Today, Explained

Rep. Carolyn Maloney of New York explains what it was like to live through today’s violent transfer of power.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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Viruses mutate, but this time it’s different.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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Tuesday’s election will decide who controls the Senate, but the president is still hung up on the election he already lost.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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It's been a year.

It’s been a year

And after all the news 

We’re still not in the clear

It’s been a year

Can’t even remember what life was like 

Back before we didn’t need a mask to go outside

It’s been a year

Can’t even remember how it used to sound

Before the streets were quiet and we had to lock it down

It’s been a year

2020

The year began on fire

Australia was burning

And Iran was looking dire

And you know you might forget it but

Back in the before time

We thought we’d have to deal

With Third World War time

It was only January 

The last time I went to a wedding

And we barely knew back then

That the virus was already spreading

Meanwhile the end of

The impeachment trial, finally

It went the way you thought it would

Except for maybe Romney

The virus leaves China

On planes and on ships 

The world watches closely

As Italy gets hit

But Italians sang from their balconies

And then came the celebrities

It’s been a year

It’s been a year

And after all the news

We’re still not in the clear

It’s been a year

2020 is cancelled

No Olympics and

Costco took away free samples

So long, Coachella

Goodbye in-person classes

No European travel

We banned their white asses

Covid conspiracies.

We’ve got varieties 

Bill Gates made it in a lab

And 5G wants to kill your dad

Maybe it’ll go away 

When temperatures are high

Maybe some disinfectant

Is worth the college try?

Lockdowns, shutdowns

Layoffs and a market crash

Mask on. Mask off

The stimulus won’t help my rash

We’re running out of TP

We’re running out of PPE

I’m scared of getting groceries

I’m losing all my sanity

When is this all gonna end?

It feels like everything is the same

Every single day 

Blends into the next day

It’s been a year

It’s been a year

And after all the news

We’re still not in the clear.

It’s been a year

Late May

A wall starts to shatter

More than half the country screaming

Black! Lives! Matter!

A monumental protest movement 

Started in the streets

Statues start to fall

And people protest the police

Racist mascots fall and 

Athletes protest in the bubble

John Lewis passed away but left us

His “good trouble.”

The Confederate flag

Lost again in this pandemic

While more and more people saw

That racism’s systemic

But unity, it doesn’t last 

It quickly gets politicized 

There’s shooting in Kenosha 

And everyone’s still taking sides

One step forward

One step back

The United States

Staying right on track

It’s been a—

Wait, wait hold the phone

The president has got it

He didn’t wanna wear a mask

But now he tested positive

Yeah, he’s gonna beat it

But he won’t win the election 

Even after RBG

The Court will not correct it

Convinces half his party

It’s a steal, without a reason

Tries to throw good ballots out

But books the wrong Four Seasons

Fifty different lawsuits

Winding through the courts.

He’s losing and losing and losing and losing and losing…

Who cares! Now there’s a vaccine!

And another new vaccine!

It’s actually happening!

It’s all predicted by Fauci!

Thank you to the doctors

And to all the educators

Thank you to the nurses

And to grocery store workers

And also all the drivers!

Who now have my address

And for saving our election

God bless USPS!

It’s been a year

It’s been a year

And after all the news

We’re still not in the clear

It’s been a year

It’s been a year

And after all the news

We’re still not in the clear

It’s been a year

Can’t even remember what it’s like to be dancing with my friends and eating with my family

It’s been a year

Can’t even remember what normal was, but gimme more hugs in 2021

It’s been a year

It’s been a year

And after all the news

We’re still not in the clear.

It’s been a year

It’s been a year

We’ve given up so much

But somehow we’re still here

We’re still here.

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In the final episode of our five-part series, “You, Me, and Covid-19,” people look back on a very long year.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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In the fourth of our five-part series, “You, Me, and Covid-19,” a reminder that we’re not the only animals who got Covid-19 this year. Science writer David Quammen explains why our health and theirs are intertwined.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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In the third of our five-part series, “You, Me, and Covid-19,” Dr. Anthony Fauci reflects back on his pandemic year, what he’s learned, and what he’d do differently.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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 In the second of our five-part series, “You, Me, and Covid-19,” musicians explain how they got creative when live shows and tours were canceled.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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In the first of our five-part series, “You, Me, and Covid-19,” millennials are moving back in with their parents (again), but they are discovering multigenerational living has its perks.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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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.

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