepared to talk to patients about this major life transition. On this episode of How To!, journalist Susan Dominus joins us to share the knowledge she gained from working on her viral magazine piece, “ Women Have Been Misled About Menopause .” She explains why women’s pain has been ignored for so l...
Nov 23, 2023•49 min
The bedbug break-out during Paris fashion week this fall was obviously horrifying, but the bad news doesn’t stop there. Bedbugs are on the rise—and on the move. Guest: Benji Jones, senior environmental reporter at Vox. 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 TBD. Sign up now at slate.com/w...
Nov 19, 2023•26 min
On today’s episode, Rachelle and Candice are joined by Patrick Marlborough to discuss their recent essay for Slate, “The Death of the Internet as a Haven for People With Autism.” They wrote, “Things began to shift, if imperceptibly at first, with the advent of social media, and the steady corralling and corporatization of that otherness, weirdness, fun, and joy.” On the show, Marlborough describes what they see the internet what they see the internet shifting away from and what it’s shifting tow...
Nov 15, 2023•44 min
Hot flashes, fatigue, and vaginal dryness were some of Katie’s first clues that her body was changing. Half the population will experience menopause, yet misinformation still abounds—with doctors ill-prepared to talk to patients about this major life transition. On this episode of How To!, journalist Susan Dominus joins us to share the knowledge she gained from working on her viral magazine piece, “ Women Have Been Misled About Menopause .” She explains why women’s pain has been ignored for so l...
Nov 14, 2023•48 min
Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade, reproductive rights have remained popular among voters—even in red states like Ohio. As the state votes today on whether to add the right to an abortion to the state constitution, the Ohio GOP has been trying to reframe the issue. Guest: Carter Sherman, reproductive health and justice reporter at The Guardian. 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 ...
Nov 07, 2023•23 min
To celebrate their third wedding anniversary, Anjali and Rahul are each selecting a surprise activity to do together. This happy couple loves spontaneity, so they’re concerned about someday growing bored in their relationship. They’re also feeling pressure to mark the traditional milestones of marriage, including having kids. On this episode of How To!, authors Caryl and Jay Casbon join us to share the wisdom they gained from interviewing other married couples for their book Side by Side . The C...
Nov 07, 2023•45 min
After mass shootings, one refrain becomes, “We don’t need gun control to treat a mental health problem.” But in a case like the mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, there were mental health interventions and red flags raised by the military and the shooter’s family. Why didn’t it work—and what’s a better way forward? Guest: Mark Follman , national affairs editor at Mother Jones and the author of Trigger Points: Inside the Mission to Stop Mass Shootings in America . Learn more about your ad choices....
Oct 31, 2023•25 min
Before the new abortion clinic even opened in Casper, Wyoming, it was set ablaze. But to the clinic’s founder, property damage and violence aren’t new. Guest: Julie Burkhart , founder of Wellspring Health Access 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...
Oct 23, 2023•28 min
On this episode: Jamilah Lemieux is joined by Dr. Cara Natterson and Vanessa Kroll Bennett , authors of This Is So Awkward: Modern Puberty Explained . They explain how puberty has changed over the last few decades, what these shifts mean for today’s kids, and how caregivers can guide these young adults through this transition. If you want to check out more of Cara and Vanessa’s wonderful advice, they also host The Puberty Podcast . Recommendations: Elizabeth: Clubhouse Games (Nintendo Switch) Za...
Oct 16, 2023•34 min
On this week’s episode of The Waves: the case for taking a sabbatical. Host TK Dutes speaks with author and former television writer Patty Lin on her latest book End Credits: How I Broke Up With Hollywood . Lin worked in some of the most notable writers' rooms like Friends, Freaks and Geeks, Desperate Housewives and Breaking Bad. But when she hit a breaking point, she made a big change and stopped working for an entire year. After that? Her relationship with work–and everything else–transformed....
Oct 12, 2023•40 min
This week, Felix Salmon , Emily Peck , and Elizabeth Spiers talk about how Ozempic affects food buying habits, the rise in mortgage and interest rates, and the decrease in stock buybacks. In the Plus segment: The correlation between life expectancy and having a college degree . Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices...
Oct 07, 2023•38 min
On this episode: Elizabeth Newcamp is joined by Dr. Sarah Wayland , founder and owner of Guiding Exceptional Parents and co-author of Is This Autism. Together they answer a parent whose child is exhibiting neurodivergent behaviors and, as such, their pediatrician recommended an evaluation. The letter writer is nervous that an evaluation will mean that their child will be seen as a diagnosis, not for the person she is. We also go over our week in triumphs and fails — and then, if you stick around...
