Vox

The “Godzilla El Niño” is coming | The Gray Area

10/07/2026

Sean talks with journalist David Wallace-Wells about a looming climate event that could make 2027 one of the hottest years ever recorded. They discuss the return of El Niño, why some scientists are calling it a “Godzilla El Niño,” and what it could reveal about the future of global warming. They also explore climate adaptation, political complacency, extreme weather, technological progress, and whether humanity is prepared for the world it’s creating. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling) Guest: David Wallace-Wells (@dwallacewells) 00:00 Intro 01:41 What is El Niño? 04:45 Why is this El Niño different? 13:18 2027 could be a preview of the next decade 19:23 What could spur climate action? 28:20 How much more vulnerable will we become? 32:38 What climate adaptation looks like We would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at thegrayarea@vox.com or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show. And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube. New episodes drop every Monday and Friday. Listen to The Gray Area ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H

Everything we still can't explain | Unexplainable on Netflix

9/07/2026

Unexplainable is coming to Netflix starting Monday, July 13. Vox’s award-winning science podcast tackles scientific mysteries, unanswered questions, and everything we learn by diving into the unknown — and now you can watch new episodes on Netflix every Monday. How do we know what we know about dinosaurs? Why do some people hear music while others hear lyrics when they listen to a song? Should we rethink our relationship with the sun? The Unexplainable team and world-class experts explore these questions and more July 13th. Is there a scientific mystery you'd like us to explore? Leave it in the comments! If you enjoy our reporting and want to hear more from Vox journalists, sign up for our Patreon at patreon.com/vox. Each month, our members get access to exclusive videos, livestreams, and chats with our newsroom. Subscribe to our channel and turn on notifications (🔔) so you don't miss any videos: http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@voxdotcom Check out our articles: https://www.vox.com/ Listen to our podcasts: https://www.vox.com/podcasts

Why the left ignored Graham Platner’s red flags | America, Actually

8/07/2026

What should the progressive left take away from the collapse of Graham Platner’s campaign? In a special episode of America, Actually, Vox’s Astead Herndon speaks to progressive commentator Emma Vigeland, co-host of The Majority Report and former Platner supporter, about the sexual assault allegations that have upended his run for Senate against Republican Susan Collins. They discuss what the controversy reveals about candidate vetting and who should have a say in deciding who takes his place. America, Actually publishes video episodes every Saturday tackling key issues in politics, culture, and the economy. Subscribe to Vox’s YouTube channel to get them. Listen to episodes of America, Actually on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite app. If you enjoy our reporting and want to hear more from Vox journalists, sign up for our Patreon at patreon.com/vox. Each month, our members get access to exclusive videos, livestreams, and chats with our newsroom. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H

Are soccer players the most fit athletes on the planet?

7/07/2026

Soccer might be one of the hardest sports to train for. Players need endurance to run for 90 minutes, with only one 15-minute break. And in the World Cup knockout rounds, if there is a tie, match time could extend to 120 minutes. Over the course of a game, the average player runs between 6 and 8 miles. But endurance is just a piece of the puzzle. Players also need to be capable of explosive acceleration, quick stops, jumping, and have a surprising amount of upper body strength. Plus, soccer is really hard to predict. Unlike sports like cycling or rowing, the exact movements of a soccer match are dependent on the movements of 21 other players and can feel completely spontaneous. In order to find out how soccer players can train for a sport that is so physiologically complex and chaotic, Vox producer Nate Krieger went to a practice with Brooklyn FC, a professional soccer team in the USL Championship League. He talked to forward Stefan Stojanovic and tried a drill designed by the team’s head of performance, Michael Higbee, to see how hard training for soccer can really be. Read more about the fitness required to play high-level soccer: Chris Barnes on the evolution of sports science in professional soccer: https://robertsontrainingsystems.com/blog/chris-barnes-podcast/ Sportsmith is a platform for trainers and coaches that has a lot of information about sports science and fitness. https://www.sportsmith.co/learn/ This Sports Illustrated article breaks down how many miles a player runs in a game, broken down by position: https://www.si.com/soccer/how-many-miles-do-soccer-players-run-in-a-game This video is presented by Colgate. Colgate doesn’t have a say in our editorial decisions, but they make videos like this one possible. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H

The fight over America’s national story | The Gray Area

3/07/2026

Who are America’s heroes? Who deserves our admiration and a place in our nation’s story? Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO In today’s episode, guest host Jonquilyn Hill talks with constitutional law professor Kermit Roosevelt about his book The Nation That Never Was: Reconstructing America’s Story, which argues that America’s most important ancestors are not the founding fathers but the heroes of Reconstruction. The two discuss the importance of founding myths, why Americans are constantly fighting over “the real America,” and what it means to be American. Guest Host: Jonquilyn Hill, Host of Vox’s Explain It To Me podcast Guest: Kermit Roosevelt, constitutional law professor and author of The Nation That Never Was: Reconstructing America’s Story 00:00 Intro 03:16 America’s two foundings 07:20 The fight over America’s founding myth 15:18 Why every nation needs a story 21:43 Does a national story have to be a success story? 34:06 Why are Americans so attached to their ancestors? 42:02 Will the political pendulum swing back-and-forth forever? We would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at thegrayarea@vox.com or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show. And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube. Listen to The Gray Area ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H

Democrats don't know how to fix America’s spiritual crisis | The Gray Area

29/06/2026

Sean talks with Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy about the crisis lurking beneath America's political dysfunction. Murphy’s new book “Crisis of the Common Good” argues that the country is suffering from a collapse of connection, belonging, and purpose. They discuss loneliness, powerlessness, liberalism, democracy, Trumpism, corporate power, social media, and why so many Americans feel disconnected from their communities, their institutions, and each other. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling) Guest: Sen. Chris Murphy (@ChrisMurphyCT) 00:00 Intro 01:11 America’s ‘spiritual sickness’ 06:34 What does it mean to pursue the ‘common good?’ 10:33 In America, the powerful profit from ‘the disintegration of the broader populace’ 12:14 The story Trump is telling America 16:25 How does the Right diagnosis America’s spiritual crisis? 23:14 Why the Left’s rhetoric isn’t landing 36:35 Bernie Sanders and the Democratic Party 38:48 Why AI is the most important policy fight of the future We would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at thegrayarea@vox.com or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show. And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube. New episodes drop every Monday and Friday. Listen to The Gray Area ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H

Young men are turning on Trump. Here’s why. | America, Actually

27/06/2026

Young men are no longer happy with Donald Trump. His net approval rating among the group that famously helped propel him to the White House in 2024 has dropped by 56 points. But is this shift real, or just noise? Vox’s Astead Herndon recently went to an event billed as an opportunity for the administration to reconnect with young men to find out: the UFC Freedom 250 event in Washington DC. 00:00 - Is Trump losing young men? 00:58 - Inside the White House’s UFC event 01:25 - Gas prices and the Iran war 03:15 - Epstein files and a crisis of elite transparency 09:01 - Where masculinity and politics overlap 12:43 - Jack Posobiec on how Trump reached young men in 2024 16:58 - Defending the Trump administration’s foreign policy 17:49 - The Epstein dilemma 23:07 - Can JD Vance woo young men? 24:01 - The Blue Dog strategy 26:40 - What Astead took away from his trip to Washington DC America, Actually publishes video episodes every Saturday tackling key issues in politics, culture, and the economy. Subscribe to Vox’s YouTube channel to get them. Listen to episodes of America, Actually on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite app. If you enjoy our reporting and want to hear more from Vox journalists, sign up for our Patreon at patreon.com/vox. Each month, our members get access to exclusive videos, livestreams, and chats with our newsroom. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H

The internet is all bots now | The Gray Area

26/06/2026

Sean talks with Atlantic writer Charlie Warzel about the increasingly weird experience of being online. They discuss AI-generated content, bots, algorithms, the “dead internet theory,” and why so much of the web now feels artificial, manipulated, or unreal. They also explore psyops, conspiracy culture, social media, and the deeper question lurking beneath the AI boom: What are human beings actually for? Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling) Guest: Charlie Warzel (@cwarzel) 00:00 Intro 01:45 The bot-haunted internet 08:53 Why the internet feels fake 15:11 The post-human internet 22:37 What is a psyop? 29:22 What is AI slop? 37:57 Charlie Warzel’s favorite part of the internet We would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at thegrayarea@vox.com or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show. And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube. New episodes drop every Monday and Friday. Listen to The Gray Area ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H

Is America’s democracy beyond repair?

