Shows / What Next | Daily News and Analysis
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 AnalysisWe're in an Oil Crisis. Will Renewables Save Us?
The Iran war’s disruption to global oil supplies demonstrates another upside to switching to renewable energy sources. Instead, Europe is considering rolling…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisWhere Insider Trading Becomes Treason
A flurry of activity in the oil-futures market, minutes before Donald Trump made a big announcement about not striking at Iranian infrastructure, has all the…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisHollywood vs. A.I. Slop
OpenAI is shutting down its video generator Sora less than six months after it launched, and just three months since it signed a deal with Disney. Is this an…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisHow to Rein in ICE and A.I.
Artificial intelligence is working its way into every aspect of our lives, including law and immigration enforcement, and the industry is spending millions of…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisSocial Media’s Big Tobacco Moment
What YouTube and Meta’s loss in the “social media addiction trial” could mean for your feed. Guest: Ryan Mac, business and technology reporter for the New York…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisThe Iran War Hits Your Pocket
Trump’s unpredictability injects uncertainty into the economy, foreign policy, and everything else he touches. Even as his war messaging varies wildly moment…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisMeanwhile in Cuba with Hasan Piker
Leftist political commentator Hasan Piker feels the Democrats have missed an opportunity to articulate their opposition to Trump’s foreign policy—in Venezuela…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisHow ICE Landed At Your Airport
Kristi Noem is out, and Senator Markwayne Mullin is in (in theory) as the new DHS secretary. Mullin tried to strike a softer tone during his confirmation…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisYou Mailed in Your Ballot. Will It Count?
The argument against counting mail-in ballots that arrive after election day is going to involve Supreme Court-pleasing “originalist” language, but is the case…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisWar Dot Com
Why Palantir cofounder and CEO Alex Karp views working with Western militaries not just as a business opportunity, but as a higher calling. Guest: Jacob…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisHank Green Still Believes
Hank Green recently pulled a “reverse OpenAI” - he took his education platform Complexly and made it a nonprofit. In a world where outrage, A.I. slop and…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisTrump Says We Won. This Former Rep Says We’re Trapped.
The war in Iran is either already over, or almost over, or going to continue until Trump feels it is over in his bones? If you’re Congress, what are you…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisThousands Are Fleeing War in Lebanon. She Flew There.
Israel and America’s war with Iran has spread, leading to the displacement of nearly 20 percent of people in Lebanon. What does that look like on the…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisThe GOP Plan to Kill Your Vote
The Republican-led Senate prepares this week to tackle an issue that’s very important to the president, his diehards, and hardly anyone else: passing the SAVE…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisBombing Iran...for Jesus?
If no other explanations for the Iran War seem satisfying, have you considered that the point is to bring about the end of the world and the return of Jesus…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisWhy He Sued Roblox
A half dozen state attorneys general have sued the online gaming platform Roblox after multiple investigations found child predators on the site and more than…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisSchadenFriday: A Timothée Chalamet Ballet Melee
On this week’s Slate Plus exclusive, Timothée Chalamet enters the pas de deux between an Oscar-nominated actor and a public itching for a villain. But as one…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisAre We Ready for A.I. Warfare?
Drone warfare has evolved immensely since Ukraine. The use of artificial intelligence in combat has evolved just since Venezuela. Guest: Steven Feldstein…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisNo, Really, Why Are We At War?
Is the Strait of Hormuz safe? Is the U.S. going to put boots on the ground? Did we obliterate Iran’s nuclear facilities? And why are we at war with Iran… at…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisIran’s New Nepo Ayatollah
Who is the new supreme leader of Iran, and how does he differ from his predecessor father? Guest: Graeme Wood, staff writer at The Atlantic and a lecturer in…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisHer Film Is an Oscar Nominee. It Almost Didn’t Make it to the U.S.
Nominated for Best International Feature Film at this year’s Academy Awards, The Voice of Hind Rajab uses audio from the actual emergency call with a…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisThe DOJ Is Trying Protesters As Terrorists. Will They Win?
A July ICE protest ended with a police lieutenant shot, 19 people arrested and nine people now on trial. For Trump’s Department of Justice, it’s a chance to…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisWhy Hollywood Is Afraid of the Paramount-WBD Deal
How does Paramount, an old-guard studio and media institution, buying Warner Bros., another of the same, change the landscape in Hollywood, on cable, and in…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisWar in Iran, Shockwaves in Markets
When you’re sending troops to war, it seems like there are more important things to consider than how it will impact the stock market. However, it doesn’t seem…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisCan Iranians Rise Up? He Already Tried
As recent demonstrations showed, a sizable segment of the Iranian people already opposes the regime. But when President Trump told them to “take over your…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisNancy Guthrie Is Missing. The Internet Isn't Helping.
How the attention economy, distrust of all authority, and an actual crime turned a suburban Arizona street into the place to be for certain content creators…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisCan Democrats Mess With Texas?
