Ketamine has gone from a recreational psychedelic to an approved treatment, and it has caught on in Silicon Valley in a big way. Are the long-term effects of using ketamine—recreationally or therapeutically—sufficiently known? Are we witnessing them right now? Guest: Shayla Love , staff writer for the Atlantic. 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 click...
Mar 30, 2025•22 min
Ketamine has gone from a recreational psychedelic to an approved treatment, and it has caught on in Silicon Valley in a big way. Are the long-term effects of using ketamine—recreationally or therapeutically—sufficiently known? Are we witnessing them right now? Guest: Shayla Love , staff writer for the Atlantic. 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 click...
Mar 30, 2025•22 min
Memecoins are a niche type of cryptocurrency with no intrinsic value. But they remain a popular form of crypto, as seen earlier this year with President Trump’s own memecoin. And if it worked for him, then why not our little podcast? Guests: Azeem Khan , advisor to UNICEF’s crypto fund and cocreator of the blockchain Morph. Nitish Pahwa , Slate staff writer covering business and tech. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and a...
Mar 28, 2025•27 min
How former congressman and Air Force veteran, Adam Kinzinger interprets the leaked Signal chat of top Trump administration officials discussing a military strike on Houthi targets. Guest: Adam Kinzinger , former Republican Congressman for Illinois’s 11th and 16th districts who served on the January 6th select committee, and author of Renegade: Defending Democracy and Liberty in Our Divided Country . Want more What Next? Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to What Next and all your oth...
Mar 27, 2025•26 min
Trump’s attempted elimination of the Department of Education has left more than 40 million Americans with student loans wondering how their repayment plans will be affected—and future college students wondering what options will exist when it’s time to go to school. Guest: Danielle Douglas-Gabriel, higher education reporter at the Washington Post . Want more What Next? Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to What Next and all your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe direct...
Mar 26, 2025•24 min
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Bernie Sanders are holding packed rallies on their “Fighting Oligarchy” tour. The energy is there, but what is the message and how could it translate to a win for the down-and-out Democratic Party? Guest: David Weigel, national political reporter at Semafor . Want more What Next? Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to What Next and all your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the What Next show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify ...
Mar 25, 2025•24 min
The Trump administration is using federal money—and the withholding thereof—as a way to bring universities like Columbia and Penn to heel. But institutes of higher education have not yet begun to fight, and when they do, they’ve got strong legal arguments against incursions on their academic freedom. Guest: Lee Bollinger, president emeritus, Columbia University Want more What Next? Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to What Next and all your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can sub...
Mar 24, 2025•26 min
During his first term, President Trump and Jeff Bezos openly sparred with each other. During this second administration, though, it seems like Bezos is trying to endear himself - and his companies - to the White House. So what changed? Guest: Dana Mattioli, reporter for the Wall Street Journal and the author of The Everything War: Amazon’s Ruthless Quest to Own the World and Remake Corporate Power . Special thanks to David Maraniss. Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-f...
Mar 23, 2025•26 min
The National Institutes of Health is the primary engine of biomedical research around the world, which makes the Trump administration's dramatic cuts to its grant program both confusing and potentially incredibly harmful. Guest: Katherine J. Wu, staff writer for the Atlantic . 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 sh...
Mar 21, 2025•26 min
The economy that Donald Trump inherited from Joe Biden had low unemployment, slowing inflation, and a growing GDP. So what is he trying to achieve by imposing heavy tariffs on our allies and trading partners? Guest: Stephanie Ruhle , NBC business analyst and the host of MSNBC's The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle. Want more What Next? Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to What Next and all your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the What Next show page on A...
Mar 20, 2025•26 min
Mass deportations were a big part of Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and now in office, he’s making good on the wide-sweeping aspects of his policy, though the numbers aren’t yet massive. Most recently, he’s justified these actions through the 1798 Alien Enemies Act which only applies during wartime. When a judge attempted to halt the deportations to evaluate this use of the rarely-utilized law, Trump called for him to be impeached. Guest: Michelle Hackman, U.S. immigration policy repo...
Mar 19, 2025•27 min
Educational, entertaining, and about as universally beloved as any part of American life, how did Sesame Street find itself cutting staff and searching for a new broadcasting home? Guest: David Kamp, author of Sunny Days: The Children's Television Revolution That Changed America Want more What Next? Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to What Next and all your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the What Next show page on Apple Podcasts and Spotify . Or, vis...
Mar 18, 2025•25 min
Last week, Democrats averted a government shutdown—by voting for a MAGA-friendly Continuing Resolution, which may have just handed even greater power to Trump. Why? Guest: Josh Marshall , editor-in-chief of Talking Points Memo Want more What Next? Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to What Next and all your other 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 ...
Mar 17, 2025•24 min
With a Trump-friendly Supreme Court and a contentious relationship with the press, could Donald Trump follow through on his 2016 campaign goal of making it easier to sue media companies for libel—and imperil America’s free press? Guest: David Enrich, business investigations editor at the New York Times and author of “ Murder The Truth. ” 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...
Mar 16, 2025•26 min
From television, to a royal wedding…and back to TV, Meghan Markle is carving out her own niche. Guest: Candice Lim and Kate Lindsay, cohosts of Slate’s ICYMI . 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/wha...
