Unwritten: Twitter’s Future, Teen Mental Health Crisis, and California Drought

• First: We’ve got the context on the biggest stories from the week – from the US economy shrinking for the first time since 2020, to a concerning drought warning in the West. PS: learn more about Pfizer’s COVID-19 drug, Paxlovid, here. 

• Next: Elon Musk turned down a Tweet at the table — and bought Twitter instead. So what happens now? We’ll ask an expert about Musk’s plans, and what’s next for free speech. 

• ICYMI: The Finns and Swedes have their pencils ready, waiting to apply for NATO membership. We’ll talk about why they’re ditching their historic neutrality, and why NATO is the hottest new club to join…in 60 seconds. 

• Later: New reports reveal that American teens are in the middle of a mental health crisis. We'll ask a psychologist what’s causing concern. If you know a teen who’s struggling, here are some resources to help. 

• Finally: Your favorite foliage was actually picked out for you by the Miranda Priestly of houseplants. We'll talk to a reporter who took a deep dive into the global houseplant industry to find out what it takes to become America's next top houseplant.

On this episode, you’ll hear from: 

• Rachel Lerman, tech reporter, The Washington Post

• Dr. Kara Bagot, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics, Mount Sinai

• Katie Van Syckle, senior staff editor, The New York Times

Skimm'd by Alex Carr, Will Livingston, and Blake Lew-Merwin. Additional help from Sagine Corrielus. Engineered by Andrew Callaway and Elie McAfee-Hahn. TheSkimm’s head of audio is Graelyn Brashear.