Today, Explained

By Vox

What's Today, Explained about?

News comes at you fast. Join us at the end of your day to understand it. Monday to Friday. All killer, no filler. Hosted by Sean Rameswaram. Featuring the finest explainers from Vox and more. Produced by Vox and Stitcher, and part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

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The Capitol police speak

07.28.2021

Capitol police officers testified on Tuesday in the building they defended on January 6. Seamus Hughes, a former congressional investigator, explains whether their testimony will make a difference. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to ...

Today, Explained episodes:

07.28.2021 The Capitol police speak Capitol police officers testified on Tuesday in the building they defended on January 6. Seamus Hughes, a former congressional investigator, explains whether their testimony will make a difference. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to ...
07.27.2021 The Covid Olympics The 2020 Games were mired in scandal before they even started. Vox’s Jen Kirby explains how things are going now that the Olympics have finally begun. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts. ...
07.26.2021 Panic! At The Delta Vox’s Umair Irfan explains why the United States is seeing another Covid-19 surge. Dr. Rhea Boyd says the country is getting unvaccinated people all wrong. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts. Learn ...
07.23.2021 Infrastructure Pete Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg explains what he and his boss are calling a once-in-a-generation spending plan. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
07.23.2021 Human infrastructure President Biden wants infrastructure spending to include child care, elder care, food assistance, even community college. Vox’s Anna North explains how he might convince Republicans in Congress. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! ...
07.21.2021 Our No. 2 problem America’s sewage system is total crap, but there’s a new plumber in town. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
07.20.2021 Why we can’t have nice trains And how it got so dam expensive to build things in America. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
07.19.2021 Hot infrastructure summer It’s a big week for President Biden’s infrastructure plans. Vox’s Li Zhou explains the obstacles in his way, and a historian says one of them is our collective memory. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution ...
07.16.2021 #FreeBritney was right Britney Spears returned to conservatorship court this week. Vox’s Constance Grady explains how Spears has rapidly become the face of a legal reform movement. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts. Learn more ...
07.15.2021 Cuba's had enough Cubans hit the streets for unprecedented protests against their communist government. CNN's Patrick Oppmann is on the ground in Havana with spotty wifi. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts. We are conducting ...
07.14.2021 The Lone Star strategy Republicans in Texas are legislating so far to the right the state’s Democrats up and fled to Washington, DC. Vox’s Nicole Narea explains. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts. We are conducting ...
07.13.2021 What’s happening in Haiti The assassination of President Jovenel Moïse is the latest in a long line of setbacks for Haiti’s stability. AyiboPost’s Widlore Mérancourt explains from Port-au-Prince. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts. We are ...
07.12.2021 Postcards from pandemic purgatory Travel around the globe to hear how disparately people are experiencing the pandemic in July 2021. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts. We are conducting an audience survey to better serve you. ...
07.09.2021 Where to go when the world burns An estimated 143 million people will relocate to escape climate change in the next three decades. Quartz’s Amanda Shendruk explains how cities can transform themselves into climate havens. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to ...
07.08.2021 CAHOOTS Thirty years ago, Eugene, Oregon, figured out an alternative to the police. They called it CAHOOTS. Seriously. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
07.07.2021 Let’s talk about terror (Part II) When people see Deeyah Khan's documentary about white supremacists, they tell her, "The real problem is jihad. You should spend time with jihadists." She says, "I did." Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! ...
07.06.2021 Let’s talk about terror (Part I) Documentary filmmaker Deeyah Khan grew tired of receiving death threats from white supremacists so she traveled to a Detroit motel to meet up with one. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts. Learn ...
07.02.2021 The case for drinking Getting buzzed helped build civilization.. The Atlantic's Kate Julian explains. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
07.01.2021 Law & Order: Special POTUS Unit The Trump Organization and its top lieutenant have been indicted for tax fraud. Andrew Prokop says the case could have uge implications for American politics. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts. Learn ...
06.30.2021 Unfair housing A housing watchdog says real estate companies often discriminate against low-income tenants who use federal rental assistance. Now it’s suing. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. ...
06.29.2021 Canada’s residential schools The discovery of mass graves of Indigenous children in Canada has led to reckonings on both sides of the border. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. ...
06.28.2021 The doctors are not all right Doctors have suffered psychologically throughout the pandemic, but as Vox’s Julia Belluz reports, those who seek mental health treatment in the US put their careers at risk. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! ...
06.25.2021 Food fight Restaurant delivery apps have made it possible to order pretty much anything we want to eat with the click of a button. The latest season of the Land of the Giants podcast explores the cost of that convenience. Transcript at ...
06.24.2021 Bish, don't kill my vibe Catholic bishops want to deny President Biden communion, even though Pope Francis thinks that's a terrible idea. The Atlantic's Emma Green explains. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts. Learn more about your ...
06.23.2021 Why stuff is getting more expensive Vox’s Emily Stewart explains how scared you should be of inflation. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
06.22.2021 The delta variant The fast-spreading coronavirus variant first detected in India is coming for the rest of the world. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
06.21.2021 A $55,000 drug that doesn’t cure Alzheimer’s After 20 years of waiting, there’s a new drug to treat Alzheimer’s. For some patients, it’s a glimmer of hope. For some scientists, it’s one of the FDA’s worst drug approval decisions ever. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by ...
06.17.2021 Tales from the crypto Cryptocurrency is everywhere! And now some people are saying it could be good for the environment?! New York Magazine's Jen Wieczner is here to explain. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts. Learn ...
06.16.2021 Once more unto the Brexit The Atlantic’s Tom McTague provides a halftime report on Brexit. It appears it’s going very well for Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts. Learn more about your ad ...
06.15.2021 Israel is under new management Benjamin Netanyahu is out. Israel has a new leader and a new coalition government. The question now is whether they bring anyone closer to peace. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts. Learn ...
06.14.2021 QAmom What to do when your mom is with Q. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
06.11.2021 The Kardashi-end Over 14 years and 20 seasons of “Keeping Up With the Kardashians,” the show rewrote the rules of reality TV, social media, marketing, and popular culture. Next up? Politics. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution ...
06.10.2021 You know who kinda crushed Covid? Senegal. Vox’s Jen Kirby flew there to find out how. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
06.09.2021 Mare of New York New York City is picking a new mayor with a new election system. What could go wrong? Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
06.08.2021 Mexico’s deadly election Gangs and drug cartels killed dozens of candidates in Mexico’s midterm elections. Voters weren’t intimidated. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about ...
06.07.2021 Critical race theory Across the country, Republican lawmakers are pushing laws banning “critical race theory” in schools. It’s already had a chilling effect on teachers. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts. Learn more about your ...
06.04.2021 It’s getting harder to vote in America Texas isn’t the only state advancing legislation that would disenfranchise voters in Democratic strongholds. Vox’s Ian Millhiser explains why some voter suppression efforts are worse than others. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! ...
06.03.2021 The lab leak theory The idea that Covid-19 emerged from a Chinese lab once sounded too fringe to take seriously. That’s starting to change. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts Learn more about your ad choices. ...
06.02.2021 Myanmar wants a revolution Despite a violent terror campaign by the military junta, protesters are still fighting for a new government. The latest conflict is uniting ethnic and religious groups that have long been at odds with one another. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, ...
06.01.2021 The Tulsa massacre, 100 years later It was one of the worst incidents of racial violence in American history, but for a long time very few Americans learned what happened to the Black residents of the Greenwood district in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Guest host Jamil Smith explores ...
05.28.2021 The truth is out there UFOs are having a renaissance. The New Yorker’s Gideon Lewis-Kraus explains what we stand to learn from an expected government disclosure, and why we want to believe. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! ...
05.27.2021 MO Medicaid MO Problems Missourians voted for more Medicaid. Missouri lawmakers said no. St. Louis Public Radio’s Jason Rosenbaum explains what happens when you bypass the will of the people. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts. ...
05.26.2021 Why Belarus hijacked a plane The hijacking of Ryanair flight 4978 is a big escalation of Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s attempts to hold on to power. It might also be his downfall. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! ...
05.25.2021 You’re vaxxed. You test positive. Don’t panic. Nine New York Yankees tested positive for Covid-19, even though they were all vaccinated. Vox’s Brian Resnick says it’s proof the system is working, just as New York City is opening back up. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by ...
05.24.2021 Remember the insurrection? Some would rather forget. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
05.21.2021 A million Muslims detained China’s Uyghur minority has been subjected to torture, forced labor, religious restrictions, and even forced sterilization. NPR’s Throughline explains how they became the target of what many are calling a genocide. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a ...
05.20.2021 Ctrl+Alt+Divorce For decades, Bill Gates exemplified the “good billionaire.” His reputation — tarnished almost overnight — highlights the danger of relying too much on billionaire philanthropists. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts. Learn ...
05.19.2021 America and Israel An arms deal between the United States and Israel is drawing criticism from Democrats. It's part of a shifting tide in the American approach to the Israel-Palestine conflict. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to ...
05.18.2021 The 2020* Olympics *Are being held this summer in Tokyo. And it’s a mess. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
05.17.2021 Take this job and shove it Job growth has slowed, but there are plenty of positions posted. That's got politicians arguing about the cost of benefits. Matt Yglesias explains. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts. Learn more about ...

Older episodes

Today, Explained

What's Today, Explained about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

Today, Explained episodes:

The Capitol police speak

The Covid Olympics

Panic! At The Delta

Infrastructure Pete

Human infrastructure

Our No. 2 problem

Why we can’t have nice trains

Hot infrastructure summer

#FreeBritney was right

Cuba's had enough

The Lone Star strategy

What’s happening in Haiti

Postcards from pandemic purgatory

Where to go when the world burns

CAHOOTS

Let’s talk about terror (Part II)

Let’s talk about terror (Part I)

The case for drinking

Law & Order: Special POTUS Unit

Unfair housing

Canada’s residential schools

The doctors are not all right

Food fight

Bish, don't kill my vibe

Why stuff is getting more expensive

The delta variant

A $55,000 drug that doesn’t cure Alzheimer’s

Tales from the crypto

Once more unto the Brexit

Israel is under new management

QAmom

The Kardashi-end

You know who kinda crushed Covid?

Mare of New York

Mexico’s deadly election

Critical race theory

It’s getting harder to vote in America

The lab leak theory

Myanmar wants a revolution

The Tulsa massacre, 100 years later

The truth is out there

MO Medicaid MO Problems

Why Belarus hijacked a plane

You’re vaxxed. You test positive. Don’t panic.

Remember the insurrection?

A million Muslims detained

Ctrl+Alt+Divorce

America and Israel

The 2020* Olympics

Take this job and shove it

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