Vox Quick Hits
288 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 3 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 Biden hasn’t reentered the Iran deal — yet | Worldly in 10
February 26, 2021 10:01 - 9 minutesZack, Jenn, and Alex break down why the Biden administration hasn’t yet reentered the Iran nuclear deal. They explain that the process of rejoining is more complicated than it might seem, but that it’s still likely the deal will come back eventually. They then debate the pros and cons of rejoining the accord and how well the Obama foreign policy team — many of whom have joined the Biden administration — handled the pact. One point of agreement: The Trump administration’s Iran policy failed. ...
The case for Covid-19 optimism | Today, Explained in 10
February 25, 2021 23:40 - 10 minutesVox’s German Lopez explains why he feels optimistic about the end of the pandemic even though 500,000 Americans have died, the virus is mutating, and it’s going to take a long time to vaccinate the world. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
A lawyer for my band | The Best Money I Ever Spent
February 25, 2021 17:00 - 12 minutesNabil Ayers wasn’t looking for trouble; he just wanted to drive around the country with his bandmates making music. They had other ideas, though, which came to a head when they were busted by cops for carrying an entire tour’s worth of weed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
$2,000 on a lawyer | The Best Money I Ever Spent
February 25, 2021 17:00 - 12 minutesNabil Ayers wasn’t looking for trouble; he just wanted to drive around the country with his bandmates making music. They had other ideas, though, which came to a head when they were busted by cops for carrying an entire tour’s worth of weed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
A Watchmen writer on race, TV, and tech giants | Vox Conversations in 10
February 25, 2021 10:30 - 8 minutesThe Undefeated's culture critic Soraya Nadia McDonald talks with Emmy Award-winning television writer and producer Cord Jefferson. They discuss the transition from journalism to TV, delving into Jefferson's move from Gawker to writing for hit shows like Succession, The Good Place, and Watchmen. They also touch on what needs to change about TV writer's rooms, and what our current era of streaming giants and tech barons means for news and pop culture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit pod...
Andrew Cuomo's fall from grace | Today, Explained in 10
February 25, 2021 00:04 - 10 minutesAndrew Cuomo was hailed for his leadership early on in the pandemic. Now, he's mired in scandal. Journalist Ross Barkan explains. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What is the #FreeBritney movement? | One Good Answer
February 24, 2021 17:00 - 10 minutesA new documentary has brought Britney Spears back into the spotlight, making us questions if we’ve changed our ways as a celebrity-obsessed culture. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What won't be in the stimulus? | The Weeds in 10
February 24, 2021 10:01 - 5 minutesIn this Vox Quick Hits exclusive, Vox's Emily Stewart joins Matt and Dara to issue dreary prognostications on the fate of the $15 minimum wage Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Stimu-less | Today, Explained in 10
February 23, 2021 23:31 - 10 minutesWhat’s taking so long? What’s happening with those $1,400 checks? Are the Democrats betraying the people who voted for them? Vox’s Li Zhou explains. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Vaccine equity | Tell Me More
February 23, 2021 10:01 - 10 minutesBlack and brown communities have been disproportionately impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, on both the health and economic fronts. Across the country, it appears that vaccination strategies aren’t designed in light of that reality. White people are being vaccinated at higher rates than people of color, and many places aren’t tracking who’s getting vaccinated, race-wise, at all. Vox reporter Fabiola Cineas discusses vaccinations in the context of race and what an equitable policy should look ...
Googliath | Today, Explained in 10
February 22, 2021 23:33 - 10 minutesAustralia just reined in Google. Dozens of other countries want in on the action. The latest season of Land of the Giants explains how two grad students, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, turned a search engine into what might be the most powerful company in history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Should we watch the Golden Globes? | What's the Story?
February 22, 2021 10:02 - 10 minutesHollywood award shows are rigged by the industry, so why should we watch them? In the age of endless streamable content, are award shows becoming obsolete? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Should we watch the Golden Globes? | What's the Story
February 22, 2021 10:02 - 10 minutesHollywood award shows are rigged by the industry, so why should we watch them? In the age of endless streamable content, are award shows becoming obsolete? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What would it take to fix America’s police? | Tell Me More
February 22, 2021 10:01 - 10 minutesMay 25 will be the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s killing at the hands of police, which sparked protests across the country. There’s more conversation about police violence in America right now than ever before, but what would it actually take, policy-wise, to address the problem? Vox editor Sean Collins discusses two proposals that activists say could make an important difference and what progress after the protests could look like. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoi...
