Vox - Understand the News

American democracy is under threat. But what is that threat, exactly?

Is it election theft, minority rule, voter suppression, or all of the above?

By Andrew Prokop

Can giving parents cash help with babies’ brain development?

A new study suggests that regular cash payments to parents can speed up brain activity in infants.

By Dylan Matthews

How trauma became the word of the decade

The very real psychiatric term has become so omnipresent in pop culture that some experts worry it’s losing its meaning.

By Lexi Pandell

Biden is defending key Trump immigration policies in court

The Justice Department is fighting to maintain Trump’s border restrictions and against compensation for separated families.

By Nicole Narea

Peloton’s big whoops

The pandemic was the best thing that happened to Peloton until it was the worst.

By Emily Stewart

The animal that’s everywhere and nowhere

Axolotls are among the most widespread amphibians on Earth. In the wild, they’re almost extinct.

By Benji Jones

The luxurious fantasy of suffering in Hanya Yanagihara’s novels

The author of A Little Life and To Paradise writes long, voluptuous books all about human pain.

By Constance Grady

You go viral overnight. Now how do you get rich?

Inside the fledgling cottage industry helping influencers make money.

By Rebecca Jennings

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China’s Winter Olympics (feat. Covid-19)

The Games don’t begin until February 4, but the drama around the pandemic, free speech, and diplomatic boycotts has been building for months. NPR’s Emily Feng explains from Beijing.

The Latest

Vox’s audience support program, explained

By Vox Staff April 23, 2021

The Supreme Court will hear two cases that are likely to end affirmative action

By Ian Millhiser January 24

The never-ending suffering of the legacyquel

By Emily VanDerWerff January 24

Features

Welcome to the Memory Issue of the Highlight

Survivors of early school shootings reflect, the growing popularity of the word "trauma," scientists’ efforts to understand memory, and more.

By Vox Staff January 24

The school shooting generation grows up

An early wave of survivors came of age in a wholly unprepared world. Now they’re in their 30s and 40s, grappling with the present.

By Marin Cogan January 24

Democrats have had enough of Sen. Kyrsten Sinema’s obstruction

By Ellen Ioanes January 23

Take a mental break with the newest Vox crossword

By Vox Staff January 1

Biden promised a harder line on Saudi Arabia. Why can’t he deliver?

By Jonathan Guyer January 23

The best $65 I ever spent: A BDSM whip

By Allyn Wright January 23

From Vox Media

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US policy is fueling Afghanistan’s humanitarian crisis

By Ellen Ioanes January 22

What Congress’s new election reform idea leaves out

By Li Zhou January 22

Can Russia back down in Ukraine?

By Jen Kirby January 22

The hidden lesson in the new free Covid-19 tests

By Dara Lind January 22

Thich Nhat Hanh’s final mindfulness lesson: How to die peacefully

By Eliza Barclay January 21

Stop canceling normal people who go viral

By Rebecca Jennings January 21

What the Doomsday Clock is really counting down to

By Bryan Walsh January 21

Democrats may have to sacrifice something big for the climate

By Rebecca Leber January 21

Big Food is ready to sell you more plant-based meat

By Kenny Torrella January 21

Cheer shows how fame changes everything

By Alex Abad-Santos January 21

What’s the point of digital clothes?

By Terry Nguyen January 21

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The Weeds

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Are corporations winning at inflation?

If they are profiting from inflation, can we do anything about it?

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