Today, Explained

VP J.D.

16 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump’s running mate is Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance. Politico’s Ian Ward describes Vance’s transformation from a self-described hillbilly to the...

Is this us?

15 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The assassination attempt on Donald Trump is part of a steady uptick in political — and increasingly partisan — violence in the United States. Wit...

The song of the summer is DEAD

12 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Long live the song of the summer. But wait! Switched on Pop’s Charlie Harding disagrees. And Rolling Stone’s Brittany Spanos says maybe it never e...

What is Project 2025?

11 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump is trying to distance himself from it. Joe Biden wants you to Google it. Semafor’s Shelby Talcott explains what’s going on with the c...

The Supreme Court’s power grab

10 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Supreme Court just fundamentally changed how the federal government works. Vox’s Ian Millhiser explains. This episode was produced by Victoria C...

Dancing in the Dark Money

09 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Prosecutors ain’t nothing but tired of New Jersey’s political corruption. WNYC’s Nancy Solomon, host of the Dead End podcast, explains the cases...

Joe Almighty

08 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden says only the “Lord Almighty” can get him to end his re-election campaign, though more and more Democrats are trying to sway him t...

Why “Country Roads” feels like home

03 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

John Denver’s ode to West Virginia might be more popular abroad than it is in the United States. This Independence Day, we’re asking why. This epi...

Criminalizing homelessness?

02 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Supreme Court has weighed in on homelessness for the first time in decades. The Economist's Steven Mazie tells us what the decision means, and Vox...

Once again, immunity is back up for grabs

01 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Supreme Court sent the question of Donald Trump’s presidential immunity back to the lower courts. Vox’s Andrew Prokop explains. This episode w...

Panic! At The White House

28 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Joe Biden needed to win the debate. He didn’t. Vox’s Christian Paz explains if Democrats can find a better candidate. This episode was produced by...

How Spotify picks its winners

27 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

No, Sabrina Carpenter probably isn’t paying the streamer to play “Espresso” every time you’re listening to music. But the app is making change...

The end of Made in China?

26 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden recently raised Trump-era tariffs, which could lead to even higher prices on Chinese imports. US Trade Representative Katherine Tai ex...

It’s not Islamophobic, it’s anti-Palestinian

25 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Islamophobic and antisemitic incidents are on the rise. Author Moustafa Bayoumi and Vox’s Abdallah Fayyad tell us about another kind of invisible di...

Why investors look past Elon’s musk

24 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Elon Musk has had inappropriate relationships with SpaceX employees. Tesla shareholders knew that, and chose to reward him with a massive payday anywa...

How UFC explains USA

21 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Ultimate Fighting Championship went from niche bloodsport to multibillion-dollar league. Donald Trump might be its biggest fan. Journalists Luke T...

It’s not easy being a green conservative

20 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Fighting climate change is not a very common Republican position. Climate activist Benji Backer argues it should be, and Climate Capitalism author Aks...

France's far-right youth

18 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

President Macron has called snap elections in France that could lead to him sharing power with the far right. Le Monde's Gilles Paris explains how the...

Save Darfur, again

17 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A bloody civil war is spreading famine and fear through Sudan. It’s a near-repeat of a crisis from two decades ago, but this time Sudan is not comma...

Party in the USA?

14 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

How do you talk about colonialism and slavery at a birthday party? New York City is trying to tackle that question this year as it turns 400, and the ...

Will LGBTQ voters come out for Biden?

13 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The LGBTQ+ voting bloc has traditionally favored Democrats, but as Vox's Christian Paz explains, this year their support may be slipping. California R...

We’re drowning in credit card debt

12 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Americans owe more than $1 trillion to credit card companies, a record sum that’s likely to keep growing as rising interest rates prevent cardholder...

Was that antisemitic?

11 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Since October 7 there has been a lot of debate over what is and isn’t antisemitic. Rabbi Jill Jacobs and Harvard law professor Noah Feldman explain ...

Tiktalk therapy

10 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Some therapists are turning to TikTok as a way to make more money and avoid burnout, but is a nightly scroll through therapy content enough to help so...

The last good day on the internet

07 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Remember when the only thing anybody could talk about was white and gold versus blue and black? NatGeo’s Brian Resnick does. And the Atlantic’s Ch...

