What if we stopped shopping?

A new era of American populism kicked off with Donald Trump in 2016. Ten years later, Americans don't have much to show for it. This episode was produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Jolie Myers, fact-checked by Gabriel Dunatov, engineered by David Tatasciore and Bridger Dunnagan, and hosted by Noel King. People cheer as President Donald Trump speaks during a rally at Macomb Community College on April 29, 2025 at Warren, Michigan. Photo by Scott Olson/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

Is it even possible? Voters going to the polls this week hope so, but solutions will require some out-of-the-box thinking. This episode was produced by Denise Guerra and Hady Mawajdeh, edited by Amina Al-Sadi, fact-checked by Gabriel Dunatov, engineered by David Tatasciore and Bridger Dunnagan, and hosted by Noel King. A woman shopping for groceries in the supermarket. Photo by chabybucko 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

If you've optimized your free time so much that it feels like work, maybe it’s time to rethink how you craft and kayak. This episode was produced by Danielle Hewitt, edited by Avishay Artsy, fact-checked by Melissa Hirsch, engineered by David Tatasciore, and hosted by Jonquilyn Hill. A woman athlete catching her breath and holding a padel racket on a blue court. Photo via Noko LTD/Getty Images. If you have a question, give us a call at 1-800-618-8545 or email [email protected]. Listen to Explain It to Me ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Nevada is in many ways “ground zero” for this year’s midterms. The state swung to the right in 2024 and voted for Donald Trump. Now, many voters there are grappling with buyer’s remorse.  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: Vox’s Astead Herndon joins volunteers from the Las Vegas Culinary Workers Union canvassing before the midterm election. Photo by Pavel Gazdyuk. 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

The consumer experience is getting worse even as everything is getting more expensive. AI agents could make things better... or much, much worse. This episode was produced by Ariana Aspuru, edited by Jolie Myers, fact-checked by Gabriel Dunatov, engineered by David Tatasciore and Bridger Dunnagan, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram. A stock art photo of a furious woman on the phone. Photo by Antonio Guillem 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