Skip to main content

The context you need, when you need it

When news breaks, you need to understand what actually matters — and what to do about it. At Vox, our mission to help you make sense of the world has never been more vital. But we can’t do it on our own.

We rely on readers like you to fund our journalism. Will you support our work and become a Vox Member today?

Join now

Policy Archive

Archives for October 2024

Climate
These Floridians couldn’t flee Hurricane Milton. They’re incarcerated.These Floridians couldn’t flee Hurricane Milton. They’re incarcerated.
Climate

Multiple Florida jails opted not to evacuate despite being in the storm’s direct trajectory.

By Li Zhou
Supreme Court
Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett seem unsure whether to save a man’s lifeBrett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett seem unsure whether to save a man’s life
Supreme Court

It’s unclear how the Supreme Court will resolve an unusually messy death penalty case.

By Ian Millhiser
Supreme Court
The Supreme Court appears to have found a gun regulation it actually likesThe Supreme Court appears to have found a gun regulation it actually likes
Supreme Court

The justices appear skeptical of “ghost guns.”

By Ian Millhiser
Politics
Biden’s push for child care failed. What lessons are there for Kamala Harris?Biden’s push for child care failed. What lessons are there for Kamala Harris?
Politics

The “care economy” agenda collapsed despite a Democratic trifecta. A divided government is more likely next time.

By Rachel Cohen Booth
Policy
Florida criminalized homelessness. Then came hurricanes Helene and Milton.Florida criminalized homelessness. Then came hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Policy

Around the country, anti-camping policies are complicating disaster recovery.

By Rachel Cohen Booth
Labor
The massive dock workers’ strike, explainedThe massive dock workers’ strike, explained
Labor

The dock workers’ strike could mean big wage gains but could further disrupt the fragile supply chain.

By Ellen Ioanes
Supreme Court
The Supreme Court will decide if Oklahoma must execute a man it doesn’t want to killThe Supreme Court will decide if Oklahoma must execute a man it doesn’t want to kill
Supreme Court

The state’s Republican attorney general took the rare step of asking the Supreme Court to set aside Richard Glossip’s capital conviction.

By Ian Millhiser
Policy
Kids’ political concerns are surprisingly grownupKids’ political concerns are surprisingly grownup
Policy

What young people want out of this election

By Anna North
The profit-obsessed monster destroying American emergency rooms
Health Care

Private equity decimated emergency care in the United States — without you even noticing.

By Keren Landman, MD
Explain It to Me
Why is US health care like this?Why is US health care like this?
Explain It to Me

America unintentionally built a health care system that is hard to fix.

By Dylan Scott
Politics
Vance’s one weird trick for selling Trumpism to normies: Just lieVance’s one weird trick for selling Trumpism to normies: Just lie
Politics

The Republican VP candidate isn’t a moderate, but at the debate Tuesday, he played one on TV.

By Eric Levitz
Future Perfect
The world’s spending to fight global lead poisoning just doubledThe world’s spending to fight global lead poisoning just doubled
Future Perfect

1.5 million people die from lead exposure a year. This new global partnership could change that.

By Dylan Matthews
How hidden fees keep renters trapped
The Highlight

Signing a new lease often comes with high upfront costs that some renters can’t afford. It doesn’t have to be this way.

By Abdallah Fayyad
Supreme Court
The Supreme Court will decide whether to let criminals get guns without a background checkThe Supreme Court will decide whether to let criminals get guns without a background check
Supreme Court

The Court considers legalizing “ghost guns,” untraceable weapons that evade laws intended to keep guns away from criminals.

By Ian Millhiser