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What Next | Daily News and Analysis
The problem with the news right now? It’s everywhere. And each day, it can feel like we’re all just mindlessly scrolling. It’s why we created What Next. This short daily show is here to help you make sense of things. When the news feels overwhelming, we’re here to help you answer: What next? Look for new episodes every weekday morning. Get more of What Next with Slate Plus! Join for exclusive bonus episodes of What Next and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from…
Episodes
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisThe Next Epstein Files
Why did House Judiciary Democrats wait until this week to release a report outlining Donald Trump’s appearances and behavior alleged in the Epstein files?…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisWere Midterm Ads Always This Bad?
Turn on a TV just about anywhere in America and get ready to see some of the most unhinged political ads of your life. But with more money being spent on ad…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisTrump Slashed Healthcare. Is It Payback Time?
Even as anxiety rises over the price of gas, Americans still have the capacity to worry about their health care costs. This is one issue the Democrats have the…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisCan this Marine Flip a Border Seat?
Arizona’s 6th congressional district has been one of the most hotly contested races for several election cycles. JoAnna Mendoza, a former marine, is running as…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisPlus: How We Survive the News
Live from Virginia Public Media in Richmond, Mary Harris sat down with Reveal's Al Letson and On the Media's Micah Loewinger to discuss contentious interviews…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisWhen A.I. Regulates Itself
Everyone wants A.I. to be regulated—including the major A.I. companies like Anthropic and OpenAI. There’s just one problem… they want to have a say in what…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisBan Frats
The sexual assault allegations against seven Cornell fraternity members has sparked a debate about the role of Greek life on college campuses. But maybe the…
- What Next | Daily News and Analysis
How Trump Abandoned Ukraine
Trump has long harbored resentment towards Ukraine. But his latest olive branch to Putin marks a turning point in how he views the region—and how Ukrainians…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisHow Far Can Trumpism Go Without Trump?
One thing that’s clear about this midterm cycle? Voters are mad about Trump. The war in Iran and an affordability crisis back home are paving the way for a…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisThe Independent Who Might Cost the GOP the Senate
The last time Nebraska sent a non-Republican to the US Senate, George W. Bush joked that his nickname was “Dino”—for Democrat-in-name-only. But this year…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisHow Hormones Took Over Your Feed
Perimenopause’s journey from little-understood phase before menopause to the subject of every ad on social media for women of a certain age was quick—and…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisHow the End Times Became the Far Right’s Philosophy
Our current fascists are obsessed with the apocalypse—it drives everything they do, from stoking anti-immigration fervor around the world to wanting to…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisWill Your Vote Count In The Midterms?
Democrats are excited about the prospect of a blue wave, with their Senate candidates leading races in Texas and Georgia. But beyond the races, there’s a…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisIs This How a Red State Socialist Wins?
Up against #Resistance superstar Alexander Vindman, Angie Nixon overcame a huge spending gap to win the Democratic primary to run for a US Senate seat in…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisPlatypus Economics | The Hidden Force Dragging Down Consumer Sentiment
While the What Next team recovers over the holiday, enjoy this episode from our friends over at Platypus Economics. Mary will be back to her usual feed…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisBonus: What Cornell Says About “Duty Of Care”
How the Cornell University rape allegations show we’re not really “post-MeToo.” This episode is member-exclusive. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisThe Making of Elon Musk
An exchange of insults on X was all that director Alex Gibney got directly from the main character of his new documentary, “Musk.” But by interviewing his…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisWhat Happens After a Blue Wave
Voters are angry and it looks like they’re eager to express themselves in the midterm elections. But even if Democrats take both chambers of Congress, they…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisWhat Pablo Torre Is Finding Out
How Steve Ballmer, the richest owner in sports, was caught dead to rights by a humble podcaster, and what lessons the media and public can take from courtside…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisHasan Piker and Adam Mockler Are Ready for Something New
From Michigan to Florida to Texas, there are new Democrats in town and on the ballot. But other than novelty, what do these candidates have in common? Guests…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisThe GOP Killed His District. He’s Not Giving Up.
Democrat Justin Pearson made national headlines in 2023 when he expelled from Tennessee’s general assembly while trying to talk about gun reform after a school…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisOff the Record: This Bot Was Made for You and Me
Move over, New Deal; Donald Trump is in his public works era, using tax dollars to give the American people a…chatbot and also what looks like a campaign ad…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisChatGPT Doesn't Love You
A.I. large language models are prompt, attentive, positive and frictionless—in short, much easier to deal with than humans with their own needs, wants, and…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisWho the "Protect College Sports Act" Actually Protects
Why the NAACP spoke out against the “Protect College Sports Act,” which was just passed by the US Senate—and why the bill is unlikely to get a vote in the…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisThe Cheap Money Era Isn't Coming Back
In the face of a tariff shock, an energy shock and a fiscal shock, the Fed is opting to raise interest rates. Donald Trump may not like it, but he has only…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisA Hit of Democratic Hopium
The party that holds the White House always braces for backlash in the midterm elections. But with Donald Trump’s approval rating hitting historic lows and…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisThe Knockdown Dragout Fight for Max Miller's House Seat
Former labor organizer and iron worker Brian Poindexter embodies the emerging blue-collar, practical-minded Democrat type in the upcoming midterms. While he…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisIs the A.I. Race Real?
Artificial intelligence is pitched as a potential economic powerhouse—and also a potential bringer of the apocalypse. Can two economic and military rivals…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisOff the Record: Draining the Press Pool
Donald Trump announced that he was banning CNN, Politico and MS NOW at kind of a weird time—it’s not like he thought they were doing a great job last year or…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisIs a Tejano Star's Next Stop Congress?
Donald Trump’s in-roads with Latino voters was one of the surprises of his 2024 victory, carrying places like southern Texas’s 15th district by 18 points. But…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisThe Fascist Threat Brewing in…Kansas?
Trans rights have become something that’s argued about in the abstract—are Democrats too far out on a limb defending them? Did they cost the Democrats 2024?…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisThe Data Center Will Not Hold
Donald Trump owes his political career to saying what no other politician would. But now that he’s standing alone in full-throated support of data centers and…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisWhy is Everyone Fighting Over... Macklemore?
What it means that Macklemore decided he’d rather keep speaking out for Palestine than continue opening for Ed Sheeran. Guest: Soraya Nadia McDonald, cultural…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisOff-the-Record: Weddings by Kremlev
Don Trump Jr.’s wedding had everything: a private island, fireworks, a Funfetti cake airlifted in from Florida—everything but the groom’s dad. But that’s the…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisBut HOW Might A.I. Kill Us All?
Why did the “Hugging Face Incident” scare A.I. researchers so much? And if they are so confident artificial intelligence needs to be slowed down, why aren’t…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisWho's Interfering in the Election Now
Those concerned that the Trump administration will interfere with the upcoming midterm elections can breathe a little easier this week, as the Supreme Court…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisJD Vance Enters the Mommy Wars
Childcare is expensive and who wouldn’t want to spend more time with their kids? Giving parents money to stay home, on its face, would seem to make sense. But…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisIs Trump Losing His Touch?
The GOP just held a midterm convention that was centered around the one thing their base seems to really like: Donald Trump. The only problem is that pretty…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisHow Ivanka Trump Sparked a Revolution in Albania
There are thousands of people protesting the Trump family every day—but they aren’t Americans, and they aren’t protesting Donald. Guest: Imogen West-Knights…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisA.I-pocalypse Now?
After OpenAI agents hacked a rival company this summer, the word from Silicon Valley was “That’s it! They’re almost ready to kill us all!” But…are they?…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisThe 9/11 Panopticon
America didn’t start down the path to a president who is unaccountable to even the Constitution under Trump. He’s the culmination of a change that dates back…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisDid ICE Drive Him to His Death?
Thousands of immigrants who were in America legally were suddenly rendered unemployable and subject to deportation after the Supreme Court ruled that the…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisDems Can Beat MAGA. Here’s How.
The stage is set for the president’s party to take a real shellacking in this year’s midterm elections—that is, if the Democrats can put together a compelling…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisQuestion Everything: The Sunscreen Paradox
While the What Next team enjoys the holiday, hear this episode from our friends at Question Everything. Mary will be back in the feed with a new episode of…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisMeta Settled. Is it a "Reckoning?"
Does Meta’s $17 billion (give or take) settlement address people’s concerns about social media and its impact on teenagers… or is it already too late? Guest…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisICE Allegedly Shot Someone. Texas Let Him Go
Extraditing someone who was arrested in one state for a crime committed in another state is an extremely routine process—or at least it was. But an ICE officer…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisIs Scott Bessent in Over His Head?
Inflation is up, borrowing is up, debt is rising. If the bond market is offering a review of the new US Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessent, it seems to be…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisThe WNBA's Caught in the Culture Wars
The WNBA is enjoying its most profitable and popular season in league history. At the same time, it’s become another front in the culture war. Guest: Matreyi…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisCan I Still Vote By Mail?
Donald Trump, Supreme Court justices, states, and even the Post Office are all trading legal salvos over mail-in voting. Where does it stand now? And what’s…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisOff-the-Record: Friends Don’t Let Friends Ruin Vacation
The idea of a big ol’ group of friends taking a vacation sounds so fun…in theory. In practice, though, the museum friends and the beach friends are forming…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisA.I. Enshittifies Everything (Still)
Through stealing your job or simply tanking the stock market—whichever comes first—the rise of artificial intelligence (companies) is a very futuristic…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisHow to Lose Wars and Tank the Economy
From the trade war with Canada to the literal war with Iran, US foreign policy seems to have become “flail at whatever Trump says to flail at, no matter the…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisThe A.I. Populist
Intertwined with many Americans’ contempt for data centers is their suspicion of artificial intelligence itself, which is being used to spy on you, being…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisWhat Lindsay Clancy Truthers Are Missing
As the trial of Lindsay Clancy over the murder of her three children goes into closing arguments this week, the reactions to the case reveal just how little…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisThe Progressive Case for Midterms Optimism
Since losing the 2024 presidential election, Democrats have been doing a lot of finger pointing. But with the midterms this fall, it’s time to stop pointing…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisOff the Record: We Don’t Talk About Natalie
Nobody objected to Jon Ossoff calling the president disinterested in doing his job. But an off-hand mention of Trump’s “human printer”? That, for some reason…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisCan the Midterms Withstand Prediction Markets?
Hundreds of millions of dollars, desperation for insider info, fury and accusations of conspiracy when it doesn’t go your way—is this gambling or elections?…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisHow Islamophobia Got Even Worse
Islamophobia has never gone away. And while it has been wielded as an electoral strategy against Zohran Mamdani, Abdul El-Sayed and even Barack Obama, the…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisIs Tech Dismantling Democracy?
Our Silicon Valley overlords, as they’ll tell you, aren’t huge fans of liberal democracy—and their products that we’ve integrated into our lives reflect that…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisThe Nightmare on the USS Lincoln
The situation aboard the USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier is reportedly dire: broken toilets, shortages of water, rationed, lousy food, little access to…