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
1201
Best of 2021 | How Should We Remember Colin Pow...
Untangling the former general’s complicated legacy.
28 min
1202
Best of 2021 | God Doesn’t Want Me Vaccinated
Examining the religious claims of the COVID vaccine’s conscientious objectors.
25 min
1203
TBD | Best of 2021: Are We Getting COVID Testi...
It may be time to reimagine how we use tests in the U.S.
26 min
1204
Best of 2021 | When the Culture War Comes For Y...
It started with a Facebook group and ended with violent threats.
29 min
1205
Best of 2021 | One Woman’s Year Protecting Geor...
Why activists held onto the block where George Floyd was murdered.
34 min
1206
Best of 2021 | The Plight of the Delivery Worker
New York City depends on food carriers. So why are they struggling to survive?
28 min
1207
Joe Biden's Putin Problem
The west still has a way to keep Russia from pushing further into Ukraine.
22 min
1208
TBD | The Carbon Capture Fantasy
The IPCC says we may need to pull carbon out of the atmosphere to keep the planet from overheating. That won’t be easy.
23 min
1209
What Mark Meadows Knew
The former White House chief of staff is being held in contempt of Congress for the things he won’t say about January 6.
22 min
1210
Why Didn’t Maryland Democrats Go For the Jugular?
All is fair in love and elections?
22 min
1211
Abrams vs. Kemp vs. Perdue
Georgia’s gubernatorial race is now a three-way showdown.
23 min
1212
When Your Book Gets Banned By the School Board
How did Ashley Pérez’s novel Out of Darkness get blackballed from schools across the country?
27 min
1213
TBD | Who Online Justice Leaves Behind
The courts’ arrival in the modern era came with some unexpected tradeoffs.
15 min
1214
The School Shooting Down the Street
Republicans have blocked nearly all consideration of gun laws in Michigan. After the latest tragedy, Democrats are trying to revive the debate
25 min
1215
What Peng Shuai Started
The tennis player unraveled China’s carefully-curated image.
24 min
1216
House Democrats’ Long-Shot Plan to Dodge Disaster
An interview with the guy in charge of making it happen.
22 min
1217
The 30-Year Plan to End Roe
When it comes to abortion rights, conservatives played the long game.
25 min
1218
TBD | Did @jack Ruin Twitter?
In the post-Dorsey era, Twitter will try to grow as large as its competitors. Is that a good thing?
14 min
1219
Why No One Told Chris Cuomo No
A trove of documents revealed just how involved he was in his brother’s damage control.
29 min
1220
Everything We (Don’t) Know About Omicron
A new variant is here. How worried should we be?
22 min
1221
Are the Democrats Making Child Care Even Worse?
Biden’s infrastructure bill promises more funding for a broken industry. But money isn’t all that’s needed.
25 min
1222
RIP to the SAT
Will one university’s decision to scrap the test send shockwaves across higher education?
24 min
1223
TBD | Best of 2021: Inside the Subreddit That B...
How an irreverent band of Reddit investors cost Wall Street millions.
20 min
1224
Whose Second Amendment Is It?
An unlikely alliance on guns.
24 min
1225
Was the Kyle Rittenhouse Verdict Inevitable?
And why Kenosha didn’t erupt after the verdict.
29 min