What Next | Daily News and Analysis - The Flight Attendant Who Wants You to Go on Strike | 2025 in Review

All this week, What Next and What Next: TBD are re-airing some of our favorite conversations from throughout the year and checking back with the people in those conversations to see how things have – or haven’t – changed. This episode is from April.

The Trump administration’s actions on immigration and firing the federal workforce have drawn condemnation from all sorts of unions—from building trades to graduate students. What happens when labor speaks as one?

Guest: Sara Nelson, international president of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA, AFL–CIO.

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

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NPR's Book of the Day - Mahmood Mamdani’s ‘Slow Poison’ centers politics of belonging in postcolonial Uganda

Mahmood Mamdani — a professor of government at Columbia University and the father of Zohran Mamdani, NYC’s next mayor — has spent decades researching colonialism and its effects on the African continent. His work is both political and personal, influenced by his own experience in Uganda as an exiled citizen deemed nonindigenous by colonial structures. In today’s episode, Mamdani talks to NPR’s Leila Fadel about his newest book, Slow Poison, an account of colonial legacy in Uganda, the rise of the country’s modern autocrats, and the politics of belonging that surround it all.


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Global News Podcast - BBC speaks to civilians suffering in rebel-held Myanmar

The BBC has gained rare access to rebel-held parts of Myanmar, where thousands of civilians have been displaced in an air and ground offensive by the country's military government. The attacks in Myanmar's western Chin State come ahead of the country's first general election since the army overthrew the government in 2021. Also: Israel’s security cabinet officially recognises 19 settlements in the occupied West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law. And: Spaniards prepare for their annual Christmas lottery, known as "El Gordo". The Global News Podcast brings you the breaking news you need to hear, as it happens. Listen for the latest headlines and current affairs from around the world. Politics, economics, climate, business, technology, health – we cover it all with expert analysis and insight. Get the news that matters, delivered twice a day on weekdays and daily at weekends, plus special bonus episodes reacting to urgent breaking stories. Follow or subscribe now and never miss a moment. Get in touch: globalpodcast@bbc.co.uk

The Journal. - Drug Cartels’ New Weapon: Chinese Money Launderers

Federal officials say Chinese money launderers moved more than $300 billion in illicit transactions through U.S. banks and other financial institutions in recent years. WSJ’s Dylan Tokar explores the rise of these highly lucrative schemes and former federal prosecutor Julie Shemitz takes us inside the federal investigation to bring them down. Ryan Knutson hosts.

Further Listening:


- The Money Laundering Behind TD Bank's $3 Billion Fine

- Mexico's New Cocaine Kingpin is Cashing In



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Short Wave - No, Raccoons Aren’t Pet-Ready (Yet)

Dogs are man’s best friend. And it’s no secret that we at Short Wave love cats (Regina has four)! Both of these iconic pets have been domesticated – evolved and adapted to live alongside humans – for millennia. And a recent study suggests that the common raccoon may be on its first steps towards joining them.

So how do scientists look for signs of domestication and what do those signs mean? And could you have a litter box trained raccoon in your lifetime? We talk to the study’s lead author, Raffaela Lesch, to find out.

Interested in more animal science stories? Email us your question at shortwave@npr.org.


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It Could Happen Here - Antisemitism in America feat. Dana El Kurd

Dana El Kurd speaks with Ben Lorber, Senior Research Analyst at Political Research Associates and co-author of Safety through Solidarity: A Radical Guide to Fighting Antisemitism. They discuss trends in antisemitism we are seeing today, why the far right is talking about Palestine, and how establishment organizations are not meeting the moment. 

Sources:

Jewish Currents article by Mari Cohen on the ADL - https://jewishcurrents.org/the-adls-antisemitism-findings-explained 

Jewish Currents article by Shane Burley and Naomi Bennett on the ADL - https://jewishcurrents.org/examining-the-adls-antisemitism-audit 

Safety through Solidarity book - https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/741043/safety-through-solidarity-by-shane-burley/ 

Article by Ben in Convergence Magazine on What Antisemitism Is and Isn’t – https://convergencemag.com/articles/what-antisemitism-is-part-1/ 

Nexus Project - https://nexusproject.us/ 

Diaspora Alliance - https://diasporaalliance.co/ 

Jewish Currents podcast on the confronting the anti-zionist right - https://jewishcurrents.org/confronting-the-anti-zionist-right 

Arielle Angel on the need for new Jewish institutions - https://jewishcurrents.org/we-need-new-jewish-institutions 

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The Economics of Everyday Things - 119. Christmas Lights

Would you pay a professional $2,500 or more to put up your holiday lights? Zachary Crockett is walking in a winter wonderland.

 

 

 


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The Source - After ICE detains: What happened to Carmen Herrera

Earlier this summer Carmen Herrera was detained by ICE outside of San Antonio’s immigration court. She’s a mother of five girls who are all U.S. citizens and she is also married to a U.S. citizen. After she was detained, Herrera’s nightmare began—and it’s a story shared by many in our community. Herrera’s story is told in a new documentary.