23/06/2026

“The Court has been putting a thumb on the scale in favor of the Republican Party, but it hasn't been putting a boulder on the scale.” Vox’s Ian Millhiser explains how, while the US is an “imperfect democracy,” it’s still a democracy that’s responsive to voters. Subscribe to our channel and turn on notifications (🔔) so you don't miss any videos: http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@voxdotcom Check out our articles: https://www.vox.com/ Listen to our podcasts: https://www.vox.com/podcasts

JD Vance’s new memoir is a pitch for his presidential run

23/06/2026

JD Vance is heavily rumored to be Donald Trump's successor in 2028. His new memoir is one of the first windows into how he wants to be seen and what he wants people to think of him. Vox's Christian Paz reads between the lines and finds a candidate whose Catholic faith and political record don't quite line up. Read the full piece at the link in bio. Subscribe to our channel and turn on notifications (🔔) so you don't miss any videos: http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@voxdotcom Check out our articles: https://www.vox.com/ Listen to our podcasts: https://www.vox.com/podcasts

What masculinity does to men | The Gray Area

22/06/2026

Sean talks with journalist Jordan Ritter Conn about his book “American Men,” an intimate look at four men trying to figure out what manhood and masculinity have given them versus what they have cost them, and what to do with the gap between the men they think they’re supposed to be and the men they actually are. They talk about being fathers and sons as well as about violence, shame, ambition, male friendship, loneliness, and why being a “good man” might mean finally letting go of the desire to perform manhood. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling) Guest: Jordan Ritter Conn (@jordanconn) 00:00 Intro 00:47 Beyond the ‘what’s wrong with men’ debate 06:30 Why so many men feel like they’re not enough 08:14 Four different paths to manhood 16:17 The role of fathers 19:44 Achieve doesn’t always bring confidence 24:54 The cost of male loneliness 33:21 Rethinking what it means to be a good man We would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at thegrayarea@vox.com or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show. And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube. New episodes drop every Monday and Friday. Listen to The Gray Area ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H

Darializa Avila Chevalier’s win in NY points Dems in a new direction | America, Actually

20/06/2026

Two newcomers in high profile races in New York City are trying to get to Washington. On the way, they’re forcing the Democratic Party to confront its immediate future on technology, identity, and immigration. Vox’s Astead Herndon sits down with New York Congressional candidates Alex Bores and Darializa Avila Chevalier to talk about AI regulation, generational change, and why their races hold national significance. 00:00 — Why New York primaries have national implications 01:02 — Meet Alex Bores: Target of a tech super PAC 01:51 — From Palantir engineer to AI regulatory watchdog 06:32 — The debate over an AI moratorium and global competition 08:42 — The AI dividend: Universal basic income vs. tech disruption 09:55 — Inside the RAISE Act: Moving beyond watered-down safety laws 12:15 — Money and fear: Why Washington stays quiet on tech 14:50 — Part II: Darializa Avila Chevalier challenges the Democratic establishment in NY-13 15:43 — Generational change vs. identity politics 19:00 — Foreign policy at home: Connecting local budgets to global warfare 20:59 — Public safety and rethinking the criminal justice arsenal 23:14 — Moving past the 2020 "woker than thou" rhetoric 24:49 — The legality and ethics of deportation enforcement 27:35 — Navigating the future of the left Sources and further reading: America, Actually publishes video episodes every Saturday tackling key issues in politics, culture, and the economy. Subscribe to Vox’s YouTube channel to get them. Listen to episodes of America, Actually on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite app. If you enjoy our reporting and want to hear more from Vox journalists, sign up for our Patreon at patreon.com/vox. Each month, our members get access to exclusive videos, livestreams, and chats with our newsroom. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H

When colleges think Plato is too gay | The Gray Area

19/06/2026

Who gets to decide what’s taught in college classrooms? And should the answer be different at private colleges than at public universities? Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO In today’s episode, guest host Avishay Artsy speaks to philosophy professor Martin Peterson about why Texas A&M University asked him to stop teaching part of Plato’s “Symposium.” The two discuss academic freedom, who gets to decide what’s taught in university classrooms, and the value of Plato’s writing. The episode explores what happens when politics and educational values collide on campus. Host: Avishay Artsy, Vox Supervising Producer Guest: Martin Peterson, Professor of Philosophy at Texas A&M University 00:00 Intro 01:21 Why Professor Peterson was asked to revise his syllabus 03:02 Why Plato’s Symposium still matters 05:39 What do students expect to read in this class? 06:01 Texas A&M’s new policy 09:46 How professors responded 19:52 How students responded 22:25 Why is Professor Peterson resigning? 30:06 How Professor Peterson's research connects to his decisions We would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at thegrayarea@vox.com or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show. And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube. Listen to The Gray Area ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H

