What Next | Daily News and Analysis

If you’re watching the Leaving Neverland documentary about Michael Jackson’s alleged child sexual abuse, you probably want to talk to someone about it: What it left out, what it wants to accomplish, and how it complicates our view of victimhood. Guest: Slate senior writer Seth Stevenson . Tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or sending an email to whatnext@slate.com . Follo...

For years now, survivors of Catholic clergy sexual abuse have sought accountability at the local level, taking claims to their parish or bishop. But the Roman Catholic Church is a global institution, and experts say its cover-up of child abuse reaches the upper echelons of church leadership. What would it take to go after the Vatican?    Guest: Marci Hamilton , founder of CHILD USA . This episode...

Last fall, doctors from all over America took to social media with the hashtag #ThisIsMyLane (or #ThisIsOurLane). They sent pictures of themselves in blood-drenched scrubs and shared stories of treating victims of shootings. They were responding to a tweet from the NRA chiding them for speaking out about gun violence. Who are these doctors who have seen the worst results of gun violence—and still...

On today’s show, host April Glaser looks at the continuing battle between Tesla CEO Elon Musk and the Securities and Exchange Commision. Earlier this week, the SEC asked a judge to hold Musk in contempt for tweets he’s made about Tesla’s performance. The SEC says Musk violated a settlement he reached with the commission last year, which required him to have his tweets reviewed before sending them....

It started as a simple lesson in civil rights and ended as a bill President Trump signed into law. How did a class of New Jersey high school students create a piece of legislation to help solve civil rights crimes? Guests: Oslene Johnson, former student at Hightstown High School. Stuart Wexler, history teacher at Hightstown High School. Tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts...

As violence erupts on the Venezuelan border, Vice President Mike Pence makes his way to Colombia to reaffirm American support for the opposition leader, Juan Guaido. How far is the U.S. willing to go? And will this be remembered as the weekend everything changed? Guest: Ana Vanessa Herrero, reporter at the New York Times. Joshua Keating, international editor at Slate. Tell us what you think by lea...

Chicago’s mayoral election is Tuesday. The race has been crowded, contentious, and very much shaped by the Laquan McDonald case. Guest: Jamie Kalven , a journalist with the Invisible Institute . Tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or sending an email to whatnext@slate.com . Follow us on Instagram for updates on the show. Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jayson De Leon, a...

As Democrats try to find an economic message that can win in 2020, a group of like-minded millionaires is making the rounds, telling any politicians who will listen, “We want to pay more in taxes.” Why now? Guest: Morris Pearl, chair of Patriotic Millionaires . Tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or sending an email to whatnext@slate.com . Follow us on Instagram for update...

A scientist on the outer fringes of his field has been patiently making the case that the U.S. government applies far too conservative controls on toxins in the environment. Now, he’s trying to implement his ideas at the EPA -- by writing a sweeping new rule that could make the agency unable to regulate pollution & other contaminants. Guest: Susanne Rust , reporter for the Los Angeles Times. R...

On today’s show, host Will Oremus looks at the fallout from Amazon’s announcement last week that they’re abandoning plans for a new headquarters in New York City. Some celebrated it as a victory; others mourned a missed opportunity; still others were mad that Amazon took its ball and went home, rather than negotiating a fairer deal. Then, April Glaser talks with Faine Greenwood from the Harvard Hu...

People who believe the fraternity system is broken have been trying every which way to force changes -- something, anything, to stop the parade of injuries, sexual assaults, and deaths that have happened at frat houses. Last week, we saw yet another attempt to change frat culture -- this time in a lawsuit filed against Yale University. On Wednesday's show, how have fraternities evaded comeuppance...

Voters during the 2018 midterms favored the expansion of Medicaid, but it’s being met with some pushback by conservative legislators. What can Utah’s Medicaid episode teach us about how health care fights may roll out over the coming years? Guests: Utah 25th District Rep. Joel Briscoe. Rachana Pradhan, health care reporter for Politico. Eric Eddings, co-host of The Nod . Tell us what you think by...

The Green New Deal brought attention back to the idea of high-speed rail in America. This week California squandered it. What lessons should Americans be taking from the failed high-speed rail project in California? Guest: Henry Grabar, staff writer at Slate. Tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or sending an email to whatnext@slate.com . Follow us on Instagram for updates...

After the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, we saw a group of students speed through the stages of grief and go directly to action. One year later, have they made any lasting changes to the gun control debate? Guest: Dave Cullen, author of Parkland . Tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or sending an email to whatnext@slate.com . Follow us on Instagram for updates on th...

On today’s show, hosts April Glaser and Will Oremus talk about the implications from last week’s bizarre, but also serious, showdown between Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and American Media INC, the owner of the Trump-friendly National Enquirer. Bezos claimed the Enquirer was blackmailing him by threatening to release private and quite racy photos between him and the woman he was having an affair with. Be...

President Donald Trump called on Rep. Ilhan Omar to resign after her anti-Semitic remarks this past weekend. She has since apologized, but the episode revealed a bigger problem that is bound to keep rearing its head for the Democratic Party: its stance on Israel. Guest: Joshua Keating, Slate's International Affairs Writer. Tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or sending an...

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Reporters in South Carolina schlepped to all 46 courthouses in the state to document every civil asset forfeiture case in a three-year period. What they found was an impossibly flawed law that rewards bad police-work. Guests: Anna Lee , reporter for the Greenville News. Read the paper’s series, TAKEN . David Smith, a lawyer and defender of civil asset forfeiture laws, when properly applied. Tell u...

Virginia is in chaos as racist stunts and allegations of sexual assault threaten to upend the political careers of four top state officials. How did we get here? It all started with a debate over an abortion bill. Guest: Anna North , senior reporter for Vox. Read her story on what the nasty politicking has to do with abortion rights. Tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or...

Inaugurations are ethically dubious in the best of times. So why is the Trump inaugural committee under investigation? Consider the scale of the swindle. Guest: Ilya Marritz , co-host of Trump Inc. , a podcast produced by WNYC and ProPublica. Tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or sending an email to whatnext@slate.com . Follow us on Instagram for updates on the show. Podc...

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It was a long speech that often meandered from pleas for bipartisanship to accusations of “ridiculous partisan investigations.” What do we make of this state of the union? Plus, it’s anyone’s guess what 'Medicare for All' really means on the 2020 campaign trail. Guests: Jim Newell, Politics Writer at Slate. And, Jordan Weissmann, Slate’s Senior Business and Economics Correspondent. Tell us what yo...

Larry Krasner promised a sea change when he was elected to serve as Philadelphia’s district attorney. It should surprise no one that his policies are making waves. Guest: Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Chris Palmer . Read his story about Krasner’s first year in office . Tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or sending an email to whatnext@slate.com . Follow us on Instagram f...

There's a new prosecutor in St. Louis County taking on decades of racial injustice. How will Wesley Bell, buoyed by the political movement after the death of Michael Brown, deliver on his progressive promises? Tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or sending an email to whatnext@slate.com. Follow us on Instagram for updates on the show. Podcast production by Mary Wilson, Jay...

The latest measles outbreak in the Pacific-Northwest is a self-inflicted wound. One that Texans, and Americans alike, should all pay attention to. Guest: Dr. Peter J. Hotez, co-director of the Texas Children's Hospital Center for Vaccine Development. Tell us what you think by leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or sending an email to whatnext@slate.com. Follow us on Instagram for updates on the sho...