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, ExplainedThe Island of Explained: The missing firefly
Luz the firefly is missing, and producers Izii and Sara want to know why. They take a trip to the Island of Explained, where they learn why whole species are…
- Today, Explained
“To [REDACTED] a Mockingbird”
Some conservative parents are trying to get books about race and sexuality banned from libraries and schools. Author Clint Smith says it’s dangerous to ban…
- Today, Explained
Shinzo Abe’s call to arms
The assassination of former prime minister Shinzo Abe may have given his agenda to militarize Japan new life. Abe biographer Tobias Harris explains. This…
- Today, Explained
The case of the fake Basquiats
Art crime is booming and Jean-Michel Basquiat’s paintings (or at least some very realistic forgeries) are the loot du jour. Reporter Brett Sokol and a guy who…
- Today, Explained
Joe Biden’s Saudi vacation
Candidate Biden said he would make Saudi Arabia a “pariah” on the world stage. Now President Biden is traveling there, asking for the kingdom’s help on gas…
- Today, Explained
Joe Biden’s tampon shortage
No, President Biden didn’t cause the tampon shortage — or any of the recent shortages. But that won’t stop him from taking the blame. This episode was produced…
- Today, Explained
UFOMG
Congress just had its first hearings on UFOs in over 50 years. We revisit a 2021 episode where the New Yorker’s Gideon Lewis-Kraus explained why the US…
- Today, Explained
What if you could talk without speaking?
A groundbreaking new study claims to have found a way for a fully paralyzed person to communicate entirely via thought. But as we learned in an episode earlier…
- Today, Explained
How the US learned to love sanctions
The US hoped sanctions would end Russia’s war in Ukraine quickly. We revisit our conversation with historian Nicholas Mulder who explains the surprising…
- Today, Explained
Ask for Jane
Before Roe v. Wade, Eleanor Oliver was a Jane: a member of a group in Chicago that helped women get safe but illegal abortions. Sean Rameswaram sat down with…
- Today, Explained
This country is a lot right now
The past week/month/year/pandemic has taken a toll on a lot of people’s mental health. And the US has proven woefully incapable of dealing with mental health…
- Today, Explained
Roe v. Wade v. God
A rabbi, a priest, and an imam walk into the abortion debate. The priest wins. This episode was produced by Victoria Dominguez and Haleema Shah, edited by Matt…
- Today, Explained
Abortion pills
It’s safe and easy to end a pregnancy during the first trimester using a pair of FDA-approved pills. Accessing them is the latest abortion battleground. Vox's…
- Today, Explained
Trigger bans
The Supreme Court’s decision was most immediately felt in states that pegged abortion bans to the fall of Roe v. Wade. This episode was produced by Victoria…
- Today, Explained
The end of Roe v. Wade
The Supreme Court overturned a 49-year-old precedent that secured the right to an abortion. Irin Carmon from New York magazine breaks down the case and Vox’s…
- Today, Explained
Is Ukraine losing now?
The US is spending billions to arm Ukraine against Russian invaders. But without the proper training or supplies, Javelin missiles can only do so much. This…
- Today, Explained
The rise and fall of the “millennial lifestyle subsidy”
Venture capitalists spent years subsidizing the price of things like Uber rides and food delivery. The Atlantic’s Derek Thompson explains why they’ve stopped…
- Today, Explained
From Russia with cash
Oligarchs from Russia and beyond stash their cash in British banks, which play a central role in the global offshore economy. This episode was produced by…
- Today, Explained
What if we saw the gunshot wounds?
John Temple was the editor of Rocky Mountain News in April 1999, when two students committed mass murder at Columbine High School. The photos he published that…
- Today, Explained
A gun policy game-changer
America’s gun violence epidemic is a public health crisis. After 24 years of blocked funding, Congress is finally starting to treat it like one. This episode…
- Today, Explained
Gun laws that work
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott says tougher gun laws wouldn’t have stopped the Uvalde shooter. He’s wrong. This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy, edited by Matt…
- Today, Explained
Let’s untangle the Second Amendment
It wasn’t until 2008 that the US Supreme Court established what a confusing sentence in the Constitution really meant for gun ownership. Sean Rameswaram…
- Today, Explained
Has the gun control movement failed?
You might look at school shootings and think “Yes, obviously.” But two people who have been studying and participating in the movement for decades explain how…
- Today, Explained
ConGRADulations, fellow kids
Ten months ago the faculty of Cramer Hill Elementary set out to get their kids back on track after a year of mostly remote learning. Today, Explained’s Miles…
- Today, Explained
Adderall via Instagram
The mental health startup Cerebral benefited from pandemic-era changes to federal telehealth laws. But its easy-to-get prescriptions for tightly regulated…
- Today, Explained
Ugraine
Russia is weaponizing food by blockading Ukraine’s grain exports and withholding its own until other countries come to Putin to ask for it. This episode was…
- Today, Explained
Boris Johnson presents: Motel Rwanda
The British government will deport UK-bound migrants to Rwanda. It’s part of a larger trend of rich countries offloading asylum seekers to poorer countries…
- Today, Explained
Innocence is not enough
The Supreme Court is going to let Arizona kill Barry Jones, a man whose rape and murder convictions were vacated in 2018. This episode was produced by Hady…
- Today, Explained
Let’s vent about guns
We opened up our hotline. You called and asked questions. We found answers. This episode was produced by Victoria Chamberlin and host Sean Rameswaram, edited…
- Today, Explained
Why the economy feels bad right now
The stock market tumble and crypto crash are symptoms of a broader shift in the US economy. Jacob Goldstein explains the end of the “Goldilocks Era.” This…
- Today, Explained
How often can you get Covid?
Does your immunity still last for months? We asked a researcher who has been studying omicron reinfections. This episode was produced by Jon Ehrens, edited by…
- Today, Explained
Can women fix the police?
Police departments across the US are signing a pledge to increase the share of women in their ranks, hoping the move will help reduce excessive force by…
- Today, Explained
The shooters were 18
Writer and parent Joanna Schroeder wrote a guide for parents about what to look out for and how to intervene. This episode was produced by Avishay Artsy…
- Today, Explained
Monkeypox!?!?
Good news: Epidemiologists don’t think monkeypox will be as bad as Covid-19. Bad news: We stopped vaccinating people against this type of disease decades ago…
- Today, Explained
How to not give up on gun control
Vox’s Marin Cogan, who lived through a school shooting herself, explains why she hasn’t given up on a solution to our gun problem yet. This episode was…
- Today, Explained
Why the internet hates Amber Heard
It’s not just Johnny Depp’s fans — it’s Amber Heard’s anti-fans, too. The Atlantic's Kaitlyn Tiffany explains the Depp-ressing social media hate campaign. This…
- Today, Explained
Finland and Sweden have entered the chat
Their admission to NATO would further isolate Russia, leaving it the only Arctic country outside the alliance. This episode was produced by Victoria…
- Today, Explained
Why the right is thirsty for Hungary
The Conservative Political Action Conference, which is like Republican Coachella, is usually held stateside, but this week it's throwing a party in Budapest…
- Today, Explained
So I elected an autocrat
Noel King traveled to Hungary to talk to people who voted for Viktor Orbán, people being persecuted by his government, and an American just along for the ride…
- Today, Explained
How to lose a democracy in 10,000 days
The same man who helped usher in democracy in Hungary is the one who’s chipping away at it now. American conservatives want to know how Prime Minister Viktor…
- Today, Explained
Formula None
Millions of US parents are struggling to feed their infants due to a nationwide shortage of baby formula. This episode was produced by Victoria Chamberlin…
- Today, Explained
Dr. Oz and the celebrity politician
This week Pennsylvania voters decide whether to give Dr. Oz a shot at the US Senate. To mark the occasion, Sean Rameswaram tries to understand what makes a…
- Today, Explained
Is abortion in the Constitution?
Not explicitly, no. But neither is the right to travel from New York to New Jersey. NYU law professor Kenji Yoshino explains our unenumerated rights. This…
- Today, Explained
Sri Lankans have had enough
Sri Lanka’s “Go home, Gota!” protesters want to throw President Gotabaya Rajapaksa out of office. Reveal’s Ike Sriskandarajah explains what could happen if…
- Today, Explained
Dictator Jr.
The son of repressive dictator Ferdinand Marcos was just elected president of the Philippines. All he had to do was rewrite his country’s history. This episode…
- Today, Explained
Free Brittney (Griner)
A week before Russia invaded Ukraine, it detained WNBA superstar Brittney Griner. Now the United States is turning up the pressure to get her released. ESPN’s…
- Today, Explained
A priest explains Putin’s “holy” war
Patriarch Kirill is the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church. A former colleague describes him as a one-time anti-Kremlin nonconformist. Now, he’s blessing…
- Today, Explained
A cure for sickle cell?
Scientists have developed a long-sought treatment — perhaps even a cure — for sickle cell anemia. But getting it to patients might be an even bigger challenge…
- Today, Explained
Why little kids don’t have vaccines
And how the seemingly endless wait in the US is affecting their development. This episode was produced by Victoria Chamberlin, edited by Sean Rameswaram and…
- Today, Explained
One man’s crusade against Roe v. Wade
Indiana lawyer Jim Bopp has spent most of his life chipping away at Roe v. Wade. His incremental approach to overturning the Court’s decades-old precedent…
- Today, Explained
Justice Alito’s opinion
A largely unprecedented leak of a draft Supreme Court decision reveals the Court’s conservative majority intends to overturn Roe v. Wade. New York magazine’s…
- Today, Explained
Our (machine) gun problem
For less than $20 plus shipping everyday people can turn their handguns into machine guns. The Trace’s Alain Stephens explains the rise of the “auto-sear.”…
- Today, Explained
Trumpbilly Elegy
Liberals turned to J.D. Vance’s book to better understand Donald Trump’s victory. Now the “Hillbilly Elegy” author is turning to Trump to try and win the…
- Today, Explained
Twitter’s new Musk
Elon Musk and Twitter have reached a deal. Recode’s Peter Kafka and Shirin Ghaffary explain what it means for the business of Twitter, and for free speech on…
- Today, Explained
The Senate’s age-old old age problem
Dianne Feinstein’s colleagues are concerned the 88-year-old senator is struggling with memory loss, reports Tal Kopan of the San Francisco Chronicle. It’s…
- Today, Explained
ok groomer
Accounts like “Libs of TikTok” are fueling right-wing media to label people who speak openly about sexuality and gender as “groomers.” Vox’s Aja Romano and the…
- Today, Explained
El Salvador’s bet on bitcoin
By making bitcoin a national currency, El Salvador tried to transform its economy. Rest of World’s Leo Schwartz explains why the bet hasn’t yet paid off. This…
- Today, Explained
A rough week for mask mandates
A Florida judge ended the federal government’s mass transit mask mandate this week. Vox’s Dylan Scott explains if mask mandates are over forever and Dr. Kavita…
- Today, Explained
Russia’s mercenary army
The Wagner Group, a superviolent (and supersecretive) team of Kremlin-aligned mercenaries, is doing Vladimir Putin’s dirty work in Ukraine and around the…
- Today, Explained
@elonmusk
Elon Musk says he wants to buy Twitter, but is also making 420 jokes. Kara Swisher (who knows him) and Liz Lopatto (who doesn’t) explain whether the world…