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
The steroid olympics
The Enhanced Games are kind of like the Olympics except everyone is on performance enhancing drugs. The organizers want to push back on the shame of doping. But they're also trying to sell you something.
23 min
2
The fall of Ben Shapiro
Ben Shapiro used to be the leading voice in MAGA media. His downfall tells a bigger story of chaos and shifting allegiances in the conservative media world.
23 min
3
Raw milk is having a mooment
Lawmakers around the country are trying to make it easier to access raw milk. Our co-host Sean takes a sip.
24 min
4
Cuba, too
Cuba seems willing to concede more than ever if the Trump administration is willing to take the win.
23 min
5
Dating my AI
Real-life humans are searching for love and seem to be finding it… with their chatbots. We revisit our conversation with them.
22 min
6
Ew, are we post-literate?
In this episode from last year, we explain how a return to orality is frying our politics and our brains.
23 min
7
Late night’s long goodbye
The end of Colbert is just the beginning.
23 min
8
Everything is clips now
An army of people posting clips of podcasts, songs, and movies has taken over your algorithm, which means everything you see could be a psyop.
24 min
9
The Great American Road Trip?
The Secretary of Transportation took a sponsored road trip across the US with his wife and nine kids. Now if only Boeing could pay for YOUR family's summer vacation.
24 min
10
How the right embraced psychedelics
The MAGA right is enthusiastically embracing a potent psychedelic called ibogaine. Its the new counter-counter-culture.
23 min
11
Prepping for doomsday (or Tuesday)
How to prepare for the worst while still living your best life.
26 min
12
The data center war
There’s a growing disconnect between a local community that says it’s being treated as the "guinea pigs" in a new industrial revolution, and Washington politicians.
21 min
13
The rise of death doulas
Celebrities like Nicole Kidman and Chloé Zhao say they're training in this growing field. What preparing people for death teaches us about life.
23 min
14
All Quiet on the Climate Front
The fight against climate change has never been more urgent, but no one in US politics wants to talk about it anymore. And maybe they shouldn’t.
26 min
15
Is it a bad book or is it AI?
An author gets her book pulled after accusations that it was written with AI, but it might not always be so easy to catch AI writing.
23 min
16
Abortion pills at the Supreme Court
There are more abortions now than when the Court overturned Roe v. Wade. But a ruling on whether to keep abortion pills accessible could change that.
23 min
17
Controlling hantavirus
Quarantine, cruise ships, and passenger tracking are reminiscent of the COVID-19 pandemic. But the hantavirus is different, and public health officials are telling us not to freak out.
22 min
18
Chems in your cosmetics
From lotions to hair extensions, the products that make us look good may also make us feel bad.
27 min
19
"Affordability" is the new progressive
What do buzzwords like “progressive” and “affordability” mean to voters? We went to one of the most Democratic congressional districts to find out.
22 min
20
Is smoking back?
24 min
21
One billion humanoid robots
Tech companies are betting big on robots that look like humans and do human jobs. Why, robot?
24 min
22
Is Venezuela better now?
It’s been over four months since the United States overthrew Nicolás Maduro. One Venezuelan says she is grateful for the intervention and is cautiously optimistic for the future.
23 min
23
RIP Spirit Airlines
Lessons from the life and death of America’s most beloved, most hated, most bootleg airline.
23 min
24
The Supreme Court's gerrymaxxing
States are already making changes to their election maps after the Supreme Court decided to unleash a new era of partisan gerrymandering. And just in time for the midterms!
23 min
25
The cost of “I do”
Love is in the air, but only if you’ve got thousands to throw at it. How couples are navigating the pressures and expenses of planning their perfect wedding.
26 min