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.
Episodes
May 29, 2020 • 19 min
On Tuesday, after years of inaction, Twitter fact checked President Trump’s tweets for the first time. Six words were added below the original text, directing readers to outside articles refuting his claims.
Two days later, the president signed an executive order that aims to change the nature of online speech, and the platforms that host it.
Guest: Casey Newton, Silicon Valley editor at the Verge
Host
Lizzie O’Leary
Learn more...
Read moreShare
Mark as Played
May 28, 2020 • 20 min
On Wednesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that Hong Kong was no longer considered autonomous from China by the US government. Tensions were already high between the two global superpowers but with this new escalation, where do they go from here?
Guest: Joshua Keating, staff writer at Slate
Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone...
Read moreShare
Mark as Played
May 27, 2020 • 22 min
At 14.7%, US unemployment is at its highest rate since the Great Depression. In the coming months, Washington has a narrow window to avert an even bigger economic disaster.
Guest: Jordan Weissmann, Slate’s senior business and economics correspondent.
Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Share
Mark as Played
May 26, 2020 • 14 min
No one was ready for this coronavirus. But what’s happening on native lands is the result of generations of neglect.
Guest: Wahleah Johns, co-founder of Native Renewables. Read more from Wahleah here. Read about the history of underfunded health care in native communities here.
Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Share
Mark as Played
May 22, 2020 • 18 min
As the coronavirus shut down manufacturing across California in March and April, Elon Musk only wanted one thing: to start making cars again.
So when local government officials in Alameda County got in his way, Musk took the fight public, and won.
Guest: Kara Swisher, co-host of the Pivot podcast.
Host
Lizzie O’Leary
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Share
Mark as Played
May 21, 2020 • 21 min
In a normal year, the next couple of weeks would be when excited campers returned to summer camp. Now, because of the coronavirus, summer camps are having to make tough calls about how and if they’ll open this year.
Guest: Lisa Handelman, camp director at Capital Camps.
Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Share
Mark as Played
May 20, 2020 • 26 min
The global scarcity of masks has shown us the federal government’s desperate side. Procurement rules have been loosened. Prices have soared. And a shadowy market has emerged where deals fall through all the time -- leaving people without the gear they need to protect themselves and save lives.
Guest: J. David McSwane, reporter for ProPublica.
Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now.
Learn mor...
Read moreShare
Mark as Played
May 19, 2020 • 24 min
We closed down the country because we didn’t have enough COVID-19 tests. Now that testing capacity is improving, there’s another problem: figuring out what all this new data means, and who’s reporting accurate figures.
Guest: Robinson Meyer, staff writer at the Atlantic, and part of the team working on the COVID Tracking Project.
Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now.
Learn more about your a...
Read moreShare
Mark as Played
May 18, 2020 • 21 min
A lot happened in February for Senator Ricard Burr (R-NC). He told his constituents that the country was “ready to face the coronavirus.” He told a members-only club that they should expect school closures, canceled travel, and overwhelmed hospitals. And he sold a bunch of his stock. Now, Burr is under a federal investigation for possible insider trading.
Guest: Tim Mak, Washington investigative correspondent for NPR.
Slate Plus ...
Read moreShare
Mark as Played
May 15, 2020 • 20 min
Every week, it feels like some new piece of coronavirus information dominates the headlines. Mysterious symptoms, changing government directives. This constant trickle of updates can quickly turn into a flood.
How should normal people interpret this deluge of data?
Guest: Emily Oster, professor of economics at Brown University and co-founder of COVID-Explained.
Host
Lizzie O’Leary
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit meg...
Read moreShare
Mark as Played
May 14, 2020 • 21 min
All around the world, scientific research has been put on hold to concentrate resources on one thing: a vaccine for COVID-19. The usual red tape that slows down these experiments has been removed. And at a lab in Baltimore, researchers are working around the clock to recruit trial participants, prepare vaccine doses, and study results.
Guest: Dr. Kirsten Lyke, lead investigator on COVID-19 vaccine trials at the University of Maryl...
