As a Syrian American surgeon living in Chicago, Dr. Samer Attar felt compelled to be of service during the Syrian civil war, when doctors were being driven underground by Syria’s Russia-backed military. When Russian bombs began raining down in Ukraine this year, Dr. Attar once more raised his hand to cross the border and treat the war-wounded. 

Guest: Dr. Samer Attar, associate professor of surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

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An American Surgeon in Wartime Ukraine

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.

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Daily News

Who is Todd Blanche, Donald Trump’s attorney in the hush-money trial, and how did he end up representing the former president? 

Guest: Andrew Rice, features writer for New York Magazine. He’s also the author of The Year That Broke America.
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How Trump Found His Lawyer

Protests at Columbia University have become a talking point across national media, but does the situation on campus actually resemble the one in the press? 

Guest: Aymann Ismail, Slate staff writer.


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Columbia Calls the Cops

The constitutional right to protest is right there in the First Amendment. So when the Fifth Circuit Court threatened this right across three states, why didn’t the Supreme Court take up the case?

Guest: Ian Milhiser, senior correspondent for Vox.

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Your Right to Protest? Not the Supreme Court’s Problem.

With all eyes on the WNBA as Caitlin Clark was drafted, many were surprised at the star player’s new salary, and how it paled in comparison to that of an NBA rookie. What would it take to address this disparity? 

Guest: Lindsay Gibbs, author and founder of Power Plays, “a no-BS newsletter about women’s sports” and co-host of the Burn It All Down podcast.

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What the WNBA Salary Debate Misses

From the Wayback Machine to the mass-digitization of the history of Aruba, the Internet Archive is a non-profit doing valuable work. But some of its other projects—a pandemic-era lending library and the ongoing digitalization of 78 rpm records—have led to lawsuits now threatening the future of this repository of the past. 

Guest: Kate Knibbs, senior writer at Wired.

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An American Surgeon in Wartime Ukraine

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