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 Title X factor
The Trump administration got a lot closer to defunding Planned Parenthood this week — 21 states are fighting back with a sweeping new lawsuit. Learn more about…
Today, ExplainedUh-oh, Trudeau!
Canada’s prime minister is accused of pressuring his attorney general to go easy on a wealthy corporation, and two cabinet officials resigned in protest. With…
Today, ExplainedOutbreak
The United States officially eliminated measles in 2000. But the deadly disease is making a comeback, and the anti-vaccine movement is largely to thank. Learn…
Today, ExplainedMichael Jackson, allegedly
Two men accuse Michael Jackson of sexually abusing them as children in a new HBO documentary. Sean Rameswaram speaks with the film's director and a lawyer…
Today, ExplainedFriends without benefits
Facebook moderators watch suicides, decapitations, and drone attacks so you don’t have to—and they’re paid just a fraction of what the average Facebook…
Today, ExplainedTerrorism, airstrikes, tea
The long-simmering feud between nuclear powers India and Pakistan is boiling over. Ankit Panda from The Diplomat explains why. Learn more about your ad…
Today, ExplainedMichael Cohen LIVE
After weeks of delays and drama, President Trump’s former personal attorney, Michael Cohen, testified before Congress today. Vox’s Andrew Prokop says his…
Today, ExplainedYour money is under arrest
Police can seize your property without ever charging you with a crime. And you probably won’t get it back. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit…
Today, ExplainedAiding chaos
Venezuela's whole “two presidents” thing has turned lethal. Emiliana Duarte spent the weekend at Venezuela’s border with Colombia where security forces faced…
Today, ExplainedJussie Smollett's worst enemy
Jussie Smollett was the victim of a racist, homophobic hate crime last month. Or at least that’s what he’d have you believe. The Advocate’s Zach Stafford tells…
Today, ExplainedTrain takes a bullet
Californians were promised high-speed rail. Eleven years and billions of dollars later, all they have is a fight with President Trump. Vox’s Matthew Yglesias…
Today, ExplainedHQ2-1
Amazon decided on two headquarters: one in New York and the other in Arlington, Virginia. One deal fell apart, the other just might work out perfectly. Today…
Today, ExplainedA little privacy, please
The Verge's Casey Newton says a California privacy law to protect your online data might finally push federal legislators to come up with one set of rules for…
Today, Explained2020 vision
Nearly a dozen candidates have announced their run for the presidency and 2019 has only just begun. John Dickerson of Slate’s Political Gabfest explains the…
Today, ExplainedEmergency podcast!
President Donald Trump declared a national state of emergency today. It’s the latest installment in his controversial “Build the wall!” series. Learn more…
Today, ExplainedThe 400% interest rate
Remember the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau? It’s not doing so well. Enforcement is down by 75 percent, employees are leaving in droves, and now…
Today, ExplainedRace runs through it
Virginia: birthplace of American democracy and American slavery, first state to elect a black governor and maybe the first to have a governor with a KKK…
Today, ExplainedKilling Sears
Sears was on its way to the graveyard of American icons when its former CEO, a reclusive billionaire named Eddie Lampert, stepped in to buy it. Unfortunately…
Today, ExplainedVirginia is for scandals
First it was blackface. And maybe the KKK? Then there was an accusation of sexual assault. Then more blackface. Then another sexual assault. Welcome to…
Today, ExplainedAlexa, disable camera
Jeff Bezos. Donald Trump. The Washington Post. The National Enquirer. This dick pic is not like the others. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit…
Today, ExplainedInauguration investigation
President Trump’s inaugural committee this week received a sweeping subpoena. Federal prosecutors in New York want to know where a record-breaking amount of…
Today, ExplainedPushing opioids over lunch
Let's do lunch! And talk Oxy! A new study suggests a correlation between aggressive marketing and opioid overdoses. The timing isn't great for Purdue Pharma…
Today, ExplainedThe State of the World
President Trump delivers his second State of the Union tonight, but how’s the world doing? Believe it or not, Vox’s Dylan Matthews says things are getting…
Today, ExplainedThe Shadow Rulers
Big changes are afoot at the second-biggest federal agency, the Department of Veterans Affairs. ProPublica’s Isaac Arnsdorf explains how a trio of President…
Today, ExplainedWritten in blood
For 31 years, Joe Bryan has been in prison for a murder he says he didn’t commit. He was convicted based on bloodstain-pattern analysis, but ProPublica’s…
Today, ExplainedThey're calling it a revolution
Historic protests threaten to topple Sudanese President Omar Al-Bashir. Reporter Reem Abbas speaks to Sean Rameswaram after being tear gassed in Khartoum…
Today, ExplainedAll your data for $20
Facebook has been paying 13- to 35-year-olds $20 in exchange for access to their phones and Apple isn't happy about it. The Verge’s Casey Newton explains what…
Today, ExplainedPeace with the Taliban
The US and the Taliban are working out a deal to end America’s longest war. Afghanistan is nervous. Vox’s Jennifer Williams explains. Learn more about your ad…
Today, ExplainedGrounding the shutdown
Air traffic controllers aren’t allowed to strike, but they may have found another way to end the government shutdown on Friday. Vox’s Matthew Yglesias…
Today, ExplainedThe Man with the Nixon Tattoo
It’s been quite a day for Roger Stone. Arrested before dawn. Released on $250,000 bond. Called Alex Jones. Gave a circus of a press conference. Vox's Andrew…
Today, ExplainedVenezuela's two presidents
In one corner, there’s Nicolás Maduro, the incumbent presiding over a failing economy. In the other, you have Juan Guaidó, a 35-year-old lawmaker who just…