After a Democrat flipped a state senate seat for a district that Trump had won by a large margin, both parties are closely watching today’s Texas primaries…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisThe “Peace President” Goes to War
Over the weekend, in the middle of the night, the Trump administration brought the United States into yet another Middle East war. Guest: Shane Harris, staff…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisTBD Tries… Wearables
How much would it change your life and approach to health if you had instant access to your quantified biometrics? RFK Jr. and the Department of Health and…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisSchadenFriday: The Olympic Curler Who Called Out Trump
Training for the Olympics is a Sisyphean task, but if you’re a curler, pushing a rock is kind of your thing. And who knows? Your big break might come in your…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisAnthropic vs. the Pentagon
The Pentagon wants Anthropic to hand over its A.I. with no strings attached. Anthropic doesn’t want its products used to surveil Americans or create autonomous…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisHow Hockey Got Drafted into the Culture Wars
The gay romance show Heated Rivalry brought an influx of attention to hockey, and gold-medal winning performances from both the women’s and men’s American…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisMexico’s Cartel War
With President Trump’s urging and support from CIA drones, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum’s more confrontational approach to the drug cartels culminated…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisShe's Skipping the State of the Union
Why a number of Congressional Democrats are skipping tonight’s State of the Union address—and why some are still going. Guest: Congresswoman Veronica Escobar…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisDoes Legal Immigration Still Exist?
Counter to claims that immigrants just need to come to America “the right way,” DHS has begun using the department that administers legal immigration to…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisThe Future of Retail is A.I.
You might not think you need artificial intelligence added to your shopping experience. Store employees might not see the point either. So why is it there…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisThe A.I. Disruption Is Here
Tech companies proudly touting that the imminent artificial intelligence revolution are pushing the stock market to ever higher heights, even as workers wonder…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisPreview: Epstein, the Ex-Prince, and Consequences
Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, formerly Prince Andrew, was arrested after a release of Epstein files revealed he had allegedly shared confidential trade reports…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisStephen Colbert Vs. CBS
From the hundreds of Washington Post staffers fired, to Anderson Cooper leaving 60 Minutes, to Stephen Colbert and his own network fighting in public, Trump’s…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisWhat Even Is Trump’s “Board of Peace”?
Trump’s “Board of Peace” emerged from last year’s ceasefire negotiations to govern Gaza after the war. But since then, the board has evolved into a motley…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisIs She New Jersey’s AOC?
An activist and former political director for Bernie Sander’s presidential campaign shocked the field by winning a primary for a special congressional…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisKids Sports Are Now Adult Driven—And Incredibly Expensive
Youth sports have grown into a $40-billion dollar per year industry, where eager parents shell out for private coaches, off-season practice, and travel…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisTrump Can’t Ruin These Olympics
The Olympics are touted as a moment for the world to come together and celebrate sport and achievement and check their politics at the door—yeah right. Guest…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisSchadenFriday: The Week MAGA Turned Cringe
There was a moment, when the tech CEOs and media moguls were lining up to kiss Trump’s ring, when it looked like almost all the demographic arrows were…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisThe Senator Going After Data Centers
Data centers are a hot issue - tech companies say they need them, but communities don’t want to be anywhere near them. Senator Van Hollen stops by the show to…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisNo Really, Abolish ICE
Democrats have a list of demands and reforms they want implemented before continuing to fund the Department of Homeland Security. But DHS doesn’t really need…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisShe Led the Trial Against Uber - and Won
Although sexual assault and rape by rideshare drivers has been widely reported, Uber itself largely avoided legal liability until last week, when a jury…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisMarkiplier Goes to Hollywood
Markiplier has been entertaining millions of fans on YouTube for over a decade. But his new movie Iron Lung - which he self-financed, directed, wrote and acted…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisTrump Starts the Steal
Trump has called for elections to be “nationalized,” something neither the president, nor the federal government, has the authority to do. But as he’s already…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisEscape from a Scam Compound
Scamming attempts might seem to just come out of nowhere to suddenly appear in your WhatsApp, but a special economic zone in Laos has emerged as a hotbed of…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisElon 3.0
He’s discontinuing Tesla’s signature models, taking SpaceX public, and putting more chips on A.I. and robotics. As Elon Musk prepares for his next phase, will…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisBad Bunny Has Already Won The Super Bowl
What Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show means for Puerto Rico, Latin Americans in the U.S., and his haters. Guest: Dr. Vanessa Díaz, associate professor of…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisHe Reads the Epstein Files So You Don't Have To
Another 3 million pages of the Epstein files were released last Friday, with more big names named, more redactions, and more information that should have been…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisMeh-lania
Melania, the documentary about the First Lady, is a lot like its subject: extremely expensive and fundamentally inscrutable. Guest: Heather Schwedel, staff…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisWhat ICE Doesn’t Want You to See
Congress is supposed to have a legal right to tour ICE detention centers and provide oversight on these facilities, where 32 people died in 2025. But this…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisWhy Dictators Take Out the Internet
The Iranian government cut off nearly all internet access on January 8 as part of a crackdown on protestors, an example of why authoritarians attempt internet…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisSchadenFriday: Greg Bovino, You’re Fired…from Minnesota
In the wake of the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti during Trump’s immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota, the closest thing to “accountability”…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisCan Cell Phones Stop ICE?
In the immediate aftermath of the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minnesota, federal authorities presented very different accounts of what happened…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisSure Looks Like Another Government Shutdown
Just as public sentiment is turning on ICE and Border Patrol’s action in Minnesota, another spending bill is due in the U.S. Senate. Can the Democrats use the…
What Next | Daily News and AnalysisAre We Ready for the World Cup?
When the US won a bid to co-host the World Cup, Trump was midway through his first term. Eight years later, he’s back in office, and giving soccer fans eager…