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 sanctions backfire
American sanctions can destroy a country’s economy. The unintended consequences are massive in places like Venezuela and Syria. Jeff Stein of the Washington…
Today, ExplainedHow Trump wins
Donald Trump hasn’t yet figured out how to run a disciplined campaign against Kamala Harris. In the meantime, he’s leaning into the weird. This episode was…
Today, ExplainedThe silent war
The story of Army specialist Austin Valley highlights a crisis the US military can’t seem to solve: More service members die by suicide than in combat. A…
Today, ExplainedEqual-opportunity murderball
For the first time, a woman is playing on the US wheelchair rugby team at the Paralympics. It’s a sign of progress in the complicated arena of co-ed sports…
Today, ExplainedIsrael vs. Hezbollah
The two are on the brink of starting a regional war. An analyst and a negotiator say without a ceasefire in Gaza, the Middle East could spin out of control…
Today, ExplainedMinion Jesus
A meme of a Minion being crucified went viral on TikTok in a very unusual way. Today, Explained’s Laura Bullard investigated and connected the dots all the way…
Today, ExplainedHackers probably stole your Social Security number
Vox’s Adam Clark Estes explains why that might be a good thing. This episode was produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Matt Collette, fact-checked by Laura…
Today, ExplainedStuck in space
Bloomberg’s Loren Grush explains how two astronauts got stuck on the International Space Station and astronaut Cady Coleman tells us why she is jealous of…
Today, ExplainedHow Kamala wins
Noel closes out her week in Chicago with a recap of Kamala Harris’s speech. Political strategist Mike Podhorzer looks ahead. This episode was produced by…
Today, ExplainedThe migrant crisis, via Chicago
Around 50,000 migrants have poured into Chicago in the last two years. Some Chicagoans are furious. We talk to residents, clergy, and migrants on Chicago's…
Today, ExplainedKamala's party
The Democrats call Black women the "backbone" of their party. We ask three Black women delegates in Chicago about making history, Gaza, and Black men voting…
Today, ExplainedWhat kind of Democrat should Kamala Harris be?
The last two Democratic presidents took distinct approaches toward leading their party and the nation. New York magazine’s Jonathan Chait explains why he…
Today, ExplainedThe Chicago DNC everyone wants to forget
When Chicago hosted the Democratic National Convention in 1968, it descended into riots in the street and chaos on the floor. Historian Rick Perlstein talks…
- Today, Explained
Dating sucks right now
But it doesn't have to. Myisha Battle, a sexologist and host of KCRW’s How's Your Sex Life?, tells us how to move beyond the apps. This episode was produced by…
- Today, Explained
The late, great Hannibal Lecter
Donald Trump keeps referencing the infamous fictional cannibal in his speeches. Intelligencer’s Margaret Hartmann attempts to explain why. This episode was…
- Today, Explained
So you toppled an autocrat
Bangladeshis are about to find out if a Nobel laureate can run their government better than a nepo baby. This episode was produced by Haleema Shah with help…
- Today, Explained
The tech titans backing Trump
Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are vying for Silicon Valley's support. Democrats typically get it. But Elon Musk threw his weight behind Trump in an interview…
- Today, Explained
ClassGPT
Students are returning to college campuses this month armed with generative AI tools. One professor who has banned them and one who has embraced them explain…
- Today, Explained
A green medal for Paris?
Paris wanted this to be the greenest Olympics ever. We assess. This episode was produced by Denise Guerra, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Laura…
- Today, Explained
Ecstasy Therapy: Bad trip
A clinical trial for MDMA-assisted therapy showed promising results. But participants who say they suffered afterward allege their experiences aren’t reflected…
- Today, Explained
Riots in the UK
Disinformation after a knife attack in the UK transformed a local tragedy into nationwide upheaval. The Guardian's Robyn Vinter explains how it got to this…
- Today, Explained
It's Tim Walz
The governor of Minnesota is Kamala Harris’s running mate. Minnesota Public Radio’s Dana Ferguson and Vox’s Andrew Prokop explain the Democratic ticket. This…
- Today, Explained
RIP Project 2025?
Project 2025 and J.D. Vance have brought fringe policies to the presidential campaign. Democrats are using both to label the Republican ticket "weird." Shelby…
- Today, Explained
Ecstasy Therapy: How MDMA became medicine
Military veterans are unlikely collaborators with the psychedelic counterculture. The two groups’ efforts are being tested this month, when the FDA is poised…
- Today, Explained
Ecstasy Therapy: Penicillin for the soul
In 1980s Berkeley, an eccentric chemist and his wife, a self-taught therapist, experimented with MDMA. Their work would kickstart a decades-long campaign to…
- Today, Explained
What will save men’s gymnastics?
2008 was the last time the US men’s gymnastics won a team medal at the Olympics. Justin Spring was part of that team, and he says that this week’s bronze medal…
- Today, Explained
Why we’re all populists now
Donald Trump, J.D. Vance, and Kamala Harris all want to distance themselves from the inflation and bad vibes of President Biden’s economy. The Washington…
- Today, Explained
Is your refrigerator running?
Fridges are our go-to way of storing food, but they’re not good for the planet or even good for a lot of our food. Gastropod’s Nicola Twilley, author of a new…
Today, ExplainedBreaking the Olympics
Breaking will dance its way into the Olympics this summer. B-boy historian Alien Ness says this is destiny. This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh, edited…
- Today, Explained
Kamala’s meme-mentum
Kamala Harris memes have taken over the internet. Now she needs to figure out how to capitalize on them. This episode was produced by Peter Balonon-Rosen and…
- Today, Explained
Abercrombie is back
Fast Company’s senior fashion writer Elizabeth Segran explains how the company overcame a problematic history to pull off a renaissance. This episode was…
- Today, Explained
Dengue’s biggest year ever
More than 10 million people worldwide have contracted dengue from mosquitos this year. Now experts are worried it might show up at the Olympics. This episode…
- Today, Explained
You did it, Joe
All bets are off as President Biden exits the 2024 race. Vox’s Andrew Prokop and Democratic strategist David Axelrod explain. This episode was produced by…
- Today, Explained
Trump-a-mania at the RNC
Hulk Hogan delivered at the final night of the RNC, but did Donald Trump? We hear from two conservative strategists who do not agree on whether Trump's speech…
- Today, Explained
Why banning Juul backfired
The US cracked down on Juul after an uptick in teen vaping and a flurry of health concerns. Podcaster Leon Neyfakh explains how the ban inadvertently created a…
- Today, Explained
Trump just avoided 40 felony counts
A federal judge has thrown out Trump's classified documents case. Wall Street Journal Justice Department reporter C. Ryan Barber explains what that might mean…
- Today, Explained
VP J.D.
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 political face…
- Today, Explained
Is this us?
The assassination attempt on Donald Trump is part of a steady uptick in political — and increasingly partisan — violence in the United States. With a push…
- Today, Explained
The song of the summer is DEAD
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 existed at…
- Today, Explained
What is Project 2025?
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 conservative…
- Today, Explained
The Supreme Court’s power grab
The Supreme Court just fundamentally changed how the federal government works. Vox’s Ian Millhiser explains. This episode was produced by Victoria Chamberlin…
- Today, Explained
Dancing in the Dark Money
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 against Sen…
- Today, Explained
Joe Almighty
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 themselves…
- Today, Explained
Why “Country Roads” feels like home
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 episode was…
- Today, Explained
Criminalizing homelessness?
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's Rachel…
- Today, Explained
Once again, immunity is back up for grabs
The Supreme Court sent the question of Donald Trump’s presidential immunity back to the lower courts. Vox’s Andrew Prokop explains. This episode was produced…
- Today, Explained
Panic! At The White House
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 Miles Bryan…
- Today, Explained
How Spotify picks its winners
No, Sabrina Carpenter probably isn’t paying the streamer to play “Espresso” every time you’re listening to music. But the app is making changes to its business…
- Today, Explained
The end of Made in China?
President Biden recently raised Trump-era tariffs, which could lead to even higher prices on Chinese imports. US Trade Representative Katherine Tai explains…
- Today, Explained
It’s not Islamophobic, it’s anti-Palestinian
Islamophobic and antisemitic incidents are on the rise. Author Moustafa Bayoumi and Vox’s Abdallah Fayyad tell us about another kind of invisible…
- Today, Explained
Why investors look past Elon’s musk
Elon Musk has had inappropriate relationships with SpaceX employees. Tesla shareholders knew that, and chose to reward him with a massive payday anyway. The…
- Today, Explained
How UFC explains USA
The Ultimate Fighting Championship went from niche bloodsport to multibillion-dollar league. Donald Trump might be its biggest fan. Journalists Luke Thomas and…
- Today, Explained
It’s not easy being a green conservative
Fighting climate change is not a very common Republican position. Climate activist Benji Backer argues it should be, and Climate Capitalism author Akshat Rathi…
- Today, Explained
France's far-right youth
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…
- Today, Explained
Save Darfur, again
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 commanding the…
- Today, Explained
Party in the USA?
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 US will…
- Today, Explained
Will LGBTQ voters come out for Biden?
The LGBTQ+ voting bloc has traditionally favored Democrats, but as Vox's Christian Paz explains, this year their support may be slipping. California Rep…
- Today, Explained
We’re drowning in credit card debt
Americans owe more than $1 trillion to credit card companies, a record sum that’s likely to keep growing as rising interest rates prevent cardholders from…
- Today, Explained
Was that antisemitic?
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 why the…
- Today, Explained
Tiktalk therapy
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 solve our…