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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1
TBD | Data Centers on the Ballot
A.I. companies are leading the data-center boom. Voters seem less enthused.
21 min
2
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
3
No, Women Didn't Ruin the Workplace
“Are workplaces too girly?” and other questions asked bravely by the New York Times.
28 min
4
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
5
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
6
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
7
Bonus: SchadenFriday | Muslim, Millennial, Mr. ...
Islamophobia remains popular enough to try, but not enough to win.
5 min
8
TBD | The Nick Fuentes Problem
What’s the difference between being a party with Nazis and being in a Nazi party?
21 min
9
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
10
The Andrew Formerly Known as a Prince
Stripping the problematic royal of his title isn’t justice, but at least it’s something.
22 min
11
She Won the Election. The GOP Won’t Swear Her In.
Election Day only matters if you get to take office.
23 min
12
The Redistricting Arms Race Is On
Trump wants to hold the House, but do state-level GOP operatives have the stomach for unpopular, undemocratic new maps?
25 min
13
TBD | Why Trump Keeps Pardoning Crypto Criminals
There’s nothing cryptic about the president’s motivation.
27 min
14
TBD | Inside the Goonerverse
A very specific (NSFW) online world.
26 min
15
How Will We Feed Our Neighbors?
Why you should consider giving out mac n’ cheese along with candy this Halloween.
28 min
16
The Volunteers Taking on ICE
The Harbor Area Peace Patrol attempts to protect undocumented neighbors in southern California, one parking lot at a time.
24 min
17
Where Sports Betting Got Us
Just when you think it’s all apps, the Mafia pops back into the picture.
26 min
18
Shutting Down and Finding Out
The government shutdown now enters its fourth week. Will Democrats finally play hard ball?
24 min
19
TBD | Did The Trump Administration Censor Speech?
Anti-ICE posts and apps flourished online. The Trump administration had them taken down.
28 min
20
Bonus: The Scariest Halloween Costume
Which kind of chainsaw wielding maniac are YOU going as?
6 min
21
TBD | The AWS Outage is Only the Beginning
Why a mesh of cloud services and undersea cables make for a very delicate web.
28 min
22
Is the Peanut Allergy Dead?
Researchers reversed long-standing guidance about giving kids peanuts. It worked – a lot.
22 min
23
Why So Many Racist Group Chats?
From the chats to the policy proposals, no one’s hiding that the goal is a whiter America.
23 min
24
The Trump Doctrine in Latin America
Why Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado made sure to thank the president.
29 min
25
Are Democrats Already Fumbling a Win?
What weird state-wide races in Virginia tell us about 2026.
29 min