Read moreShare
Mark as Played
May 13, 2020 • 25 min
The criminal case against former Trump adviser Michael Flynn has been full of plot-twists. But the biggest about-face came last week, when the Department of Justice moved to drop the case entirely. Lawyers who had worked on the investigation registered their disgust by refusing to sign the motion. U.S. Attorney General William Barr says he hopes history will look kindly on his decision. Critics say the move undermines any future at...
Read moreShare
Mark as Played
May 12, 2020 • 18 min
We spoke to Greta Privitera back in mid-March, a few weeks after she and her family isolated themselves at home in northern Italy. Now, with Italy taking baby steps toward normalcy, Greta says she’s enjoying her walks outside, she still worries about another surge in COVID-19 cases. And by the look of things, she's not alone.
Guest: Greta Privitera, a journalist living in Milan. Read her latest dispatch for Slate.
Slate Plus ...
Read moreShare
Mark as Played
May 11, 2020 • 21 min
Ahmaud Arbery was shot dead on a Sunday afternoon in southern Georgia. He had been jogging a few miles from his home. The shooting happened on February 23. It took more than two months for officials to make any arrests. Why?
Guest: Christian Boone, public safety reporter for the AJC.
Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Share
Mark as Played
May 8, 2020 • 24 min
Yesterday, New York City announced that it would provide 140,000 free antibody tests to residents who want to know if they have been exposed to the coronavirus. And New York isn’t alone: large-scale antibody testing is ramping up around the country.
But with faulty tests flooding the market and questions about whether a positive test really confers immunity are antibody tests really worth the bother?
Guests: Shannon Palus, staff ...
Read moreShare
Mark as Played
May 7, 2020 • 20 min
For years, the Postal Service has faced financial turmoil. Now, facing a pandemic, mail volume has dropped off and the question has resurfaced: Can the post office survive? Devin Leonard wrote the book on the Postal Service and says how it got to this latest crisis is more complicated than it seems. With the post master general saying that the service could be financially insolvent by the fall, is this the government’s last chance ...
Read moreShare
Mark as Played
May 6, 2020 • 18 min
It all started when the weather took a turn for the better. Surfers and beachgoers flocked to Orange County shores, only to find them cordoned off, at the behest of Governor Gavin Newsom. Protestors took to the streets in Huntington Beach, demanding an end to the shutdowns. The demonstrations weren't huge. But, in the world of Republican politics, you ignore Orange County at your own peril.
Guest: Gustavo Arellano, writer at th...
Read moreShare
Mark as Played
May 5, 2020 • 22 min
Last spring, Lucy Flores wrote in The Cut that Joe Biden invaded her personal space and sniffed her hair at a campaign event in 2014. She says Biden never reached out to her after she went public. Now, as Joe Biden faces even more serious allegations from a former staffer, what action does Lucy expect from the former Vice President?
Guest: Lucy Flores, Former Nevada Assemblywoman and CEO Luz Collective.
Slate Plus members get bonus...
Read moreShare
Mark as Played
May 4, 2020 • 23 min
As the coronavirus continues to leave people sick and out of work, alone and under stress, there’s one particular group of people taking special notice, extremists. It's not just the virus that is spreading. Extreme and violent rhetoric is too.
Guest: Hannah Allam, covers extremism for NPR.
Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoice...
Read moreShare
Mark as Played
May 2, 2020 • 33 min
Today we're introducing you to one of our favorite podcasts, Code Switch!
Hosted by Gene Demby and Shereen Marisol Meraji, Code Switch offers some of the best stories and conversations about race you'll find anywhere.
On today's bonus episode you'll hear a fascinating story about what happened when Puerto Ricans were asked for the first time on their census form: "What is your race?"
The answer reveals a lot...
Read moreShare
Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
Commencement: Speeches For The Class of 2020
iHeartRadio knows how important the graduation ceremony is. After four long years of hard work, commencement offers one last moment to reflect before you toss your hat into the air and take on the world. We know that during these difficult times, most graduates won’t get to attend their ceremony in person. So, we've partnered with some of the biggest names across industries, to write a commencement speech just for you. From 4-star generals to all-star comedians, legendary coaches to John Legend himself, these are the words we hope will inspire you. Thank you to DORITOS® , State Farm® , T-Mobile and the 2020 Census.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
The Breakfast Club
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Angela Yee And Charlamagne Tha God!
Chat About What Next | Daily News and Analysis