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Elizabeth’s son Lucas is a talented athlete who wants to compete in track and field at an NCAA Division One school. But so far he’s been running away from doing any research or planning. His mother, Elizabeth, wants to help him be recruited and maybe even get a scholarship. On this episode of How To!, we bring on Steve Magness, performance expert, former track coach for the University of Houston, and author of Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness. He’s navigated both sides of the recruitment process and has some hard-earned wisdom about what it takes to be noticed by college recruiters and why the system itself needs to be reformed.  If you liked this episode, check out “How To Coach Squirrelly Kids (and Screaming Parents).” Do you have a problem that needs solving? Send us a note at howto@slate.com 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.

In light of the Uvalde school shooting, we’re rebroadcasting a special audio presentation from Amicus that originally aired in 2018. Dahlia Lithwick spoke to three educators who survived gun violence at their schools. Heather Martin was a student at Columbine during the 1999 mass shooting; Mary Ann Jacob was library clerk at Sandy Hook at the time of the 2012 shooting; and Ken Yuers was a teacher at Rancho Tehama Elementary School when it suffered a school shooting in 2017. They discussed what they experienced, what it was like going back to the classroom, and what they want changed.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, host June Thomas talks to Jessamyn West, a librarian in rural Vermont who’s working to improve computer literacy and access to library services in her community. In the interview, Jessamyn explains her process for helping people to learn basic computer skills, like building a resume, setting up an online dating profile, or learning how to use a mouse. She also talks about her broader mission to make sure technology is intuitive and accessible to everyone who needs it.  After the interview, June and co-host Isaac Butler discuss mantras and understanding your strengths and weaknesses.  In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Jessamyn talks about her experience editing Wikipedia pages.  Send your questions about creativity and any other feedback to working@slate.com or give us a call at (304) 933-9675. Podcast production by 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

John Dickerson talks with author Elif Batuman about coming of age as a college student in the 1990’s, and the similarities between herself and her main character in Either/Or, the sequel to The Idiot.  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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this month, Bobbi Brown’s new foundation line blew up on TikTok thanks to some rather ungenerous videos from beauty influencers. In an effort to defend her new Jones Road line, Brown took to TikTok and filmed her own response, rocketing the drama into the TikTok mainstream. On today’s show, Madison and Rachelle dig through the drama to explain why this isn’t just a story about one makeup company, and what it reveals about the state of the influencer industry. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Earlier this month, Bobbi Brown’s new foundation line blew up on TikTok thanks to some rather ungenerous videos from beauty influencers. In an effort to defend her new Jones Road line, Brown took to TikTok and filmed her own response, rocketing the drama into the TikTok mainstream. On today’s show, Madison and Rachelle dig through the drama to explain why this isn’t just a story about one makeup company, and what it reveals about the state of the influencer industry. Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Felix Salmon, Emily Peck, and Elizabeth Spiers talk to David Gelles of the New York Times about his new book The Man Who Broke Capitalism: How Jack Welch Gutted the Heartland and Crushed the Soul of Corporate America—and How to Undo His Legacy. They discuss the infamous former CEO of GE and his lasting negative effect on the American corporate landscape.  In the Plus segment: More with David Gelles.  Podcast production by Jessamine Molli. David Gelles is an author and a correspondent on the Climate desk at the New York Times. Thanks Avast.com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What was in the water in Virginia Beach? Starting in the ’90s and peaking in the ’00s, Pharrell Williams, Timothy “Timbaland” Mosley and Missy Elliott—friends and family from the Tidewater Region—made nerdy pop normal on the charts. Their productions whirred, gurgled, pinged and rumbled—the handiwork of studio geeks—while their lyrics embraced the freaky: Missy demanding that you work it…Pharrell declaring he’s a hustler, baby…Timbaland bringing sexy back. Join host Chris Molanphy as he explains how these three supa-dupa fly Virginia Beach geniuses helped us get our freak on. For over two decades, they never left you without a dope beat to step to. Podcast production by Kevin Bendis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week’s Spoiler Specials takes on Top Gun: Maverick. Film critic Dana Stevens is joined by Slate editor and writer Dan Kois to spoil the long awaited sequel, starring Tom Cruise and directed by Joseph Kosinski. Maverick is pressed into service, training a group of young pilots to carry out a dangerous strike in a rogue nation. But it soon becomes clear that only Maverick has the right stuff to lead the mission. Does Maverick fly high, or get grounded? Is Top Gun: Maverick better than the 1986 original?  Read Dana’s thoughts on the movie here. Note: As the title indicates, this podcast contains spoilers galore. Email us at spoilers@slate.com. Podcast production by Jasmine Ellis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is El Salvador heading for default after going all in on crypto? Guest: Anna-Cat Brigida Host: Lizzie O'Leary Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With Americans owing more than $1.7 trillion in student loan debt, Black and other marginalized students are bearing a disproportionate share of the burden. On today’s episode of A Word, Jason Johnson is joined by Braxton Brewington, the spokesperson for The Debt Collective. That organization, dedicated to ending what it considers unjust debt, closed out more than a million dollars owed by students at Bennett College. They talk about what went into making this happen, and the myths about student borrowing that are standing in the way of solutions. Guest: Braxton Brewington, spokesperson for The Debt Collective 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

Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Kate McGee and Jolie McCullough for The Texas Tribune: “Confronted with mass shootings, Texas Republicans have repeatedly loosened gun laws” Bruce Leshan for WUSA9: “Other countries have been hit by school shootings – and done something”  Carl Hulse for The New York Times: “How Congress Passed an Assault Weapons Ban in 1994”  Rebecca Kern for Politico: “Tech companies removed the Buffalo shooting manifesto. A Texas law could make that illegal”   Emily Woodbury for St. Louis Public Radio: “Sheena Chestnut Greitens analyzes China’s tightrope walk amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine” Lara Seligman for Politico: “‘Deadly serious’: U.S. quietly urging Taiwan to follow Ukraine playbook for countering China”  Here are this week’s chatters: David: The Congressional Naming Commission planning to rename forts originally named for Confederate leaders Emily: The women in her New York Times piece “America Almost Took a Different Path Toward Abortion Rights”  John:

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate senior editor for Jurisprudence Nicole Lewis is joined by Slate Money co-host, and correspondent for Axios, Emily Peck to talk about the economic implications of overturning Roe v. Wade. A leaked Supreme Court draft opinion shows the court has the votes to abolish the constitutional right to abortion, which Roe established in 1973. Our hosts dig into all the ways ending abortion will undermine women’s economic gains and participation in the workforce, including gains that conservatives champion - like low rates of teenage motherhood, stable homes and being able to work and provide for yourself. And finally, they look at how eliminating the right to an abortion would disproportionately impact poor women and women of color.  Mentioned in the Episode: “Overturning Roe Could Reverse Economic Gains” by Emily Peck “The Horrifying Implications of Alito’s Most Alarming Footnote” by Dahlia Lithwick  National Network of Abortion Funds In Slate Plus: Are Brazillian Butt Lifts

The school shooting in Uvalde, Texas was the deadliest since the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut nearly a decade ago. Today, we’re re-airing an interview with a parent who lost her child at Sandy Hook and went on to channel her grief into activism. In February, she and a group of other Sandy Hook families announced a $73 million settlement with Remington Arms, forcing the gunmaker to accept responsibility for marketing its weapons to disaffected young men.  Guest: Nicole Hockley, co-founder and CEO of the Sandy Hook Promise Foundation. 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 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 answer a question from a father who doesn’t know how to answer his curious daughter’s constant questions about everything from the meaning of life to if ants feel pain. How can he foster her curiosity while also helping her maintain a sense of mental peace?  On Slate Plus, Zak, Elizabeth, and Scott share some of the funniest things their kids have said. 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 Jasmine Ellis. Learn m

More than a million people have died of COVID in America, and infection rates across the country are climbing again. But public officials seem reluctant to enact mask mandates or lockdowns this time around.  Doctors and scientists who work in public health are hoping that “harm reduction” techniques, which were developed to treat addiction and chronic illnesses, can tamp down this latest wave. Guest: Dr. Deepika Slawek, Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Division of General Internal Medicine & an attending physician at Montefiore Comprehensive Family Care. 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 today’s episode, it’s mailbag time!  Rachelle and Madison answer listener questions on a very important Haley Kiyoko relationship status update, if the Apple Health app is also selling your biological data, and – shudder – whether there is a new Couch Guy. Plus, Madison herself has a very important question about resizing your jeans.     Mentioned in the Show: “I’m the TikTok Couch Guy. Here’s What It Was Like Being Investigated on the Internet” by Robert McCoy   Podcast production by Daniel Schroeder, Derek John, and Cheyna Roth Support ICYMI and listen to the show with zero ads. Sign up to become a Slate Plus member for just $1 for your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, the panel begins by discussing A24’s newest horror/thriller film from Alex Garland Men. Then, the panel jumps back in time with the reboot of Canadian comedy troupe Kids in the Hall. Finally, the panel is joined by contributing writer for the New York Times, Jody Rosen, to discuss his newest book Two Wheels Good: The History and Mystery of the Bicycle.  In Slate Plus, the panel spoils Men to get to the bottom of the horror mystery. Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements Dana: This 10 year-old article from Jimmy Stamp for Smithsonian Magazine titled “The Long History of the Espresso Machine.” Julia: From Jody’s early recommendation via Twitter: the Boston food-chain Tatte, which is expanding into DC. Jody: New York Times Critic Jason Farago’s series Close Read, in which he does close analyses of works of art. In particular: his pieces on Berthe Morisot, Jasper Johns, and Chitarman’s “Shah Jahan on a Terrace.” Steve: A deep-cut YouTube video of The Replacements’ “Friday Night is Killing Me”

Danny Lavery welcomes Lindsay Kyle and Robyn O’Donnell, hosts of the podcast, Maladapted, in which they discuss books that have been adapted into movies.  Lavery, Kyle, and O’Donnell tackle two letters. First, from a letter writer being asked to delay their transition because their wife wants to have a baby. Another letter writer wants her mom to stop insulting her ailing dad. Plus, behind the scenes of the podcast, Maladapted.  Slate Plus members get another episode of Big Mood, Little Mood every Friday: sign up now! Need advice? Send Danny a question here. Email: mood@slate.com Production by Phil Surkis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This season of Better Life Lab, we’ve been taking a close look at work stress and the future of work and wellbeing.  Parts of the American economy are looking tough for many workers — even “dystopian. People are quitting their jobs at record rates. We know what many of the problems are. Yet the fixes are not so simple. So on this closing episode of our fourth season, we ask: Are bad jobs an inherent part of the workplace — or can we actually do what it takes to make the jobs of the future good jobs, big enough to support real human life for all of us? Guests Rep. Jim Himes, D-Ct, chair of the House Select Committee on Economic Disparity and Fairness in Growth Zeynep Ton, founder, Good Jobs Institute Warren Valdmanis, private equity investor and partner with Two Sigma Impact, who will only invest in companies that provide good jobs Resources What if Progress meant Wellbeing for All?, The Metropolitan Group Making wellbeing a policy priority. Lessons from the 2021 World Happiness Report, Carol Gr