Explainers

We live in a world of too much information and too little context. Too much noise and too little insight. That's where Vox's explainers come in.

A comprehensive guide to how Elon Musk is changing Twitter

Mass layoffs, trolling, and check marks: How Elon Musk is running Twitter.

By Shirin Ghaffary

America’s unique, enduring gun problem, explained

The factors that lead to tragedies like the one in Colorado Springs are deeply ingrained in US politics, culture, and law.

By Nicole Narea, Li Zhou, and 1 more

How to make Covid the last pandemic

By Kelsey Piper November 23

Hakeem Jeffries’s ascent to Democratic leader, explained

By Li Zhou November 23

Here are the first moon photos from NASA’s Artemis I mission

By Rebecca Heilweil and Ellen Ioanes November 21

Despite its brutal tactics, Iran’s regime fails to contain mass protests

By Ellen Ioanes November 21

The incredible shrinking future of college

By Kevin Carey November 21

The good and bad news for the planet after the latest UN climate talks

By Umair Irfan November 19

North Korean missile launches may mean new nuclear tests

By Ellen Ioanes November 19

The many, many controversies surrounding the 2022 World Cup, explained

By Ian Ward November 19

The spectacular ongoing implosion of crypto’s biggest star, explained

By Emily Stewart November 18

How did Sam Bankman-Fried happen?

By Whizy Kim November 18

Syphilis rates are soaring in South Dakota’s American Indian communities. What’s going on?

By Keren Landman November 18

The 2022 midterm elections, explained

Why so many “election deniers” lost in 2022

By Liz Scheltens November 18

Why a second Trump term would be even more dangerous than his first

By Andrew Prokop November 15

The 2022 midterm elections, explained

Democrats kept the Senate. But Georgia is still important.

By Ellen Ioanes November 13

The 2022 midterm elections, explained

How a surprising Democratic strategy may have staved off the midterm red wave

By Ellen Ioanes November 12

Basically everything on Amazon has become an ad

By Jason Del Rey November 10

The 2022 midterm elections, explained

The plan to save America by killing the partisan primary

By Andrew Prokop November 7

The 2022 midterm elections, explained

Democrats limp behind Republicans on the messaging game

By Ellen Ioanes November 6

Trumpism’s hidden casualty

By Donald Moynihan November 6

Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, and their $50 million defamation suit, explained

By Constance Grady November 3

The 2022 midterm elections, explained

The 3 possible outcomes of the midterms in Congress, explained

By Rachel M. Cohen, Dylan Scott, and 1 more November 2

Israel votes. Palestine is under siege.

By Jonathan Guyer November 1

The planned Penguin Random House-Simon & Schuster merger has been struck down in court

By Constance Grady November 1

The 2022 midterm elections, explained

What’s at stake for Biden’s climate agenda in the midterms

By Rebecca Leber November 1

What aren’t we doing to fix inflation?

By Emily Stewart October 31

Consumers, not corporations, saved the power grid. What else can we do?

By Umair Irfan October 31

Affirmative action is facing its most difficult test

By Fabiola Cineas and Ian Millhiser October 30

We’re in a new era of attacks on political leaders

By Ellen Ioanes October 29

Where do restaurant “service fees” really go?

By Rani Molla October 28

Pennsylvania Republicans’ attempt to impeach Larry Krasner, explained

By Rachel M. Cohen October 26

Is the cure for inflation worse than the disease?

By Rachel M. Cohen October 26

What’s going on with Kanye West, from fake kids to antisemitism

By Aja Romano October 25

The future of the office is a lab

By Rani Molla October 24

Our buildings are making us sick

By Keren Landman October 24

How Xi Jinping secured his third term in power — and quashed dissent

By Ellen Ioanes October 23

How does the UK come back from crisis?

By Ellen Ioanes October 22

Every song on Taylor Swift’s Midnights, explained

By Rebecca Jennings, Shira Tarlo, and 1 more October 21

The mysterious rise of food allergies

By Umair Irfan October 21

The secret history of America’s tactical nukes

By Jonathan Guyer October 21

Why Liz Truss was UK prime minister for only six weeks

By Ellen Ioanes October 20