Vox Quick Hits
288 episodes - English - Latest episode: over 2 years ago - ★★★★ - 41 ratingsA bite-sized daily podcast from the Culture and The Goods teams at Vox that goes wherever our (and your!) pop culture and consumerism curiosities take us. Hear the stories behind the news and trends, get personal about purchases, and find your next book or binge watch. New episodes daily, Monday to Friday. Each 15 minutes or less.
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Episodes
Why are Lakeith Stanfield and Daniel Kaluuya both nominated for Best Supporting Actor? | One Good Answer
April 14, 2021 21:00 - 11 minutesOne of the top Oscar contenders is Judas and the Black Messiah, a film based on the true story of Fred Hampton and the Black Panther Party. It features two break-out performances, but neither are nominated for Best Actor. Vox film critic Emily VanDerWerff unpacks why this likely happened and peels the curtain back on the nomination process. Support Vox Quick Hits by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Does air quality affect chess performance? | The Weeds
April 14, 2021 09:00 - 5 minutesMatt, Dara, and Vox's Umair Irfan take on a white paper about indoor pollution and its effects on cognition. A bonus clip from the "White paper-palooza" episode of The Weeds (4/13/21). Resource: "The Impact of Indoor Climate on Human Cognition: Evidence from Chess Tournaments" by Steffen Künn, Juan Palacios, and Nico Pestel (Apr. 29, 2019) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Johnson & Johnson & Problems | Today, Explained in 10
April 13, 2021 20:42 - 10 minutesThe US government is calling for an immediate pause in Johnson & Johnson vaccinations after six recipients (out of millions) developed blood clots. ProPublica’s Caroline Chen explains. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Twitter doesn't want Trump's tweets, but the National Archives does | Recode Daily
April 13, 2021 09:05 - 7 minutesWhen a presidency ends, the National Archives and Records Administration's work begins. They play a key role in transferring millions of records and artifacts from the White House. And they even archive the Twitter accounts belonging to members of the previous administration. We first saw this happen with the Obama administration, and those archived accounts are still around. But President Trump has created a kind of thorny problem for the National Archives: how do you preserve the tweets of ...
Can Chuck Schumer's flip phone save America? | Tell Me More
April 13, 2021 09:01 - 10 minutesDemocrats have the slimmest of majorities in the United States Senate, and it’s up to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to keep his caucus together. He has to manage moderates, such as Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, while at the same time dealing with progressives to his left. And, he’s up for reelection in 2022 and would rather not face a primary challenge from Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Vox reporter Li Zhou (@liszhou) recently interviewed Schumer. She and host Emily Stewart discuss the New York...
Vaccine passport, please | Today, Explained in 10
April 12, 2021 22:56 - 10 minutesRecode’s Rebecca Heilweil explains how proving you got the shot became controversial. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Pop culture trends for a post-vaccine summer | What's the Story?
April 12, 2021 16:08 - 11 minutesThere are signs everywhere that this summer could be...the best ever? A post-pandemic world has some of us speculating this new season could look like the Roaring 20s meets the Summer of Love. Vox culture writers Terry Nguyen and Melinda Fakuade join host Rebecca Jennings to talk about the trends making us excited to re-emerge into society. Support Vox Quick Hits by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Pop culture trends for a post-vaccine summer | What's the Story
April 12, 2021 16:08 - 11 minutesThere are signs everywhere that this summer could be...the best ever? A post-pandemic world has some of us speculating this new season could look like the Roaring 20s meets the Summer of Love. Vox culture writers Terry Nguyen and Melinda Fakuade join host Rebecca Jennings to talk about the trends making us excited to re-emerge into society. Support Vox Quick Hits by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The trauma of the Derek Chauvin trial | Tell Me More
April 12, 2021 09:01 - 8 minutesGeorge Floyd’s death in Minneapolis in 2020 was a deeply traumatic moment for America, and Black Americans, in particular, were affected. Now, many people are living that pain as the trial for former police officer Derek Chauvin, who faces criminal charges in Floyd’s death, is underway. Vox race reporter Fabiola Cineas (@fabiolacineas) discusses what’s happening in the trial, the prosecution’s plan for using video and witness testimony to advance their case, and the impact those elements can ...
