What Next | Daily News and Analysis

The war in Gaza has laid bare some deep fault lines within the Democratic party when it comes to Israel policy. How might that impact next year’s elections? Guest: Alex Sammon , Slate politics writer.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and yo...

OpenAI was the hottest startup in Silicon Valley off the success of ChatGPT. Then, the board fired Sam Altman.  Guest: Mike Isaac , technology reporter at the New York Times. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work...

Over the past few years, ultra-conservative activists took aim at school boards, trying to shape curriculums to match their beliefs. But this year, from Pennsylvania to Iowa, “parental rights candidates” lost handily. What happened? Guest: Adam Laats , Professor of Education and History at Binghamton University. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members...

The bedbug break-out during Paris fashion week this fall was obviously horrifying, but the bad news doesn’t stop there. Bedbugs are on the rise—and on the move. Guest: Benji Jones, senior environmental reporter at Vox. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dea...

Girls at a New Jersey high school were early victims of a novel and growing problem: their images were taken from social media without consent to create “deep-fake pornography.”  Guest: Julie Jargon , Wall Street Journal family and tech columnist. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of...

As Palestinian allies like Hezbollah and Iran voice their support, is there a danger of more countries being pulled into the war in Gaza?  Guest: Gregory Gause , head of the Department of International Affairs at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University, specialist in Middle East politics. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate...

If you want to imagine what Donald Trump’s second presidential term would look like, look at what he left unfinished from his first—and listen to his long list of personal grievances. Guest: Susan Glasser , staff writer at The New Yorker, co-author of The Divider , a history of Donald Trump in the White House. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members ge...

A Jewish writer and Muslim journalist sit down to discuss the power dynamics, tribalism, and role of empathy in a far-away conflict that hits close to home in America.  Guests: Aymann Ismail , Slate staff writer Emily Tamkin , writer and author of The Influence of Soros and Bad Jews . If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads o...

Andy Beshear, Kentucky’s Democratic governor, maintained a Biden-like moderate image and rode it to victory in this year’s election. His state knows him best as the “infrastructure governor”—but his support for abortion rights might be the biggest takeaway for other Democrats staring down challenging 2024 races. Guest: John Nichols , national affairs correspondent for The Nation. If you enjoy this...

A review website became suddenly flush with new bylines, right as the newsroom was negotiating with management. But information on their new contributors was hard to find—were they people at all, or was this the first clumsy incursion of A.I. into their newsroom? Guest: Will Sommer , Washington Post media reporter If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus member...

In late October, Tesla mechanics in Sweden began to strike after the company refused to sign a collective agreement. This week, the country's other major unions joined in the fight as well.  Can Sweden’s robust labor culture force Tesla to make concessions?  Guest: Melissa Eddy , Berlin correspondent for the New York Times.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate...

When Donald Trump took the stand in his civil trial in New York this week, maybe he wasn’t trying to convince the judge who will decide this case—maybe he was playing for the MAGA audience outside, who will be headed to the polls in a year.   Guest: Barbara McQuade , law professor at the University of Michigan and a former U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan.  If you enjoy this show...

A month after the October 7 attack by Hamas, how do Israelis view what happened, their country, neighbors, and the future? Guest: Iris Zaki , Israeli filmmaker whose latest, ‘ I Don’t Have That Empathy. It’s Not in Me Anymore.’ What Israeli Survivors Believe Now , was featured in the New York Times. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits...

Since the overturn of Roe v. Wade, reproductive rights have remained popular among voters—even in red states like Ohio. As the state votes today on whether to add the right to an abortion to the state constitution, the Ohio GOP has been trying to reframe the issue. Guest: Carter Sherman, reproductive health and justice reporter at The Guardian. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up fo...

As Mitt Romney heads into retirement, is the idea of a moderate Republican being retired as well? Guest: McKay Coppins , staff writer at The Atlantic, author of Romney: A Reckoning If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting th...

Sam Bankman-Fried was found guilty on seven charges of wire fraud, conspiracy and money laundering and is facing a 110-year sentence.  Cryptocurrency, itself, has lost an ambassador, a lot of value, and quite a bit of credibility.  Guest: Nitish Pahwa , associate business and tech writer covering the trial for Slate. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus mem...

Biden’s executive order on A.I. indicates his administration is taking it seriously. Does it go far enough?  Guest: Cecilia Kang , covering technology and policy for the New York Times. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporti...

What does the history of Hamas tell us about where the Israel-Palestine conflict could go from here? Guest: Mohammed Hafez , professor who studies Islamist movements, political militancy, and violent radicalization at the Naval Postgraduate School and author of Why Muslims Rebel and Suicide Bombers in Iraq: The Strategy and Ideology of Martyrdom . If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up...

The FBI was overwhelmed trying to ID people who stormed the Capitol on January 6th. An online group picked up the slack and helped catch hundreds of rioters.  Guest: Ryan Reilly , Justice reporter at NBC News, and author of Sedition Hunters: How January 6th Broke the Justice System . If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on...

After mass shootings, one refrain becomes, “We don’t need gun control to treat a mental health problem.” But in a case like the mass shooting in Lewiston, Maine, there were mental health interventions and red flags raised by the military and the shooter’s family. Why didn’t it work—and what’s a better way forward? Guest: Mark Follman , national affairs editor at Mother Jones and the author of Trig...

In early August, wildfire tore across West Maui. Months later, the tourism economy is struggling to get back to speed, while residents remain displaced. Guest: U’i Kahue , cultural practitioner and the co-owner of Maui Grown 808, LLP . If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like...

The man at the center of it all takes the stand in his own defense—but what’s left to say? Guest: Nitish Pahwa , associate business and tech writer covering the trial for Slate. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the w...

In August, California regulators voted to allow self-driving car companies like Cruise and Waymo to expand their operations and start offering robotaxi services. 2 months later, after a litany of mistakes, Cruise is pulling all of its driverless cars off the road. Is this an existential threat to the entire AV industry? Guest: David Zipper , visiting fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School If you enj...

Is new House Speaker Mike Johnson a palatable face on the same hard-right politics? Guest: Tim Miller , political consultant and writer. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonus episodes of shows like Slow Burn and Dear Prudence—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now...

Why one State Department official who worked in weapons transfers quit over America’s policy towards Israel and Gaza—and what that says about U.S. policy in the Middle East. Guest: Josh Paul , former State Department official working in arms transfers to foreign powers, who resigned on Oct. 18. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like...