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
1226
Is Bill Gates to Blame for Lagging Vaccinations?
The billionaire’s love of intellectual property could be limiting vaccine supply.
22 min
1227
The Afghans Who Got Out
They had to be lucky to flee their country. Once in the U.S., they face a wall of bureaucracy and new customs.
21 min
1228
A Brazen Kidnapping in Haiti
Abductions aren’t new to Haiti, where armed gangs now have more power than national police.
27 min
1229
TBD | Honey, I Sold the House to Zillow
Why are tech companies flipping houses?
16 min
1230
How Immunity for Cops Ends
Not with a bang but with a whimper.
27 min
1231
Is Trump Still On Virginia’s Ballot?
Both candidates for governor can’t escape his shadow.
27 min
1232
How Should We Remember Colin Powell?
Untangling the former general’s complicated legacy.
28 min
1233
No One's Got Mail
Is the post office’s demise a foregone conclusion?
23 min
1234
TBD | The Return of Hacktivism
Massive data dumps from inside Twitch and Epik may signal a new era in the world of moralistic hacking.
19 min
1235
The Strike That Could Paralyze Hollywood
Workers are fed up with the long hours and low pay.
19 min
1236
Is Someone Brain-Zapping American Operatives?
...maybe.
19 min
1237
When Airbnb Takes Over Your Neighborhood
Short-term rentals are hollowing out places like Galveston, Texas.
21 min
1238
TBD | Will the Facebook Whistleblower Make a Di...
Frances Haugen thinks we’re talking about Facebook all wrong.
21 min
1239
Congress Plays Chicken
Democrats and Republicans agree on the debt ceiling. Why won’t they do anything?
25 min
1240
Are We Ready for the Next Pandemic?
With bold social welfare programs, our chances are better.
24 min
1241
Democrats’ Gerrymandering Dilemma
Do you forfeit the game just when you’re taking the lead?
21 min
1242
The Supreme Court Confronts Its Critics
As the justices watch their public polling numbers drop, they insist that they’re not political hacks. Do you believe them?
28 min
1243
TBD | What Instagram Does to Teens
A leaked internal report concludes, “we make body issues worse for one in three teen girls.”
19 min
1244
The Vaccine Holdouts in the NBA
Players are getting penalized for being unvaccinated. That’s not stopping some high profile holdouts.
21 min
1245
Why a Hollywood #MeToo Organization Imploded
Time’s Up was founded to end workplace sexual harassment. It was brought down by mundane workplace gripes and a sycophantic approach to power.
22 min
1246
A Doctor’s Hardest Call
Who do you treat when you’re running out of resources?
23 min
1247
Death and Desperation at Rikers Island
Things at the country’s most notorious jail have worsened.
26 min
1248
TBD | Are We Getting COVID Testing All Wrong?
It may be time to reimagine how we use tests in the U.S.
25 min
1249
How Biden’s Agenda Could Fall Apart
The paranoid, high-stakes fight playing out among Congressional Democrats as they try to deliver everything at once.
24 min
1250
The Haitian Refugees Blocked at the Border
With disaster behind them and deportation ahead, what are fleeing Haitians supposed to do?
23 min