Today, Explained

We're gonna need a bigger vote

22 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A ballot initiative on November 6 might re-enfranchise over a million Floridians. Demetrius Jifunza explains what it would mean to regain the right to...

FW: FW: FW: SECRETS TO BOOST YOUR METABOLISM

19 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Metabolism is one of the greatest mysteries of the human body. Vox’s Julia Belluz spends a day in a metabolic chamber and emerges with some answers....

Consequences

18 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

It is now almost certain that journalist Jamal Khashoggi was brutally murdered at the hands of the Saudi government. As more and more gruesome details...

Affirmative reaction

17 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Harvard is on trial. A group of Asian Americans is facing off against the college in court, where it might dismantle the very affirmative action law t...

Beto and Ted's Excellent Adventure

16 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Everything’s bigger in Texas, including a Senate race that feels more like a presidential one. Texas Monthly’s Eric Benson explains how Beto O’R...

Remember, remember the 6th of November

15 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Midterm elections are three weeks and a day away. Vox’s Dylan Scott says if you think the country's polarized, you ain't seen nothing yet. Learn mor...

The $629 Band-Aid

12 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Imagine a world where a Band-Aid costs $629. Bad news: you live in that world. Vox’s Sarah Kliff explains how American hospitals tack on “facility...

Disappeared

11 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi visited the Saudi consulate in Istanbul last week, but he never left. Now, Turkish officials claim he was killed and ...

Earth is cancelled due to weather

10 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The United Nations now says the planet has 12 years to avoid catastrophic climate change. Vox’s Umair Irfan explores the options humanity has left. ...

Nikki out

09 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Surprise! Nikki Haley, President Trump’s ambassador to the United Nations, has resigned. Vox’s Alex Ward explains why one of the most popular memb...

The death penalty and the gopher frog

08 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Brett Kavanaugh starts his new job tomorrow. The Washington Post’s Robert Barnes previews the Supreme Court’s new term and Vox’s Matthew Yglesia...

All my friends are robocalls

05 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Why even answer the phone anymore? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Kavanaugh report is here and no, you can't see it

04 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The FBI has finished its investigation of Brett Kavanaugh. Today, senators entered a highly secured room to review it. Learn more about your ad choice...

How to run for president from a hospital bed

03 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

One candidate was stabbed. Another is sitting in jail. His replacement was slapped with corruption charges. Just your friendly neighborhood candidates...

Good news for Canadians who like milk

02 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The United States, Mexico, and Canada have a new trade deal. It’s called USMCA, or “the new NAFTA.” Vox’s Jen Kirby breaks it down before poli...

Internet fist fight

01 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

California passed the strongest net neutrality law the country’s ever seen this weekend. The Department of Justice immediately sued. Who’s gonna w...

"Somebody's gotta explain this to Trump"

28 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

After tense words and a walkout, the Republicans got their man and the Democrats got their FBI investigation. Vox's Ezra Klein explains how both sides...

Testimony (Part 2 of 2)

27 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Today, Brett Kavanaugh responded to Christine Blasey Ford's testimony that he tried to rape her in high school. (An episode on Ford's testimony was re...

Testimony (Part 1 of 2)

27 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Today, Christine Blasey Ford publicly testified about her allegations that Brett Kavanaugh attempted to rape her in high school. (Expect an additional...

The ghost of Florence

26 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Dozens died, millions of animals drowned, billions of dollars worth in damage done, and Hurricane Florence isn’t even over yet. Before rebuilding be...

Red light, green card

25 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The Trump administration wants to make it a whole lot harder to get a green card. Vox's Dara Lind explains the newest proposal to rein in legal immigr...

Accusers, plural

24 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

U.S. Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh is facing more accusations of sexual misconduct. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com...

Chicago on trial

21 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke shot Laquan McDonald 16 times. His murder trial began this week, four years after Laquan was killed. WBEZ's Shan...

elon r u ok

20 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk is having a bit of a week, a month, a year. Now the Department of Justice is investigating him, as is Today, Explained. Learn more about you...

