Podcast · Learning

What Happens Next in 6 Minutes

by Larry Bernstein · English · Learning

What Happens Next offers listeners an in-depth investigation of the most pressing issues of the day. Visit https://www.whathappensnextin6minutes.com/ for all the links and to subscribe www.whathappensnextin6minutes.com

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 29 min
Latest: 10 Oct 2026
Language: English

Latest episode

10 Oct 2026 · 45 min

AI and Human Connections

Our first speaker is Allison Pugh who is a Professor of Sociology at John Hopkins and the author of a new book entitled The Last Human Job: Seeing Each Other in an Age of Automation. Our second speaker is Eddie Monroe who I met on my first day of college and is a very close friend. He is working on teaching AI to love. He is the lead for building artificial intelligence for the Loving AI Research Project. I want to learn about AI and human connections. I want to find out why Allison is worried that AI will undermine human relationships and risk greater loneliness. And I want to learn why…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

3 Oct 2026 · 22 min
How Your Politics Affects Your College Experience
Our speaker is Neil Gross, a Professor of Sociology at Colby who will discuss his book What Happened to College, How Politics Broke Higher Education and What We Can Do to Fix It. I want to learn from Neil how college students’ political affiliations impact their friendships and dating, their classroom interactions with the faculty and other students, and their choice of major and career decisions. Get full access to What Happens Next in 6 Minutes with Larry Bernstein at www.whathappensnextin6minutes.com/subscribe
26 Sep 2026 · 34 min
Why All Cities Grow Alike
Our speaker is Shlomo Angel who is a Professor of City Planning at NYU and the author of the book entitled Planet of Cities . I want to learn why all the world’s cities look nearly identical from space, and why we should embrace sprawl and not fight it. Get full access to What Happens Next in 6 Minutes with Larry Bernstein at www.whathappensnextin6minutes.com/subscribe
19 Sep 2026 · 34 min
Cape Fear Won’t Die
Our What Happens Next Culture Critic Darren Schwartz will be leading us in conversation. We also have a special guest my good friend Ethan Holland who has been a state prosecutor for the past 27 years. This week’s episode is on Cape Fear. It started with John MacDonalds’ novel the Executioners that was written in the 1950s. The story was adapted into two movies and now a newly released Apple TV series. The main character is Max Cady an ex-con who is pissed off at his defense attorney. Cady is played by Robert Mitchum in the original 1962 movie and Robert De Niro in the 1991 remake. Get full…
12 Sep 2026 · 22 min
Can Evolution Explain Our Feelings?
Our speaker is Rob Kurzban who is the author of a new book entitled All the Feels: The Evolved Function of Every Human Emotion and Sensation. I want to learn from Rob about how our basic sensations like hunger, pain, and sense of awe can be explained by Darwin’s Theory of Evolution. Get full access to What Happens Next in 6 Minutes with Larry Bernstein at www.whathappensnextin6minutes.com/subscribe
5 Sep 2026 · 34 min
I Love Your Accent
Our speaker is Valerie Fridland who is a Professor of Linguistics at the University of Nevada at Reno. She is the author of the new book entitled Why We Talk Funny: The Real Story Behind Our Accents. I want to learn from Valerie why accents develop and if there are rhyme and reason for their differences. I grew up in Chicago and I don’t think I have an accent, yet I hear that the Chicago accent is the most difficult to understand. How is that even possible. Get full access to What Happens Next in 6 Minutes with Larry Bernstein at www.whathappensnextin6minutes.com/subscribe
29 Aug 2026 · 29 min
Unsafe at MIT
Our speaker is Yossi Sheffi who is a Professor of Engineering at MIT and is a leading scholar in supply chain management. He is the author of a new book entitled Unsafe at MIT: A Chronicle of a Campus War on the Jews . I want to hear from Yossi about MIT’s failure to protect its Jewish and Israeli students from violence. I want to learn why MIT’s Administration managed the situation so poorly, and why MIT’s disregard for its own rules and regulations resulted in chaos. Get full access to What Happens Next in 6 Minutes with Larry Bernstein at www.whathappensnextin6minutes.com/subscribe
22 Aug 2026 · 37 min
Appreciating George Orwell
