Today, Explained

An energy expert explains why offshore oil spills keep happening and whether they’ll ever stop.

Today’s show was produced by Victoria Chamberlin, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Cristian Ayala and Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura Bullard and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained

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Facebook kicked off the week with an outage and followed that up today with a whistleblower testifying before Congress. The Wall Street Journal’s Jeff Horwitz explains how the company may have misled the public about the dangers of its social networks.

Today’s show was produced by Will Reid, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura Bullard and edited and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained

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School’s been back for a month. Today, Explained spent a month checking in with Cramer Hill Elementary to find out how it’s going.

Today’s show was produced and reported by Miles Bryan with help from Jillian Weinberger, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura Bullard and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained

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The Brazilian butt lift isn’t just a cosmetic surgery; it’s a lifestyle. Vox’s Rebecca Jennings explains how influencers gave a decades-old procedure new life.

Today’s show was produced by Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura Bullard and hosted by Haleema Shah.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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Twelve people at Rikers Island have died in custody so far this year. The pandemic is only part of the problem, explains Nick Pinto, who is covering the string of deaths for the Intercept.

Today’s show was produced by Victoria Chamberlin, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura Bullard and hosted by Haleema Shah.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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Former CDC Director Nancy Messonnier and former White House Covid-19 adviser Andy Slavitt join Sean at Code Conference in Los Angeles to explain the back and forth on vaccine booster shots.

Today’s show was produced and hosted by Sean Rameswaram, with help from Dylan Scott and Haleema Shah, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro and fact-checked by Laura Bullard.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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Moderates and progressives are threatening to vote down different parts of their own party’s agenda, all while a government shutdown looms. Vox’s Li Zhou explains why.

Today’s show was produced by Will Reid with help from Miles Bryan, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, and hosted by Haleema Shah.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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A former Defense Department adviser says President Biden might succeed where President Obama failed, and the man formerly known as “Detainee 441” speaks.

Today’s show was produced by Haleema Shah, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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President Biden wants to give Americans four more years of free school: two years of pre-K and two of community college. In a two-part series, Today, Explained’s Haleema Shah explores the challenges of expanding public education.

This episode was reported by Haleema Shah, fact checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Efim Shapiro, edited by Matt Collette with help from Jillian Weinberger, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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President Biden wants to give Americans four more years of free school: two years of pre-K and two of community college. In a two-part series, Today, Explained’s Haleema Shah explores the challenges of expanding public education.

Today’s show was reported by Haleema Shah, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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Vox’s Aja Romano explains why the internet stopped what it was doing to find one particular missing person.

Today’s show was produced by Victoria Chamberlin and Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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Vox’s Nicole Narea explains the latest border crisis, and Ayibopost’s Widlore Mérancourt documents deported Haitians’ return to Port-au-Prince.

Today’s show was produced by Will Reid, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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Chinese President Xi Jinping has kicked off a "rectification" campaign that’s affecting every sector of Chinese society and business. Lily Kuo, the Washington Post's China bureau chief, explains.

Today’s show was produced by Hady Mawajdeh and Miles Bryan, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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A US drone strike in Afghanistan was meant to take out an ISIS-K target. Reporting on the ground shows an aid worker and several children were killed. Matthieu Aikins, reporter at the New York Times, explains from Kabul.

Today’s show was produced by Victoria Chamberlin, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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The US military is redoubling its efforts to figure out what’s behind reports of mysterious sonic attacks. So is Vox’s Unexplainable podcast.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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A California judge weighed in on whether Apple has a monopoly. NPR’s Bobby Allyn unpacks the ruling. Sen. Amy Klobuchar explains why she wants the government to get serious about regulating Big Tech.

Today’s show was produced by Will Reid with help from Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Paul Mounsey, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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President Joe Biden is taking a new approach to fight the pandemic. Former acting CDC director Richard Besser explains the vaccine mandates and the booster shot debate.

Today’s show was produced by Hady Mawajdeh with help from Miles Bryan, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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Jeffrey Epstein has been dead for over two years, but his crimes and mysterious death still haunt his victims and friends. The Miami Herald’s Julie K. Brown explains.

Today’s show was produced by Haleema Shah, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Paul Mounsey, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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A love story between a person who's alive and a person who is dead, told by the San Francisco Chronicle's Jason Fagone.

Today’s show was produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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NPR’s Anya Kamenetz explains how America is sending its kids back to school while delta surges. Politico’s Lauren Gardner has the latest on vaccines for kids.

Today’s show was produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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Neigh!

Today’s show was produced by Will Reid with help from Amina Al-Sadi, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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The Department of Defense tracks how much US wars cost, but last week President Biden cited instead accounting from the Costs of War Project at Brown University. Its co-director, Stephanie Savell, explains why.

