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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, Jolie Myers, Amina Al-Sadi, Avishay Artsy, Miles Bryan, Hady Mawajdeh, Peter Balonon-Rosen, Danielle Hewitt, Kelli Wessinger, Ariana Aspuru, Laura Bullard, and Patrick Boyd. 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.

Today, Explained podcast
What Pope Leo XIV’s history can tell us about his papacyWhat Pope Leo XIV’s history can tell us about his papacy
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

His views on immigration may point to an early clash with the Trump administration.

By Amanda Lewellyn and Noel King
Today, Explained podcast
The remaking of Marco RubioThe remaking of Marco Rubio
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

Marco Rubio’s four jobs, explained the best we can.

By Devan Schwartz and Sean Rameswaram
Today, Explained podcast
Love on the Spectrum stars call on RFK Jr. to resignLove on the Spectrum stars call on RFK Jr. to resign
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

Two cast members of the hit Netflix reality TV show on what the HHS secretary misunderstands about autism.

By Avishay Artsy
Today, Explained podcast
John Bolton on why Trump 2.0 is going nowhere, fastJohn Bolton on why Trump 2.0 is going nowhere, fast
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

Fascism, Bolton told Vox, is “too far above Trump’s capabilities.”

By Sean Rameswaram
Today, Explained podcast
This senator met with Abrego Garcia in El Salvador. He tells us what he saw.This senator met with Abrego Garcia in El Salvador. He tells us what he saw.
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

A conversation with Sen. Chris Van Hollen about Kilmar Abrego Garcia’s detention — and where America goes from here.

By Miles Bryan
Today, Explained podcast
How Trump is rewriting American historyHow Trump is rewriting American history
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

Yale professor David W. Blight explains why Trump is far from the first to try to rewrite the record.

By Amanda Lewellyn
Today, Explained podcast
Why Florida’s public universities are collaborating with ICEWhy Florida’s public universities are collaborating with ICE
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

As Trump wages war against Harvard, something unprecedented is happening on Florida’s college campuses.

By Devan Schwartz and Sean Rameswaram
Culture
Luigi Mangione and the long legacy of the Unabomber Manifesto Luigi Mangione and the long legacy of the Unabomber Manifesto 
Podcast
Culture

Ted Kaczynski’s apocalyptic vision still has a following, 30 years later.

By Hady Mawajdeh
Today, Explained podcast
The playbook Trump is following to deport protestersThe playbook Trump is following to deport protesters
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

The authors of Project 2025 are at it again with Project Esther, a plan that’s supposedly about fighting antisemitism.

By Amanda Lewellyn
Today, Explained podcast
How Trump’s tariffs could help ChinaHow Trump’s tariffs could help China
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

“You couldn’t have drafted these conditions better if you were a Chinese diplomat.”

By Noel King and Gabrielle Berbey
Policy
Hasan Piker on why the boys are all right (wing)Hasan Piker on why the boys are all right (wing)
Podcast
Policy

The online personality has millions of young fans. Now prominent Democrats are seeking out his advice.

By Miles Bryan and Sean Rameswaram
Today, Explained podcast
How not to text, explainedHow not to text, explained
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

A guide to text etiquette so simple, even a government official could use it.

By Sean Rameswaram and Gabrielle Berbey
Today, Explained podcast
Trump is on a losing streak in the courts. How will he respond?Trump is on a losing streak in the courts. How will he respond?
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

The administration’s war on the judiciary, explained by a law professor.

By Sean Rameswaram and Devan Schwartz
Today, Explained podcast
One big reason for fewer babies: phones?One big reason for fewer babies: phones?
Podcast
Today, Explained podcast

The lack of romantic partnerships is an underrated factor causing fertility decline, says researcher Alice Evans.

By Noel King and Miles Bryan
Today, Explained newsletter
The silencing of Voice of AmericaThe silencing of Voice of America
Podcast
Today, Explained newsletter

How the shuttering of a small US-funded news outlet explains Trump’s governing philosophy.

By Sean Collins and Gabrielle Berbey
Today, Explained podcast
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
Today, Explained podcast
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
Podcasts
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
Today, Explained podcast
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
Culture
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
Politics
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
How Donald Trump is remaking America
The Christian nationalist legal scholar behind Trump’s purgesThe Christian nationalist legal scholar behind Trump’s purges
Podcast
How Donald Trump is remaking America

Russell Vought and his radical philosophy, explained.

By Miles Bryan
Policy
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
Today, Explained podcast
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
Today, Explained podcast
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
Today, Explained podcast
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
Today, Explained podcast
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
Podcasts
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
Health
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
Today, Explained podcast
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
Today, Explained podcast
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
Today, Explained podcast
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
Today, Explained podcast
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
Culture
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
Today, Explained podcast
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
Today, Explained podcast
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
Today, Explained podcast
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
Today, Explained podcast
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
Today, Explained podcast
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
Politics
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