Today, Explained

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...

Theranope

05 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

A tech startup said it could start a medical revolution with a little machine and a drop of blood. It was a fraud, but research into smarter, less inv...

Will omicron speed up the pandemic’s end?

04 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The omicron variant is very transmissible, but it might make Covid-19 less miserable. Today’s show was produced by Miles Bryan with help from Hady M...

America still can’t agree on its insurrection

03 Jan 2022

Contributed by Lukas

One year later, the United States is still trying to wrap its head around what happened on January 6, 2021. (It was an insurrection.) This year, our d...

2021

30 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This song was written and performed by Sean Rameswaram and Noam Hassenfeld, produced by Noam, engineered by Efim Shapiro, and features additional voca...

Giannis Antetokounmpo’s American dream

29 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Giannis Antetokounmpo went from hawking watches and DVDs on the streets of Greece to winning an NBA championship for the Milwaukee Bucks. In this repo...

Taylor’s version

28 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

One of the biggest pop stars in the world is rerecording her first six albums at the artistic peak of her career. In this repodcast, the Atlantic’s ...

The spike in gun violence

27 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

America's homicide rate rose by almost 30 percent in 2020. It was the biggest spike in 60 years, and the murder rate was even higher in 2021. In this ...

Four days of work?

23 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The pandemic changed how we think about work. In this repodcast, Vox’s Anna North says it might be time to change how much we work, too. Today’s s...

Good news

22 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

2021 was better than 2020. Here's proof. Today’s show was produced by Matt Collette, edited by Jillian Weinberger, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-...

Vanessa Nakate’s climate optimism

21 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate has been ridiculed, erased, and let down by the world's most powerful people. She explains how she remains hop...

We scored Biden’s first year

20 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We scored Biden’s first year The New Yorker’s Evan Osnos evaluates President Biden’s first year in office and whether Biden managed to lower the...

Who killed Malcolm X?

17 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Nearly 60 years after the assassination of Malcolm X, some of the men wrongly put in prison for killing him are finally being redeemed. Abdur-Rahman M...

The blood diamond of batteries

16 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Cobalt is powering the electric vehicle revolution, but much of the world’s supply is mined under deadly conditions in Congo. Journalist Nicolas Nia...

(Some) omicron answers

15 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Thanks to South Africa, the world now has some data on omicron’s severity, transmissibility, and whether or not the vaccines will protect us from it...

Operation Flex

14 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A bodybuilder posing as a Muslim convert was welcomed into a California mosque. When he showed signs of extremism, members reported him to the FBI, on...

Why we still can't predict tornadoes

13 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Most people get about eight minutes' advance warning of a tornado. This episode of Vox’s Unexplainable podcast explores how scientists need to confr...

The new meth

10 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

While the nation’s attention has been focused on the opioid crisis, a new, more dangerous form of methamphetamine has swept across the country. Toda...

The fastest economic collapse ever

09 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

That’s what the United Nations says is taking place in Afghanistan right now. Today’s show was produced by Will Reid, edited by Matt Collette, eng...

Are you vaxxed, fellow kids?

08 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Today, Explained returns to Cramer Hill Elementary School to explore the challenges of vaccinating children against Covid-19. Today’s show was repor...

The shooter's parents

07 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The mass killing at Oxford High School in Michigan may seem comparable to those that preceded it, but the aftermath has taken several new turns. Today...

Africa wants its stuff back

07 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The world’s most illustrious museums are finally having to reckon with the stolen art in their collections. Today’s show was produced by Haleema S...

C is for Culture War

03 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Big Bird got vaccinated, an Asian American Muppet moved in, and conservatives got really mad at Sesame Street. Today’s show was produced by Haleema ...

What happened to Peng Shuai

02 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A tennis star accused a former top Chinese official of sexual assault. Then she vanished. Now her case is changing sports in China. Today's show was p...

Unraveling Roe

02 Dec 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Supreme Court today heard oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health. Vox’s Ian Millhiser explains how the Court could undo Roe v. Wade...

Space trash

30 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Russia blew up a satellite and almost put the International Space Station in a precarious position. Recode’s Rebecca Heilweil explains how humans ar...

Omicron

29 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

AA-muh-kraan or OH-muh-kraan Today’s show was produced by Miles Bryan and Will Reid, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-check...

Salmonella, ella, ella, eh, eh, eh

23 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A deadly salmonella strain is spreading through American poultry, and there’s not much the government can do to stop it. ProPublica’s Bernice Yeun...

Kyle Rittenhouse and the “self-defense” defense

23 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After the Chicago Tribune’s Stacy St. Clair runs through the Rittenhouse trial and verdict, legal scholar Eric Ruben explains how “self-defense”...

The Future of Work: Retirement should be fun

19 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

But somehow it got very scary. Today’s show was produced by Victoria Chamberlin, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked b...

Why it's hard to find rapid tests in the US

18 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

And why they're easy to find in Europe (though they don't seem to be helping much at the moment). Today’s show was produced by Miles Bryan with help...

Is Zillow really buying all the houses?

17 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

No. Vox's Jerusalem Demsas disproves a popular internet conspiracy theory. Today’s show was produced by Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Matt Collette, engi...

Belarus manufactures a migrant crisis

16 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Belarus is promising migrants passage to Europe knowing the EU will turn them away. Today’s show was produced by Haleema Shah with help from Amina A...

Inflation nation

15 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Consumer prices are rising at their fastest rate in 30 years. Vox’s Emily Stewart explains why this is bad news for for drivers, shoppers, and Presi...

The Future of Work: The gig is up

12 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A third of American workers do gig work. In the third part of our series, The Future of Work, learn how the pandemic helped them discover their power....

China’s pursuit of ‘Zero Covid’

11 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

China’s 1.4 billion people are averaging fewer than 100 cases of Covid-19 a day. All it takes is the willingness to shut down anything at any time. ...

So I elected an Oath Keeper

10 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Extremists in the right-wing militant organization known as the Oath Keepers are present in law enforcement and in the military. Now, thanks to report...

Astroworld

09 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

How a music festival became a death trap, and what it would take for it never to happen again. Today’s show was produced by Haleema Shah and Hady Ma...

Trillion-dollar Biden

08 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

You win some and you lose some. Just ask President Biden, who started last week with electoral setbacks and ended it with a big f***ing deal. Today’...

The Future of Work: OOO

05 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

They said the office would never be the same. In part two of our series, The Future of Work, what happens to your workplace when they're right. Today’...

The case for climate reparations

04 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

While world leaders have descended on Glasgow to try to figure out how to slow emissions in the future, New York magazine’s David Wallace-Wells argu...

Sudan’s coup

03 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After a bloody fight for democracy, Sudan is sliding back into the hands of the military. CNN’s Nima Elbagir says a successful military coup could h...

School board brawl

03 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's Election Day in the USA. This time around, the nasty political fights and insurrections are going local. NPR's Anya Kamenetz explains. Today’s ...

For whom the door bells

01 Nov 2021

Contributed by Lukas

While the doorbell recovers from Halloween, Nice Try explains how it’s an essential part of the American dream. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained...

The Future of Work: “I quit!”

29 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There are millions of job openings in America, and millions of Americans are still not able to find work that suits. In the first part of our series, ...

Facebook’s Meta-morphosis

28 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

From the company that brought you alternate facts comes an alternate reality! Today’s show was produced by Will Reid, edited by Matt Collette, engin...

Chappelle's Show(down with the trans community)

27 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Vox's Aja Romano explains how Dave Chappelle's latest standup special led to a reckoning at Netflix. Vulture's Craig Jenkins assesses whether there's ...

The Alec Baldwin shooting

26 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Variety’s Brent Lang explains how cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died on the Rust film set—and how the tragic shooting might catalyze positive ch...

Ruthless County, Tennessee

25 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For 11 years, a Tennessee judge sent kids to jail for a crime that doesn’t exist. Nashville Public Radio’s Meribah Knight explains why that judge ...

The Supreme Court’s legitimacy crisis

22 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Since the Supreme Court’s "shadow docket" decision to allow the Texas abortion ban to go into effect, a growing chorus of politicians and legal expe...

Steve Bannon in contempt

21 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The House is holding Steve Bannon in criminal contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena as part of its January 6 investigation. Journalist Andrea Be...

Out of stock

20 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

All I want for Christmas is a functional supply chain. Today’s show was produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro...

What does Kyrsten Sinema want?

19 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Tim Murphy from Mother Jones explains how Sen. Kyrsten Sinema went from a left-wing activist to a Biden obstructionist. Today’s show was produced by...

Iran’s hostage industrial complex

18 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Iran is entering its fifth decade of taking hostages. One who made it out tells his story. Today’s show was produced by Victoria Chamberlin, edited ...

How the iPhone changed everything

15 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In 2007, Steve Jobs introduced a product that would change our lives forever. The new season of Land of the Giants explores “The Apple Revolution.”...

How Squid Game won Netflix

14 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

And whether the show’s message is being lost in the shuffle. Today’s show was produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim...

Covid little pill

13 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Vox’s Umair Irfan explains how a new pill that might soon be authorized by the FDA could fill major gaps in treating Covid-19. Today’s show was pr...

Why body cameras don’t work

12 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Body cameras were supposed to bring greater transparency to law enforcement. The case of Ronald Greene suggests police departments are still learning ...

The Fyre Festival of vaccine rollouts

08 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The city of Philadelphia put an opportunistic 22-year-old in charge of its vaccine rollout. Nina Feldman of WHYY’s Half Vaxxed podcast explains how ...

A vaccine for malaria

07 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

But also, should we kill all the mosquitoes? Today’s show was produced by Will Reid with help from Miles Bryan, edited by Matt Collette, engineered ...

Drill, baby, drill

06 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

An energy expert explains why offshore oil spills keep happening and whether they’ll ever stop. Today’s show was produced by Victoria Chamberlin, ...

The Facebook whistleblower

05 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Facebook kicked off the week with an outage and followed that up today with a whistleblower testifying before Congress. The Wall Street Journal’s Je...

How do you do, fellow kids?

04 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

School’s been back for a month. Today, Explained spent a month checking in with Cramer Hill Elementary to find out how it’s going. Today’s show ...

The $5,000 butt

01 Oct 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Brazilian butt lift isn’t just a cosmetic surgery; it’s a lifestyle. Vox’s Rebecca Jennings explains how influencers gave a decades-old pro...