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
Food stamp rage bait
Millions of Americans are about to lose their SNAP benefits. The fight over who deserves them has been juiced by online videos that claim to show recipients behaving badly.
23 min
2
Are we going to invade Venezuela?
President Trump is sending warships to Venezuela and bombing so-called drug boats off the coast. His aggression toward Venezuela smells a lot like the beginnings of a war. But it may just be a way to expand presidential power.
23 min
3
The AI bubble
And what happens when it pops.
23 min
4
Extreme Makeover: White House Edition
President Trump demolished part of the White House to make room for a lavish new ballroom. The gold and glitz is part of a broader rebranding project for an America in Trump's image.
24 min
5
Paging Dr. ChatBot
Patients and doctors both are turning to AI for help with diagnosing ailments and managing chronic issues. Should we trust it?
26 min
6
Capitalism (Taylor’s Version)
Taylor Swift reaches new heights with her latest album, which is both divisive and record-breaking.
23 min
7
Can you sue ICE?
You can. And ICE's aggressive tactics are inviting legal challenges from protesters. But some recent court rulings will make it hard for them to win.
23 min
8
A test of Trump's coalition
We visit New Jersey, where there are cracks emerging in Trump's gains with Latinos.
23 min
9
The "I love Hitler" group chat
When the private messages of Young Republican leaders leaked, it exposed an antisemitism problem that is dividing the GOP. And the online world that is fostering it.
23 min
10
The Americans with their bags packed
The Trump administration is making an effort to systematically exclude trans people from public life. For many trans Americans, it feels like an existential threat.
23 min
11
Why (some) food tastes better abroad
We tell the stories of three ingredients that can shine outside the US: beef, bread, and tomatoes.
26 min
12
Victoria’s Secret wants you back
The lingerie brand was tarnished by its connection to Jeffrey Epstein, and by fading cultural appeal. With the relaunch of its once-iconic fashion show, Victoria's Secret is fighting for relevance.
23 min
13
Marjorie Taylor Greene gone rogue
Over two weeks in, the government shutdown is exposing fault lines on both sides of the aisle. Perhaps the most surprising one: the political left turn of the MAGA darling from Georgia.
24 min
14
Is voting doomed?
The 1965 Voting Rights Act enfranchised millions of Black voters in the Jim Crow era. The Supreme Court may be about to decide it's no longer needed.
23 min
15
What the Gaza ceasefire really means
What happens next in Gaza now that a ceasefire has been reached and how the last two years might have taught the world the wrong lessons about war.
22 min
16
When young adults get cancer
Getting a cancer diagnosis at any age is life changing. But when you’re in your 20s or 30s, it can feel like hitting the pause button on life. That’s how some young cancer survivors described it in this episode that originally ran earlier this year.
23 min
17
Should we give toddlers phones?
What we know about early childhood and screens, including a surprising argument for introducing tech at a tender age.
26 min
18
The campus resistance
In this special feed drop of On with Kara Swisher, Princeton President Christopher Eisgruber talks about standing up to Donald Trump and what free speech on campus really looks like.
51 min
19
Saudi Arabia is no joke
The Riyadh Comedy Festival was billed as “two weeks of laughs in the desert” but has comics asking, “At what cost?”
23 min
20
Trump deploys the National Guard
The president is attempting to send the National Guard into two American cities for two (seemingly) different reasons with two (for now) different results.
23 min
21
We're in our AI slop era
Meta just dropped Vibes and OpenAI just dropped Sora 2. Both social media platforms are filled with AI videos that warp our sense of reality.
23 min
22
TrumpRx
President Trump wants to put his stamp on health care. But TrumpRx is no Obamacare.
23 min
23
Is empathy toxic?
Society teaches us empathy is a good thing. But some are now saying the opposite, and science is complicating our assumptions too.
26 min
24
KPop Demon Hunters keeps slaying
The Netflix animated film KPop Demon Hunters is a mega cultural phenomenon. And the studio that used to own animation, Disney, is watching its dominance be tested...and maybe even fade.
23 min
25
Hegseth’s hectic military
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth ordered top military officials to DC for a surprise lecture on the "warrior ethos." Chaos ensued. With Hegseth, it usually does.
23 min