Today, Explained

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.


Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

News
Daily News
Politics
51
Serving your country while trans
Sam Rodriguez is on active duty in the US Navy. They are also trans. Now, the Trump administration wants to remove them from the US military.
23 min
52
Breaking up with Ukraine
Why the humiliation of Volodymyr Zelenskyy holds a twisted appeal for Trump's core supporters. And what Europe plans to do about it.
23 min
53
The Gulf of America?
What started as a liberal joke is now a MAGA reality. Just check your map app. But it’s not just Google, Apple, and Microsoft falling in line.
23 min
54
The messiest Oscars category
The Seed of the Sacred Fig was (secretly) shot in Iran with Iranian actors and an Iranian director. But it’s Germany’s submission for Best International Film.
23 min
55
Is flying still safe?
Recent airplane crashes and near misses have everyone freaked out, just as DOGE is laying off workers at the agency charged with keeping people safe in the air.
23 min
56
Eggs aren't expensive enough
At least if we want to stop the next pandemic. Vox's Kenny Torrella explains.
24 min
57
Quid pro bros
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
58
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
59
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
60
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
61
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
62
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
63
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
64
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
65
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
66
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
67
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
68
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
69
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
70
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
71
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
72
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
73
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
74
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
75
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