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
79
Super mad about Superman
23 min
80
How the YIMBYs won
23 min
81
Trump's Epstein problem
23 min
82
Trump’s dork philosopher
23 min
83
Elon's party in the USA
23 min
84
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
85
Plastic rain
23 min
86
From Alligator Alcatraz to South Sudan
24 min
87
I was told there would be deals
23 min
88
Trump's Nobel Peace Prize
23 min
89
Texas blame game
23 min
90
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
91
Disney's America
23 min
92
Make America Uninsured Again
23 min
93
Unmasking ICE
23 min
94
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
95
Can we ever know our dogs?
So many of us believe we understand what our pets are feeling. Are we fooling ourselves?
27 min
96
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
97
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
98
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
99
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
100
America First (unless Iran...)
Vox's Josh Keating and author Vali Nasr explain what bombing Iran won’t accomplish.