What Next | Daily News and Analysis

In a recent public hearing, three government officials told Congress that not only are “unidentified anomalous phenomena” real, they’re a major national security concern. But one witness took his testimony even further, claiming the government possesses materials of “non-human origin.” How much do we really know about UAPs – or, as they’re more commonly known, UFOs? And now that Congress is involv...

It’s 2023 – and less than half of all Americans have returned to the office full time. That means U.S. downtowns from San Francisco to New York are emptier than they’ve been in decades. Offices are actually trending away from policies that mandate returning five days a week. So, how can cities get creative – and develop some new ways to boost the local economy? Guest: Henry Grabar , Slate staff wr...

At a White House summit late last week, some of the biggest names in tech - including Meta, Google and OpenAI - signed “voluntary” commitments to safeguard artificial intelligence. In Congress, Senate Leader Chuck Schumer recently introduced a “legislative framework” for A.I. law… but as they debate and deliberate, the A.I. train continues to move full steam ahead. It’s clear the government’s payi...

Country music’s Jason Aldean has been around for years. But he didn’t crack the Billboard Top 5 until he released “Try That in a Small Town” – a controversial hit that portrays American city living as a gauntlet of violence and crime. CMT pulled down the song’s video, which featured Aldean singing at a former lynching site. But “Try That” is more popular than ever. Why? And what does its ubiquity...

This week, Israel’s far-right coalition government voted to strip the Supreme Court of the power to overturn “unreasonable” government actions and appointments. Protesters and experts alike worry it's the first step in a broader push towards gutting the judiciary altogether. Is Israel on the brink of authoritarianism?  Guest: Yair Rosenberg , staff writer at The Atlantic, author of its “ Deep Shte...

The Justice Department just sued the state of Texas over a floating barrier in the Rio Grande. It’s also investigating accusations from a state trooper that agents were told to push a group of migrants - including children - back into the water. What is happening at the southern border? And how did it get so dire?   Guest: Ben Wermund, Washington correspondent for the Houston Chronicle and San Ant...

Around the United States and around the world, people are suing their governments and governments are suing fossil fuel companies over the changing climate—revealing what they knew and when they knew it. But even if these lawsuits succeed, what difference can they make for a problem with a literal global scale? Guest: Dharna Noor , fossil fuels and climate reporter at The Guardian . If you enjoy t...

When the tech industry started rounds of layoffs this year, almost half of the people let go were women—even though they make up a much smaller percentage of the workforce. What does this say about women in tech, and efforts to diversify the industry overall? Guest: Emma Goldberg , a reporter who covers the future of work for the New York Times. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up f...

To keep places like Phoenix habitable, we need to have air-conditioning. But to have air-conditioning, we need a functional, modern electrical grid. With America’s grid already aging—and more demand coming in the form of electric cars and more A/C for hotter weather—what will it take to keep it going as the weather gets more extreme?  Guest: Dr. Joshua Rhodes , research scientist at the University...

The Senate Judiciary Committee is considering a code of ethics for the Supreme Court—but Chief Justice John Roberts doesn’t believe they have the right to impose one. But with the Court’s legitimacy in question - and its popularity down the tubes - who should hold the Justices accountable?  Guest: Judge Jeremy Fogel, executive director of the Berkeley Judicial Institute. If you enjoy this show, pl...

Even with Congress famously gridlocked, it reliably passes the National Defense Authorization Act. But this year, hardline conservative Republicans in the House of Representatives added amendment after amendment that were less concerned with national defense and more in line with their own culture war grievances.  How can a government function when even the simple things become impossible?  Guest:...

Actor Lea DeLaria knew Orange is the New Black was a hit. But Netflix made sure their paychecks didn’t reflect it. Fast forward ten years and this business model is the norm for nearly all working American actors. So now, the actors are joining the writers on strike, something that hasn’t happened in Hollywood since 1960, when television was the new, upstart technology. Today the double strike is...