CICADAPOCALYPSE 2021 | Today, Explained in 10
April 10, 2021 02:17 - 10 minutesOr maybe, after listening to this episode, it’ll be more like CICADAPALOOZA! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Monsters smashing stuff! | What to Watch
April 09, 2021 16:00 - 10 minutesAlissa loved Godzilla vs. Kong. She wishes she could have seen it on an IMAX screen. She breaks down the plot (spoiler-free!) and the most spectacular moments, shares her one major quibble with the film, and explains why, ultimately, Godzilla vs. Kong is the welcome, bombastic relief we all need right now. Read her review here. Godzilla vs. Kong (113 minutes) is available in theaters and on HBO Max. - Enjoyed this episode? Rate Vox Quick Hits ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. -...
Jordan’s royal family feud | Worldly
April 09, 2021 09:01 - 10 minutesZack, Jenn, and Alex break down the royal drama that has roiled the normally quiet kingdom of Jordan this week: The king has accused his half-brother, the former crown prince, of a vague conspiracy against the crown and has put him under house arrest. References: Alex wrote Vox’s explainer on the royal family feud. This is the audio of Prince Hamzah and the Jordanian general talking that Jenn mentioned. The New York Times has a good piece on the roots of the King Abdullah and Prince Hamz...
Taylor Swift rewrites her story | Today, Explained in 10
April 09, 2021 01:27 - 10 minutesOne of the biggest pop stars in the world is rerecording her first six albums at the artistic peak of her career. The Atlantic’s Shirley Li explains Swift’s gambit to reclaim her catalog. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Patricia Lockwood's big, beautiful internet brain | Vox Conversations in 10
April 08, 2021 13:54 - 8 minutesWriter and Vox contributor Anne Helen Petersen talks with poet and novelist Patricia Lockwood about the experience of being extremely online. They discuss Lockwood's book No One Is Talking About This, writing and religious upbringing, the parts of life perfectly suited to the internet, and the human experiences that glitch the system. Enjoyed this episode? Rate Vox Quick Hits ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode of Vox Quick H...
KKK High | Today, Explained in 10
April 08, 2021 00:14 - 10 minutesA group of students in Topeka, Kansas, discovered their high school was named after an exalted cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan. Then they tried to change it. Enjoyed this episode? Rate Vox Quick Hits ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode of Vox Quick Hits by subscribing in your favorite podcast app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support Vox Quick Hits by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit...
Why Satanic Panic never really ended | What's the Story
April 07, 2021 16:00 - 9 minutesOne of the most famous moral panics in history, the Satanic Panic, may have been at its peak in the 80s, but did it ever really go away? Vox culture writer Aja Romano walks up through the history of this fear of the occult from the Mason family to Lil Nas X. Read Aja Romano’s full story at Vox.com Enjoyed this episode? Rate Vox Quick Hits ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode of Vox Quick Hits by subscribing in your favorite po...
Why Satanic Panic never really ended | What's the Story?
April 07, 2021 16:00 - 9 minutesOne of the most famous moral panics in history, the Satanic Panic, may have been at its peak in the 80s, but did it ever really go away? Vox culture writer Aja Romano walks up through the history of this fear of the occult from the Mason family to Lil Nas X. Read Aja Romano’s full story at Vox.com Enjoyed this episode? Rate Vox Quick Hits ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode of Vox Quick Hits by subscribing in your favorite po...
How does the infrastructure bill address the caring economy? | The Weeds
April 07, 2021 15:26 - 7 minutesMatt and Dara are joined by Vox's Dylan Scott to examine the portion of Biden's infrastructure plan designated for the "caretaking economy." Enjoyed this episode? Rate Vox Quick Hits ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode of Vox Quick Hits by subscribing in your favorite podcast app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support Vox Quick Hits by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodc...
Hot Senate procedural news | Today, Explained in 10
April 06, 2021 23:24 - 9 minutesOn Monday night, the Senate parliamentarian gave Democrats an unprecedented blessing. Vox’s Ella Nilsen and Li Zhou explain what they might do with it. Enjoyed this episode? Rate Vox Quick Hits ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts. Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode of Vox Quick Hits by subscribing in your favorite podcast app. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support Vox Quick Hits by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.l...
