What Next | Daily News and Analysis

Latest Episodes:

2022 Retrospective | Dua Lipa’s Copyright Problem Dec 22, 2022

Show notes

This week we look back on some of our favorite stories from a year that had us asking—sometimes with excitement and sometimes with exasperation—"What Next”? This episode originally aired March 29.

After more than 70 weeks on the Billboard U.S. Hot 100, Dua Lipa and her song “Levitating” have run into trouble: two separate copyright complaints claiming the pop star ripped off other artists in writing her hit. These aren’t the first lawsuits to test the boundaries of what counts as plagiarism in the musical realm; and if either suit succeeds, it will have far-reaching consequences for creativity in the industry.

Guest: Jeremy Orosz, associate professor of music theory at the University of Memphis.

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 slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

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

2022 Retrospective | How Soccer's Best Women Finally Got Paid Dec 21, 2022

Show notes

This week we look back on some of our favorite stories from a year that had us asking—sometimes with excitement and sometimes with exasperation—"What Next”? This episode originally aired June 1.

If you want to understand the way inequality is baked into the systems and structures all around us, examining the pay equity issue in U.S. soccer is a pretty good place to start. But after a six-year battle, the U.S. Women’s National Team struck an agreement with U.S. Soccer, ensuring equal pay for equal work for the men’s and women’s teams — another victory for a team that doesn’t take no for an answer.

Guest: Christina Cauterucci, senior writer at Slate and a former middle school soccer star.

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

2022 Retrospective | Amazon Gets Its First Union Dec 20, 2022

Show notes

Few were betting that a group of workers on Staten Island could win union recognition at their Amazon warehouse. Now that they’ve done it, can they replicate this win at other shops across the country? And what will the nation’s largest unions do to help Amazon workers join the labor movement?

Guest: Steven Greenhouse, senior fellow at the Century Foundation and author of Beaten Down, Worked Up: The Past, Present, and Future of American Labor.

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

2022 Retrospective | What the Sackler Family Won Dec 19, 2022

Show notes

This week we look back on some of our favorite stories from a year that had us asking—sometimes with excitement and sometimes with exasperation—"What Next?" This episode originally aired March 21.

A very strange bankruptcy case is coming to a close. Its settlement hinges not on payments rendered or bills neglected, but on the pain of millions of American families who slid into the jaws of the opioid crisis. Now, the people who set off the crisis are about to settle their debts.

Guest: Brian Mann, reporter on addiction for NPR.

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

Are You Ready For Lab-Grown Meat? Dec 18, 2022

Show notes

The Food and Drug Administration gave an important thumbs up to lab-grown chicken, which means we could start seeing it in stores as soon as next year. While billions of dollars have been spent developing lab-grown meat, important questions remain: Is the production of it actually greener than raising livestock? Can it be made affordably? Is it healthy? And will anyone eat it?

Guest: Chloe Sorvino, staff writer on food and agriculture at Forbes, and the author of Raw Deal: Hidden Corruption, Corporate Greed and the Fight for the Future of Meat.

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

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

SBF's Worst Week Yet Dec 16, 2022

Show notes

Even in a crazy year for crypto, Sam Bankman-Fried’s story is undeniably the most bananas. And even in the context of the implosion of FTX, getting arrested has got to make this week his worst yet. What charges does SBF face?

Guest: Stacy-Marie Ishmael, managing editor on crypto for Bloomberg News

Host: Lizzie O’Leary

Sponsored by Saks.com. Check out the Holiday Gift Guide on saks.com

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

Germany Cribs From the QAnon Playbook Dec 15, 2022

Show notes

The Reichsbürger movement is the group behind the plot to overthrow the German government that was disrupted last week. Their grievances are both specific to their country—that the German government is illegitimate and the Reich needs to be reestablished—and familiar to right-wing extremist watchers in the U.S.. They have been radicalized by lockdowns, vaccine requirements, and Qanon. How is this American conspiracy exporting itself?

Guest: Josh Keating, global security reporter at Grid focused on conflict, diplomacy, and foreign policy.

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 Amicus—and you’ll be supporting the work we do here on What Next. Sign up now at slate.com/whatnextplus to help support our work.

Sponsored by Saks.com. Check out the Holiday Gift Guide on saks.com

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

Inside the Right-Wing Judicial Machine Dec 14, 2022

Show notes

Since its founding in the 1980s, the Federalist Society has been advancing right-wing judges through the American judicial system. One of their most ardent critics called up a member to talk about how.

Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, Slate senior writer.

Sponsored by Saks.com. Check out the Holiday Gift Guide on saks.com

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

The Magic of Messi Dec 13, 2022

Show notes

Argentina and Croatia face off in the World Cup semifinals today, and all eyes are on Lionel Messi. At 35, Messi is trying to put a cap on a legendary career and bring a World Cup championship to his home country.

How did he get to the top of the soccer world? And what will be his legacy if Argentina loses?

Guest: Jasmine Garsd Garcia, host of NPR’s soccer podcast “The Last Cup.”

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

The Last Time NYC Tried to Hospitalize the Homeless Dec 12, 2022

Show notes

In an effort to address New York’s growing problem of unhoused people living on the streets, Mayor Eric Adams announced that the city would start involuntarily hospitalizing people. It’s a strategy the city tried back in the ‘80s as well. Why didn’t it work then?

Guest: Sam Tsemberis, founder and executive director of Pathways to Housing, and associate clinical professor of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at UCLA.

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

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

What Next | Daily News and Analysis

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected