Today, Explained

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...

What Russians think of Putin’s war

01 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It depends a lot on where they get their news. Meduza’s Aleksey Kovalev reports from Moscow. This episode was produced by Victoria Chamberlin, edite...

Ketanji Brown Jackson

28 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

President Joe Biden’s Supreme Court nominee is historic but may have little impact on American law. Vox’s Ian Millhiser explains. This episode wa...

The real and imagined history of Ukraine

25 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Vladimir Putin says Ukraine isn’t a country. He’s wrong. This episode was produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Sha...

A phone call from Ukraine

24 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Kurii Vasyl and his niece Yulya try to make sense of Russia’s invasion of their country. And Kyiv Independent reporter Igor Kossov explains the late...

Why Ukraine matters

23 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Vox’s Jonathan Guyer explains how a Russian invasion of Ukraine could affect me and you and everyone we know. This episode was produced by Hady Mawa...

The Olympics on thin ice

22 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This year’s weird Winter Olympics were overshadowed by politics, Covid-19, and the threat of war. But as NPR’s Tom Goldman explains, the biggest s...

Weapons of cash destruction

18 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The US hopes the threat of sanctions will dissuade Russia from invading Ukraine. Historian Nicholas Mulder explains the surprising history of economic...

Bitcoin Bonnie and Clyde

17 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A tech investor and his rapper wife were busted for a multi-billion dollar bitcoin heist. They couldn’t really spend any of the money. This episode ...

All-American divorce

16 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In her Today, Explained debut, co-host Noel King heads to Atlanta to find out why some people in one of its wealthiest neighborhoods are trying to sec...

What the truck is happening in Canada?

15 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A convoy of truckers angry over Covid-19 mandates is disrupting life in Canada’s capital city. Their movement is gaining traction in cities around t...

Sarah Palin v. The New York Times

14 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The New York Times published an editorial that made false claims about Sarah Palin. A lawsuit over the error could change American media. This episode...

The best and worst of Tom Brady

11 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Quarterback Tom Brady will retire as the winningest football player in NFL history. ESPN's Seth Wickersham explains why so many people are happy to se...

How Brett Kavanaugh views time

10 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to fixing discriminatory voting maps, nine months may not be enough for some justices. Ian Millhiser explains. This episode was produced...

Why America loves a Jackass

09 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Oscar nominations are out, but the No. 1 movie in America features Johnny Knoxville and his friends hurting each other. He attempts to explain why...

How this Syria raid was different

08 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden gave strict orders to avoid collateral damage during a raid on an ISIS leader. Civilians still died, but it might be a sign of a shift...

RIP SAT

07 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Why are colleges ditching the test? A) The SAT is biased B) Colleges want to admit more diverse students C) The pandemic D) All of the above This epis...

Is everything trauma now?

04 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Psychologists are worried that "trauma" is losing its meaning. A trauma survivor says they shouldn't be. This episode was produced by Miles Bryan, edi...

The case against masks

03 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

At least in schools. This episode was produced by Victoria Chamberlin, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura Bull...

Throwing money at the migrant crisis

02 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Vice President Kamala Harris just attended Honduras’s presidential inauguration. Her trip was really about the US-Mexico border. February 4, 2022 co...

Spotify’s Joe Rogan problem

01 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The podcast host built a massive audience by speaking to fringe figures in culture, business, and science. During the pandemic, that got him in troubl...

Honey, I shrunk the kids’ tax credit

31 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The US government let the expanded child tax credit expire ... just as researchers produced a study showing giving parents money might help improve br...

Ukraine’s pipeline problem

28 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The US is negotiating to stop Russia from invading Ukraine, but a Germany-backed natural gas project complicates things. This episode was produced by ...

Breyer to Reteyer

27 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Vox’s Ian Millhiser says American politics shifted during Justice Stephen Breyer’s career, until he no longer had a place in them. This episode wa...

Joe Biden, r u ok?

26 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Build Back Blunders, and other presidential misadventures. This episode was produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapi...

A Syrian war criminal is actually going to prison

25 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Crimes against humanity are rarely prosecuted successfully, but a Syrian colonel got a life sentence for just that. Documentarian Adithya Sambamurthy ...

China’s Winter Olympics (feat. Covid-19)

24 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The Games don’t begin until February 4, but the drama around the pandemic, free speech, and diplomatic boycotts has been building for months. NPR’...

10 Downer Street

21 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing political ruin because his aides partied while the UK locked down. This episode was produced by Will Re...

The man with a pig heart

20 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

That’ll do, pig. That’ll do. Today's show was produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro and Paul Mounsey, fact-...

The James Webb Time Machine

19 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

To look into deep space is to look back in time. Ahead of the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, Unexplainable talked to scientists who hope to...

The James Webb Space Telescope

18 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

This Sunday, the greatest telescope in the history of humanity is scheduled to reach its destination nearly a million miles away from Earth. Vox’s U...

Chile’s millennial president

14 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The 35-year-old president-elect in Chile loves tattoos, Taylor Swift, and progressive policies. Gabriel Boric will now try to overhaul the government...

Why Russia sent its janky version of NATO to Kazakhstan

13 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The speedy arrival of CSTO troops in Kazakhstan is unprecedented in the 30-year history of the Russia-backed regional security alliance. Today’s sho...

"Break the Senate"

12 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

President Joe Biden wants to change how the Senate works to pass voting reforms. Sen. Mitch McConnell is threatening hell if it happens. Today’s sho...

Novax Djokovic

11 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

How the best-ranked men’s tennis player in the world went to Australia to become the greatest of all time and ended up being detained. Today’s sho...

No substitutes for the substitutes

10 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

What happens when all the teachers get sick? Today’s show was produced by Miles Bryan with help from Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Matt Collette, enginee...

The high cost of cheap clothes

07 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Fast fashion took over the apparel industry, but consumers are tiring of its poor labor and environmental standards. Vox’s Terry Nguyen explains. To...

Life on the Russia-Ukraine border

06 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Russia has kept its military at Ukraine’s doorstep for almost a decade. But a recent escalation on the border is creating fears of a full-blown inva...