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
1426
TBD | Oversight Board to Facebook: Nice Try
The social network hoped its “Supreme Court” would decide Trump’s fate on the platform. It didn’t take the bait.
18 min
1427
The Gates Divorce
The future of philanthropy in a post-Gates breakup world.
24 min
1428
Going After the Opioid Middlemen
How one West Virginia county is trying to tear down the system of addiction.
18 min
1429
What Sex Workers Want
Who do we listen to when making policy?
23 min
1430
How Will the Recall of Gavin Newsom End?
The governor may not be out just yet.
20 min
1431
TBD | Tim Apple vs. Mark Facebook
Two of the most powerful tech companies in the world have very different ideas about how the internet should work.
18 min
1432
Inside India’s COVID Wards
The country's hospitals are so overrun that people are turning to Twitter for emergency medicine.
25 min
1433
A Better Way to Talk About Gun Violence
There are glaring holes in the national conversation.
23 min
1434
The Invasion of Lake Tahoe
When the pandemic hit, some rich Bay Area residents decamped to a small vacation town. It hasn’t gone well.
19 min
1435
The Case for Going Maskless Outdoors
Why it might be time to re-evaluate mask rules.
21 min
1436
TBD | What's Causing the Tesla Crashes?
Two men died after their car plowed into a tree. Police say no one was at the wheel.
19 min
1437
Patriot or Outcast?
One town’s battle over a local teacher’s role on January 6th.
28 min
1438
The Chauvin Verdict
Community members in George Floyd Square say this is just the start.
29 min
1439
The Putin Problem
What more can the Biden administration do to check Russian ambitions?
23 min
1440
Fear and Paranoia in American Policing
Everything around police officers tells them that they should be scared.
25 min
1441
TBD | Seduced by Substack
Is leaving a stable job to peddle a newsletter based on your personal brand crazy, or the future?
21 min
1442
The Confusion Over Johnson & Johnson
And why the science is working.
19 min
1443
How Republicans Weaponized Cancel Culture
And why it’s working.
21 min
1444
The Lab Leak Theory
Nutty conspiracy, or plausible explanation of COVID’s source?
26 min
1445
What's Different About the Chauvin Trial
Tone vs. Substance
25 min
1446
TBD | The Rise of the Therapy Apps
The pandemic opened up a window to transform mental health care as we know it. Is that a good thing?
22 min
1447
One Man’s Mission to Protect Chinatown
A block-by-block effort to make the community feel safe.
21 min
1448
How Worried to Be About Michigan
Are we headed for a fourth wave?
22 min
1449
Biden’s Big Swing
How America could change if Biden’s infrastructure plan gets the green light.
21 min
1450
The Bizarre Origin Story of the Gaetz Scandal
Each piece of the story is just the tip of an even more terrible iceberg.
24 min