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What Next TBD: Stephen King Is Just as Confused About Blue Checks as You Are Apr 28, 2023

Show notes

Twitter’s “blue check” verification went from something you applied for, to something you could pay for, to something you had to pay for…to something that many celebrities wouldn’t even accept for free. Master of horror Stephen King told us he wouldn’t pay for a blue check, but he’s not going to fight it either—he just doesn’t really understand what’s going on. Does anyone at Twitter understand?

Guests:

Alex Heath, deputy editor of The Verge

Jon Favreau, co-founder of Crooked Media, speechwriter for President Barack Obama

Stephen King, freelancer author

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/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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Dear Prudence: I Was Only “Verbally” Invited to a Wedding. Help! Apr 28, 2023

Show notes

In this episode, Cheyna Roth (podcast producer for Slate’s The Waves) joins Prudie (Jenée Desmond-Harris) to answer your letters about weddings: whether parents are obligated to pay for weddings they don’t support, whether a mean sister should get to attend an elopement, and whether you are really invited if you don’t have a paper invitation in hand.

If you want more Dear Prudence, you should join Slate Plus, Slate’s membership program. Jenée answers an extra question every week, just for members. Go to Slate.com/prudieplus to sign up. It’s just $15 for your first three months.

Podcast production by Se’era Spragley Ricks and Daisy Rosario, with help from Brandon Nix.

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A Word: Autism Beyond Awareness Apr 28, 2023

Show notes

April is Autism Awareness and Acceptance month, and might be the only time of year when many Americans think about neurodiversity. But for many families, receiving an autism diagnosis for a child can set off an all-consuming search for doctors, therapists, and education that can work for their kids. That’s more complicated for African-American families, who have to overcome systemic racism in schools and health care to get the right help for their children. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Dr. Ashley Wiley-Johnson. She’s the vice president of The Los Angeles Speech and Language Therapy Center. She’s also the co-author of Autism Spectrum Disorders from Theory to Practice: Assessment and Intervention Tools Across the Lifespan. She explains how finding help that focuses on life-long skills for autistic people can lay a foundation for them to have happy, healthy futures.

Guest: Dr. Ashley Wiley-Johnson, vice president of The Los Angeles Speech and Language Therapy Center

Podcast production by Ahyiana Angel

You can skip all the ads in A Word by joining Slate Plus. Sign up now at slate.com/awordplus for $15 for your first three months.

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Political Gabfest: Biden: ‘Let’s Finish the Job’ Apr 27, 2023

Show notes

This week, David Plotz, John Dickerson, and Emily Bazelon discuss the kick-off of President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign; the firings of Tucker Carlson from Fox News and Don Lemon from CNN; and the Bud Light marketing misstep with Insta influencer Dylan Mulvaney.

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show:

Joe Biden Campaign: “Let’s Finish the Job”

Aaron Zitner for the Wall Street Journal: “They’re the Happiest People in America. We Called Them to Ask Why.”

Brian Stelter for the New York Times: “I Worked at CNN and Reported on Tucker Carlson. He Was Never Invincible.”

Dylan Mulvaney on Instagram: “Happy March Madness!!”

Emily Bazelon for the New York Times Magazine: “The Battle Over Gender Therapy”

John Dickerson for CBS News Prime Time: “Montana State Rep. Zooey Zephyr on being blocked from debating an anti-trans bill”

Here are this week’s chatters:

Emily: Matthew Hendrickson, Fran Spielman, and Andy Grimm for the Chicago Sun-Times: “Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx won’t seek reelection”

David: Jeff Maysh for The Atlantic: “The Wedding Sting”

John: Bob Weir’s song “Only a River”

Listener chatter from Elizabeth Trovall: Jen Rice and Alexandra Kanik for the Houston Chronicle: “Harris County 2022 election: Investigation reveals new details”

For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment, Emily, John, and David discuss the new Utah laws intended to restrict children’s access to social media.

In Gabfest Reads, David talks with Washington Post columnist Alexandra Petri about her latest book, Alexandra Petri’s US History: Important American Documents (I Made Up).

Email your questions and chatters to gabfest@slate.com or tweet us @SlateGabfest. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.)

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth and Jared Downing

Research by Julie Huygen

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Mom & Dad: Mysterious Gifts From an Estranged Mother-In-Law Apr 27, 2023

Show notes

On this episode: Zak, Jamilah, and Elizabeth answer a question from a listener with an estranged mother-in-law who has a habit of sending gifts to her grandchildren accompanied by mean notes for her kids. But the issue has reached a new head, because a man in an unmarked car sat in the listener’s driveway for 15 minutes… before getting out and dropping off gifts.