Our speaker is Robert Colls who is the author of the Orwell biography entitled George Orwell: Life and Legacy. You know his novels 1984 and Animal Farm but there is so much more to enjoy. I look forward to discussing with Robert about Orwell’s other major novels as well as his essays like Shooting an Elephant and a Hanging. Get full access to What Happens Next in 6 Minutes with Larry Bernstein at www.whathappensnextin6minutes.com/subscribe
15 Aug 2026 · 29 min
Is Nolan’s Odyssey a Masterpiece?
This episode is -- Is Nolan’s Odyssey a Masterpiece? Our speakers are Scott Turow the author of Presumed Innocent and Darren Schwartz the What Happens Next Culture Critic. Get full access to What Happens Next in 6 Minutes with Larry Bernstein at www.whathappensnextin6minutes.com/subscribe
8 Aug 2026 · 52 min
Would You Have Been a Loyalist or a Patriot?
Our speaker to day is Patrick Allitt who is a Professor of History at Emory where he teaches courses in the American Revolution and the Industrial Revolution. Patrick also lectures for the Teaching Company with the Great Courses. I have taken six of Patrick’s courses and they are absolutely fabulous that are available on their website . I want to learn from Patrick about why the British government demanded that American colonies pay their fair for their own defense, and why the Crown chose war instead of reconciliation. Americans learn in school why the patriots fought against taxation…
1 Aug 2026 · 41 min
Why George Washington was the Unanimous Choice
Our speaker is H.W. Brands who is a Professor of History at the University of Texas at Austin and the author of the biography American Patriarch: The Life of George Washington . I want to learn from Hal about why Washington was chosen to be commander in chief of the revolutionary forces, the head of the constitutional congress, and our first president. I want to hear about Washington’s leadership style and why it was appropriate for his times. I also want to learn about what happened in the Room Where it Happened. Get full access to What Happens Next in 6 Minutes with Larry Bernstein at…
25 Jul 2026 · 32 min
Rocky at 50
The original Rocky film was released 50 years ago, and today we are going to review the entire Rocky series. Our discussion will be led by the What Happens Next Culture Critic Darren Schwartz with us is a special guest Scott Holstein who is one of my oldest friends. My objective of this podcast is to discuss why Rocky won best picture and why you need to rewatch it. This series is a Stallone production: He wrote it, directed several of the films, and acted in it. He is the real hero that made this franchise successful, and my plan is to talk about how he did it. Get full access to What…
18 Jul 2026 · 31 min
A Breakthrough in Restoring Memory
Our speaker is Michael Kahana who is one of the world’s leading experts on memory. He is a former Professor of Psychology at Penn, and he is now the founder of Nia Therapeutics which is a company seeking to bring a medical device to patients that can radically improve memory for individuals with a brain injury, dementia, or Alzheimer’s. I want to hear from Michael about how memory function works and how a medical device can improve human memory retrieval to improve cognitive abilities. Get full access to What Happens Next in 6 Minutes with Larry Bernstein at…
11 Jul 2026 · 24 min
Predicting the Midterms
Our speaker is Patrick Ruffini is a pollster and the author of his own Substack entitled The Intersection that includes frequent analysis on topics like gerrymandering, realignment, and polling errors. He is also the author of a book Party of the People. I want to learn from Patrick about who will win the midterms in the House and Senate. My plan is to get into the weeds and find out what the issues will be, what the state of play looks like now, and who will win the close races. Get full access to What Happens Next in 6 Minutes with Larry Bernstein at…
4 Jul 2026 · 22 min
The End of Meat
Our speaker is Paul Rozin who is a Professor of Psychology at the University of Pennsylvania. This discussion was held at a conference that I hosted in Philadelphia so the questions will be asked by me as well as my friends. I want to learn from Paul about why our future may have substantially less meat because of cost, health and moral reasons despite the fact that many of us find it delicious. Get full access to What Happens Next in 6 Minutes with Larry Bernstein at www.whathappensnextin6minutes.com/subscribe
27 Jun 2026 · 26 min
Containing the New Axis Powers: China, Russia and Iran
Our speaker is Seth Cropsey is the President of the Yorktown Institute and the author of a new book entitled Breaking the New Axis: A US Grand Strategy for Eurasia. I want to learn from Seth about why the Eurasian land mass is critical to American security. In addition, I want to hear about why the lack of ideological coherence of our adversaries is a weakness that we can exploit. Get full access to What Happens Next in 6 Minutes with Larry Bernstein at www.whathappensnextin6minutes.com/subscribe
20 Jun 2026 · 22 min
Following the Terrorist’s Money
Our two speakers are Eyal Azoulay and Ellie who are the founders of an Israeli Not-for-profit called ColEven. Terrorists successfully move money from their Western supporters to the Middle East to fund their nefarious affairs. This happens despite the best efforts of American and European banks who spend billions of dollars trying to stop it. ColEven uses the latest technologies in coordination with a staff of former Israeli intelligence professionals who inform the banks that bad actors are using their institutions. I was introduced to Coleven at the Miami Beach Impact Forum. This…
13 Jun 2026 · 24 min
Encouraging Competing Viewpoints Among College Students
Our speaker is Daniel Diermeier who is the Chancelor of Vanderbilt. I want to hear from Daniel about how the administration can build a culture of political neutrality on campus. I want to learn about creating a university culture that encourages free speech and allows for debate without shaming the opposing perspective. Get full access to What Happens Next in 6 Minutes with Larry Bernstein at www.whathappensnextin6minutes.com/subscribe
6 Jun 2026 · 21 min
Curing the New Ebola Virus
Our speaker is Ari Ciment. Ari ran the Covid Ward at the Mount Sinai Hospital in Miami Beach and is the former president of the hospital’s medical staff. He is probably best known for being my doctor. Get full access to What Happens Next in 6 Minutes with Larry Bernstein at www.whathappensnextin6minutes.com/subscribe
4 Jun 2026 · 36 min
How AI Will Change Law Schools, Law Firms, and Users of Legal Services
Our speaker is Polk Wagner, who's the deputy dean of Penn Law School, who has been charged with figuring out how to adapt the law school curriculum to the AI revolution. I want to hear from Polk about how law schools will adapt as their graduate's jobs will no longer focus on document creation, but instead more complex legal analysis. This podcast was taped at a conference that I hosted so many of the questions will be asked by my friends. And in the audience was David Stellings, who's the managing partner of law firm Leif Cabreze. I want to learn from David about how AI would change the…
30 May 2026 · 20 min
Fixing Our Healthcare System
Our speaker is Josh Gottlieb who is a professor of Economics at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Health and Co-Director of the Becker Friedman Institute’s Health Economics Initiative. I want to learn from Josh about what the barriers are to getting more doctors and what we can do to solve seemingly intractable problems to increase the quality and productivity of our healthcare. Get full access to What Happens Next in 6 Minutes with Larry Bernstein at www.whathappensnextin6minutes.com/subscribe
23 May 2026 · 29 min
Can Anyone Predict What Happens Next?
This podcast was taped at a conference where I hosted several Penn Professors on a variety of topics. The audience included my friends who will join me in asking questions. Our speaker is Phil Tetlock who is a Professor at Wharton and the author of a book entitled Superforecasting . Often, we get our news and analysis from experts who make predictions that are terribly wrong. Phil has analyzed methods of forecasting and has found individuals and groups who are fantastic predictors of politics, war, and sports. I want to learn how AI and superforecasters working together will revolutionize…
21 May 2026 · 35 min
Objects of Desire
This podcast was taped at a conference where I hosted several Penn Professors on a variety of topics. The audience included my friends who will join me in asking questions. Our speaker is Karl Ulrich who is a Professor at Penn specializing in Industrial Design and has written a book entitled Product Design and Development . Karl will speak about designing an ice cream scooper that is beautiful, sexy, and more useful than any that had been manufactured before. Get full access to What Happens Next in 6 Minutes with Larry Bernstein at www.whathappensnextin6minutes.com/subscribe
16 May 2026 · 20 min
Using Peptides for Medical Breakthroughs
This podcast was taped at a conference where I hosted several Penn Professors on various topics. The audience included my friends who will join me in asking questions. Our speaker is Cesar de la Fuente is the Director of Penn’s Machine Biology Group. His team uses AI with biology to create new antibiotics that hopefully can save millions of lives. Get full access to What Happens Next in 6 Minutes with Larry Bernstein at www.whathappensnextin6minutes.com/subscribe
13 May 2026 · 28 min
Why We Crave Stories
This podcast was taped at a conference where I hosted several Penn Professors on various topics. The audience included my friends who will join me in asking questions. Fritz Breithaupt is the speaker, and he is a humanities scholar as well as a cognitive scientist at UPenn where he is studying the relationship between narratives and empathy. Fritz is the author of a new book entitled The Narrative Brain: The Stories Our Neurons Tell. I want Fritz to talk about how we experience fictional stories in our daydreams to achieve personal growth. Get full access to What Happens Next in 6 Minutes…
10 May 2026 · 27 min
Returning Science Education to Medical Schools
This podcast was taped at a conference where I hosted several Penn Professors on various topics. The audience included my friends who will join me in asking questions. Our speaker is Stan Goldfarb who was previously the Dean at UPenn responsible for the medical school curriculum. Get full access to What Happens Next in 6 Minutes with Larry Bernstein at www.whathappensnextin6minutes.com/subscribe
2 May 2026 · 30 min
How Academics Shaped the CIA
Our speaker is Peter Grace who is a New Zealand based academic who has a recent book entitled The Intelligence Intellectuals: Social Scientists and the Making of the CIA. I want to learn from Peter about how just after World War 2 and at the height of the Cold War, American academics worked inside the CIA’s research and analysis department to forecast enemy activity, and how they set up methods and processes that have been applied by the CIA ever since. Get full access to What Happens Next in 6 Minutes with Larry Bernstein at www.whathappensnextin6minutes.com/subscribe
25 Apr 2026 · 20 min
Why Did We Attack Iran Now
Our speaker is Eitan Shamir who is a Political Science Professor at Bar Ilan University, and he previously the head of the National Security Doctrine Department at the Office of Israel’s Prime Minister. I want to find out from Eitan why we attacked Iran and have we achieved are primary war aims. Get full access to What Happens Next in 6 Minutes with Larry Bernstein at www.whathappensnextin6minutes.com/subscribe
21 Apr 2026 · 43 min
Closing Small Colleges
Our first speaker is Geoff Baird who is a very close family friend. Geoff recently co-wrote a book entitled The Signal Solution: How Smart Colleges Stop Chasing Applications and Start Converting Students. Geoff is a consultant working with higher ed institutions to help them persuade accepted student applicants to attend their school. Geoff is particularly excited about using AI to figure out who the admissions committee should focus on in their marketing efforts. Our second speaker is Bob Zemsky who is a Professor of Education at UPenn and the university’s chief planning officer. He is also…
18 Apr 2026 · 28 min
Why Does the Press Think We Lost the War in Iran?
Our speaker is Mark Penn who was a senior advisor to President Clinton and was Hillary’s chief strategist for her senate and presidential campaigns. Mark is now the CEO of Stagwell which is a advertising and marketing company. I want to learn from Mark why the press thinks that the military campaign in Iran is failing and why the Democrats are not supporting arm sales to their Israeli allies at this critical juncture. Get full access to What Happens Next in 6 Minutes with Larry Bernstein at www.whathappensnextin6minutes.com/subscribe

About What Happens Next in 6 Minutes

What Happens Next in 6 Minutes is a English learning podcast from Larry Bernstein. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Larry Bernstein
Language: English
Category: Learning
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 29 min
Latest episode: 10 Oct 2026
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1537283585
Rights: Larry Bernstein

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