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Today, Explained podcast

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. You can listen to it, and more Vox podcasts, here. Today, Explained is now available on public radio stations across the US. For more daily news offerings, check out Vox’s weekday newsletter.

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The Today, Explained team includes Miranda Kennedy, Amina Al-Sadi, Victoria Chamberlin, Miles Bryan, Hady Mawajdeh, Patrick Boyd, Avishay Artsy, Amanda Lewellyn, Laura Bullard, Andrea Kristinsdottir, and Peter Balonon-Rosen. The show is a production of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Transcripts of the show are available here.

Download learning exercises to go along with our Today, Explained to Kids episodes.

The man whose tweets helped kill DEIThe man whose tweets helped kill DEI
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

We talk to Richard Hanania, an influential thinker on the online right, about how he got DEI dismantled and why he’s fallen out of love with MAGA.

By Noel King and Miles Bryan
Tim Walz shares his regretsTim Walz shares his regrets
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

In a Vox interview, the candidate reflects on what he — and Harris — should have done differently.

By Sean Rameswaram
Should I get on an airplane?Should I get on an airplane?
Podcast
Podcasts

Recent plane crashes have people afraid, just as DOGE lays off workers at the agency that keeps people safe in the air.

By Victoria Chamberlin and Sean Rameswaram
Germany’s rightward swing, explainedGermany’s rightward swing, explained
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

How to make sense of the German elections.

By Travis Larchuk and Noel King
The man trying to capture the internet before it disappearsThe man trying to capture the internet before it disappears
Podcast
Culture

The Trump administration is purging some government websites. The director of the Wayback Machine explains what we can do about it.

By Amanda Lewellyn
Tulsi Gabbard as Trump’s spy chief makes sense, actuallyTulsi Gabbard as Trump’s spy chief makes sense, actually
Podcast
Politics

How a veteran with very little experience in foreign intelligence ended up overseeing the nation’s spy agencies.

By Avishay Artsy and Sean Rameswaram
The Christian nationalist legal scholar behind Trump’s purgesThe Christian nationalist legal scholar behind Trump’s purges
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

Russell Vought and his radical philosophy, explained.

By Miles Bryan
Can anyone stop the french fry cartel?Can anyone stop the french fry cartel?
Podcast
Policy

The anti-trust battle between diners and Big French Fry, briefly explained.

By Peter Balonon-Rosen
How America went MAHAHow America went MAHA
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

What’s making Americans sick, according to a top RFK Jr. adviser.

By Miles Bryan and Noel King
Why Trump pardoned the creator of “the Amazon of drugs”Why Trump pardoned the creator of “the Amazon of drugs”
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

Journalist and author Nick Bilton explains the rise and fall of Ross Ulbricht, the founder of the Silk Road marketplace.

By Amanda Lewellyn and Peter Balonon-Rosen
How Greenland feels about Trump, explained by a GreenlanderHow Greenland feels about Trump, explained by a Greenlander
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

Greenland: not for sale, but open for business.

By Avishay Artsy and Noel King
Can RFK Jr. remake school lunch?Can RFK Jr. remake school lunch?
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

RFK Jr. wants to get ultra-processed foods out of school lunch. It’s harder than it sounds.

By Miles Bryan and Noel King
Why Trump’s second inauguration isn’t like the firstWhy Trump’s second inauguration isn’t like the first
Podcast
Podcasts

A conversation with the New Yorker’s Susan Glasser on why 2025 feels so different from 2017.

By Avishay Artsy and Noel King
How weight-loss drugs ended the era of “lifestyle changes”How weight-loss drugs ended the era of “lifestyle changes”
Podcast
Health

Ozempic is changing the way we think about diet and exercise.

By Jolie Myers
Sports gambling should have stayed in Las VegasSports gambling should have stayed in Las Vegas
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

Online sports betting is bad for sports — and for gamblers.

By Hady Mawajdeh and Sean Rameswaram
Can Trump get a Gaza ceasefire?Can Trump get a Gaza ceasefire?
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

The president-elect is pushing Hamas to free Israeli hostages by January 20.

By Peter Balonon-Rosen and Noel King
Assad is gone. Will Syrian refugees go home?Assad is gone. Will Syrian refugees go home?
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

The big decision facing millions of Syrian refugees, explained.

By Avishay Artsy and Noel King
How UnitedHealthcare became the face of a broken health care systemHow UnitedHealthcare became the face of a broken health care system
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

Luigi Mangione was charged with murdering a health care CEO. The internet responded with a flood of support.

