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
826
After They Testified: The Drag King Who Loves P...
A drag performer and lip-syncer speaks their own truth to Texas lawmakers.
24 min
827
How Putin’s Chef Became Putin’s Butcher
The Wagner Group has been crucial to Russia’s war in Ukraine — but now, its leader says the Russian military is targeting… them.
23 min
828
Can the Feds Lower Your Rent?
The housing crisis is a nationwide, local problem.
25 min
829
Do Work Requirements Work?
The debt ceiling deal will make getting government benefits harder for a growing, vulnerable population.
21 min
830
TBD | Tech’s Newest Trillion Dollar Company
Nvidia’s valuation has ballooned off the back of A.I. hype, putting it in league with companies like Apple and Alphabet. Are they here to stay?
20 min
831
TBD | When Your Childhood Was Their Content
The first generation to grow up with their entire childhood documented on social media is coming of age—and wondering how to get some privacy.
24 min
832
After They Testified: The Trans Pharmacist Who ...
Gwen Herzig went to the legislature to share her medical expertise on trans health care. What came next was humiliating.
24 min
833
New Sex Abuse Charges Roil the Catholic Church
What the Illinois AG’s report says about where the church is now.
20 min
834
Covering the Supreme Court
The press has to see the Roberts court for the political body it is—and report accordingly.
26 min
835
Decoder Ring: Why You Can’t Find a Damn Parking...
Parking is a mess we’ve gotten ourselves into. We can get ourselves out of it.
34 min
836
TBD | The Trouble With TikTok Songs
Sped-up versions of songs are siphoning off already-paltry streaming revenues
18 min
837
TBD | Tweetering on the Glass Cliff
Is Elon Musk’s CEO pick set up to fail?
20 min
838
DeSantis Makes It Official
He’s got a proven track record winning both elections and battles in the culture war. He just isn’t Donald Trump.
23 min
839
Republicans' Stealth Plan to Ban Abortions
How a 150-year-old law could give anti-abortion activists the win they’re still chasing.
18 min
840
The Navajo Fight for Water
As states struggle to divvy up the Colorado River, the federal government has another obligation to fulfill.
19 min
841
How the Next Pandemic Starts
If we keep encroaching on wild animals’ habitats, we’ll catch what they’re catching.
23 min
842
TBD | A Tipping Point for Digital Tipping
Why exactly are self-service checkouts asking us to pay more?
28 min
843
TBD: Why Sports Are All in on Betting
The tech that turned sports gambling from an illegal vice to an inescapable cash cow.
24 min
844
North Carolina’s Rush to Restrict Abortion
Its time as a regional outlier in reproductive freedom ends with an overridden veto.
23 min
845
The Roots of Latino White Supremacy
When race cuts across ethnicity.
21 min
846
How Erdogan Stays in Power
What the Turkish president’s history tells us about the upcoming run-off election.
22 min
847
Trump Is Back. Is the Media Ready?
Making the right choice when it comes to good TV vs. good journalism.
23 min
848
TBD | Space After NASA
The passionate weirdos and hedge funds that want to boldly go where only governments have gone before.
30 min
849
TBD | Who’s Afraid of A.I.?
Real harm from A.I. doesn’t have to look like Skynet—it’s already happening.
29 min
850
Debt Ceiling Dinner Theater
Why does America have to keep having this fight?
21 min