Why LA will never get a Mayor Zohran Mamdani

18/06/2026

With the election of Zohran Mamdani in New York City, big-city mayors have once again become a focal point of national politics. Now, in Los Angeles, the mayoral race in November is heating up with Councilmember Nithya Raman edging out reality TV star Spencer Pratt to secure her candidacy against incumbent Mayor Karen Bass. And Raman, a Democratic Socialist like Mamdani, is zeroing in on housing and affordability as defining issues of local politics. But beneath the promises to take on hot-button issues that plague Angelenos, a persistent question remains: Why can’t the LA mayor get anything done? Part of the answer takes us back to the creation of the LA city charter, a product of the turn-of-the-20th-century progressive movement that emerged in response to the corrupt politics that plagued cities like New York and Chicago. Despite the radical and experimental origins of LA’s decentralized governance approach, a weak mayoral office may no longer be the best way to serve the people of Los Angeles today. Even if LA elected a progressive, Mamdani-esque candidate, the mayor’s office still has an uphill battle with fragmentation and decades of mounting red tape designed to favor negotiators over visionaries for mayor. Read more about the Los Angeles mayoral position: How much power does the mayor of LA really have? (Spectrum News): https://spectrumlocalnews.com/ca/california/inside-the-issues/2022/02/25/how-much-power-does-the-mayor-of-la-really-have- The 100th anniversary of the Los Angeles City Charter holds lessons for today’s LA (Haynes Foundation): https://haynesfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Essay-100th_Anniversary_of_Charter_Election.pdf How We Got This Way (Los Angeles has Always Been Suburban) (PBS SoCal): https://www.pbssocal.org/shows/lost-la/how-we-got-this-way-los-angeles-has-always-been-suburban Proposition 13's Hidden Effects On the Built Environment (PBS SoCal): https://www.pbssocal.org/history-society/proposition-13s-hidden-effects-on-the-built-environment Coming in 2028: “The second most powerful person in California” (Harvard Kennedy School): https://www.hks.harvard.edu/more/student-life/student-stories/coming-2028-second-most-powerful-person-california If you enjoy our reporting and want to hear more from Vox journalists, sign up for our Patreon at patreon.com/vox. Each month, our members get access to exclusive videos, livestreams, and chats with our newsroom. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H

Are you anxious, avoidant, or secure? | The Gray Area

15/06/2026

Sean talks with psychiatrist and neuroscientist Amir Levine about attachment, insecurity, and why our relationships shape us more than we think. They discuss his updated framework for anxious, avoidant, and secure attachment styles, why being ignored or excluded can feel so threatening, and how small everyday interactions can either calm the brain or send it spiraling. They also dig into childhood dynamics, therapy, conflict, friendship, loneliness, and different ways we can build more secure lives. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling) Guest: Amir Levine, psychiatrist, neuroscientist, and author of Secure: the revolutionary guide to creating a secure life 00:00 Intro 01:39 What is attachment theory? 08:17 Why is it so hard to feel secure? 12:11 The stories that fuel our insecurity 17:21 Why we overthink our relationships 20:50 Why being ignored feels so threatening 29:58 Why predictability isn’t boring 32:36 It may not be you. It may be your environment. 37:18 How to build a more secure life We would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at thegrayarea@vox.com or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show. And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube. New episodes drop every Monday and Friday. Listen to The Gray Area ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H

Hasan Piker vs. The Establishment | America, Actually

13/06/2026

Hasan Piker has become one of the most prominent leftist voices in the US, serving as an online guide for a Democratic Party trying to navigate the new internet. But his rapid rise has sparked a furious backlash from the party's centrist establishment. Vox’s Astead Herndon sits down with Jonathan Cowan, president of the premier centrist think tank Third Way, who argues that Piker’s history of inflammatory rhetoric makes him a toxic liability that Democrats must cast out. Then, we put those exact claims to the Twitch streamer himself. 00:00 — Introduction: Is Hasan Piker toxic? 01:12 — The centrist case against Piker with Third Way's Jonathan Cowan 04:47 — Comparing Piker to far-right extremists 07:34 — Evaluating rhetoric and the threat of violence 10:19 — Electoral strategy: Moderates vs. deep blue progressive pushes 18:14 — The apology question: Third Way's challenges for Hasan 21:26 — Hasan Piker responds: Addressing the "cringe" past content 23:55 — "Pig dog" and allegations of antisemitic tropes 26:01 — Rick Scott hyperbole and streaming accountability 30:37 — Quadrupling down on Hamas and Israel stances 35:19 — Piker’s theory of political change and the Democratic Party 40:45 — Why liberals fail to capture Twitch and streaming culture 44:00 — Closing message to the Democratic establishment Sources and further reading: Democrats Are Too Cozy With Hasan Piker, WSJ Opinion: https://www.wsj.com/opinion/free-expression/democrats-are-too-cozy-with-hasan-piker-2ecee4cc America, Actually publishes video episodes every Saturday tackling key issues in politics, culture, and the economy. Subscribe to Vox’s YouTube channel to get them. Listen to episodes of America, Actually on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite app. If you enjoy our reporting and want to hear more from Vox journalists, sign up for our Patreon at patreon.com/vox. Each month, our members get access to exclusive videos, livestreams, and chats with our newsroom. Subscribe to our channel and turn on notifications (🔔) so you don't miss any videos: http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on TikTok: http://tiktok.com/@voxdotcom Check out our articles: https://www.vox.com/ Listen to our podcasts: https://www.vox.com/podcasts

The AI movement to end humanity | The Gray Area

12/06/2026

Sean talks with writer Sigal Samuel about AI successionism, the growing movement that sees artificial intelligence as humanity’s rightful successor. They discuss why some people in the AI world think humanity should be replaced, how this vision borrows from old religious ideas about salvation and transcendence, and why artificial intelligence is a dangerous thing to worship. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling) Guest: Sigal Samuel (@SigalSamuel) Click here to read Sigal’s article on AI successionism. 00:00 Intro 01:15 What is AI successionism? 07:26 Intelligence vs consciousness 09:59 The disturbing politics of AI successionism 12:12 Is AI secessionism a religion? 23:04 Is this a way to escape our mortality? 24:49 Is intelligence the most valuable thing in the universe? 33:28 Is it wrong to put humans first? 44:49 Is successionism a way of reframing the ‘AI takeover?’ We would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at thegrayarea@vox.com or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show. And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube. New episodes drop every Monday and Friday. Listen to The Gray Area ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H

How to understand your dreams & nightmares | The Gray Area

8/06/2026

Sean talks with dream scientist Michelle Carr about what dreams are, why we have them, and what they might reveal about the mind. They discuss nightmares, lucid dreaming, memory, consciousness, and whether dreams are just random brain noise or a kind of overnight therapy. They also explore why dreams feel so real and what the strange world of sleep can teach us about waking life. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling) Guest: Michelle Carr 00:00 Intro 00:53 What are dreams for? 05:14 Are dreams simulations? 10:45 Why do we forget our dreams? 17:31 Why do we have nightmares? 26:31 What are lucid dreams? 41:28 Can lucid dreaming backfire? 42:51 Is there a connection between dreams and consciousness? We would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at thegrayarea@vox.com or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show. And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube. New episodes drop every Monday and Friday. Listen to The Gray Area ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H

Democrats in Virginia think they've found a winning message | America, Actually

5/06/2026

We went to Virginia to report on redistricting. What we found was a potential new message for Democrats to win over voters. Gerrymandering is usually treated as an academic problem. In Virginia’s 1st Congressional District, it’s a gut punch for many Democrats. After courts struck down a voter-approved redistricting amendment, grassroots volunteers are facing an uphill battle against voter cynicism. But now, Democratic candidates are pivoting away from abstract warnings about authoritarianism. Instead, they’re aiming at a new sweet spot: tying political corruption directly to the rising cost of living. 00:00 The midterms map battle 00:51 Ashland, VA: the center of the political universe 02:31 From Republican to Democratic protester: Katie Sitterson's journey 03:33 Why didn’t defending democracy work in 2024? 04:27 Maps whiplash and morale 09:06 How candidates are responding to gerrymandering 13:21 Linking corruption to affordability 18:01 Candidate forum at Libby Mill 23:12 Candidates pitch reforms 24:33 Takaways America, Actually publishes video episodes every Saturday tackling key issues in politics, culture, and the economy. Subscribe to Vox’s YouTube channel to get them. Listen to episodes of America, Actually on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite app. If you enjoy our reporting and want to hear more from Vox journalists, sign up for our Patreon at patreon.com/vox. Each month, our members get access to exclusive videos, livestreams, and chats with our newsroom. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H

How the war in Iran could end affordable air travel

3/06/2026

Since the conflict in the Middle East led to the closing of the Strait of Hormuz, about 20 percent of global oil supply has been choked off, sending prices sky-high, especially for jet fuel. So far, the war may already be costing the airline industry an additional $15 billion. Airlines have responded by raising ticket prices, charging more for bag fees, and cutting flights that they’ve deemed unprofitable because of higher fuel costs. This price shock was a deciding factor in the May 2026 closure of Spirit Airlines. When a low-cost airline like Spirit goes under, it has a ripple effect through the entire industry, canceling flight routes and raising ticket prices all around. But even if the war were to end and fuel costs stabilize, major airlines might not be willing to bring their prices back down. In fact, corporations seem all but guaranteed to take advantage of pressuring consumers to pay more to fly. For over 40 years, flying has been an affordable way to travel. We’ve been living in an era of cheap flights that has shifted air travel from a luxury experience to a globalized mode of public transportation. This video explains how that era might be coming to an end. Read more about the state of the airline industry and the impact of the war in Iran: Changes in airfare in the US: https://onemileatatime.com/news/airline-fares-skyrocketing-data/ Reuters’ analysis of how the war is costing airlines: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/iran-war-saddles-global-companies-with-25-billion-bill-counting-2026-05-18/ Bill McGee on NPR discussing the state of the airline industry: https://www.npr.org/2026/04/26/nx-s1-5795931/how-the-iran-war-is-impacting-the-airline-industry Peter Campbell’s piece on the Iran war and the future of cheap flights: https://www.ft.com/content/a8f9aa9b-94f7-4188-8c53-e18b614c373f The Today, Explained newsletter covers the Spirit Airlines shutdown: https://www.vox.com/today-explained-newsletter/487758/spirit-airlines-shutdown Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H

Americans don’t know how to stop working | The Gray Area

1/06/2026

Americans have absorbed the Protestant work ethic: the idea that our value as human beings – and our eventual salvation – is determined by how hard we work. Political philosopher Elizabeth Anderson explains how this evolved, why it pervades everything, and why it’s no longer serving us. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO This episode originally aired in January of 2024. Host: Sean Illing (@SeanIlling) Guest: Elizabeth Anderson, professor of public philosophy at the University of Michigan. 00:00 Intro 04:21 Why the Protestant work ethic still controls us 12:32 Why do treat wealth as a virtue and poverty as a vice 23:51 When making money becomes the point of life 30:40 Why can’t we have a better work-life balance? 32:35 How workers can reclaim their freedom 36:27 How to build support for a progressive work ethic We would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at thegrayarea@vox.com or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show. And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube. Listen to The Gray Area ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H

The myth of "one person, one vote" | America, Actually

30/05/2026

Democrats talk a lot about protecting democracy, but for most Americans, the system was written to exclude them a long time ago. Cook Political Report’s Amy Walter joins Vox’s Astead Herndon this week to break down the current redistricting wars. They explore the fallout of recent Supreme Court decisions, the GOP’s short-term tactical gains, and the uncomfortable question facing Democrats: do they prioritize minority representation or raw seat counts? 00:00 The myth of “one person, one vote” 01:42 Electoral College imbalance 02:36 Why 1 voter in Wyoming = 68 in California 04:36 Gerrymandering as a tool of political power 05:23 Who wins the maps fight 09:47 The nationalization of local redistricting 11:45 SCOTUS and the future of Black representation 16:36 How to fix the broken primary system 20:17 The California paradox: why reform doesn't always feel like progress 21:46 Changing the incentive structure in D.C. Sources and further reading: This year’s U.S. House elections will be least competitive on record: https://www.gelliottmorris.com/p/2026-05-12-uncompetitive-seats How Much Voting Power Does Each US State Have?: https://www.maps.com/how-much-voting-power-does-each-us-state-have/ The hidden biases at play in the U.S. Senate: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2023/us-senate-bias-white-rural-voters/ America, Actually publishes video episodes every Saturday tackling key issues in politics, culture, and the economy. Subscribe to Vox’s YouTube channel to get them. Listen to episodes of America, Actually on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite app. If you enjoy our reporting and want to hear more from Vox journalists, sign up for our Patreon at patreon.com/vox. Each month, our members get access to exclusive videos, livestreams, and chats with our newsroom. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H

Gen Z’s retreat from dating and sex | The Gray Area

29/05/2026

Sean talks with writer Christine Emba about the strange and increasingly anti-social world young people are inheriting online. They discuss the rise of “looksmaxxing,” the manosphere, Gen Z’s retreat from dating and sex, and how the internet has transformed what might have been normal insecurities into a permanent state of anxiety and self-optimization. Along the way, they explore loneliness, intimacy, masculinity, social media, and what happens to a society when human connection starts to feel unbearable. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling) Guest: Christine Emba (@ChristineEmba) 00:00 Intro 01:47 The world of looksmaxxing: incels, bone smashing, and drugs 12:18 The digital doom loop: anxiety, optimization, and the death of dating 21:20 The growing gender divide of Gen Z 28:25 When digital substitutes replace real connections 38:27 Is the internet designed to destroy human connection? We would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at thegrayarea@vox.com or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show. And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube. New episodes drop every Monday and Friday. Listen to The Gray Area ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H

Can there ever really be “one China?”

28/05/2026

For decades, Taiwan’s passport didn’t say “Taiwan” at all. It said something else: the Republic of China. But if Taiwan has called itself China, who gets to be the “real” China? This video traces the evolution of Taiwan’s identity through one simple object: its passport. From the booting of the Republic of China from the United Nations, to President Richard Nixon’s historic visit to Communist China in 1972, to the 2003 addition of the word “Taiwan” to the Republic of China passport, the story of “One China” is less about geography and more about history, power, and shifting global alliances. As Beijing becomes more financially and politically powerful on today’s global stage, is it possible for Taiwan to hold onto its autonomy? And what is the US’s role in the triangulation between Beijing and Taipei, especially as Taiwan’s main weapons dealer? Read more about Taiwan and the concept of “One China”: The Many “One Chinas”: Multiple Approaches to Taiwan and China: https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2023/02/the-many-one-chinas-multiple-approaches-to-taiwan-and-china?lang=en The Collapse of One China: https://www.csis.org/analysis/collapse-one-china Do the Cairo and Potsdam Declarations “restore” Taiwan to China?: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/afcl/fact-check-potsdam-05082023093502.html Tracking China’s Increased Military Activities in the Indo-Pacific in 2025: https://chinapower.csis.org/china-increased-military-activities-indo-pacific-2025/ Most people in Taiwan see themselves as primarily Taiwanese; few say they’re primarily Chinese: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/01/16/most-people-in-taiwan-see-themselves-as-primarily-taiwanese-few-say-theyre-primarily-chinese/ How Taiwan came to dominate the global chip industry: https://theconversation.com/how-taiwan-came-to-dominate-the-global-chip-industry-276939 U.S. Military Support for Taiwan in Five Charts: https://www.cfr.org/articles/us-military-support-taiwan-five-charts Americans and Taiwanese Favor the Status Quo: https://globalaffairs.org/research/public-opinion-survey/americans-and-taiwanese-favor-status-quo If you enjoy our reporting and want to hear more from Vox journalists, sign up for our Patreon at patreon.com/vox. Each month, our members get access to exclusive videos, livestreams, and chats with our newsroom. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H

Why we’re bad at being social | The Gray Area

25/05/2026

Sean talks with University of Chicago psychologist Nicholas Epley about the strange gap between our need to be social and how social we choose to be. They explore why we underestimate how good conversations will feel, why awkwardness looms so large in our minds, and how small acts of connection can make us happier, less lonely, and more open to the people around us. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling) Guest: Nicholas Epley 00:00 Intro 00:59 The Paradox of Connection: Why We Avoid Being Social 11:03 The Fear of Awkwardness 19:31 Why We Get Cold Feet: The Approach-Avoidance Conflict 27:51 The Surprising Kindness of Honesty 38:21 Why We Should Skip Small Talk and Go Deep 46:17 Simple Social Experiment for connection We would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at thegrayarea@vox.com or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show. And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube. New episodes drop every Monday and Friday. Listen to The Gray Area ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H

Everyone’s an expert now | The Gray Area

22/05/2026

Almost a decade ago, Tom Nichols warned that Americans were losing respect for expertise. He didn’t expect things to get this bad. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Sean talks with Nichols about his 2017 book “The Death of Expertise” and what’s happened since: why people don’t just distrust experts but actively push back against them, how the internet turns bad ideas into communities, and why a society that can’t agree on basic facts can’t function for long. They also dig into the deeper causes: loneliness, narcissism, and the weird psychology of living in a world where everything “just works.” Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling) Guest: Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) 00:00 Intro 01:13 A Growing Contempt for Competence: Revisiting The Death of Expertise 08:14 Decadence and the collapse of respect for competence 18:07 How internet echo chambers destroys shared reality 21:59 Is the ruling class to blame for the death of expertise? 28:34 How to separate healthy skepticism from destructive contempt for expertise 35:04 What happens next in a post-expertise world? We would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at thegrayarea@vox.com or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show. And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube. New episodes drop every Monday and Friday. Listen to The Gray Area ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H

How to be more creative | The Gray Area

18/05/2026

Sean talks with writer David Epstein about why unlimited freedom and endless choice often make us less creative, less focused, and less fulfilled. They discuss the hidden power of constraints, the psychology of attention, why humans struggle with too many options, and how useful limits can help us do better work and live more meaningful lives. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling) Guest: David Epstein (@DavidEpstein) 00:00 Intro 01:46 How restraints helped create the periodic table 03:41 The relationship between freedom and creativity 10:55 Is freedom the absence of limits? 16:50 Why does choice create anxiety? 22:20 How do we navigate a world with too many choices? 27:22 Making a decision vs ‘sliding’ into one 34:02 The value of ritual 37:55 Creative limits and Dr. Seuss 39:41 How David Epstein’s life changed after writing this book We would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at thegrayarea@vox.com or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show. And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube. New episodes drop every Monday and Friday. Listen to The Gray Area ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H

