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.

Daily News
News Commentary
Politics
26
Decoder Ring | Cozy Autumn Mysteries
What’s going on with three fall favorites?
51 min
27
Why You Can't Avoid Wicked
It's the way you're viewed, so it's very shrewd to be very very…weird?
25 min
28
Could We Get Peace In Ukraine?
The Trump administration’s proposed plan is fairly vague—but it would result in a clear victor.
21 min
29
How Planned Parenthood Got Defunded
Abortion bans may not be politically feasible—but cutting funding from the clinics gets you a lot of the way there.
29 min
30
TBD | The Surveillance Interstate
ICE is watching how and where you drive.
27 min
31
Bonus: SchadenFriday: Are You Fitter Than an IC...
Could we abolish the rogue agency by simply moving their recruitment offices to the tops of tall staircases?
5 min
32
TBD | Crypto Keeps Criming
Even with a crypto president, these guys can’t stop doing shady stuff.
21 min
33
Who Killed the Penny? She Did.
Nickels, consider yourselves warned.
22 min
34
Sudan on the Brink
How an isolationist United States leaves more space for conflict, and less humanitarian aid.
26 min
35
Have the Epstein Files Broken MAGA?
Wait—Trump didn’t just wriggle out of this one?!
27 min
36
The National Guard Is Asking Questions
The crackdown is still searching for a crisis.
24 min
37
TBD | How Meta Profits Off Fraud
There’s a big financial incentive for Facebook and Instagram to tolerate scammers.
28 min
38
TBD | Data Centers on the Ballot
A.I. companies are leading the data-center boom. Voters seem less enthused.
21 min
39
Wikipedia Enters the Culture Wars
A user base with a commitment to the truth is what makes Wikipedia work—and what makes it a target.
22 min
40
No, Women Didn't Ruin the Workplace
“Are workplaces too girly?” and other questions asked bravely by the New York Times.
28 min
41
How To Lose a Government Shutdown
Senate Democrats are letting the GOP off the hook in exchange for a promise for a future vote and a resolution that lasts until January?
23 min
42
Is Special Ed Getting Left Behind?
Federal funding that helps schools educate all children has stalled in the government shutdown—and it may never come back.
24 min
43
TBD | Why Tesla Is Paying Elon a Trillion Bucks
Post-DOGE, Musk’s empire is looking a little shaky, if still extremely lucrative for the man himself.
27 min
44
Bonus: SchadenFriday | Muslim, Millennial, Mr. ...
Islamophobia remains popular enough to try, but not enough to win.
5 min
45
TBD | The Nick Fuentes Problem
What’s the difference between being a party with Nazis and being in a Nazi party?
21 min
46
Trump’s Tariffs Have a Constitution Problem
It’s tough to carve out something that looks plausibly legal, even to this Supreme Court.
24 min
47
The Andrew Formerly Known as a Prince
Stripping the problematic royal of his title isn’t justice, but at least it’s something.
22 min
48
She Won the Election. The GOP Won’t Swear Her In.
Election Day only matters if you get to take office.
23 min
49
The Redistricting Arms Race Is On
Trump wants to hold the House, but do state-level GOP operatives have the stomach for unpopular, undemocratic new maps?
25 min
50
TBD | Why Trump Keeps Pardoning Crypto Criminals
There’s nothing cryptic about the president’s motivation.
27 min