A win for democracy in India

06 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

India's prime minister suffered a humiliating win this week. Vox's Zack Beauchamp explains a shocking election. This episode was produced by Peter Bal...

Immigration lemonade

05 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When it comes to immigration solutions, the federal government is handing out lemons. Denver Mayor Mike Johnston is making lemonade. This episode was ...

Our immigration identity crisis

04 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Americans hold contradictory views on immigration: They’re more supportive of it than ever before, while also calling it the nation’s most divisiv...

The backlash to America’s racial reckoning

03 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The murder of George Floyd and the protests that followed looked like a turning point in the fight against systemic racism. Except, as Vox’s Fabiola...

Florida man convicted

31 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Former President Donald Trump is now also convicted felon Donald Trump. It didn’t have to be this way. New York magazine’s Andrew Rice explains. T...

Can Mexico’s first woman president fix Mexico?

30 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The AP’s Megan Janetsky and Falko Ernst of the International Crisis Group explain how Mexico’s first woman president will inherit and address the ...

Chasing the storm

29 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Aaron Rigsby has built a career out of documenting tornadoes, hurricanes, and other extreme weather up close. So he’s seen just how much more extrem...

The Hamas org chart

28 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Seven months in, Israel has not “eliminated” Hamas leadership. Newsweek’s Tom O’Connor introduces them, and Mairav Zonszein from International...

America’s shellfish behavior

27 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Americans consume more shrimp than salmon and tuna combined. But where’s it all coming from? Listen to this episode of Gastropod before you throw an...

How to steal a team

24 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The billionaire owner of the Oakland A’s is trying to move his team to Vegas, and he wants public money to do it. Writer Dan Moore explains how A’...

Red Lobster’s bankrupt-sea

23 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The seafood chain found itself deep in the red after a disastrous unlimited shrimp promotion. Wall Street Journal restaurant reporter Heather Haddon e...

The AI hype machine

22 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Big Tech companies have rolled out a new batch of AI-powered products, improving upon what came before. But as Wired's Will Knight and investigative j...

Weed did it, Joe

21 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The federal government has moved to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous controlled substance. Politico cannabis policy reporter Natalie Fertig ex...

Is Russia winning now?

20 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It sure seems like it. The Wall Street Journal’s Matthew Luxmoore reports from Ukraine on why $60 billion of your tax money isn’t making much of a...

Amazon’s garbage book factory

17 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Vox senior correspondent Constance Grady went inside the seedy underbelly of online self-publishing and lived to tell the tale. This episode was produ...

Cicada time

16 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The last time these exact cicada broods emerged from the ground at the same time, Thomas Jefferson was president. The red-eyed bugs come out looking f...

Florida man’s unhushed money

15 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The hush money trial has exposed the ecosystem that once protected former president Donald Trump. Journalist Andrea Bernstein tells us what its like i...

What fixes medical debt

14 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It's gotten so bad in America, people are crowdfunding their doctor bills. Vox's Dylan Scott and associate professor Nora Kenworthy explain an imperfe...

Separation of church and church

13 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Leaders of the United Methodist Church, one of the largest Christian denominations in the US, gathered in North Carolina to hash out a disagreement th...

 The real victims of Baby Reindeer

10 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Netflix show Baby Reindeer is a hit. It's been viewed 56 million times. The writer claims it's a true story. Others call it slanderous fiction. T...

Biden’s breaking point on Gaza

09 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

President Joe Biden says the US won’t supply further weapons if Israel is going to use them in Rafah. Axios reporter Barak Ravid explains what that ...

Kendrick, Drake, and the last great rap beef

08 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The best rapper in the world is beefing with the biggest rapper in the world. The Ringer’s Charles Holmes explains what their feud says about the st...

Israel, Gaza, and Eurovision

07 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The pop music competition is facing boycott calls over Israel’s participation. Switched on Pop’s Charlie Harding and historian Tess Megginson expl...

Is divesting from Israel possible?

06 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Yes, but it’s hard. Inside Higher Ed’s Josh Moody and UC Merced’s Charlie Eaton explain. This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy, edited by A...

The tourist tax

03 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Venice is drowning in tourists. A new fee for day-trippers is the latest tool aimed at keeping overtourism at bay. This episode was produced by Amanda...

