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Danny Lavery welcomes Miles Klee, a senior staff writer for MEL magazine, and the author of the novel Ivyland. Lavery and Klee take on three letters. First, from someone who wants to tell her friend to stop paying for everything when they hang out. Another letter writer has upset their partner due to her tendency to offer unsolicited pet advice. Finally, Lavery responds to a letter writer who is wondering if they are a trans man. Slate Plus members get another episode of Big Mood, Little Mood every Friday: sign up now! Need advice? Send Danny a question here. Email: [email protected] Production by Phil Surkis Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Karin always thought of herself as the mom of two boys—that is, until last year when her oldest child told her they were nonbinary, meaning they don’t identify as either male or female. Karin loves her kid deeply, but she’s struggling to get used to their new name and pronouns, especially because her town—and husband—aren’t very accepting. On this episode of How To!, we bring in Lisa DelCol, a fellow mom of a nonbinary child and former president of PFLAG Oklahoma City, to help Karin come to terms with her child’s gender identity. Parents are going to make mistakes along the way, Lisa says, but it’s important to share what you learn with others. The more you advocate for them, the more accepting the world becomes. Do you have a problem that needs solving? Send us a note at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 646-495-4001 and we might have you on the show. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now at slate.com/howtoplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone

Republicans who still haven’t accepted that Joe Biden beat Donald Trump in 2020 are recruiting “a volunteer army” of poll watchers and poll workers for upcoming elections. For those who want transparent and fair elections, an influx of enthusiasm is theoretically a good thing. But if new poll workers and poll watchers have an agenda— chasing after fraud that didn’t happen—can they hurt more than they help?   Guest: Alexandra Berzon, investigative reporter for the New York Times.  Guest hosted by Mary C. Curtis, columnist at Roll Call and host of its Equal Time podcast. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin assess the back-and-forth NBA Finals between the Warriors and Celtics. The New York Times’ Andrew Das also joins to talk about Ukraine’s loss to Wales in a World Cup playoff match. Finally, they discuss the Oklahoma softball juggernaut.   NBA Finals (3:09): How the Celtics took Game 1, and how the Warriors struck back.   Ukraine-Wales (25:00): An epic sporting event with global consequences.   Oklahoma softball (47:30): A deep dive on a remarkable dynasty.   Afterball (1:08:57): Josh on Coco Gauff, Iga Swiatek, Rafael Nadal, and tennis inevitability. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode: Zak and Jamilah are joined by Cheyna Roth, Slate senior producer and occasional host of The Waves. They speak with Dr. Erin Flynn-Evans about all things sleep for parents and kids. She worked in the Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital for over 10 years and she’s the co-founder of Baby Sleep Science. Dr. Flynn-Evans is here to answer some questions that will hopefully help you and your kids sleep better.  Recommendations Jamilah: NYT article  Cheyna: Keeping with the sleep theme, The Happiest Baby on the Block Zak: White Noise app for adults to drown out their kids crying during the night + The Nap Ministry Join us on Facebook and email us at [email protected] 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 Jasmine Ellis.  Slate Plus members get a bonus segment on MADAF each week, and no ads. Sign up now at slate.c

The Sixth Amendment is supposed to guarantee the right to a fair trial—including a lawyer, even if the defendant can’t afford one. But Indigent Defense is woefully underfunded and, sometimes, State-appointed lawyers are nowhere near as competent as Federal attorneys. A new Supreme Court ruling makes it more difficult to use exonerating evidence discovered on a federal level to prove innocence, even if state counsel didn’t look for it. Guest: Leah Litman, law professor at University of Michigan, specializing in constitutional law and federal courts, and co-host of the podcast Strict Scrutiny 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Working producer Cameron Drews talks to Alex Sujong Laughlin, producer of the hit podcast Normal Gossip. In the interview, Alex explains what a producer does and talks about how important it is for producers to have creative input. Then she digs into the process behind Normal Gossip and shares how she and host Kelsey McKinney anonymize the gossip stories and make decisions about which details to tweak and which ones to keep.  After the interview, Cameron and co-host June Thomas talk more about what it’s like to be a podcast producer.  In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Alex shares her favorite and least favorite production tasks. She also tells a story about a listener email that she and Kelsey received.  Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to [email protected] or give us a call at (304) 933-9675. 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

