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.
The LGBTQ+ voting bloc has traditionally favored Democrats, but as Vox's Christian Paz explains, this year their support may be slipping. California Rep. Robert Garcia says the Biden campaign is on it.
23 min
252
We’re drowning in credit card debt
Americans owe more than $1 trillion to credit card companies, a record sum that’s likely to keep growing as rising interest rates prevent cardholders from paying down their debt. CNET’s Nick Wolny explains.
23 min
253
Was that antisemitic?
Since October 7 there has been a lot of debate over what is and isn’t antisemitic. Rabbi Jill Jacobs and Harvard law professor Noah Feldman explain why the definition is so important.
23 min
254
Tiktalk therapy
Some therapists are turning to TikTok as a way to make more money and avoid burnout, but is a nightly scroll through therapy content enough to help solve our mental health crisis?
23 min
255
The last good day on the internet
Remember when the only thing anybody could talk about was white and gold versus blue and black? NatGeo’s Brian Resnick does. And the Atlantic’s Charlie Warzel explains why there might never be another The Dress.
23 min
256
A win for democracy in India
India's prime minister suffered a humiliating win this week. Vox's Zack Beauchamp explains a shocking election.
23 min
257
Immigration lemonade
When it comes to immigration solutions, the federal government is handing out lemons. Denver Mayor Mike Johnston is making lemonade.
23 min
258
Our immigration identity crisis
Americans hold contradictory views on immigration: They’re more supportive of it than ever before, while also calling it the nation’s most divisive political issue. A pollster, a policy researcher, and a pundit help make sense of our stalled immigration debate.
23 min
259
The backlash to America’s racial reckoning
The murder of George Floyd and the protests that followed looked like a turning point in the fight against systemic racism. Except, as Vox’s Fabiola Cineas explains, it wasn’t.
23 min
260
Florida man convicted
Former President Donald Trump is now also convicted felon Donald Trump. It didn’t have to be this way. New York magazine’s Andrew Rice explains.
23 min
261
Can Mexico’s first woman president fix Mexico?
The AP’s Megan Janetsky and Falko Ernst of the International Crisis Group explain how Mexico’s first woman president will inherit and address the cartel problem that plagued her predecessors.
22 min
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Chasing the storm
Aaron Rigsby has built a career out of documenting tornadoes, hurricanes, and other extreme weather up close. So he’s seen just how much more extreme those storms are becoming.
24 min
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The Hamas org chart
Seven months in, Israel has not “eliminated” Hamas leadership. Newsweek’s Tom O’Connor introduces them, and Mairav Zonszein from International Crisis Group explains what it means for the war.
23 min
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America’s shellfish behavior
Americans consume more shrimp than salmon and tuna combined. But where’s it all coming from? Listen to this episode of Gastropod before you throw another shrimp on the barbie this Memorial Day.
23 min
265
How to steal a team
The billionaire owner of the Oakland A’s is trying to move his team to Vegas, and he wants public money to do it. Writer Dan Moore explains how A’s fans are fighting back.
23 min
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Red Lobster’s bankrupt-sea
The seafood chain found itself deep in the red after a disastrous unlimited shrimp promotion. Wall Street Journal restaurant reporter Heather Haddon explains what sunk Red Lobster — and the troubled waters facing other casual dining chains.
23 min
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The AI hype machine
Big Tech companies have rolled out a new batch of AI-powered products, improving upon what came before. But as Wired's Will Knight and investigative journalist Julia Angwin explain, they’re not even close to living up to the world-changing technology the Big Tech CEOs promised.
22 min
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Weed did it, Joe
The federal government has moved to reclassify marijuana as a less dangerous controlled substance. Politico cannabis policy reporter Natalie Fertig explains why it is and isn’t a big deal.
23 min
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Is Russia winning now?
It sure seems like it. The Wall Street Journal’s Matthew Luxmoore reports from Ukraine on why $60 billion of your tax money isn’t making much of a difference.
23 min
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Amazon’s garbage book factory
Vox senior correspondent Constance Grady went inside the seedy underbelly of online self-publishing and lived to tell the tale.
23 min
271
Cicada time
The last time these exact cicada broods emerged from the ground at the same time, Thomas Jefferson was president. The red-eyed bugs come out looking for love and change forest ecosystems forever. Vox’s Benji Jones thinks it’s magical.
23 min
272
Florida man’s unhushed money
The hush money trial has exposed the ecosystem that once protected former president Donald Trump. Journalist Andrea Bernstein tells us what its like inside the courtroom, and Washington Post reporter Derek Hawkins helps us understand Trump's mindset from his Truth Social account.
22 min
273
What fixes medical debt
It's gotten so bad in America, people are crowdfunding their doctor bills. Vox's Dylan Scott and associate professor Nora Kenworthy explain an imperfect solution and offer a better one.
23 min
274
Separation of church and church
Leaders of the United Methodist Church, one of the largest Christian denominations in the US, gathered in North Carolina to hash out a disagreement that’s dividing the church. Today, Explained’s Laura Bullard and church historian Ashley Boggan Dreff explain what the Methodist split tells us about America.
25 min
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The real victims of Baby Reindeer
The Netflix show Baby Reindeer is a hit. It's been viewed 56 million times. The writer claims it's a true story. Others call it slanderous fiction. The Ringer's Meecham Whitson Meriweather and Vox culture editor Meredith Haggerty on what we know for certain.