Today, Explained

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

It's Robert Time!

Attorney General William Barr released Robert Mueller’s report today. Vox’s Andrew Prokop reads between the redactions and Ezra Klein explains what it all means. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Jeffrey Epstein scandal isn't over

A Florida millionaire created a system to sexually abuse around 80 young girls. The sitting Secretary of Labor who let him off easy might now be held accountable. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

My lovely lady pumps

Check it out! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's a great time to cheat on your taxes

The IRS is in a bit of a crisis. ProPublica’s Paul Kiel explains how a profitable government agency succumbed to politics and ended up losing tens of billions in revenue. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Maximum Pressure

Earlier this week, President Trump designated Iran’s Revolutionary Guard a terrorist organization. It is the first time the United States has ever given such a designation to a part of another nation’s government. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

They called it (a revolution)

After 30 years in power, President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, the authoritarian leader of Sudan, has been ousted. Reporter Reem Abbas explains how the Sudanese people reclaimed power. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Medicare Bears

Senator Bernie Sanders rolled out a new Medicare-for-all bill today. Vox’s Sarah Kliff explains how such a huge overhaul of the healthcare system went from fringe to mainstream. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Achy Breaky Charts

“Old Town Road” officially became the most popular song in America today. But it’s also the most controversial. Vox’s Allegra Frank chronicles Lil Nas X’s challenges with the charts and Charlie Harding, co-host of the “Switched on Pop” podcast, attempts to figure out what counts as country. *An earlier version of our episode misstated the origins of “country trap.” Lil Nas X calls Young Thug a pioneer in the genre. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A brutal new law in Brunei

Sex between men will now get you stoned to death in Brunei. It’s a strict reading of Sharia by a sultan who seems to have little regard for it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Art of the Green New Deal

It's the hottest resolution since sliced bread. But is it just empty calories? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Banned: Aid

After months of threats, President Donald Trump has officially taken steps to cut off aid to Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador. Vox's Dara Lind explains what this might mean for the current unprecedented wave of family migration to the United States. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

RU$H HOUR

New York City wants to charge drivers a congestion fee to slim down traffic. We travel the world to see if it’s a good idea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What women really want

To mark Equal Pay Day 2019, Vox’s Sarah Kliff reveals the very simple reason women earn less than men. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The right to refuse

The Texas Senate is debating a bill that would give state-licensed professionals the freedom to deny services based on religious beliefs. Lauren McGaughy from the Dallas Morning News says the state's LGBT community feels directly threatened. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices