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.
Get more of What Next with Slate Plus! Join for exclusive bonus episodes of What Next and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the What Next show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or visit slate.com/whatnextplus for access wherever you listen.
326
TBD | Bitcoin Takes the White House
Cryptocurrency folks see the future, and with Trump returning to office, it looks like a giant pool of money.
20 min
327
TBD | Musk vs. MAGA
Elon Musk and the base discovered their opinions on immigration are actually pretty far apart.
22 min
328
The Struggle to Get Aid to Gaza
In 2025, it’s about to get a lot more difficult to distribute humanitarian assistance.
27 min
329
How To Exorcise Your Fitness Demons
Danielle Friedman on building a workout plan around the things you love.
38 min
330
The Trump Restoration
The good news is this year is ending, but alas, another is on its way.
20 min
331
Jimmy Carter’s Legacy
White evangelicals are now a Republican constituency. But Carter—a Democrat—was the first one in the Oval office.
18 min
332
TBD | The Cost of Suicide Prevention Software
Is this the best way to address an urgent mental health crisis? The data isn’t there yet.
24 min
333
TBD | 2024 In Review: Would You Buy Poop On the...
The wild world of peer-to-peer Fecal Microbial Transplants.
20 min
334
2024 in Review: What the WNBA Salary Debate Misses
Caitlin Clark’s $76,000 pay is shocking—but the story is bigger than her.
26 min
335
2024 in Review: Why Miss USA is Imploding
Miss USA’s resignation letter is vague. But the first letter of each sentence spells out “I am silenced.”
25 min
336
2024 in Review: Wait, Is JUUL Banned or Not?
Through the haze of FDA review, bans that didn’t remove JUUL from the marketplace, and its provisional green light.
23 min
337
2024 in Review: Would You Die For MrBeast?
Contestants on his new show got more than they bargained for—it sounds like MrBeast did too.
24 min
338
TBD | Influencer vs. Influencer
When everyone’s aiming for the same target, some convergence seems inevitable.
27 min
339
Plus | A Karaoke Holiday With What Next
For Slate Plus subscribers, Mary Harris and Death, Sex & Money host Anna Sale chat about the catharsis of grabbing the mic during a time of great uncertainty.
4 min
340
TBD | Drones!??!!!?!!!
Everyone please calm down.
19 min
341
Can More Grocery Stores Fix Food Deserts?
If you build it, they still might not come.
22 min
342
How Trump Got ABC to Pay Up
With Disney’s backing they could’ve fought this—so why didn’t they?
26 min
343
How Shaboozey Broke the Mold
His hit “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” is both trap-country and an old-fashioned radio hit.
25 min
344
Make Hollywood Great Again
The Daily Wire isn’t content to just fester on YouTube anymore—and major movie studios are watching their success.
25 min
345
TBD | The Surveillance State Trump Is Inheriting
Expanding surveillance under the guise of security is a bipartisan issue. Who will defend our rights?
21 min
346
TBD | Elon Musk and Trump’s Shadow Transition Team
Rich tech guys are finally having a say in how the world works.
23 min
347
Who Can Save the Democrats?
The race to become DNC chair is heating up after a brutal loss.
23 min
348
How Daniel Penny Walked Free
What a “non-guilty” verdict reveals about New York, the law, and the idea of public safety.
26 min
349
Why United Healthcare Is Easy to Hate
Many Americans responded with scorn, not sympathy, to CEO Brian Thompson’s death.
23 min
350
The End of Assad in Syria
Rebel forces have taken Damascus, and the country’s dictator has fled to Moscow. Now what?
26 min