What Next | Daily News and Analysis

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.


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Daily News
News Commentary
Politics
276
TBD | Telegram's CEO Just Got Arrested. Huh?
Why you should be paying attention to Pavel Durov’s arrest.
25 min
277
TBD | Back To School… Without Phones
Are smartphones really a detriment to learning—or a scapegoat?
26 min
278
JD Vance’s Anti-Rizz
Sure, he’s not great in front of a crowd, but he’s also bad one-on-one.
23 min
279
Venezuela’s Opposition Brought Receipts
Even a member of the election council is saying that Maduro lost. Will it matter?
22 min
280
Is Kamala Harris Progressive?
Her latest ads show Kamala running to the middle. Do progressives care?
20 min
281
The Georgia Election Laboratory
Rapidly changing “election integrity” laws are actually decreasing voters’ trust—and that may be the point.
24 min
282
TBD | Who’s Going to Regulate AI?
A.I. companies don’t like SB1047—not too surprising—but what’s Nancy Pelosi’s problem with it?
19 min
283
TBD | Crypto Courts the 2024 Vote
No, the industry’s not dead. It’s rich.
22 min
284
The DNC Is A Party. How Long Will It Last?
Reporting from the floor that the whole world is watching.
27 min
285
Chicago's Mayor Takes on the Democrats' Toughes...
When the buses arrived, ideals met a real world test.
27 min
286
Can Kamala Harris Win “Uncommitted” Democrats?
How the nominee can distinguish herself from her predecessor on the war in Gaza.
23 min
287
The Gender War Election
What Kamala Harris learned (not to do) from the Clinton campaign.
27 min
288
TBD | The Rise of Off-Brand Ozempic
Compounding pharmacies are shoring up the Ozempic and Wegovy shortage, often via telehealth—but there’s a catch.
19 min
289
TBD | Elon Musk’s Bully Pulpit
Remade in its owner’s image, X is rife with hate-speech, misinformation and fear-mongering.
21 min
290
Would You Die For MrBeast?
Contestants on his new show got more than they bargained for—it sounds like MrBeast did too.
23 min
291
Trump Seems Lost. But Can He Lose?
Pivoting from Biden to Harris isn’t going smoothly, but will that matter in November?
25 min
292
How Boeing Stranded Two Astronauts
Eight days in space is now looking like eight months.
21 min
293
AIPAC Vs. The Squad
Waves of right-wing money are washing out progressive incumbents.
20 min
294
TBD | Tesla’s Out of Juice. But Are EVs?
Tesla isn’t the whole story. Cars aren’t even the whole story.
23 min
295
TBD | Google’s a Monopoly. What About The Rest?
The Department of Justice proves it can take on Big Tech and win.
20 min
296
The Olympics Meet the Culture Wars
Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting have been pulled into the long, ugly history of sports sex testing.
25 min
297
Why It Had to Be Walz
What is the Minnesota governor bringing to the ticket?
24 min
298
How Trump Got Ice Cube
Straight outta Compton…and eventually to the GOP?
25 min
299
Project 2025 Isn't Dead, It's Born Again
The Trump era is about being loud and proud—but the less said about their extremely unpopular, unpalatable policy goals, the better.
22 min
300
TBD | If They Can Get Sydney Sweeney They Can G...
Why telecom networks are terrible at holding our sensitive data.
22 min