Shows / Today, Explained
Today, Explained
Today, Explained is Vox's daily news explainer podcast. Hosts Sean Rameswaram and Noel King will guide you through the most important stories of the day. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Episodes
Today, ExplainedTexas Talarico freakout
Texas hasn't elected a Democrat for Senate since 1988. James Talarico has a shot, but Republicans have launched a full culture war to try to prevent it. This…
Today, ExplainedThe future of MAGA is... Nixon?
MAGA-aligned conservatives, including Vice President JD Vance, are trying to rehabilitate Richard Nixon's image. That's evidence of where they want to take…
Today, ExplainedIs Trump abandoning Ukraine?
Trump's recent moves seem to pit the US squarely on the side of Russia rather than Ukraine. This episode was produced by Kelli Wessinger and Denise Guerra…
Today, ExplainedDemocrats find God
Kansas hasn’t elected a Democrat to the Senate in over 90 years, but moderate pastor Adam Hamilton might break the losing streak. And his approach to religion…
Today, ExplainedWhen AI agents run your life
What you gain, and what you give up, when you let AI agents take control. This episode was produced by Kelli Wessinger, edited by Avishay Artsy, fact-checked…
Today, ExplainedCan Trump steal the midterms?
Between the Trump administration’s executive orders, lawsuits, and relentless rhetoric, it feels like voting systems in America are under constant threat. Is…
Today, ExplainedRFK Jr. and the chocolate factory
The HHS secretary has pressured food companies like Mars, which makes M&M's, to stop using artificial dyes. Easier said than done. This episode was produced by…
Today, ExplainedThe rise of political slopaganda
The first midterms to feature AI slop ads are also on track to be the most expensive ever. This episode was produced by Danielle Hewitt with help from Hady…
Today, ExplainedCan Trump deport Ilhan Omar?
President Trump's playbook to go after his enemies is evolving. This episode was produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Jolie Myers, fact-checked by Gabriel…
Today, ExplainedThe passive income influencers
They promise you financial freedom with very little work, but these side hustles might just be the new pyramid schemes. This episode was produced by Ariana…
Today, ExplainedSusan Collins, political ninja
The Maine senator has dodged decades of attacks, but President Trump’s low approval ratings could be her political deathblow. This episode was produced by…
Today, ExplainedThe quest for the perfect baby
Men and women are trying to maximize their reproductive health due to anxieties around declining fertility trends. But are we taking “embryomaxxing” too far?…
Today, ExplainedCan you buy the midterms?
Republicans are entering the midterm home stretch with a staggering $1 billion campaign war chest. Will it make a difference? This show was edited by Kasia…
Today, ExplainedThirst trap politics
The internet has a crush on some of the candidates running for office this election season and it’s saying a lot about how Democrats and Republicans wield…
Today, ExplainedThe Iran war is spreading
Saudi Arabia's dreams of becoming a global financial hub are running into the reality of regional war. This episode was produced by Ariana Aspuru, edited by…
Today, ExplainedData centers fight back
Data centers have maybe the worst image in America right now. Enter the public relations professionals. This episode was produced by Dustin DeSoto, edited by…
Today, ExplainedShould we ban fraternities?
Cornell University’s president is wary of an outright ban, but the school’s sexual assault case has campuses around the country considering the question. This…
Today, ExplainedAmerica’s death penalty problem
Support for the death penalty has dropped dramatically in the US, but in some places there's still a "death penalty assembly line" as this episode of The Gray…
Today, ExplainedThe cost of loving your pet
Our emotional relationships with our pets have only grown since the pandemic — and so has the financial price we pay. This episode was produced by Peter…
Today, ExplainedCan Dems flip state legislatures?
Most of the focus in this year’s midterms is naturally on Congress. But the battle to control state legislatures matters just as much, if not more. This show…
Today, ExplainedFootball's future is flag
Football is by far the most popular sport in the US, but that isn’t stopping the NFL from investing in one of the least popular sports in the US. This episode…
Today, ExplainedThe dark side of surrogacy
The case of a California couple who had more than 20 kids via surrogacy before being charged with child abuse illustrates how a lack of regulation can lead to…
Today, ExplainedThe West Bank’s boiling point
Violent attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank — largely perpetrated by young militant Jewish settlers — have drawn international condemnation, but to little…
Today, ExplainedWhy the right turned on Indians
A surge of hate against Indian immigrants and Indian Americans has broken out of the far-right influencer sphere and into mainstream Republican politics. This…
Today, ExplainedWhen Dems take the House
Hakeem Jeffries will almost certainly be the next Democratic speaker of the House. What will he and his party do with all that power? This episode was produced…
Today, ExplainedMass-produced fashion slop
How algorithms and instant fashion killed style — and how to get it back. This episode was produced by Denise Guerra, edited by Jenny Lawton, fact-checked by…
Today, ExplainedThe GOP strategy: Ignore Trump
Can a Republican candidate run for governor in a red state without bringing up Donald Trump a single time? We went to Ohio to find out. This show was edited by…
Today, ExplainedGas station opioids
Drugs like kratom and 7-OH are widely available at corner stores and smoke shops. They've remained largely unregulated until now. This episode was produced by…
Today, ExplainedWhat happened at Cornell
It took "Jane Doe" two years to get an investigation reopened into allegations of sexual assault against seven men at Cornell University. Why does the legal…
Today, ExplainedThe limits of free speech
