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On this episode: Zak, Elizabeth and Jamilah are talking about a tricky dynamic between a stepson and his step-grandparents. Our listener doesn’t differentiate between her stepson and her bio kids in her home — but when her parents interact with the kids, it’s a different story. So, our listener is wondering what’s normal… and how to patch up this issue with her husband, who’s upset by it.

After that, of course, we’ll circle up for a round of triumphs and fails.

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. You can also call our phone line: (646) 357-9318.

If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get to hang out with us on the Plus Playground every week for a whole additional grab-bag of content — and you’ll get an ad-free experience across the network. And you’ll also be supporting the work we do here on Care and Feeding. Sign up now at slate.com/careplus – or try it out on Apple Podcasts.

Podcast produced by Maura Currie. 

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Adriana Smith was nine weeks pregnant when she was declared brain dead in February—far enough along that her fetus showed cardiac activity.  The hospital then refused to let her family decide whether or not they want to keep Smith on life support long enough for the fetus to be delivered.

Guests:  

Imani Gandy, Editor-at-Large for Rewire News Group, covering law and courts and co-host of the podcast “Boom! Lawyered.”

Mary Ziegler, law professor at UC Davis, author of Personhood: The New Civil War Over Reproduction.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Ethan Oberman, Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, Isabel Angell, and Rob Gunther.

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On this week’s show an all-star team of super agents join Julia to gab including guest host Amy Nicholson, film critic for the Los Angeles Times. Their first mission: Mission Impossible: The Final Reckoning, the supposed final installment of the Tom Cruise action juggernaut. Like Cruise on to a vintage biplane, Dana jumps on the call to discuss all the film’s death-defying stunts, clunky exposition, and lasting cultural impact.

Next, they’re joined by Slate senior editor Rebecca Onion to dish on Sirens, Netflix’s pastel-hued dramedy starring Meghan Fahey, Milly Alcock, and Julianne Moore. Finally, Slate’s music critic Carl Wilson arrives to grapple with the hugely successful, but critically polarizing, new Morgan Wallen album I’m the Problem.

In an exclusive Plus segment, Amy, fresh from the Riviera, shares with Julia and Dana her favorite films and moments from the 2025 Cannes Film Festival.

Endorsements:

Amy: The 19th season of the British game show Taskmaster, wherein a group of comedians are made to do impossible tasks by host Greg Davies.

Carl: The Mock Trial-centric live episode of the musical improv podcast Off Book, and the podcast itself while you’re at it. 

Julia: The quintessentially American, summertime experience of eating a hotdog on a ferry as well as the 2011 film Money Ball.

You can also hear more from Amy on her podcast Unspooled and from Carl on his substack Crritic!. 

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Podcast production by Benjamin Frisch.

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This week, Christina Cauterucci is joined by Erik Piepenburg, author of Dining Out, a new book that explores the history of gay restaurants in the United States. Piepenburg traces how restaurants have long served as essential spaces for queer people as places to gather, connect, and express themselves at a time when most public spaces were hostile or unsafe.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay are going back to college and telling the tale of two Greek life chefs on TikTok. Kevin Ashton gained almost 5 million followers after posting recipes and behind-the-scenes footage of his life as a sorority house chef at the University of Nevada, Reno. Beloved by students who review his meals on their accounts, Ashton has brought a new spotlight onto the less glamorous side of Greek life. In contrast, pastry chef Grant Grocost has found an audience taking his followers into the messy frat house he cooks for at the University of Tennessee. Both chefs have gained traction from fans who create videos comparing the two and specifically their relationships to the students they cook for. But is the beef between Kevin and Grant, or between TikTok and Greek life?

This podcast is produced by Vic Whitley-Berry, Daisy Rosario, Candice Lim, and Kate Lindsay, with production assistance from Kevin Bendis.

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Everyone assumes the reason Gavin Newsom has had right-wingers like Charlie Kirk and Steve Bannon on his podcast is to burnish his credentials for an imminent presidential run. But no podcast episode is going to make Republican voters forget that he’s a California Democrat.

Guest: Marisa Lagos, political correspondent for KQED and co-host of the Political Breakdown podcast.

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Podcast production by Ethan Oberman, Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, Isabel Angell, and Rob Gunther.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week, Christina Cauterucci is joined by Erik Piepenburg, author of Dining Out, a new book that explores the history of gay restaurants in the United States. Piepenburg traces how restaurants have long served as essential spaces for queer people as places to gather, connect, and express themselves at a time when most public spaces were hostile or unsafe.

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One week into a new WNBA season, hosts Alex Kirshner, Ben Lindbergh chat with co-host Lindsay Gibbs about Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese, and what’s ahead in the league’s looming collective bargaining talks. Then tennis writer Ben Rothenberg joins to preview the French Open and break down key storylines on and off the court. Later, the hosts tackle the future of the controversial "tush push" in the NFL. Lindsay wraps up with an Afterball on the persistent pay gap between men and women in tennis.

WNBA (3:04): It's still the Caitlin Clark show.

French Open (23:59): Will Sinner return to domination

Tush Push (45:44): The Eagles' favorite play is here to stay

Afterballs (57:28): The long and continued history of sexism in tennis

(Note: time codes are only accurate for Slate Plus members, who listen ad-free.)

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Think of all the broken stuff you’re storing in your home. A blender that won’t blend? A bike without brakes? A buttonless blouse? Resist the urge to buy new stuff—and listen to this How To! episode instead! Courtney Martin brings together Phoebe Schenker, executive director of Reuse Alliance and founder of The Mending Library, and Sue-Jean, a reuse enthusiast, to talk about breathing new life into old items. 

Links Mentioned: 

Reuse Alliance

iFixIt

WikiHow

Tool Lending Libraries

If you liked this episode check out: How To Find the Gems in All Your Junk and How To Let Go of Kid Clutter

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. Subscribe for free on Apple, Spotify or wherever you listen.

The show is produced by Rosemary Belson, with Kevin Bendis. Our technical director is Merritt Jacob and our supervising producer is Joel Meyer.

Want more How To!? Subscribe to Slate Plus to unlock exclusive bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe now on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of the How To! show page. Or, visit slate.com/howtoplus to get access wherever you listen.

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In this Money Talks: Hillary Frey joins Emily Peck to discuss the kind of rich people that populate the Apple TV+ show Your Friends & Neighbors, Jon Hamm’s Don Draper-esque charm, and whether there’s any real point to having a murder plot line. 

Want to hear that discussion and hear more Slate Money? Join Slate Plus to unlock weekly bonus episodes. Plus, you’ll access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the Slate Money show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/moneyplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Jessamine Molli and Cheyna Roth.

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