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
1
Healthcare Is Expensive. It’s About To Get Worse.
26 min
2
It’s the Alt-Right’s GOP Now
21 min
3
TBD | ChatGOP?
How AI is splitting the MAGA coalition.
19 min
4
SchadenFriday Plus: Feelin’ Nuzzi
The story all of your favorite journalists are groaning over.
4 min
5
TBD | The AI & Crypto Czar’s Conflicts
David Sacks is making policy in Washington. And it benefits his firm.
22 min
6
The Year of Vaccine Backsliding
Where can the majority of parents—who believe in inoculation—find advice they can trust?
26 min
7
Pardon Me, Mr. President
A look inside Trump’s clemency machine.
27 min
8
A Textbook Example of an Unlawful Order
That reminder to refuse illegal orders may have come a few months too late.
24 min
9
What Kids Aren't Learning About US History
Books like his are being banned from classrooms—so that’s where his book tour went.
28 min
10
TBD | If You Give A.I. a Nuke
Don’t worry. Computers can’t decide to drop a bomb. Yet.
24 min
11
TBD | Rebroadcast: Dupes!
Is your skincare/skirt/vacation island as good as the real thing?
30 min
12
Decoder Ring | Cozy Autumn Mysteries
What’s going on with three fall favorites?
51 min
13
Why You Can't Avoid Wicked
It's the way you're viewed, so it's very shrewd to be very very…weird?
25 min
14
Could We Get Peace In Ukraine?
The Trump administration’s proposed plan is fairly vague—but it would result in a clear victor.
21 min
15
How Planned Parenthood Got Defunded
Abortion bans may not be politically feasible—but cutting funding from the clinics gets you a lot of the way there.
29 min
16
TBD | The Surveillance Interstate
ICE is watching how and where you drive.
27 min
17
Bonus: SchadenFriday: Are You Fitter Than an IC...
Could we abolish the rogue agency by simply moving their recruitment offices to the tops of tall staircases?
5 min
18
TBD | Crypto Keeps Criming
Even with a crypto president, these guys can’t stop doing shady stuff.
21 min
19
Who Killed the Penny? She Did.
Nickels, consider yourselves warned.
22 min
20
Sudan on the Brink
How an isolationist United States leaves more space for conflict, and less humanitarian aid.
26 min
21
Have the Epstein Files Broken MAGA?
Wait—Trump didn’t just wriggle out of this one?!
27 min
22
The National Guard Is Asking Questions
The crackdown is still searching for a crisis.
24 min
23
TBD | How Meta Profits Off Fraud
There’s a big financial incentive for Facebook and Instagram to tolerate scammers.
28 min
24
TBD | Data Centers on the Ballot
A.I. companies are leading the data-center boom. Voters seem less enthused.
21 min
25
Wikipedia Enters the Culture Wars
A user base with a commitment to the truth is what makes Wikipedia work—and what makes it a target.
22 min