Today, Explained

After Vox's Tara Golshan reviews the third Democratic debate, Matthew Yglesias explains how Joe Biden wins even when he loses. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

“I’d be happy to slaughter them,” President Rodrigo Duterte said about three million drug users in the Philippines. It appears he is following through. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Facebook and Instagram are thinking about ditching the thumbs and hearts. What would life be like without "Likes"? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

John Bolton is out. Vox’s Alex Ward explains why he was at odds with his boss from Day 1. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Maybe. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A historic court decision erased some of the most gerrymandered maps in the country this week. North Carolina now has two weeks to redraw them. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We watched seven straight hours of Democrats discussing climate policy so you wouldn't have to. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Rapper Meek Mill was arrested on drug and weapons charges as a teen in 2007, but the case didn't close until last week. NPR's Bobby Allyn explains how a police officer and a judge helped keep Meek Mill in the criminal justice system for over a decade. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Kids in school don’t learn much about American slavery. Professor Hasan Kwame Jeffries says students deserve the real story. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

First it was Flint, now it's Newark. Why do American cities keep contaminating their water? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

David Koch was one of the biggest and most influential donors in American politics. Mother Jones' Daniel Schulman explains his complicated legacy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Biohackers treat their bodies like a science project. But should they be allowed to edit their own DNA at home? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An EPA decision has left Iowan corn growers feeling betrayed by President Trump. Democrats are watching. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A third of Alaskan communities don’t have cops. Kyle Hopkins, investigative reporter at the Anchorage Daily News, explains Alaska’s public safety emergency. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week California passed what some call the toughest law on police use of deadly force in the country. It hinges on one word: necessary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Hong Kong ramped up its protests and China ramped up its propaganda machine. But the conflict may have finally reached a turning point. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There’s a train full of coal sitting on the tracks in eastern Kentucky. It’s being blocked by a group of laid-off miners who want what they're owed. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This weekend in Afghanistan was one of the deadliest this year. Vox’s Jenn Williams explains whether America can end its longest war. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Trump administration is ramping up sanctions on Venezuela, but it may end up hurting the people they're meant to help. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Reporter Barbara Bradley Hagerty set out to investigate why police across the country often fail to catch serial rapists. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vox’s Matthew Yglesias explains why everyone's whispering about a recession. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Trump administration is about to make it a lot harder for poor people to get a green card. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jeffrey Epstein’s suicide is unexpectedly shining a light on the conditions in America’s jails. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vox's Tara Golshan spent the weekend at the Iowa State Fair trying to figure out what eating deep fried Oreos has to do with running the country. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the wake of Saturday’s shooting, Latinos across the United States are questioning their safety. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices