Today, Explained

The air-istocracy

04 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Private jets aren’t what they used to be. AOC is calling out Hollywood executives for having too many, and European nations are trying to ban them. ...

Battlechips

03 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Semiconductors are used in just about every piece of technology. The US wants to limit what China can do with them. Alex W. Palmer explains the latest...

Florida man indicted (again) (again)

02 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The latest unprecedented is about January 6, but does the American public still care about January 6? This episode was produced by Siona Peterous with...

Where did the recession go?

01 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A much-dreaded recession doesn’t actually seem to be materializing. We called up some experts — economics reporters Tracy Alloway and Greg Ip, plu...

Will “parental rights” mobilize Muslims?

31 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Some Muslim parents wanted their kids to opt out of reading schoolbooks with LGBTQ characters and themes. Today, Explained reporter Haleema Shah expla...

Music’s nostalgia-industrial complex

28 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A lot of our new hit music sounds just like our parents’ old hit music. Pitchfork’s Jayson Greene says you should blame publishing companies. This...

Sound of Freedom

27 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Wall Street Journal’s John Jurgensen explains how Sound of Freedom, an action-drama about fighting child sex trafficking, beat Tom Cruise and In...

A third nuclear superpower

26 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, a delicate strategy of deterrence kept Russia and the US from nuclear war. With China upping its nuclear ambitions, things are about to g...

Inside the AI factory

25 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

We are used to thinking of artificial intelligence as knowledge generated by machines. The Verge’s Josh Dzieza pulls back the curtain on the vast ne...

I want you! (to fight the culture war)

24 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The defense bill is the latest piece of legislation to be weaponized by the far-right Freedom Caucus. It’s also the latest test for House Speaker Ke...

Barbie Dreampodcast

21 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Is Barbie a toy commercial doubling as the first installment of an inevitable Mattel Cinematic Universe? Or does it have something important to say? B...

Bidenomics

20 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A lot of Americans are still feeling iffy about the economy, but Joe Biden’s so proud of how things are going that he’s stuck his name on it. The ...

Is ethical investing a sham?

19 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Republican presidential candidates have a bone to pick with ESG investments. So does James Surowiecki, contributing writer at The Atlantic. This episo...

Inside the Actors Strike

18 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The actors are officially on strike. Vox senior correspondent and critic Alissa Wilkinson breaks down what SAG-AFTRA is afta, and the New Yorker’s M...

Vacation ... all I ever wanted?

17 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

🎵 Now that I’m away, I wish I had stayed. 🎵 Vox’s Allie Volpe explains why travel feels like such a mess right now (and how to make it a bit...

The Joshua Generation

14 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A group of evangelical Christians raised their children to become influential in the White House, on Capitol Hill, and in the Supreme Court. Now, as a...

Disaster unpreparedness

13 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Vermont just got slammed with flash floods, road closures, and evacuations. Harvard’s Juliette Kayyem says the storm reveals how unprepared the US i...

Can Threads unravel Twitter?

12 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

As Meta launches its Twitter competitor, The Verge’s David Pierce says that we are watching the end of the social internet in real time. This episod...

NATO to Ukraine: Not yet

11 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden and other world leaders say it’s too dangerous to admit Ukraine into NATO while it’s at war with Russia. But, to the dismay of all...

Why everyone’s mad about equity

10 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Everyone is fighting about “equity.” If only they could define it. Vox’s Andrew Prokop explains. This episode was produced by Miles Bryan, edite...

Where’s the beef?

07 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A rancher in the Pacific Northwest scammed two companies out of $244 million. In this episode we first served in February, KUOW’s Anna King — host...

Excuseflation

06 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Inflation happens for a lot of reasons that can be hard for even economists to fully grasp. But — as we learned this spring in an episode we’re re...

Even more forever chemicals

05 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The chemical manufacturer 3M will pay $10 billion to settle claims it contaminated drinking water with “forever chemicals.” Good thing we already ...

Smokeshow

30 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For the second time this month, huge sections of the US are blanketed by wildfire smoke. Vox’s Rebecca Leber and climate journalist Jeff Goodell say...

Supreme Court: Race need not apply

29 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Supreme Court ruled against race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard and UNC. The ruling is likely to reshape affirmative action in America. ...

Mall cop nation

28 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The three biggest private employers in North America are Walmart, Amazon, and a security firm you’ve maybe never heard of: Allied Universal. Time’...

Woke, woke, woke, woke, woke

27 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

How “woke” went from Marcus Garvey to Childish Gambino to Ron DeSantis. This episode was produced by Siona Peterous, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact...

The man behind Russia’s mutiny

26 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Yevgeny Prigozhin rose from hot dog seller to top chef to Russia’s leading mercenary. Journalist Paul Wood and Harvard’s Timothy Colton explain wh...

OceanGate

23 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Deep-sea explorer G. Michael Harris has been down to the wreck of the Titanic 14 times. He begged his friend PH Nargeolet not to get on the OceanGate ...

Dinner and a Modi

22 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Despite US concerns over the decline of Indian democracy and human rights, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is getting a prestigious state dinner from the...

Okla-home-a

21 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A group in Tulsa, Oklahoma, will pay remote workers $10,000 to move there. Vox’s Rani Molla explains why the city is banking on a digital workforce ...

Childproofing Pornhub

20 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

States want to restrict kids’ access to harmful content online via age verification systems. New York Times reporter Natasha Singer explains how a w...

The Today, Explained Center for Kids Who Can’t Read Good

16 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, American schools have taught reading with an approach that doesn’t work very well. Emily Hanford of the podcast “Sold a Story: How Te...

How the Saudis bought pro golf

15 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The PGA Tour wanted nothing to do with a rival Saudi-funded golf tour, but like Silicon Valley and the White House, it couldn’t resist the Kingdom’...

Kids sue Montana over climate change

14 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Held v. Montana, a first-of-its-kind climate lawsuit, pits young people — and their constitutionally enshrined right to a clean environment — agai...

Vivek Ramaswamy explains himself

13 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The entrepreneur is running a longshot campaign for the GOP nomination on an “American nationalist,” anti-“woke capitalism” platform. Semafor’...

Why Marvel movies look bad

12 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Bad visual effects in movies may have less to do with technology and more to do with workers being underpaid and overworked. Vulture senior reporter C...

Florida man indicted (again)

09 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

For the first time in American history, a former president faces federal charges. Vox’s Andrew Prokop explains. This episode was produced by Miles B...

Texas messed with Houston schools

08 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The state of Texas took over Houston’s Independent School District and replaced the superintendent and the elected board. But state takeovers like t...

California is becoming uninsurable

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Two insurance giants will stop issuing new policies for California homes. CalMatters reporter Ben Christopher and Vox’s Umair Irfan say insurers hav...

Apple’s $3,500 goggles

06 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Apple’s launch of a new mixed reality headset shows that, for Apple, the metaverse isn’t dead. The Verge’s David Pierce explains. This episode w...

Real Housebans of Tallahassee

05 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A new Florida law will restrict where Chinese citizens can buy homes, and other states may follow suit. The legislation is eerily similar to racist la...

Hannah Gadsby and “Pablo-matic" Picasso

02 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Comedian Hannah Gadsby railed against Pablo Picasso in “Nanette.” So why are they curating an exhibition timed to the 50th anniversary of his deat...

Ukraine’s counteroffensive

01 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ukraine vowed to mount a counteroffensive against Russia. Drone attacks on Moscow might signal it has begun. The Washington Post’s Mary Ilyushina an...

Target-ing Pride

31 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Companies have been leaning into Pride month for years. So why are brands like Target and Bud Light facing such intense backlash now? Vox’s Emily St...

The Kia Boyz are coming for your car

30 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Turns out Kias and Hyundais are easy to steal. Teens are taking advantage, and putting it all on TikTok. This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh, e...

Hot and bothered

26 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The FDA approved a game-changing drug to treat hot flashes, a symptom of menopause. Health writer Jancee Dunn talks about why a transition that happen...

He's Ronning

25 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

NBC’s Matt Dixon explains how Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to Make America Florida. Vox’s Andrew Prokop spells out how the governor’s brain works. Pl...

A cancer vaccine?

24 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Dr. Vinod Balachandran explains how he and his colleagues successfully treated pancreatic cancer with bespoke mRNA vaccines. Science journalist Charle...