We also go over triumphs and fails for the week… and then for Slate Plus, the hosts take ChatGPT’s parenting advice for a spin with some classic kid questions.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Mom and Dad are Fighting. Sign up now at slate.com/momanddadplus to help 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. You can also call our phone line: (646) 357-9318!

Podcast produced by Rosemary Belson and Maura Currie.

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What Next: Fighting for the Right to Die Apr 27, 2023

Show notes

A self-described activist had late-stage, fallopian tube cancer. She didn’t live in one of the 11 jurisdictions that allows terminally-ill patients the choice to medically end their own lives. But rather than relocating, she argued Vermont’s residency restrictions were unconstitutional.

Guest: Lynda Bluestein, a 75-year-old woman seeking to end her life on her terms, who successfully sued Vermont over their residency requirement in their “Patient Choice At End of Life” law.

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.

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The Waves: Making Friends As An Adult Apr 27, 2023

Show notes

On this week’s episode of The Waves, finding friends as an adult. Slate executive editor Susan Matthews is joined by author, comedian, and musician Lane Moore to talk about Moore’s new book You Will Find Your People. They dig into the necessity of healthy boundaries, letting go of old friendships that no longer serve you, and the importance of deep friendships that require work.

In Slate Plus, unpacking celebrity friendships.

Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery.

Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com.

If you liked this episode, check out: Make Movies Horney Again.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get an ad-free experience across the network and exclusive content on many shows—you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on The Waves. Sign up now at slate.com/thewavesplus to help support our work.

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ICYMI: We’ve Learned Nothing From West Elm Caleb Apr 26, 2023

Show notes

On today’s show, Rachelle is joined by Slate staff writer Nitish Pahwa for a mailbag episode. The two answer questions about Jojo Siwa’s rumored pregnancy, the fate of the music industry after an AI-generated Drake song went viral and the most recent instance of internet vigilantism.

This podcast is produced by Se’era Spragley Ricks, Rachelle Hampton and Daisy Rosario.

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Decoder Ring: The Artist Who Was Both Loved and Disdained Apr 26, 2023

Show notes

We bring you a special episode from Sidedoor, a podcast about the treasures that fill the vaults of the Smithsonian. This story is inspired by “Big Band,” a defining work by the painter LeRoy Neiman.

Neiman was a character, a cultural gadfly and an omnipresent artist who sat for decades right at the nexus of professional success, cultural ubiquity, and critical disregard. What made him so popular? What made him so disdained? And what can we learn from how he resolved this dissonance?

Sidedoor is produced by the Smithsonian with PRX.

The Sidedoor podcast team is Justin O'Neill, James Morrison, Stephanie De Leon Tzic, Ann Conanan, Caitlin Shaffer, Tami O'Neill, Jess Sadeq, Lara Koch, and Sharon Bryant. The show is mixed by Tarek Fouda and the theme song and episode music are by Breakmaster Cylinder.

Decoder Ring is produced by Willa Paskin and Katie Shepherd. Derek John is Executive Producer of Narrative Podcasts. Merritt Jacob is our Technical Director.

Special thanks to Joel Meyer, the LeRoy Neiman and Janet Byrne Neiman Foundation, especially Tara Zabor, Dan Duray, Heather Long, and Janet Neiman. Also thank you to the team at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History: Stephanie Johnson, Ken Kimery, Theo Gonzalvez, Eric Jentsch, John Troutman, Krystal Klingenberg, Valeska Hilbig, and Laura Duff. Thank you to Smithsonian Folkways Recordings for contributing music for this episode, and also to the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra.

If you haven’t yet, please subscribe and rate our feed in Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And even better, tell your friends.

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Slate Plus members get to listen to Decoder Ring without any ads. Their support is also crucial to our work. So please go to Slate.com/decoderplus to join Slate Plus today.

Decoder Ring is now available on YouTube. Listen here: http://y2u.be/D8cLqWAffJ8

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What Next: The Ballad of Tucker Carlson Apr 26, 2023

Show notes

Tucker Carlson has now completed the holy trinity of cable TV news: joining — and leaving — MSNBC, CNN, and now Fox News. Why did Fox oust him so abruptly? And how did he create a feedback loop that made Fox millions — and changed American politics forever?

Guest: Nicole Hemmer, Director of the Rogers Center for the Study of the Presidency at Vanderbilt University.

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