Oct 05, 2023•35 min
On today’s episode of Hear Me Out… stretching our legs. We know we like to bring you deep conversations about the biggest topics in the news. But today? Let’s go for a walk. Lots of us picked up this new healthy habit over the course of the pandemic. But walking is still one of those things you either love or really, really hate . So we took our host — an enthusiastic walker — and sat her down with someone who hates it. Our guest is Lucy Lopez , media personality and host of the Mamacita Rica po...
Oct 03, 2023•31 min
After years of being a rare spot of universal, American-government-funded health care, this fall’s new COVID-19 vaccine is hitting the commercial market for the first time. So far, the rollout has been mired by hiccups and confusion. Guest: Jen Kates , senior vice president at KFF 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 t...
Sep 30, 2023•31 min
In this episode, Amy Aniobi (best known for her work on HBO's Insecure ) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer letters from readers about donating sperm to their ex, whether you should decline to be a bridesmaid because you feel ugly, and if you should be concerned that your partner is obsessed with murder stories. If you want more Dear Prudence, join Slate Plus, Slate’s membership program. Jenée answers an extra question every week, just for members. Go to Slate.com/prudieplus to sign u...
Sep 29, 2023•38 min
Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine transformed America and the world in ways that seemed unimaginable. But in 1955, there was a moment when everything was in doubt. This week, Josh Levin talks with Dr. Paul Offit about the medical mystery that threatened to derail one of history’s most important scientific breakthroughs. Josh Levin is One Year’s editorial director. One Year’s senior producer is Evan Chung. This episode was produced by Kelly Jones, Evan Chung, and Sophie Summergrad. It was edited by Josh...
Sep 28, 2023•35 min•Season 5Ep. 5
On this episode: Jamilah Lemieux, Zak Rosen, and Elizabeth Newcamp are joined by Slate writer, Aymann Ismail , to talk about his piece, Closed Book . He tracked down one of the most challenged books—a health and sexual education book called It’s Perfectly Normal— to see why it’s being banned. It’s “particularly blunt and graphic” yet Aymann was surprised at the feelings of embarrassment and shame surfacing as he read the book. They talk about parent’s squeamish feelings when it comes to sexual e...
Sep 25, 2023•32 min
Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Ryan Busse , a former gun-industry executive turned gun-safety advocate, who is now running for governor in his home state of Montana. As the right to bear arms for domestic abusers is set to be argued at SCOTUS this term, Dahlia and Ryan discuss how gun culture has been radicalized in order to… sell more guns. They also examine how that radicalization has reached the Supreme Court, and threatens our safety, and our democracy. Next, Dahlia is joined by Alison Block M...
Sep 23, 2023•1 hr 14 min
On this week’s episode of The Waves, Host Kat Chow welcomes back author and science journalist Rachel E. Gross to talk about the misogynist origins of many names and diagnoses in the female reproductive system. Gross is the author of Vagina Obscura: An Anatomical Voyage and the New York Times column Body Language . In Slate Plus: Rachel E. Gross’s thoughts on the documentary Every Body about intersex people If you liked this episode, check out: The Vagina et Al. , an interview with Rachel E. Gro...
Sep 21, 2023•44 min
Following “The Call,” our series on the opioid epidemic continues in Seattle. Harm reduction focuses on meeting people where they are, including enabling them to use drugs safely when experiencing addiction. But some advocates are asking, what happens when you think bigger? Guest: Lisa Daugaard , criminal justice reform activist and director of the nonprofit organization Purpose. Dignity. Action. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits l...
Sep 21, 2023•33 min
On today’s episode, Rachelle Hampton is joined by Jane Marie , the host of the award-winning podcast The Dream which recently released it’s highly-anticipated third season all about life coaches. The two discuss the rise of life coaching and it’s connection to the MLM universe, how the internet has accelerated the life coach boom and what exactly the American Dream has to do with any of this. This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Daisy Rosario, Rachelle Hampton and Candice Lim. With...
Sep 20, 2023•42 min
On this episode: Zak Rosen, Jamilah Lemieux, and Elizabeth Newcamp talk about climate change and kids with Anya Kamenetz . Anya is a journalist who covers the intersection of the climate crisis and parenting in her newsletter, The Golden Hour . She is a former NPR education reporter and author of many books including, The Stolen Year . She has lots of wonderful information and advice for any caregiver who will be helping a kid navigate this crisis. Recommendations Jamilah: DenTek floss picks Zak...
Sep 18, 2023•27 min
In this episode of the Criminals series, the gang talks with Rebecca Jarvis, host of “The Dropout” about Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos. Who were the real victims of Holmes’ crimes? How did her lofty goals drift into scandal? And where does she sit on a scale of “one to evil”? If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and an additional segment of our show every week. You’ll also be supporting the work we do h...
Sep 18, 2023•42 min
