The end of etiquette

Polling says less than 1 percent of voters consider AI a top concern this election cycle. Michigan congressional candidate Will Lawrence sees things differently. This show was edited by Kasia Broussalian, fact checked by Esther Gim, mixed by Shannon Mahoney, video edited by Christopher Snyder, and hosted by Astead Herndon. Photo caption: Emily Taylor leads chants during a protest against data center development in Austin. Photo by Jay Janner/The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images. You can also watch this episode on youtube.com/vox. Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. New Vox members get $20 off their membership right now. If you enjoy our reporting and want to learn more, sign up for Astead’s weekly newsletter, Midterms, Actually. Just go to www.vox.com/midtermsactually to learn more, and get in-depth analysis about this year’s election right to your inbox. ⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

From live auction sites like Whatnot to games like Monopoly Go!, mobile apps are now designed to addict kids as well as adults. This episode was produced by Danielle Hewitt, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Gabriel Dunatov, engineered by David Tatasciore and Bridger Dunnagan, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram. Image courtesy Monopoly Go!, a free-to-play mobile board game developed by Scopely. Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. New Vox members get $20 off their membership right now. Transcript at ⁠⁠vox.com/today-explained-podcast⁠.⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A majority of Americans have a negative view of Israel. Trump wants to send a massive shipment of bombs to the country anyway. This episode was produced by Miles Bryan and Ariana Aspuru, edited by Jolie Myers, fact-checked by Gabriel Dunatov, engineered by David Tatasciore, and hosted by Noel King. Protesters rally outside the White House against Israeli bombing of Gaza on March 18, 2025 in Washington, DC. Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images. Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. New Vox members get $20 off their membership right now. Transcript at ⁠⁠vox.com/today-explained-podcast⁠.⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It’s called the “burnerverse": an online community of anonymous college sports fans who mostly trash talk other teams, except when things turn very, very dark. This episode was produced by Hady Mawajdeh and Avishay Artsy with help from Miles Bryan, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Gabriel Dunatov, engineered by Bridger Dunnagan and David Tatasciore, and hosted by Noel King. A man looking at his phone. Photo by Petri Oeschger/Getty Images. Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. New Vox members get $20 off their membership right now. Transcript at ⁠⁠vox.com/today-explained-podcast⁠.⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Some top AI thinkers warn that the technology could kill us all. But it could also save us. This episode was produced by Peter Balonon-Rosen, edited by Jolie Myers, fact-checked by Gabriel Dunatov, engineered by David Tatasciore and Bridger Dunnagan, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram. The question "Should I kill humans?" is projected onto a wall behind robot "Alfie", a Moral Choice Machine, during a press conference at the Technische Universität Darmstadt. Photo by Arne Dedert/picture alliance via Getty Images. Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. New Vox members get $20 off their membership right now. Transcript at ⁠⁠vox.com/today-explained-podcast⁠.⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices