What Next | Daily News and Analysis

Immigration and Customs Enforcement played an outsized role in manifesting Trump’s hard-line immigration policies. How might ICE change under Biden? Guest: Hamed Aleaziz , immigration reporter at BuzzFeed News. Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

All year, we’ve seen how COVID-19 surges can persuade state officials to take the pandemic seriously. But the resistance in Florida is something special: There, Governor Ron DeSantis has been particularly opposed to sharing case data or imposing measures to minimize viral spread. Guest: Mary Ellen Klas , reporter for the Miami Herald.  Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feed...

Recently, one of the world’s leading AI ethics researchers, Timnit Gebru, left Google. Google says she resigned. Timnit says she was fired. In the days since, Timnit’s departure has turned into a public relations crisis for the search giant, prompting its CEO to issue a public apology.  What happened behind the scenes at Google that led to Timnit’s dismissal?  Guest: Timnit Gebru , AI ethics resea...

Recently, one of the world’s leading AI ethics researchers, Timnit Gebru, left Google. Google says she resigned. Timnit says she was fired. In the days since, Timnit’s departure has turned into a public relations crisis for the search giant, prompting its CEO to issue a public apology.  What happened behind the scenes at Google that led to Timnit’s dismissal?  Guest: Timnit Gebru , AI ethics resea...

After months of anticipation, the first FDA-authorized coronavirus vaccine has begun distribution. But even with an effective vaccine in hand, big questions remain. How are vaccines being distributed? And with so many lives on the line, who gets it first? Guest: Sarah Owermohle , reporter for Politico and the Prescription Pulse newsletter .  Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcas...

This week, the FTC and more than 40 state attorneys general brought antitrust lawsuits against Facebook. And they’re not pulling their punches. They are calling for Facebook to spin off Instagram and WhatsApp into independent companies. In other words, breakup. The lawsuits represent some of the most significant antitrust action in the United States in the last 40 years. Will they get results? Gue...

This week, the FTC and more than 40 state attorneys general brought antitrust lawsuits against Facebook. And they’re not pulling their punches. They are calling for Facebook to spin off Instagram and WhatsApp into independent companies. In other words, breakup. The lawsuits represent some of the most significant antitrust action in the United States in the last 40 years. Will they get results? Gue...

As Joe Biden assembles his cabinet, he has an opportunity to remake America’s image on the global stage. What if the US was seen as a cooperative partner rather than a big-footed global leader?  Guest: Peter Beinart , contributing opinion writer to the New York Times and editor-at-large for Jewish Currents .  Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on A...

Teachers unions are catching flack for obstructing a return to in-person school. The president of the American Federation of Teachers, Randi Weingarten, says teachers want to be in school. The question still is, can it be done safely?  Guest: Randi Weingarten , President of the American Federation of Teachers.  Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on...

As COVID ravages the American plains, the Cherokee nation stands alone – an example of how government might work to contain the virus. The tribe long ago gave up waiting for the federal government to come through on its promise of fully-funded health care, and invested in state-of-the-art healthcare infrastructure, just in time. But as winter sets in, Chief Chuck Hoskin, Jr. worries his community...

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the NFL has asserted that they would continue with their regular season this fall. They’ve kept their word. They’ve also had significant outbreaks -- and the virus keeps interrupting the season. What explains the NFL’s determination to white-knuckle it through the year?  Guest: Bomani Jones , host of The Right Time with Bomani Jones podcast, from ESPN.  Hosted...

Ransomware attacks--when hackers break into digital systems, encrypt files, and demand payment to unlock them, isn’t new. But 2020 has seen an explosion in the frequency of these hacks, which are often targeted at schools and hospitals. Who is behind this recent spate of attacks? And is there anything schools and hospitals can do to protect themselves? Guests: Jessica Beyer , teacher at Baltimore...

Ransomware attacks--when hackers break into digital systems, encrypt files, and demand payment to unlock them, isn’t new. But 2020 has seen an explosion in the frequency of these hacks, which are often targeted at schools and hospitals. Who is behind this recent spate of attacks? And is there anything schools and hospitals can do to protect themselves? Guests: Jessica Beyer , teacher at Baltimore...

In the last month, multiple drug companies have announced highly effective vaccines for the coronavirus. But getting everyone vaccinated will be a challenge - not just logistically, but also from a PR standpoint. With distribution on the horizon, how can we build vaccine trust? Guest: Heidi Larson , director of the Vaccine Confidence Project and author of Stuck: How Vaccine Rumors Start -- and Why...

The assasination of a top Iranian nuclear scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh has made a difficult situation even harder for the incoming Biden administration. Re-entering the Iran nuclear agreement was already going to be an uphill battle. Now, as tensions mount, only a big swing might save the day. Guest: Trita Parsi, co-founder and Executive Vice president of the Quincy Institute for Responsible State...

Janet Yellen’s is a name most Americans will recognize, even if they’re not quite sure why. She’s the former chair of the Federal Reserve and the former chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, and now, she’s been nominated to serve as Joe Biden’s Treasury Secretary.  If confirmed, Yellen will assume her new role during one of the greatest economic crises in a century. How would she guide Biden...

North Dakota has the highest COVID-19 case rate in the country. As infections spiked, contact tracers struggled to keep up. Eventually, their bosses told them to stop trying.  Guest: Kailee Leingang, a nursing student and contact tracer in Grand Forks, North Dakota.  Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inform...

A Hyde Park store owner supported his neighborhood through a pandemic this spring. The favor was returned during a summer of protests. But this winter will be tough. Guest: Eric Williams, owner of The Silver Room . Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Danielle Hewitt, and Elena Schwartz, with help from Frannie Kelley. Host...

The 2020 election has a lot of Democrats asking: What happened? As it turns out, it’s a question one outgoing member of Congress has been asking herself, too. Guest: U.S. Representative Donna Shalala , Democrat from Florida.  Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The last bout of the fight for the U.S. Senate runs through Georgia. And this time, no one has any reason to pull punches.  Guest: Greg Bluestein , reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution .  Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Joe Biden takes office in two months, the federal government will take on a new stance in its fight to contain the coronavirus. The broad strokes of that strategy have been outlined in debates and on campaign websites, but now the real work begins. Two weeks ago, the president-elect appointed a team of 13 advisers to answer some key questions. How can the new government win the trust of the 7...

When Joe Biden takes office in two months, the federal government will take on a new stance in its fight to contain the coronavirus. The broad strokes of that strategy have been outlined in debates and on campaign websites, but now the real work begins. Two weeks ago, the president-elect appointed a team of 13 advisers to answer some key questions. How can the new government win the trust of the 7...

There are two basic camps of thought when it comes to upholding the norms and laws that the Trump administration has broken. On the one hand: How will these norms and laws ever be respected again, if President Trump and the people around him are not investigated, and possibly charged, for any abuses? One the other hand: Could additional investigations into Trump tear the country apart? Guest: Dahl...

Joe Biden and his chief of staff have negotiated a massive fiscal stimulus package before. How should the incoming administration regard the 2009 Recovery Act -- as a blueprint, or a cautionary tale? Guest: Mike Grunwald , senior writer for Politico Magazine and author of The New New Deal: The Hidden Story of Change in the Obama Era .  Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feed...

Bob Moore has covered all kinds of crises as a journalist in El Paso, Texas. But the COVID-19 surge is enough to make him crack. There’s a time for dispassionate journalism. This isn’t it.  Guest: Bob Moore, founder of El Paso Matters . Slate Plus members get bonus segments and ad-free podcast feeds. Sign up now. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.