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
151
How Israel is upending Democratic races
Super Tuesday is the biggest day of the presidential primary campaign, but the biggest race in the biggest state isn’t about Biden or Trump. Instead, the leading candidates for California’s open Senate seat — three Democrats and a Republican — are finding themselves talking a lot about Israel, Palestine, and the war in Gaza.
23 min
152
Why groceries are still so expensive
When it’s time to Stop & Shop, the American Publix is finding it costs more than ever to fill a Market Basket. Whizy Kim and Elizabeth Pancotti help Target the problem and explain whether a Price Chopper is coming to save us.
23 min
153
It’s Shotime!
Shohei Ohtani made his Dodger debut this week. His record-setting contract solidifies an international era for Major League Baseball, which hasn’t yet overcome a diversity problem at home.
23 min
154
The politics of IVF
A theologian explains why he agrees with Alabama’s Supreme Court ruling that embryos are children. A conservative pollster explains why it's a bad look heading into the 2024 election.
23 min
155
“Make Argentina Great Again!”
US inflation feels bad until you look at Argentina’s, which is breaking 200 percent. Today, Explained’s Sean Rameswaram reports from Buenos Aires, where residents are divided over their new anarcho-capitalist President Javier Milei’s shock therapy.
23 min
156
The protest vote against Biden
Michigan’s primary today will test President Biden’s viability with Muslim voters amid the war in Gaza. One Arab American leader says the community is abandoning Biden and looking for alternatives — Donald Trump might be one of them.
23 min
157
What Ozempic can't fix
Fat women make less money than thin women and get fewer raises and promotions. It’s going to take more than a wonder drug to fix fatphobia in America.
23 min
158
The Ozempic economy
The weight loss drug is so profitable that its parent company, Danish health care giant Novo Nordisk, is propping up Denmark’s entire economy. It’s poised to transform America’s too.
23 min
159
Fight at the Museum
New federal regulations are forcing museums across the United States to take down, cover up, or close their exhibits. ProPublica reporter Mary Hudetz and curator Catherine Roberts Shteynberg explain why.
24 min
160
Florida man owes half a billion
Former President Donald Trump has now lost back-to-back civil trials in New York. Reporter Andrea Bernstein says it’s a big problem for him. Vox’s Abdallah Fayyad says it’s a big problem for everyone.
22 min
161
The Panama Canal is drying up
A drought has dramatically reduced the Panama Canal’s capacity, leading to higher costs and big delays for US-bound goods. Reporter Mie Dahl and economics professor Sharat Ganapati deliver the shipping news.
23 min
162
What dies with Alexei Navalny?
Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, 47, has died in an Arctic prison. The Guardian’s Luke Harding explains the life and death (and afterlife) of Vladimir Putin’s bravest adversary.
24 min
163
Rafah, the last “safe” zone
Palestinians are trapped in Rafah, Gaza’s southernmost city, where about 1.5 million people have sought refuge. After bombings this weekend, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is threatening a ground invasion. Palestinian journalist Aseel Mousa takes us inside Rafah, and the Economist’s Anton La Guardia explains why diplomatic efforts to halt the fighting have stalled.
23 min
164
Why America loves faerie smut
Romantasy is the most popular literary genre in America right now. Vulture’s Kathryn VanArendonk and Circana’s Kristen McLean explain why.
23 min
165
Forgetful old men
Joe Biden’s age and mental acuity are center stage after a Justice Department prosecutor described him as an “elderly man with a poor memory.” Vox reporter Christian Paz explains why Democrats are stuck with him.
23 min
166
A Tale of Two Chinatowns
Residents of Philadelphia’s Chinatown have mobilized against plans for a new arena in their backyard. To find out how their concerns might bear out, Today, Explained reporter Miles Bryan heads to DC’s Chinatown, where a similar story played out 30 years ago.
24 min
167
Why Taylor left TikTok
Her label, Universal Media Group, pulled its entire catalog off TikTok. The Verge’s Nilay Patel explains why, and author Cory Doctorow says the app’s “enshittification” is inevitable.
23 min
168
When one (airplane) door opens ...
Missing bolts, door panels flying off in midair — and that’s not even on the planes that crashed. The Washington Post’s Ian Duncan and the Wall Street Journal’s Andrew Tangel explain why Boeing is a problem the FAA still hasn’t fixed.
23 min
169
The border standoff in Eagle Pass
Congress has failed to pass an immigration bill. The House is attempting to impeach Biden’s secretary of homeland security. As Washington flails, a standoff is brewing in Eagle Pass, Texas.
24 min
170
“The world’s coolest dictator”
That’s how El Salvador’s Nayib Bukele describes himself. Silvia Viñas from the news podcast El hilo explains how his victory this weekend is a blueprint for authoritarians looking to get reelected in a democracy.
24 min
171
Build Back Biden
New York magazine’s Jonathan Chait wants Joe Biden to win. He explains how his coalition has fallen apart. Former White House staffer Jamal Simmons wants Joe Biden to win. He explains how he might put a coalition back together.
22 min
172
A new treatment for deafness
A promising gene therapy can help kids born without the ability to hear. A Deaf bioethicist wants you to consider the implications.
23 min
173
Make the economy Trump’s again?
As president, Donald Trump presided over a good — sometimes great — economy. But his proposals are unnerving business leaders this time around. The Washington Post’s Heather Long and Economist columnist Henry Tricks on the Tariff Man’s Tariff Plans.
23 min
174
Iran and the Axis of Resistance
Iran-backed militias use drones, missiles, and even TikTok dances to antagonize the United States and Israel. The International Crisis Group’s Ali Vaez explains how the war in Gaza has energized the self-described Axis of Resistance.
22 min
175
Living in Zyn
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer accidentally started a culture war over Zyn. Semafor’s Dave Weigel explains. And Vox health reporter Keren Landman, MD, compares the nicotine pouch to cigarettes and vapes.
23 min