Vaccine passports, explained | Recode Daily
April 06, 2021 13:59 - 8 minutesOne way that America can get “back to normal” is through what's called a digital vaccine passport. America is well underway with its covid vaccination rollout and while we still have a long way to go, more and more people are getting vaccinated. But while carrying a digital vaccine record sounds like a useful idea, experts warn of privacy issues and serious ethical concerns. Vox’s Rebecca Heilweil explains. References: Read Rebecca’s story here Enjoyed this episode? Rate Vox Quick Hits ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐...
Biden’s Afghanistan dilemma | Tell Me More
April 06, 2021 09:01 - 10 minutesPresident Joe Biden has a decision to make by May 1: whether to pull troops from Afghanistan or have them stay. There is no easy answer; both options could have serious consequences. But a decision has to be made. President Donald Trump made a deal with the Taliban that troops would leave by May 1, but in the end, Biden has to make the call. What would happen if the troops stay, and what would happen if they leave? Vox’s Alex Ward is here to discuss. He’s a White House reporter and a co-host ...
MLB to Georgia: You’re out! | Today, Explained in 10
April 06, 2021 01:35 - 10 minutesMajor League Baseball, Delta, and Coke are calling out Georgia for its new voting reforms, but some of these corporations were involved in crafting the legislation. WABE’s Emma Hurt explains. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Books about complicated mother-daughter relationships | Ask a Book Critic
April 05, 2021 16:00 - 6 minutesNot all mother-daughter relationships are sunny and cheerful. Vox book Critic Constance Grady recommended a few novels that unpack complicated dynamics in clever, original ways. Swamplandia! by Karen Russell Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng Hot Milk by Deborah Levy Ask a Book Critic is an exclusive series from Vox Quick Hits. New episodes every other Wednesday and you can read the column here. If you’d like Constance to recommend a book for you, email [email protected] with th...
Complicated mother-daughter relationship books | Ask a Book Critic
April 05, 2021 16:00 - 6 minutesNot all mother-daughter relationships are sunny and cheerful. Vox book Critic Constance Grady recommended a few novels that unpack complicated dynamics in clever, original ways. Swamplandia! by Karen Russell Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng Hot Milk by Deborah Levy Ask a Book Critic is an exclusive series from Vox Quick Hits. New episodes every other Wednesday and you can read the column here. If you’d like Constance to recommend a book for you, email [email protected] with th...
Books about complicated mother-daughter relationship | Ask a Book Critic
April 05, 2021 16:00 - 6 minutesNot all mother-daughter relationships are sunny and cheerful. Vox book Critic Constance Grady recommended a few novels that unpack complicated dynamics in clever, original ways. Swamplandia! by Karen Russell Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng Hot Milk by Deborah Levy Ask a Book Critic is an exclusive series from Vox Quick Hits. New episodes every other Wednesday and you can read the column here. If you’d like Constance to recommend a book for you, email [email protected] with th...
“My friend” has a question about the vaccine | Today, Explained in 10
April 02, 2021 22:01 - 9 minutesWe asked if you still had vaccine questions, and you did. We found answers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Is Myanmar heading for civil war? | Worldly
April 02, 2021 09:01 - 7 minutesZack, Alex, and returning guest Jen Kirby talk about the potential for a “bloodbath” in Myanmar. Since the military deposed the democratic government in a February 1 coup, pro-democracy protesters and armed ethnic groups have risen up against the junta. They’ve been met with extreme violence, leading to more than 500 dead and concerns from experts that a broader civil war is coming. The Worldly crew explains how this horrible situation came to be, what may come next, and what — if anything — ...
High crimes | Today, Explained in 10
April 01, 2021 23:21 - 10 minutesNew York is the latest state to legalize recreational marijuana, but President Joe Biden won’t budge. This means that it’s possible to become a billionaire or a convicted felon for selling weed in the US. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Who is the real George Soros? | Vox Conversations in 10
April 01, 2021 15:00 - 7 minutesVox's Worldly host Zack Beauchamp talks with author and New Statesman editor Emily Tamkin about the life and legacy of George Soros. How did a Hungarian billionaire philanthropist become the No. 1 boogeyman of right-wing nationalist movements on both sides of the Atlantic? They unpack the meaning of the smear campaign against him, and the inherent contradictions of a wealthy man trying to use his influence to make societies more democratic. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoic...
