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.
Get more of What Next with Slate Plus! Join for exclusive bonus episodes of What Next and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the What Next show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or visit slate.com/whatnextplus for access wherever you listen.
1
A Textbook Example of an Unlawful Order
That reminder to refuse illegal orders may have come a few months too late.
24 min
2
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
3
TBD | If You Give A.I. a Nuke
Don’t worry. Computers can’t decide to drop a bomb. Yet.
24 min
4
TBD | Rebroadcast: Dupes!
Is your skincare/skirt/vacation island as good as the real thing?
30 min
5
Decoder Ring | Cozy Autumn Mysteries
What’s going on with three fall favorites?
51 min
6
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
7
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
8
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
9
TBD | The Surveillance Interstate
ICE is watching how and where you drive.
27 min
10
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
11
TBD | Crypto Keeps Criming
Even with a crypto president, these guys can’t stop doing shady stuff.
21 min
12
Who Killed the Penny? She Did.
Nickels, consider yourselves warned.
22 min
13
Sudan on the Brink
How an isolationist United States leaves more space for conflict, and less humanitarian aid.
26 min
14
Have the Epstein Files Broken MAGA?
Wait—Trump didn’t just wriggle out of this one?!
27 min
15
The National Guard Is Asking Questions
The crackdown is still searching for a crisis.
24 min
16
TBD | How Meta Profits Off Fraud
There’s a big financial incentive for Facebook and Instagram to tolerate scammers.
28 min
17
TBD | Data Centers on the Ballot
A.I. companies are leading the data-center boom. Voters seem less enthused.
21 min
18
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
19
No, Women Didn't Ruin the Workplace
“Are workplaces too girly?” and other questions asked bravely by the New York Times.
28 min
20
How To Lose a Government Shutdown
Senate Democrats are letting the GOP off the hook in exchange for a promise for a future vote and a resolution that lasts until January?
23 min
21
Is Special Ed Getting Left Behind?
Federal funding that helps schools educate all children has stalled in the government shutdown—and it may never come back.
24 min
22
TBD | Why Tesla Is Paying Elon a Trillion Bucks
Post-DOGE, Musk’s empire is looking a little shaky, if still extremely lucrative for the man himself.
27 min
23
Bonus: SchadenFriday | Muslim, Millennial, Mr. ...
Islamophobia remains popular enough to try, but not enough to win.
5 min
24
TBD | The Nick Fuentes Problem
What’s the difference between being a party with Nazis and being in a Nazi party?
21 min
25
Trump’s Tariffs Have a Constitution Problem
It’s tough to carve out something that looks plausibly legal, even to this Supreme Court.
24 min