What Next | Daily News and Analysis - Bonus: SchadenFriday: Spewing Bile and Susie Wiles

Is the president falling into the very trap that launched him back into office by telling people the economy is actually great when they say it isn’t? Is this partially ballroom’d White House as chaotic as its detractors—and Trump’s chief of staff—say it is? 

Guest: Ben Jacobs, political reporter based in Washingon.

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.


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WSJ Minute Briefing - Home Sales Rise for Third Straight Month

Plus: BioMarin Pharmaceutical to acquire Amicus Therapeutics for $4.8 billion. And the U.S. Navy announces a new warship for President Trump’s “Golden Fleet.” Danny Lewis hosts.

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An artificial-intelligence tool assisted in the making of this episode by creating summaries that were based on Wall Street Journal reporting and reviewed and adapted by an editor.

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Global News Podcast - Zelensky welcomes EU’s $105 billion loan for Ukraine

European Union leaders strike a deal to give Ukraine a $105 billion loan after failing to agree on using frozen Russian assets. Zelensky welcomes EU backing. Putin tells BBC the West is "making Russia the enemy." Also: TikTok owners sign deal to avoid US ban. We travel down into the deep tunnels in Finland where nuclear waste is to be buried. The Bank of Japan raises its interest rate to its highest level in 30 years -- but it's still less than 1%. A mysterious object from outside our solar system heads to its closest point to Earth. Known as 3i Atlas, it's travelling at more than 200,000 km/h.

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 Book Review - What Did 2025 Mean for Books?

From political tell-alls to the continued triumph of romantasy novels, it’s been an eventful year in the publishing world. On this week’s episode, host MJ Franklin talks with his Book Review colleagues Alexandra Alter, Tina Jordan and John Maher about the biggest book stories and most significant reading trends of 2025.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts and Spotify. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.

Marketplace All-in-One - Power and politics in the Warner Bros. deal

It's a major Hollywood drama: Despite striking a deal with Netflix, the high-stakes bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery shows no sign of cooling off. The company turned down a renewed offer from Paramount of $30 a share, signaling a continued preference for the Netflix deal. Thing is, the transaction will likely draw close regulatory scrutiny from the Trump administration. But first: messy economic data and a deal to buy TikTok's U.S. operations.

Marketplace All-in-One - Power and politics in the Warner Bros. deal

It's a major Hollywood drama: Despite striking a deal with Netflix, the high-stakes bidding war for Warner Bros. Discovery shows no sign of cooling off. The company turned down a renewed offer from Paramount of $30 a share, signaling a continued preference for the Netflix deal. Thing is, the transaction will likely draw close regulatory scrutiny from the Trump administration. But first: messy economic data and a deal to buy TikTok's U.S. operations.

Federalist Radio Hour - An Update On The Deep State With Rep. Jim Jordan and Sen. Ron Johnson

On this episode of The Federalist Radio Hour, Rep. Jim Jordan and Sen. Ron Johnson join Federalist Senior Elections Correspondent Matt Kittle to talk shop about Americans' affordability concerns, give an update on the investigation into Biden's targeting of conservatives, and explain the ongoing investigation into fallout from Covid shots.

The Federalist Foundation is a nonprofit, and we depend entirely on our listeners and readers — not corporations. If you value fearless, independent journalism, please consider a tax-deductible gift today at TheFederalist.com/donate. Your support keeps us going

Focus on Africa - The difficulty of intra-African travel

Traveling within Africa on an African passport remains a challenge, according to the African Development Bank Group.

Their research shows that Africans can travel without a visa for only 28% of intra-African trips, while 51% of Africans need a visa before crossing borders within the continent.

In this episode, we speak to Ras Mubarak, a former Ghanaian MP, who is currently on an epic road trip across Africa. His mission? To highlight the difficulties of African visa systems and advocate for freer and faster movement across the continent.

Presenter : Nkechi Ogbonna Producers: Carolyne Kiambo Technical Producer: Jonathan Mwangi Senior Producer: Priya Sippy Editors: Samuel Murunga and Maryam Abdalla

Newshour - EU leaders agree Ukraine loan

European Union leaders have agreed to loan Ukraine $100bn to cover the cost of its military and public services, but they failed to reach on a deal on using frozen Russian assets.

They instead opted to secure the oan against EU borrowing rather than Russian assets. What signal does that send to Moscow?

Also in the programme: We'll hear from the Ukrainian widows cut off from compensation because their soldier husbands took their own lives; excitement builds in Morocco as it prepares to host Africa's biggest football tournament; why the boxing influencer Jake Paul may be risking more than his reputation in tonight's big fight.

(Photo shows Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen, European Council president Antonio Costa, and European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen at the EU Council Summit in Brussels, Belgium on 19 December 2025. Credit: Olivier Hoslet/EPA)