What Next Plus

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.

News
326
The Rise of a Red State Democrat
Kentucky's Andy Beshear won reelection decisively. What can other Dems learn from his victory?
22 min
327
TBD | Will A.I. Take My Job?
A newsroom finds itself wondering if these mysterious new contributors are even real people.
18 min
328
TBD | Tesla vs. the Swedes
The “move fast and break stuff” mentality has hit an organized labor stronghold.
23 min
329
The Real Goal of Trump's Indignant Testimony
Taking the stand in New York and attacking the judge doesn’t seem like a way to win this trial. Maybe he’s not trying to win this one.
24 min
330
Israeli Life Will Never Be the Same
One month after Hamas' attack, a documentarian is grappling with her subjects' pain—and her own.
23 min
331
Abortion on a Red-State Ballot
Ohio voters decide today whether to enshrine the right to abortion in their state constitution.
19 min
332
Mitt Romney Reflects, Regrets, and Retires
The author of the new biography explores the rift between the GOP and its one-time presidential nominee.
30 min
333
TBD | Sam Bankman-Fraud
The disgraced crypto mogul faces up to 110 years behind bars. Will the industry ever recover?
27 min
334
TBD | Biden Goes After AI
What the new executive orders on artificial intelligence will—and won’t—address.
28 min
335
Can Hamas Actually Be Destroyed?
What Hamas’s history tells us about Gaza’s future.
25 min
336
How to Catch an Insurrectionist
The online community helping—and in some ways surpassing—the FBI.
22 min
337
Can Threat Assessment Stop Mass Shootings?
In Lewiston, warnings were everywhere—why did it happen anyway?
22 min
338
What Survived in Lahaina, Maui
A Hawaiian businesswoman and her community are searching for normal after August wildfires.
19 min
339
TBD | SBF Takes the Stand
It’s a high risk move, but he’s running out of options.
22 min
340
TBD | Self-Driving Cars Crash Into Reality
If autonomous vehicles aren’t safe in California, where ARE they safe?
26 min
341
How Extremists Won the Speaker Fight
After 22 days, the House settles on Mike Johnson.
21 min
342
The State Dept. Official Who Quit Over Israel
He worked in arms transfers for 11 years—and found the typical human rights debate within the department stifled.
22 min
343
Why We Still Don’t Have a Speaker of the House
Weeks after Kevin McCarthy was ousted as House Speaker, Republicans don’t seem any closer to picking a replacement.
20 min
344
Abortion Providers in the Line of Fire
She’s faced threats of violence, arson, and the assassination of colleague—and persisted.
25 min
345
TBD | Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard Takeover
After a fight with regulators, Microsoft officially owns Activision Blizzard, the studio behind Call of Duty. Will gamers pay the price?
24 min
346
TBD | Inside Hamas' Social Media Strategy
Since war broke out, Hamas has been using social media to spread its message in ways we’ve never seen.
24 min
347
Biden to Israel; Bombs to Gaza
America’s credibility in the region, even among allies, is faltering.
22 min
348
Bob Menendez: Secret Foreign Agent?
Gold bars, cash, and a Mercedes—and yet the case against the New Jersey senator has gotten still stranger.
21 min
349
Does Trump’s Violent Rhetoric Matter?
Following his indictments, the number of Americans who agree that force is justified to restore Trump to office rose, according to researchers.
23 min
350
Israel’s New Wartime Government
How the strategy emerging from the newly formed coalition government differs from past conflicts.
19 min