Today, Explained

New York City wants to charge drivers a congestion fee to slim down traffic. We travel the world to see if it’s a good idea. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

To mark Equal Pay Day 2019, Vox’s Sarah Kliff reveals the very simple reason women earn less than men. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Texas Senate is debating a bill that would give state-licensed professionals the freedom to deny services based on religious beliefs. Lauren McGaughy from the Dallas Morning News says the state's LGBT community feels directly threatened. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Theresa May staked her prime ministership on her Brexit deal and, for the third time, the British Parliament rejected it. Vox's Jen Kirby explains a very bad day for Theresa May. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Unsettling details continue to arise about Boeing's 737 Max and now Congress is pressing the FAA and America's largest manufacturing exporter for answers. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You've heard about the trade war, but how about the phone war? Politico's Steven Overly explains why the US and China are fighting over Huawei and 5G. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

President Donald Trump has signed a proclamation recognizing Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, breaking with decades of United States policy. The move could alter the Middle East forever. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Robert Mueller's investigation has ended and Attorney General William Barr has furnished a four-page summary. Vox's Andrew Prokop says this is far from over. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The terrorist attacks in New Zealand have thrust Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern into the spotlight. Radio New Zealand’s Jane Patterson explains the 38-year-old's improbable rise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg are calling to abolish the Electoral College and a dozen states have signed on to a plan that would subvert it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today the Supreme Court hears oral arguments about Curtis Flowers, who has been tried six times for the same crime: a quadruple homicide at a furniture store in Mississippi. Madeleine Baran, host of the “In the Dark” podcast, explains how this case represents a fundamental problem with jury selection in the United States. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

CBD is winding up in your lattes, your gummies, and your massages, but what exactly is it? And is anyone regulating it? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Christchurch shooting took place thousands of miles from the United States, but for Muslims in America, the threat of white supremacy remains very real. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A terrorist attacked two mosques in New Zealand during Friday prayer, killing at least 49 people. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed on Sunday killing all 157 aboard. The response was unprecedented. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Remember Aunt Becky from Full House? She might be heading to the big house. Fifty grown-ups, including Lori Loughlin and Felicity Huffman, are facing federal charges over college admissions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Can't pass an FBI background check? Not a problem. That's the Trump administration's approach to top secret security clearances for some White House officials. Now Democrats are launching an investigation. Vox's Ella Nilsen explains. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

SpaceX and Blue Origin have been driving much of the excitement around space travel for the past several years, but NASA got back in the game today. Dr. Ellen Stofan, the agency’s former chief scientist, explains what’s next for us, Mars, infinity and beyond. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Michael Cohen mentioned one name multiple times during his Congressional testimony: accountant Allen Weisselberg. We peel back the curtain on the keeper of Trump's fiercely guarded secrets. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Trump administration got a lot closer to defunding Planned Parenthood this week — 21 states are fighting back with a sweeping new lawsuit. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Canada’s prime minister is accused of pressuring his attorney general to go easy on a wealthy corporation, and two cabinet officials resigned in protest. With an election mere months away, can Justin Trudeau survive? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The United States officially eliminated measles in 2000. But the deadly disease is making a comeback, and the anti-vaccine movement is largely to thank. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Two men accuse Michael Jackson of sexually abusing them as children in a new HBO documentary. Sean Rameswaram speaks with the film's director and a lawyer representing the estate of Michael Jackson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Facebook moderators watch suicides, decapitations, and drone attacks so you don’t have to—and they’re paid just a fraction of what the average Facebook employee makes. The Verge’s Casey Newton got a rare glimpse inside “the Trauma Floor.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The long-simmering feud between nuclear powers India and Pakistan is boiling over. Ankit Panda from The Diplomat explains why. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices