About this episode
The son of repressive dictator Ferdinand Marcos was just elected president of the Philippines. All he had to do was rewrite his country’s history. This episode was produced by Miles Bryan and Victoria Dominguez, edited by Matt Collette, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Paul Mounsey, and hosted by Noel King. CORRECTION: In a previous version of this story, our guest mistakenly said Ferdinand Marcos' body was flown from Hawaii to the Philippines in 2006. Marcos' body was returned to the Philippines in 2016. The incorrect date has been removed from the recording. Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Listen to this episode in English to learn English
Podcast episodes are one of the highest-density ways to absorb English at native pace. Dictator Jr. from Today, Explained gives you natural dialogue, unscripted speech, and vocabulary that actually appears in real conversations.
In the Hinto app, every word in the transcript is tappable. Tap an unknown word, see the translation in your language instantly, and keep listening without breaking flow.
Episodes to Learn English
- Trump’s Venezuelan oil grift Nov 6, 2026
- Is MAGA dead? Nov 5, 2026
- Dems won. Now what? Nov 4, 2026
- Was populism worth it? Nov 3, 2026
- Make groceries cheap again Nov 2, 2026
- When hobbies take over your life Nov 1, 2026
- Nevada's Trump slump Oct 31, 2026
- Life in the rage economy Oct 30, 2026
- Texas Talarico freakout Oct 29, 2026
- The future of MAGA is... Nixon? Oct 28, 2026
- Is Trump abandoning Ukraine? Oct 27, 2026
- Democrats find God Oct 26, 2026
- When AI agents run your life Oct 25, 2026
- Can Trump steal the midterms? Oct 24, 2026
- RFK Jr. and the chocolate factory Oct 23, 2026
- The rise of political slopaganda Oct 22, 2026
- Can Trump deport Ilhan Omar? Oct 21, 2026
- The passive income influencers Oct 20, 2026
- Susan Collins, political ninja Oct 19, 2026
- The quest for the perfect baby Oct 18, 2026
- Can you buy the midterms? Oct 17, 2026
- Thirst trap politics Oct 16, 2026
- The Iran war is spreading Oct 15, 2026
- Data centers fight back Oct 14, 2026
- Should we ban fraternities? Oct 13, 2026
- America’s death penalty problem Oct 12, 2026
- The cost of loving your pet Oct 11, 2026
- Can Dems flip state legislatures? Oct 10, 2026
- Football's future is flag Oct 9, 2026
- The dark side of surrogacy Oct 8, 2026