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.
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad became a regional pariah after brutal crackdowns on his own citizens. But on Friday, the most powerful men in the Middle East welcomed him back into the Arab League.
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327
Parking is a lot
In our quest to accommodate parked cars, we’ve paved over downtowns, polluted the planet, and made it near impossible to get anywhere without driving. Slate’s Henry Grabar explains Big Parking — and how electric cars might offer an opportunity to finally try something new.
23 min
328
Kevin McCarthy wants you to get a job
With the debt ceiling deadline approaching, Republicans want to expand rules that require welfare recipients to work. Vox’s Dylan Scott and Marketplace’s Krissy Clark explain.
23 min
329
The most important election of 2023
After 21 years of leading Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a global political giant. But a crumbling Turkish economy and the opposition candidate pose the biggest threat to his power in years.
23 min
330
The new border crisis
Title 42, a Covid-era policy that included strict limits on migration into the US from Mexico, has expired. El Paso Times reporter Lauren Villagran explains what that means for both the border communities and the far-flung cities feeling the brunt of border politics.
23 min
331
Can power plants go green?
The EPA has just announced new rules for power plants to clean up their act. But to get to those lower limits, companies might have to switch to two largely untested technologies in the power sector: hydrogen production and carbon capture.
23 min
332
How Zelda changed gaming
It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this podcast.
23 min
333
Covid is “over”
Or at least the federal government is over spending money on it. Vox’s resident epidemiologist, Keren Landman, explains the end of the public health emergency.
23 min
334
Trump loses sexual abuse lawsuit
A New York jury awarded $5 million to journalist E. Jean Carroll, whose civil suit against the former president alleged sexual battery and defamation. Vox’s Constance Grady explains.
23 min
335
Ed Sheeran and the “Blurred Lines” effect
Ed Sheeran just won a big copyright trial. But he might not have even been in court if not for Robin Thicke and Pharrell’s “Blurred Lines.” Pitchfork’s Jayson Greene explains how the song of the summer from 10 years ago simply refuses to go away.
23 min
336
The killing of Jordan Neely
A subway rider choked to death Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man known to New Yorkers for his impersonations of Michael Jackson. WNYC reporters Matt Katz and Samantha Max explain the complexity of the incident.
23 min
337
Charles in charge
King Charles is struggling to get his subjects to care about the historic coronation this weekend. Professor Brooke Newman explains the complicated road to ditching the monarchy.
23 min
338
Get used to higher interest rates
The Federal Reserve has once again raised interest rates, which means borrowing money for your mortgage or your business is once again more expensive. New York Times economics reporter Talmon Joseph Smith explains why this might keep happening.
23 min
339
Disney vs. DeSantis
Once upon a time, a Magic Kingdom took issue with a ruler’s law and, well, everyone ended up suing each other. The Wall Street Journal’s Robbie Whelan explains the feud between the Walt Disney Company and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
23 min
340
The Supreme Court’s corruption crisis
In a hearing today, the Senate Judiciary Committee took on the Supreme Court’s lack of ethics standards. ProPublica’s Joshua Kaplan explains how his reporting on Justice Clarence Thomas’s history of accepting gifts from a conservative megadonor led to increased scrutiny of the court.
23 min
341
Why parents are suing social media
Congress has yet to pass legislation regulating social media companies, so parents are taking matters into their own hands. A lawyer representing them explains how a new spin on an old legal theory might lead to a big win.
23 min
342
Fake Drake
The Verge’s Nilay Patel explains how a spurious collaboration between Drake and The Weeknd started a copyright fight over generative AI. Holly Herndon introduces her AI alterego, Holly+.
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343
Can Title IX protect trans athletes?
President Biden hopes so. His administration is preparing to roll out new rules that would counter state and local bans aimed at keeping transgender youth out of sports. ESPN’s Katie Barnes explains.
23 min
344
The new war in Sudan
Foreign powers are arming and funding opposing military leaders in Sudan, who are now battling for control of the country. It’s just the latest in a line of civil conflicts worldwide that are trending longer and more complex.
23 min
345
He’s running
The oldest president in the history of the United States wants a second term. Vox’s Andrew Prokop and Dylan Matthews explain why Joe Biden doesn’t have any competition.
23 min
346
The Adderall shortage
There is a nationwide shortage of medications to treat ADHD. One culprit: the DEA. Vox’s Dylan Scott explains.
23 min
347
Cocaine hippos (and the case against pets)
The descendants of Pablo Escobar’s pet hippopotami are wreaking havoc in Colombia. They can teach us non-druglords a thing or two about pet ownership.
23 min
348
Make it rain
The Colorado River is disappearing and the government is now spending millions on one wild idea to ease the pain: seeding clouds to make it rain.
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349
What does the Fox pay?
$787.5 million. (To Dominion Voting Systems, averting a defamation trial that could have been disastrous for the network. The Washington Post’s Erik Wemple explains.)
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350
Hollywood writers are ready to strike
TV and film writers just voted to authorize a strike, which could leave studios without fresh scripts as soon as May 1. Bloomberg business reporter Lucas Shaw explains.