What Next

The Shiny New Target for Political Spending

Whether it’s allowed or not, partisan politics—and all the money that entails—have come to judicial races.

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Episode Notes

State supreme court elections, for a long time, were an afterthought; filler for the ballot’s second page. But with questions of abortion rights on the line, this year both parties started pouring money and attention on the races across the country. Even where the races are explicitly “non-partisan,” the partisan political machine has arrived.

Guest: Erik Ortiz, staff writer for NBC News focusing on racial injustice and social inequality.

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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Carmel Delshad, and Madeline Ducharme, with help from Anna Phillips, Jared Downing, Tori Dominguez, and Colton Salaz.

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About the Show

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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Host

  • Mary Harris is the host and managing editor of What Next, Slate's new daily news podcast. She has reported throughout the public radio system, for NPR, Marketplace, and WNYC.