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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.
Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Netflix has no chill
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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42:2506/07/2020
How AI makes policing more racist
Turns out it’s just as biased as people are. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.
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20:5502/07/2020
A bounty on American troops
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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22:5201/07/2020
Helicopter policing
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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22:5130/06/2020
Lockdown, reopen, repeat
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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21:3629/06/2020
Justice for Breonna Taylor
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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30:5526/06/2020
Black Lives Matter is working
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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24:2525/06/2020
Brazil’s coronavirus disaster
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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22:1024/06/2020
A world without bail?
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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23:1623/06/2020
How not to fire someone
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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21:3122/06/2020
Celebrate Juneteenth!
The celebration of emancipation is as vital today as ever. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.
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18:4419/06/2020
A good day for DREAMers
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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20:1218/06/2020
The return of sports
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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21:1017/06/2020
Welcome to CHAZ
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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20:2216/06/2020
A landmark LGBTQ ruling
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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18:2815/06/2020
Copaganda
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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23:5513/06/2020
Is this the second wave?
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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18:0311/06/2020
Can Congress reform the police?
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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25:0210/06/2020
Minneapolis commits to “dismantling” the police
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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22:3409/06/2020
Biden his time
Pandemic, protests, and the best poll numbers yet for Joe Biden. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.
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21:0608/06/2020
The Talk
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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27:2805/06/2020
What “abolish the police” means
It’s not what you think. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.
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21:1504/06/2020
The problem with police unions
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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23:1603/06/2020
Antifa?
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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26:2802/06/2020
American Nightmare
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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22:4601/06/2020
“I can’t breathe.” Again.
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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20:2429/05/2020
100,000 is an undercount
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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20:5028/05/2020
"First Hong Kong, then the world"
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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18:1927/05/2020
One giant leap for SpaceX
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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21:5226/05/2020
Today, Explained: Greatest Hits
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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28:1622/05/2020
Blame WHO?
President Trump would like to.
Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.
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22:2521/05/2020
The case for reopening parks
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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18:3420/05/2020
Is this Trump's fault?
Ezra Klein has some thoughts. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.
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24:2719/05/2020
Elongate
Elon Musk fought the law and Elon won. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.
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28:0618/05/2020
The Class of 2020
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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26:2915/05/2020
Facebook’s PTSD payout
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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25:4114/05/2020
Covid, kids, and a mystery illness
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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18:4513/05/2020
Will Ahmaud Arbery’s killing change Georgia law?
Two white men are accused of killing a black jogger. Georgia state Rep. Jasmine Clark wants to change the laws that could be used to defend them. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.
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25:0412/05/2020
A few men in fishing boats try to take Venezuela
While the world was distracted by a pandemic, a ragtag team of Americans and Venezuelans attempted to overthrow President Maduro. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.
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18:4511/05/2020
Quarantine dreams
Think you’ve been having exceptionally strange dreams lately? Harvard psychologist Deirdre Barrett says it’s not a figment of your imagination. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.
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26:4408/05/2020
The Reopening States of America
Dr. Richard Besser, former head of the Centers for Disease Control, explains how states can reopen without putting lives in danger. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.
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23:0007/05/2020
Why Sweden stayed open
The Kingdom of Sweden watched the world lock down and decided to do the opposite. Swedish journalist Nathalie Rothschild explains. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.
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21:5706/05/2020
How to be happy
The most popular course in Yale's 300-year history is all about achieving happiness. The pandemic has made it more relevant than ever. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.
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26:0205/05/2020
Tara Reade alleges, Joe Biden denies
Vox's Laura McGann explains the sexual assault allegation against former Vice President Joe Biden, and the implications for his campaign. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.
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19:5604/05/2020
The Island of Explained
Come with us to the magical Island of Explained, where we’ll climb trees and venture into caves to answer kids’ biggest coronavirus questions. Go to vox.com/todayexplainedlearning to find supplemental activities, from testing how far snot travels to coloring in a map of the Island of Explained. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained.
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26:1601/05/2020
The Invisible Man
Vox's Alex Ward explains what's going on with North Korea's Kim Jong Un. (Transcript here.)
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20:5830/04/2020
Overflowing farms, desperate food banks
American farmers are destroying their crops while demand is mounting at food banks. Politico food and agriculture reporter Helena Bottemiller Evich explains. (Transcript here.)
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27:3229/04/2020
Inside the world's biggest lockdown
Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered 1.4 billion Indians to stay home. The world had never seen anything like it. (Transcript here.)
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25:1928/04/2020
Oil is broke. Green New Deal with it?
Oil just went negative for the first time in history. Vox's David Roberts says that creates an opportunity to make more history. (Transcript here.)
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24:2127/04/2020
Georgia on my mind
As the state reopens, Vox's Jillian Weinberger zooms to rural Georgia to hear how a Covid-19 outbreak spiraled out of control. (Transcript here.)
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19:4524/04/2020