Today, Explained

Why does dating suck for guys?

09 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The rules of romance have changed, and many young men feel they can't keep up. We get some tips from a Texas men's relationship coach. This episode wa...

Whey too much protein

07 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Added protein really seems to be in all the food lately. Reporter Chris Gayomali says to thank environmental regulations, GLP-1s, and Arnold Schwarzen...

The Zizian "death cult"

06 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Journalist Max Read explains how a bunch of Silicon Valley computer scientists spun into a cult accused of killings. This episode was produced by Aman...

Serving your country while trans

05 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sam Rodriguez is on active duty in the US Navy. They are also trans. Now, the Trump administration wants to remove them from the US military. This epi...

Breaking up with Ukraine

04 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Why the humiliation of Volodymyr Zelenskyy holds a twisted appeal for Trump's core supporters. And what Europe plans to do about it. This episode was ...

The Gulf of America?

03 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

What started as a liberal joke is now a MAGA reality. Just check your map app. But it’s not just Google, Apple, and Microsoft falling in line. This ...

The messiest Oscars category

28 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Seed of the Sacred Fig was (secretly) shot in Iran with Iranian actors and an Iranian director. But it’s Germany’s submission for Best Interna...

Is flying still safe?

27 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Recent airplane crashes and near misses have everyone freaked out, just as DOGE is laying off workers at the agency charged with keeping people safe i...

Eggs aren't expensive enough

26 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

At least if we want to stop the next pandemic. Vox's Kenny Torrella explains. This episode was produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-...

Quid pro bros

25 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

First, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and President Donald Trump struck up an unlikely friendship. Then, the Trump administration ordered prosecutors ...

Germany's rightward march

24 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany party won its best ever results this weekend. We hear why an anti-immigrant, fascist-curious party is surg...

Sugar daddies and mommies

21 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Boomers are the wealthiest generation ever. And they're funneling trillions to their adult children for down payments, school tuition, even monthly al...

Vatever you vant, Vladimir

20 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Kremlin defender Tulsi Gabbard is the US’s new spy chief, while the US and Russia are holding peace talks without European and Ukrainian officials a...

Breaking the internet

19 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Trump administration’s effort to purge government websites is accelerating digital decay. It’s a trend that imperils our record of ourselves. ...

Mr. Project 2025

18 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Russell Vought is the architect and legal scholar behind the Trump administration’s attempt to reshape the federal government. Simon Rabinovitch, US...

Is science in danger?

17 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Funding cuts and research censorship have shaken the foundations of America’s health and science agencies, leaving researchers shocked, confused, an...

The making of a beauty king

14 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Sephora revolutionized high-end beauty and turned tiny brands into household names. Now, comes the reckoning. Fast Company’s Liz Segran on whether S...

Elon's African roots

13 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump is offering to resettle white South Africans in the US, and his white South African bestie may have something to do with it. This epis...

Tater bot

12 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The prices of all kinds of things have stayed stubbornly high even as inflation has cooled. And a spate of lawsuits point to algorithmic price fixing ...

DOGE-y behavior

11 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk promised to feed "USAID into the wood chipper." The way he's dismantling the agency provides a roadmap for the administration moving forward...

Guantanamo’s other history

10 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Trump administration has begun detaining migrants at Guantanamo Bay. For more than 40 years, the US has sent immigrants to Gitmo, explains Jeffrey...

Super Bowl GNX

07 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Kendrick Lamar is celebrating his latest album, GNX, on the biggest stage in American music. But everyone wants to know if he’s bringing the beef. N...

Chaos in Congo

06 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Democratic Republic of the Congo is at war. Again. Sixty-five years of mismanagement began with a CIA assassination plot that condemned millions o...

Democrats, where you at?

05 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

NBC News reporter Sahil Kapur and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) try to explain if the Democrats are, like, dead. This episode was produced by Amanda Lewelly...

Tariffied

04 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The first battles have now been fought in the new North American trade war. President Donald Trump came out on top. Companies that make things across ...

Rebuilding Los Angeles

03 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

LA Times reporter Liam Dillon assesses the damage now that the fires are fully contained. Torched editor Alissa Walker explains how the 2028 Olympics ...

