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
201
California is becoming uninsurable
Two insurance giants will stop issuing new policies for California homes. CalMatters reporter Ben Christopher and Vox’s Umair Irfan say insurers have determined what homeowners refuse to accept: Climate change has made some parts of the country too risky to live in.
23 min
202
Apple’s $3,500 goggles
Apple’s launch of a new mixed reality headset shows that, for Apple, the metaverse isn’t dead. The Verge’s David Pierce explains.
23 min
203
Real Housebans of Tallahassee
A new Florida law will restrict where Chinese citizens can buy homes, and other states may follow suit. The legislation is eerily similar to racist land laws from over 100 years ago. Vox reporter Li Zhou and Hofstra law professor Julian Ku explain.
23 min
204
Hannah Gadsby and “Pablo-matic" Picasso
Comedian Hannah Gadsby railed against Pablo Picasso in “Nanette.” So why are they curating an exhibition timed to the 50th anniversary of his death? Gadsby and author Claire Dederer explain what we should do with art from monstrous artists.
23 min
205
Ukraine’s counteroffensive
Ukraine vowed to mount a counteroffensive against Russia. Drone attacks on Moscow might signal it has begun. The Washington Post’s Mary Ilyushina and the Guardian’s Luke Harding explain.
23 min
206
Target-ing Pride
Companies have been leaning into Pride month for years. So why are brands like Target and Bud Light facing such intense backlash now? Vox’s Emily Stewart and historian Kyle Williams explain.
23 min
207
The Kia Boyz are coming for your car
Turns out Kias and Hyundais are easy to steal. Teens are taking advantage, and putting it all on TikTok.
23 min
208
Hot and bothered
The FDA approved a game-changing drug to treat hot flashes, a symptom of menopause. Health writer Jancee Dunn talks about why a transition that happens to half the world’s population still feels like a mystery.
23 min
209
He's Ronning
NBC’s Matt Dixon explains how Gov. Ron DeSantis wants to Make America Florida. Vox’s Andrew Prokop spells out how the governor’s brain works. Please clap.
23 min
210
A cancer vaccine?
Dr. Vinod Balachandran explains how he and his colleagues successfully treated pancreatic cancer with bespoke mRNA vaccines. Science journalist Charles Graeber says this could be cancer’s “penicillin moment.”
23 min
211
How wellness killed Jenny Craig
The diet company is shutting down. Bloomberg’s Emma Court explains how Jenny Craig’s strategy — heavy on celebrity endorsements and meal plans — couldn’t compete with a shift toward body positivity and pharmaceuticals.
23 min
212
The rehabilitation of Bashar al-Assad
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad became a regional pariah after brutal crackdowns on his own citizens. But on Friday, the most powerful men in the Middle East welcomed him back into the Arab League.
23 min
213
Parking is a lot
In our quest to accommodate parked cars, we’ve paved over downtowns, polluted the planet, and made it near impossible to get anywhere without driving. Slate’s Henry Grabar explains Big Parking — and how electric cars might offer an opportunity to finally try something new.
23 min
214
Kevin McCarthy wants you to get a job
With the debt ceiling deadline approaching, Republicans want to expand rules that require welfare recipients to work. Vox’s Dylan Scott and Marketplace’s Krissy Clark explain.
23 min
215
The most important election of 2023
After 21 years of leading Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan is a global political giant. But a crumbling Turkish economy and the opposition candidate pose the biggest threat to his power in years.
23 min
216
The new border crisis
Title 42, a Covid-era policy that included strict limits on migration into the US from Mexico, has expired. El Paso Times reporter Lauren Villagran explains what that means for both the border communities and the far-flung cities feeling the brunt of border politics.
23 min
217
Can power plants go green?
The EPA has just announced new rules for power plants to clean up their act. But to get to those lower limits, companies might have to switch to two largely untested technologies in the power sector: hydrogen production and carbon capture.
23 min
218
How Zelda changed gaming
It’s dangerous to go alone! Take this podcast.
23 min
219
Covid is “over”
Or at least the federal government is over spending money on it. Vox’s resident epidemiologist, Keren Landman, explains the end of the public health emergency.
23 min
220
Trump loses sexual abuse lawsuit
A New York jury awarded $5 million to journalist E. Jean Carroll, whose civil suit against the former president alleged sexual battery and defamation. Vox’s Constance Grady explains.
23 min
221
Ed Sheeran and the “Blurred Lines” effect
Ed Sheeran just won a big copyright trial. But he might not have even been in court if not for Robin Thicke and Pharrell’s “Blurred Lines.” Pitchfork’s Jayson Greene explains how the song of the summer from 10 years ago simply refuses to go away.
23 min
222
The killing of Jordan Neely
A subway rider choked to death Jordan Neely, a 30-year-old homeless man known to New Yorkers for his impersonations of Michael Jackson. WNYC reporters Matt Katz and Samantha Max explain the complexity of the incident.
23 min
223
Charles in charge
King Charles is struggling to get his subjects to care about the historic coronation this weekend. Professor Brooke Newman explains the complicated road to ditching the monarchy.
23 min
224
Get used to higher interest rates
The Federal Reserve has once again raised interest rates, which means borrowing money for your mortgage or your business is once again more expensive. New York Times economics reporter Talmon Joseph Smith explains why this might keep happening.
23 min
225
Disney vs. DeSantis
Once upon a time, a Magic Kingdom took issue with a ruler’s law and, well, everyone ended up suing each other. The Wall Street Journal’s Robbie Whelan explains the feud between the Walt Disney Company and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
23 min