You can be forgiven for not thinking of Vermont as a place prone to catastrophic flooding. But as the climate changes, we have update our expectations—and our floodplain maps.  Guest: Anna Weber , senior policy analyst focused on the current and future effects of flooding and sea level rise at the NRDC. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benef...

Pedestrian deaths in America have been rising for the last decade, while dropping in Europe and Japan. What makes the U.S. so dangerous for pedestrians? Guest: Jessie Singer , author of There Are No Accidents: The Deadly Rise of Injury and Disaster―Who Profits and Who Pays the Price .  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Contract negotiations between the Teamsters and UPS broke down last week and now a strike looms. With time running out, can both sides reach a deal?  Guest: Noam Scheiber , labor reporter 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 Prude...

Beat it, Barbie; outta the way, Oppenheimer—this summer’s biggest box office surprise is “The Sound of Freedom,” a low-budget search-and-rescue thriller that Hollywood doesn’t want you to see —or so the implication goes. Guests: Sam Adams , Slate senior editor Will Sommer , media reporter at the Washington Post and author of Trust the Plan The Rise of QAnon and the Conspiracy That Unhinged America...

Despite holding only twelve percent of Americans, the state of California is home to nearly one-third of the nation’s people experiencing homelessness. A landmark study from UCSF—the California Statewide Study of People Experiencing Homelessness — produced an intimate look at who is living on the streets and in their cars in California, how they got there, and what actual aid would look like.  Gue...

The 4th of July was the hottest day yet—not just of the summer but of recorded human history . Between waves of Canadian wildfire smoke, malaria reappearing in the United States, and deaths from heat, this might be the year that we’re forced to reckon with what life will be like on our newly hotter planet. Guest: Jeff Goodell , contributing writer at Rolling Stone and the author of the upcoming bo...

Moms for Liberty call themselves a “parent’s rights group,” but the Southern Poverty Law Center calls them an “anti-government extremist” group. Even if they don’t all have kids, these “moms” do have goals for the future of education in America—and quite a bit of clout. Guest: Kiera Butler , senior editor at Mother Jones reporting on how purveyors of disinformation target online communities of wom...

Andrew Tate’s gross mix of self-help, toxic masculinity and misogyny captured the minds of young boys on the internet. It also led to indictments in Romania on human trafficking and rape charges.   Guest: Lisa Miller , contributing editor at New York magazine. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast, bonu...

It seems like with each new Musk innovation, a new Twitter replacement appears in response. But Threads is backed by Meta and available in just a few clicks for an Instagram user. Could it be the one? Guest: Mike Isaac , technology reporter 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,...

The Biden administration’s plan to forgive federal student loan debt has been stalled, perhaps indefinitely, by the Supreme Court’s decision in Biden v. Nebraska .  Was their plan to help borrowers always doomed, or was there another way? And after the Roberts court delivered such a broad-sweeping decision, what options does Biden have left? Guest: Jed Shugerman , professor at Boston University Sc...

America’s winner-take-all electoral system casts third-party candidates as spoilers—but what would it take to open the door to not just a third party, but a fourth or more?  Guest: Lee Drutman, senior fellow in the Political Reform program at New America, author of Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop . If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits...

In honor of the holiday, enjoy this episode from our colleagues at Slow Burn. What Next resumes regular programming tomorrow. Anita Hill’s accusations launched urgent and heated conversations about racism and sexual harassment. They also stoked an anger in Clarence Thomas that’s never stopped raging. Season 8 of Slow Burn is produced by Joel Anderson, Sophie Summergrad, Sam Kim, and Sofie Kodner....

Unpopular decisions and multiple scandals involving lavish, undisclosed gifts from conservative megadonors have the Supreme Court handing down decisions under a cloud of public outcry and controversy—but that hasn’t stopped the conservative majority from acting just as hardline as its critics feared.  Guest: Mark Joseph Stern , court watcher and senior writer at Slate. If you enjoy this show, plea...