Today, Explained

The United States has now confirmed 4 million cases of Covid-19. Some Americans still don’t want to wear a mask. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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Joe Biden is tacking to the left and embracing a historic climate plan. Vox’s David Roberts explains whether it stands a chance. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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The most popular host in the history of cable news returned from a week-long vacation after his head writer was exposed as a raging bigot. The Washington Post’s Erik Wemple explains why the scandal won’t stick. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. 

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They came in military camouflage and unmarked vans. Now the state of Oregon is suing the federal government over its policing tactics. Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Conrad Wilson explains. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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We return to the magical Island of Explained with a microbiologist and a talking moth to find out what it will take to produce a coronavirus vaccine. Go to vox.com/todayexplainedlearning to find a germ-y experiment that will teach you more about the scientific method.

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Eviction bans and expanded unemployment benefits are expiring, leaving millions of Americans at risk of losing their homes by the end of the summer.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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California once looked like an example of how to handle the pandemic. Now it’s a warning for other states looking to reopen.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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The District of Columbia's football team is abandoning the name it adopted almost a century ago. Paul Chaat Smith, a curator at the National Museum of the American Indian, hopes the country is at long last ready to reckon with its past. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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President Trump commuted Roger Stone’s sentence in what Vox’s Andrew Prokop says is a particularly troubling variety of political corruption. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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The Trump administration announced it would send a million international students home this week. But Vox’s Nicole Narea says the students are collateral in a bigger political play.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. 

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The Supreme Court issued its remaining decisions today for the 2020 term, including the biggie: Trump’s tax returns.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. 

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President Trump says students and teachers must return to the classroom. Reality says this is going to be the toughest reopening yet.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. 

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239 scientists have signed a letter urging the World Health Organization to warn people about airborne transmission of the coronavirus. Professor Jose-Luis Jimenez, who helped write the letter, explains.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. 

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Netflix grew so popular during lockdown, it almost broke the internet. Land of the Giants: The Netflix Effect explains how the company has upended tech, Hollywood, and how we spend our free time.

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Turns out it’s just as biased as people are. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. 

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Russia allegedly paid the Taliban to attack US soldiers in Afghanistan. But President Trump’s response may be the real scandal. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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Police across the country have responded to recent protests with military tactics and equipment. The Washington Post’s Alex Horton investigated how two military helicopters were used as a show of force against protesters in the nation’s capital. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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Hospitals are stretched to their breaking point in Texas, Arizona, and other states where Covid-19 cases are rising sharply. Vox’s Dylan Scott says the US could be in store for more lockdowns. And more reopenings. And more lockdowns… Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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There hasn’t been an arrest in the case in the three months since police shot and killed Taylor in her home in Louisville, Kentucky. But now the “Justice for Breonna” movement has the potential to unseat Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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America is undergoing a new racial reckoning. The Atlantic’s Adam Serwer explains why this time is different. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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President Jair Bolsonaro called it the "sniffles" and recommended hydroxychloroquine. Now the country has over a million confirmed cases. Reporter Gustavo Ribeiro explains how Brazil could become the next epicenter. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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With the wave of protests came waves of arrests and record-breaking donations to bail funds across the US, but reformers hope for a reckoning of one of the only for-profit bail systems in the world. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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Attorney General William Barr tried to quietly push out the top federal prosecutor in Manhattan on Friday night. Then everybody noticed. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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The celebration of emancipation is as vital today as ever. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. 

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In a major decision from the Supreme Court, DACA lives to fight another day. But it's not in the clear yet. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. 

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There are two ways to do it: safely or not so safely. Guess which one we’re heading toward in the United States? Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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Some are calling six blocks of a Seattle neighborhood the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone. KUOW’s Casey Martin spent a week within its loosely guarded walls. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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The Supreme Court of the United States has decided the Civil Rights Act of 1964 applies to discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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After 33 seasons, the reality TV show Cops was canceled this week. Should scripted police dramas follow? Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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Vox’s Dylan Scott says it’s hard to tell because the United States is riding 50 different Covid-19 waves. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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The United States has a policing problem and Congress wants to fix it. Vox’s Li Zhou explains whether the Democrats’ new bill will go anywhere. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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Minneapolis City Council member Alondra Cano explains what the city wants to do and what might get in the way. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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Pandemic, protests, and the best poll numbers yet for Joe Biden. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. 

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Two mothers talk to their teenage sons about race and police brutality in the United States. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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It’s not what you think. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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Even after Derek Chauvin was captured on video killing George Floyd, he could still get his job back. BuzzFeed’s Melissa Segura explains how. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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President Trump wants to blame the unrest on antifa. Vox’s Zack Beauchamp explains why he can’t. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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Professor Ibram X. Kendi explains how the protests and unrest are a result of black America’s living nightmare and what it will take to wake up. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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The former police officer who killed George Floyd has been charged with murder. But Floyd’s case is just one of many recent incidents of police brutality in Minneapolis. The Marshall Project’s Simone Weichselbaum explains why police reform hasn’t worked in the city. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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It could take years for all the Covid-19 deaths to be counted properly. Vox’s Matthew Yglesias explains why the Trump administration is pushing for an undercount. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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While most of the world was distracted by the pandemic, China unveiled a law to strip Hong Kong of its autonomy, setting off a new wave of protests in the city. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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For the first time in almost a decade, an American rocket is launching people into space. The Verge’s Loren Grush explains why the launch could fundamentally alter the future of spaceflight. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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You asked. We answered. Sean and Noam break down all the original songs in Today, Explained's back catalog. Today, Explained: Greatest Hits is now streaming everywhere!

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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President Trump would like to.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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Reopening America’s parks could help fight the pandemic. It’s a good time to rethink streets, too.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained

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Ezra Klein has some thoughts. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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Elon Musk fought the law and Elon won. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. 

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Graduate? In this economy!? The Atlantic's Annie Lowrey explains the economic reality new graduates face and Sean offers one graduating senior a commencement speech. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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Facebook has agreed to pay a $52 million settlement to its content moderators. Reporting by The Verge’s Casey Newton was a game changer. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.

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Dozens of children have fallen ill with an inflammatory syndrome that may be linked to Covid-19. Harvard Medical School’s Dr. Kevin Friedman explains. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained. 

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