{"podcast":{"title":"What Next | Daily News and Analysis","slug":"what-next-daily-news-and-analysis-73738","podcast_index_feed_id":73738,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/6960406eea3a5db99ef40043","website_url":null,"image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/6960406eea3a5db99ef40043/cover-f5e06cb2-02d6-4b07-9a5a-0b2cc20b676c.jpg","author":"Slate Podcasts","episode_count":2481,"summary":"The problem with the news right now? It’s everywhere. And each day, it can feel like we’re all just mindlessly scrolling. It’s why we created What Next. This short daily show is here to help you make sense of things. When the news feels overwhelming, we’re here to help you answer: What next? Look for new episodes every weekday morning. Get more of What Next with Slate Plus! Join for exclusive bonus episodes of What Next and ad-free listening on all your favorite Slate podcasts. Subscribe from the What Next show page on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or visit slate.com/whatnextplus for access wherever you listen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","last_synced_at":"2026-08-01T04:20:56.283140+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-next-daily-news-and-analysis-73738"},"episode":{"title":"The Return of the Firing Squad","slug":"the-return-of-the-firing-squad","published_at":"2026-06-23T07:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-next-daily-news-and-analysis-73738/the-return-of-the-firing-squad","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-next-daily-news-and-analysis-73738","url":"https://shows.acast.com/whatnext-daily-news-and-analysis/episodes/6a39939b00998a7fc85a481f","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/6961268923ce58f14615840d/a/whatnext-podcasts/e/6a39939b00998a7fc85a481f/media.mp3","summary":"With lethal injection drugs getting harder and harder to procure, states are legalizing death by firing squad. It may seem like a return to a more barbaric time, but there’s reason to believe that execution methods like lethal injection or nitrogen gas are even less humane. But even moreso, it may force us to confront our feelings about the death penalty as a nation. Guests: Rev. Dr. Jeff Hood , Catholic priest and founder of the Execution Intervention Project. Maurice Chammah , staff writer for the Marshall Project and author of “ Let the Lord Sort Them Out, The Rise and Fall of the Death Penalty.”  Want more What Next? Subscribe to Slate Plus to access ad-free listening to the whole What Next family and across 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. Podcast production by Rob Gunther, Evan Campbell, Madeline Thames-Ducharme and Patrick Fort. Paige Osburn is the senior supervising producer of What Next and What Next TBD. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","meta_description":"With lethal injection drugs getting harder and harder to procure, states are legalizing death by firing squad. It may seem like a return to a more barbari…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1835,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/what-next-daily-news-and-analysis-73738/episodes/the-return-of-the-firing-squad/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/what-next-daily-news-and-analysis-73738/the-return-of-the-firing-squad.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}