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.
Summer. Time for pools, BBQs, and the beach read. But why do we read "summer books"?
27 min
3
Super mad about Superman
23 min
4
How the YIMBYs won
23 min
5
Trump's Epstein problem
23 min
6
Trump’s dork philosopher
23 min
7
Elon's party in the USA
23 min
8
Chat BFF
More and more of us are interacting with chatbots. Can we have real relationships with AI, and can AI teach humans to be better people?
27 min
9
Plastic rain
23 min
10
From Alligator Alcatraz to South Sudan
24 min
11
I was told there would be deals
23 min
12
Trump's Nobel Peace Prize
23 min
13
Texas blame game
23 min
14
Our complicated relationship with the flag
Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar openly celebrate the American flag. But a lot of Black Americans feel differently. What does that tell us about identity today?
27 min
15
Disney's America
23 min
16
Make America Uninsured Again
23 min
17
Unmasking ICE
23 min
18
Porn on the docket
The Supreme Court has a long history of taking on cases about porn, including one they decided on Friday. Vox's Ian Millhiser explains how that history of First Amendment rulings once meant the justices had to watch porn in a basement.
23 min
19
Can we ever know our dogs?
So many of us believe we understand what our pets are feeling. Are we fooling ourselves?
27 min
20
Swole Girl Summer
Weightlifting is the fastest growing sport among women. It's challenging how we think about who is allowed to be strong and what fitness really means.
23 min
21
Wars have rules
The legal architecture that would define and prosecute what’s happening in Gaza is failing. Reporter Suzy Hansen explains how 80 years of international humanitarian law is being tested. And professor Omer Bartov thought calling Israel's offensive in Gaza a genocide immediately after the October 7 attacks was inaccurate. He’s changed his mind.
23 min
22
Burrito now, pay later
Americans are turning to "buy now, pay later" apps for purchases as small as a burrito—it’s a symptom of a larger national addiction to debt.
23 min
23
Elon Musk presents: Taxis
Elon Musk and Tesla launched their long-delayed robotaxi service this weekend in Texas. The Verge's Andrew Hawkins explains why so much is riding on its success.
23 min
24
America First (unless Iran...)
Vox's Josh Keating and author Vali Nasr explain what bombing Iran won’t accomplish.
23 min
25
Sleepaway camp's nostalgia economy
Unpacking the American rite of passage that so many children love — but that isn't right for everyone.