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.
1526
Teaching Is Hell Right Now
“Remote learning” was hard. “Hybrid learning” is worse.
17 min
1527
What Ever Happened to More Stimulus?
Congress is stuck over a second coronavirus relief bill.
21 min
1528
Another Whistleblower Comes Forward
A career intelligence official says the Trump administration is warping government reports to serve the president’s political aims.
20 min
1529
TBD | The Great Climate Migration Begins
The largest mass movement of humans in history is starting. It could change everything.
18 min
1530
This Fire Season Is Different
Massive uncontained fires continue to sweep across a dry, hot West.
20 min
1531
Can We Trust the Polls This Time?
After 2016, should people trust what the numbers are saying?
20 min
1532
A Post Office Insider On What We're Getting Wrong
A former Deputy Postmaster General on what the USPS can and can’t handle.
20 min
1533
TBD | The Limits of Filming Police Brutality
Smartphone ubiquity and body cameras were supposed to change policing for the better. What went wrong?
20 min
1534
Trump's Legal Troubles Are Just Getting Started
Investigations into the president’s business are ramping up.
22 min
1535
Will “Law and Order” Save Trump?
The Trump 2020 playbook got thrown out when the pandemic hit.
19 min
1536
A Democratic Mud-Fight in Massachusetts
Ed Markey and his Senate primary opponent Joe Kennedy are just not that different.
16 min
1537
Seven Days of Unrest in Kenosha
20 min
1538
TBD | QAnon Goes Mainstream
How the conspiracy moved from the fringes of the internet to the White House press room.
16 min
1539
U.S. Foreign Policy Is Officially Incoherent
How “America First” left America alone on the world stage.
17 min
1540
The Fight for Belarus
Authoritarian Alexander Lukashenko is courting Russian involvement to maintain his grip on power. Will he succeed?
17 min
1541
The U.S. Can Fix Its COVID Testing Failures
We need more rapid results tests and we need them now.
16 min
1542
Another Crackdown On the Border
The Trump administration is refusing entry to asylum seekers, citing the coronavirus.
16 min
1543
TBD | What Went Wrong With Contact Tracing Apps
They were supposed to help us keep the virus in check. Why don’t any of them seem to actually work?
19 min
1544
Can NY Take Down the NRA?
New York Attorney General Letitia James is seeking to dissolve the gun organization. Can she do that?
18 min
1545
The QAnon Candidate
With Trump’s blessing and many Republican leaders silent, a QAnon believer could be heading to Congress.
20 min
1546
The Battle for Wisconsin's Dairy Farmers
How the Democrats lost Wisconsin’s dairy farmers and why their discontent in 2020 could cost Trump the presidency.
16 min
1547
Wanted by China
Samuel Chu is a U.S. citizen protesting China’s crackdown on Hong Kong. And now, there’s a warrant for his arrest.
23 min
1548
TBD | How Google Search Sold Out
The search engine used to be a gateway to the rest of the internet. Now, it’s something else entirely.
18 min
1549
Kamala: Historic, Safe, and Complicated
She’ll help Biden project an image of competence.
27 min
1550
Our Pandemic Learning Curve
What we’ve learned, and unlearned, about this coronavirus.
18 min