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
Student loan forgiveMESS
President Biden’s plan to forgive billions of dollars in student debt is both historic and controversial. Now some red states are suing to block it. NPR’s Cory…
- Today, Explained
Puerto Rico’s power crisis
Days after Ian, most Floridians now have their power back. Weeks after Fiona, more than 100,000 Puerto Rican households and businesses are still coping with…
- Today, Explained
The Supreme Court is back and “even more consequential”
According to Vox’s Ian Millhiser (and no, he hasn’t forgotten they just overturned Roe). This episode was produced by Siona Peterous, edited by Amina Al-Sadi…
- Today, Explained
Brett Favre and the Mississippi welfare fraud
An extraordinary case of fraud is unfolding in Mississippi, where a chummy cadre of nonprofit leaders, elected officials, and professional athletes redirected…
- Today, Explained
The ’90s throwback no one wants
Elvedin Pasic lived through the Bosnian genocide in the early 1990s. So why is one of Bosnia’s leaders saying it never happened? And what happens if that…
- Today, Explained
Europe’s looming energy crisis
Pipelines are leaking, winter is coming, and concerns over an energy crisis in Europe are growing. Vox’s Jen Kirby heads to Oktoberfest to find out more. This…
- Today, Explained
Can Beto flip Texas?
Republicans have firmly held the Texas governorship since 1995. Beto O’Rourke’s campaign is both a long shot and Democrats’ best challenge in decades. This…
- Today, Explained
Putin’s fake elections
The Russian president is calling on reservists and holding fake referenda to legitimize his war. Washington Post reporter Mary Ilyushina explains. This episode…
- Today, Explained
I wish I was a little bit taller
I wish I was a baller. I wish there was a doc who’d break my legs, I would call her. This episode was produced by Miles Bryan, fact-checked by Laura Bullard…
- Today, Explained
Johnson & Johnson’s “bankruptcy”
Thousands of people say Johnson & Johnson’s baby powder gave them cancer. They’re suing — but the consumer giant is using a bankruptcy strategy called the…
- Today, Explained
Pakistan wants climate reparations
After catastrophic flooding, Pakistani people are demanding better disaster management from their government. Their government wants reparations from wealthy…
- Today, Explained
Is Patagonia fleecing the IRS?
The billionaire founder of Patagonia is giving away his company to fight climate change. He’s also getting a giant tax break. This episode was produced by…
- Today, Explained
You can’t spell “dysfunction” without the UN
The war in Ukraine has demonstrated just how dysfunctional the United Nations is. Uri Friedman, managing editor at the Atlantic Council, explains how to fix…
- Today, Explained
The true story of The Woman King
The historical epic The Woman King, in theaters today, is set in the Kingdom of Dahomey in the 19th century. The kingdom’s elite all-female fighting force was…
- Today, Explained
I should have applied for a fraudulent PPP loan
As the coronavirus pandemic disrupted business in the US, the government sent billions of dollars to people and businesses that were affected. That led to an…
- Today, Explained
Is Ukraine winning now?
A recent Ukrainian counteroffensive seems to have caught Russia on its back foot. That could have consequences for Putin in the war — and at home. The…
- Today, Explained
When an election denier becomes election chief
A quartet of 2020 election deniers are running for secretary of state this year in key swing states, raising questions about whether they could fairly…
- Today, Explained
“Bringing the border to Biden”
Texas and Arizona's governors are giving migrants bus tickets to the capital. The mayor of Washington, DC, says it’s causing a humanitarian crisis in the city…
- Today, Explained
The queen is dead
Long live the king. This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy and Hady Mawajdeh, fact-checked by Serena Solin and Amina Al-Sadi with help from Amanda…
- Today, Explained
The water crisis in Jackson, Mississippi
What’s happening in Jackson is hardly unique: Cities and states across the US are setting themselves up for failure by postponing expensive but critical work…
- Today, Explained
Your long Covid questions, answered
Millions of people have long Covid; countless more could get it. Dr. Monica Verduzco-Gutierrez answers questions from Today, Explained listeners about the…
- Today, Explained
Curious Georgia
Prosecutor Fani Willis and a special grand jury have some questions for the man with the yellow hair. Georgia Public Broadcasting’s Stephen Fowler explains…
- Today, Explained
It ain’t over 'til the crawdads sing
Delia Owens’s runaway bestseller Where the Crawdads Sing tells the story of a killing in North Carolina’s marshland. The Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg explains…
- Today, Explained
Heat waves been faking me out
As devastating heat waves like the recent one in China become more common, we’re going to need new ways of talking about them. Vox’s Neel Dhanesha explains a…
- Today, Explained
What do we owe future humans?
A new wave of philanthropists wants to make charity more effective. They’re focused not just on the present day but also thousands of years into the future…
- Today, Explained
Instagram’s identity crisis
If you think Instagram sucks now, it’s by design. Vox's Rebecca Jennings and Platformer's Casey Newton explain. This episode was produced by Victoria…
- Today, Explained
The Island of Explained: It’s electric!
A magical theme park ride on the Island of Explained demonstrates the damage done by fossil fuels and why renewable energy might be the best way to power the…
- Today, Explained
Is Russia a state sponsor of terror?
Six months into its escalation of war with Ukraine, the calls to declare Russia a state sponsor of terror have never been louder. Delaney Simon from the…
- Today, Explained
Health care’s post-Roe nightmare
The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe has implications far beyond abortion; it complicates access to vital drugs and delays essential care for pregnant…
- Today, Explained
RIP OAN
A cable news network tailor-made for the former president is getting canceled. The Daily Beast’s Justin Baragona chronicles the demise of One America News…
- Today, Explained
Putin’s war comes to Russia
A car bomb killed Russian commentator Darya Dugina over the weekend. The bomb may have been meant for her father, the far-right, pro-Putin, pro-war philosopher…
- Today, Explained
FREE YSL
Two of the biggest rappers in the world, Young Thug and Gunna, are behind bars. And their bars will likely be used as evidence when they go to trial. This…
- Today, Explained
Hollywood’s IP industrial complex
Noel and Sean join Sam Sanders to kick off the third episode of his new Vulture show, “Into It.” Sam then speaks to TV titan Damon Lindelof about Hollywood’s…
- Today, Explained
You know nothing, HBO
HBO hopes to win the streaming wars with House of the Dragon, a prequel to Game of Thrones. But GoT’s disastrous finale disappointed viewers, and the prequel…
- Today, Explained
Merrick Garland’s dilemma
The Justice Department is investigating Donald Trump, but the ex-president's still-large base likely won’t want him prosecuted under any circumstances. Vox’s…
- Today, Explained
The fatwa against Salman Rushdie
Was never about Salman Rushdie. Journalist Robin Wright explains. This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy, fact-checked by Laura Bullard with help from Hady…
- Today, Explained
Dark Brandon
A meme that mocks President Biden has been transformed by supporters to celebrate his recent wins. But questions about whether he should run for reelection…
- Today, Explained
Russia’s back-to-school plan for Ukraine
Russia is paying teachers big bucks to teach a pro-Kremlin curriculum in Ukraine. It’s part of a campaign to formally annex occupied Ukraine into the Russian…
Today, ExplainedThe Island of Explained: Listen up!
Kiarra and Izii are having an argument when they are unexpectedly transported to the Island of Explained. There, they meet an Engin-Ear and a magical unicorn…
- Today, Explained
Liz Cheney is losing (and winning)
The Wyoming Republican will likely lose her primary, but she’s winning over a lot of Democrats in the process. This episode was produced by Amanda Lewellyn…
- Today, Explained
The New Right’s pay pal
From politicians to podcasters, one man’s money unites the New Right. Bloomberg’s Max Chafkin explains how Silicon Valley billionaire Peter Thiel is shaping…
- Today, Explained
Meet the New Right
The newest conservative dissidents want to radically reshape the Republican party and American democracy. Journalist James Pogue explains the confounding…
- Today, Explained
Raid-a-Lago
Florida man's beach house searched by FBI. This episode was produced by Haleema Shah and Avishay Artsy with help from Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Matt Collette…
- Today, Explained
Brittney Griner for the Merchant of Death
Viktor Bout might be the most successful arms dealer in history. The US could let him go free if Russia releases the WNBA star, who was just sentenced to nine…
- Today, Explained
Authoritarianism, baby!
Hungarian PM Viktor Orbán traveled to Texas for CPAC this week. Back home, he’s trying to fight population decline by paying some citizens to have more kids…
- Today, Explained
Monkeypox is a queer emergency
Gay men, queer people, and their partners represent an overwhelming majority of monkeypox cases. But even though the WHO just declared the disease a global…
- Today, Explained
Did Joe Manchin just save the planet?
Probably not, but he did finally compromise on the Inflation Reduction Act (née Build Back Better), which could be the most significant climate spending bill…
- Today, Explained
Pelosi in Taiwan
China didn’t want Speaker Nancy Pelosi to visit Taiwan. Neither did the White House. Politico’s Alex Ward explains why she went anyway. This episode was…
- Today, Explained
America has Afghanistan’s money
The US froze billions in Afghanistan’s central bank reserves when the Taliban took control. Now it’s wrestling with how to trust the Taliban with the Afghan…
Today, ExplainedThe Island of Explained: Plant-based party
An invitation to a vegan party sends producers Kiarra and Izii to the Island of Explained, where a giant who once ate people explains why he switched to a…
- Today, Explained
Fighting climate despair
Climate change has driven some environmental activists to extremes. We talk about overcoming despair with Terry Kaelber, whose husband David Buckel took his…
- Today, Explained
Are we in a recession?
The US economy has shrunk for two consecutive quarters. That’s technically a recession. But economists aren’t so sure we’re actually in one. Madeleine Ngo and…
- Today, Explained
Riding in Cars with Robots
The data is in on autonomous cars: They are crashing, but they're still doing a lot better than regular cars driven by humans. The Verge’s Andrew Hawkins and…
- Today, Explained
Replacing Boris Johnson
Britain’s Conservative party is spending the summer choosing its next prime minister. The Atlantic’s Tom McTague introduces the candidates vying to replace…
- Today, Explained
McMoscow
The 1990 opening of a McDonald's in Russia heralded not just burgers and fries but, get this, a new era of peace and prosperity. The Economist’s Patrick Foulis…
- Today, Explained
Wrestling with Vince McMahon
The CEO who turned World Wrestling Entertainment into a global brand has retired after nearly 40 years, amid allegations of sexual assault and infidelity…
- Today, Explained
Dry Hot American Summer
As the world heats up, the American West is drier than at any period in the past 1,200 years. But don’t expect people to stop watering their lawns. This…
- Today, Explained
FYI those telescope photos are kinda fake
But the images from the Webb Space Telescope still provide our best look yet at the formation of the universe. NASA astrophysicist Amber Straughn and science…
- Today, Explained
BA.5 and DIY Covid
Surging cases, Paxlovid rebounds, and apathy everywhere. Vox’s Dr. Keren Landman explains how to navigate the do-it-yourself era of the pandemic. This episode…
- Today, Explained
What the January 6 committee has found (so far)
A congressional committee set out to offer the definitive story of the attack on the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Things got dramatic. This episode was produced…