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.

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Daily News
Politics
176
Inside the Actors Strike
The actors are officially on strike. Vox senior correspondent and critic Alissa Wilkinson breaks down what SAG-AFTRA is afta, and the New Yorker’s Michael Schulman explains how one of Netflix’s first original shows was an early warning sign.
23 min
177
Vacation ... all I ever wanted?
🎵 Now that I’m away, I wish I had stayed. 🎵 Vox’s Allie Volpe explains why travel feels like such a mess right now (and how to make it a bit better). And the New Yorker’s Agnes Callard makes the case against travel altogether.
23 min
178
The Joshua Generation
A group of evangelical Christians raised their children to become influential in the White House, on Capitol Hill, and in the Supreme Court. Now, as adults, the "Joshua generation" are reckoning with their upbringing.
24 min
179
Disaster unpreparedness
Vermont just got slammed with flash floods, road closures, and evacuations. Harvard’s Juliette Kayyem says the storm reveals how unprepared the US is for the present moment, when natural disasters are more frequent and more intense than ever before.
23 min
180
Can Threads unravel Twitter?
As Meta launches its Twitter competitor, The Verge’s David Pierce says that we are watching the end of the social internet in real time.
23 min
181
NATO to Ukraine: Not yet
President Biden and other world leaders say it’s too dangerous to admit Ukraine into NATO while it’s at war with Russia. But, to the dismay of allies, the US will send cluster bombs to the front.
23 min
182
Why everyone’s mad about equity
Everyone is fighting about “equity.” If only they could define it. Vox’s Andrew Prokop explains.
23 min
183
Where’s the beef?
A rancher in the Pacific Northwest scammed two companies out of $244 million. In this episode we first served in February, KUOW’s Anna King — host of the Ghost Herd podcast — explains how Cody Easterday went from ranching royalty to prison.
23 min
184
Excuseflation
Inflation happens for a lot of reasons that can be hard for even economists to fully grasp. But — as we learned this spring in an episode we’re rerunning today — there’s also a more straightforward reason prices keep going up: greedy corporations are using inflation as an excuse to jack up prices.
23 min
185
Even more forever chemicals
The chemical manufacturer 3M will pay $10 billion to settle claims it contaminated drinking water with “forever chemicals.” Good thing we already spoke with Barbara Moran, WBUR’s climate and environmental correspondent, who explained these non-stick chemicals that stick around forever.
23 min
186
Smokeshow
For the second time this month, huge sections of the US are blanketed by wildfire smoke. Vox’s Rebecca Leber and climate journalist Jeff Goodell say we’re gonna have to get used to it.
23 min
187
Supreme Court: Race need not apply
The Supreme Court ruled against race-conscious admissions policies at Harvard and UNC. The ruling is likely to reshape affirmative action in America.
22 min
188
Mall cop nation
The three biggest private employers in North America are Walmart, Amazon, and a security firm you’ve maybe never heard of: Allied Universal. Time’s Alana Semuels explains the rise of poorly trained and poorly paid private security guards across America.
22 min
189
Woke, woke, woke, woke, woke
How “woke” went from Marcus Garvey to Childish Gambino to Ron DeSantis.
23 min
190
The man behind Russia’s mutiny
Yevgeny Prigozhin rose from hot dog seller to top chef to Russia’s leading mercenary. Journalist Paul Wood and Harvard’s Timothy Colton explain why he turned on Vladimir Putin this weekend.
23 min
191
OceanGate
Deep-sea explorer G. Michael Harris has been down to the wreck of the Titanic 14 times. He begged his friend PH Nargeolet not to get on the OceanGate Titan submersible before it imploded in the sea earlier this week. He explains why he saw this coming.
23 min
192
Dinner and a Modi
Despite US concerns over the decline of Indian democracy and human rights, Prime Minister Narendra Modi is getting a prestigious state dinner from the Biden administration. Sadanand Dhume and Irfan Nooruddin explain.
23 min
193
Okla-home-a
A group in Tulsa, Oklahoma, will pay remote workers $10,000 to move there. Vox’s Rani Molla explains why the city is banking on a digital workforce — and whether the program leaves longtime Tulsans behind.
23 min
194
Childproofing Pornhub
States want to restrict kids’ access to harmful content online via age verification systems. New York Times reporter Natasha Singer explains how a wave of new legislation could dramatically reshape the internet.
23 min
195
The Today, Explained Center for Kids Who Can’t ...
For decades, American schools have taught reading with an approach that doesn’t work very well. Emily Hanford of the podcast “Sold a Story: How Teaching Kids to Read Went So Wrong” explains how things are starting to change.
23 min
196
How the Saudis bought pro golf
The PGA Tour wanted nothing to do with a rival Saudi-funded golf tour, but like Silicon Valley and the White House, it couldn’t resist the Kingdom’s influence. A sports guy (Rick Maese of the Washington Post) and a foreign policy guy (Jonathan Guyer of Vox) explain.
23 min
197
Kids sue Montana over climate change
Held v. Montana, a first-of-its-kind climate lawsuit, pits young people — and their constitutionally enshrined right to a clean environment — against a state with pro-fossil fuel policies.
23 min
198
Vivek Ramaswamy explains himself
The entrepreneur is running a longshot campaign for the GOP nomination on an “American nationalist,” anti-“woke capitalism” platform. Semafor’s Dave Weigel explains why so many Republicans now think they have a chance at the crown.
23 min
199
Why Marvel movies look bad
Bad visual effects in movies may have less to do with technology and more to do with workers being underpaid and overworked. Vulture senior reporter Chris Lee explains in this episode of Into It.
23 min
200
Florida man indicted (again)
For the first time in American history, a former president faces federal charges. Vox’s Andrew Prokop explains.
23 min