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
1
Is science in danger?
Funding cuts and research censorship have shaken the foundations of America’s health and science agencies, leaving researchers shocked, confused, and afraid. What does this mean for the future of science?
20 min
2
The making of a beauty king
Sephora revolutionized high-end beauty and turned tiny brands into household names. Now, comes the reckoning. Fast Company’s Liz Segran on whether Sephora is too powerful.
24 min
3
Elon's African roots
President Trump is offering to resettle white South Africans in the US, and his white South African bestie may have something to do with it.
23 min
4
Tater bot
The prices of all kinds of things have stayed stubbornly high even as inflation has cooled. And a spate of lawsuits point to algorithmic price fixing as the culprit. Just look at frozen potatoes.
23 min
5
DOGE-y behavior
Elon Musk promised to feed "USAID into the wood chipper." The way he's dismantling the agency provides a roadmap for the administration moving forward.
22 min
6
Guantanamo’s other history
The Trump administration has begun detaining migrants at Guantanamo Bay. For more than 40 years, the US has sent immigrants to Gitmo, explains Jeffrey Kahn of UC Davis, who interviewed asylum-seekers there.
23 min
7
Super Bowl GNX
Kendrick Lamar is celebrating his latest album, GNX, on the biggest stage in American music. But everyone wants to know if he’s bringing the beef. NPR’s Sidney Madden and Stephen Thompson explain.
23 min
8
Chaos in Congo
The Democratic Republic of the Congo is at war. Again. Sixty-five years of mismanagement began with a CIA assassination plot that condemned millions of Congolese to unending conflict.
23 min
9
Democrats, where you at?
NBC News reporter Sahil Kapur and Sen. Adam Schiff (D-CA) try to explain if the Democrats are, like, dead.
23 min
10
Tariffied
The first battles have now been fought in the new North American trade war. President Donald Trump came out on top. Companies that make things across multiple borders are still holding their collective breath.
23 min
11
Rebuilding Los Angeles
LA Times reporter Liam Dillon assesses the damage now that the fires are fully contained. Torched editor Alissa Walker explains how the 2028 Olympics might impede rebuilding efforts.
23 min
12
Turkey with the good hair
Turkey has become the hair transplant capital of the world. And it's part of a global boom in medical tourism.
23 min
13
DeepSeek deepdive
The emergence of DeepSeek — a Chinese AI model that was developed for a fraction of the cost of leading Western ones, but seems to perform on par with them — caused chaos in the markets and electrified the tech industry.
23 min
14
How America went MAHA
RFK Jr. adviser Calley Means explains why so many Americans are suspicious of food and pharma companies, and what the HHS secretary nominee plans to do about it if he's confirmed.
23 min
15
Trump’s government purge
Trump is remaking the federal government in his name, says Vox’s Andrew Prokop. Efforts at a more efficient government may have a point, says Jennifer Pahlka, who co-founded the precursor to DOGE.
23 min
16
The Silk Road pardon
President Donald Trump pardoned Silk Road creator Ross Ulbricht and launched his own memecoin, signaling a new attitude toward cryptocurrency in his second term.
24 min
17
From TikTok to 小红书
TikTok's uncertain future has driven a flood of users to a fully Chinese social media app full of opportunities for genuine cultural exchange. And it's given fresh fodder for proponents of a decentralized social media ecosystem known as the fediverse.
23 min
18
It’s not easy being Greenland
Donald Trump says he wants Greenland for America. Greenlandic government minister Naaja Nathanielsen says the country's not for sale but it's open for business.
23 min
19
Cafeteria wars
RFK Jr. is the latest in a long line of reformers who have tried to clean up school lunch. The history of those attempts illustrates how hard it is to change the American food system.
23 min
20
Back in (executive) action
Trump kicked off his second term with a flurry of executive actions. Vox’s Andrew Prokop and Nicole Narea explain.
23 min
21
47
The New Yorker’s Susan B. Glasser says Donald Trump’s second inauguration is very different from his first. Vox’s Ian Millhiser explains how the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity has changed executive power.
24 min
22
Generation Gentle Parent
Many millennials are pushing back against traditional parenting styles used by their boomer parents. We explore the confusion and chaos in today's parenting with a mom and her mom.
23 min
23
Zuck your feelings
Meta is going MAGA. New York magazine’s John Herrman explains Mark Zuckerberg’s makeover. Writer Ben Wofford introduces Meta’s policy puppet master.
24 min
24
Life after Ozempic
Americans were told “diet and exercise” was the key to better health, but lifestyle changes were never that life changing. Medication is.
23 min
25
The politics of fire
Wildfires overtook Los Angeles, firefighters ran out of water, and the political finger-pointing began.
23 min