Biden’s $2 trillion infrastructure plan | Today, Explained in 10
April 01, 2021 00:12 - 10 minutesIt’s infrastructure week in America. President Joe Biden unveiled a plan to spend trillions on bridges, roads, housing, and clean energy to prove it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What should we expect from Biden's judicial nominees? | The Weeds
March 31, 2021 09:30 - 8 minutesMatt and Dara talk with Vox judicial reporter Ian Millhiser, author of The Agenda: How a Republican Supreme Court is Reshaping America, about Biden's court appointments, and look ahead to the future of the judiciary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Making tennis a misdemeanor | Today, Explained in 10
March 30, 2021 22:40 - 10 minutesMore than half of US states are working to ban, or even criminalize, trans athletes playing sports. Vox contributor Katelyn Burns explains how conservative politicians came to care so much about women’s sports. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Skeleton Lake | Unexplainable
March 30, 2021 16:00 - 4 minutesWhen scientists examined the DNA of ancient bones found near a Himalayan lake, they were forced to confront a seemingly impossible conclusion. For further reading, go to http://vox.com/unexplainable It’s a great place to sign up for our newsletter, view show transcripts, and read more about the topics on our show. Also, email us! [email protected] We read every email. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The new wave of anti-trans legislation, explained | Tell Me More
March 30, 2021 09:01 - 10 minutesAmerica has never been particularly concerned with women's sports, and yet a slew of bills trying to block transgender girls and women from participating in them are popping up across the country. Transgender student athletes are just the latest target in conservatives’ attempts to pass anti-LGBTQ legislation; before they were talking about sports, they were fretting over bathrooms and puberty blockers. This move against trans athletes stems from the argument that men are biologically stronge...
Ship happens | Today, Explained in 10
March 29, 2021 23:48 - 8 minutesThe Evergiven, a Japanese cargo ship chartered by a Taiwanese shipping company flying the Panamanian flag and bound for the Netherlands, finally floated down the Suez Canal today after being stuck for six days. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Why so many houseless people didn’t get their stimulus checks | Tell Me More
March 29, 2021 09:01 - 8 minutesLike many Americans, you may have an extra $1,400 dollars in your bank account, or you're expecting it to arrive soon. After President Biden signed the Covid-19 relief bill on March 11, stimulus checks went out to millions of people, but not everyone who's eligible got one. In fact, many of the most vulnerable Americans, including people experiencing homelessness, did not receive payments. Vox's Kelsey Piper explains what happened and how we may be able to fix it. References: Read Kelsey’s...
Comfort shows | What to Watch
March 26, 2021 23:00 - 11 minutesWe’ve all got one: a go-to comfort watch — that show or movie you can always turn to for a pick-me-up. This week on What to Watch, we share ours. Vox’s film critic Alissa Wilkinson is hooked on HBO’s Selena + Chef, critic at large Emily VanDerWerff can always count on Star Trek (especially Deep Space Nine), and senior producer Taylor Maycan explains her longtime love of CBS’s Survivor. What to Watch is a Vox Quick Hits exclusive series. New episodes every Friday. Hosts: Alissa Wilkinson (@...
Why the gun control debate is stuck | Today, Explained in 10
March 26, 2021 22:25 - 10 minutesRecent mass shootings in Georgia and Colorado have recharged the movement to regulate gun ownership. But federal gun control legislation has little chance of passing. Patrick Blanchfield from the Brooklyn Institute for Social Research argues that the best way to mitigate gun violence may be not talking about gun control at all. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Your questions about the world, answered | Worldly in 10
March 26, 2021 09:01 - 9 minutesIn a very special Worldly episode, Zack, Jenn, and Alex answer YOUR questions! From the many great listener questions sent in over the last several weeks, the gang picked four to answer in this week’s episode: What is “the Quad” and how does it fit into geopolitics in the Indo-Pacific; what’s driving migration to the US from Central America; why Imperial Japan’s use of Korean forced labor and “comfort women” in the 1930s and ’40s continues to complicate relations between Japan and South Korea...
