

What Next | Daily News and Analysis
Slate Podcasts
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. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Episodes
Mentioned books

May 13, 2019 • 23min
A Battle Over Abortion in Alabama
Anti-abortion activists in Alabama are rushing to topple Roe v. Wade. But have they crafted an abortion ban that’s too extreme, even for Alabama’s Republicans? Guest: Brian Lyman, reporter for the Montgomery Advertiser. Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Anna Martin. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 10, 2019 • 21min
The Progressive Critic Inside the Church
Last weekend, Slate published an obituary for Rachel Held Evans, the blogger who championed liberal values and challenged evangelicals on their politics. She was known to her devoted readers as RHE, and she represented something new in evangelical Christian communities, as some began to shift toward a progressive ideology nevertheless rooted in faith. That movement is now expanding beyond churches and into the political sphere, where Christians are no longer assumed to be conservative.Guest: Slate staff writer Ruth Graham. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 9, 2019 • 19min
The Mayoral Scandal Gripping Baltimore
On May 2nd, Catherine Pugh resigned as mayor of Baltimore - making her the second mayor in less than ten years to leave office amid corruption allegations. The scandal forcing her to step down involved a children’s book, an FBI raid, and a host of ethically dubious business relationships at the highest levels of city government. What happens next for Charm City? Guest: Luke Broadwater, reporter at the Baltimore Sun. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 8, 2019 • 40min
Cyberspace Didn’t Stay Free
In this episode April Glaser is joined once again by guest co-host Meredith Broussard, a data journalism professor at NYU and author of Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World. First, historian Mar Hicks joins the show to talk about the tech industry’s long-time aversion to organized labor and how that’s clashing with recent worker actions at major tech companies like Google and Uber. Then Alexis Madrigal joins the hosts to talk about his recent piece in the Atlantic called “The End of Cyberspace” where he argues that the 90s dream of an unregulated internet is starting to fade. According to Madrigal, it’s time to create a new alluring vision for what cyberspace should be. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 8, 2019 • 18min
The Constitutional Tug-of-War Is Just Getting Started
The House Judiciary Committee is set to vote on holding Attorney General William Barr in contempt of Congress, for failing to provide a full and unredacted copy of the Mueller report. It’s the latest in a series of clashes between the legislative and executive branches—clashes that don’t show any signs of letting up. Was our 230-year-old Constitution designed for this highly partisan, highly confrontational moment?Guest: Noah Feldman, Harvard Law School professor and host of Deep Background, available on Luminary. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 7, 2019 • 23min
(Fixed) An ERA Advocate On Why She’s Optimistic
We got our files mixed up this morning! This is the corrected show for Tuesday, May 7. The proposed Equal Rights Amendment is simple: It would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sex. To become part of the U.S. Constitution, the ERA has to be passed not just in Congress, but in 38 state legislatures. In 2017, Nevada became the 36th state to pass it. Last year, Illinois became the 37th. And last week, Congress held a hearing on the plan. Guest: Carol Jenkins, co-president and CEO of the ERA Coalition and the Fund for Women’s Equality. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 6, 2019 • 17min
Why Don’t Democrats Want to Run for Senate?
With all the breathless enthusiasm for the presidential race, no one seems very interested in the U.S. Senate. Why not?Guest: Slate writer Jim Newell. Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Anna Martin, with help from Samantha Lee. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 3, 2019 • 20min
The Bank That Holds Trump’s Financial Secrets
Deutsche Bank was the one lender that couldn’t quit Donald Trump. Now the bank holds the key to understanding President Trump’s finances. Guest: David Enrich, finance editor for the New York Times. Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Anna Martin, with help from Samantha Lee. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 2, 2019 • 18min
The Battle Over the Mueller Report
Attorney General William Barr showed up to the Senate Judiciary Committee to testify, but the spotlight was also on his colleague, Special Counsel Robert Mueller. What will it take to resolve the growing divide between these two men and their views of the Mueller investigation?Guest: Jeremy Stahl, senior editor at Slate. Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, and Anna Martin, with help from Samantha Lee. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

May 1, 2019 • 33min
Public Education, Facebook-Style
In this episode April Glaser is joined by co-host Meredith Broussard, a data journalism professor at NYU and author of Artificial Unintelligence: How Computers Misunderstand the World. First they talk about the history of Silicon Valley’s decades-long quest to replace teachers with computers. Then the hosts have a conversation with Nellie Bowles, tech reporter for the New York Times, about a Kansas town that’s struggling with the implementation of Summit Learning, a personalized web-based education program funded by Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Dr. Priscilla Chan. Also joining the show is Tom Henning, a parent in Kansas who pulled his son out of his local public school after Summit Learning was adopted. Henning discusses how he and other parents organized to try to bring human-centered learning back to their schools, citing the physical and emotional problems their kids came home with after being stuck in front of a computer all day. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.


