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
1851
Can Any School Be Massacre-Proof?
It has become architects’ responsibility to keep students safe at school.
19 min
1852
Ferguson Revisited: A Prosecutor’s Power
How Wesley Bell went from standing between protestors and the police to St. Louis County’s top prosecutor.
19 min
1853
Ferguson Revisited: Questioning the Legend
If we misremember Michael Brown’s death, does that change Ferguson’s legacy?
19 min
1854
Ferguson Revisited: The Worst Night
Five years after the death of Michael Brown, we reflect on one of the worst nights of the protest and ask, “What didn’t we see?”
25 min
1855
The Last Time We Passed Gun Control
It started with a mass shooting in San Francisco. It ended with two sweeping, if imperfect, laws.
20 min
1856
You’ve Probably Been Hacked
Capital One and Equifax prove we’re woefully unprepared to respond to data breaches.
18 min
1857
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?
16 min
1858
Red State Democrats Walk the Tightrope
A special election in North Carolina’s 9th Congressional District will provide a rare 2020 preview.
18 min
1859
A Big Sign of a Slowing Economy
The Fed will cut interest rates Wednesday for the first time in a decade.
16 min
1860
How YouTube's Left is Converting the Far Right
Natalie Wynn, otherwise known as ContraPoints, lures in fans of the far right and changes minds.
20 min
1861
The Godfather of the Anti-Immigration Movement
How a small-town eye doctor shaped our most hard-line immigration policies.
17 min
1862
Meet the EPA’s Ghost-Writer
For years, one scientist has been saying the U.S. should loosen rules around toxins. Now, he’s writing a new government standard.
19 min
1863
Mueller Speaks
He told you he didn’t want to be here.
22 min
1864
Puerto Ricans Are Fed Up
Governor Ricardo Rosselló is the least of their problems, but right now, he’s the first of their problems.
20 min
1865
How to Stop a Racist Politician
What can we learn from David Duke’s political defeat in the 1990s?
24 min
1866
The Border Patrol's Secretive Culture
A secret Facebook group exposed racist, sexist officers in the Border Patrol. Will it help bring transparency to an otherwise opaque agency?
23 min
1867
Deutsche Bank Is Trying to Wash Its Hands of Trump
Congressional investigations might give it a chance.
19 min
1868
How Trump Is Trying to Outsource His Border Crisis
The evidence is clear. President Trump doesn’t only want to deter asylum seekers from entering the United States, he wants to stop them from coming all together.
19 min
1869
The Plan to Take Down Mitch McConnell
How long can the Senate Majority Leader laugh off democrats who want to take his seat?
15 min
1870
Trump's Racist Tweets Have a Backstory
Here’s how the conflict between House Democrats made its way to the President Trump’s timeline.
21 min
1871
Should Everyone Quit Using Gendered Pronouns?
The case for trading “he” and “she” for “they.”
19 min
1872
This Bad Legal Argument Could Finally End the ACA
An appellate court in New Orleans appears ready to strike down Obamacare.
18 min
1873
The Ambassador Who Was Too Honest About Trump
How a diplomatic dust-up explains the current world order.
18 min
1874
The Cloud Over Joe Biden's Son
Addiction issues and bad business sense are pretty banal problems -- unless you’re the son of a man running for president.
22 min
1875
The Long, Ugly Road to Jeffrey Epstein’s Arrest
Vicky Ward had the scoop on him years ago. Why was it so hard to publish?
20 min