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Should you be able to buy a kidney? | The Gray Area - August 24, 2026 - Vox
Is it ever okay to put a price on a kidney? Why is it illegal to sell an organ, but perfectly legal to sell blood plasma? This episode explores the world of "repugnant transactions"— the markets we find morally offensive — and asks why we ban certain markets as "gross" or "unethical" while ignoring others that might cause more harm.
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In this episode of The Gray Area, host Bryan Walsh sits down with Nobel laureate Alvin Roth, who wrote the recent book Moral Economics, to discuss how markets are the key to understanding our most deeply held social values. They break down why society chooses to ban certain transactions, how those choices affect real lives, and whether we can use "market design" to save people without violating our ethical standards.
Host: Bryan Walsh, Vox Editorial Director
Guest: Alvin Roth, Professor of Economics at Stanford University and author of Moral Economics: From Prostitution to Organ Sales, What Controversial Transactions Reveal About How Markets Work.
00:00 Intro
02:57 What is a ‘repugnant transaction?’
08:19 America’s kidney shortage
12:05 Iran’s kidney market
30:39 Kidney transplantation vs dialysis
24:22 The ethics of paying for kidneys
32:16 Other ‘repugnant transactions'
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Is MAGA still electable? | America, Actually - August 22, 2026 - Vox
Left-leaning Democratic candidates have faced a lot of scrutiny in the last year about whether they’re “electable” in a general election. But why aren’t Republican candidates facing the same question?
Donald Trump’s approval ratings are at the lowest of his presidency, and he’s waging an unpopular war. Gas prices remain elevated, and the GOP has nominated a number of scandal-plagued candidates to run in November’s midterm elections.
So, do Republicans have their own electability crisis? This week on America, Actually, Vox’s Astead Herndon asks GOP influencer and activist CJ Pearson to defend his party’s record.
00:00 Do Republicans have an electability problem?
03:03 Trump’s second term report card
05:43 The GOP’s midterm messaging: “common sense vs. crazy"
07:10 Gas prices and Iran war fallout
11:20 Is Trump still cool?
14:27 The influencer void after Charlie Kirk’s death
15:50 DEI and Black voters
18:30 2020 election denial and January 6th
23:54 Astead’s takeaways
America, Actually publishes video episodes every Saturday tackling key issues in politics, culture, and the economy. Subscribe to Vox’s YouTube channel to get them. Listen to episodes of America, Actually on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your favorite app.
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Why nonalcoholic wine is so expensive - August 20, 2026 - Vox
08/20/26 correction: the voiceover @ 4:58 should say "decreasing pressure to lower the boiling point of alcohol" rather than "increasing pressure to lower the boiling point of alcohol"
The non-alcoholic beverage industry has exploded from once-a-year “Dry January” experiments to one of the fastest-growing categories in food and beverage, largely driven by younger consumers who are drinking less but still wanting the rituals and community of socializing. US sales of non-alcoholic beer, wine, and spirits have grown over 20 percent year over year, and analysts project that the no-alcohol market will grow by over $4 billion by 2028.
With the wine world experiencing one of its biggest downturns in decades, small businesses and food scientists are turning to non-alcoholic wines as a potential alternative. Some are using technology and chemistry to produce premium dealcoholized wines, while others, like Burden of Proof in Los Angeles, are recreating the community feel of wine shops through NA-only storefronts.
However, even as consumers turn away from alcohol, many are still shocked by the sticker price of alcohol-free wine. How could something with alcohol removed cost just as much as something with alcohol? The answer is a mix of the high cost of dealcoholizing technology and the price attached to a growing movement.
Read more about the non-alcoholic beverage trend:
- Sales Are So Low, California Wineries Are Burning Their Vineyards (New York Times): https://www.nytimes.com/2026/07/30/us/pinot-noir-california-wine-sales-decline.html
- Non Alcohol Is No Longer a Niche—It’s a Billion-Dollar Movement (Nielsen): https://nielseniq.com/global/en/insights/report/2025/non-alcohol-is-no-longer-a-niche-its-a-billion-dollar-movement/
- Investors Tap Into The Zero Proof and Non-Alcoholic Beverage Market (Forbes): https://www.forbes.com/sites/shimiteobialo/2025/11/10/investors-tap-into-the-zero-proof-and-non-alcoholic-beverage-market/
- U.S. Drinking Rate at New Low as Alcohol Concerns Surge (Gallup): https://news.gallup.com/poll/693362/drinking-rate-new-low-alcohol-concerns-surge.aspx
- BevZero Equipment Spinning Cone Column Explained (BevZero): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6XbefG7YFU
This video is presented by Verizon Business. Verizon Business doesn’t have a say in our editorial decisions, but they help make videos like this one possible.
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