Today, ExplainedEbola is back
The second-largest Ebola outbreak in history is spreading toward a major city. Vox’s Julia Belluz explains whether you should panic now, later, or maybe never…
Today, ExplainedSHUTDATE UPDOWN
President Donald Trump would very much like a deal to end his shutdown. The Republican-controlled Senate is with him. Vox’s Dara Lind explains why the road…
Today, Explained28 Days Later
The partial government shutdown is now officially a record-breaking, trip-cancelling, State of the Union-postponing, Cardi B-angering hot mess. Learn more…
Today, ExplainedWhen your power company is a felon
What if your utility were a felon filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy? You would be one of 16 million in California. KQED’s Marisa Lagos lays out Pacific Gas and…
Today, ExplainedThe Roberts Court
The Supreme Court is back in session and Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick says Chief Justice John Roberts is ready to take a swing at balancing an increasingly partisan…
Today, ExplainedThe $600 EpiPen
If there’s one thing pretty much everyone in the government can agree on, it’s this: prescription drug prices are too damn high. But how to fix them? Vox’s…
Today, ExplainedChapo Big House
Brooklyn really does have everything: a basketball team, a laundromat-pinball bar, and now the drug lord trial of the century. Keegan Hamilton, host of the…
Today, ExplainedThe shutdown gets very, very real
Come midnight, the government shutdown will be the longest in US history. Vox’s Li Zhou runs through the consequences for federal workers and the rest of…
Today, ExplainedWhat can the president do during a national emergency?
This morning, the president doubled down on his threat to declare a national emergency to build a border wall. Such a declaration could also allow him to send…
Today, ExplainedLet's talk about tax, baby. Let's talk about AOC.
Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has floated a marginal tax rate of 70% for top earners in America. A lot of people are upset, and even more have no…
Today, ExplainedThe troop withdrawal withdrawal
National security advisor John Bolton traveled to Turkey to meet with President Erdogan, who cancelled today. It's the latest development in a very messy troop…
Today, ExplainedThe nine lives of Obamacare
Obamacare’s back in the crosshairs. Vox’s Sarah Kliff breaks down a lawsuit that’s pitting states’ attorneys general against each other, and how the new House…
Today, ExplainedYou should not throw away your shot
Around 80,000 people died of the flu last season. Despite that, Sean doesn’t want to get the flu shot. Luckily, Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of…
Today, ExplainedWho is Paul Whelan and why does Russia think he’s a spy?
Paul Whelan went to Moscow for a wedding. The Russians arrested him, and today charged him with espionage. Amie Ferris-Rotman, Moscow correspondent for the…
Today, ExplainedShutdown
It’s Day 12 of the government shutdown. Vox’s Li Zhou explains what that means for the country and Matthew Yglesias argues that the core issue of the wall is…
Today, ExplainedLet's Explain "Today, Explained"
If you like this trailer, then you're going to love this show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Today, ExplainedAll my friends are robocalls (replay)
Why even answer the phone anymore? All your questions about all those pesky automated phone calls are answered in this holiday rebroadcast. Learn more about…
Today, ExplainedThe Stanford Prison Correction (replay)
In 1971, a professor locked a bunch of young men in a basement to understand evil. The results were explosive. This summer, it all came crashing down. Vox’s…
Today, ExplainedBlack Panther is (still) the most important movie of 2018
We called it! Sean Rameswaram attends a "Black Panther"-themed engagement party and speaks to Evan Narcisse, writer of the "Rise of the Black Panther" comic…
Today, Explained"A horrible miscarriage of justice"
A Florida millionaire created a system to rape or abuse at least 80 young girls for years. The current Secretary of Labor may have helped him get away with it…
Today, ExplainedThe most powerful woman in the world
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is officially planning her exit from politics. The Guardian’s Kate Connolly explains how an awkward scientist became the most…
Today, ExplainedTake a penny, take a penny (replay)
The Trump Foundation is shutting down. The Washington Post’s David Fahrenthold shares a series of increasingly unbelievable stories about the charity's…
Today, ExplainedThe World in 2018
The North Korea summit. Brexit chaos. The brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi. The hosts of Vox's Worldly podcast look back on the biggest international stories…
Today, ExplainedTumblr's war on sex
Tumblr is removing adult content from its platform today. Vox’s Aja Romano says it's about much more than banning “female-presenting nipples". Learn more about…
Today, ExplainedThis episode is unrated
"The House That Jack Built" opens in select theaters across the country today, but it’s not the version director Lars von Trier wanted you to see. The Motion…
Today, ExplainedPaul Ryan vs. himself
After 20 years, Speaker Paul Ryan is set to leave the House of Representatives in early January. Ezra Klein says Paul Ryan’s legacy would be a big let down to……
Today, ExplainedFraud, actually
One man in North Carolina may have swung an election by defrauding voters. But North Carolina is interested in stopping a different type of voter fraud. Learn…
Today, ExplainedThe Replacements
President Trump is looking to fill some key positions. One pick is a former attorney general, another comes from "Fox & Friends". Learn more about your ad…
Today, Explained"Totally clears the President. Thank you!"
Except it doesn't. Vox's Andrew Prokop explains why the latest pieces of Robert Mueller's puzzle are bad news for President Trump. Learn more about your ad…