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 balloon crisis is blown up. Politico’s Alex Ward deflates it for us.
23 min
402
Paying ex-gang members to stop shootings
Policymakers across the country are spending hundreds of millions of dollars on “violence interruptor” programs to try to stop shootings before they happen. WBEZ’s Patrick Smith spent a year with some Chicago-based interruptors for the podcast “Motive.”
23 min
403
Sickened chickens
Poultry farmers are in flock-down. The bird flu known as H5N1 is being called “the largest foreign animal disease outbreak in US history.” Vox’s Benji Jones and Johns Hopkins University researcher Tom Philpott say the virus underscores the poultry industry’s shortcomings.
23 min
404
Dry February?
New national health guidelines in Canada say any amount of alcohol consumption could lead to serious health risks. The guidance comes as more and more young people across Western nations are choosing Canada Dry.
23 min
405
The police killing of Tyre Nichols
Memphis braced for an explosive reaction to footage of the deadly police beating. It never came. Wendi Thomas, founder and publisher of the nonprofit newsroom MLK50, wasn’t surprised: “I know this city.”
23 min
406
“Okay, Google, what’s a monopoly?”
The Department of Justice wants Google to break up its advertising business. The Wall Street Journal’s Keach Hagey explains how the DOJ’s antitrust suit could reshape the internet.
23 min
407
Why are businesses acting like there’s a recess...
Wealthy companies like Google and Microsoft are announcing unprecedented layoffs — all while the economy is trending in the right direction. Vox’s Emily Stewart explains.
23 min
408
Peru’s democracy crisis
Dozens have died in anti-government protests in Peru. Journalist Simeon Tegel reports from Lima on how the mounting anger over corruption and inequality has implications for the entire hemisphere.
23 min
409
Fine dining isn’t fine
Chef René Redzepi said his Copenhagen restaurant, Noma, deemed the best in the world, isn’t sustainable and will close next year. But if an establishment charging top dollar can’t survive, what restaurant can?
23 min
410
Why Mexico’s top cop is on trial in NYC
The US and Mexican governments trusted Genaro Garcia Luna to crack down on the drug trade. Now he’s on trial for conspiring with El Chapo’s Sinaloa cartel. Peniley Ramírez, co-host of the new podcast USA v. Garcia Luna, explains.
23 min
411
Thanks but no tanks, Ukraine
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says Ukraine desperately needs tanks to fight Russia. The US, which has provided many other weapons, is refusing.
22 min
412
The politics of India’s biggest blockbusteRRR
Most people watch RRR and see one of the greatest action epics in the history of cinema. But some see an insidious brand of Hindu nationalism that’s been creeping into Indian culture.
23 min
413
It’s debt ceiling season
House Republicans are refusing to raise the US debt ceiling without huge concessions. Vox’s Dylan Matthews explains why we have a debt ceiling to begin with (and how President Biden could bypass it).
23 min
414
The half-baked gas stove debate
No, the government isn’t coming for your gas stove. Vox’s Rebecca Leber explains why you might want to switch anyway.
23 min
415
Compost yourself
Remember you are dirt and to dirt you shall return. Science journalist Eleanor Cummins and law professor Tanya Marsh explain the rise of human composting, now legal in six states, as an alternative to burial or cremation.
23 min
416
What’s up, docs?
What do a Delaware garage and a Florida palace have in common? We dig into Joe Biden’s classified document mess.
23 min
417
Too much water for California
Rain is good for California, but the state was not prepared for what might be a megastorm. KQED’s Dan Brekke assesses the damage from the San Francisco Bay Area and the Pacific Institute’s Peter Gleick explains how we can be better prepared for future storms.
23 min
418
The Taliban vs. women
When the Taliban took power, it promised a place for women in its new Afghanistan. Now, hardliners are embracing policies that do the opposite.
23 min
419
Brazil’s January 6?
Except it was on January 8. The Brazilian Report’s Gustavo Ribeiro explains from São Paulo.
23 min
420
Andrew Tate: The king of toxic masculinity
Controversial manfluencer Andrew Tate is in a Romanian prison, accused of rape and human trafficking. Vox’s Rebecca Jennings and sociolinguist Robert Lawson explain why his brand of grotesque misogyny appeals to millions of men.
23 min
421
Will Kevin McCarthy become speaker?
The 118th Congress has begun with a showdown over who will be elected House speaker. Vox’s Andrew Prokop argues that this is the culmination of a decade-long trend of stonewalling in Congress.
23 min
422
Why we’re all on antidepressants
Ray Osheroff was a successful doctor in the DC area until his depression became debilitating. The way he was treated — and not treated — changed psychiatry. Rachel Aviv tells the surprising story of the rise of psychiatric medication.
23 min
423
The many lies of George Santos
George Santos is supposed to become a member of Congress this week. We still have no idea who he is.
23 min
424
Let’s eat lab meat
Happy New Year! Maybe you’re interested in trying new things? Sean and his mom are. In today’s episode, they drive to Alameda, California to try “hybrid meat” — a mixture of lab-grown meat and veggie meat substitute that could deliver a more sustainable (but still meaty) future.
23 min
425
Abortions before Roe
Before Roe v. Wade, Eleanor Oliver was a Jane: a member of a group in Chicago that helped women get safe but illegal abortions. Sean Rameswaram sat down with her on the day Roe was overturned.