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 26, 2022 • 30 min
The school shooting in Uvalde, Texas was the deadliest since the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut nearly a decade ago. Today, we’re re-airing an interview with a parent who lost her child at Sandy Hook and went on to channel her grief into activism. In February, she and a group of other Sandy Hook families announced a $73 million settlement with Remington Arms, forcing the gunmaker to accept responsi...
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May 25, 2022 • 22 min
More than a million people have died of COVID in America, and infection rates across the country are climbing again. But public officials seem reluctant to enact mask mandates or lockdowns this time around.
Doctors and scientists who work in public health are hoping that “harm reduction” techniques, which were developed to treat addiction and chronic illnesses, can tamp down this latest wave.
Guest: Dr. Deepika Slawek, Assistant P...
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May 24, 2022 • 25 min
An effort to counterweight GOP-friendly maps in Ohio and Florida in New York state has backfired on the Democrats.
How did Democratic state politicians bungle their redistricting process? Will the error cost the party nationally?
Guest: Dave Wasserman, U.S. House editor of the nonpartisan @CookPolitical Report.
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May 23, 2022 • 27 min
President Biden ran on a promise to forgive $10,000 in student loans back in 2020—but so far, there hasn’t been much movement on that front. Between the pros, the cons, and the politics, one thing is clear: fixing higher education will take more than an executive order.
Guest: Jordan Weissmann, writer and editor focused on economics, public policy, and politics at Slate.
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May 22, 2022 • 23 min
They’ve stolen billions of dollars. Is the U.S. ready to crack down?
Guest: Jason Bartlett, research associate in the Energy, Economics, and Security Program at the Center for a New American Security
Host: Lizzie O'Leary
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May 20, 2022 • 21 min
The shooting in Buffalo raises questions about the effectiveness of content moderation. Is the Global Internet Forum to Counter Terrorism the answer to how social media can moderate extremist content?
Guest: Emma Llansó, director of the Free Expression Project at the Center for Democracy and Technology
Host: Ray Suarez
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May 19, 2022 • 27 min
When China first instituted its zero-COVID policy, it was a success: as other countries struggled with soaring infection rates and overburdened hospitals, life for many Chinese citizens began to look normal again within months—so long as they weren’t infected. But the omicron variant changed the game. Now, people are speaking out against draconian lockdown measures they say are inappropriate to face the current level of threat.
Ho...
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May 18, 2022 • 29 min
A shooting Saturday at a supermarket in a predominantly-Black neighborhood in Buffalo left at least 10 people dead and three more injured. The suspected shooter left a manifesto riddled with racist ideology, laying out plans to specifically target Black people and citing the so-called “great replacement theory” as his motivation.
How much will white supremacist violence be a part of the everyday lives of Americans — and what’s be...
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May 17, 2022 • 29 min
Consumers are paying higher prices almost everywhere as inflation continues to rise. But corporate earnings calls have revealed that many companies are using inflation as a cover to jack up prices and increase profits — all on the backs of customers.
Guest: Lindsay Owens, executive director of the Groundwork Collaborative.
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May 16, 2022 • 31 min
The likely end of Roe v. Wade marks a bitter setback for the pro-choice movement. But the success of abortion legalization campaigns in Ireland and Argentina may be models for a way forward.
What are the ingredients for effective public messaging? What can American activists learn from the examples of international movements?
Guest: Anat Shenker-Osorio, communications researcher and campaign advisor, host of the podcast “Words T...
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May 15, 2022 • 21 min
Trump's Truth Social network was supposed to be the right's answer to Twitter. What happens to the company if Elon takes over?
Guest: Drew Harwell, reporter for the Washington Post
Host: Lizzie O'Leary
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May 13, 2022 • 20 min
Companies are developing and selling A.I. products intended to tell your boss or your teacher how you're feeling.
Guest: Kate Kaye, reporter for Protocol
Host: Lizzie O'Leary
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May 12, 2022 • 27 min
As the country awaits a final decision on whether the Supreme Court will overturn Roe. v Wade, fertility doctors are sounding the alarm about what that could mean for the future procedures like IVF.
Guests: Dr. Natalie Crawford, OBGYN and reproductive endocrinologist at Fora Fertility in Austin, Texas.
Emily, an IVF patient in West Virginia. Emily asked Slate to withhold her last name so she could speak freely about her fertili...
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May 11, 2022 • 29 min
Curious explosions in a Russian stronghold of Moldova have the world wondering if Putin is making his next play. Why is a tiny country on Ukraine’s western border of such strategic importance?
Guest: Monika Pronczuk, Brussels-based reporter for the New York Times.
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May 10, 2022 • 29 min
It’s not unusual for the U.S. to lend intelligence to another country. It’s a little more unusual for the U.S. to talk about it.
Why is the American military confirming reports that it’s helping Ukraine vanquish Russian targets? Could that candidness lead to an expansion of the war? Or will it be the deciding factor in finishing the conflict?
Guest: Shane Harris, reporter covering intelligence and national security for the Washi...
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May 9, 2022 • 25 min
In the wake of a leaked Supreme Court draft opinion indicating that Roe v. Wade will soon be a thing of the past, some states are rushing to fortify the right to an abortion within their borders. Nowhere has gone as far as Connecticut, though, which has expanded the field of people permitted to perform abortions and created legal protections for anyone who aids in the procedure. But will it make a difference when abortion will like...
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May 8, 2022 • 26 min
A conversation with one of the smartest First Amendment lawyers in the country.
Guest: Jameel Jaffer
Host: Lizzie O'Leary
Thanks Avast.com!
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May 6, 2022 • 20 min
The pandemic changed the way abortion care could be provided online. So what happens now?
Guest: Dr. Mai Fleming, family medicine physician and Fellow with Physicians for Reproductive Health.
Host: Lizzie O'Leary
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May 5, 2022 • 27 min
Johnny Depp’s defamation case against ex-wife Amber Heard is making headlines—not just for the spectacle taking place within the courtroom, but for its implications for victims of domestic violence.
In a case of domestic ugliness, is it possible to know the truth? And does trying to uncover it through legal action serve anyone’s best interests?
Guest: John Culhane, professor at the Delaware Law School.
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May 4, 2022 • 32 min
This week, Politico published a shocking leak from within the Supreme Court, indicating that a majority of the judges have voted to overturn Roe v. Wade. Beyond who leaked the draft opinion, questions remain about what the rollback of the landmark constitutional law will mean for abortion rights in America.
Guest: Dahlia Lithwick, Slate courts and law writer and host of the podcast Amicus.
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