Despite its fraught history of botched executions, the state of Oklahoma is preparing to begin a 29 month execution spree this week. 25 dates have been set for men with severe mental illness, personal histories of childhood abuse, inadequate legal representation, or claims of innocence. Though these inmates have been deemed "the worst of the worst," activist nun Sister Helen Prejean implores the world to look at fuller pictures of their lives, and seek out an alternative to the death penalty.Guest: Sister Helen Prejean, anti-death penalty activist and author of Dead Man Walking, The Death of Innocents, and River of Fire.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 week’s episode of The Waves, the streaming wars have come for us all. The Daily Beast’s Allegra Frank sits down with Inkoo Kang of The Washington Post to talk about what happened at HBO and where gender fits into it all. HBO Max recently canceled the nearly done Batgirl, and has been quietly removing content from its streaming service as it prepares to merge with Discovery+. Allegra and Inkoo talk about how streaming services reducing their content offering likely spells trouble for non-white, non-male voices. In Slate Plus, is Batman feminist? Recommendations:Allegra: Never Have I Ever on NetflixInkoo: The Harley Quinn series on HBO Max Podcast production by Cheyna Roth with editorial oversight by Shannon Palus, Alicia Montgomery and Daisy Rosario.Send your comments and recommendations on what to cover to thewaves@slate.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

When Swiss Ambassador Jacques Pitteloud moved to Washington DC, his residence was perfect. Too perfect. The Swiss ambassador’s residence sits on six acres on a hill with an awesome view of the Washington Monument. “I was amazed by the beauty of the whole setting…It looked like a golf course and I don't like golf courses… they are ecological disasters,” Ambassador Pitteloud reflected. Together with his gardening team, the Ambassador has transformed the residence into a native oasis. On this episode of How To!, we’re taking a field trip to the Swiss Ambassador’s residence. Ambassador Pitteloud reveals how he brought back his beloved birds and even gave diplomatic immunity to local colonies of bees. We talked last week with Doug Tallamy, who gave some wonderfully concrete advice on how you can revitalize your local ecosystem with just your yard. Ambassador Pitteloud is a living testament that you can have a meaningful impact with just your yard and he’s impoloring others to follow suit. “Environmental protection has become ideological and politicized. This is not a political question… It's 5 minutes before midnight.” Resources: Homegrown National ParkNature's Best Hope: A New Approach to Conservation That Starts in Your YardAudubon Native Plants DatabaseNational Wildlife Federation Native Plant FinderSEEK by iNaturalistIf you liked this episode, check out part one: “How To Save the Planet, Starting With Your Yard.”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.com/howtoplus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The quality of dignity is not strained. Judge Victoria Pratt presided for years over Municipal Court in Newark, New Jersey. Her experiences form the foundation of her book, The Power of Dignity: How Transforming Justice Can Heal Our Communities. In the third of Amicus’ summer season of big-picture conversations, Dahlia Lithwick and Judge Pratt explore what everyone, up to and including Supreme Court Justices, can learn from procedural justice, also known as procedural fairness. You can watch Judge Pratt’s viral Ted Talk here.Sign up for Slate Plus now to support our show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We all know the country is deeply fractured right now, and that’s especially true in our politics. There is vitriol, bitter partisanship and an expectation that in order to succeed you need to beat up on your opponent. So is it possible to fight for your beliefs, remain civil and still win elections? On this episode of How To!, we brought together two politicians from either side of the aisle who are living proof that we can practice politics with humanity. Utah Governor Spencer Cox and Vermont State Senator Becca Balint share how they resist negativity, meaningfully work with the other side, and stick to their values even when they are forced to stand up to their own party. If you liked this episode, check out “How To Get Things Done in a Divided Nation with Samantha Power”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.com/howtoplus.Thanks Avast.com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nate Cohn covers polls and elections at the Upshot at The New York Times. He sits down with Isaac Chotiner to discuss the meaning of Tuesday’s election results, whether Democrats should feel hopeful about the Midwest, and what the numbers tell us about Trump’s odds of being re-elected in 2020.Email: ask@slate.comTwitter: @IHaveToAskPod Podcast production by Max Jacobs.Listen to I Have to Ask via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Leon Nayfakh and Andrew Parsons, the men behind Slate’s Slow Burn podcast, sit down with Isaac Chotiner to explain why they decided to take a deep dive into the Clinton scandals, the mechanics of creating a narrative podcast, and what it was like to interview Juanita Broaddrick.Email: ask@slate.comTwitter: @IHaveToAskPod Podcast production by Max Jacobs.Listen to I Have to Ask via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Zeynep Tufekci is an author and an expert on social media and fake news. She sits down with Isaac Chotiner to discuss why the business model of the different social media giants is so dangerous, what Mark Zuckerberg refuses to do to fix the fake news problem, and why rightwing news is proliferating on Facebook. Email: ask@slate.comTwitter: @IHaveToAskPod Podcast production by Max Jacobs.Listen to I Have to Ask via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lynsey Addario is a Pulitzer-Prize winning photographer whose work is collected in the new book Of Love And War. She sits down with Isaac Chotiner to discuss life in Afghanistan before 9/11, her abduction in Libya, and why journalists rely on the American government to speak up for press freedom. Email: ask@slate.comTwitter: @IHaveToAskPod Podcast production by Max Jacobs.Listen to I Have to Ask via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Coral Davenport covers energy and the environment for The New York Times. She sits down with Isaac Chotiner to discuss how we should read the U.N.’s terrifying new report on global warming, what other countries are doing to prevent the impending crisis, and the changing rhetoric of those opposed to taking action against climate change. Email: ask@slate.comTwitter: @IHaveToAskPod Podcast production by Max Jacobs.Listen to I Have to Ask via Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, or Google Play. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices