What Next | Daily News and Analysis

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...

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.  If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate...

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 adv...

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 c...

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. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus members get benefits like zero ads on any Slate podcast,...

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 a...

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...

A conversation with one of the smartest First Amendment lawyers in the country. Guest: Jameel Jaffer Host: Lizzie O'Leary Thanks  Avast.com ! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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...

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 . If...

Michigan state Senator Mallory McMorrow went viral in April for striking back at an extreme characterization made by a Republican colleague. The video of McMorrow’s speech—viewed over 14 million times—tells a bigger story about how national political rhetoric is affecting local political debates. But is the senator really demonstrating how to reset the terms of debate? Or is she just one more pers...

The body of 18-year-old Debanhi Escobar was discovered in late April, inside a water tank in a motel on the outskirts of Monterrey, Mexico—weeks after she went missing. The identity of her killer is still unknown. The case has prompted a national outcry over the Mexican government’s consistent failure to deliver justice for missing women. But femicide in Mexico isn’t new, and past protests haven’t...

Can Starlink ever fulfill its promise of connecting the world, especially places left behind by traditional internet? Or will it be just another toy for the rich?  Guest: Meaghan Tobin , reporter at Rest of World Host: Lizzie O'Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Twitter is the platform of choice for politicians, journalists, academics, and many other agenda-setters. Twitter influences conversations that take place in newsrooms and statehouses. What happens if the company’s placed in the hands of a pugnacious, provocative plutocrat like Elon Musk? Guest: Will Oremus , tech reporter for the Washington Post Host: Seth Stevenson Hosted on Acast. See acast.com...

People may want to throw their masks in the trash, but in communities with the highest COVID-19 mortality rates, the pandemic is not over. Guest: Dr. Don Garcia , medical director at Clínica Romero in Los Angeles.  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 Pr...

Federal law guarantees that students with disabilities have access to special educators. But widespread teacher shortages mean that these students are often being taught by people without the mandated qualifications – or by no one at all. Guest: Dylan Peers McCoy is an investigative reporter on WFYI’s education team. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for Slate Plus. Slate Plus mem...

How one spokesperson with an itchy Twitter-finger is sparking a moral panic. Guest: Ben Mathis-Lilley , a senior writer at 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 work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slat...

Carolyn Foote was furious when Republican lawmakers in Texas singled out hundreds of books about race or sexuality for removal from school libraries. So she and a group of other librarians stepped into the fray to push back against what they see as harmful censorship. Guest: Carolyn Foote , former librarian for schools outside Austin, Texas. If you enjoy this show, please consider signing up for S...

The conflict between Ukraine and Russia is uncovering new wartime applications for facial recognition technology. Guest: Aric Toler , director of research and training at Bellingcat Host: Lizzie O'Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are we facing down yet another COVID wave right now? Does it matter? Guest: Katherine Wu, staff writer for The Atlantic Host: Lizzie O'Leary Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bill Browder has been sounding the alarm about Vladimir Putin for decades. Formerly one of Russia’s largest foreign investors, Browder has made it his life's work to expose corruption in the country. Unsurprisingly, he’s one of Putin's personal targets. Browder believes that money is what's really driving the war in Ukraine. Guest: Bill Browder , founder and CEO of Hermitage Capital Management. Br...

Pro-immigration advocates had high hopes when the Biden administration came to office that some of the harsher policies imposed by Trump would ease. Instead, immigration policy has been a mess inside the White House. The move to rescind Title 42 – a health policy that the Trump administration used to restrict migration at the U.S.-Mexico border is now further dividing Democrats.  Guest: Tyler Mora...