Today, Explained

Wrestling with Vince McMahon

22 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The CEO who turned World Wrestling Entertainment into a global brand has retired after nearly 40 years, amid allegations of sexual assault and infidel...

Dry Hot American Summer

21 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As the world heats up, the American West is drier than at any period in the past 1,200 years. But don’t expect people to stop watering their lawns. ...

FYI those telescope photos are kinda fake

20 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

But the images from the Webb Space Telescope still provide our best look yet at the formation of the universe. NASA astrophysicist Amber Straughn and ...

BA.5 and DIY Covid

19 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Surging cases, Paxlovid rebounds, and apathy everywhere. Vox’s Dr. Keren Landman explains how to navigate the do-it-yourself era of the pandemic. Th...

What the January 6 committee has found (so far)

18 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A congressional committee set out to offer the definitive story of the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Things got dramatic. This episode was...

The Island of Explained: The missing firefly

16 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Luz the firefly is missing, and producers Izii and Sara want to know why. They take a trip to the Island of Explained, where they learn why whole spec...

“To [REDACTED] a Mockingbird”

15 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Some conservative parents are trying to get books about race and sexuality banned from libraries and schools. Author Clint Smith says it’s dangerous...

Shinzo Abe’s call to arms

14 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe may have given his agenda to militarize Japan new life. Abe biographer Tobias Harris explains. T...

The case of the fake Basquiats

13 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Art crime is booming and Jean-Michel Basquiat’s paintings (or at least some very realistic forgeries) are the loot du jour. Reporter Brett Sokol and...

Joe Biden’s Saudi vacation

12 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Candidate Biden said he would make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” on the world stage. Now President Biden is traveling there, asking for the kingdom’...

Joe Biden’s tampon shortage

11 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

No, President Biden didn’t cause the tampon shortage — or any of the recent shortages. But that won’t stop him from taking the blame.  This epi...

UFOMG

08 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Congress just had its first hearings on UFOs in over 50 years. We revisit a 2021 episode where the New Yorker’s Gideon Lewis-Kraus explained why the...

What if you could talk without speaking?

07 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A groundbreaking new study claims to have found a way for a fully paralyzed person to communicate entirely via thought. But as we learned in an episod...

How the US learned to love sanctions

06 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The US hoped sanctions would end Russia’s war in Ukraine quickly. We revisit our conversation with historian Nicholas Mulder who explains the surpri...

Ask for Jane

01 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Before Roe v. Wade, Eleanor Oliver was a Jane: a member of a group in Chicago that helped women get safe but illegal abortions. Sean Rameswaram sat do...

This country is a lot right now

30 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The past week/month/year/pandemic has taken a toll on a lot of people’s mental health. And the US has proven woefully incapable of dealing with ment...

Roe v. Wade v. God

29 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A rabbi, a priest, and an imam walk into the abortion debate. The priest wins. This episode was produced by Victoria Dominguez and Haleema Shah, edite...

Abortion pills

28 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s safe and easy to end a pregnancy during the first trimester using a pair of FDA-approved pills. Accessing them is the latest abortion battlegro...

Trigger bans

27 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Supreme Court’s decision was most immediately felt in states that pegged abortion bans to the fall of Roe v. Wade. This episode was produced by ...

The end of Roe v. Wade

24 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Supreme Court overturned a 49-year-old precedent that secured the right to an abortion. Irin Carmon from New York magazine breaks down the case an...

Is Ukraine losing now?

23 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The US is spending billions to arm Ukraine against Russian invaders. But without the proper training or supplies, Javelin missiles can only do so much...

The rise and fall of the “millennial lifestyle subsidy”

22 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Venture capitalists spent years subsidizing the price of things like Uber rides and food delivery. The Atlantic’s Derek Thompson explains why they’...

From Russia with cash

21 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Oligarchs from Russia and beyond stash their cash in British banks, which play a central role in the global offshore economy. This episode was produce...

What if we saw the gunshot wounds?

17 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

John Temple was the editor of Rocky Mountain News in April 1999, when two students committed mass murder at Columbine High School. The photos he publi...

A gun policy game-changer

16 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

America’s gun violence epidemic is a public health crisis. After 24 years of blocked funding, Congress is finally starting to treat it like one. Thi...

Gun laws that work

15 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says tougher gun laws wouldn’t have stopped the Uvalde shooter. He’s wrong. This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy, edi...

Let’s untangle the Second Amendment

14 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It wasn’t until 2008 that the US Supreme Court established what a confusing sentence in the Constitution really meant for gun ownership. Sean Ramesw...

Has the gun control movement failed?

13 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

You might look at school shootings and think “Yes, obviously.” But two people who have been studying and participating in the movement for decades...

ConGRADulations, fellow kids

10 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Ten months ago the faculty of Cramer Hill Elementary set out to get their kids back on track after a year of mostly remote learning. Today, Explained’...

Adderall via Instagram

09 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The mental health startup Cerebral benefited from pandemic-era changes to federal telehealth laws. But its easy-to-get prescriptions for tightly regul...

Ugraine

08 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Russia is weaponizing food by blockading Ukraine’s grain exports and withholding its own until other countries come to Putin to ask for it. This epi...

Boris Johnson presents: Motel Rwanda

07 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The British government will deport UK-bound migrants to Rwanda. It’s part of a larger trend of rich countries offloading asylum seekers to poorer co...

Innocence is not enough

06 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Supreme Court is going to let Arizona kill Barry Jones, a man whose rape and murder convictions were vacated in 2018. This episode was produced by...

Let’s vent about guns

03 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

We opened up our hotline. You called and asked questions. We found answers. This episode was produced by Victoria Chamberlin and host Sean Rameswaram,...

Why the economy feels bad right now

02 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The stock market tumble and crypto crash are symptoms of a broader shift in the US economy. Jacob Goldstein explains the end of the “Goldilocks Era....

How often can you get Covid?

01 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Does your immunity still last for months? We asked a researcher who has been studying omicron reinfections. This episode was produced by Jon Ehrens, e...

Can women fix the police?

31 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Police departments across the US are signing a pledge to increase the share of women in their ranks, hoping the move will help reduce excessive force ...

The shooters were 18

27 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Writer and parent Joanna Schroeder wrote a guide for parents about what to look out for and how to intervene. This episode was produced by Avishay Art...

Monkeypox!?!?

26 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Good news: Epidemiologists don’t think monkeypox will be as bad as Covid-19. Bad news: We stopped vaccinating people against this type of disease de...

How to not give up on gun control

25 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Vox’s Marin Cogan, who lived through a school shooting herself, explains why she hasn’t given up on a solution to our gun problem yet. This episod...

Why the internet hates Amber Heard

24 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s not just Johnny Depp’s fans — it’s Amber Heard’s anti-fans, too. The Atlantic's Kaitlyn Tiffany explains the Depp-ressing social media ...

Finland and Sweden have entered the chat

23 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Their admission to NATO would further isolate Russia, leaving it the only Arctic country outside the alliance. This episode was produced by Victoria C...

Why the right is thirsty for Hungary

20 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Conservative Political Action Conference, which is like Republican Coachella, is usually held stateside, but this week it's throwing a party in Bu...

So I elected an autocrat

19 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Noel King traveled to Hungary to talk to people who voted for Viktor Orbán, people being persecuted by his government, and an American just along for...

How to lose a democracy in 10,000 days

18 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The same man who helped usher in democracy in Hungary is the one who’s chipping away at it now. American conservatives want to know how Prime Minist...

Formula None

17 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Millions of US parents are struggling to feed their infants due to a nationwide shortage of baby formula. This episode was produced by Victoria Chambe...

Dr. Oz and the celebrity politician

16 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This week Pennsylvania voters decide whether to give Dr. Oz a shot at the US Senate. To mark the occasion, Sean Rameswaram tries to understand what ma...

Is abortion in the Constitution?

13 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Not explicitly, no. But neither is the right to travel from New York to New Jersey. NYU law professor Kenji Yoshino explains our unenumerated rights. ...

Sri Lankans have had enough

12 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Sri Lanka’s “Go home, Gota!” protesters want to throw President Gotabaya Rajapaksa out of office. Reveal’s Ike Sriskandarajah explains what co...

Dictator Jr.

11 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The son of repressive dictator Ferdinand Marcos was just elected president of the Philippines. All he had to do was rewrite his country’s history. T...

Free Brittney (Griner)

10 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A week before Russia invaded Ukraine, it detained WNBA superstar Brittney Griner. Now the United States is turning up the pressure to get her released...

A priest explains Putin’s “holy” war

09 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Patriarch Kirill is the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church. A former colleague describes him as a one-time anti-Kremlin nonconformist. Now, he’s ...

A cure for sickle cell?

06 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Scientists have developed a long-sought treatment — perhaps even a cure — for sickle cell anemia. But getting it to patients might be an even bigg...

Why little kids don’t have vaccines

05 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

And how the seemingly endless wait in the US is affecting their development. This episode was produced by Victoria Chamberlin, edited by Sean Rameswar...

One man’s crusade against Roe v. Wade

04 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Indiana lawyer Jim Bopp has spent most of his life chipping away at Roe v. Wade. His incremental approach to overturning the Court’s decades-old pre...

Justice Alito’s opinion

03 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A largely unprecedented leak of a draft Supreme Court decision reveals the Court’s conservative majority intends to overturn Roe v. Wade. New York...

Our (machine) gun problem

02 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For less than $20 plus shipping everyday people can turn their handguns into machine guns. The Trace’s Alain Stephens explains the rise of the “au...

Trumpbilly Elegy

29 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Liberals turned to J.D. Vance’s book to better understand Donald Trump’s victory. Now the “Hillbilly Elegy” author is turning to Trump to try ...

Twitter’s new Musk

28 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk and Twitter have reached a deal. Recode’s Peter Kafka and Shirin Ghaffary explain what it means for the business of Twitter, and for free ...

The Senate’s age-old old age problem

27 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Dianne Feinstein’s colleagues are concerned the 88-year-old senator is struggling with memory loss, reports Tal Kopan of the San Francisco Chronicle...

ok groomer

26 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Accounts like “Libs of TikTok” are fueling right-wing media to label people who speak openly about sexuality and gender as “groomers.” Vox’s...

El Salvador’s bet on bitcoin

25 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

By making bitcoin a national currency, El Salvador tried to transform its economy. Rest of World’s Leo Schwartz explains why the bet hasn’t yet pa...

A rough week for mask mandates

22 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A Florida judge ended the federal government’s mass transit mask mandate this week. Vox’s Dylan Scott explains if mask mandates are over forever a...

Russia’s mercenary army

21 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Wagner Group, a superviolent (and supersecretive) team of Kremlin-aligned mercenaries, is doing Vladimir Putin’s dirty work in Ukraine and aroun...

@elonmusk

20 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk says he wants to buy Twitter, but is also making 420 jokes. Kara Swisher (who knows him) and Liz Lopatto (who doesn’t) explain whether the...

How Dylan got inflation wrong

19 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Last year, Vox correspondent Dylan Matthews didn’t think inflation would be a big deal. He wasn’t the only one to miss the mark. This episode was ...

The threat of Russian cyberwar

18 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Russia is ramping up attacks on Ukraine’s digital infrastructure. The US could be next. This episode was produced by Victoria Chamberlin, edited by ...

China’s grip on Hollywood

15 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Warner Bros. is censoring the newest Fantastic Beasts movie for Chinese audiences. It’s the latest reminder that Hollywood’s reliance on China com...

The end of January 6

14 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The congressional committee investigating the Capitol insurrection has gathered an enormous amount of information. Now it must decide what to do with ...

Let’s talk about Hunter Biden

13 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Hunter Biden may not be the archcriminal that conservatives describe, but his actions present problems for his father (the president of the United Sta...

Pakistan’s vote of no Khanfidence

12 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Pakistan’s prime minister was ousted. He blames the US. This episode was produced by Haleema Shah, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapi...

A grande victory for Starbucks workers

11 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Starting a union can be a tall order, but many baristas have found it’s an effective way to venti their frustration with management. This episode wa...

Canceling Russian culture

08 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Vladimir Putin says the West is trying to erase 1,000 years of culture. Arts organizations say they have an obligation to respond to the war in Ukrain...

Buffalo Billions

07 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Buffalo Bills are set to receive a record-breaking $850 million in public funds to build a new stadium — even though they’re owned by a fracki...

Should Congress be able to trade stocks?

06 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A 2012 law tried to limit lawmakers' ability to make money on Wall Street. It hasn’t worked. This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh, edited by M...

The isolation of Vladimir Putin

05 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Russian president has come to rely on a skewed version of history and an increasingly small circle of advisers. Journalist Marvin Kalb explains wh...

Did we just invent telepathy?

04 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A groundbreaking new study claims to have found a way for a fully paralyzed person to communicate entirely via thought. But the scientists behind it h...

Umami Mama

01 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

For thousands of years, there have been four basic tastes recognized across cultures. But thanks to Kumiko Ninomiya (aka the Umami Mama), scientists f...

Microdosing goes mainstream

31 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There is growing support for psychedelics as performance enhancers, mood boosters, and a shortcut to therapy. The science is mixed. This episode was p...

Ukrainians (and Russians) meet US Border Patrol

30 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The US southern border remains closed to asylum seekers on account of Covid-19, unless you happen to be Ukrainian. This episode was produced by Haleem...

The National Guard is tired

29 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

And in Texas, they’re trying to unionize. This episode was produced by Victoria Chamberlin, engineered by Efim Shapiro and Paul Mounsey, fact-checke...

“The greatest night in the history of television”

28 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Oscars were bordering on irrelevancy until Will Smith slapped Chris Rock on stage. This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh and Will Reid, edite...

Is the war in Ukraine unwinnable?

25 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One month in, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine isn’t going according to plan. Historian and retired Army colonel Andrew Bacevich explains how it might...

(Ukrainian) refugees welcome!

24 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

As Poland welcomes almost 2 million Ukrainians in, it’s spending $4 million on a wall to keep Syrians, Iraqis, and Afghans out. Vox’s Sigal Samuel...

Mariupol under siege

23 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Russian military may have committed war crimes in its brutal attack on the Ukrainian city of Mariupol. International law expert Philippe Sands exp...

Permanent daylight saving time?

22 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A bill to make daylight saving time permanent slipped through the Senate. Now, the real fight for time begins. This episode was produced by Miles Brya...

The Americans fighting for Ukraine

21 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden insists he won’t send American troops to join Ukraine’s war with Russia. Veterans like Alexander Szokoly joined the fight anyway. ...

South Korea’s incoming “anti-feminist” president

18 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

With its neighbor distracted by domestic culture wars, North Korea is making new moves. This episode was produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Matt Colle...

“Don’t Say Gay”

17 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The furor over Florida’s latest culture-war legislation has Disney, among the state’s largest employers, turning red. This episode was produced by...

Why Ukraine won’t quit

16 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Millions of people have fled Ukraine since Russia’s war begin. We check back in with Kurii Vasyl, who stayed behind, and his niece Yulya, who fled. ...

Defunding Covid-19

15 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The coronavirus pandemic isn’t over, but certain corners of Congress don’t want to spend a penny more on it. Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel argues for $100 b...

Beware the Madness of March

14 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Americans bet more than $50 billion on sports last year, and that record will likely be broken in 2022 as more states legalize the practice. A profess...

Radio, someone still loves you

11 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The BBC is bringing back shortwave radio broadcasts to counter censorship and disinformation in Russia and Ukraine. Professor D.W. Stupples explains. ...

Putin’s war spills into space

10 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Russia has threatened to let the International Space Station plummet. The Verge’s Loren Grush explains the Star Wars. This episode was produced by W...

From Kabul’s airport to Virginia’s burbs

09 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The world watched in horror as tens of thousands fled Afghanistan last August. Today, Explained’s Haleema Shah meets with an evacuee still stuck in ...

Banning Russian oil

08 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Gas prices hit a record high in the United States today. Then the White House put an embargo on Russian oil. The Atlantic's Robinson Meyer explains. T...

Breaking Russia’s banks

07 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The US and EU are denying a handful of Russian banks access to SWIFT, a key tool in the global financial system. This episode was produced by Miles Br...

Volodymyr vs. Vladimir

04 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Volodymyr Zelenskyy went from a middling peacetime president to a heroic wartime president. Kyiv Independent’s Oleksiy Sorokin explains from an undi...

The Texas transgender panic

03 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Gov. Greg Abbott has instructed child protection officials to investigate the parents of transgender children. Dallas Morning News reporter Lauren McG...

Why Ukraine has to fight Russia alone

02 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

And how the fight might end. This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura Bu...