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.

Money

Why your $7 latte is $7

By Emily Stewart

Supreme Court

The Supreme Court showdown over social media “censorship,” explained

By Ian Millhiser

Supreme Court

A Supreme Court case about hotel websites could blow up much of US civil rights law

By Ian Millhiser

A new Supreme Court case could trigger a second Great Depression

By Ian Millhiser September 23

The Supreme Court will decide if Alabama can openly defy its decisions

By Ian Millhiser September 20

Sound of Freedom wants to raise awareness about child trafficking. Here’s what it’s really doing.

By Aja Romano September 18

The Supreme Court’s new term will be dominated by dangerous and incoherent lawsuits

By Ian Millhiser September 18

The true story of the fake unboxed aliens is wilder than actual aliens

By Aja Romano September 16

Why are so many useless cold medicines littering pharmacy shelves?

By Keren Landman September 15

We know where the next big earthquakes will happen — but not when

By Umair Irfan September 11

America’s unique, enduring gun problem, explained

By Nicole Narea, Li Zhou, and 1 more August 29

The human feet that routinely wash ashore in the Pacific Northwest, explained

By Umair Irfan August 23

The 4 criminal investigations into Donald Trump, explained

By Ian Millhiser and Andrew Prokop August 15

The Supreme Court just handed gun groups a rare defeat

By Ian Millhiser August 8

The Long Island serial killer case may finally be solved — but many questions remain

By Aja Romano August 4

2023’s big summer movie season, explained

Lessons from a Barbenheimer summer

By Alissa Wilkinson August 4

A Democratic governor in Mississippi? Here’s how it could happen.

By Ben Jacobs August 3

The Chosen, the Christian megahit about Jesus, explained

By Aja Romano August 2

How strong are the newest criminal charges against Donald Trump?

By Ian Millhiser August 1

The rise of artificial intelligence, explained

The AI rules that US policymakers are considering, explained

By Dylan Matthews August 1

Lori Vallow’s unthinkable series of murders leads to life without parole

By Aja Romano July 31

What’s new in the new indictment against Donald Trump?

By Ian Millhiser July 27

The Vox guide to extreme heat

The surprisingly subtle recipe making heat waves worse

By Umair Irfan July 26

How Alabama could get away with defying the Supreme Court

By Ian Millhiser July 26

The Vox guide to extreme heat

The invisible consequences of heat on the body and mind

By Rebecca Leber July 21

How the Supreme Court put itself in charge of the executive branch

By Ian Millhiser July 17

Hollywood’s writers are on strike. Here’s why that matters.

By Alissa Wilkinson July 13

Climate change is already making parts of America uninsurable

By Umair Irfan July 12

Criminal Justice

The Manson Family murders, and their complicated legacy, explained

The Manson Family murders weren’t a countercultural revolt. They were about power, entitlement, and Hollywood.

By Aja Romano July 12

The next wave of abortion rights ballot measures looks different from the last

By Rachel M. Cohen July 12

A monumental LGBTQ rights case is barreling toward the Supreme Court

By Ian Millhiser July 10

The Vox guide to extreme heat

The unusual factors behind the extraordinary heat across the southern US

By Umair Irfan July 1

Hollywood is staring down the barrel of a double strike

By Alissa Wilkinson June 30

The Supreme Court’s lawless, completely partisan student loans decision, explained

By Ian Millhiser June 30

The other big decision just handed down by the Supreme Court, explained

By Ian Millhiser June 29

The SCOTUS decision on affirmative action in colleges, explained

By Fabiola Cineas and Ian Millhiser June 29

The monstrous arrogance of the Supreme Court’s affirmative action decision

By Ian Millhiser June 29

Why streaming services are dumping shows left and right

By Alissa Wilkinson June 29

The Supreme Court decides not to destroy democracy in the United States

By Ian Millhiser June 27

The nuclear industry’s big bet on going small

By Umair Irfan June 27

The case for optimism about LGBTQ rights in the United States

By Ian Millhiser June 26

9 questions about abortion in America, answered

By Rachel M. Cohen, Keren Landman, and 1 more June 24

The Supreme Court may be running out of patience for Trump’s worst judges

By Ian Millhiser June 23

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