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.
Can a Republican candidate run for governor in a red state without bringing up Donald Trump a single time? We went to Ohio to find out.
19 min
2
Gas station opioids
Drugs like kratom and 7-OH are widely available at corner stores and smoke shops. They've remained largely unregulated until now.
23 min
3
What happened at Cornell
24 min
4
The limits of free speech
A recent law-school graduate in Texas is facing disciplinary action over her “overexuberant” response to Charlie Kirk’s murder.
24 min
5
The coming oil shock
You might not use diesel to fill up your car, but it fuels the US economy, and President Trump’s solution to lower diesel prices might just make things worse.
24 min
6
Our AI Cold War
The worries in China over AI are not the same as the worries in the US, but both countries agree they want to win the AI race for themselves.
23 min
7
The end of etiquette
It’s not just about being nice. Manners allow us to peacefully coexist at work, in transit, and out in the wider world.
27 min
8
The AI election
Polling says less than 1 percent of voters consider AI a top concern this election cycle. Michigan congressional candidate Will Lawrence sees things differently.
26 min
9
Everything is gambling now
From live auction sites like Whatnot to games like Monopoly Go!, mobile apps are now designed to addict kids as well as adults.
23 min
10
Why we're still arming Israel
A majority of Americans have a negative view of Israel. Trump wants to send a massive shipment of bombs to the country anyway.
23 min
11
Ruining a young woman’s life for sport
It’s called the “burnerverse": an online community of anonymous college sports fans who mostly trash talk other teams, except when things turn very, very dark.
25 min
12
What the AI doom debate misses
Some top AI thinkers warn that the technology could kill us all. But it could also save us.
23 min
13
Trump’s temper tantrum
President Trump got so mad about his name not being on the Kennedy Center he threatened to demolish it. We try to understand his obsession.
23 min
14
We should party more
We’re lonely, isolated, and bored. The solution may be as simple as an invite and killer playlist.
27 min
15
Latino voters swing back
Latino voters swung hard to the right in 2024. Now, they’re giving Dems another look.
30 min
16
Miss Piggy, feminist diva
From Miss Piggy to the Housewives, depictions of women who refuse to be anything but larger than life has revolutionized the way culture views the other side of middle age.
23 min
17
Speaking up for Gaza
It's not just Macklemore. A new documentary on atrocities in Gaza has enraged the Israeli government... and some pro-Palestinian activists.
23 min
18
Good news about Alzheimer’s
Alzheimer’s research has stalled for decades. That’s finally changing.
23 min
19
Our Great Big AI Freakout
Fears of impending AI doom have burst into the mainstream. They still might not be enough for Washington to regulate AI.
23 min
20
The anti-Muslim midterms
Republicans are stoking anti-Muslim sentiment in new ways ahead of the midterms.
23 min
21
How to date IRL
People are getting tired of the dating apps and turning to a more old-fashioned way of finding love.
26 min
22
Your midterms study guide
With the 2026 midterms fast approaching, we’re asking a simple question: What actually matters to voters right now?
29 min
23
How 9/11 became a meme
On the 25th anniversary of the deadliest attack on America, 9/11 has quite possibly become the most memed event in human history.
23 min
24
Trump's mail-in meltdown
Restricting voting by mail is President Trump's latest obsession ahead of the 2026 midterms.
23 min
25
How to tax the (really) rich
Taxing billionaires is on the ballot in California. The measure has split Democrats — and may do more harm than good.