Mar 14, 2025•3 min
The public’s anger towards Elon Musk and DOGE has found an outlet in the form of Musk’s car company Tesla. How long can the company put up with a sinking reputation and stock price? Guest: Pranshu Verma, tech reporter for the Washington Post . 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/...
Mar 14, 2025•23 min
DOGE cuts have already hit Social Security, with offices closing and employees fired. With Elon Musk calling the program a “Ponzi scheme” and saying entitlements are “the big one to eliminate,” this may be just the beginning of the unraveling of the trusted safety net that millions of Americans rely on. Guest: Joe Perticone, political reporter at The Bulwark . Want more What Next? Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to What Next and all your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can subs...
Mar 13, 2025•26 min
The Trump administration’s approach to free speech, immigration, and due process all converge in a crackdown on Columbia University. Guest: Sarah Brown , news editor at the Chronicle for Higher Education. Want more What Next? Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to What Next and all your other 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 produc...
Mar 12, 2025•27 min
Andrew Cuomo—the hard-headed former governor of New York state —became something of a national hero in 2020 with his no-nonsense press conferences. By 2021, he was mired in a sexual misconduct scandal and the fallout from a public health disaster. How is he polling so well in the Democratic primary for New York’s mayoral race? Guest: Jimmy Vielkind , New York politics reporter for WNYC. Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and acr...
Mar 11, 2025•23 min
They were three Harris-supporting women, from across the country, all married to Trump-supporting men—and they were all contemplating divorce. Guest: Scaachi Koul , Slate senior writer who wrote about women considering leaving their husbands over their support for Donald Trump and the author of Sucker Punch . Want more What Next? Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to What Next and all your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the What Next show page on Apple...
Mar 10, 2025•24 min
After the election, Mark Zuckerberg announced that he was doing away with Facebook’s fact-checking apparatus in the US. With content creators getting paid based on reach, and content spreading wider and faster the more extreme it is, is Facebook the perfect environment for misinformation to flourish? Guest: Craig Silverman , technology reporter for ProPublica. 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 po...
Mar 09, 2025•27 min
To understand the second Trump administration, you have to understand the internet culture that gave birth to it. Guest: Elle Reeve , CNN correspondent who reported on the 2017 Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, VA for Vice News. 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/whatnex...
Mar 07, 2025•28 min
Aware of Donald Trump’s reputation as a dealmaker, Ukrainians had some hope as he took office—maybe Trump could break the stalemate with Russia and find peace. Then that Oval Office meeting happened… Guest: Romeo Kokriatski is the managing editor of New Voice of Ukraine, and co-host of the podcast Ukraine Without Hype . Want more What Next? Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to What Next and all your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from the What Next show pa...
Mar 06, 2025•23 min
Republicans have been talking about cutting the size of the government down for decades. Now that the Trump administration is following through on those plans, the process is laying bare just how much pain this budget hacking is going to inflict on Americans and people across the globe. Guest: Jeffrey Okoro, executive director for CFK Africa, a non-profit focusing on public health and financial opportunities based in Nairobi, Kenya. Hannah Smith-Brubaker, farmer in central Pennsylvania and execu...
Mar 05, 2025•22 min
Congressional Republicans are trying to extend Trump’s first-term tax cuts, appease GOP budget hawks and increase defense spending—all in a single budget. Can it be done? Guest: Jim Newell , senior politics writer at Slate. Want more What Next? Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to What Next and all your other 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 lis...
Mar 04, 2025•25 min
A survey of people incarcerated in California found that 20 percent of women in for homicide had killed their abusive partners. How have self-defense laws failed women in abusive relationships—and how can they be reformed to save lives? Guest: Rachel Louise Snyder , journalist, author of No Visible Bruises: What We Don’t Know About Domestic Violence Can Kill Us , and professor at American University. Want more What Next? Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to What Next and all your ot...
Mar 03, 2025•31 min
Everyone’s talking about the price of eggs—so why are they so expensive? And when can we expect—if ever—the price to come back down? Guests: Dr. Jada Thompson, associate professor at the University of Arkansas 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 whereve...
Mar 02, 2025•19 min
Federal workers in the U.S. Digital Service resigned in protest over what they viewed as indiscriminate, irresponsible firings coming from the DOGE office. While lawsuits are entering the courts and protests are taking to the streets, will any of this make a difference to the chainsaw-minded leaders of DOGE? Guest: Ryan Mac, tech reporter at the New York Times and co-author of “ Character Limit: How Elon Musk Destroyed Twitter .” Want more What Next TBD? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free...
Feb 28, 2025•24 min
The ceasefire between Hamas and Israel has held since January 19. Now, the second phase—negotiating Gaza’s future—is supposed to begin. But anger over the deaths of hostages and intrusions into the West Bank aren’t going to make it easy. Guest: Yair Rosenberg , staff writer at The Atlantic and author of Deep Shtetl , a newsletter about the intersection of politics, culture, and religion. Want more What Next? Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to What Next and all your other favorite ...
Feb 27, 2025•26 min
In town halls from Oregon to Georgia, people are letting Republicans know just how angry they are about the dramatic cuts to the federal government. And their displeasure is starting to sink Trump’s approval rating. Guest: Greg Bluestein, political reporter for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution . Ben Mathis-Lilley, senior writer for Slate . Want more What Next? Join Slate Plus to unlock full, ad-free access to What Next and all your other favorite Slate podcasts. You can subscribe directly from t...
Feb 26, 2025•25 min