A recent law-school graduate in Texas is facing disciplinary action over her “overexuberant” response to Charlie Kirk’s murder. This episode was produced by…
Today, ExplainedThe coming oil shock
You might not use diesel to fill up your car, but it fuels the US economy, and President Trump’s solution to lower diesel prices might just make things worse…
Today, ExplainedOur AI Cold War
The worries in China over AI are not the same as the worries in the US, but both countries agree they want to win the AI race for themselves. This episode was…
Today, ExplainedThe end of etiquette
It’s not just about being nice. Manners allow us to peacefully coexist at work, in transit, and out in the wider world. This episode was produced by Ariana…
Today, ExplainedThe AI election
Polling says less than 1 percent of voters consider AI a top concern this election cycle. Michigan congressional candidate Will Lawrence sees things…
Today, ExplainedEverything is gambling now
From live auction sites like Whatnot to games like Monopoly Go!, mobile apps are now designed to addict kids as well as adults. This episode was produced by…
Today, ExplainedWhy we're still arming Israel
A majority of Americans have a negative view of Israel. Trump wants to send a massive shipment of bombs to the country anyway. This episode was produced by…
Today, ExplainedRuining a young woman’s life for sport
It’s called the “burnerverse": an online community of anonymous college sports fans who mostly trash talk other teams, except when things turn very, very dark…
Today, ExplainedWhat the AI doom debate misses
Some top AI thinkers warn that the technology could kill us all. But it could also save us. This episode was produced by Peter Balonon-Rosen, edited by Jolie…
Today, ExplainedTrump’s temper tantrum
President Trump got so mad about his name not being on the Kennedy Center he threatened to demolish it. We try to understand his obsession. This episode was…
Today, ExplainedWe should party more
We’re lonely, isolated, and bored. The solution may be as simple as an invite and killer playlist. This episode was produced by Dustin DeSoto, edited by Jenny…
Today, ExplainedLatino voters swing back
Latino voters swung hard to the right in 2024. Now, they’re giving Dems another look. This show was edited by Kasia Broussalian, fact checked by Esther Gim…
Today, ExplainedMiss Piggy, feminist diva
From Miss Piggy to the Housewives, depictions of women who refuse to be anything but larger than life has revolutionized the way culture views the other side…
Today, ExplainedSpeaking up for Gaza
It's not just Macklemore. A new documentary on atrocities in Gaza has enraged the Israeli government... and some pro-Palestinian activists. This episode was…
Today, ExplainedGood news about Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s research has stalled for decades. That’s finally changing. This episode was produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Hady…
Today, ExplainedOur Great Big AI Freakout
Fears of impending AI doom have burst into the mainstream. They still might not be enough for Washington to regulate AI. This episode was produced by Kelli…
Today, ExplainedThe anti-Muslim midterms
Republicans are stoking anti-Muslim sentiment in new ways ahead of the midterms. This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy and Danielle Hewitt, edited by…
Today, ExplainedHow to date IRL
People are getting tired of the dating apps and turning to a more old-fashioned way of finding love. This episode was produced by Kelli Wessinger and Ariana…
Today, ExplainedYour midterms study guide
With the 2026 midterms fast approaching, we’re asking a simple question: What actually matters to voters right now? This show was edited by Kasia Broussalian…
Today, ExplainedHow 9/11 became a meme
On the 25th anniversary of the deadliest attack on America, 9/11 has quite possibly become the most memed event in human history. This episode was produced by…
Today, ExplainedTrump's mail-in meltdown
Restricting voting by mail is President Trump's latest obsession ahead of the 2026 midterms. This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh and Dustin DeSoto…
Today, ExplainedHow to tax the (really) rich
Taxing billionaires is on the ballot in California. The measure has split Democrats — and may do more harm than good. This episode was produced by Miles Bryan…
Today, ExplainedHow private equity ate youth sports
Big investors are pouring money into kids' sports and parents say it’s ruining the game. This episode was produced by Danielle Hewitt, edited by Miranda…
Today, ExplainedBlame it on the inflammation
We are living in a time of inflammation information overload. Chronic inflammation is real, but Vox’s Unexplainable asks if it’s all bad. This episode was…
Today, ExplainedThe farmers turning on Trump
As farmers and rural voters reel from moves made by the Trump administration, Democrats see an opening. This episode was produced by Peter Balonon-Rosen…
Today, ExplainedEveryone hates data centers
Data centers have become politically untenable, even in very Republican Texas. This episode was produced by Ariana Aspuru, edited by Miranda Kennedy, fact…
Today, ExplainedMeta cares about kids now?!
Meta is giving teens a curfew on Instagram and Facebook. And they want other social media sites to join them. This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh and…
Today, ExplainedIs anything safe to eat?
It’s been a summer of food-safety scares and Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new cooking show probably isn’t going to make things better. This episode was produced by…
Today, ExplainedHow to survive a flop
In the streaming era, success is public, failure is viral, and everyone's one release away from a flop era. How do you come back? This episode was produced by…
Today, ExplainedThe politics of Gen Z
What’s up with the kids these days? We asked a Gen Z researcher to explain her generation’s politics. This show was edited by Kasia Broussalian, fact checked…
Today, ExplainedDolly Parton's platform
Dolly Parton never endorsed a party or candidate, but that doesn't mean she was apolitical. This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy, edited by Amina…