What Next - What Next | Daily News and Analysis – A “Made for TV” Deportation Policy

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 reporter in The Wall Street Journal's Washington bureau


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



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

What A Day - Trump’s Law-Bending Attack on Migrants

In both court and in interviews Monday, the Trump administration doubled down on its decision over the weekend to deport more than 250 migrants, mostly Venezuelans. About half of them were removed under the Alien Enemies Act, a centuries-old war-time law President Donald Trump has invoked to deport suspected members of the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua with little to no due process. It's just one of a handful of really scary anti-immigration efforts the White House has undertaken recently, including the push to deport Columbia University grad student Mahmoud Kahlil over his involvement in campus protests against the war in Gaza. Nico Perrino, executive vice president of the Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression, talks about how Kahlil's case sits at the intersection of the Trump administration's crackdown on immigration and free speech.

And in headlines: Trump signed an executive order to dismantle the agency that runs Voice of America, the White House said it has expelled South Africa's ambassador to the U.S., and Harvard University announced plans to make attending the school more financially realistic for middle- and low-income families.

Correction: During our interview with journalist Josh Barro on Monday's show, we said Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is 80 years old. He's 74. We regret the error.

Show Notes:

What Next | Daily News and Analysis - Is this the End of Sesame Street?

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, 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

More or Less: Behind the Stats - How did lockdown impact children?

In March 2020, the covid pandemic forced the UK into lockdown. Schools closed, universities went online and the economy shut down.

It slowly became clear that young people were not falling victim to the virus in significant numbers - they made up a fraction of a percent of the overall death toll.

But their lives were radically changed - most spending these formative ages stuck at home as the pandemic raged. Politicians and academics worried about the long term impact this would have on their chances in life.

Five years on, Tim Harford delves into the data to try to work out what we can say with confidence about the effect of the lockdown on the children and young adults who lived through it.

On questions of education levels, job prospects and mental health, what story does the best evidence show us?

Presenter: Tim Harford Producer: Tom Colls Production co-ordinator: Brenda Brown Sound mix: Nigel Appleton Editor: Richard Vadon

What A Day - Dems: Chuck’s Not Like Us

While Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer may have kept the U.S. government from shutting down last week, his decision to help Republicans pass a spending plan has kicked off a civil war within the Democratic Party. Many on the left are desperate for a fight with President Donald Trump and seething mad at their own party, which they view as, at best, too complacent in the face of Trump's attacks. And Schumer is now the face of that white-hot rage, with questions swirling about his future as the party’s Senate leader. But Josh Barro, who writes the Substack newsletter ‘Very Serious,’ says Schumer did the right thing.

And in headlines: The White House said it deported hundreds of migrants under the Alien Enemies Act despite a judge’s order, the U.S. launched a wave of airstrikes on Yemen targeting Houthi rebels, and those American astronauts who’ve been stranded up in space for months could return to earth this week.

Show Notes:

What Next | Daily News and Analysis - Democrats Had a Rare Opportunity. They Blinked.

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 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

What Next | Daily News and Analysis - TBD | How Trump Is Trying to Kill Press Freedom

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 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

More or Less: Behind the Stats - What is an IQ map and can we trust them?

You may have seen a map circulated on social media that claims to show the average IQ of different nations.

If you look closely these numbers vary dramatically, with incredibly low scores in developing countries, including many in Africa.

Unsurprisingly the map is often used as a way to bolster arguments about racial or national superiority.

However, when you look at the data behind the claims the whole thing falls apart. We dive into the methods behind the map and ask whether it?s even possible to accurately put a number on intelligence. Presenter: Charlotte McDonald Producer: Lizzy McNeill Series Producer: Tom Colls Editor: Richard Vadon Studio Manager: James Beard Production Co-Ordinator: Brenda Brown