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.

Trigger laws and abortion restrictions, explained

Some states are already enacting and embracing stricter abortion laws in the wake of the Dobbs decision.

By Natasha Ishak

How the Uvalde police failed

Though officers were inside Robb Elementary School just three minutes after the gunman entered, it took them 1 hour, 14 minutes, and 8 seconds to end the massacre.

By Fabiola Cineas

What police could find out about your illegal abortion

By Sara Morrison June 24

How the US polarized on abortion — even as most Americans stayed in the middle

By Jillian Weinberger June 24

What’s the best way to help extremely poor people? After 20 years, the evidence is in.

By Sigal Samuel June 24

Afghanistan’s staggering set of crises, explained

By Jen Kirby June 23

3 winners and 2 losers from the Alabama, Georgia, Virginia, and Washington, DC, elections

By Christian Paz and Nicole Narea June 22

When is an animal — or even an AI — a person?

By Kenny Torrella June 21

Biden distanced himself from Saudi Arabia — until gas prices got bad

By Jonathan Guyer June 21

What gas prices do — and don’t — tell us about the economy

By Rebecca Leber June 17

The FDA has authorized Covid-19 vaccines for babies and toddlers. Here’s what parents should know.

By Umair Irfan June 17

How the US got so dependent on baby formula

By Dylan Scott June 17

Stopping inflation is going to hurt

By Emily Stewart June 15

The federal government started New Mexico’s largest wildfire. It had good intentions.

By Neel Dhanesha June 15

Why investors suddenly care about saving the environment

By Benji Jones June 15

4 winners and 2 losers from the Maine, Nevada, North Dakota, and South Carolina primaries

By Li Zhou and Christian Paz June 15

How the US is failing refugees, in one chart

By Sigal Samuel June 14

The scandal embroiling Washington’s most venerable think tank, explained

By Jonathan Guyer June 14

How Democrats plan to win big in Georgia again

By Nicole Narea June 10

The first January 6 hearing served up surprising revelations — that all point to Trump

By Ben Jacobs June 10

The bad vibes economy

By Emily Stewart June 8

The sexual abuse scandal rocking the Southern Baptist Convention, explained

By Emily St. James June 7

Why meat is so expensive right now

By Kenny Torrella June 7

Guns do more than kill

By Keren Landman June 6

The environmental limits of eating local

By Kenny Torrella June 6

What does the Second Amendment mean in 2022?

By Ellen Ioanes June 5

How Ukraine’s new weapons reflect a very different battlefield

By Ellen Ioanes June 4

100 days in, Russia’s war is now a brutal offensive in eastern Ukraine

By Jen Kirby June 3

America’s unique, enduring gun problem, explained

By Nicole Narea, Li Zhou, and 1 more June 2

The simple, impactful way to make cars cleaner

By Umair Irfan June 2

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

By Constance Grady June 1

Pro-gun rights lawmakers want to arm teachers, but there’s little evidence these programs work

By Natasha Ishak May 29

The increase in US births in 2021, explained

By Bryan Walsh May 29

Underground hip-hop is banned in Egypt. Now, it’s the soundtrack to Marvel’s Moon Knight.

By Jonathan Guyer May 29

Days after school shooting, Republicans defend gun rights at NRA convention

By Natasha Ishak May 28

The Supreme Court just okayed Biden’s “social cost of carbon.” It’s still way too low.

By Sigal Samuel May 27

The long, long, twisty affair between the US military and Hollywood

By Alissa Wilkinson May 27

How bad could the monkeypox outbreak get?

By Keren Landman May 27

What we know about the Uvalde elementary school massacre

By Nicole Narea May 25

How gun ownership became a powerful political identity

By Dylan Matthews May 25

What the latest Covid-19 variants and subvariants mean for the pandemic

By Umair Irfan May 24

The eel-shaped parasite that threatens a $7 billion economy in the Great Lakes

By Benji Jones May 24

Understanding is critical

Help us explain the decisions that shape our lives. Give today to keep Vox free.