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
China’s Winter Olympics (feat. Covid-19)
The Games don’t begin until February 4, but the drama around the pandemic, free speech, and diplomatic boycotts has been building for months. NPR’s Emily Feng…
- Today, Explained
10 Downer Street
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is facing political ruin because his aides partied while the UK locked down. This episode was produced by Will Reid…
- Today, Explained
The man with a pig heart
That’ll do, pig. That’ll do. Today's show was produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro and Paul Mounsey, fact-checked by…
- Today, Explained
The James Webb Time Machine
To look into deep space is to look back in time. Ahead of the launch of the James Webb Space Telescope, Unexplainable talked to scientists who hope to see…
- Today, Explained
The James Webb Space Telescope
This Sunday, the greatest telescope in the history of humanity is scheduled to reach its destination nearly a million miles away from Earth. Vox’s…
- Today, Explained
Chile’s millennial president
The 35-year-old president-elect in Chile loves tattoos, Taylor Swift, and progressive policies. Gabriel Boric will now try to overhaul the government as Chile…
- Today, Explained
Why Russia sent its janky version of NATO to Kazakhstan
The speedy arrival of CSTO troops in Kazakhstan is unprecedented in the 30-year history of the Russia-backed regional security alliance. Today’s show was…
- Today, Explained
"Break the Senate"
President Joe Biden wants to change how the Senate works to pass voting reforms. Sen. Mitch McConnell is threatening hell if it happens. Today’s show was…
- Today, Explained
Novax Djokovic
How the best-ranked men’s tennis player in the world went to Australia to become the greatest of all time and ended up being detained. Today’s show was…
- Today, Explained
No substitutes for the substitutes
What happens when all the teachers get sick? Today’s show was produced by Miles Bryan with help from Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim…
- Today, Explained
The high cost of cheap clothes
Fast fashion took over the apparel industry, but consumers are tiring of its poor labor and environmental standards. Vox’s Terry Nguyen explains. Today’s show…
- Today, Explained
Life on the Russia-Ukraine border
Russia has kept its military at Ukraine’s doorstep for almost a decade. But a recent escalation on the border is creating fears of a full-blown invasion…
- Today, Explained
Theranope
A tech startup said it could start a medical revolution with a little machine and a drop of blood. It was a fraud, but research into smarter, less invasive…
- Today, Explained
Will omicron speed up the pandemic’s end?
The omicron variant is very transmissible, but it might make Covid-19 less miserable. Today’s show was produced by Miles Bryan with help from Hady Mawajdeh…
- Today, Explained
America still can’t agree on its insurrection
One year later, the United States is still trying to wrap its head around what happened on January 6, 2021. (It was an insurrection.) This year, our democracy…
Today, Explained2021
This song was written and performed by Sean Rameswaram and Noam Hassenfeld, produced by Noam, engineered by Efim Shapiro, and features additional vocals from…
- Today, Explained
Giannis Antetokounmpo’s American dream
Giannis Antetokounmpo went from hawking watches and DVDs on the streets of Greece to winning an NBA championship for the Milwaukee Bucks. In this repodcast…
- Today, Explained
Taylor’s version
One of the biggest pop stars in the world is rerecording her first six albums at the artistic peak of her career. In this repodcast, the Atlantic’s Shirley Li…
- Today, Explained
The spike in gun violence
America's homicide rate rose by almost 30 percent in 2020. It was the biggest spike in 60 years, and the murder rate was even higher in 2021. In this…
- Today, Explained
Four days of work?
The pandemic changed how we think about work. In this repodcast, Vox’s Anna North says it might be time to change how much we work, too. Today’s show was…
- Today, Explained
Good news
2021 was better than 2020. Here's proof. Today’s show was produced by Matt Collette, edited by Jillian Weinberger, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by…
- Today, Explained
Vanessa Nakate’s climate optimism
Ugandan climate activist Vanessa Nakate has been ridiculed, erased, and let down by the world's most powerful people. She explains how she remains hopeful for…
- Today, Explained
We scored Biden’s first year
We scored Biden’s first year The New Yorker’s Evan Osnos evaluates President Biden’s first year in office and whether Biden managed to lower the temperature…
- Today, Explained
Who killed Malcolm X?
Nearly 60 years after the assassination of Malcolm X, some of the men wrongly put in prison for killing him are finally being redeemed. Abdur-Rahman Muhammad…
- Today, Explained
The blood diamond of batteries
Cobalt is powering the electric vehicle revolution, but much of the world’s supply is mined under deadly conditions in Congo. Journalist Nicolas Niarchos…
- Today, Explained
(Some) omicron answers
Thanks to South Africa, the world now has some data on omicron’s severity, transmissibility, and whether or not the vaccines will protect us from it. Today’s…
- Today, Explained
Operation Flex
A bodybuilder posing as a Muslim convert was welcomed into a California mosque. When he showed signs of extremism, members reported him to the FBI, only to…
- Today, Explained
Why we still can't predict tornadoes
Most people get about eight minutes' advance warning of a tornado. This episode of Vox’s Unexplainable podcast explores how scientists need to confront more of…
- Today, Explained
The new meth
While the nation’s attention has been focused on the opioid crisis, a new, more dangerous form of methamphetamine has swept across the country. Today’s show…
- Today, Explained
The fastest economic collapse ever
That’s what the United Nations says is taking place in Afghanistan right now. Today’s show was produced by Will Reid, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by…
- Today, Explained
Are you vaxxed, fellow kids?
Today, Explained returns to Cramer Hill Elementary School to explore the challenges of vaccinating children against Covid-19. Today’s show was reported by…
- Today, Explained
The shooter's parents
The mass killing at Oxford High School in Michigan may seem comparable to those that preceded it, but the aftermath has taken several new turns. Today’s show…
- Today, Explained
Africa wants its stuff back
The world’s most illustrious museums are finally having to reckon with the stolen art in their collections. Today’s show was produced by Haleema Shah, edited…
- Today, Explained
C is for Culture War
Big Bird got vaccinated, an Asian American Muppet moved in, and conservatives got really mad at Sesame Street. Today’s show was produced by Haleema Shah…
- Today, Explained
What happened to Peng Shuai
A tennis star accused a former top Chinese official of sexual assault. Then she vanished. Now her case is changing sports in China. Today's show was produced…
- Today, Explained
Unraveling Roe
The Supreme Court today heard oral arguments in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health. Vox’s Ian Millhiser explains how the Court could undo Roe v. Wade without…
Today, ExplainedSpace trash
Russia blew up a satellite and almost put the International Space Station in a precarious position. Recode’s Rebecca Heilweil explains how humans are trashing…
- Today, Explained
Omicron
AA-muh-kraan or OH-muh-kraan Today’s show was produced by Miles Bryan and Will Reid, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura…
- Today, Explained
Salmonella, ella, ella, eh, eh, eh
A deadly salmonella strain is spreading through American poultry, and there’s not much the government can do to stop it. ProPublica’s Bernice Yeung explains…
- Today, Explained
Kyle Rittenhouse and the “self-defense” defense
After the Chicago Tribune’s Stacy St. Clair runs through the Rittenhouse trial and verdict, legal scholar Eric Ruben explains how “self-defense” can apply to…
Today, ExplainedThe Future of Work: Retirement should be fun
But somehow it got very scary. Today’s show was produced by Victoria Chamberlin, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura…
- Today, Explained
Why it's hard to find rapid tests in the US
And why they're easy to find in Europe (though they don't seem to be helping much at the moment). Today’s show was produced by Miles Bryan with help from Will…
- Today, Explained
Is Zillow really buying all the houses?
No. Vox's Jerusalem Demsas disproves a popular internet conspiracy theory. Today’s show was produced by Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by…
- Today, Explained
Belarus manufactures a migrant crisis
Belarus is promising migrants passage to Europe knowing the EU will turn them away. Today’s show was produced by Haleema Shah with help from Amina Al-Sadi…
- Today, Explained
Inflation nation
Consumer prices are rising at their fastest rate in 30 years. Vox’s Emily Stewart explains why this is bad news for for drivers, shoppers, and President Biden…
Today, ExplainedThe Future of Work: The gig is up
A third of American workers do gig work. In the third part of our series, The Future of Work, learn how the pandemic helped them discover their power. Today’s…
- Today, Explained
China’s pursuit of ‘Zero Covid’
China’s 1.4 billion people are averaging fewer than 100 cases of Covid-19 a day. All it takes is the willingness to shut down anything at any time. NPR’s Emily…
- Today, Explained
So I elected an Oath Keeper
Extremists in the right-wing militant organization known as the Oath Keepers are present in law enforcement and in the military. Now, thanks to reporting from…
- Today, Explained
Astroworld
How a music festival became a death trap, and what it would take for it never to happen again. Today’s show was produced by Haleema Shah and Hady Mawajdeh…
- Today, Explained
Trillion-dollar Biden
You win some and you lose some. Just ask President Biden, who started last week with electoral setbacks and ended it with a big f***ing deal. Today’s show was…
Today, ExplainedThe Future of Work: OOO
They said the office would never be the same. In part two of our series, The Future of Work, what happens to your workplace when they're right. Today’s show…
- Today, Explained
The case for climate reparations
While world leaders have descended on Glasgow to try to figure out how to slow emissions in the future, New York magazine’s David Wallace-Wells argues rich…
- Today, Explained
Sudan’s coup
After a bloody fight for democracy, Sudan is sliding back into the hands of the military. CNN’s Nima Elbagir says a successful military coup could have dire…
- Today, Explained
School board brawl
It's Election Day in the USA. This time around, the nasty political fights and insurrections are going local. NPR's Anya Kamenetz explains. Today’s show was…
- Today, Explained
For whom the door bells
While the doorbell recovers from Halloween, Nice Try explains how it’s an essential part of the American dream. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained Support…
Today, ExplainedThe Future of Work: “I quit!”
There are millions of job openings in America, and millions of Americans are still not able to find work that suits. In the first part of our series, The…
- Today, Explained
Facebook’s Meta-morphosis
From the company that brought you alternate facts comes an alternate reality! Today’s show was produced by Will Reid, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by…
- Today, Explained
Chappelle's Show(down with the trans community)
Vox's Aja Romano explains how Dave Chappelle's latest standup special led to a reckoning at Netflix. Vulture's Craig Jenkins assesses whether there's anything…
- Today, Explained
The Alec Baldwin shooting
Variety’s Brent Lang explains how cinematographer Halyna Hutchins died on the Rust film set—and how the tragic shooting might catalyze positive change in the…
- Today, Explained
Ruthless County, Tennessee
For 11 years, a Tennessee judge sent kids to jail for a crime that doesn’t exist. Nashville Public Radio’s Meribah Knight explains why that judge is still in…