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.
951
A Student Ran For School Board … and Won
How inaction on climate, curriculum, and right-wing extremism drove one 18-year-old to unseat an incumbent.
21 min
952
Is Hunter Biden’s Laptop Actually a Big Deal?
The left seems vaguely aware it exists, while the right views it as the talisman to bring the whole Biden family down.
23 min
953
Abortion Can’t Be Settled by the States
A proposed 15-week abortion ban shows that even the GOP isn’t holding to states-rights talking points.
27 min
954
TBD | The Hidden Abuse Behind Those Spam Texts ...
Human trafficking victims in Asia are being forced into scamming people online.
26 min
955
TBD | How Big Internet Keeps Small Communities ...
The fight for internet between East Carroll parish and Sparklight.
22 min
956
The Master of Monkeypox Messaging
How lessons from New York bathhouses reached the White House.
21 min
957
If Russia Loses the War
How dangerous is Putin with his back against the wall?
18 min
958
The U.K.’s Actual Leadership Crisis
A new king at Buckingham Palace isn't the nation's most urgent issue.
25 min
959
The Starbucks Unions' Next Fight
As more and more service industry workers vote to unionize, companies are betting on just waiting them out.
22 min
960
TBD | The Chaos That Made YouTube a Juggernaut
How the company has struggled with creators, extremism, and itself.
30 min
961
TBD | Can A.I. Make Great Art?
A.I. generated art is reaching new levels of sophistication at a rapid rate.
25 min
962
The DeSantis Ally on the School Board
Florida Republicans say they have a simple plan for education. Implementation has been more complicated.
27 min
963
An Out Teen in the “Don’t Say Gay” State
Will Larkins, a high school senior, had a life-saving conversation with a queer teacher last year. Would it have been possible under Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Act?
22 min
964
The Christian College Upending Florida's Schools
Florida is a useful laboratory for conservatives who want to reshape public education across the country.
20 min
965
One Year - 1986: The Ultimate Field Trip
They competed for a spot on the Space Shuttle Challenger. Then they watched it explode.
56 min
966
TBD | The Summer Vaccine of the Future
A new Lyme vaccine that's in late-stage trials would be the first in 20 years.
15 min
967
TBD | A.I. Made to Fight Child Porn Ensnared an...
The unintended victims of Google's A.I. used to fight child predators.
24 min
968
Best Of 2022 | The Michigan Democrat Who Said “...
One freshman state senator shows Democrats how to parry Republican attacks designed to stoke fear and anger.
27 min
969
Best Of 2022 | When Your Book Gets Banned By th...
How did Ashley Pérez’s novel Out of Darkness get blackballed from schools across the country?
27 min
970
Best Of 2022 | The NFL’s Race Problem
A former head coach alleges that the league’s hiring practices are discriminatory. What will it take for them to change?
27 min
971
Best Of 2022 | Ginni Thomas Wanted a Revolution
How the wife of a Supreme Court justice found herself at the center of the January 6th insurrection — and a congressional investigation.
25 min
972
TBD | The Streaming TV Bloodbath
We're seeing a course correction in the streaming market.
24 min
973
TBD | The Hacker Blowing the Whistle on Twitter
Inside the explosive whistleblower complaint against Twitter.
30 min
974
How Serena Transcended Tennis
Her on-court accomplishments are unparalleled, but Serena Williams’s impact stretches much further.
26 min
975
Abuse in the Southern Baptist Convention
Decades of accusations and alleged cover-up have the church’s leadership under a DOJ investigation.
28 min