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
976
Brazil’s coronavirus disaster
President Jair Bolsonaro called it the "sniffles" and recommended hydroxychloroquine. Now the country has over a million confirmed cases. Reporter Gustavo Ribeiro explains how Brazil could become the next epicenter.
18 min
977
A world without bail?
With the wave of protests came waves of arrests and record-breaking donations to bail funds across the US, but reformers hope for a reckoning of one of the only for-profit bail systems in the world.
19 min
978
How not to fire someone
Attorney General William Barr tried to quietly push out the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan on Friday night. Then everybody noticed.
18 min
979
Celebrate Juneteenth!
The celebration of emancipation is as vital today as ever.
16 min
980
A good day for DREAMers
In a major decision from the Supreme Court, DACA lives to fight another day. But it's not in the clear yet.
16 min
981
The return of sports
There are two ways to do it: safely or not so safely. Guess which one we’re heading toward in the United States?
17 min
982
Welcome to CHAZ
Some are calling six blocks of a Seattle neighborhood the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone. KUOW’s Casey Martin spent a week within its loosely guarded walls.
16 min
983
A landmark LGBTQ ruling
The Supreme Court of the United States has decided the Civil Rights Act of 1964 applies to discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
14 min
984
Copaganda
After 33 seasons, the reality TV show Cops was canceled this week. Should scripted police dramas follow?
20 min
985
Is this the second wave?
Vox’s Dylan Scott says it’s hard to tell because the United States is riding 50 different Covid-19 waves.
16 min
986
Can Congress reform the police?
The United States has a policing problem and Congress wants to fix it. Vox’s Li Zhou explains whether the Democrats’ new bill will go anywhere.
21 min
987
Minneapolis commits to “dismantling” the police
Minneapolis City Council member Alondra Cano explains what the city wants to do and what might get in the way.
19 min
988
Biden his time
Pandemic, protests, and the best poll numbers yet for Joe Biden.
17 min
989
The Talk
Two mothers talk to their teenage sons about race and police brutality in the United States.
23 min
990
What “abolish the police” means
It’s not what you think.
17 min
991
The problem with police unions
Even after Derek Chauvin was captured on video killing George Floyd, he could still get his job back. BuzzFeed’s Melissa Segura explains how.
19 min
992
Antifa?
President Trump wants to blame the unrest on antifa. Vox’s Zack Beauchamp explains why he can’t.
22 min
993
American Nightmare
Professor Ibram X. Kendi explains how the protests and unrest are a result of black America’s living nightmare and what it will take to wake up.
19 min
994
“I can’t breathe.” Again.
The former police officer who killed George Floyd has been charged with murder. But Floyd’s case is just one of many recent incidents of police brutality in Minneapolis. The Marshall Project’s Simone Weichselbaum explains why police reform hasn’t worked in the city.
16 min
995
100,000 is an undercount
It could take years for all the Covid-19 deaths to be counted properly. Vox’s Matthew Yglesias explains why the Trump administration is pushing for an undercount.
17 min
996
"First Hong Kong, then the world"
While most of the world was distracted by the pandemic, China unveiled a law to strip Hong Kong of its autonomy, setting off a new wave of protests in the city.
14 min
997
One giant leap for SpaceX
For the first time in almost a decade, an American rocket is launching people into space. The Verge’s Loren Grush explains why the launch could fundamentally alter the future of spaceflight.
18 min
998
Today, Explained: Greatest Hits
Sean and Noam break down all the original songs in Today, Explained's back catalog.
24 min
999
Blame WHO?
President Trump would like to.
18 min
1000
The case for reopening parks
Reopening America’s parks could help fight the pandemic. It’s a good time to rethink streets, too.
15 min