How wellness killed Jenny Craig

23 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The diet company is shutting down. Bloomberg’s Emma Court explains how Jenny Craig’s strategy — heavy on celebrity endorsements and meal plans —...

The rehabilitation of Bashar al-Assad

22 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad became a regional pariah after brutal crackdowns on his own citizens. But on Friday, the most powerful men in the Mid...

Parking is a lot

19 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In our quest to accommodate parked cars, we’ve paved over downtowns, polluted the planet, and made it near impossible to get anywhere without drivin...

Kevin McCarthy wants you to get a job

18 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

With the debt ceiling deadline approaching, Republicans want to expand rules that require welfare recipients to work. Vox’s Dylan Scott and Marketpl...

The most important election of 2023

17 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

After 21 years of leading Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a global political giant. But a crumbling Turkish economy and the opposition candidate pose ...

The new border crisis

16 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Title 42, a Covid-era policy that included strict limits on migration into the US from Mexico, has expired. El Paso Times reporter Lauren Villagran ex...

Can power plants go green?

15 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The EPA has just announced new rules for power plants to clean up their act. But to get to those lower limits, companies might have to switch to two l...

How Zelda changed gaming

12 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this podcast. This episode was produced by Amanda Lewellyn, edited by Matt Collette, fact-checked by Laura Bullard,...

Covid is “over”

11 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Or at least the federal government is over spending money on it. Vox’s resident epidemiologist, Keren Landman, explains the end of the public health...

Trump loses sexual abuse lawsuit

10 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A New York jury awarded $5 million to journalist E. Jean Carroll, whose civil suit against the former president alleged sexual battery and defamation....

Ed Sheeran and the “Blurred Lines” effect

09 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Ed Sheeran just won a big copyright trial. But he might not have even been in court if not for Robin Thicke and Pharrell’s “Blurred Lines.” Pitc...

The killing of Jordan Neely

08 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A subway rider choked to death Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man known to New Yorkers for his impersonations of Michael Jackson. WNYC reporters...

Charles in charge

05 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

King Charles is struggling to get his subjects to care about the historic coronation this weekend. Professor Brooke Newman explains the complicated ro...

Get used to higher interest rates

04 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Federal Reserve has once again raised interest rates, which means borrowing money for your mortgage or your business is once again more expensive....

Disney vs. DeSantis

03 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Once upon a time, a Magic Kingdom took issue with a ruler’s law and, well, everyone ended up suing each other. The Wall Street Journal’s Robbie Wh...

The Supreme Court’s corruption crisis

02 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In a hearing today, the Senate Judiciary Committee took on the Supreme Court’s lack of ethics standards. ProPublica’s Joshua Kaplan explains how h...

Why parents are suing social media

01 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Congress has yet to pass legislation regulating social media companies, so parents are taking matters into their own hands. A lawyer representing them...

Fake Drake

28 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Verge’s Nilay Patel explains how a spurious collaboration between Drake and The Weeknd started a copyright fight over generative AI. Holly Hernd...

Can Title IX protect trans athletes?

27 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden hopes so. His administration is preparing to roll out new rules that would counter state and local bans aimed at keeping transgender y...

The new war in Sudan

26 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Foreign powers are arming and funding opposing military leaders in Sudan, who are now battling for control of the country. It’s just the latest in a...

He’s running

25 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The oldest president in the history of the United States wants a second term. Vox’s Andrew Prokop and Dylan Matthews explain why Joe Biden doesn’t...

The Adderall shortage

24 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There is a nationwide shortage of medications to treat ADHD. One culprit: the DEA. Vox’s Dylan Scott explains. This episode was produced by Miles Br...

Cocaine hippos (and the case against pets)

21 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The descendants of Pablo Escobar’s pet hippopotami are wreaking havoc in Colombia. They can teach us non-druglords a thing or two about pet ownershi...

Make it rain

20 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Colorado River is disappearing and the government is now spending millions on one wild idea to ease the pain: seeding clouds to make it rain. This...

What does the Fox pay?

19 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

$787.5 million. (To Dominion Voting Systems, averting a defamation trial that could have been disastrous for the network. The Washington Post’s Erik...

Hollywood writers are ready to strike

18 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

TV and film writers just voted to authorize a strike, which could leave studios without fresh scripts as soon as May 1. Bloomberg business reporter Lu...

