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, Explained
Why millennials dread motherhood
American policy failures and bad PR have made millennials dread motherhood. Vox’s Rachel Cohen and Momfluenced author Sara Petersen explain. This episode was…
- Today, Explained
An oily climate deal
Semafor’s Tim McDonnell says what made COP28 successful was the same thing that made climate activists skeptical about the conference: its host was an oil…
- Today, Explained
Long live your dog
A drug that aims to increase life expectancy for dogs is getting closer to market. But pet ethicists aren’t sure it’s great news for man’s best friend. This…
- Today, Explained
The fight over campus antisemitism
Three elite university presidents walk into Congress for a hearing on antisemitism. Only two still have their jobs. New York magazine reporter Nia Prater tells…
- Today, Explained
A concrete solution to climate change
Concrete is one of the world’s biggest sources of carbon emissions. Tech companies, including a startup co-founded by former NBA star Rick Fox, are looking to…
- Today, Explained
Are movies too long now?
No, movies aren’t getting longer. Even though, yes, it definitely does feel like they are. Slate’s Sam Adams makes it make sense. This episode was produced by…
- Today, Explained
Get the lead out
The Biden administration wants all lead pipes ripped up. It’ll take billions of dollars and rarely seen cooperation among government agencies. We ask UC…
- Today, Explained
Still hot and bothered
Earlier this year the FDA approved a game-changing drug to treat hot flashes, a symptom of menopause. But menopause is much more than just hot flashes, as…
- Today, Explained
They paved paradise
In our quest to accommodate parked cars, we’ve paved over downtowns, polluted the planet, and made it damn near impossible to get anywhere without driving. In…
- Today, Explained
How Palestine went global
People with no direct connection to the Middle East have taken to seeing the Palestinian cause as an anti-colonial struggle connected to their own experience…
- Today, Explained
The Golden Bachelor was actually good
72-year-old Gerry Turner has handed out his final rose on ABC’s The Golden Bachelor. In a season full of gendered tropes about love and marriage (like most of…
- Today, Explained
Kissinger’s long goodbye
Noted American diplomat and former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger is revered by few, reviled by many, and now he’s dead. Vox’s Jonathan Guyer explains why…
- Today, Explained
The American politics of Israel
The Israel-Hamas war is dividing the previously united Democrats and uniting the recently fractured Republican party. Semafor’s David Weigel explains what that…
- Today, Explained
Taking Tuesday
Package theft is on the rise, and it affects everyone, from the retailer, to shippers, to consumers. So maybe it’s time to take a cue from Gen Z and go back to…
- Today, Explained
The hostage deal (brought to you by Qatar)
After 50 days of the Israel-Hamas war, both sides took a breather to save lives. And it couldn’t have happened without Qatar. This episode was produced by…
- Today, Explained
Chaos at OpenAI
It’s been a wild few days at OpenAI, whose board fired CEO Sam Altman on Friday only to rehire him late Tuesday. Vox reporter Sigal Samuel explains what…
- Today, Explained
How Cassie sued Diddy
Sean "Diddy" Combs is the latest high-profile figure to be accused of sexual assault under New York’s Adult Survivors Act, a law that expires this week. This…
- Today, Explained
Inside the occupied West Bank
With the world focused on Gaza, Israeli settlers and soldiers are increasing attacks on Palestinians in the West Bank. Writer Nathan Thrall and journalist…
- Today, Explained
F1: Gears and Loathing in Las Vegas
Formula 1 spent half a billion dollars to return to Las Vegas. Jalopnik’s Elizabeth Blackstock explains how a lackluster season and this weekend’s…
- Today, Explained
Speaker Johnson’s first test
Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, infamous election denier, moved to the middle to make a budget deal with Democrats. But he promised the real fight is still…
- Today, Explained
Who can fix 150% inflation?
That’s what voters are trying to figure out as they prepare for this weekend’s runoff election between Peronist insider Sergio Massa and unorthodox economist…
- Today, Explained
A call from Gaza
People are desperately trying to escape Gaza as the siege on the strip continues. Mohammed Ghalaieny, a Palestinian British man, tells us why he is choosing to…
- Today, Explained
China’s soft (and fluffy) power
Panda diplomacy couldn’t fix the US and China’s tense relationship. Perhaps a meeting between Presidents Biden and Xi can bring back that fuzzy feeling. Ian…
- Today, Explained
A scam cost me $31k and a pool
Writer Devin Friedman has wanted a pool since he was a kid. As an adult, he saved tens of thousands of dollars to install one, but nothing went as planned. He…
- Today, Explained
Adjust the tip
Tipping’s getting even more complicated thanks to a DoorDash change that will prioritize diners who tip over diners who don’t. The Verge’s Andrew Hawkins and…
- Today, Explained
Ceasefire?
Protesters, politicians, and the pope are calling for a ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war, but the US and Israeli governments remain opposed. Vox’s Jonathan…
- Today, Explained
There’s Something About Romney
On his way out of the United States Senate, Mitt Romney gave one reporter unprecedented access to his emails, texts, and journals. McKay Coppins, author of…
- Today, Explained
Should domestic abusers lose gun rights?
The Supreme Court will decide if Zackey Rahimi, a man accused of domestic violence and involved in at least five shootings, still has a constitutional right to…
- Today, Explained
Is DEI DOA?
The lawyer behind the Supreme Court case that overturned affirmative action in university admissions has a new target: a small venture capital firm that gives…
- Today, Explained
The view from Israel
Israelis overwhelmingly disapprove of their government’s handling of the October 7 attacks, but their desire for unity keeps Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu…
- Today, Explained
The law that broke immigration
Supporters of the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act pledged it wouldn’t radically change immigration. David Leonhardt, author of Ours Was the Shining…
- Today, Explained
Pope friction
The Pope, his bishops, and some women walk into the Vatican. The National Catholic Reporter’s Joshua McElwee explains what happens next. This episode was…
- Today, Explained
Gaza’s humanitarian crisis
Cut off from water and power and recovering from a communications blackout, Gaza is plunged deeper into crisis. It’s not just a humanitarian problem, says…
- Today, Explained
The Dollar General will see you now
The primary care physician shortage is ruining health care in America. Dollar General, Best Buy, and Walmart are trying to fill the void. Vox’s Dylan Scott…
- Today, Explained
New Dork City
Silicon Valley billionaires are battling local residents over plans to build a whole new city in California, part of a global trend of wealthy investors…
- Today, Explained
Why does the US always side with Israel?
This was the top question we got from Today, Explained listeners. Joel Beinin, Middle East history professor emeritus at Stanford, has answers. This episode…
- Today, Explained
Trump, gagged
The most indicted president in history has judges grappling with how to balance the right to free speech against his history of targeting perceived enemies…
- Today, Explained
Hearts, minds, and likes
False information about what is happening in Israel and Gaza is taking over social media faster than journalists like BBC Verify’s Shayan Sardarizadeh can…
- Today, Explained
Airbnbanned
To Airbnb, or not to Airbnb, that is the question. Wired’s Amanda Hoover and the Atlantic’s Kate Lindsay have the answers. This episode was produced by Siona…
- Today, Explained
Speakerless
Republicans made history when they ousted Speaker Kevin McCarthy, and they continue to make history in their inability to replace him. Vox’s Andrew Prokop…
- Today, Explained
Biden goes to Israel
It’s been 11 days since Hamas attacked Israel, killing civilians and taking hostages. Israel’s retaliation has killed hundreds of Palestinians and created a…
- Today, Explained
So I unelected an authoritarian
The outcome of Poland’s election surprised the world. Vox's Jen Kirby explains what happened, and Anna Grzymała-Busse of Stanford University looks at what this…
- Today, Explained
How Palestinians view Hamas
The US along with Israel and many of its allies have long considered Hamas a terrorist group. Khaled Al-Hroub, a professor at Northwestern University in Qatar…
- Today, Explained
America’s most successful downtown?
And the ecological crisis that threatens everything. Today, Explained’s Miles Bryan heads to Salt Lake City. This episode was reported and produced by Miles…
- Today, Explained
RFK goes rogue
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is ditching his family’s party. David Freedlander explains how the candidate might have just gone from being a problem for the current…
- Today, Explained
Driver’s license to kill
Across the country, traffic deaths are spiking. Vox’s Marin Cogan tells the tragic story of one grisly crash in Washington, DC, and we ask whether changes to…
- Today, Explained
Israel, Hamas, and how we got here
This Israel-Hamas war is unlike the ones that came before it, says Haaretz’s Allison Kaplan Sommer. But it was years in the making, says Vox’s Zack Beauchamp…
- Today, Explained
Who shot ya, Tupac?
For 27 years there was no arrest in the shooting death of rapper Tupac Shakur. Slate’s Joel Anderson explains how that finally changed. This episode was…
- Today, Explained
Caste away
A bill outlawing caste-based discrimination in California could become the first law of its kind in the US. Reporter Sonia Paul explains the backlash to the…
- Today, Explained
We Need to Talk About Kevin
As House speaker, Kevin McCarthy worked with Democrats to keep the government open. Then Matt Gaetz worked with Democrats to get McCarthy fired. Semafor’s…
- Today, Explained
Crypto’s crown prince in court
FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried’s trial begins today; a guilty verdict could represent the final nail in crypto’s coffin. Bloomberg’s Zeke Faux, who spent two…
- Today, Explained
Shutshow
The US government is open for business at the cost of Ukraine aid. Semafor’s Jordan Weissmann explains how we got here. And White House communications director…
- Today, Explained
Hip-hop is 50 and it's having a midlife crisis
So much of the coverage of hip-hop’s 50th birthday has been congratulatory, in spite of its record of misogyny and anti-LGBTQ sentiment. In this episode of…
Today, ExplainedBlame Capitalism: Degrowing pains
Capitalism isn’t natural, was never inevitable, and endless growth is killing Earth. The final episode of “Blame Capitalism” examines the degrowth movement…
- Today, Explained
Man’s best friend banned in UK
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says his government will ban a type of dog called the American Bully XL — a relative of the pit bull. Political editor Tom…
- Today, Explained
Why the US is suing Amazon
The Federal Trade Commission has brought a landmark antitrust suit against Amazon. The Verge’s Makena Kelly and former FTC director Bill Baer explain how it’s…
- Today, Explained
Should you blow up a pipeline?
Climate activists have tried marching and lobbying. Now, a growing flank of movement radicals want to take more extreme action. Author Dana Fisher tells us who…
- Today, Explained
Murder, Canada Wrote
Canada’s unprecedented decision to publicly accuse India of assassinating a Canadian citizen in Canada is upending the two countries' relationship. This…
Today, ExplainedBlame Capitalism: The 99%
Two wildly different political movements — Occupy Wall Street and the Tea Party — emerged from the Great Recession. They forever changed the way Americans…
- Today, Explained
The six D-words of climate change
It’s climate week. To mark the occasion we’re talking to scientist Michael E. Mann about six D-words that help us understand where the conversation around…