Today, Explained

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...

Who gets to vote?

16 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It’s a question the US has struggled with since its founding. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastc...

Vaccines4Kids

15 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden says all adults will be eligible for a vaccine by May 1. But for the world to truly return to normal, young people will need shots, to...

No one nose

12 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Believe it or not, scientists still don’t know how the sense of smell works. But that isn’t stopping one guy at MIT from trying to reverse-enginee...

It’s been a year

11 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The year in revue. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Biden’s Big F***ing Deal

10 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden’s American Rescue Plan has been approved by Congress. It’s a revolution in American welfare disguised as stimulus. Transcript at v...

You’re vaccinated. Now what?

09 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

New guidelines from the CDC for fully vaccinated people suggest it’s finally time to hug your grandparents. Dr. Kavita Patel explains the do’s and...

Alabama shakes up Amazon

08 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Darryl Richardson, a worker at the Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, explains why he helped initiate a unionization effort that now has President...

The Bachelor meets reality

05 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Beset by controversy, The Bachelor’s latest season is winding down with an identity crisis. It’s a rare case of reality TV reflecting our cultural...

The surge of anti-Asian violence

05 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The United States is stumbling through two racial reckonings at once. Author Jeff Chang says it’s an inflection point centuries in the making. Trans...

Manchin in the middle

03 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Biden won the presidency, but it’s Joe Manchin from West Virginia who seems to be the decider. The Charleston Gazette-Mail’s Joe Severino shad...

The $15 dream

02 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Washington’s hottest policy fight is over raising the minimum wage to $15. Emily Stewart explains the Democrats’ effort to get it through Congress...

How acid trips led to better policing

01 Mar 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. L...

Canceling Keystone XL

27 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden finally wants to put the Keystone XL pipeline to bed. But if the last 12 years of environmental fights are any indication, it won’t ...

The case for Covid-19 optimism

25 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Vox’s German Lopez explains why he feels optimistic about the end of the pandemic even though 500,000 Americans have died, the virus is mutating, an...

A tale of two governors

24 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Andrew Cuomo and Gavin Newsom were hailed for their leadership early on in the pandemic. Now, the former is mired in scandal and the latter is facing ...

Stimu-less

23 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What’s taking so long? What’s happening with those $1,400 checks? Are the Democrats betraying the people who voted for them? Vox’s Li Zhou and A...

Googliath

22 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Australia just reined in Google. Dozens of other countries want in on the action. The latest season of Land of the Giants explains how two grad studen...

A tough week for Texas

20 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

First it was brutal winter weather, power outages followed, and then came a poorly timed trip to Cancun. Texas Public Radio’s Joey Palacios explains...

Rush Limbaugh’s legacy

19 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Author Nicole Hemmer explains how Limbaugh helped pave the way for Fox News, OAN, and Newsmax. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Learn more about ...

Biden at the border

17 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden says he wants to undo his predecessor’s immigration policies, so why are some of them still in effect? The El Paso Times’s Lauren ...

57-43

17 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Democrats made a strong case against Donald Trump. Republicans are being punished for supporting it. Vox’s Zack Beauchamp explains. Transcript at vo...

#FreeBritney

13 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The movement to liberate Britney Spears from her conservatorship may not succeed, but it’s revealing a lot about how we treat young women. Vox’s C...

The Republican(!) plan to give parents money

11 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Sen. Mitt Romney wants to throw money at parents, Andrew Yang-style. President Biden is into it, too. Vox’s Dylan Matthews explains. Transcript at v...

Vaccine hoarding

10 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Poorer countries have received less than 1 percent of the Covid-19 vaccines distributed around the world. Vox’s Julia Belluz explains what the WHO i...

26 Words

09 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A quarter-century after it was signed, Section 230, the law that made the modern internet, has done the impossible: united Democrats and Republicans. ...

Capitol punishment

09 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Vox’s Andrew Prokop previews the historic second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump. Law professor Alan Rozenshtein explains what th...

The Senate’s $1.9 trillion all-nighter

05 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Senate voted on more than 40 pieces of legislation overnight. Vox’s Li Zhou explains what the “vote-a-rama” means for President Biden’s ag...

The Arab Spring, 10 years later

04 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Ten years ago, a Tunisian fruit vendor set himself on fire and set off a revolution across the Middle East and North Africa. The Independent’s Borzo...

Marjorie Taylor Greene’s “loony lies”

03 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Vox’s Aaron Rupar explains why Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has likened a fellow Republican’s views to cancer. And New York magazine’s...

The coup in Myanmar

02 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Some would say the military has always been in control of Myanmar. On Monday morning, they made it official once again. Transcript at vox.com/todayexp...

Introducing Chicano Squad

01 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After the 1977 murder of a young Latino man, the Houston Police Department created a team of five young Latino officers to solve homicides in their co...

Biden’s latest 13 actions (in 13 minutes)

30 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

And whether or not any of it will last beyond his presidency. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastcho...

GameStock

29 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Vox’s Emily Stewart explains how GameStop’s stock jumped by 1,700 percent this month. Bloomberg’s Matt Levine ponders the purpose of the stock m...

The military’s far-right problem

27 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Sen. Tammy Duckworth wants the military to do a better job of rooting out extremism in its ranks. A military investigator explains how to solve a deca...

Coronavirus, 365 days later

26 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

One year after our first episode on the novel coronavirus, Vox’s Julia Belluz explains what we got right, what we got wrong, and what comes next. Tr...

Marianne Williamson on healing America’s soul

25 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Marianne Williamson was applauded as well as ridiculed on the presidential debate stage when she warned of the “dark psychic forces of collectivized...

Second in command, first in history

22 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Kamala Harris has already broken barriers, but ahead lies the rare task of leading a polarized and evenly divided Senate. Transcript at vox.com/todaye...

Biden’s first 17 actions (in 17 minutes)

22 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In his first few minutes in office, President Biden hit CTRL+Z on former President Trump’s agenda. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Learn more ...

46

21 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were sworn in today and got straight to work. Vox’s Laura McGann and Dylan Matthews explain what will be done immediatel...

Abolish the lame-duck period?

19 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

America’s two-month lame-duck period gave supporters of the outgoing president ample time to plan a violent uprising. Vox’s Ian Millhiser argues t...

The first global vaccination

15 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Was distributed by 22 orphans. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Okay, Google: unionize!

15 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A very big tech company now has a very small union. Recode’s Shirin Ghaffary explains why highly paid workers in an anti-union industry still organi...

The people behind the insurrection

13 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump has been impeached for inciting an insurrection on the Capitol one week ago. CNN’s Elle Reeve was there and explains who was duped i...

A step past impeachment

12 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Impeachment won’t stop the United States’ slide towards authoritarianism. Voter reform might. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Learn more abo...

Deplatforming Donald

12 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

First he lost his Facebook. Then he lost his Twitter. As of today, President Trump had been limited or booted by more than a dozen platforms. Casey Ne...

The flamethrowers and the fire extinguishers

08 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Infighting among Republican lawmakers reached a breaking point this week. The Atlantic’s McKay Coppins explains why and the tough road ahead for the...

How security at the Capitol failed

08 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Washington Post national security reporter Dan Lamothe explains how a number of agencies and politicians put together a historically bad security plan...

The breach, explained by Rep. Maloney (locked in her office)

07 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Rep. Carolyn Maloney of New York explains what it was like to live through today’s violent transfer of power. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. ...