The forever chemicals in your blood

17 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Biden administration has new plans to reduce the amount of PFAS or “forever chemicals” in America’s drinking water. Barbara Moran, WBUR’s ...

The Discord leaks

14 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Federal officials have charged a 21-year-old member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard with posting a trove of classified documents online. Polit...

Phantom ghosts Broadway

13 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The chandelier crashes for a final time as Broadway’s longest-running musical, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s extremely ’80s Phantom of the Opera, closes...

Why stuff isn’t getting cheaper

12 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The traditional explanation of inflation is simple: too much money chasing too few goods. But some experts are now wondering if companies’ aggressiv...

The new fight over abortion pills

11 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

A federal judge in Texas invalidated the FDA’s decades-old approval of the abortion drug mifepristone. Vox’s Anna North explains the battle over a...

Why Russia arrested an American reporter

10 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Evan Gershkovich’s detention is a callback to the last time a US journalist was accused of espionage in Russia — and to a Soviet-era tactic for ma...

Table for 10 billion, please

07 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Feeding the world’s growing population is an increasingly difficult challenge, and climate change won’t make it any easier. Vox’s Kenny Torrella...

Uncle Sam really wants you

06 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The US military faces its worst recruiting crisis since the draft ended in 1973. Secretary of the Army Christine Wormuth — aware of the military’s...

Should you carry Narcan?

05 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The drug that brings people overdosing on opioids back from the brink of death in minutes just got approved for over-the-counter use. The Wall Street ...

City Limits: Blame the mayor

04 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Chicagoans feel unsafe, and many blame Mayor Lori Lightfoot. The two Democrats on the ballot to replace her have starkly different views on what the c...

City Limits: Crime vibes

03 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Americans aren’t going downtown like they used to, and a lot of them say it’s because they don’t feel safe there. Today, Explained got the data ...

Florida man indicted

31 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Donald Trump is the first US president to be indicted. Now what? Vox’s Andrew Prokop explains. This episode was produced by Haleema Shah and Amanda ...

The fake nation of Kailasa

30 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Newark officials rescinded a sister city agreement with the United States of Kailasa after finding out it wasn’t actually a real place. Reporter Sus...

How an AI pope pic fooled us

29 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

An AI-generated image of Cool Pope in immaculate drip went viral over the weekend and most everyone thought it was real. The Verge’s James Vincent e...

The Israeli-Israeli conflict

28 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Far-right judicial reforms have inspired what might be the largest protests in the history of Israel. If adopted, the reforms could spell the end of d...

New Mexico low-key fixes child care

27 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The US has a child care crisis. But New Mexico just figured out a way to fix it (hint: they’re paying for it). This episode was produced by Victoria...

City Limits: Should public transit be free?

24 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Transit agencies nationwide are facing an existential crisis. Washington, DC’s city council has a paradoxical solution: make subways and buses free....

Rep. Frost and David Hogg on what Gen Z wants

23 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Five years after March for Our Lives, one of the historic protest’s organizers and his historic friend explain why it’s easy to forget how much pr...

A tents standoff at the VA

22 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

When the Veterans Administration failed to build the homes it promised, unhoused vets built a tent city across the street — in one of the wealthiest...

The US is obsessed with China

21 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

There’s rare bipartisan consensus in Washington: China is a threat to be countered. Cornell professor Jessica Chen Weiss says the American approach ...

7,300 days

20 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The war in Iraq has been declared over by nearly every president since the one who started it 20 years ago today. But it’s still not done. At SXSW i...

City Limits: Beware the Doom Loop

17 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Pandemic restrictions are mostly over, but cities are still struggling to recover. Empty offices threaten to set off a downward spiral of falling tax ...

The “Lean In” era is over

16 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Execs like YouTube’s Susan Wojcicki and Meta’s Sheryl Sandberg paved the way for women in tech. Now they’re leaving the industry — and being r...

The Republicans breaking up with Tucker Carlson

15 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

The Fox News host aired a splashy exclusive this month about the January 6 insurrection. Some Republican senators saw his coverage — and publicly ca...

The kids defying family court

14 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Two siblings in Utah are defying a court order to reunite with their father, who they allege abused them. ProPublica’s Hannah Dreyfus explains a con...