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.
601
The Writer’s Strike Is Over: Who Won?
A tentative agreement has been reached between the studios and the writers’ guild. But what about the actors?
23 min
602
Rupert Murdoch and the Future of Fox
The audience that the network cultivated is now leaving it behind.
25 min
603
TBD | What Instacart’s IPO Means for Tech
After years of post-pandemic turmoil, Instacart managed to do something rare in the gig economy - turn a profit.
23 min
604
TBD | Did AirBnB Need to Go?
Short-term rentals are getting blamed for a lack of affordable housing. Is that fair?
21 min
605
The Case For Harm Reduction—And Beyond
Getting community support means addressing community needs.
29 min
606
How Wisconsin is a “Laboratory for Destroying D...
State Republicans are trying to cling to power—no matter what the electorate says.
25 min
607
The UAW Enters the Ring
Why auto workers are walking off the job now.
24 min
608
McCarthy’s Impeaching Biden to Keep His Job
The speaker is forever at the whim of the Freedom Caucus.
20 min
609
TBD | Can Politicians Keep Kids Safe Online?
At a time when lawmakers operate from wildly different standards of children’s “safety”, who can be trusted to regulate the internet?
27 min
610
TBD | Google Makes Its Case
The U.S. claims that Google monopolized search. Google claims that competition is just “a click away.”
29 min
611
The Case Against Harm Reduction
A safe consumption site is at odds with area homeowners’ vision for the neighborhood.
28 min
612
Fighting “Disaster Fatigue”
Natural disasters exact a mental toll—from the front lines of the recovery to those experiencing it second-hand.
20 min
613
How DeSantis Turned New College into a Circus
The conservative vision of education comes down on a Florida liberal arts school.
23 min
614
Prison for the Proud Boys. Now What?
What do the harsh sentences for January 6th mean for right-wing extremism?
21 min
615
This American Life: The Call
A journey into the opioid epidemic via an overdose hotline.
61 min
616
TBD | Bad Air, Worse Vibes
Between COVID and now wildfire smoke, the case for improving school ventilation makes itself. So what’s the hold-up?
17 min
617
TBD | Tech Disrupts the School Bus
A Silicon Valley start-up promised to modernize school transportation. Instead, it stranded thousands of students.
24 min
618
Can Kids Catch Up After the Pandemic?
Test scores remain low, but students missed more than just academics.
23 min
619
Our Aging Congress Is a Problem
How money in politics turned our federal government into a gerontocracy.
22 min
620
To Impeach a Republican In Texas
After 15 years of allegations against AG Ken Paxton, the Texas Senate votes on articles of impeachment today.
24 min
621
One Year: The Team Nobody Would Play
In 1955, a team of Black Little Leaguers battled the white establishment in the Deep South.
54 min
622
TBD | Social Media’s Pivot from News
When it comes to natural disasters, getting the latest news via Twitter or Facebook is, well, disastrous.
25 min
623
TBD | Is LinkedIn...Cool Now?
Personal posts, influencers, and cultural cachet, all in a surprising place.
23 min
624
Best of 2023 | Fighting for the Right to Die
Her state didn’t allow terminally-ill patients the choice to end their lives—but Vermont did.
24 min
625
Best of 2023 | What Texas' Attacks on Trans Hea...
When Governor Abbott directed the state to investigate gender-affirming care as child abuse, trans kids and their families had to decide if Texas could still be home. Many left.
25 min