A tough week for Texas | Today, Explained in 10
February 20, 2021 00:56 - 10 minutesFirst it was brutal winter weather, power outages followed. Texas Public Radio’s Joey Palacios explains what comes next. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Minari on streaming platforms | What to Watch
February 19, 2021 10:02 - 8 minutesVox film critic Alissa Wilkinson and critic-at-large Emily VanDerWerff recommend Minari, starring Steven Yeun. It’s a beautiful drama about an immigrant family trying to start a vegetable farm in the Ozarks, based on the childhood recollections of writer and director Lee Isaac Chung. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The world’s great powers | Worldly
February 19, 2021 10:01 - 10 minutesZack, Jenn, and Alex break down one of the DC foreign policy world’s hottest new catchphrases: “great power competition.” It’s the idea that international politics in the 21st century will be dominated by a struggle for influence between the US, China, and (to a lesser extent) Russia. The gang talks about what the concept actually means and whether it’s a useful framework for understanding international politics today and in the future. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.c...
Rush Limbaugh’s legacy | Today, Explained in 10
February 19, 2021 01:15 - 10 minutesAuthor Nicole Hemmer explains how Limbaugh transformed conservative politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Uncovering the history of psychedelics in Christianity | Vox Conversations in 10
February 18, 2021 10:30 - 9 minutesVox's Sean Illing talks about the the little-known history of psychedelics and spirituality in the Western world with Brian Muraresku, author of The Immortality Key. What role did psychedelic drugs play in the rise and spread of Christianity — and could they save the church today? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Biden at the border | Today, Explained in 10
February 18, 2021 00:02 - 10 minutesPresident Biden says he wants to undo his predecessor’s immigration policies? The El Paso Times’s Lauren Villagran explain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Books that read like an Edward Hopper painting | Ask a Book Critic
February 17, 2021 10:02 - 4 minutesConstance Grady suggests some reads that make you feel like you’re trapped in one of Hopper’s classic scenes: In Sunlight or in Shadow, Raymond Chandler books, and Play It as It Lays. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What's next for Donald Trump? | The Weeds in 10
February 17, 2021 10:01 - 7 minutesMatt, Dara, and Vox's Emily Stewart ponder what will come next for the twice-impeached former president. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
57-43 | Today, Explained in 10
February 17, 2021 00:39 - 10 minutesDemocrats made a strong impeachment case against Donald Trump. Republicans are being punished for supporting it. Vox’s Zack Beauchamp explains. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Imagine a life without Google | Recode Daily
February 16, 2021 14:00 - 7 minutesImagine waking up one day to find Google and all of its services gone. Gmail, search, Google Drive, YouTube, Google Home, Google Maps — all gone. In Australia, a world without Google might not be far off. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The problem with more Harry Potter | What's the Story?
February 16, 2021 10:02 - 9 minutesWhen news broke of a possible Harry Potter TV series, not everyone seemed excited. Why J.K. Rowling’s transphobic statements are tarnishing the series’ legacy and making fans question the characters’ meaning and influence. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The politics of stimulus checks | Tell Me More
February 16, 2021 10:01 - 7 minutesIn 2020, the conversation around giving people money changed — namely, the federal government got much more on board with the idea. At the outset of the pandemic, the government sent out $1,200 checks, and then in December, Congress passed another round of $600 checks. Now, $1,400 checks are on the horizon. Vox senior correspondent Dylan Matthews explains the evolving politics around the government sending people money, how we got here, and whether these policies are likely to stick around. L...
Cupid-19 | Today, Explained in 10
February 14, 2021 10:00 - 10 minutesThe pandemic hasn’t stopped Americans from dating, hooking up, or tying the knot. In fact, lockdown has been helping people get down. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
#FreeBritney | Today, Explained in 10
February 13, 2021 02:23 - 11 minutesThe movement to liberate Britney Spears from her conservatorship may not succeed, but it’s revealing a lot about how we treat young women. Vox’s Constance Grady explains. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Protesting farmers, India's democracy, and Rihanna | Worldly
February 12, 2021 10:01 - 9 minutesZack, Jenn, and Alex discuss the huge farmers’ protests in India. They explain the very real policy debate over new agricultural reform laws that sparked the protests, and how that debate has now been obscured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist politics, international celebrity activism, and online trolls. Oh, and they talk about Rihanna. Yes, that Rihanna. References: Vox’s Jariel Arvin explains the Indian farmers’ protest. And he also writes about why India’s government ...
Our favorite TV | What to Watch
February 12, 2021 10:00 - 11 minutesA few weeks ago, Vox critic-at-large Emily VanDerWerff and film critic Alissa Wilkinson shared their favorite movies. This week they're back with their favorite shows: The Simpsons on Disney Plus (Emily) This classic has been on the air since 1989. Not all the jokes will fly today, but looking back on the comedy of the 1990s, The Simpsons seems to have aged the best. Since it's animated and the characters never age, it can continually comment on American life. And it will only take 258 days...
The Republican(!) plan to give parents money | Today, Explained in 10
February 11, 2021 23:26 - 10 minutesSen. Mitt Romney wants to throw money at parents, Andrew Yang-style. President Biden is into it, too. Vox’s Dylan Matthews explains. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Biden's immigration architect on racism, reform, and the Obama legacy | Vox Conversations in 10
February 11, 2021 10:30 - 10 minutesNPR journalist, memoirist, and host of the upcoming WBEZ podcast The Art of Power Aarti Shahani talks with Cecilia Muñoz, a former aide to Obama and part of Biden's transition team. It's a conversation about immigration policy reform and the challenges ahead for President Biden — and for a country wrestling with changing demographics, racism, and its history. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
A skateboard in my 30s | The Best Money I Ever Spent
February 11, 2021 10:02 - 11 minutesPicking up skating in your 30s and beyond, the trend stories tell us, signals some sort of desperation. You’re either going through a midlife crisis or trying to hide one if you think that awkwardly rolling around on a wooden toy, risking a hospital visit the entire time, is a good idea. Steve Rousseau considered all of this, and then decided not to worry about it. He bought a skateboard at the very start of the pandemic, and it’s the best money he’s ever spent. Learn more about your ad cho...
$141 on a skateboard | The Best Money I Ever Spent
February 11, 2021 10:02 - 11 minutesPicking up skating in your 30s and beyond, the trend stories tell us, signals some sort of desperation. You’re either going through a midlife crisis or trying to hide one if you think that awkwardly rolling around on a wooden toy, risking a hospital visit the entire time, is a good idea. Steve Rousseau considered all of this, and then decided not to worry about it. He bought a skateboard at the very start of the pandemic, and it’s the best money he’s ever spent. Learn more about your ad ch...
Vaccine hoarding | Today, Explained in 10
February 10, 2021 23:07 - 8 minutesPoorer countries have received less than 1 percent of the Covid-19 vaccines distributed around the world. Vox’s Julia Belluz explains what the WHO is calling a “catastrophic moral failure.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
How cops became Hollywood's heroes | One Good Answer
February 10, 2021 10:02 - 10 minutesVox culture writer Constance Grady explains why TV shows like Dragnet, Law & Order, Hawaii Five-0, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine always seem to feature police as heroes. She explains how police consultants became the go-to for procedurals, the police archetypes that saturate pop culture, and how cop shows are pivoting for 2021. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
What we're missing about the Covid relief bill | The Weeds
February 10, 2021 10:01 - 4 minutesVox's Ella Nilsen joins Matt and Dara to discuss the overlooked implications of Biden's rescue bill, and the debate surrounding it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
How Section 230 came to be | Today, Explained in 10
February 09, 2021 23:16 - 10 minutesLaw professor Jeff Kosseff explains the long history of Section 230, the law that made the modern internet possible. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Jeff Bezos’s second act | Recode Daily
February 09, 2021 14:28 - 7 minutesNow that Jeff Bezos is leaving his role as Amazon’s CEO, everyone’s wondering what the future holds for one of the wealthiest people in the world. Will he finally step up in the philanthropy world? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Why the U.S. can’t figure out reopening schools | Tell Me More
February 09, 2021 10:01 - 10 minutesNearly a year into the pandemic, the country still hasn’t quite figured out how to keep students and teachers safe at school. It’s largely been up to states, school districts, and teachers to figure out whether to keep schools open or switch to distance learning. Experts say measures like masks, ventilation, and testing can make schools safer — but those measures often require resources that schools don’t have. Vox’s Anna North explains what’s happening with schools during the pandemic, and w...
