Today, Explained
Episodes
An MVP for the world
07 Aug 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. The Ringer’...
The fight to ban evictions
05 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Democrats this week scrambled to extend a federal evictions moratorium amid the government's failure to deliver tens of billions of dollars to renters...
Who owns Amanda Knox?
04 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The new Matt Damon movie, Stillwater, is based on Amanda Knox’s story. She wishes someone had asked her to tell it. Transcript at vox.com/todayexpla...
Collect $5 billion. Do not pay taxes.
03 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Roth IRA was invented by Congress to incentivize middle-class retirement savings. ProPublica’s Justin Elliott explains how venture capitalist Pe...
The Provincetown cluster
02 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Vox’s Dylan Scott explains what an outbreak in a mostly vaccinated beach town taught the CDC about the delta variant. Transcript at vox.com/todayexp...
The spike in gun violence (Part II)
30 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A Philadelphia election tested progressive ideas on how to reduce shootings in America. ProPublica’s Alec MacGillis explains. Transcript at vox.com...
The spike in gun violence (Part I)
29 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The nation’s murder rate rose by almost 25 percent last year — the largest increase in at least 60 years. This year might be even worse. ProPublic...
The Capitol police speak
28 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Capitol police officers testified on Tuesday in the building they defended on January 6. Seamus Hughes, a former congressional investigator, explains ...
The Covid Olympics
27 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The 2020 Games were mired in scandal before they even started. Vox’s Jen Kirby explains how things are going now that the Olympics have finally ...
Panic! At The Delta
26 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Vox’s Umair Irfan explains why the United States is seeing another Covid-19 surge. Dr. Rhea Boyd says the country is getting unvaccinated people all...
Infrastructure Pete
23 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg explains what he and his boss are calling a once-in-a-generation spending plan. Transcript at vox.com/todayexp...
Human infrastructure
23 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
President Biden wants infrastructure spending to include child care, elder care, food assistance, even community college. Vox’s Anna North explains ...
Our No. 2 problem
21 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
America’s sewage system is total crap, but there’s a new plumber in town. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by maki...
Why we can’t have nice trains
20 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
And how it got so dam expensive to build things in America. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial con...
Hot infrastructure summer
19 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s a big week for President Biden’s infrastructure plans. Vox’s Li Zhou explains the obstacles in his way, and a historian says one of them is...
#FreeBritney was right
16 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Britney Spears returned to conservatorship court this week. Vox’s Constance Grady explains how Spears has rapidly become the face of a legal refor...
Cuba's had enough
15 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Cubans hit the streets for unprecedented protests against their communist government. CNN's Patrick Oppmann is on the ground in Havana with spotty wif...
The Lone Star strategy
14 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Republicans in Texas are legislating so far to the right the state’s Democrats up and fled to Washington, DC. Vox’s Nicole Narea explains. Transcr...
What’s happening in Haiti
13 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The assassination of President Jovenel Moïse is the latest in a long line of setbacks for Haiti’s stability. AyiboPost’s Widlore Mérancourt expl...
Postcards from pandemic purgatory
12 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Travel around the globe to hear how disparately people are experiencing the pandemic in July 2021. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Toda...
Where to go when the world burns
09 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
An estimated 143 million people will relocate to escape climate change in the next three decades. Quartz’s Amanda Shendruk explains how cities can t...
CAHOOTS
08 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Thirty years ago, Eugene, Oregon, figured out an alternative to the police. They called it CAHOOTS. Seriously. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. S...
Let’s talk about terror (Part II)
07 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When people see Deeyah Khan's documentary about white supremacists, they tell her, "The real problem is jihad. You should spend time with jihadists." ...
Let’s talk about terror (Part I)
06 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Documentary filmmaker Deeyah Khan grew tired of receiving death threats from white supremacists so she traveled to a Detroit motel to meet up with one...
The case for drinking
02 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Getting buzzed helped build civilization.. The Atlantic's Kate Julian explains. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by ma...
Law & Order: Special POTUS Unit
01 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Trump Organization and its top lieutenant have been indicted for tax fraud. Andrew Prokop says the case could have uge implications for American p...
Unfair housing
30 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A housing watchdog says real estate companies often discriminate against low-income tenants who use federal rental assistance. Now it’s suing. Trans...
Canada’s residential schools
29 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The discovery of mass graves of Indigenous children in Canada has led to reckonings on both sides of the border. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained....
The doctors are not all right
28 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Doctors have suffered psychologically throughout the pandemic, but as Vox’s Julia Belluz reports, those who seek mental health treatment in the US p...
Food fight
25 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Restaurant delivery apps have made it possible to order pretty much anything we want to eat with the click of a button. The latest season of the Land ...
Bish, don't kill my vibe
24 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Catholic bishops want to deny President Biden communion, even though Pope Francis thinks that's a terrible idea. The Atlantic's Emma Green explains. T...
Why stuff is getting more expensive
23 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Vox’s Emily Stewart explains how scared you should be of inflation. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a fin...
The delta variant
22 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The fast-spreading coronavirus variant first detected in India is coming for the rest of the world. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Tod...
A $55,000 drug that doesn’t cure Alzheimer’s
21 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
After 20 years of waiting, there’s a new drug to treat Alzheimer’s. For some patients, it’s a glimmer of hope. For some scientists, it’s one o...
Tales from the crypto
17 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Cryptocurrency is everywhere! And now some people are saying it could be good for the environment?! New York Magazine's Jen Wieczner is here to explai...
Once more unto the Brexit
16 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Atlantic’s Tom McTague provides a halftime report on Brexit. It appears it’s going very well for Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Transcript at v...
Israel is under new management
15 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Benjamin Netanyahu is out. Israel has a new leader and a new coalition government. The question now is whether they bring anyone closer to peace. Tran...
QAmom
14 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
What to do when your mom is with Q. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.l...
The Kardashi-end
11 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Over 14 years and 20 seasons of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” the show rewrote the rules of reality TV, social media, marketing, and popular ...
You know who kinda crushed Covid?
10 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Senegal. Vox’s Jen Kirby flew there to find out how. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribu...
Mare of New York
09 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
New York City is picking a new mayor with a new election system. What could go wrong? Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained ...
Mexico’s deadly election
08 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Gangs and drug cartels killed dozens of candidates in Mexico’s midterm elections. Voters weren’t intimidated. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained...
Critical race theory
07 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Across the country, Republican lawmakers are pushing laws banning “critical race theory” in schools. It’s already had a chilling effect on teach...
It’s getting harder to vote in America
04 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Texas isn’t the only state advancing legislation that would disenfranchise voters in Democratic strongholds. Vox’s Ian Millhiser explains why some...
The lab leak theory
03 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The idea that Covid-19 emerged from a Chinese lab once sounded too fringe to take seriously. That’s starting to change. Transcript at vox.com/todaye...
Myanmar wants a revolution
02 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Despite a violent terror campaign by the military junta, protesters are still fighting for a new government. The latest conflict is uniting ethnic and...
The Tulsa massacre, 100 years later
01 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It was one of the worst incidents of racial violence in American history, but for a long time very few Americans learned what happened to the Black re...
The truth is out there
28 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
UFOs are having a renaissance. The New Yorker’s Gideon Lewis-Kraus explains what we stand to learn from an expected government disclosure, and why w...
MO Medicaid MO Problems
27 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Missourians voted for more Medicaid. Missouri lawmakers said no. St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum explains what happens when you bypass the ...
Why Belarus hijacked a plane
26 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The hijacking of Ryanair flight 4978 is a big escalation of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s attempts to hold on to power. It might also ...
You’re vaxxed. You test positive. Don’t panic.
25 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Nine New York Yankees tested positive for Covid-19, even though they were all vaccinated. Vox’s Brian Resnick says it’s proof the system is workin...
Remember the insurrection?
24 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Some would rather forget. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodc...
A million Muslims detained
21 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
China’s Uyghur minority has been subjected to torture, forced labor, religious restrictions, and even forced sterilization. NPR’s Throughline expl...
Ctrl+Alt+Divorce
20 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For decades, Bill Gates exemplified the “good billionaire.” His reputation — tarnished almost overnight — highlights the danger of relying too...
America and Israel
19 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
An arms deal between the United States and Israel is drawing criticism from Democrats. It's part of a shifting tide in the American approach to the Is...
The 2020* Olympics
18 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
*Are being held this summer in Tokyo. And it’s a mess. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contri...
Take this job and shove it
17 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Job growth has slowed, but there are plenty of positions posted. That's got politicians arguing about the cost of benefits. Matt Yglesias explains. Tr...
A new constitution
14 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
This weekend, Chileans head to the polls to decide who will rewrite the country's constitution. CNN's Daniel Matamala explains why it's a historic exp...
Jerusalem
14 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Weeks of tensions between Israelis and Palestinians in Jerusalem have escalated into the region's worst violence in years. Two journalists in the holy...
How America’s gas got hacked
12 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The largest-known ransomware attack on American energy infrastructure is driving up gas prices and creating shortages. Wired's Lily Hay Newman says Co...
Liz Cheney and the Big Lie
11 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A push to remove Cheney from her House leadership position shows how Trump, marooned at Mar-a-Lago without Twitter, continues to hold sway in the GOP....
Vaccinated! (Still anxious.)
10 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
There’s no vaccine for Covid-19 anxiety. Nor is there one for those who aren’t ready to “go back to normal.” But, as Vox’s Sigal Samuel expl...
“Free the vaccine!”
07 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
President Joe Biden heeded calls from low-income countries to try to relax patents on Covid-19 vaccines so they can make cheaper generic versions. Big...
Fortnite fights Apple for your phone
06 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
One of the world's biggest video games is suing one of the world's biggest tech companies. The Wall Street Journal's Tim Higgins explains how the f...
Can we get to 70%?
05 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
That’s President Joe Biden’s new vaccination goal, and he’s got some fresh ideas on how to get there. Vox’s German Lopez explains. Transcript ...
Congress takes on sexual assault in the military
04 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Congress wants to change how the military prosecutes sex crimes. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand explains her bill. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Lear...
The bonkers housing market
03 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Is it a bubble? Is it going to pop? Do you need to bid over asking? Has it already sold? Are there any houses left? Will you ever find one? Vox’s Je...
The enduring mystery of long Covid
30 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
An estimated 10 percent of people who test positive for Covid-19 experience long-haul symptoms. Vox’s Julia Belluz joins the Unexplainable podcast t...
We scored Biden's first 100 days
29 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Biden’s biographer, Evan Osnos, explains why the president is a weather vane for the Democratic Party. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support...
Apple vs. Facebook (feat. Privacy)
28 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Apple updated its software and Facebook was very upset. Recode’s Sara Morrison and Peter Kafka explain. Roller derby is involved. Transcript at vox....
Biden vs. Putin (feat. Navalny)
27 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
President Biden is cranking the pressure on President Putin, but it was Russian dissident Alexei Navalny who scored a victory by refusing his prison f...
India’s SOS to the world
26 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The world’s biggest vaccine manufacturer ended up with the world’s worst Covid-19 surge. Neha Arora, New Delhi correspondent for Reuters, explains...
A plan to protect the planet
24 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Or at least 30 percent of it. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepod...
Is nuclear energy good or bad?
22 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Listen to the Atlantic’s Robinson Meyer explain the arguments and then decide for yourself. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Learn more about y...
It’s electric!
21 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Norway has lapped the world in adopting electric vehicles. Vox’s Umair Irfan explains how the US might catch up. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplaine...
The case for climate optimism
20 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
In 2019, David Wallace-Wells wrote a book called The Uninhabitable Earth. Just two years later, he’s feeling hopeful — thanks to the world’s big...
