Today, Explained

Sex and branding

Nxivm: sounds like a drug, looks like a cult. (Transcript here.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Agent Assange?

Julian Assange was already in heaps of trouble when the United States indicted him under the Espionage Act last week. Now he (and journalism) might be put on trial. (Transcript here.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Mueller speaks

Special counsel Robert Mueller made his first public statement about his investigation today. No questions. (Transcript here.) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hack to the Future

Baltimore is under attack. Hackers have hijacked the city’s online services and are demanding $100,000 worth of bitcoin. ProPublica’s Renee Dudley explains how ransomware is threatening cities across the country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How to save a life

Dylan Matthews, host of Vox's Future Perfect podcast, gave away his kidney because it felt like the right thing to do. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"Keep our honor clean"

President Trump is reportedly considering issuing a series of pardons for alleged war crimes in time for Memorial Day. Some see parallels to Nixon’s handling of the My Lai massacre. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tissue issues

Stem cell clinics are popping up all over the United States. They're profitable and full of promises, but almost totally unregulated. ProPublica's Caroline Chen explores the shadier side of a booming business. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The mother of all elections

When you have 900 million eligible voters, elections take a little longer. After 39 days of polling, India’s will be over this week. Journalist Ashish Malhotra explains what’s at stake from New Delhi. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How to kill a gram

Today, a new definition of the kilogram officially takes effect. But it's just one piece in the massively complicated history of weight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All shows must die

What do we say to the God of Death? Not today. Explained. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The race to ban abortion

The governor of Alabama signed the nation’s strictest anti-abortion bill into law. Vox’s Anna North explains what the legislation means and Sean Rameswaram speaks with Eric Johnston, the man who helped write it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Make America Trade Again

President Trump's trade war with China just got a lot worse. Can you feel it? Vox's Matthew Yglesias says most Americans won't, but it's still bad for America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The fight for your face

Today San Francisco could become the first American city to ban government agencies from using facial recognition technology. Vox’s Sigal Samuel explains how a cool sci-fi feature might now wreak havoc on civil liberties. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Life sentence, no trial

Terry Allen has been in prison for over 30 years without a conviction because of a little-known rule that was meant to reform the criminal justice system. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Missile in a bottle

After a long hiatus, Kim Jong-un is back to launching missiles. A lot of people are up in arms, but Vox's Alex Ward says North Korea's Supreme Leader is only interested in one of them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Uber but for strikes

Uber drivers want some R-E-S-P-E-C-T. And it might actually be as easy as A-B-C. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who framed Mayor Pete?

Two right-wing operatives tried to frame Mayor Pete Buttigieg for sexual assault. It didn’t go as planned. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“Awwww, Shucky Ducky!”

President Trump has tried and failed to install two controversial candidates onto the Federal Reserve’s Board of Governors. Vox’s Matthew Yglesias argues that while failing the president might also be succeeding. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sarah Kliff vs. Zuckerberg General

Vox's Sarah Kliff has been writing about surprise ER bills for a year, but the practices at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital were unlike anything she had seen before. Her reporting changed them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A Mueller walks into a Barr

This week in Mueller report aftermath: An incendiary letter leaks; the attorney general spars with senators and then cancels a date with the House. Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick reflects on what might be a constitutional crisis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Track and Female

The track and field world is trying to figure out what it means to be female. South African Olympic gold medalist Caster Semenya’s future is caught in the balance. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Bovine intervention

Burger King announced it's going nationwide with a meatless Whopper that tastes like the real thing. Is this the end for Big Meat? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

After the smoke clears

Sri Lanka is both returning to normalcy and struggling with last week’s Easter attacks. Roel Raymond provides an update from Colombo and Amarnath Amarasingam explains how nations can battle extremism without violating human rights. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Standoff at the NRA

Things are so bad at the NRA that President Trump told the organization to get its act together today. Infighting, self-dealing, and lavish spending have led to a state investigation and turmoil at the top. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Subpoena season

Post-Mueller, President Trump is navigating a sea of subpoenas. He says he doesn't want his aides to testify, setting the stage for a showdown with the House. Vox's Dylan Scott explains. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tuition: Impossible

Sen. Elizabeth Warren wants to cancel your college debt. To pay for it, she wants to tax the ultra-rich and take more than just their income. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Follow the drugs

For the first time, federal prosecutors have brought drug trafficking charges against pharmaceutical executives. It's one way to fight the opioid crisis. Vox's German Lopez went to Vermont in search of another. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Martin Sheen 2020?

Ukraine elected a new president on Sunday and his only meaningful preparation for the position was playing the president on TV. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sri Lanka's Easter attacks

Almost 300 people were killed in a string of bombings on Easter Sunday in Sri Lanka. Roel Raymond reports from Colombo and Amarnath Amarasingam explains how this attack was both familiar and unprecedented. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Frankenswine

Maybe you've heard about the pig brains that were resuscitated by Yale researchers? But did you hear about the human brain genes that were inserted into monkey embryos in China? Vox's Brian Resnick and Sigal Samuel explain some scary science. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices