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
1501
TBD | Cities Are Running Out of Money
Will the U.S. learn lessons from the Great Recession or just repeat the same mistakes?
21 min
1502
The First Federal Execution in 17 Years
Daniel Lee was strapped to a gurney for four hours while the Justice Department sought and obtained permission from the Supreme Court to execute him.
21 min
1503
What To Do About the Schools
Reopening schools has its perils but keeping them closed comes with its own problems.
20 min
1504
Sweden Screwed Up
How the country’s COVID-19 death rate became one of the world’s worst.
21 min
1505
John Roberts’ Long Game
This Supreme Court term may not have been so progressive after all.
26 min
1506
TBD | Is “Covid Flight” a Thing?
There are countless reasons why Americans move out of cities. Is the coronavirus really one of them?
19 min
1507
Mary Trump’s Truth
Why the president didn’t want the world to read his niece’s story.
26 min
1508
How Activists Brought Down a Massive Gas Pipeline
It took six years and a lot of lawsuits.
23 min
1509
How California Created Its Newest COVID Hotspot
Cases have exploded at the state’s oldest prison. It all started with a prisoner transfer.
16 min
1510
The Economy Still Has the Virus
The Trump administration wants to control the economy without controlling its disease.
22 min
1511
TBD | What's a City Without the Office?
The future of the corporate office and the future of the American city aren’t easily separated.
18 min
1512
The Godfather of the Anti-Immigration Movement
How a small-town eye doctor shaped our most hard-line immigration policies.
18 min
1513
The Toxic Combo Behind Colorado’s Police Shootings
Police in Colorado shoot a person a week, on average. Drugs and guns have a lot to do with that high number.
23 min
1514
Sick for 90 Days and Counting
Matthew Long-Middleton fell ill in March. He still doesn’t have any definitive answers.
23 min
1515
What Went Wrong in Texas
The governor invited Texans to follow their heart when it came to masks and social distancing. Their hearts led them into a COVID-19 surge.
25 min
1516
TBD | A Hidden Side of Police Abuse
You can’t reform the police if you don’t know what surveillance technology they’re using.
15 min
1517
How the NYPD Gets Away With It
What happened after an unmarked patrol car rammed into a black teenager in Brooklyn.
22 min
1518
Grief, Comedy, and COVID
Dying from the coronavirus isn't funny. Laurie Kilmartin is.
22 min
1519
Is Bill Barr Winning?
The attorney general is running amok. Can anybody stop him?
18 min
1520
TBD | Why Remote Learning Failed
After three months of school closures, data about the impact of the coronavirus on learning is starting to trickle in. It’s far from reassuring.
20 min
1521
The Belated National Embrace of Juneteenth
More institutions are embracing the holiday. What does that really mean?
14 min
1522
A Politician's Brush with NYPD Abuse
Zellnor Myrie got cuffed & pepper sprayed at peaceful protests in Brooklyn. Two weeks later, he was passing police reform in Albany.
29 min
1523
A Victory for LGBTQ Americans
From your friends on the conservative Supreme Court.
21 min
1524
Is the Military Turning Its Back on Trump?
The events in Lafayette Square may have have broken a dam.
20 min
1525
TBD | Is This the End of Facial Recognition?
In the space of a week, development of the powerful surveillance technology has come to a screeching halt.
20 min