Paramount’s looking for a deal they can’t refuse

02 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Media behemoth Paramount Global is struggling. Stock prices are down. The CEO was just ousted. And the head of this family business is ready to cash o...

One Flu Over The Cowcow’s Nest

01 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Avian flu, which recently leapt from chickens to cows, has now been detected in milk. Vox’s Keren Landman and Kenny Torrella explain how worried hum...

North America’s biggest city is running out of water

30 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Officials say “Day Zero” is imminent in Mexico City. A walk through the city reveals the historical roots of the water crisis, its present-day cha...

The failed promise of egg freezing

29 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Egg freezing was once hailed as a reproductive game changer, but as Vox's Anna North reports, it might not live up to the hype. This episode was produ...

Honey, We Saved the Bees

26 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Millions of bees died because of colony collapse disorder over the past few decades, but America’s honeybee population has now rocketed to an all-ti...

The TikTok “ban” is law

25 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

President Joe Biden signed into law a bill that would ban the app unless it’s sold to an American company. Vox’s Christian Paz explains. This epis...

Columbia’s free-speech fight

24 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Daily Spectator news editor Sarah Huddleston reports on the protests at her university. AAUP President Irene Mulvey explains the stakes for campus fre...

Florida man wants immunity

23 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

You can beat the heat if you beat the charges too. Vox’s Ian Millhiser previews the Donald Trump immunity case going before the Supreme Court this w...

Just in: Trudeau’s plan to fight populism

22 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Canadian-American podcast host Sean Rameswaram goes one-on-one with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to find out how he might win over Gen Zed. ...

Feeling Bluey

19 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Bluey delights children and reduces their grown-ups to tears. But the latest episode has fans young and old wondering whether the ride is coming to an...

The great American squatter panic

18 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Politicians and conservative news outlets say there’s an epidemic of people moving into a stranger’s house and refusing to leave. Curbed’s Bridg...

How car ownership got so expensive

17 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Drivers are increasingly paying sticker price or more for a new car. Then there are sky-high insurance rates and mortgage-level car payments. Vox’s ...

Florida man’s first criminal trial begins

16 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The first of former President Donald Trump's four criminal trials began this week. Vox's Andrew Prokop explains what's at stake, and Vox's Abdallah Fa...

Why Iran attacked Israel

15 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Economist’s Gregg Carlstrom explains. Jerusalem-based journalist Noga Tarnopolsky explores whether the unprecedented attack hurts or helps Benja...

America at war, now in theaters

12 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The new movie Civil War delivers a sensational story about political polarization spilling into mass violence. If that seems reckless, it’s what apo...

Speaker Johnson's next test

11 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Congress is back in session and the House speakership is once again on the line. The New Yorker’s David Kirkpatrick explains how Mike Johnson got th...

Prosecuting parents

10 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Oxford, Michigan, school shooter's parents will serve up to 15 years in prison. Jennifer and James Crumbley are the first parents held criminally ...

The man with a pig kidney

09 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A pig’s kidney was just transplanted into a human. But Vox’s Dylan Matthews says we shouldn't need the pigs. This episode was produced by Victoria...

Is college still worth it?

08 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

More and more Americans feel like college isn’t a good deal anymore. One state thinks it’s found a way to turn things around. This episode was rep...

The Sephora kids

05 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Tweens are shopping for trendy, expensive skincare products. Gen Z worries it’s “aging like milk.” Are today’s young people too afraid of look...

Israel’s attack on World Central Kitchen

04 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Wall Street Journal’s Stephen Kalin explains what happened, and Refugees International President Jeremy Konyndyk lays out what this means for Ga...

Project 2025

03 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump arrived at the White House in 2017 without a lot of plans to actually govern. The conservative Heritage Foundation wants to make sure tha...

The fight for control of Disney’s kingdom

02 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

CEO Bob Iger is fighting off activist investor Nelson Peltz, who argues the company spends too much on message-based “woke” programming and is cam...

Making taxes less taxing

01 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The IRS finally has a brand-new, totally free tax-filing software for you. But not everyone’s excited about it. This episode was produced by Victori...

The kids are all home

29 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Living with your parents is so hot right now, with more adults doing it now than at any other time in the modern era. First, we hang out with a member...

Buy a house? In this economy?

