Today, Explained
News comes at you fast. Join us at the end of your day to understand it. Today, Explained is your all-killer, no-filler, Monday to Friday news explainer co-hosted by Sean Rameswaram and Noel King. Every episode features the finest reporters from the Vox Media Podcast Network and beyond.
26
Turkey's man-made catastrophe
Thousands of buildings collapsed after Turkey’s massive earthquakes. Now President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan is facing a backlash for an amnesty program that gave developers retroactive approval for shoddy construction.
23 min
27
Nikki Haley kicks off a Republican mutiny
Nikki Haley, the former governor of South Carolina, is running for president. Vox’s Andrew Prokop says she’s likely the first of many prominent Republicans to challenge Trump.
23 min
28
Democratizing spying
“Zero-click spyware” is making it easier for governments to get their hands on individuals’ personal data. New York Times investigative reporter Mark Mazzetti says that when it comes to spyware, the United States is both an arsonist and a firefighter.
23 min
29
Pow pow power grid
Attacks on vulnerable electrical infrastructure are surging. The tactic — embraced by everyone from copper-seeking vandals to chaos-minded white nationalists — exposes a major vulnerability in the US power grid.
23 min
30
The great American cattle swindle
Cody Easterday was ranching royalty in Washington state until he was sentenced to 11 years in prison for swindling two companies out of $244 million. KUOW’s Anna King — host of the Ghost Herd podcast — explains.
23 min
31
Decisions after Dobbs
The Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade is reshaping the way a lot of Americans think about pregnancy and abortion. Vox’s Marin Cogan talks to patients and doctors about how reproductive health care has changed in the months since Dobbs.
23 min
32
One earthquake, two recoveries
Turkey is digging itself out from the devastating earthquake that has killed thousands across the country. Recovery efforts have been more difficult in northwest Syria, where civil war means there’s no unified response to the crisis.
23 min
33
The fight over AP African American Studies
The College Board piloted an AP course on African American Studies. Then, after conservative pushback, it debuted a revised curriculum. But the group insists it’s not caving to political pressure.
23 min
34
Hullaballoon
The balloon crisis is blown up. Politico’s Alex Ward deflates it for us.
23 min
35
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
36
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
37
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
38
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
39
“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
40
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
41
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
42
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
43
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
44
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
45
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
46
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
47
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
48
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
49
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
50
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