The communist comeback

There's a new Red Scare bubbling up in politics. Just how real is the communist threat?

This episode was produced by Dustin DeSoto, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Gabriel Dunatov, engineered by Patrick Boyd and David Tatasciore, and hosted by Noel King.

"Are you a Communist?" poster in Forest Hills, New York City. Photo by Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images.

Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. New Vox members get $20 off their membership right now. Transcript at ⁠vox.com/today-explained-podcast.⁠

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There's a new Red Scare bubbling up in politics. Just how real is the communist threat?

This episode was produced by Dustin DeSoto, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Gabriel Dunatov, engineered by Patrick Boyd and David Tatasciore, and hosted by Noel King.

"Are you a Communist?" poster in Forest Hills, New York City. Photo by Lindsey Nicholson/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images.

Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. New Vox members get $20 off their membership right now. Transcript at ⁠vox.com/today-explained-podcast.⁠

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2026-08-05 25 min

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