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, ExplainedHave you talked to God about this?
Today, Pope Francis met with American bishops at the Vatican to discuss the fallout from a report on decades of abuse by priests. A religion reporter explains…
Today, ExplainedCAROLINAS, PLEASE EVACUATE
Meteorologist Angela Fritz forecasts the catastrophic storm that's about to slam the Carolinas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit…
Today, ExplainedDeadname
Three transgender women of color have been murdered in the past two weeks. ProPublica’s Lucas Waldron explains why so many murders of trans people remain…
Today, ExplainedGame, Upset, Match
Naomi Osaka defeated her lifelong hero Serena Williams to win the US Open on Saturday. The match might be remembered for the wrong reasons. Learn more about…
Today, ExplainedArrested for reporting a massacre
Two Reuters reporters have been sentenced to seven years in prison for calling attention to a recent massacre in Myanmar. The United Nations says it's part of…
Today, ExplainedBut his emails!
Brett Kavanaugh’s emails are spilling out and they’re causing waves on Capitol Hill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Today, ExplainedBad blood
The scandal-plagued blood-testing startup Theranos is shutting down. The Wall Street Journal’s John Carreyrou chronicles the rise and fall of a $10 billion…
Today, ExplainedConfirmation screamings
Brett Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings for the United States Supreme Court began today. Slate's Dahlia Lithwick say they were unlike any she'd seen before…
Today, ExplainedAmerica's worst defense attorney
Who is Robert Mueller? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Today, ExplainedDon't call it a comeback
Louis CK surprised New York City's Comedy Cellar with a fresh set of jokes Sunday night. Some were not amused. Vox's Constance Grady explains how to apologize…
Today, ExplainedTake a penny, take a penny
New York investigators are turning up the heat on the Trump Foundation this summer. The Washington Post’s David Fahrenthold shares a series of increasingly…
Today, ExplainedFalse profit
The top student loan officer in the country kicked off the school year by quitting. He says the Trump administration "turned its back on young people and their…
Today, ExplainedThe empty seat in Arizona
Love him, hate him, or both, Senator John McCain will be remembered as a towering figure of American politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit…
Today, ExplainedKill me maybe
The EPA is rolling back Obama-era regulations on coal-fired plants. It says its decision will kill 1400 Americans per year by 2030. Learn more about your ad…
Today, ExplainedInsecurity complex
The president has threatened to revoke the national security clearances for current and former government officials. The Washington Post's Shane Harris…
Today, ExplainedGuilty. Guilty. Guilty?
In an unprecedented one-two punch Donald Trump’s personal lawyer pleaded guilty to and his campaign manager was found guilty of serious crimes yesterday…
Today, Explained19 cents per hour
Inmates nationwide go on strike today to protest conditions they call “modern-day slavery": incarcerated Americans are paid pennies on the dollar for cooking…
Today, ExplainedNo fair, ride share
New York City has approved the first cap in the U.S. on Uber and Lyft vehicles. WIRED’s Aarian Marshall explains who’ll be impacted the most, and whether this…
Today, ExplainedNever tweet
Twitter temporarily banned Alex Jones and Infowars this week. Why'd it take so long? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Today, ExplainedSaw something, said nothing
A Pennsylvania grand jury has released a 1300-page report on child sex abuses within the state's Catholic Church. Jack Jenkins from Religion News Service peels…
Today, ExplainedCrazy. Rich. And finally seen.
Crazy Rich Asians hits theaters today. Los Angeles Times film critic Jen Yamato says it's been 25 years in the making. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit…
Today, ExplainedDemocracy Dies in Daylight
Democracies can fall many ways: military coups, assassinations, mass protests. But what does it look like when a democracy quietly backslides into autocracy?…
Today, ExplainedNASA shoots a billion dollars at the sun
You might have missed it this weekend, but NASA shot a spaceship at the sun. Once it gets there, the Parker Solar Probe might find the secret to keeping our…
Today, Explained"These bastards tried to kill me"
Aubtin Heydari tells the story of how he was almost murdered by a white supremacist at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville last year. Learn more about…
Today, ExplainedThis too shall MoviePass
MoviePass is changing the way we see movies, but it's going to have to get its act together. Vox’s Alissa Wilkinson explains. Learn more about your ad choices…
Today, ExplainedWhen a season lasts a year
California’s Mendocino Complex Fire is now the biggest in the state’s recorded history, surpassing a record set… last year. Vox’s Umair Irfan says the worst is…
Today, ExplainedWrestling with Ohio State
Ohio Congressman Jim Jordan wants to be the next Speaker of the House, but a pack of wrestlers could be blocking his path. Corky Siemaszko broke the story for…
Today, ExplainedHQ2
Amazon will soon announce which city will land its second headquarters along with 50,000 new jobs. There’s a lot to win and maybe just as much to lose. Learn…
Today, ExplainedIs the economy great again?
