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The case for thinking like a child | The Gray Area - April 27, 2026 - Vox

Sean talks with psychologist Alison Gopnik about how children think, learn, experience the world, and why their minds may be more powerful than ours in some crucial ways. They explore the idea that kids are the “research and development” wing of the human species, built for exploration, curiosity, and discovery, while adults are optimized for focus, efficiency, and getting things done. Along the way, they discuss why children notice things we’ve stopped seeing, what we lose when we grow up, and what parenting reveals about love, care, and the nature of intelligence itself.

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Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling)

Guest: Alison Gopnik (@AlisonGopnik)

Chapter Titles

00:00 Intro

00:48 The differences between the minds of children and the minds of adults

07:21 Humanity’s long childhood

14:27 Why is it hard for adults to be playful?

17:09 What do we lose when we move from childhood to adulthood?

22:42 Can LLMs think like children?

33:10 How to encourage kids to be kids

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Can Sen. Gallego move past the Swalwell allegations? | America, Actually - April 25, 2026 - Vox

Arizona Sen. Ruben Gallego is considering running for president in 2028. In a lot of ways, it makes sense: He’s an army veteran who represents a critical swing state with a sizable Latino electorate.

But could his previously close relationship with former Congress member Eric Swalwell complicate his political future?

This week on America, Actually, Gallego addresses his recent public apology regarding his ties to Swalwell following the Congress member’s sexual misconduct allegations. He also outlines his plans for bringing Latino voters back to the Democratic Party, and makes a case for why Democrats need to improve their outreach to men, including white men, in order to win elections.

00:00 Intro: Sen. Ruben Gallego

01:08 The GOP’s polling problem with Latino voters

04:06 What is the Democrats’ position on the border?

07:49 Fallout from the Laken Riley Act

09:07 The backlash to data centers in Arizona

12:29 Addressing the Swalwell allegations

15:40 On masculinity and authenticity

19:50 How Democrats can win back male voters

22:59 Gallego on a possible 2028 run

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Concerts are going to stay expensive. Here's why. - April 24, 2026 - Vox

On April 15, a federal jury found Live Nation Entertainment and Ticketmaster operated as an illegal monopoly, overcharging fans and shutting out competition.

After years of complaints, lawsuits, and the fallout from the 2022 Taylor Swift Eras Tour ticket sale controversy, the states took the case to trial, and won.

So now the question is simple: Will ticket prices actually go down? The answer, it turns out, is more complicated than limiting fees and creating more competition.

Read more about the Ticketmaster/Live Nation case:

Live Nation lost in court. Here’s what it means for concerts.

https://www.vox.com/today-explained-newsletter/485946/live-nation-monopoly-verdict-tickets

Is the Ticketmaster Monopoly Verdict a Mirage – https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-lede/is-the-ticketmaster-monopoly-verdict-a-mirage

Ticketmaster’s Big Loss in Court - https://www.nytimes.com/2026/04/23/podcasts/the-daily/ticketmaster-live-nation-trial.html

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The Supreme Court’s Internet problem | The Gray Area - April 24, 2026 - Vox

The Supreme Court is aggressive on almost everything. Except the internet.

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Sean talks with Vox’s Ian Millhiser about a surprising pattern at the Court. While it’s been eager to reshape schools, healthcare, and civil rights law, it has consistently taken a cautious, almost hands-off approach to regulating the internet. They unpack a recent case involving music piracy, the broader legal fight over who’s responsible for what happens online, and why even a highly ideological Court seems wary of breaking the digital world.

Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling)

Guest: Ian Millhiser (@imillhiser)

00:00 Intro

1:35 Not the nine greatest experts on the internet

4:46 Cox Communications v. Sony Music Entertainment

14:59 Why is the court cautious about the internet?

22:48 The court and First Amendment issues

30:49 When technology moves too fast for the law

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America's fishing paradox - April 22, 2026 - Vox

Every year, federal and state wildlife agencies in the US breed millions of fish and release them into the wild, all for fishers to catch. They do this because many ecosystems no longer support the thriving fish populations they once did, due to dams, pollution, and rising water temperatures.

But there’s a catch. In many cases, the fish that are being released aren’t native to these ecosystems. In Connecticut, where this video was filmed, the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) breeds and releases rainbow trout — from the West Coast — and brown trout, from Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa. Of course, states aren’t just throwing fish into the water at random. There are many preventative measures and monitoring systems in place to protect local ecosystems from the dangers of non-native species. But things can still go wrong.

Introducing non-native fish can wreak havoc on an ecosystem. So why are state wildlife agencies doing it by the million?

To see some fish stocking in action and learn more about the process, Vox producer Nate Krieger went on a fish stocking run with employees of Connecticut DEEP. In just under an hour, they released 675 live trout into the Mianus River for the recreation of local fishermen.

This video examines the strange paradox that incentivizes states to do something that, at least in some cases, hurts the very ecosystem they're trying to conserve. It explores the complicated question of fish stocking in the US, examines the possible dangers to ecosystems, and shines a light on potential conservation benefits. Because recreational fishing encourages people to spend time outside, which builds a relationship with nature and the environment that could be invaluable for our future.

Read more about non-native fish stocking:

Benji Jones’ article on non-native fish stocking: https://www.vox.com/climate/483175/fish-stocking-trout-wildlife-agencies

Connecticut DEEP’s report on fish stocking for 2026: portal.ct.gov/-/media/DEEP/fishing/weekly_reports/CurrentStockingReport.pdf

Apportionments data for hunting and fishing, broken down by category and state: partnerwithapayer.org/funding-sources/

“Wilderness Fish Stocking: History and Perspective” by Edwin P. Pister: www.jstor.org/stable/3658925?mag=fish-stocking-the-dark-underbelly-of-resource-management

Information and great photos on “fish cars,” the train cars full of live fish that powered fish stocking in the 1800s: pullman-museum.org/pshs/pshsCompoundObjectWebPage.php?collection=pshs&pointer=18283&root=18286

This video is part of a series supported by Animal Charity Evaluators, which received a grant from EarthShare.

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