Vox Quick Hits

Vox Quick Hits cover the big, complex, important topics in news, politics and pop culture in just a fraction of the time. Check in daily to hear short updates from your favorite journalists and podcasts in the Vox Media Podcast Network. 

News
Society & Culture
Technology
301
Everything that could wrong with the November e...
A worsening pandemic. A poll worker shortage. A hobbled postal service. Russian hacking. Donald Trump.
9 min
302
What should the Biden administration prioritize?
If we wake up on January 20, 2021 with Joe Biden as president, a solidly Democratic House and 51 Democratic seats in the Senate, what should the Biden administration prioritize in its first big legislative push?
2 min
303
What does "BIPOC" mean?
A University of Arizona linguist named Sonja Lanehart explains BIPOC and the capitalization of “Black” and “White.”
9 min
304
Vivid coronavirus dreams, explained
Why so many people seem to be having vivid dreams right now, explained by an expert.
8 min
305
Tim, Mark, Jeff, and Sundar
The leaders of Apple, Facebook, Amazon, and Google testified before Congress on Wednesday in what The Verge’s Casey Newton says might have been the most important Webex in human history.
9 min
306
Long term effects of COVID-19
Some people walk away from Covid-19 feeling fine. Others are dealing with a long list of lingering health issues.
9 min
307
The fight over the next coronavirus stimulus pa...
Democrats and Republicans have a $2 trillion disagreement on how to relieve Americans from the recession caused by the coronavirus.
9 min
308
Rural America meets Black Lives Matter
In Bethel, Ohio, a Black Lives Matter rally became a standoff between armed bikers and peaceful protesters. BuzzFeed’s Anne Helen Petersen explains.
10 min
309
Baseball is back
Let's revisit how the reigning MLB champions, the Houston Astros, cheated their way to a World Series win.
10 min
310
Why are Americans still fighting over masks?
The United States has now confirmed 4 million cases of Covid-19. Some Americans still don’t want to wear a mask. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.
9 min
311
Joe Biden's $2 trillion climate plan
Joe Biden is tacking to the left and embracing a historic climate plan. Vox’s David Roberts explains whether it stands a chance.
9 min
312
Tucker Carlson's America
The most popular host in the history of cable news just returned from a week-long vacation after his head writer was exposed as a raging bigot. The Washington Post's Erik Wemple explains why the revelations won't stick.
9 min
313
Why are the feds in Portland?
They came to Portland in military camouflage and unmarked vans. Now the state of Oregon is suing the federal government over its policing tactics. Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Conrad Wilson explains.
8 min
314
How to avoid Lyme disease
Vox’s Julia Belluz explains how to avoid ticks and, if worse comes to worst, deal with Lyme disease.
5 min
315
#CancelRent
Eviction bans and expanded unemployment benefits are expiring, leaving millions of Americans at risk of losing their homes by the end of the summer.
9 min
316
What happened to California?
California once looked like an example of how to handle the COVID-19 pandemic. Now it’s a warning for other states looking to reopen.
9 min
317
Renaming The Washington Football Team
The District of Columbia's football team is abandoning the name it adopted almost a century ago.
9 min
318
Who is Roger Stone?
Roger Stone is a legendary figure in Republican politics and the latest in a long line of commutations and pardons from President Trump.
9 min
319
Why is the U.S. asking international students t...
With Covid-19 surging in the United States, the Trump administration announced last week that international students doing online-only coursework would have to leave the country.
9 min
320
Does President Trump have to release his tax re...
The Supreme Court issued its remaining decisions today for the 2020 term, including the big one: President Trump's taxes.
9 min
321
Surfaces vs. droplets vs. aerosols
How is Covid-19 transmitted? 239 scientists sent a letter to WHO urging it warn people of evidence that the novel coronavirus is transmitted by air.
9 min
322
Will schools open in the fall?
As the U.S. surpassed three million Covid-19 cases on Wednesday, President Trump demanded students and teachers return to the classroom in the fall.
9 min
323
How AI makes policing more racist
Turns out AI is just as racist as humans.
9 min
324
A bounty on American soldiers
There is good reason to believe that the Russian government paid the Taliban to kill American soldiers.
9 min
325
How did U.S. police become militarized?
Vox's Madeline Marshall explains how military equipment has caused America's police to start looking and acting like soldiers.
8 min