The end of minty cigarettes? | Today, Explained in 10
March 26, 2021 00:01 - 10 minutesWith Democrats in charge, there is a lot of talk about big ideas for the country, including … banning menthol cigarettes? Politico’s Sarah Owermohle explains why Black lawmakers are split over whether a ban would help or hurt Black communities. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The border, explained by someone who knows it intimately | Vox Conversations in 10
March 25, 2021 15:00 - 8 minutesAarti Shahani, NPR journalist and host of WBEZ podcast Art of Power, talks with investigative journalist and author Alfredo Corchado about the US-Mexico border. Trump's actions created a new urgency for the political establishment to better understand the border, and Biden's challenges there continue to grow. Corchado, a former child farmworker and a Mexican-American with identities on both sides of the border wall, discusses the reality, politics, history, and future of the border. Learn mor...
Why the Senate won’t pass gun control reform | Today, Explained in 10
March 24, 2021 22:28 - 10 minutesThe Trace’s Jennifer Mascia explains why two gun reform bills the House recently passed are likely to fail in the Senate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Books for a quarterlife crisis | Ask a Book Critic
March 24, 2021 16:00 - 6 minutesYour 20s can feel like the best of times and also the worst. Book Critic Constance Grady offers a few reads to help navigate through the murky existential waters of starting a career or finding a new purpose. Wild by Cheryl Strayed Losing It Emma Rathbone Florence in Ecstasy by Jessie Chaffee. Ask a Book Critic is an exclusive series from Vox Quick Hits. New episodes every other Wednesday and you can read the column here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Books to help get through a quarterlife crisis | Ask a Book Critic
March 24, 2021 16:00 - 6 minutesYour 20s can feel like the best of times and also the worst. Book Critic Constance Grady offers a few reads the help navigate through the murky existential waters of starting a career or finding a new purpose. Wild by Cheryl Strayed Losing It Emma Rathbone Florence in Ecstasy by Jessie Chaffee. Ask a Book Critic is an exclusive series from Vox Quick Hits. New episodes every other Wednesday and you can read the column here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
What problems can gun control solve? | The Weeds
March 24, 2021 09:30 - 5 minutesMatt, Dara, and Vox's Jerusalem Demsas discuss the politics of progressive control proposals that rise to the fore in the wake of mass shootings, and whether or not they can be effective at curing the real ills of gun violence in America. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
WTF is an NFT? | Today, Explained in 10
March 23, 2021 22:25 - 10 minutesOn Monday, a tweet sold for $2.9 million. That followed a JPEG that went for $69 million. The Verge’s Liz Lopatto explains how internet ephemera turned to gold. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What lies beneath our feet? | Unexplainable
March 23, 2021 15:30 - 3 minutesSixty years ago, geologists tried to drill down through the Earth’s crust to pull up a piece of the Earth’s mantle. Their mission didn’t go exactly as planned. But it sowed the seeds for a new field of science that’s helped us rewrite not only the history of the planet, but, potentially, our definitions of life itself. The documentaries featured in this episode are "The First Deep Ocean Drilling: Mohole, Phase 1" and "Project Mohole: Report No. 1." For further reading, sign up for our newslet...
Student debt, part 2: The case against forgiveness | Tell Me More
March 23, 2021 09:01 - 10 minutesAs the argument for student debt forgiveness has been fleshed out in recent years, so has the case that it’s not the right way to go. Some experts, economists, and ordinary Americans are skeptical of forgiving student debt. They argue that while debt is certainly a problem for the people who have it, forgiveness isn’t a really effective way to stimulate the economy or to tackle equity goals. Beth Akers, an economist at the American Enterprise Institute, lays out the case against broad-based s...
AnchoRage | Today, Explained in 10
March 23, 2021 00:02 - 9 minutesThe United States and China met in Anchorage, Alaska, on Thursday to air grievances, and the cameras were rolling. Vox’s Alex Ward explains how the meeting set the stage for one of the world’s biggest rivalries. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Why we need to talk about inherited wealth | What's the Story?
March 22, 2021 16:00 - 8 minutesThere’s about to be a huge transfer of wealth from the pockets of Boomers to younger generations. Will “the great wealth transfer” magnify existing inequalities or expand the middle class? Deputy editor Meredith Haggerty discusses her story on this hard-to-talk-about topic and unpacks why inheritance is more complicated than it seems. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices