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Who’s Winning the War on Higher Education? Sep 16, 2025

Show notes

Conservatives have decried higher education as a center of liberal indoctrination for decades, and under the second Trump administration, colleges and universities are watching their federal funding be withheld or frozen, their presidents step down, and professors lose their jobs.

What can be done to wrest back academic freedom and independence from a vindictive administration?

Guest: Sarah Brown, senior editor of the Chronicle of Higher Education.

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

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

Hasan Piker Knew Charlie Kirk Sep 15, 2025

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Hasan Piker was scheduled to debate Charlie Kirk at Dartmouth College later this month, a left-vs-right, Vidal-vs-Buckley for the streaming age. In the wake of Kirk’s shocking death, Piker wants to continue to be clear about who Kirk was, what he stood for, and the reactionary political project he was working to advance.

Guest: Hasan Piker, Twitch streamer and left-wing political commentator.

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

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

Her Daughter Killed Herself. Then She Saw the ChatGPT logs. Sep 14, 2025

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After their daughter committed suicide, they found her ChatGPT log—and where artificial intelligence helped her write her suicide note.

Guest: Laura Reiley, writer for the Cornell Chronicle.

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Bonus: “We Got Him” Sep 12, 2025

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On Friday, authorities announced they had a suspect – and they sure seemed confident they “got him” (to quote Utah Governor Spencer Cox). Mary and Slatester Luke Winkie discuss the press conference – and what happens now.

Guest: Luke Winkie, Slate staff writer.

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, and Rob Gunther.

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

You Can't Escape the Charlie Kirk Video Sep 12, 2025

Show notes

Graphic, violent videos like the shooting of right-wing pundit Charlie Kirk circulate across social media moments after they happen, finding an audience even among people who have made no effort to seek them out.

Guest: Craig Silverman, journalist and cofounder of Indicator.

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

How the Supreme Court Legalized Racial Profiling Sep 11, 2025

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How a Supreme Court decision from the shadow docket opens the door to racial profiling, creates a nightmare for millions of Latino Americans, and drains dwindling legitimacy from the court itself.

Guest: Mark Joseph Stern, senior writer covering courts and the law for Slate, and the co-host of Amicus.

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

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

Trump Blew Up 11 People. Is That Legal? Sep 10, 2025

Show notes

Last week, Donald Trump announced the military had blown up what he said was a drug-smuggling boat. This week, we still don’t know why he believes the boat was full of smugglers.

But even if they were trafficking drugs, can the president legally blow up 11 people in international waters?

Guests: Shane Harris, staff writer covering national security and intelligence for The Atlantic.

Ana Vanessa Herrero, journalist based in Caracas, Venezuela and reporting on South America for the Washington Post.

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

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

The Democrats Have Leverage. Will They Use It? Sep 09, 2025

Show notes

With Republicans holding both houses of Congress and the White House, Democrats don’t have a lot of ways to stall Donald Trump’s agenda—except for refusing to further fund the government and triggering a shutdown. They already passed on the opportunity once, but is the situation now so desperate that the opposition party needs to do something—anything?

Guest: Rep. Jamie Raskin, U.S. representative for Maryland's 8th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives

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

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

Can You Get a COVID Vaccine? Sep 08, 2025

Show notes

Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s tenure as HHS Secretary has meant turmoil for the CDC: thousands of employees have either been let go, or are unclear on their employment status; leadership has been stepping down; and there was a shooting at their Atlanta building in August. The result is RFK being yelled at in the Senate, thousands of CDC employees calling for his resignation, and a country less prepared for the next pandemic.

Guest: Apoorva Mandavilli, science and global health reporter at the New York Times.

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

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

End of an Electric Avenue Sep 07, 2025

Show notes

An Inflation Reduction Act subsidy for electric vehicles is being shut down by the Trump administration at the end of September, and automakers are preparing for sales of EVs to slow. Can this nascent industry survive?

Guest: Ryan Felton, reporter covering the automotive industry for the Wall Street Journal

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