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
The man behind Russia’s mutiny
Yevgeny Prigozhin rose from hot dog seller to top chef to Russia’s leading mercenary. Journalist Paul Wood and Harvard’s Timothy Colton explain why he turned…
- Today, Explained
OceanGate
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 Titan…
- Today, Explained
Dinner and a Modi
Despite US concerns over the decline of Indian democracy and human rights, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is getting a prestigious state dinner from the Biden…
- Today, Explained
Okla-home-a
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 — and…
- Today, Explained
Childproofing Pornhub
States want to restrict kids’ access to harmful content online via age verification systems. New York Times reporter Natasha Singer explains how a wave of new…
- Today, Explained
The Today, Explained Center for Kids Who Can’t Read Good
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 Teaching Kids…
- Today, Explained
How the Saudis bought pro golf
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’s influence…
- Today, Explained
Kids sue Montana over climate change
Held v. Montana, a first-of-its-kind climate lawsuit, pits young people — and their constitutionally enshrined right to a clean environment — against a state…
- Today, Explained
Vivek Ramaswamy explains himself
The entrepreneur is running a longshot campaign for the GOP nomination on an “American nationalist,” anti-“woke capitalism” platform. Semafor’s Dave Weigel…
- Today, Explained
Why Marvel movies look bad
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 Chris Lee…
- Today, Explained
Florida man indicted (again)
For the first time in American history, a former president faces federal charges. Vox’s Andrew Prokop explains. This episode was produced by Miles Bryan and…
- Today, Explained
Texas messed with Houston schools
The state of Texas took over Houston’s Independent School District and replaced the superintendent and the elected board. But state takeovers like this rarely…
- Today, Explained
California is becoming uninsurable
Two insurance giants will stop issuing new policies for California homes. CalMatters reporter Ben Christopher and Vox’s Umair Irfan say insurers have…
- Today, Explained
Apple’s $3,500 goggles
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 was produced by…
- Today, Explained
Real Housebans of Tallahassee
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 land laws…
- Today, Explained
Hannah Gadsby and “Pablo-matic" Picasso
Comedian Hannah Gadsby railed against Pablo Picasso in “Nanette.” So why are they curating an exhibition timed to the 50th anniversary of his death? Gadsby and…
- Today, Explained
Ukraine’s counteroffensive
Ukraine vowed to mount a counteroffensive against Russia. Drone attacks on Moscow might signal it has begun. The Washington Post’s Mary Ilyushina and the…
- Today, Explained
Target-ing Pride
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 Stewart and…
- Today, Explained
The Kia Boyz are coming for your car
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, edited by…
- Today, Explained
Hot and bothered
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 happens to half…
- Today, Explained
He's Ronning
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. Please clap. This…
- Today, Explained
A cancer vaccine?
Dr. Vinod Balachandran explains how he and his colleagues successfully treated pancreatic cancer with bespoke mRNA vaccines. Science journalist Charles Graeber…
- Today, Explained
How wellness killed Jenny Craig
The diet company is shutting down. Bloomberg’s Emma Court explains how Jenny Craig’s strategy — heavy on celebrity endorsements and meal plans — couldn’t…
- Today, Explained
The rehabilitation of Bashar al-Assad
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 Middle East…
- Today, Explained
Parking is a lot
In our quest to accommodate parked cars, we’ve paved over downtowns, polluted the planet, and made it near impossible to get anywhere without driving. Slate’s…
- Today, Explained
Kevin McCarthy wants you to get a job
With the debt ceiling deadline approaching, Republicans want to expand rules that require welfare recipients to work. Vox’s Dylan Scott and Marketplace’s…
- Today, Explained
The most important election of 2023
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…
- Today, Explained
The new border crisis
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 explains…
- Today, Explained
Can power plants go green?
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 largely…
- Today, Explained
How Zelda changed gaming
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, engineered…
- Today, Explained
Covid is “over”
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 emergency…
- Today, Explained
Trump loses sexual abuse lawsuit
A New York jury awarded $5 million to journalist E. Jean Carroll, whose civil suit against the former president alleged sexual battery and defamation. Vox’s…
- Today, Explained
Ed Sheeran and the “Blurred Lines” effect
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.” Pitchfork’s Jayson…
- Today, Explained
The killing of Jordan Neely
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 Matt…
- Today, Explained
Charles in charge
King Charles is struggling to get his subjects to care about the historic coronation this weekend. Professor Brooke Newman explains the complicated road to…
- Today, Explained
Get used to higher interest rates
The Federal Reserve has once again raised interest rates, which means borrowing money for your mortgage or your business is once again more expensive. New York…
- Today, Explained
Disney vs. DeSantis
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 Whelan explains…
- Today, Explained
The Supreme Court’s corruption crisis
In a hearing today, the Senate Judiciary Committee took on the Supreme Court’s lack of ethics standards. ProPublica’s Joshua Kaplan explains how his reporting…
- Today, Explained
Why parents are suing social media
Congress has yet to pass legislation regulating social media companies, so parents are taking matters into their own hands. A lawyer representing them explains…
- Today, Explained
Fake Drake
The Verge’s Nilay Patel explains how a spurious collaboration between Drake and The Weeknd started a copyright fight over generative AI. Holly Herndon…
- Today, Explained
Can Title IX protect trans athletes?
President Biden hopes so. His administration is preparing to roll out new rules that would counter state and local bans aimed at keeping transgender youth out…
- Today, Explained
The new war in Sudan
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 line of…
- Today, Explained
He’s running
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 have any…
- Today, Explained
The Adderall shortage
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 Bryan, edited…
- Today, Explained
Cocaine hippos (and the case against pets)
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 ownership. This…
- Today, Explained
Make it rain
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 episode…
- Today, Explained
What does the Fox pay?
$787.5 million. (To Dominion Voting Systems, averting a defamation trial that could have been disastrous for the network. The Washington Post’s Erik Wemple…
- Today, Explained
Hollywood writers are ready to strike
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 Lucas Shaw…
- Today, Explained
The forever chemicals in your blood
The Biden administration has new plans to reduce the amount of PFAS or “forever chemicals” in America’s drinking water. Barbara Moran, WBUR’s climate and…
- Today, Explained
The Discord leaks
Federal officials have charged a 21-year-old member of the Massachusetts Air National Guard with posting a trove of classified documents online. Politico’s…
- Today, Explained
Phantom ghosts Broadway
The chandelier crashes for a final time as Broadway’s longest-running musical, Andrew Lloyd Webber’s extremely ’80s Phantom of the Opera, closes after 35 years…
- Today, Explained
Why stuff isn’t getting cheaper
The traditional explanation of inflation is simple: too much money chasing too few goods. But some experts are now wondering if companies’ aggressive pursuit…
- Today, Explained
The new fight over abortion pills
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 drug that’s…
- Today, Explained
Why Russia arrested an American reporter
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 manipulating…
- Today, Explained
Table for 10 billion, please
Feeding the world’s growing population is an increasingly difficult challenge, and climate change won’t make it any easier. Vox’s Kenny Torrella visited the…
- Today, Explained
Uncle Sam really wants you
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 reputation…
- Today, Explained
Should you carry Narcan?
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 Journal’s…
Today, ExplainedCity Limits: Blame the mayor
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 city…
Today, ExplainedCity Limits: Crime vibes
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 to untangle…
- Today, Explained
Florida man indicted
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 Lewellyn…