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.
1601
How We Became Shutdown Nation
It doesn’t have to be like this.
18 min
1602
Clemency for Cyntoia Brown
She was serving a notably harsh sentence. But what does it mean that she was freed after a publicity blitz and a celebrity assist?
15 min
1603
Battling 2020 Fatigue
Each election is an experiment. Approach it like a scientist, armed with a few hypotheses.
20 min
1604
The Republican Party Shake-Out in Kansas
What do you do when your party leaves you behind?
17 min
1605
We're in the New York Times.
No big deal.
1 min
1606
Jeff Flake Takes Another Stand
Conservatives are beginning to check the Trump administration. Is it too little, too late?
19 min
1607
The Gun Owning Doctors Changing the Gun Debate
A pediatric surgeon recommends new ways to think about gun safety. Not only because he has seen the damage that a gun can do, but because he owns guns himself.
26 min
1608
Sins of the Fathers
What will accountability look like for the Catholic Church?
17 min
1609
The Wildfires to Come
Stephen Pyne has made fire his life’s work. He put them out for 15 summers and has thought about them ever since. Today on the show – the conversation we’re not having about wildfires.
16 min
1610
The Legacy of the Last Florida Recount
How we learned all the wrong lessons from the 2000 election and landed right back in Broward County.
18 min
1611
Sessions’ Last Act Deals Blow to Police Reform
Just as he was getting kicked out the door, former Attorney General Jeff Sessions wanted to do one last thing: strongly limit the strength and use of consent decrees moving forward.
17 min
1612
What to Watch After Sessions’ Ouster
Are we about to see Bob Mueller use his voice?
18 min
1613
What Won for the Democrats?
Democrats ran all sorts of different campaigns and won (or lost) in all sorts of different ways. Is there a lesson they could take from the midterms and carry into the next election?
19 min
1614
Happy Election Day?
We asked the pros for tips and tricks for watching election night returns.
25 min
1615
What Story Will This Election Tell Us?
What signals and trends should you be on the look out for and what will that tell us about how we understand ourselves as a country?
14 min
1616
They Forecast a Hate Wave in 2008
Ten years ago, a team of government analysts noted a surge in right-wing extremism. Instead of taking action, conservatives took offense.
19 min
1617
The State of Red State Democrats
President Trump wanted to make this the election of the caravan. So with only days to go until midterms how will Trump’s immigration rhetoric shape close races?
20 min
1618
Understanding the Crisis in Yemen
We spent weeks riveted by the Khashoggi disappearance. What about Saudi Arabia’s hand in the war to its south?
17 min
1619
"And Subject to the Jurisdiction Thereof..."
There's a clause in the 14th amendment that people wanting to change it continue to come back to: "and subject to the jurisdiction thereof." Today on the show, Professor Garrett Epps of The Atlantic joins us to explain why its absurd for Trump to think he can end birthright citizenship with an executive order.
12 min
1620
Words Matter
Does anyone know how to weed out the social media platforms that allow hate speech to bloom?
15 min
1621
The Blame Game
Can we chalk up this week’s bomb scares to heated political rhetoric?
22 min
1622
Does Corruption Matter?
Evidence points to no. Not really.
13 min
1623
Midterm Trolls - Online and Off
US Cyber Command launched its first cyber operation to deter Russian interference in the 2018 midterm elections, but is it too late? Clint Watts, the author of Messing With the Enemy, "Oh yeah."
17 min
1624
Turkey Makes the Most of Its Moment
President Erdogan’s angle on the Khashoggi crisis.
22 min
1625
The Health Care Turnabout
Andrew Gillum began his candidacy as a "Medicare for All" supporter. His subtle slide from that position to another is a small, but telling one.
16 min