Peanut butter and jellyfish
19 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
And other items from the lunch menu of 2050. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoice...
America awaits a verdict
16 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Arguments in the trial of Derek Chauvin have wrapped after a brutal week for policing in America. Minnesota Public Radio’s Jon Collins shares his re...
The Echo Park eviction
15 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The recent police crackdown on a tent camp in Los Angeles has left the city divided. One thing everyone agrees on is the dire need for lasting solutio...
Gaetzgate
14 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Vox’s Andrew Prokop explains Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz’s sex scandal. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Learn more about your ad choices....
Johnson & Johnson & Problems
13 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The US government is calling for an immediate pause in Johnson & Johnson vaccinations after six recipients (out of millions) developed blood clots. Pr...
Vaccine passport, please
12 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Recode’s Rebecca Heilweil explains how proving you got the shot became controversial. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Learn more about your ad...
CICADAPOCALYPSE 2021
09 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Or maybe, after listening to this episode, it’ll be more like CICADAPALOOZA! Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Learn more about your ad choices....
Taylor Swift rewrites her story
09 Apr 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. The Atlantic’s Shirley Li explains...
KKK High
07 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A group of students in Topeka, Kansas, discovered their high school was named after an exalted cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan. Then they tried to change ...
Hot Senate procedural news
06 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On Monday night, the Senate parliamentarian gave Democrats an unprecedented blessing. Vox’s Ella Nilsen and Li Zhou explain what they might do with ...
MLB to Georgia: You’re out!
06 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Major League Baseball, Delta, and Coke are calling out Georgia for its new voting reforms, but some of these corporations were involved in crafting th...
“My friend” has a question about the vaccine
02 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
We asked if you still had vaccine questions, and you did. We found answers. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Learn more about your ad choices. Vi...
High crimes
01 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
New York is the latest state to legalize recreational marijuana, but President Joe Biden won’t budge. This means that it’s possible to become a bi...
Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure plan
31 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It’s infrastructure week in America. President Joe Biden unveiled a plan to spend trillions on bridges, roads, housing, and clean energy to prove it...
Making tennis a misdemeanor
30 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
More than half of US states are working to ban, or even criminalize, trans athletes playing sports. Vox contributor Katelyn Burns explains how conserv...
Ship happens
29 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
After six days, a very big boat is finally afloat. While stuck, it brought international trade through the Suez Canal to a halt and cost companies bil...
The original anti-vaxxer
26 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
When a Swedish American pastor refused to get a smallpox vaccine in 1902, he ended up in the United States Supreme Court. The Atlantic’s new podcast...
The end of minty cigarettes?
25 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
With Democrats in charge, there is a lot of talk about big ideas for the country, including … banning menthol cigarettes? Politico’s Sarah Owermoh...
Would NOT demanding gun control be more effective?
24 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The Trace’s Jennifer Mascia explains why two gun reform bills the House recently passed are likely to fail in the Senate. Patrick Blanchfield from t...
WTF is an NFT?
23 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
On Monday, a tweet sold for $2.9 million. That followed a JPEG that went for $69 million. The Verge’s Liz Lopatto explains how internet ephemera tur...
AnchoRage
22 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
The United States and China met in Anchorage, Alaska, on Thursday to air grievances, and the cameras were rolling. Vox’s Alex Ward explains how the ...
Why America needs a national pandemic memorial
19 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
People want to move on from Covid-19, but that doesn’t mean forgetting its victims. Historian Paul Farber and Vox reporter Alissa Wilkinson explain ...
Racism, misogyny, and the shootings in Georgia
18 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Eight people were killed in shootings at three Atlanta-area spas. Most of the victims were women. Six were Asian American. Georgia state Sen. Michelle...
Why are more children crossing the border?
17 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
A growing number of unaccompanied minors at the US-Mexico border is highlighting President Biden’s struggle to fulfill his campaign promises on immi...