28 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Home affordability hasn’t been this bad in decades. Wall Street Journal housing reporter Nicole Friedman explains the economic forces shaping the ma...

The Baltimore bridge collapse

27 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Key Bridge disaster is yet another reminder of the vulnerability of global shipping. This episode was produced by Miles Bryan and Jesse Alejandro ...

Why ISIS attacked Moscow

26 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The Moscow terror attack could mark the beginning of an even more brutal phase in Russia’s war in Ukraine — even if Ukraine had nothing to do with...

Spoiler alert: RFK’s VP

25 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Robert Kennedy Jr. is set to announce his running mate this week. To mark the occasion, Semafor’s Dave Weigel explains whether third-party options c...

Beyoncé country

22 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Beyoncé has a new country album. The first single has already broken records and drawn criticism from those who think of country music as a “white”...

Can Caitlin Clark fix college sports?

21 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The biggest star of this year’s March Madness basketball tournament isn’t one of the male players, explains SB Nation’s Ricky O’Donnell. The W...

Can Congress ban TikTok?

20 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Probably not. Punchbowl’s Andrew Desiderio and Kate Ruane from the Center for Democracy and Technology explain. This episode was produced by Amanda ...

How gangs took over Haiti

19 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Haiti’s latest crisis is being driven by something new: The country’s gangs have united, and they are demanding political power. Financial Times j...

Conned into the Russian army

18 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Desperately low on troops for its protracted war with Ukraine, the Russian military is relying on men from countries like India to fill its ranks. Jou...

Live from SXSW: Noel King interviews Charlamagne tha God and Angela Rye

17 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In this no-holds-barred interview from the SXSW stage, Vox's Noel King asks comedian and radio host Charlamagne tha God and political commentator Ange...

Hollywood’s still not back

15 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Covid and last year’s strikes delivered a one-two punch that the entertainment industry still hasn’t recovered from. Entertainment journalists Mar...

Lip gloss, gum, and the Pill

14 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Soon you can buy them all at your local drugstore. The FDA approved an over-the-counter birth control pill that will be available later this month. Jo...

Where's Kate?!?

13 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Two grainy paparazzi shots and an edited Mother’s Day photo are the only “sightings” of the Princess of Wales the public has had since Christmas...

The real fight over fake meat

12 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Americans are eating more meat than ever, and it’s wreaking havoc on the environment. Vox’s Kenny Torrella explains how lab-grown meat could be th...

Charlamagne tha God on Biden v. Trump

11 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A recent poll shows almost a quarter of registered Black voters would vote for Donald Trump. We ask Charlamagne tha God, author and radio host of “T...

Bringing back the SAT

08 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Four years after a pandemic pause, some colleges and universities are again requiring applicants to submit standardized test scores. Inside Higher Ed’...

Can Reddit survive going public?

07 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s the first major social media IPO since 2017. CNN’s Clare Duffy breaks down what is at stake, and New York magazine’s John Herrman explains ...

Why measles is back

06 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

One state (cough, cough Florida) is leading the US in measles cases. The contagious disease was once declared eliminated, but Florida’s surgeon gene...

How Israel is upending Democratic races

05 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Super Tuesday is the biggest day of the presidential primary campaign, but the biggest race in the biggest state isn’t about Biden or Trump. Instead...

Why groceries are still so expensive

04 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

When it’s time to Stop & Shop, the American Publix is finding it costs more than ever to fill a Market Basket. Whizy Kim and Elizabeth Pancotti help...

It’s Shotime!

01 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Shohei Ohtani made his Dodger debut this week. His record-setting contract solidifies an international era for Major League Baseball, which hasn’t y...

The politics of IVF

29 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

A theologian explains why he agrees with Alabama’s Supreme Court ruling that embryos are children. A conservative pollster explains why it's a bad l...

“Make Argentina Great Again!”

28 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

US inflation feels bad until you look at Argentina’s, which is breaking 200 percent. Today, Explained’s Sean Rameswaram reports from Buenos Aires,...

The protest vote against Biden

27 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Michigan’s primary today will test President Biden’s viability with Muslim voters amid the war in Gaza. One Arab American leader says the communit...

What Ozempic can't fix

26 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Fat women make less money than thin women and get fewer raises and promotions. It’s going to take more than a wonder drug to fix fatphobia in Americ...