Shannon Palus

Slate | The Slatest Everything on Slate about The Slatest

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there are lots of difficult parts about being a new mom and mostly they have lessened in difficulty—but i fear the insurance fights may be forever!

(ascertained after multiple phone calls trying to figure out why the fuck the hospital is saying they're going to need to invoice me for a giant bill, naturally)

my health insurance company accepted the claim from the hospital for my child's birth, marked it as paid, and then ~6 months later is saying "we take it back—he had secret insurance through his father during the birth." it is a new one for me.

I’ve Noticed That Kristi Noem Has a Favorite Fashion Accessory. Uh, Yikes. Wearing hoops can be a source of pride. And Noem shouldn’t be proud of herself.

goodbye to this woman and her hoop earrings! a good time to read @pdvarona.bsky.social's piece slate.com/life/2026/01...

It Seems Like It Would Be Fun to Go to Mars. Well, No One Considers This Part. Elon Musk says his obsession with the red planet is cooling.

a fun one by @gidmk.bsky.social! we really do have to make things work here on Earth

slate.com/technology/2...

Peter Attia May Be the Most Sensible Longevity Influencer. But Is His Advice Any Good? His book Outlive is a mega-bestseller. I read it—and yikes.

I volunteered as tribute to read Peter Attia's near-500-page longevity bible OUTLIVE after the influencer showed up in the Epstein files. It showed me that we never should have listened to him. My essay for @slate.com: slate.com/technology/2...

One Detail About Trump’s Pick for Surgeon General Has Haunted Me for Years. Get Ready. A wellness influencer could soon be writing the warning labels on your vices.

@shanpalus.bsky.social reviews "Flackers" and nails the problem with Casey Means.

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One Detail About Trump’s Pick for Surgeon General Has Haunted Me for Years. Get Ready. A wellness influencer could soon be writing the warning labels on your vices.

worth re-upping this piece I wrote last spring, sigh
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Peter Attia May Be the Most Sensible Longevity Influencer. But Is His Advice Any Good? His book Outlive is a mega-bestseller. I read it—and yikes.

peter attia is out at CBS News after showing up in the Epstein files ... but maybe we shouldn't have been listening to him in the first place slate.com/technology/2...

Elsie Hewitt: 'My Decision Not to Breastfeed' On contradictions, complex guilt, and learning to accept support in a culture that quietly equates suffering with devotion.

it does feel a little like something is happening right now in this conversation --
www.elle.com/life-love/op...

It Can Be the Hardest Part of Being a New Mom. It Turns Out You Can Just Skip It. When I had a baby, I decided to skip breastfeeding altogether. I’m not alone.

Strongly recommended to anyone gestating

My own experience: I'm glad I breastfed (kept it up 'til Kid was 2.5; for most of that time, it was a small portion of her calories but the centerpiece of our morning routine) but wish I'd combined w formula MUCH, MUCH SOONER. We were ALL happier & healthier

“You Just Do Language.” Lauren Groff on Craft, Reading, and Her New Collection For fiction authors of a certain stripe, a 2023 New York Times profile of the author Lauren Groff landed like an apple on the head. For others, it spilled like piping hot coffee across the laptop. …

is there anyone who has a more impressive writing process than lauren groff? i suspect not.
lithub.com/you-just-do-...

It Can Be the Hardest Part of Being a New Mom. It Turns Out You Can Just Skip It. When I had a baby, I decided to skip breastfeeding altogether. I’m not alone.

I wrote about a new book about how to formula feed your baby
slate.com/life/2026/02...

Everyone Is Mad About James Van Der Beek’s GoFundMe. I Donated to It. The backlash says a lot about our attitudes around money and illness.

this is a really good piece defending something I initially bristled at slate.com/technology/2...

sometimes i look at the spam in my inbox and am like ... yes, same

that's an amazing set up!

Opinion | The Secret to Parenting Is a Baby Monitor and 18 Friends

we moved to an apartment in the suburbs this spring when i was 6 months pregnant -- not a house bc have you seen the prices? -- and it has accidentally worked out wonderfully. not as communal as the set up in this piece, but almost!
www.nytimes.com/2026/02/16/o...

My latest: A look inside the secretive immigration prisons at Guantanamo—and the ethical questions that doctors and nurses face to treat those inside.

I consider 2025 my finest professional year. The Post just laid me off.

it can’t all just be substack, it simply cannot

Donate to Washington Post 2026 layoff fund, organized by Rachel Siegel On Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, The Washington Post laid off hundreds of journalists. We ar… Rachel Siegel needs your support for Washington Post 2026 layoff fund

Whatever you think of the Washington Post at this moment, here's a chance to support the dedicated, hard-working journalists who were just laid off. If you have the means, your donation is most welcome. If you don't, a kind thought and maybe spreading the word to others is support enough 💙

your book looks great, i'm adding it to my list

ok, i'll save you a click: the woman in the headline had taken a sugar pill! it's a wild story!

valid points! i hope you read the piece!

Her Fiancé Died in an Avalanche. She Found a Miraculous Cure for Her Grief. Then She Learned the Truth. It could be the next blockbuster drug. There’s one problem.

what if the healing powers of psychedelics are "just" the placebo effect?
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It’s Perhaps the Most Special Kind of Bond Between Human Beings. Well, Not if ICE Has Its Way. The damage will last for years—and years.

it's hard to comprehend the damage that is being done to families right now slate.com/technology/2...

One of RFK Jr.’s Weirdest Obsessions Is Based on a Funny Misunderstanding—and You Might’ve Fallen for It, Too. That has not stopped him from charging ahead with guidelines.

our health leader seems to be under the mistaken impression that whole milk is more "natural". by @gidmk.bsky.social
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Looking for sources for a @nature.com story about how researchers are coping in the midst of current events: If you're a PhD or other academic who's struggling to focus with everything that's happening in the world and would like to be interviewed for this story, please get in touch ASAP!

Is Trump Losing It? He’s always been odd. But this seems possibly worse.

it's time to seriously ask: what's going on with trump's health?
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