Today, Explained

Venezuela's two presidents

In one corner, there’s Nicolás Maduro, the incumbent presiding over a failing economy. In the other, you have Juan Guaidó, a 35-year-old lawmaker who just declared himself president, backed by the United States and most of Latin America. Journalist Mariana Zuniga explains the standoff from Caracas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ebola is back

The second-largest Ebola outbreak in history is spreading toward a major city. Vox’s Julia Belluz explains whether you should panic now, later, or maybe never. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

SHUTDATE UPDOWN

President Donald Trump would very much like a deal to end his shutdown. The Republican-controlled Senate is with him. Vox’s Dara Lind explains why the road ahead remains long. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

28 Days Later

The partial government shutdown is now officially a record-breaking, trip-cancelling, State of the Union-postponing, Cardi B-angering hot mess. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

When your power company is a felon

What if your utility were a felon filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy? You would be one of 16 million in California. KQED’s Marisa Lagos lays out Pacific Gas and Electric’s woes and Vox’s Umair Irfan says this is just the beginning of our power problems. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Roberts Court

The Supreme Court is back in session and Slate’s Dahlia Lithwick says Chief Justice John Roberts is ready to take a swing at balancing an increasingly partisan bench. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The $600 EpiPen

If there’s one thing pretty much everyone in the government can agree on, it’s this: prescription drug prices are too damn high. But how to fix them? Vox’s Dylan Scott showcases seven solutions floating around Congress. ***************************************************************** Are you interested in more discussions around health care policy? Join Vox's Facebook community for conversation and updates. bit.ly/VoxCareFBgroup Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Chapo Big House

Brooklyn really does have everything: a basketball team, a laundromat-pinball bar, and now the drug lord trial of the century. Keegan Hamilton, host of the “Chapo” podcast from Vice News, explains what it’s like to stare deep into the eyes of former Sinaloa cartel leader Joaquín Archivaldo Guzmán Loera, aka “El Chapo”. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The shutdown gets very, very real

Come midnight, the government shutdown will be the longest in US history. Vox’s Li Zhou runs through the consequences for federal workers and the rest of America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What can the president do during a national emergency?

This morning, the president doubled down on his threat to declare a national emergency to build a border wall. Such a declaration could also allow him to send in the troops, freeze your bank account, and shut down the internet. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Let's talk about tax, baby. Let's talk about AOC.

Congressmember Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez has floated a marginal tax rate of 70% for top earners in America. A lot of people are upset, and even more have no idea how it works. *********************************** Check out this easy video on how tax brackets work: https://youtu.be/VJhsjUPDulw Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The troop withdrawal withdrawal

National security advisor John Bolton traveled to Turkey to meet with President Erdogan, who cancelled today. It's the latest development in a very messy troop withdrawal President Trump announced in late December. Vox's Jennifer Williams explains what the clusterf**k happened. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The nine lives of Obamacare

Obamacare’s back in the crosshairs. Vox’s Sarah Kliff breaks down a lawsuit that’s pitting states’ attorneys general against each other, and how the new House will defend the landmark legislation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You should not throw away your shot

Around 80,000 people died of the flu last season. Despite that, Sean doesn’t want to get the flu shot. Luckily, Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institutes of Health is here to hit him with some hard and fast facts. And history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Who is Paul Whelan and why does Russia think he’s a spy?

Paul Whelan went to Moscow for a wedding. The Russians arrested him, and today charged him with espionage. Amie Ferris-Rotman, Moscow correspondent for the Washington Post, explains how Russia might be using him as leverage to win back one of its own. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Shutdown

It’s Day 12 of the government shutdown. Vox’s Li Zhou explains what that means for the country and Matthew Yglesias argues that the core issue of the wall is fundamentally dumb. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Let's Explain "Today, Explained"

If you like this trailer, then you're going to love this show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

All my friends are robocalls (replay)

Why even answer the phone anymore? All your questions about all those pesky automated phone calls are answered in this holiday rebroadcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Stanford Prison Correction (replay)

In 1971, a professor locked a bunch of young men in a basement to understand evil. The results were explosive. This summer, it all came crashing down. Vox’s Brian Resnick explains what’s going on with the Stanford Prison Experiment in this holiday rebroadcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Black Panther is (still) the most important movie of 2018

We called it! Sean Rameswaram attends a "Black Panther"-themed engagement party and speaks to Evan Narcisse, writer of the "Rise of the Black Panther" comic books, in this holiday rebroadcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"A horrible miscarriage of justice"

A Florida millionaire created a system to rape or abuse at least 80 young girls for years. The current Secretary of Labor may have helped him get away with it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The most powerful woman in the world

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is officially planning her exit from politics. The Guardian’s Kate Connolly explains how an awkward scientist became the most powerful woman in the world and defined a global immigration crisis. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Take a penny, take a penny (replay)

The Trump Foundation is shutting down. The Washington Post’s David Fahrenthold shares a series of increasingly unbelievable stories about the charity's shenanigans. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The World in 2018

The North Korea summit. Brexit chaos. The brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi. The hosts of Vox's Worldly podcast look back on the biggest international stories of the year. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Tumblr's war on sex

Tumblr is removing adult content from its platform today. Vox’s Aja Romano says it's about much more than banning “female-presenting nipples". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This episode is unrated

"The House That Jack Built" opens in select theaters across the country today, but it’s not the version director Lars von Trier wanted you to see. The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) put the kibosh on the director’s cut. Some say it’s censorship, but Vox’s Alissa Wilkinson explains how the MPAA is trying to save Hollywood from itself. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Paul Ryan vs. himself

After 20 years, Speaker Paul Ryan is set to leave the House of Representatives in early January. Ezra Klein says Paul Ryan’s legacy would be a big let down to… Paul Ryan. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Fraud, actually

One man in North Carolina may have swung an election by defrauding voters. But North Carolina is interested in stopping a different type of voter fraud. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Replacements

President Trump is looking to fill some key positions. One pick is a former attorney general, another comes from "Fox & Friends". Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

"Totally clears the President. Thank you!"

Except it doesn't. Vox's Andrew Prokop explains why the latest pieces of Robert Mueller's puzzle are bad news for President Trump. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices