What Next | Daily News and AnalysisDaily News

What Next | Daily News and Analysis


What Next | Daily News and Analysis

Main Character: Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs

Fri, 06 Jun 2025
Sean Diddy Combs’s trial in New York started about a month ago and was expected to take about two months, so here at the halfway mark, we check in with a Slate correspondent who has been on the scene at the courthouse.

Guest: Nadira Goffe, staff writer of culture at Slate.

This episode is member-exclusive. Listen to it now by subscribing to Slate Plus. By joining, not only will you unlock exclusive episodes of What Next —you’ll also access ad-free listening across all your favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the What Next show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. Or, visit slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, Ethan Oberman, and Rob Gunther.


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TBD | Is Palantir Building a Data Big Brother?

Fri, 06 Jun 2025
One of the goals of DOGE was to get rid of the “silos” that keep government agencies from sharing freely amongst themselves efficiently and instead organize data using tools offered by companies like Palantir. The thing is, a lot of those silos are there by design, and removing them could be a nightmare for privacy advocates. 



Guest: Sheera Frenkel, tech reporter for the New York Times.

Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

She Was Tortured. America Shut Her Out.

Thu, 05 Jun 2025
Since January, the Trump administration has suspended the right to claim asylum at the southern border. One narrower form of protection—for those who had been tortured by their governments—was supposed to remain. But lawyers have realized that even that appears to be gone.

Guest:  Mark Betancourt, freelance reporter covering immigration from DC, who wrote “This Ethiopian Woman Was Tortured by Her Government. The US is Sending Her Home Anyway” for KQED.

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Ethan Oberman, Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, Isabel Angell, and Rob Gunther.


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Can Zionism Survive This War?

Wed, 04 Jun 2025
After 20 months of war, with violence erupting far from the Middle East, where is the future of Zionism headed?

Guest:  Isaac Saul, Tangle executive editor and author of “I think I’m leaving Zionism, or Zionism is leaving me.”

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Ethan Oberman, Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, Isabel Angell, and Rob Gunther.


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

George Floyd Square, Five Years Later

Tue, 03 Jun 2025
Five years after George Floyd’s murder sparked nationwide protests, the legacy of that movement is still being written in Minneapolis and America writ large—even as some attempt to erase it.

Guest:  

Marcia Howard, president of the teacher chapter of Minneapolis Federation of Teachers

Brandt Williams, senior editor covering race, class and communities for MPR News.  

Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe today on Apple Podcasts by clicking “Try Free” at the top of our show page. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to get access wherever you listen.

Podcast production by Ethan Oberman, Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, Isabel Angell, and Rob Gunther.


Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Send Message to What Next | Daily News and Analysis

Unverified Podcast
Is this your Podcast? Claim It!

Podcaster File What Next | Daily News and Analysis

Reviews for What Next | Daily News and Analysis