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.
First, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and President Donald Trump struck up an unlikely friendship. Then, the Trump administration ordered prosecutors to sidestep DOJ norms and drop corruption charges against Adams so that he could focus on cracking down on immigration.
23 min
27
Germany's rightward march
Germany's far-right Alternative for Germany party won its best ever results this weekend. We hear why an anti-immigrant, fascist-curious party is surging in the land that gave birth to Nazism.
23 min
28
Sugar daddies and mommies
Boomers are the wealthiest generation ever. And they're funneling trillions to their adult children for down payments, school tuition, even monthly allowances. The Great Wealth Transfer is upon us.
24 min
29
Vatever you vant, Vladimir
Kremlin defender Tulsi Gabbard is the US’s new spy chief, while the US and Russia are holding peace talks without European and Ukrainian officials at the table. The vibe has officially shifted.
23 min
30
Breaking the internet
The Trump administration’s effort to purge government websites is accelerating digital decay. It’s a trend that imperils our record of ourselves.
23 min
31
Mr. Project 2025
Russell Vought is the architect and legal scholar behind the Trump administration’s attempt to reshape the federal government. Simon Rabinovitch, US economics editor for the Economist, explains how he got all that power.
22 min
32
Is science in danger?
Funding cuts and research censorship have shaken the foundations of America’s health and science agencies, leaving researchers shocked, confused, and afraid. What does this mean for the future of science?
20 min
33
The making of a beauty king
Sephora revolutionized high-end beauty and turned tiny brands into household names. Now, comes the reckoning. Fast Company’s Liz Segran on whether Sephora is too powerful.
24 min
34
Elon's African roots
President Trump is offering to resettle white South Africans in the US, and his white South African bestie may have something to do with it.
23 min
35
Tater bot
The prices of all kinds of things have stayed stubbornly high even as inflation has cooled. And a spate of lawsuits point to algorithmic price fixing as the culprit. Just look at frozen potatoes.
23 min
36
DOGE-y behavior
Elon Musk promised to feed "USAID into the wood chipper." The way he's dismantling the agency provides a roadmap for the administration moving forward.
22 min
37
Guantanamo’s other history
The Trump administration has begun detaining migrants at Guantanamo Bay. For more than 40 years, the US has sent immigrants to Gitmo, explains Jeffrey Kahn of UC Davis, who interviewed asylum-seekers there.
23 min
38
Super Bowl GNX
Kendrick Lamar is celebrating his latest album, GNX, on the biggest stage in American music. But everyone wants to know if he’s bringing the beef. NPR’s Sidney Madden and Stephen Thompson explain.
23 min
39
Chaos in Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is at war. Again. Sixty-five years of mismanagement began with a CIA assassination plot that condemned millions of Congolese to unending conflict.
23 min
40
Democrats, where you at?
NBC News reporter Sahil Kapur and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) try to explain if the Democrats are, like, dead.
23 min
41
Tariffied
The first battles have now been fought in the new North American trade war. President Donald Trump came out on top. Companies that make things across multiple borders are still holding their collective breath.
23 min
42
Rebuilding Los Angeles
LA Times reporter Liam Dillon assesses the damage now that the fires are fully contained. Torched editor Alissa Walker explains how the 2028 Olympics might impede rebuilding efforts.
23 min
43
Turkey with the good hair
Turkey has become the hair transplant capital of the world. And it's part of a global boom in medical tourism.
23 min
44
DeepSeek deepdive
The emergence of DeepSeek — a Chinese AI model that was developed for a fraction of the cost of leading Western ones, but seems to perform on par with them — caused chaos in the markets and electrified the tech industry.
23 min
45
How America went MAHA
RFK Jr. adviser Calley Means explains why so many Americans are suspicious of food and pharma companies, and what the HHS secretary nominee plans to do about it if he's confirmed.
23 min
46
Trump’s government purge
Trump is remaking the federal government in his name, says Vox’s Andrew Prokop. Efforts at a more efficient government may have a point, says Jennifer Pahlka, who co-founded the precursor to DOGE.
23 min
47
The Silk Road pardon
President Donald Trump pardoned Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht and launched his own memecoin, signaling a new attitude toward cryptocurrency in his second term.
24 min
48
From TikTok to 小红书
TikTok's uncertain future has driven a flood of users to a fully Chinese social media app full of opportunities for genuine cultural exchange. And it's given fresh fodder for proponents of a decentralized social media ecosystem known as the fediverse.
23 min
49
It’s not easy being Greenland
Donald Trump says he wants Greenland for America. Greenlandic government minister Naaja Nathanielsen says the country's not for sale but it's open for business.
23 min
50
Cafeteria wars
RFK Jr. is the latest in a long line of reformers who have tried to clean up school lunch. The history of those attempts illustrates how hard it is to change the American food system.