By Miranda Kennedy and Sean Rameswaram
Y2K is so backY2K is so back
Podcast
Culture

25 years later, Kyle Mooney’s new movie revisits the apocalypse that wasn’t.

By Sean Rameswaram and Avishay Artsy
The author of the seminal book about loneliness explains what we’re getting wrongThe author of the seminal book about loneliness explains what we’re getting wrong
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

Nearly 25 years after Robert Putnam’s Bowling Alone, Americans are more socially isolated than ever.

By Miranda Kennedy and Noel King
The Democrat who won in Trump countryThe Democrat who won in Trump country
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

Washington Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez on where she thinks her party went wrong in 2024.

By Noel King
Deep-blue California’s rightward slide, explainedDeep-blue California’s rightward slide, explained
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

How will California define itself under Trump 2.0?

By Miranda Kennedy and Sean Rameswaram
A top Bernie Sanders strategist on why Kamala Harris lostA top Bernie Sanders strategist on why Kamala Harris lost
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

Jeff Weaver explains how the Democratic Party lost working-class voters.

By Hady Mawajdeh and Noel King
The voters who could decide the 2024 election in MichiganThe voters who could decide the 2024 election in Michigan
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

Arab American support for third parties could decide Michigan — and the presidency.

By Miles Bryan and Noel King
How Americans came to hate each otherHow Americans came to hate each other
Podcast
Politics

And how we can make it stop.

By Victoria Chamberlin
Why Trump and Republicans think they have a chance in NevadaWhy Trump and Republicans think they have a chance in Nevada
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

Nevada has voted blue since 2008. Will that change this year?

By Peter Balonon-Rosen and Sean Rameswaram
The 7 states that will decide the 2024 election
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

What matters most to voters in the battleground states.

By Vox Staff
How Hurricane Helene scrambled the election in North CarolinaHow Hurricane Helene scrambled the election in North Carolina
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

Will storm damage depress turnout in a key battleground state?

By Amanda Lewellyn
Why Wisconsin Democrats are campaigning in places they can’t winWhy Wisconsin Democrats are campaigning in places they can’t win
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

To win statewide, the party wants to “lose by less” in rural areas.

By Avishay Artsy and Sean Rameswaram
Will abortion rights help turn out voters in Arizona?Will abortion rights help turn out voters in Arizona?
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

Arizona’s dueling ballot measures on abortion and immigration, explained.

By Victoria Chamberlin
Puberty is changing. We should talk about it.Puberty is changing. We should talk about it.
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

For many children, puberty is starting earlier and lasting longer.

By Haleema Shah and Noel King
Toxic lies are surging in the wake of Hurricanes Helene and MiltonToxic lies are surging in the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

Donald Trump and Elon Musk are two of the biggest misinformation superspreaders.

By Miles Bryan and Sean Rameswaram
Vox podcasts tackle the Israel-Hamas warVox podcasts tackle the Israel-Hamas war
Podcast
Podcasts

Looking to understand the Israel-Hamas war? Start with these Vox podcast episodes.

By Vox Staff
What the death of Hezbollah’s leader means for the Middle EastWhat the death of Hezbollah’s leader means for the Middle East
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of Hezbollah, was killed in an airstrike. What now?

By Peter Balonon-Rosen and Sean Rameswaram
In the new Miami, the old office culture reignsIn the new Miami, the old office culture reigns
Podcast
Future of Work

How a tech and finance boom brought workers back to the office. It might just be the future of work for all of us.

By Jolie Myers
Can Georgia’s MAGA election board actually rig the vote for Trump?Can Georgia’s MAGA election board actually rig the vote for Trump?
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

The Georgia state election board’s 11th-hour rule changes, explained.

By Hady Mawajdeh and Noel King
New York’s governor wants to “liberate” kids — by taking their phonesNew York’s governor wants to “liberate” kids — by taking their phones
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul spoke to Today, Explained co-host Sean Rameswaram about her plan.

By Miles Bryan
The anatomy of a smear: How a lie about Haitian immigrants went viralThe anatomy of a smear: How a lie about Haitian immigrants went viral
Podcast
Podcasts

The right-wing conspiracy theory jumped from Facebook to X to a presidential debate stage.

By Haleema Shah and Noel King
Two astronauts are stranded in space. This one is jealous.Two astronauts are stranded in space. This one is jealous.
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

February?! Until February?!?! Boeing slip leaves astronauts in limbo.

By Sean Rameswaram and Avishay Artsy
Black women on Kamala Harris and their party’s futureBlack women on Kamala Harris and their party’s future
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

Black women delegates opened up about the thorniest challenges ahead.

By Miranda Kennedy and Noel King