Some call him revolutionary. Others call him a hack. Is his success warranted? Guest: Ashlee Vance Host: Lizzie O'Leary Thanks Avast.com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Mormon moms on TikTok are accused of “soft swinging,” or engaging in sexual acts with people other than their spouses while their spouses are in the room, and people cannot stop asking about it. On the show today, Madison and Rachelle talk about Liam Payne’s recent comments about his former One Direction bandmates, and then they’re back with High Speed Downloads about the Early American Youtube channel, and the drama surrounding the Mormon moms of TikTok. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton and Madison Malone Kircher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dahlia Lithwick is joined by Mark Joseph Stern to tee up the final weeks of the Supreme Court term. Several blockbusters are still to come, from abortion to gun rights to religious liberty to climate action—and then there’s the shadow docket. Mark and Dahlia break it all down with insights into what to expect and what to watch for.  Dahlia also spoke with former Attorney General Eric Holder this week, and he made the clear and urgent case that if you want gun reform, you need to work on democracy reform. Attorney General Holder will be back on Amicus in July to talk about his book for our summer reading series.  In this week’s Amicus Plus segment, as the Supreme Court investigates clerks over the Dobbs leak, and in the wake of the revelations of Ginni Thomas’ involvement in efforts to overturn the 2020 election, Dahlia is in conversation with Noah Bookbinder of CREW about how to fix judicial ethics.  Sign up for Slate Plus now to listen and support our show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers discuss Sheryl Sandberg’s exit from Meta, how the war in Ukraine is affecting the international food supply, and Queen Elizabeth’s Platy Jubes. In the Plus segment: Emily nerds out on the CPI Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Like so much of pop culture, online culture is largely rooted in the work of Black and other marginalized people. Writer and activist Bridget Todd celebrates their stories on her podcast There Are No Girls on the Internet. On today’s episode of A Word, she joins Jason Johnson to talk about the challenge of preserving that history, and building communities for women, LGBTQ people, and Black folks in an increasingly hostile online world.  Guest: Bridget Todd, host of the “There Are No Girls on the Internet” podcast. Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for just $1 for your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Schools have spent millions to detect threats online. It mostly doesn’t work. Guest: Arijit Sen Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon and John Dickerson discuss the response to the Uvalde shooting, Biden’s plan for student loan forgiveness, and a bunch of ignored subpoenas.  Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Jillian Peterson and James Densley, interviewed by Melanie Warner for Politico: “Two Professors Found What Creates a Mass Shooter. Will Politicians Pay Attention?” Here’s this week’s chatter: Emily: Heidi Przybyla for Politico: “‘It’s going to be an army’: Tapes reveal GOP plan to contest elections” David: Ezra Klein for the New York Times: “What America Needs Is a Liberalism That Builds”  John: AP: “Over 37K voters crossed over in Georgia GOP primary in effort to block Trump-based nominees”; LiveScience: “Male mice are terrified of bananas. Here's why.”  Listener chatter from Barbara Tanzler: The 11th World Potato Congress in Dublin, Ireland For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, David, and John discuss Elon Musk’s ultimatum for a full return to work.  Tweet us your ques

On this episode: Zak and Elizabeth are joined by Scott Hershovitz, author of the book Nasty, Brutish and Short: Adventures in Philosophy with My Kids and the director of the Law and Ethics Program and professor of law and philosophy at the University of Michigan. They discuss why you shouldn’t shy away from big questions, how to foster open mindedness in teens, and perhaps the biggest question of all—what’s a “floofer doofer.” On Slate Plus, they have a round of graduation-themed Triumphs and Fails. 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. Recommendations: Elizabeth recommends the Sipsey Wilder hip pack Scott recommends Teaching Children Philosophy Zak recommends Julie’s Library.  Join us on Facebook and email us at [email protected] 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

After a mass shooting, gun manufacturers follow a set playbook—they offer “thoughts and prayers,” go quiet, and wait for the bump in sales driven by fear of new gun restrictions. The company Daniel Defense’s products were used in Uvalde and in the 2017 mass shooting in Las Vegas. Do they have a responsibility for how they market their rifles—or how their weapons are used? Guest: Todd C. Frankel is an enterprise reporter on the Washington Post's Financial desk, covering people and policy. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this edition of Working Overtime, hosts Isaac Butler and June Thomas hear from a listener who’s having trouble prioritizing his non-urgent tasks. With the help of some productivity metaphors and strategies, Isaac and June suggest ways to structure unstructured time and to break long-term projects down into bite-sized pieces.  Do you have a question about creative work? Call us and leave a message at 304-933-9675, or email us at [email protected]. Podcast production by Kevin Bendis and Cameron Drews. 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 Big Mood, Little Mood—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on Working. Sign up now at slate.com/workingplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior producer Cheyna Roth is joined by Slate senior writer Mark Joseph Stern to talk about Michigan’s ballot initiative to save abortion rights in the state. They dig into the positives and negatives of going to the ballot, what we can learn from Ireland, and why, at the end of the day, you really need the courts. Mark also explains the one big thing that citizens can and should be doing to help secure abortion access.  In Slate Plus, is Ginny Thomas maintaining a career that directly conflicts with her Supreme Court Justice husband’s work feminist?  Mentioned in the Show: “The Ironic, Unintended Consequence of SCOTUS’s Plan to Overturn Roe” by Mark Joseph Stern Recommendations: Mark: The album Two Ribbons by Let’s Eat Grandma Cheyna: Everything by the band HAIM.    Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus and Alicia Montgomery .  Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to [email protected] Learn more about you

Since it started over six weeks ago, the court battle between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard has been impossible to escape online. On today’s show, Rachelle and Madison look at the troubling ways people are discussing the trial, the cottage industry of lawyers reacting to the trial, and the stakes that have been lost in the breathless coverage and endless meme-ing of Heard and Depp. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Madison Malone Kircher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1970, 22-year-old Shirley Wheeler got an illegal abortion in Florida. When she refused to tell the police who performed the procedure, she was arrested and charged with manslaughter. In the months that followed, she’d be prosecuted and publicly condemned. She’d also become the unlikely face of the fight for reproductive rights. Season 7 of Slow Burn is produced by Susan Matthews, Samira Tazari, Sophie Summergrad, and Sol Werthan. Derek John is Sr. Supervising Producer of Narrative Podcasts. Editorial direction by Josh Levin, Derek John and Johanna Zorn. Mixing by Merritt Jacob and Kevin Bendis. Our theme music is composed by Alexis Cuadrado. Artwork by Derreck Johnson based on a photo provided by Robert Wheeler. The season’s reporting was supported by a grant from the International Women’s Media Foundation’s Howard G. Buffett Fund for Women Journalists. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices