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As a Syrian American surgeon living in Chicago, Dr. Samer Attar felt compelled to be of service during the Syrian civil war, when doctors were being driven underground by Syria’s Russia-backed military. When Russian bombs began raining down in Ukraine this year, Dr. Attar once more raised his hand to cross the border and treat the war-wounded.  Guest: Dr. Samer Attar, associate professor of surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. 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

David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson talk to Craig Mauger of The Detroit News about the major midterm elections in the swing state of Michigan. Then the hosts speak with the Washington Post’s Yvonne Wingett Sanchez about the MAGA diehards and their opponents in Arizona’s midterm election.  Tweet us your questions and chatters @SlateGabfest or email us at gabfest@slate.com. (Messages may be quoted by name unless the writer stipulates otherwise.) Podcast production by Cheyna Roth. Research by Bridgette Dunlap. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The idea of composting a human body may seem unsettling—or even gross—and it runs counter to the normal American funeral rites of embalming and internment, which preserve the body. But advocates say it’s a greener and more peaceful way to return our bodies to the Earth.  Guest: Eleanor Cummins, science journalist Host: Lizzie O’Leary 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. Thanks Avast.com! Learn more about Avast One at Avast.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, host Isaac Butler talks with Patrick Marber about his multi-hyphenate career. Marber started as a stand-up comedian; has written several plays including Dealer’s Choice, Closer, and Howard Katz; and is a celebrated theater director. They discuss how being a writer affects Marber’s directing; his experience working with older men such as Harold Pinter, Mike Nichols, and Tom Stoppard; and his direction of Stoppard’s new play Leopoldstadt, which is currently on Broadway.  After the interview, Isaac and co-host June Thomas chat about the particular challenges of directing large-cast productions, then they name the genius they would love to have collaborated with.  In the exclusive Slate Plus segment, Marber talks about the casting of the Broadway production of Leopoldstadt and whether Jewish roles should be played by Jewish actors.  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 Zak Rosen. Check out Remote Work

On the show today, Rachelle is joined by Slate’s Dear Prudence, Jenée Desmond-Harris to talk all about online advice. They discuss what her online life was like before she took over as Dear Prudence, how she decides what sort of advice to give out, and why she really enjoys being on Twitter. And Rachelle continues to wonder, was Jesus hot? This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Daisy Rosario. Subscribe to Slate Plus at slate.com/icymiplus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Emily Peck, Elizabeth Spiers and guest host Ed Lee discuss inflation, the first policymaker to win an economics Nobel Prize, and begrudgingly, updates in the Elon Musk Twitter saga.   In the Plus segment: introducing a new anti-woke bank.   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 Slate Money. Sign up now at slate.com/moneyplus to help support our work.   Podcast production by Anna Phillips. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In the ’70s, funk was pop—the cutting edge of Black music and the way listeners got their groove on, before disco and hip-hop. After James Brown taught a generation a new way to hear rhythm, and George Clinton tore the roof off with his P-Funk axis, nothing would be the same. Rising alongside blaxploitation at the movies, funk took many forms: Curtis Mayfield’s superfly storytelling. War’s low-riding grooves. Kool & the Gang’s jungle boogie. Earth, Wind and Fire’s jazzy crescendos. But when funk began fusing with rock and disco took over the charts, would these acts have to give up the funk? Join Chris Molanphy as he traces the history of funk’s first big decade. You’ll ride the mighty, mighty love rollercoaster and get down just for the funk of it. Podcast production by Kevin Bendis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From Ferguson to Minneapolis, protests against racist policing have been catalyzed by videos of the brutality being spread on social media. On today’s A Word, Jason Johnson sits down with Dr. Ruha Benjamin to talk about her book, Viral Justice: How We Grow the World We Want, and where social sciences and technology intersect.  Guest: Ruha Benjamin 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

Following their victory in Staten Island, the Amazon Labor Union is still facing an uphill battle. Both the company and the union are closely watching the organizing vote at a warehouse outside of Albany, NY. Guest: Noam Scheiber, labor reporter for the New York Times. Host: Lizzie O'Leary 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, Slate's Sam Adams and Jeffrey Bloomer spoil the 13th entry in the Halloween franchise, the alleged final showdown between Jamie Lee Curtis's Laurie Strode and Michael Myers. Note: as the title implies, the podcast contains spoilers galore.  Email us at spoilers@slate.com. Podcast production by Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, David Plotz, Emily Bazelon, and John Dickerson LA’s racism & redistricting scandal, the Andy Warhol copyright case at the Supreme Court, and developments in Putin’s war on Ukraine. Here are some notes and references from this week’s show: Anne Applebaum for The Atlantic: “Putin’s Newest Annexation Is Dire for Russia Too” Anne Applebaum for The Atlantic: “The Kremlin Must Be in Crisis” They Might Be Giants - Gab On (Theme to the Slate Political Gabfest) Here are this week’s chatters: John: The Cormac McCarthy Journal Emily: The Fight for Privacy: Protecting Dignity, Identity, and Love in the Digital Age, by Danielle Keats Citron; The Other Side of Prospect: A Story of Violence, Injustice, and the American City, by Nicholas Dawidoff David: David chattered about dining outside in Texas. Listener chatter from Lara Lowenstein: The Mountain Dogs For this week’s Slate Plus bonus segment Emily, David, and John interview John Flansburgh and John Linnell of They Might Be Giants about their work and the G

On this episode: Elizabeth, Zak, and Dan answer a question from a dad who is so frustrated with trying to get his squirming, shrieking kids in their car seats that sometimes… the kids win and he drives them unbuckled. Now he’s wondering if he should continue the car seat battle or if there’s a happy medium where the kids are safe and he’s calm enough to pilot the car.  Then on Slate Plus, they discuss the latest automated baby gear: strollers!  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.  Podcast produced by Rosemary Belson and Kristie Taiwo-Makanjuola. Learn mo

On this week’s episode of The Waves, Slate homepage editor Sol Werthan sits down with trans rights activist and author, Paisley Currah. They discuss Paisley’s new book, Sex Is As Sex Does and discuss why “male” and “female” are used as a legal and social classifier. And why, even for cis people who identify with the gender binary, that might not be the right way to go. In Slate Plus, Sol and Paisley talk about the politicization of trans kids. Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus, Daisy Rosario and Alicia Montgomery. Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

With inflation up and unemployment down, the Federal Reserve is raising interest rates and signaling that they’re willing to risk a lot to stall the rising price of everything. But is Jerome Powell doing too much—or is he already too late to avoid a painful recession? Guest: Jordan Weissmann, senior editor at Slate reporting on economics, politics, and public 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 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week, the panel begins by going Blonde as they dive into Andrew Dominik’s Marilyn Monroe biopic on Netflix. Then, the panel continues by chipping in on the reboot discussion, specifically through the lens of Hulu’s new show (you guessed it) Reboot. Finally, Slate’s music critic, Carl Wilson, joins the panel to explain the legacy of the late country music titan Loretta Lynn. In Slate Plus, the panel discusses the on-going smear campaigns against cities and urban spaces—inspired by Henry Grabar’s Slate article titled “Fear City.” Email us at culturefest@slate.com. Endorsements Dana: The 2006 movie The TV Set, directed by Jake Kasdan and starring Reboot’s Judy Greer, Sigourney Weaver, and David Duchovny. Julia: A cookbook called Snacking Cakes: Simple Treats for Anytime Cravings: A Baking Book by Yossy Arefi. Steve:  Remembering the great French philosopher Bruno Latour who spent his work trying to explain how empirical statements come to be. Podcast production by Yanii Evans. Production assistance by Nadi

On today’s show, Rachelle is joined by Kia Miakka Natisse and Yowei Shaw, the hosts of NPR’s Invisibilia podcast. They discuss how they found themselves in the hosting chairs, the ways they spend their own time online, and the places podcasting and influencing intersect. This podcast is produced by Daniel Schroeder, Rachelle Hampton, and Daisy Rosario. Subscribe to Slate Plus at slate.com/icymiplus Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Herschel Walker’s campaign for the U.S. Senate has been rocky to say the least, with revelations of heretofore-unmentioned children, accusations of domestic abuse, and multiple abortions paid for by the aggressively pro-life candidate. Yet the race remains close with Reverend Raphael Warnock—and the outcome could determine which party controls the Senate. Guest: Greg Bluestein, political reporter at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. 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

McGruff the Crime Dog arrived on the scene at the dawn of the 1980s, just as a firehose of anti-drug PSAs was inundating the youth of America. These messages didn’t always work as intended—but they did work their way into the long term memories of the kids who heard them.  In the second episode of our two-part series on the weird world of PSAs and very special episodes, we look at how the McGruff Smart Kids Album influenced everything from straight-edge hardcore to a couple’s wedding playlist. We’ll hear from Sarah Hubbard, Dan Danger, Joseph Cappella, David Farber, Mike Hawes, Robin Nelson, Daisy Rosario, and Tatiana Peralta. This podcast was written by Willa Paskin, who produces Decoder Ring with Katie Shepherd. This episode was edited by Jamie York. Derek John is Slate’s Sr. Supervising Producer of Narrative Podcasts. Merritt Jacob is Sr. Technical Director. Thank you to Tatiana Peralta, Ari Merkin, Wendy Melillo, Dan McQuade, Dale Mantley, Larissa Zargeris, Dave Bledsoe, Larre Johnson, Duane Poole, Eric G

Joel Anderson, Stefan Fatsis, and Josh Levin talk about the Warriors’ Draymond Green punching his teammate Jordan Poole. They also discuss 7-foot-4 basketball phenom Victor Wembanyama. Finally, the Athletic’s Steph Yang joins for a conversation about Sally Yates’ report on abuse in the National Women’s Soccer League.   Warriors (4:59): How should the team handle Draymond’s punch? Is he done in Golden State?   Wembanyama (28:24): Can the 18-year-old Frenchman possibly live up to all this hype?   Soccer abuse (49:09): What we learned from the report and what comes next.   Afterball (1:12:20): Stefan revisits cheating in chess and Scrabble.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Danny Lavery welcomes Ginna Green, a strategist-consultant-movement-builder now helping Jewish (and other) organizations change through her new firm, Uprise. She is also the co-host, along with Lynn Harris, of the Jewish advice podcast, A Bintel Brief. Lavery and Green tackle two letters. First, someone who is trying to save a friendship with a friend who tends to drive most people away. Another letter writer is trying to hold boundaries with her brother, but is worried that he has no one else to help him. Plus, how A Bintel Brief podcast came to be. 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 Big Mood, Little Mood. Sign up now at Slate.com/MoodPlus to help support our work 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