Capitol punishment | Today, Explained in 10
February 09, 2021 00:32 - 10 minutesVox’s Andrew Prokop previews the historic second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Books about everyday delight | Ask a Book Critic
February 08, 2021 10:02 - 7 minutesWelcome to the latest installment of Vox’s Ask a Book Critic, in which Vox book critic Constance Grady, provide book recommendations to suit your very specific mood: either how you’re feeling right now or how you’d like to be feeling instead. In today's episode, a caller from Colorado is searching for books that find joy in the daily minutiae. Constance recommends: Wintering by Catherine May Autumn by Karl Ove Knausgaard Home Comforts by Cheryl Mendelsohn Learn more about your ad choices....
Robinhood, meet the Dotcom bubble | Tell Me More
February 08, 2021 10:01 - 8 minutesThe Redditors of WallStreetBets should maybe take a look at the 1990s before piling into their next trade. The GameStop saga has shed a light on the growing individual investing trend, brought about by commission-free trading, gamified apps, and a lot of down time during the pandemic. But like so many trends, this isn’t new: Day trading was super popular in the 1990s, when people were also looking on chat boards for stock tips and making speculative bets. Recode’s Peter Kafka puts the current...
All Creatures Great and Small on PBS | What to Watch
February 05, 2021 10:02 - 6 minutesAll Creatures Great and Small is PBS’s new adaptation of the book series about a young veterinarian in late 1930s rural England. It is comfort food TV right down to its bones, and it is comfort food TV that works. The seven-episode first season is full of heartwarming moments, camaraderie among townspeople, and adorable animals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Myanmar’s coup has no heroes | Worldly in 10
February 05, 2021 10:01 - 9 minutesZack, Jenn, and Alex discuss the recent coup in Myanmar, in which the Myanmarese military deposed the country’s quasi-democratic government and detained its civilian leader, Aung San Suu Kyi, along with hundreds of members of her political party. References: Alex wrote an explainer on the Myanmar coup. Jen Kirby wrote about the laughable charges the military leveled against Aung Sang Suu Kyi. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Arab Spring, 10 years later | Today, Explained in 10
February 05, 2021 10:00 - 8 minutesTen years ago, a Tunisian fruit vendor set himself on fire and set off a revolution across the Middle East. The Independent’s Borzou Daragahi says the Arab Spring never ended. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Work as identity, burnout as lifestyle | Vox Conversations in 10
February 04, 2021 11:00 - 11 minutesAn excerpt from Ezra Klein's conversation with Anne Helen Petersen and Derek Thompson in April 2019. They discuss what happens when work becomes an identity, capitalism becomes a religion, and productivity becomes the way we measure human value. Hear the whole conversation here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Capitol Siege and American Revolution | Vox Conversations in 10
February 04, 2021 10:30 - 6 minutesVox's Dylan Matthews talks with author and Revolutions podcaster Mike Duncan about what history can tell us about the insurrection at the US Capitol. Is America experiencing a true moment of revolution? So many republics throughout history have crumbled - could this one be next? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Marjorie Taylor Greene’s “loony lies” | Today, Explained in 10
February 04, 2021 10:00 - 9 minutesVox’s Aaron Rupar explains why Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has likened a fellow Republican’s views to cancer. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Books for a long winter | Ask a Book Critic
February 03, 2021 10:02 - 6 minutesA caller from Canada seeks cerebral mysteries to help him get through the brutal winter, Vox's book critic Constance Grady recommends: Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellmann Piranesi by Susanna Clarke If On a Winter’s Night a Traveler by Italo Calvino Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson If you’d like Constance to recommend a book for you, email her at [email protected] with the subject line “Ask a Book Critic.” The more specific your mood, the better! Learn more about your ad choices. Vis...