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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TBD | Why Trump’s Data Purge is a Digital Book ...
Erasing wokeness, one dataset and line of code at a time.
23 min
202
TBD Bonus: The Discourse | Why is Elon Musk Che...
Not to game shame anyone, but doesn’t he have better things to do?
6 min
203
TBD | Is Elon Musk Unstoppable?
Inside the DOGE assault on the federal government.
23 min
204
Guantanamo Bay’s Comeback Is a Warning
The government keeps finding uses for a difficult-to-scrutinize detention camp offshore.
23 min
205
DOGE V. USAID
Is the shuttering of USAID—a small department in the context of the federal budget—just a practice run for something bigger from this administration?
26 min
206
Are Airplane Crashes Inevitable?
The safety systems are there, but is the political will to keep them healthy?
24 min
207
Trump’s Anti-Trans Agenda
Can a wave of the president’s pen undo what years of activism have built?
28 min
208
TBD | The DeepSeek Panic
How one app brought the US-China A.I. war out into the open.
22 min
209
Bonus | Main Character Syndrome: Deepseek
What Next and What Next TBD meet for a Slate Plus exclusive to ask: “Who disrupts the disrupters?”
3 min
210
TBD | RFK Jr. Is a Feature, Not a Bug
The vaccine skeptic’s nomination reveals the Trump 2.0 approach to public health.
23 min
211
Was Tulsi Gabbard Always Like This?
Of all of Trump’s cabinet nominees, the betting lines say she has the worst odds of being confirmed.
25 min
212
Trump’s DIY Government Shutdown
How Donald Trump’s freeze on federal funding flies in the face of the constitutional separation of powers.
24 min
213
Who Will Mourn DEI?
An imperfect system for creating a fairer society became a boogeyman—and Trump’s attacks on it are turning government employees against each other.
26 min
214
Trump’s Gift to Militias
For a brief moment, militias were pariahs to both parties. Then the GOP called J6ers “patriots.”
24 min
215
TBD | The A.I. Will See You Now
Doctors are increasingly using artificial intelligence to help with appointments. But do the risks outweigh the benefits?
20 min
216
TBD Bonus: The Discourse | The Bro-ligarchs Tak...
Slate’s Nitish Pahwa joins us for a Slate Plus exclusive.
6 min
217
TBD | Department of Government Elon
To trim government, first you must add to government, apparently.
19 min
218
How Closed Is the Border?
Trump’s executive orders will narrow the legal paths to America. So does that mean more illegal immigration?
23 min
219
Can Trump Actually Do All That?
Sorting through how much of that was legal—and how little was legally binding.
25 min
220
Did Democracy Die in Darkness?
Is the media ready for Trump 2.0—especially with billionaires like Bezos at the helm?
21 min
221
Hello Trumpworld
New faces, names you remember—and those you tried to forget.
23 min
222
TBD | As Fires Approached LA, Angelenos Turned ...
A conversation with the app’s cofounder.
19 min
223
TBD | Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta-Morphosis
Is this a pivot? Or was the Meta CEO always this way?
23 min
224
What the Ceasefire Is and Isn’t
An end to the war? A win for Biden? For Trump? A map to peace?
22 min
225
Does Jack Smith’s Jan. 6 Report Matter?
The Special Counsel says Trump would have been convicted if he wasn’t elected President.
26 min