China's concentration camps

19 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

China has a secret that’s slowly slipping out: roughly a million Uighurs are being held in “reeducation camps”. Gulchehra Hoja, a Uighur journal...

Now’s a great time to commit some white-collar crime

18 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The Mueller investigation has revealed how easy it is to get away with white-collar crime in the United States. ProPublica’s Jesse Eisinger explains...

What the letter said

17 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Christine Blasey Ford has come forward to accuse Brett Kavanaugh of sexual assault. Vox's Li Zhou recounts the alleged assault and Emily Bazelon from ...

Back to Juul

14 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The FDA announced this week it’s cracking down on e-cigarettes, demanding that manufacturers like Juul prove within 60 days they aren’t harmful to...

Have you talked to God about this?

13 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Today, Pope Francis met with American bishops at the Vatican to discuss the fallout from a report on decades of abuse by priests. A religion reporter ...

CAROLINAS, PLEASE EVACUATE

12 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Meteorologist Angela Fritz forecasts the catastrophic storm that's about to slam the Carolinas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices...

Deadname

11 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Three transgender women of color have been murdered in the past two weeks. ProPublica’s Lucas Waldron explains why so many murders of trans people r...

Game, Upset, Match

11 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Naomi Osaka defeated her lifelong hero Serena Williams to win the US Open on Saturday. The match might be remembered for the wrong reasons. Learn more...

Arrested for reporting a massacre

07 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Two Reuters reporters have been sentenced to seven years in prison for calling attention to a recent massacre in Myanmar. The United Nations says it's...

But his emails!

06 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Brett Kavanaugh’s emails are spilling out and they’re causing waves on Capitol Hill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/ad...

Bad blood

05 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The scandal-plagued blood-testing startup Theranos is shutting down. The Wall Street Journal’s John Carreyrou chronicles the rise and fall of a $10 ...

Confirmation screamings

04 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings for the United States Supreme Court began today. Slate's Dahlia Lithwick say they were unlike any she'd seen...

America's worst defense attorney

31 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Who is Robert Mueller? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Don't call it a comeback

30 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Louis CK surprised New York City's Comedy Cellar with a fresh set of jokes Sunday night. Some were not amused. Vox's Constance Grady explains how to a...

Take a penny, take a penny

29 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

New York investigators are turning up the heat on the Trump Foundation this summer. The Washington Post’s David Fahrenthold shares a series of incre...

False profit

28 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The top student loan officer in the country kicked off the school year by quitting. He says the Trump administration "turned its back on young people ...

The empty seat in Arizona

27 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Love him, hate him, or both, Senator John McCain will be remembered as a towering figure of American politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit...

Kill me maybe

24 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The EPA is rolling back Obama-era regulations on coal-fired plants. It says its decision will kill 1400 Americans per year by 2030. Learn more about y...

Insecurity complex

23 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The president has threatened to revoke the national security clearances for current and former government officials. The Washington Post's Shane Harri...

Guilty. Guilty. Guilty?

22 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In an unprecedented one-two punch Donald Trump’s personal lawyer pleaded guilty to and his campaign manager was found guilty of serious crimes yeste...

19 cents per hour

21 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Inmates nationwide go on strike today to protest conditions they call “modern-day slavery": incarcerated Americans are paid pennies on the dollar fo...

No fair, ride share

20 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

New York City has approved the first cap in the U.S. on Uber and Lyft vehicles. WIRED’s Aarian Marshall explains who’ll be impacted the most, and ...

Never tweet

17 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Twitter temporarily banned Alex Jones and Infowars this week. Why'd it take so long? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoi...

Saw something, said nothing

16 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A Pennsylvania grand jury has released a 1300-page report on child sex abuses within the state's Catholic Church. Jack Jenkins from Religion News Serv...

Crazy. Rich. And finally seen.

15 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Crazy Rich Asians hits theaters today. Los Angeles Times film critic Jen Yamato says it's been 25 years in the making. Learn more about your ad choice...

Democracy Dies in Daylight

14 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Democracies can fall many ways: military coups, assassinations, mass protests. But what does it look like when a democracy quietly backslides into aut...

NASA shoots a billion dollars at the sun

13 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

You might have missed it this weekend, but NASA shot a spaceship at the sun. Once it gets there, the Parker Solar Probe might find the secret to keepi...

"These bastards tried to kill me"

10 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Aubtin Heydari tells the story of how he was almost murdered by a white supremacist at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville last year. Learn m...

This too shall MoviePass

09 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

MoviePass is changing the way we see movies, but it's going to have to get its act together. Vox’s Alissa Wilkinson explains. Learn more about your ...

When a season lasts a year

08 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

California’s Mendocino Complex Fire is now the biggest in the state’s recorded history, surpassing a record set… last year. Vox’s Umair Irfan ...

Wrestling with Ohio State

07 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan wants to be the next Speaker of the House, but a pack of wrestlers could be blocking his path. Corky Siemaszko broke the s...

HQ2

06 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Amazon will soon announce which city will land its second headquarters along with 50,000 new jobs. There’s a lot to win and maybe just as much to lo...

Is the economy great again?

03 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The US economy is booming, unemployment keeps dropping, and the country is in the midst of one of the longest economic expansions in our history. Gues...

You must sign here

02 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

An immigration lawyer at the border says ICE agents are pressuring parents into being deported with their children. Vox’s Dara Lind broke the story....

Ready, print, fire

01 Aug 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Today was supposed to be a big day for people who wanted to make their own guns with 3D printers. But last night, a federal judge in Seattle temporari...

How to solve the opioid crisis

31 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Vox's German Lopez explains America's opioid crisis and goes looking for a solution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoi...

Manafort, day in court

30 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The first trial of the Mueller investigation begins tomorrow. Vox’s Andrew Prokop runs through the many, many charges Paul Manafort is facing. Learn...

Delete your account

27 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Dan Harmon quit Twitter. James Gunn was fired by Disney. Sarah Silverman defended a nine-year-old joke about molestation. Vox’s Aja Romano explains ...

Cricketer-in-Chief

26 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A thrice-married, nightclub-loving cricket star just won Pakistan’s election. Mehreen Zahra-Malik explains why the military backed Imran Khan and Br...

Soy Story

25 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The Trump administration stirred up a flurry of trade disputes that threatened to put farmers in the red. Then it threw out a lifesaver: $12 billion i...

Graduating Marjory Stoneman Douglas High

24 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

What’s up with the Parkland teens? Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School inspired over a million people to march for gun control a few ...

The Endangered Endangered Species Act

23 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The White House has proposed stripping the Endangered Species Act of key provisions - the same legislation that helped save the grizzly bear, bald eag...

Mr. Trump's wild week

20 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

What a week. President Trump sided with President Putin, then he didn’t, then he did, then he didn’t again. Vox’s Alex Ward tries to keep up.  ...

The Stanford Prison Correction

19 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In 1971, a professor locked a bunch of young men in a basement to understand evil. The results were explosive. This summer, it all came crashing down....

Open casket, reopened case

18 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

One of the most brutal murder cases in American history has been reopened. The Washington Post’s Wesley Lowery explains how Emmett Till’s family m...

Does America need Sacha Baron Cohen?

17 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Bernie Sanders, Sarah Palin, and Dick Cheney walk into an interview. Sacha Baron Cohen is waiting for them. Vox’s Todd VanDerWerff explains. Learn m...

Vladimir's best day ever

16 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Vladimir Putin flatly denied Russian interference in the United States’s 2016 elections and President Trump refused to call him out. Former ambassad...

What are Democrats doing even?

13 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Republicans control the White House, Congress and most state legislatures. Pod Save America’s Dan Pfeiffer explains how Democrats can dig themselves...

I can't believe it's not breastmilk

12 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Breastmilk. Research says it’s the best, so why did the U.S. threaten to shut down a breastfeeding proposal at the World Health Assembly? Vox’s Ju...

Brexiting is hard to do

11 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

British Prime Minister Theresa May is losing cabinet members left and right. She can’t figure out how to Brexit. BBC's Rob Watson says the UK's brea...

The New Justice

10 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Brett Kavanaugh is President Trump’s pick to replace Anthony Kennedy on the United States Supreme Court. The New York Times Magazine’s Emily Bazel...

Roe v. Wade v. Trump

09 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Tonight the president announces who might replace Anthony Kennedy on the United States Supreme Court. During his campaign, he promised he would choose...

Say goodbye to Pruitt

06 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

It’s official: Scott Pruitt will no longer lead the Environmental Protection Agency. Vox’s Umair Irfan explains why it doesn’t really matter who...

Tonight. Midnight. Trade war.

05 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

When the clock strikes twelve tonight, the US government plans to hit Chinese goods with $34 billion in tariffs. China plans to lash back. Vox’s Mat...

Abolish ICE?

03 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

#AbolishICE has gone from an online murmur to a national movement, but a lot of Americans are confused about what exactly Immigration and Customs Enfo...

They call him AMLO

02 Jul 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Meet Mexico’s next president: Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Call him AMLO. He’s a leftist, a populist, and wasn’t shy about calling Donald Trum...

We need to talk about Yemen

29 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The Supreme Court upheld President Trump’s travel ban this week, making it all but impossible for the citizens of seven countries to enter the Unite...

Born to run

28 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is set to become the youngest woman to ever serve in Congress this November. The 28-year-old Democratic Socialist defeated te...

The most powerful man in America retires

27 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

After 30 years on the Supreme Court, Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement today. Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick explains what the departure of ...

Yes we ban

26 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court upheld President Trump’s travel ban. Emily Bazelon from The New York Times Magazine explains the opinion, a fie...

Controversy for controversy's sake

25 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

A 32-year-old from Santa Monica, California, helped President Trump conceive of the most divisive immigration policy in decades. The Atlantic’s McKa...

Redesigning life on Earth

22 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Bill and Melinda Gates are messing with nature. But they’re doing it to save the world. This week, their foundation gave away millions to make malar...

What the executive order doesn't fix

21 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump signed an executive order which aims to end his own policy of family separation at the border. Yeah... it's confusing. Martha Mendoza ...

UNHRC ya later

20 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The United States has been threatening to withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council for some time, but President Trump and Ambassador Nikk...

Happy Juneteenth!

19 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

It's Juneteenth! What is this holiday that hardly anyone fully understands? UCLA's Brenda Stevenson explains the history, and argues that the celebrat...

2,000

18 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

That’s how many kids have been separated from their parents at border crossings over a six-week span since the Trump administration’s new zero tol...

Little summer vampires

15 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Tiny blood-sucking Lyme-disease-carrying ticks are out to ruin your summer. Since 1991, Lyme disease has doubled in the United States due to a variety...

Mo Salah will make you care about soccer

14 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

The World Cup kicks off today. Looking for a country to cheer for? Consider Egypt. The team might not be the most storied or stacked, but it’s got M...

The Sessions Doctrine

13 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

On Monday, Attorney General Jeff Sessions made it harder for Central Americans fleeing gang violence or women escaping domestic violence to gain asylu...

How do you solve a problem like Korea?

12 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un made history today. Or did they? NPR’s Elise Hu was there. She explains what happened and what didn’t. Plus, The New ...

Will work for healthcare

11 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Good news for poor Americans: Medicaid is expanding in several states. Bad news for poor Americans: Medicaid is expanding in several states with work ...

Riding in cars without boys

08 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

This week, the Saudi government issued driver’s licenses to women for the first time in the country’s history. But London School of Economics prof...

You're tariffing us apart

07 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

North America isn't getting along anymore. Canada's Prime Minister is having testy phone calls with President Trump about the War of 1812. Mexico has ...

Pardon me

06 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Sheriff Joe Arpaio. Scooter Libby. Dinesh D'Souza. So far, none of President Donald Trump’s pardons have had anything to do with his administration,...

When your president acts like a dictator

05 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Nicaragua is spiraling into a state of national catastrophe, as clashes between police and student protesters over the past two months have left more ...

You can't have your cake

04 Jun 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Today the Supreme Court issued a decision in Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, or as it’s colloquially known, the “g...