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, ExplainedHow Abercrombie made a comeback
Fast Company’s senior fashion writer Elizabeth Segran explains how the company overcame a problematic history to pull off a renaissance in this rebroadcast of…
Today, ExplainedWhy volunteering is worth it
Many of us think our individual actions can’t combat systemic problems. Vox's Rachel Cohen and Bowling Alone author Robert Putnam explain why volunteer work…
Today, ExplainedHanding off a war
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 Shah…
Today, ExplainedThe Democrat who won in Trump country
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 learn from…
Today, ExplainedBreaking up with your parents
Writer Emi Nietfeld says she felt relief when she cut her mom out of her life. Clinical psychologist Joshua Coleman explains why family estrangement is on the…
Today, ExplainedRobert Fluoride Kennedy Jr.
If RFK Jr. leads the Department of Health and Human Services, he could radically reshape public health priorities in America, from vaccines to fluoride in the…
Today, ExplainedThe kids aren't reading all right
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…
Today, ExplainedDeportation nation
President-elect Donald Trump has promised mass deportations. "Operation Wetback" from the Eisenhower days is serving as inspiration. This episode was produced…
Today, ExplainedTeam America
President-elect Donald Trump has nominated some unconventional people to his Cabinet, including Fox News host Pete Hegseth as secretary of defense. Washington…
Today, ExplainedWhen docs cry
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 to someone…
Today, ExplainedThere's a new tariff in town
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. This episode…
Today, ExplainedThe Bro Brogan presidency
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 swearing off…
Today, ExplainedA live-forever diet?
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 to…
Today, ExplainedDoes #Resist still exist?
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 Christian Paz…
Today, ExplainedThe world Trump inherits
Vox’s Joshua Keating explains how Trump’s foreign policy will influence some of the world’s biggest conflicts. This episode was produced by Peter…
Today, ExplainedPin the fail on the donkey
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 strategist…
Today, ExplainedTrump country
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 Lewellyn and…
Today, ExplainedThe most important “most important election”?
It seems as though every election is “the most important election of our lifetime." Historian Jeffrey Engel and political scientist Julia Azari assess whether…
Today, ExplainedHow Gaza could decide the election
The key battleground state of Michigan could be decided by Arab American voters disappointed with Democrats' handling of the war in Gaza. Detroit Free Press…
Today, ExplainedWhy everybody's running marathons now
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 crises…
Today, ExplainedDid the Dodgers save baseball?
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 enough to…
Today, ExplainedPolar opposites
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 its way…
Today, ExplainedHow Trump could steal the election
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 Harris…
Today, ExplainedIt's the economy, stupid
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 each would…
Today, ExplainedWhy do I keep getting these weird fundraising texts?
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’re…
Today, ExplainedIs there a Dr Pepper in the house?
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 of the…
Today, ExplainedMusk’s million dollar giveaway
Elon Musk has become Trump’s most important fundraiser and his hands-on approach is breaking political norms, according to Tim Higgins and Dana Mattioli of the…
Today, ExplainedDemographics aren't destiny
Latinos and other groups that typically vote for Democrats are showing weaker support for Kamala Harris. Vox's Christian Paz and Cook Political Report's Amy…
Today, ExplainedThe battle for Congress
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-Trump…
Today, ExplainedCategory 2024
WFAE’s Steve Harrison explains how North Carolina is readying itself for Election Day after Hurricane Helene. And CNN’s Sara Murray says other states have…
Today, ExplainedReconsidering the Menendez brothers
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 about…
Today, ExplainedIs Trump for real?
Donald Trump talked over the weekend about deploying the military against an "enemy from within." The Washington Post's Isaac Arnsdorf explains how Trump's…
Today, ExplainedThe minds behind MAGA
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 Peter…
Today, ExplainedCan Democrats win back rural voters?
Wisconsin wasn’t always a battleground state, but following Trump’s victory there in 2016, Democrats are trying to regain their footing among rural voters…
Today, ExplainedPennies don’t make cents
Pennies cost more than a cent to make — and no one spends them. The New York Times Magazine’s Caity Weaver explains why we can’t get rid of them. This episode…
Today, ExplainedA hurricane of misinformation
Lies about disaster relief are spreading like never before this hurricane season, and it’s making FEMA’s job harder. Juliette Kayyem, author of The Devil Never…
Today, ExplainedMysterious Melania
Book critic Martin Pengelly read MELANIA so you don’t have to. Intelligencer’s Margaret Hartmann says the book is the latest in a long line of Trump grifts…
Today, ExplainedAbortion on the ballot
Ten states have an initiative on the ballot that would protect access to abortion. KJZZ’s Camryn Sanchez explains how Arizona's Proposition 139 could swing the…
Today, ExplainedThe future of Gaza
It's been one year since Hamas attacked Israel and started a war in Gaza. Israelis and Palestinians look back, and Vox's Joshua Keating says Israel's…
Today, ExplainedPuberty hits different now
Kids are going through puberty earlier, and scientists think they have found another reason why. Pediatrician Dr. Cara Natterson and puberty educator Vanessa…
Today, ExplainedChristmas in October
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro landed himself on the naughty list for stealing an election. He's hoping an early Christmas will improve his standing. This…
Today, ExplainedMr. Veep
Vox's Andrew Prokop says the vice-presidential debate between Tim Walz and JD Vance was about policy, but in a weird way. Professor and pollster Dan Cassino…
Today, ExplainedIsrael’s escalation
Tanks, rockets, missiles, and the death of Hassan Nasrallah. Israel is asserting itself as the most powerful player in the Middle East. This episode was…
Today, ExplainedHow to win Pennsylvania
Vox’s Christian Paz and Miles Bryan head to Philadelphia and Lancaster to see what the Harris and Trump campaigns are doing to win the state. This episode was…
Today, ExplainedThe office vs. everyone else
Amazon is the latest high-profile company to mandate in-person work five days a week. Today, Explained heads to Miami, where many people are back in the…
Today, ExplainedLeaving America for work-life balance
Today, Explained flies to Portugal to find out how the dust has settled on the pandemic-era quest for better living and working conditions. This episode was…
Today, ExplainedAI’s nuclear option
Microsoft needs so much energy for its AI data centers that it’s helping to reboot Three Mile Island, the site of the US’s worst nuclear accident. Evan Halper…
Today, ExplainedWar in Lebanon?
It looks a lot like all-out war between Israel and Hezbollah. Semafor’s Sarah Dadouch has the latest from Beirut and CNN’s Nick Paton Walsh explains Israel's…
Today, ExplainedStart the steal?
A partisan election board in Georgia has been trying to change the rules around voting and election certification. It's giving 2020. In the first episode of…
Today, ExplainedEverybody's gone country
Country music is cool again!!!!! Billboard's Melinda Newman explains. This episode was reported and produced by Avishay Artsy, edited by Amina Al-Sadi…
Today, ExplainedRepublicans are getting raunchy
Conservatives have started claiming hot girls as a culture war victory. Vox's Constance Grady explains why. This episode was produced by Haleema Shah and Peter…
Today, ExplainedYour phone is banned, fellow kids
Educators and politicians across the nation are banning cellphones in classrooms. Today, Explained’s Miles Bryan visits a school in Philadelphia to find out…
Today, ExplainedThe return of easy money
The Federal Reserve is set to make its first interest rate cut since the pandemic ended. Marketplace's Kimberly Adams explains how the move could impact the US…
Today, ExplainedThe Ohio pet panic
No, Haitian immigrants aren’t eating anyone’s pets. USA Today-Ohio’s Erin Glynn and the Verge’s Gaby Del Valle explain why Republicans are talking about it…
Today, ExplainedWe can't trust photos anymore
This week Apple announced its first AI iPhone with features that will make it even easier to edit your photos. But manipulating reality worries…
Today, ExplainedStop the steel
Once the world's largest corporation, the now-struggling US Steel wants to sell itself to Japan's Nippon Steel. The United Steelworkers oppose the deal, and…
Today, ExplainedWho took debait?
A conservative and a liberal wrangle over how the Harris-Trump debate should have gone. This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy and Amanda Lewellyn, edited…
Today, ExplainedThe Pope’s big bet on China
One of the most significant parts of Pope Francis’s Asia tour might be a country he isn’t visiting: China, home to 10 million Catholics, with whom the Vatican…
Today, ExplainedRevenge of the regulators
The arrest of Telegram CEO Pavel Durov by French authorities is part of a broader shift away from the free speech absolutism long championed by Big Tech. The…
Today, ExplainedAntibiotics for coral reefs
Vox’s Benji Jones takes us diving in a coral reef to learn how scientists are trying to save them. This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy, edited by Amina…