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
1376
The NFL vs. COVID-19
A “rub some dirt in it” approach to the pandemic.
23 min
1377
TBD | How Hackers Hold Schools for Ransom
When classes move online, hackers see an opportunity.
20 min
1378
Making a Vaccine Go Viral
How do we get people to trust this thing?
20 min
1379
Biden’s Window of Opportunity With Iran
A nuclear scientist’s assassination started a ticking clock.
20 min
1380
Can Janet Yellen Save the Economy?
The progressivism of Biden’s choice for Treasury secretary.
22 min
1381
A Contract Tracer on Her Overwhelming Job
“What scares me is -- what are we going to be left with?”
25 min
1382
A Small Business Finds Opportunity In Crisis
One Chicago retailer tries to turn his boutique into a beacon of hope.
22 min
1383
A House Democrat Reflects on Her Defeat
“We pounded them on covid and they pounded us on socialism.”
28 min
1384
Georgia Runoffs Put Each Party to the Test
Can Republicans and Democrats turn out their base without Trump on the ballot?
23 min
1385
TBD | Inside Biden’s COVID Team
One of the president-elect’s coronavirus advisers says Trump’s refusal to concede is costing lives.
20 min
1386
The Perils of Prosecuting Trump
What would accountability look like for the president and his enablers?
25 min
1387
What Biden Learned From the Last Crash
Make a deal you can sell. And, when in doubt, send people checks.
23 min
1388
El Paso’s COVID Spike Didn’t Have To Happen
Multiple leadership failures paved the way for uncontrollable viral spread.
22 min
1389
Worst. Transition. Ever.
Who could have predicted this? Well, a lot of people.
26 min
1390
TBD | How Tough Will Biden Really Be on Big Tech?
His presidency may be the last chance to constrain the far-reaching power of the tech giants.
18 min
1391
Not All of the Polls Were Wrong
A conversation with the Iowa pollster who called this election right.
27 min
1392
Republicans’ Down Ballot Power Grab
2021 redistricting could entrench Republican gerrymanders for ten more years.
27 min
1393
How Democrats Took Latino Voters for Granted
Latino voters were a mixed bag for Democrats depending on where you looked.
21 min
1394
Biden Won. What Now?
Who will the Biden administration have to work with?
21 min
1395
TBD | How the Gig Economy Won in California
An unprecedented ballot measure could shape the gig economy for years to come.
18 min
1396
What We Know So Far
Joe Biden is knocking on the door of the presidency. If he wins, can his governing style work?
24 min
1397
And Now We Wait
This is not the landslide scenario. This is the grind-it-out scenario.
23 min
1398
First-Timers: An NBA Player's First Time Voting
Larry Nance Jr. talks about his efforts to address voting accessibility issues in Ohio.
23 min
1399
First-Timers: A True Independent Voter
This first time voter wants an end to the two-party system as we know it.
17 min
1400
A Giant Test for Election Law
With just one day to go, what lawsuits are still hanging around?
22 min