Americans oppose data centers. We went to find out why | America, Actually

16/05/2026

There’s a growing disconnect between a local community that says it’s being treated as the "guinea pigs" in a new industrial revolution, and Washington politicians. Astead Herndon heads to Vineland, New Jersey, this week to check out one of the Northeast’s biggest data centers that neighbors say was rushed into construction without community buy-in. 00:00 Why data centers are the new political flashpoint 02:26 On-site at one of the Northeast’s biggest data centers 05:01 The jobs debate 07:45 The extractive reality of data centers 12:39 Residents speak out at a town hall 18:11 AI anxiety and government trust America, Actually publishes video episodes every Saturday tackling key issues in politics, culture, and the economy. Subscribe to Vox’s YouTube channel to get them. Listen to episodes of America, Actually on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite app. If you enjoy our reporting and want to hear more from Vox journalists, sign up for our Patreon at patreon.com/vox. Each month, our members get access to exclusive videos, livestreams, and chats with our newsroom. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H

The college dream is falling apart | The Gray Area

15/05/2026

College was supposed to be a ticket to a better life. A degree meant a good job, a decent salary, and a brighter future. That promise is breaking down. For many graduates, a college degree no longer guarantees economic security or upward mobility. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO In today’s episode, guest host Miles Bryan talks with reporter and author Noam Scheiber about his new book, Mutiny: The Rise and Revolt of the College-Educated Working Class, which argues that the economic prospects for college graduates have steadily eroded since the mid-2000s. The result is scrambling our politics. Miles and Noam discuss why college graduates are increasingly drawn to socialist politicians like Bernie Sanders and Zohran Mamdani, why they’ve become some of the strongest supporters of organized labor, and how economic frustration among educated workers could transform the American political landscape. Host: Miles Bryan, Vox reporter and senior producer Guest: Noam Scheiber, New York Times reporter and author of Mutiny: The Rise and Revolt of the College-Educated Working Class 00:00 Intro 01:36 What are college graduates revolting against? 07:53 Teddy: college grad to labor organizer 13:20 What happened to Apple ‘creatives?’ 19:52 Baristas to doctors: everyone thinks they’re a ‘worker’ 24:45 Why educated workers are moving left 32:14 Will AI replace white-collar workers? 43:07 Are we headed for a new era of labor unrest? We would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at thegrayarea@vox.com or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show. And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube. Listen to The Gray Area ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H

What would J.R.R. Tolkien think of Palantir?

12/05/2026

Peter Thiel and Alex Karp’s Palantir Technologies is one of the most powerful and mysterious tech companies in Silicon Valley. Its namesake is also one of the most powerful and mysterious magical objects in the lore of J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic fantasy series The Lord of the Rings. The palantiri of The Lord of the Rings are sort of like crystal balls or “seeing stones” that allow their users to communicate across vast distances, see events from afar, and sometimes even peer into the future. But just about everybody who tries to use a palantir in The Lord of the Rings is deceived by it, acting on the visions they’re receiving without the greater context or wisdom of what’s behind them. So why would the people behind Palantir want to name the company and build its culture around these powerful yet easily corruptible magical objects? J.R.R. Tolkien was famously anti-tech and anti-government, expressing his fears of what would happen when those two forces combined through his fantasy works and his letters to friends, family, and colleagues. If he were alive in the age of Palantir, he might not be thrilled that a tech company with lucrative government contracts is name-checking his creations. Vox producer Benjamin Stephen went on a quest to find out the story behind Palantir’s name, what the link to The Lord of the Rings reveals about the company, and what Tolkien might think about how his words are being used. Read more about Palantir and The Lord of the Rings: Vox senior correspondent Constance Grady’s piece on the conservative reading of The Lord of the Rings: https://www.vox.com/culture/466858/lord-of-the-rings-conservatives-right-republicans-elon-musk-jd-vance-peter-thiel The Scouring of the Shire letter written by Palantir alumni: https://s3.documentcloud.org/documents/25930212/the-scouring-of-the-shire.pdf Caroline Haskins’s WIRED piece on what Palantir actually does: https://www.wired.com/story/palantir-what-the-company-does/ "Tolkien's Deplorable Cultus," an essay by literature professor Robert Tally: https://spectrejournal.com/tolkiens-deplorable-cultus/ Today, Explained covers what the right gets wrong about Tolkien: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6p2Jxa9KRttPTF15vwPmjR If you enjoy our reporting and want to hear more from Vox journalists, sign up for our Patreon at patreon.com/vox. Each month, our members get access to exclusive videos, livestreams, and chats with our newsroom. Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com. Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o Or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H