Today’s show was produced by Victoria Chamberlin with help from Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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The pandemic has changed how we think about work. Vox’s Anna North says it might be time to change how much we work, too.

Today’s show was produced by Will Reid, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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Texas didn't just make it almost impossible to get an abortion, the state made it easy to sue somebody who gets one after about six weeks of pregnancy — and anyone who helps. KUT reporter Ashley Lopez explains.

Today’s show was produced by Victoria Chamberlin, with help from Amina Al-Sadi, Hady Mawajdeg, and Jillian Weinberger, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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The United States’ 20-year war in Afghanistan is officially over. Vox’s Nicole Narea explains what’s next for the more than 100,000 refugees evacuated from Kabul.

This episode was produced by Will Reid and Amina Al-Sadi, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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California could elect a Republican governor in a few weeks. KPCC reporter Libby Denkmann explains how. And the dean of the UC Berkeley School of Law argues the state's recall election process is unconstitutional.

This episode was produced by Amina Al-Sadi with help from Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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The attack outside the Kabul airport on Thursday was perpetrated by an extremist group that doesn't think the Taliban is extreme enough.

This episode was produced by Will Reid and Haleema Shah, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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I’ll take public scandal for $1000.

This episode was produced by Victoria Chamberlin, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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The Afghan refugee crisis started long before the US withdrawal. Al Jazeera English correspondent Ali Latifi explains from Kabul.

This episode was produced by Haleema Shah with help from Jillian Weinberger, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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Vox’s Umair Irfan explains why you might need one. The Atlantic’s Sarah Zhang says the coronavirus is here forever, but ultimately, it might not be so bad.

This episode was produced by Will Reid, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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The pandemic wiped out the slow but steady progress America had been making against another deadly disease: opioid addiction. The Washington Post’s Peter Jamison explains.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

This episode was produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Matt Collette, engineered by Efim Shapiro, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

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In this episode of Vox Conversations, the Atlantic’s Elizabeth Bruenig shares forgiveness strategies built for unforgiving times.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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The Taliban last controlled Afghanistan 20 years ago. They may be more pragmatic now, but their ideology hasn’t changed.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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Some recent analysis of America’s changing demographics is inaccurate and dangerous. NPR’s Hansi Lo Wang makes sense of the 2020 census.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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An assassination followed by an earthquake followed by a tropical storm strike a country where aid organizations often have more influence than Haitians.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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And did it faster than the US ever imagined.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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Covid-19 is surging so high in several states, you’d think we didn’t have a vaccine. A Mississippi nurse who was initially skeptical explains her path to getting the shot.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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While the US withdraws from Afghanistan, the Taliban is surging, which is a likely death sentence for the thousands of Afghans who helped the US military. An interpreter who escaped explains.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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A new UN report says humans are “unequivocally” causing climate change. Rich countries are to blame, but poorer ones, like Madagascar, are paying the price with an unprecedented climate-induced famine. 

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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People said New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo would never resign. Then he did. New York magazine contributing writer David Freedlander explains.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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The pandemic Olympics have come to an end. NPR’s Tom Goldman provides a highlight reel and an evaluation from Tokyo.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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Giannis Antetokounmpo went from hawking watches and DVDs on the streets of Greece to winning an NBA championship for the Milwaukee Bucks. The Ringer’s Mirin Fader tells the story of his improbable rise.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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Democrats this week scrambled to extend a federal evictions moratorium amid the government's failure to deliver tens of billions of dollars to renters in need. Vox’s Ian Millhiser and Jerusalem Demsas explain.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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The new Matt Damon movie, Stillwater, is based on Amanda Knox’s story. She wishes someone had asked her to tell it.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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The Roth IRA was invented by Congress to incentivize middle-class retirement savings. ProPublica’s Justin Elliott explains how venture capitalist Peter Thiel ended up with $5 billion in his.

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Vox’s Dylan Scott explains what an outbreak in a mostly vaccinated beach town taught the CDC about the delta variant.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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A Philadelphia election tested progressive ideas on how to reduce shootings in America. ProPublica’s Alec MacGillis explains.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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The nation’s murder rate rose by almost 25 percent last year — the largest increase in at least 60 years. This year might be even worse. ProPublica’s Alec MacGillis reports on “The Great Regression.”

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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An earlier version of this episode inaccurately described the no-cash bail policies District Attorney Larry Krasner's office has pursued since the start of the pandemic. The episode previously stated that Krasner stopped requesting bail in many gun cases. After publication, the office said it has pursued high bail in almost all gun cases.

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Capitol police officers testified on Tuesday in the building they defended on January 6. Seamus Hughes, a former congressional investigator, explains whether their testimony will make a difference.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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The 2020 Games were mired in scandal before they even started. Vox’s Jen Kirby explains how things are going now that the Olympics have finally begun.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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