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
101
Canadian bakin’
More Americans are now daily weed smokers than daily drinkers. To better understand this public health experiment, we turn to Canada, which has federally legalized marijuana.
23 min
102
Elon's company town
The world's richest man is developing a company town outside Austin, Texas. Like the industrialists who came before him, Elon Musk may learn it’s hard to create (and sustain) a utopia.
23 min
103
When Carter called out America
In 1979, Jimmy Carter delivered his “Crisis of Confidence” speech, a tirade against American individualism and consumerism. Historian Kevin Mattson says the speech helps make sense of Carter the president, Carter the American, and even the state of the US today.
23 min
104
Almost Heaven
The appeal of "Country Roads" extends far beyond West Virginia or even the United States. We're revisiting an episode from this summer that examines the global popularity of the John Denver classic.
27 min
105
Our trillion-dollar credit card bill
Christmas is over and now comes the financial hangover. In an episode from earlier this year, guest host Jonquilyn Hill looks into the root causes of America's record-high credit card debt.
23 min
106
The case against legal sports betting
Sports betting is a costly mistake, says addiction researcher Charles Fain Lehman. He and NBA great Danny Green discuss how it's changed sports for the worse, and whether there's a way to fix it.
23 min
107
One year of Sphere
The Las Vegas Sphere was supposed to be the future of live entertainment. But just over a year into its run, New York Post writer Josh Kosman explains why the math ain’t mathin’.
25 min
108
The price of paying college athletes
Name and likeness rights are fundamentally changing college sports at a rapid pace. SB Nation’s JP Acosta and sports commentator Pablo Torre explain.
22 min
109
Can Trump get a Gaza ceasefire?
He'd love to take credit for a deal, although Israel and Hamas are still deadlocked. But Amir Tibon of Haaretz and Steven Cook of the Council on Foreign Relations say peace may be closer than ever.
22 min
110
The right to die
A growing number of countries are legalizing assisted suicide, mostly for terminally ill patients. The Washington Post's Karla Adam and Vox's Marin Cogan explain the debate over right-to-die policies.
22 min
111
Trump trolls the neighbours
President-elect Trump says he can see Justin Trudeau becoming governor of “the great state of Canada.” It’s part of a pressure campaign to get big concessions on trade and immigration from Canada and Mexico.
22 min
112
Trad wife takeover
Trad wives are having a moment. A new conservative women’s magazine promising to be the anti-Cosmo is capitalizing on the trend.
23 min
113
Will Syrians return home?
Syrian refugees are celebrating the end of the Assad regime. But for Omar Alshogre and millions like him, going back to Syria is a complicated decision.
24 min
114
A win in the opioid crisis
The US saw a significant drop in the number of drug overdose deaths. The Trump administration has a shot at keeping the trend going. STAT News's addiction reporter, Lev Facher, explains.
22 min
115
The UnitedHealth CEO shooting
Gothamist’s Brittany Kriegstein explains who police just arrested. STAT News’s Bob Herman explains the anger resonating against UnitedHealthcare.
22 min
116
Target misses the mark
As Target struggles to retain its customers, rivals like Walmart are making gains. The Wall Street Journal’s Sarah Nassauer explains what’s behind this retail shift.
22 min
117
The truth about Y2K
Kyle Mooney dreams up a New Year’s Eve 1999 apocalypse. Historian Zachary Loeb explains why the real Y2K wasn't one.
23 min
118
Reigniting Syria's civil war
A rebel group changed the course of Syria's long civil war when it seized Aleppo this past weekend. The Syria Report's Jihad Yazigi tells us what motivates the group's canny and mysterious leader.
23 min
119
Can DOGE cut $2 trillion?
Elon, Vivek and the Department of Government Efficiency want to cut $2 trillion from the federal budget. A libertarian says the only way to do it is to eliminate aid programs altogether.
22 min
120
The Hunter becomes the pardoned
On Saturday, future President Donald Trump announced Kash Patel would lead the FBI. On Sunday, current President Joe Biden pardoned his son Hunter. Coincidence? The Washington Post’s Matt Viser and The Atlantic’s Elaina Plott Calabro explain.
24 min
121
Wrestling with the Education Department
Trump has named wrestling tycoon Linda McMahon to be his secretary of education. She’ll be tasked with his campaign promise of … closing the department she’ll run. Is it a good idea?
22 min
122
How Abercrombie made a comeback
Fast Company’s senior fashion writer Elizabeth Segran explains how the company overcame a problematic history to pull off a renaissance in this rebroadcast of our episode from July.
23 min
123
Why volunteering is worth it
Many of us think our individual actions can’t combat systemic problems. Vox's Rachel Cohen and Bowling Alone author Robert Putnam explain why volunteer work, no matter how small, can make a difference for you and for us all.
23 min
124
Handing off a war
Two American presidents are trying to shape the future of the war in Ukraine at the same time.
22 min
125
The Democrat who won in Trump country
US Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez was one of the few Democrats to win a swing district in the 2024 election. She explains what lessons Democrats can learn from her win and what she hopes to accomplish, even as a minority, in the 119th Congress.
23 min