Whitney Bjerken has been a YouTuber for as long as she can remember. At 18, she’s taking stock of her viral childhood. A programming note: this is the last episode of First Person — thank you for listening. Lulu Garcia-Navarro is working on new projects at the Times, so please stay subscribed to this feed to be the first to hear about them.

The 2,500-year-old roots of Ron DeSantis’ education plan.

A psychiatrist’s dilemma when the most extreme option is legal.

The man behind the Pentagon Papers has a final warning for America.

Chief Gary Hill on how to get more Black officers on the force — and transform cop culture through training.

The Supreme Court’s decision crushed Dr. Elise Boos. So why is she working with anti-abortion politicians?

Things are not all right. And neither are the people we usually turn to in times of crisis. This episode originally aired in 2022.

I won awards covering Iraq but my Iraqi colleague lost everything.

When cognitive decline strikes, caregivers often resist the changes. Anne Basting says there’s another way.

Why scammers get believed and asylum seekers don't.

A Republican state senator on what his party gets wrong about trans kids — and why he’s broken ranks to vote to protect them.

What the Big Tech meltdown can teach all workers.

How do you help someone who doesn’t believe he is mentally ill? Note: To protect her son’s privacy and medical history, we are not using Kimberly’s last name in this episode. And we are not naming him at all. Additional reading: “A World Gone Mad: Schizophrenia and a Journey Through California’s Failed Mental Health System,” by Thomas Curwen in The Los Angeles Times “California Is Fighting to Make It Easier to Put People Under Conservatorships,” by Henry Grabar in Slate “‘We’ve Lost Our Compass.’ For California’s Most Visible Mentally Ill, is a Return to Forced Treatment a Solution — or a False Promise?” by Jocelyn Wiener in Cal Matters

Mara Altman on why she never felt small — and why she doesn’t want her kids to either. Notes: You can read Mara's piece for The New York Times, "There Has Never Been a Better Time to Be Short" here.

Logan Lane gave up her smartphone. That changed her life. Notes: Alex Vadukul originally wrote about the Luddite Club for The Times.

Maurice Mitchell believes purity politics leave progressive power on the table.

Dr. Fatima Cody Stanford believes obesity should be treated like any other disease.

The C.E.O. of iFixit is fighting for your right to stop shopping and start repairing.

Veterans are valuable recruits for far-right groups. Kris Goldsmith wants them to fight back.

The musician thinks year-end top-10 lists are too small to capture life’s bigness.