Turkey with the good hair

31 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Turkey has become the hair transplant capital of the world. And it's part of a global boom in medical tourism. This episode was produced by Hady Mawaj...

DeepSeek deepdive

30 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The emergence of DeepSeek — a Chinese AI model that was developed for a fraction of the cost of leading Western ones, but seems to perform on par wi...

How America went MAHA

29 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

RFK Jr. adviser Calley Means explains why so many Americans are suspicious of food and pharma companies, and what the HHS secretary nominee plans to d...

Trump’s government purge

28 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Trump is remaking the federal government in his name, says Vox’s Andrew Prokop. Efforts at a more efficient government may have a point, says Jennif...

The Silk Road pardon

27 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

President Donald Trump pardoned Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht and launched his own memecoin, signaling a new attitude toward cryptocurrency in his s...

From TikTok to 小红书

24 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

TikTok's uncertain future has driven a flood of users to a fully Chinese social media app full of opportunities for genuine cultural exchange. And it'...

It’s not easy being Greenland

23 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump says he wants Greenland for America. Greenlandic government minister Naaja Nathanielsen says the country's not for sale but it's open for...

Cafeteria wars

22 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

RFK Jr. is the latest in a long line of reformers who have tried to clean up school lunch. The history of those attempts illustrates how hard it is to...

Back in (executive) action

21 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Trump kicked off his second term with a flurry of executive actions. Vox’s Andrew Prokop and Nicole Narea explain. This episode was produced by Aman...

47

20 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The New Yorker’s Susan B. Glasser says Donald Trump’s second inauguration is very different from his first. Vox’s Ian Millhiser explains how the...

Generation Gentle Parent

17 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Many millennials are pushing back against traditional parenting styles used by their boomer parents. We explore the confusion and chaos in today's par...

Zuck your feelings

16 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Meta is going MAGA. New York magazine’s John Herrman explains Mark Zuckerberg’s makeover. Writer Ben Wofford introduces Meta’s policy puppet mas...

Life after Ozempic

15 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Americans were told “diet and exercise” was the key to better health, but lifestyle changes were never that life changing. Medication is. This epi...

The politics of fire

14 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Wildfires overtook Los Angeles, firefighters ran out of water, and the political finger-pointing began. This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy and...

The Good, the Bad, and the Biden

13 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Biden’s lack of leadership and priorities means he will leave office without any real lasting policy achievements, says Vox's Dylan Matthews. This e...

Beige, don't kill my vibe

10 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Two Amazon influencers are in a legal battle over whether or not one has appropriated the other’s aesthetic. The Verge’s Mia Sato breaks down the ...

TikTok on the dock(et)

09 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The TikTok ban lands at the Supreme Court on Friday. Turns out ByteDance is far from the only Chinese company in the US government’s crosshairs. Thi...

Seoul searching

08 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

South Korean lawmakers impeached not only their martial-law-declaring president but also the guy who stepped up to replace him. The Wall Street Journa...

MAGA meltdown

07 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

MAGA is fighting over immigration. Vox’s Andrew Prokop tells us what happened, and the Wall Street Journal’s Tim Higgins explains why it isn’t t...

"Happy Sixthmas"

06 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

January 6 is always a big day in the DC jail where many alleged insurrectionists are awaiting trial and sentencing. It's even bigger this year, with "...

Canadian bakin’

03 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

More Americans are now daily weed smokers than daily drinkers. To better understand this public health experiment, we turn to Canada, which has federa...

Elon's company town

02 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The world's richest man is developing a company town outside Austin, Texas. Like the industrialists who came before him, Elon Musk may learn it’s ha...

When Carter called out America

30 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In 1979, Jimmy Carter delivered his “Crisis of Confidence” speech, a tirade against American individualism and consumerism. Historian Kevin Mattso...

Almost Heaven

27 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The appeal of "Country Roads" extends far beyond West Virginia or even the United States. We're revisiting an episode from this summer that examines t...

Our trillion-dollar credit card bill

26 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Christmas is over and now comes the financial hangover. In an episode from earlier this year, guest host Jonquilyn Hill looks into the root causes of ...

The case against legal sports betting

23 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Sports betting is a costly mistake, says addiction researcher Charles Fain Lehman. He and NBA great Danny Green discuss how it's changed sports for th...

One year of Sphere

20 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Las Vegas Sphere was supposed to be the future of live entertainment. But just over a year into its run, New York Post writer Josh Kosman explains...

The price of paying college athletes

19 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Name and likeness rights are fundamentally changing college sports at a rapid pace. SB Nation’s JP Acosta and sports commentator Pablo Torre explain...

Can Trump get a Gaza ceasefire?

18 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

He'd love to take credit for a deal, although Israel and Hamas are still deadlocked. But Amir Tibon of Haaretz and Steven Cook of the Council on Forei...

The right to die

17 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A growing number of countries are legalizing assisted suicide, mostly for terminally ill patients. The Washington Post's Karla Adam and Vox's Marin Co...

Trump trolls the neighbours

16 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

President-elect Trump says he can see Justin Trudeau becoming governor of “the great state of Canada.” It’s part of a pressure campaign to get b...

Trad wife takeover

13 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Trad wives are having a moment. A new conservative women’s magazine promising to be the anti-Cosmo is capitalizing on the trend. This episode was pr...

Will Syrians return home?

12 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Syrian refugees are celebrating the end of the Assad regime. But for Omar Alshogre and millions like him, going back to Syria is a complicated decisio...

A win in the opioid crisis

11 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The US saw a significant drop in the number of drug overdose deaths. The Trump administration has a shot at keeping the trend going. STAT News's addic...

The UnitedHealth CEO shooting

10 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Gothamist’s Brittany Kriegstein explains who police just arrested. STAT News’s Bob Herman explains the anger resonating against UnitedHealthcare. ...

Target misses the mark

09 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

As Target struggles to retain its customers, rivals like Walmart are making gains. The Wall Street Journal’s Sarah Nassauer explains what’s behind...

The truth about Y2K

06 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Kyle Mooney dreams up a New Year’s Eve 1999 apocalypse. Historian Zachary Loeb explains why the real Y2K wasn't one. This episode was produced by Av...

Reigniting Syria's civil war

05 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A rebel group changed the course of Syria's long civil war when it seized Aleppo this past weekend. The Syria Report's Jihad Yazigi tells us what moti...

Can DOGE cut $2 trillion?

04 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Elon, Vivek, and the Department of Government Efficiency want to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget. A libertarian says the only way to do that i...

The Hunter becomes the pardoned

03 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

On Saturday, future President Donald Trump announced Kash Patel would lead the FBI. On Sunday, current President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter. Co...

Wrestling with the Education Department

02 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Trump has named wrestling tycoon Linda McMahon to be his secretary of education. She’ll be tasked with his campaign promise of … closing the depar...

How Abercrombie made a comeback

29 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Fast Company’s senior fashion writer Elizabeth Segran explains how the company overcame a problematic history to pull off a renaissance in this rebr...

Why volunteering is worth it

27 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Many of us think our individual actions can’t combat systemic problems. Vox's Rachel Cohen and Bowling Alone author Robert Putnam explain why volunt...

Handing off a war

26 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Two American presidents are trying to shape the future of the war in Ukraine at the same time. This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh and Haleema ...

The Democrat who won in Trump country

25 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

US Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez was one of the few Democrats to win a swing district in the 2024 election. She explains what lessons Democrats can lea...

Breaking up with your parents

22 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Writer Emi Nietfeld says she felt relief when she cut her mom out of her life. Clinical psychologist Joshua Coleman explains why family estrangement i...

Robert Fluoride Kennedy Jr.

21 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

If RFK Jr. leads the Department of Health and Human Services, he could radically reshape public health priorities in America, from vaccines to fluorid...

The kids aren't reading all right

20 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

College students in 2024 are less willing and able to read full books. Today, Explained asks whether that matters. This episode was produced by Peter ...

Deportation nation

19 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

President-elect Donald Trump has promised mass deportations. "Operation Wetback" from the Eisenhower days is serving as inspiration. This episode was ...

Team America

18 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

President-elect Donald Trump has nominated some unconventional people to his Cabinet, including Fox News host Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense. Wa...

When docs cry

15 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Prince is the subject of a new film from one of the greatest living documentarians, but it might never come out and almost no one’s seen it. We talk...

There's a new tariff in town

14 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Trump’s tariffs could remake world trade. The Wall Street Journal’s Greg Ip explains the president-elect’s plan and how the world is preparing. ...

The Bro Brogan presidency

13 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

An air of musky manliness settled over the 2024 presidential campaign and brought the bros to the polls. But a second Trump term has some women sweari...

A live-forever diet?

12 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The quest to live forever has taken us from diet fads to geographic fantasies like Blue Zones. But none of these ideas are based in reality, according...

Does #Resist still exist?

11 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It looks like Donald Trump will arrive in Washington without much of a movement in place to challenge him. Politico’s Melanie Mason and Vox’s Chri...

The world Trump inherits

08 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Vox’s Joshua Keating explains how Trump’s foreign policy will influence some of the world’s biggest conflicts. This episode was produced by Pete...

Pin the fail on the donkey

07 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Democrats lost big on Election Day: the presidency, the Senate, and maybe the House too. Vox's Eric Levitz explains what went wrong, and political str...

Trump country

06 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump won. Vox’s Andrew Prokop explains how and Semafor’s Shelby Talcott explains what comes next. Today’s show was produced by Amanda Le...

The most important “most important election”?

05 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It seems as though every election is “the most important election of our lifetime." Historian Jeffrey Engel and political scientist Julia Azari asse...

How Gaza could decide the election

04 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The key battleground state of Michigan could be decided by Arab American voters disappointed with Democrats' handling of the war in Gaza. Detroit Free...

Why everybody's running marathons now

01 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Marathon participation is surging, fueled in large part by 20-somethings who’ve embraced distance running as a way to deal with their quarter-life c...

Did the Dodgers save baseball?

31 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dodger Blue Dream podcast host Richard Parks III looks back on a cinematic season. The Wall Street Journal’s Jared Diamond explains whether it was e...

Polar opposites

30 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Florida is looking to turn one of its last apolitical offices into yet another partisan job. It's the latest example of political polarization making ...

How Trump could steal the election

29 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump doesn't want to let losing the election stop him from taking the White House. Politico's Kyle Cheney details the Trump plan to overturn a...

It's the economy, stupid

28 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Economic concerns are shaping this year’s election, especially in Nevada. As candidates promise no taxes on you-name-it, it’s a glimpse into how e...

Why do I keep getting these weird fundraising texts?

27 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this special feed drop of the new Vox podcast Explain It to Me, we answer some of the questions you have asked Vox about the election, like why you...

Is there a Dr Pepper in the house?

25 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Dr Pepper has overtaken Pepsi as the second-bestselling soda in the US. Its rise helps explain dirty sodas, healthy sodas, and the overall explosion o...

Musk’s million dollar giveaway

24 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk has become Trump’s most important fundraiser and his hands-on approach is breaking political norms, according to Tim Higgins and Dana Matt...

Demographics aren't destiny

23 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Latinos and other groups that typically vote for Democrats are showing weaker support for Kamala Harris. Vox's Christian Paz and Cook Political Report...

The battle for Congress

22 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Republicans are projected to take the Senate in November, but Democrats have a fighting chance to win the House — if they can turn out a broad anti-...

Category 2024

21 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

WFAE’s Steve Harrison explains how North Carolina is readying itself for Election Day after Hurricane Helene. And CNN’s Sara Murray says other sta...

Reconsidering the Menendez brothers

18 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A new documentary and a Ryan Murphy drama have Lyle and Erik Menendez back in the news. Vox's Aja Romano explains how new evidence and new attitudes a...

Is Trump for real?

17 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump talked over the weekend about deploying the military against an "enemy from within." The Washington Post's Isaac Arnsdorf explains how Tr...

The minds behind MAGA

16 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Vox's Andrew Prokop and Zack Beauchamp explain the right-wing thinkers whose ideas could dominate Trump's next term. This episode was produced by Pete...