The US economy is booming, unemployment keeps dropping, and the country is in the midst of one of the longest economic expansions in our history. Guest host…
Today, ExplainedYou must sign here
An immigration lawyer at the border says ICE agents are pressuring parents into being deported with their children. Vox’s Dara Lind broke the story. Learn more…
Today, ExplainedReady, print, fire
Today was supposed to be a big day for people who wanted to make their own guns with 3D printers. But last night, a federal judge in Seattle temporarily banned…
Today, ExplainedHow to solve the opioid crisis
Vox's German Lopez explains America's opioid crisis and goes looking for a solution. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Today, ExplainedManafort, day in court
The first trial of the Mueller investigation begins tomorrow. Vox’s Andrew Prokop runs through the many, many charges Paul Manafort is facing. Learn more about…
Today, ExplainedDelete your account
Dan Harmon quit Twitter. James Gunn was fired by Disney. Sarah Silverman defended a nine-year-old joke about molestation. Vox’s Aja Romano explains why…
Today, ExplainedCricketer-in-Chief
A thrice-married, nightclub-loving cricket star just won Pakistan’s election. Mehreen Zahra-Malik explains why the military backed Imran Khan and Brookings’…
Today, ExplainedSoy Story
The Trump administration stirred up a flurry of trade disputes that threatened to put farmers in the red. Then it threw out a lifesaver: $12 billion in…
Today, ExplainedGraduating Marjory Stoneman Douglas High
What’s up with the Parkland teens? Students from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School inspired over a million people to march for gun control a few months ago…
Today, ExplainedThe Endangered Endangered Species Act
The White House has proposed stripping the Endangered Species Act of key provisions - the same legislation that helped save the grizzly bear, bald eagle and…
Today, ExplainedMr. Trump's wild week
What a week. President Trump sided with President Putin, then he didn’t, then he did, then he didn’t again. Vox’s Alex Ward tries to keep up. Learn more about…
Today, ExplainedThe Stanford Prison Correction
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, ExplainedOpen casket, reopened case
One of the most brutal murder cases in American history has been reopened. The Washington Post’s Wesley Lowery explains how Emmett Till’s family might finally…
Today, ExplainedDoes America need Sacha Baron Cohen?
Bernie Sanders, Sarah Palin, and Dick Cheney walk into an interview. Sacha Baron Cohen is waiting for them. Vox’s Todd VanDerWerff explains. Learn more about…
Today, ExplainedVladimir's best day ever
Vladimir Putin flatly denied Russian interference in the United States’s 2016 elections and President Trump refused to call him out. Former ambassador Nicholas…
Today, ExplainedWhat are Democrats doing even?
Republicans control the White House, Congress and most state legislatures. Pod Save America’s Dan Pfeiffer explains how Democrats can dig themselves out of…
Today, ExplainedI can't believe it's not breastmilk
Breastmilk. Research says it’s the best, so why did the U.S. threaten to shut down a breastfeeding proposal at the World Health Assembly? Vox’s Julia Belluz…
Today, ExplainedBrexiting is hard to do
British Prime Minister Theresa May is losing cabinet members left and right. She can’t figure out how to Brexit. BBC's Rob Watson says the UK's breakup with…
Today, ExplainedThe New Justice
Brett Kavanaugh is President Trump’s pick to replace Anthony Kennedy on the United States Supreme Court. The New York Times Magazine’s Emily Bazelon says the…
Today, ExplainedRoe v. Wade v. Trump
Tonight the president announces who might replace Anthony Kennedy on the United States Supreme Court. During his campaign, he promised he would choose pro-life…
Today, ExplainedSay goodbye to Pruitt
It’s official: Scott Pruitt will no longer lead the Environmental Protection Agency. Vox’s Umair Irfan explains why it doesn’t really matter who replaces him…
Today, ExplainedTonight. Midnight. Trade war.
When the clock strikes twelve tonight, the US government plans to hit Chinese goods with $34 billion in tariffs. China plans to lash back. Vox’s Matthew…
Today, ExplainedAbolish ICE?
#AbolishICE has gone from an online murmur to a national movement, but a lot of Americans are confused about what exactly Immigration and Customs Enforcement…
Today, ExplainedThey call him AMLO
Meet Mexico’s next president: Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Call him AMLO. He’s a leftist, a populist, and wasn’t shy about calling Donald Trump a…
Today, ExplainedWe need to talk about Yemen
The Supreme Court upheld President Trump’s travel ban this week, making it all but impossible for the citizens of seven countries to enter the United States…
Today, ExplainedBorn to run
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is set to become the youngest woman to ever serve in Congress this November. The 28-year-old Democratic Socialist defeated ten-term…
Today, ExplainedThe most powerful man in America retires
After 30 years on the Supreme Court, Justice Anthony Kennedy announced his retirement today. Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick explains what the departure of the swing…
Today, ExplainedYes we ban
In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court upheld President Trump’s travel ban. Emily Bazelon from The New York Times Magazine explains the opinion, a fiery dissent…
Today, ExplainedControversy for controversy's sake
A 32-year-old from Santa Monica, California, helped President Trump conceive of the most divisive immigration policy in decades. The Atlantic’s McKay Coppins…
Today, ExplainedRedesigning life on Earth
Bill and Melinda Gates are messing with nature. But they’re doing it to save the world. This week, their foundation gave away millions to make malaria-carrying…
Today, ExplainedWhat the executive order doesn't fix
President Trump signed an executive order which aims to end his own policy of family separation at the border. Yeah... it's confusing. Martha Mendoza from the…
Today, ExplainedUNHRC ya later
The United States has been threatening to withdraw from the United Nations Human Rights Council for some time, but President Trump and Ambassador Nikki Haley…