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.
Summer. Time for pools, BBQs, and the beach read. But why do we read "summer books"?
27 min
52
Super mad about Superman
23 min
53
How the YIMBYs won
23 min
54
Trump's Epstein problem
23 min
55
Trump’s dork philosopher
23 min
56
Elon's party in the USA
23 min
57
Chat BFF
More and more of us are interacting with chatbots. Can we have real relationships with AI, and can AI teach humans to be better people?
27 min
58
Plastic rain
23 min
59
From Alligator Alcatraz to South Sudan
24 min
60
I was told there would be deals
23 min
61
Trump's Nobel Peace Prize
23 min
62
Texas blame game
23 min
63
Our complicated relationship with the flag
Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar openly celebrate the American flag. But a lot of Black Americans feel differently. What does that tell us about identity today?
27 min
64
Disney's America
23 min
65
Make America Uninsured Again
23 min
66
Unmasking ICE
23 min
67
Porn on the docket
The Supreme Court has a long history of taking on cases about porn, including one they decided on Friday. Vox's Ian Millhiser explains how that history of First Amendment rulings once meant the justices had to watch porn in a basement.
23 min
68
Can we ever know our dogs?
So many of us believe we understand what our pets are feeling. Are we fooling ourselves?
27 min
69
Swole Girl Summer
Weightlifting is the fastest growing sport among women. It's challenging how we think about who is allowed to be strong and what fitness really means.
23 min
70
Wars have rules
The legal architecture that would define and prosecute what’s happening in Gaza is failing. Reporter Suzy Hansen explains how 80 years of international humanitarian law is being tested. And professor Omer Bartov thought calling Israel's offensive in Gaza a genocide immediately after the October 7 attacks was inaccurate. He’s changed his mind.
23 min
71
Burrito now, pay later
Americans are turning to "buy now, pay later" apps for purchases as small as a burrito—it’s a symptom of a larger national addiction to debt.
23 min
72
Elon Musk presents: Taxis
Elon Musk and Tesla launched their long-delayed robotaxi service this weekend in Texas. The Verge's Andrew Hawkins explains why so much is riding on its success.
23 min
73
America First (unless Iran...)
Vox's Josh Keating and author Vali Nasr explain what bombing Iran won’t accomplish.
23 min
74
Sleepaway camp's nostalgia economy
Unpacking the American rite of passage that so many children love — but that isn't right for everyone.