Vox

How the war in Iran could end affordable air travel - June 3, 2026 - Vox

Since the conflict in the Middle East led to the closing of the Strait of Hormuz, about 20 percent of global oil supply has been choked off, sending prices sky-high, especially for jet fuel. So far, the war may already be costing the airline industry an additional $15 billion. Airlines have responded by raising ticket prices, charging more for bag fees, and cutting flights that they’ve deemed unprofitable because of higher fuel costs.

This price shock was a deciding factor in the May 2026 closure of Spirit Airlines. When a low-cost airline like Spirit goes under, it has a ripple effect through the entire industry, canceling flight routes and raising ticket prices all around.

But even if the war were to end and fuel costs stabilize, major airlines might not be willing to bring their prices back down. In fact, corporations seem all but guaranteed to take advantage of pressuring consumers to pay more to fly.

For over 40 years, flying has been an affordable way to travel. We’ve been living in an era of cheap flights that has shifted air travel from a luxury experience to a globalized mode of public transportation. This video explains how that era might be coming to an end.

Read more about the state of the airline industry and the impact of the war in Iran:

Changes in airfare in the US: https://onemileatatime.com/news/airline-fares-skyrocketing-data/

Reuters’ analysis of how the war is costing airlines: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/iran-war-saddles-global-companies-with-25-billion-bill-counting-2026-05-18/

Bill McGee on NPR discussing the state of the airline industry: https://www.npr.org/2026/04/26/nx-s1-5795931/how-the-iran-war-is-impacting-the-airline-industry

Peter Campbell’s piece on the Iran war and the future of cheap flights: https://www.ft.com/content/a8f9aa9b-94f7-4188-8c53-e18b614c373f

The Today, Explained newsletter covers the Spirit Airlines shutdown: https://www.vox.com/today-explained-newsletter/487758/spirit-airlines-shutdown

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Americans don’t know how to stop working | The Gray Area - June 1, 2026 - Vox

Americans have absorbed the Protestant work ethic: the idea that our value as human beings – and our eventual salvation – is determined by how hard we work. Political philosopher Elizabeth Anderson explains how this evolved, why it pervades everything, and why it’s no longer serving us.

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This episode originally aired in January of 2024.

Host: Sean Illing (@SeanIlling)

Guest: Elizabeth Anderson, professor of public philosophy at the University of Michigan.

00:00 Intro

04:21 Why the Protestant work ethic still controls us

12:32 Why do treat wealth as a virtue and poverty as a vice

23:51 When making money becomes the point of life

30:40 Why can’t we have a better work-life balance?

32:35 How workers can reclaim their freedom

36:27 How to build support for a progressive work ethic

We would love to hear from you. To tell us what you thought of this episode, email us at [email protected] or leave us a voicemail at 1-800-214-5749. Your comments and questions help us make a better show.

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The myth of "one person, one vote" | America, Actually - May 30, 2026 - Vox

Democrats talk a lot about protecting democracy, but for most Americans, the system was written to exclude them a long time ago. Cook Political Report’s Amy Walter joins Vox’s Astead Herndon this week to break down the current redistricting wars. They explore the fallout of recent Supreme Court decisions, the GOP’s short-term tactical gains, and the uncomfortable question facing Democrats: do they prioritize minority representation or raw seat counts?

00:00 The myth of “one person, one vote”

01:42 Electoral College imbalance

02:36 Why 1 voter in Wyoming = 68 in California

04:36 Gerrymandering as a tool of political power

05:23 Who wins the maps fight

09:47 The nationalization of local redistricting

11:45 SCOTUS and the future of Black representation

16:36 How to fix the broken primary system

20:17 The California paradox: why reform doesn't always feel like progress

21:46 Changing the incentive structure in D.C.

Sources and further reading:

This year’s U.S. House elections will be least competitive on record: https://www.gelliottmorris.com/p/2026-05-12-uncompetitive-seats

How Much Voting Power Does Each US State Have?: https://www.maps.com/how-much-voting-power-does-each-us-state-have/

The hidden biases at play in the U.S. Senate: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2023/us-senate-bias-white-rural-voters/

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Gen Z’s retreat from dating and sex | The Gray Area - May 29, 2026 - Vox

Sean talks with writer Christine Emba about the strange and increasingly anti-social world young people are inheriting online. They discuss the rise of “looksmaxxing,” the manosphere, Gen Z’s retreat from dating and sex, and how the internet has transformed what might have been normal insecurities into a permanent state of anxiety and self-optimization. Along the way, they explore loneliness, intimacy, masculinity, social media, and what happens to a society when human connection starts to feel unbearable.

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Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling)

Guest: Christine Emba (@ChristineEmba)

00:00 Intro

01:47 The world of looksmaxxing: incels, bone smashing, and drugs

12:18 The digital doom loop: anxiety, optimization, and the death of dating

21:20 The growing gender divide of Gen Z

28:25 When digital substitutes replace real connections

38:27 Is the internet designed to destroy human connection?

And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube. New episodes drop every Monday and Friday.

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Can there ever really be “one China?” - May 28, 2026 - Vox

For decades, Taiwan’s passport didn’t say “Taiwan” at all. It said something else: the Republic of China. But if Taiwan has called itself China, who gets to be the “real” China?

This video traces the evolution of Taiwan’s identity through one simple object: its passport. From the booting of the Republic of China from the United Nations, to President Richard Nixon’s historic visit to Communist China in 1972, to the 2003 addition of the word “Taiwan” to the Republic of China passport, the story of “One China” is less about geography and more about history, power, and shifting global alliances.

As Beijing becomes more financially and politically powerful on today’s global stage, is it possible for Taiwan to hold onto its autonomy? And what is the US’s role in the triangulation between Beijing and Taipei, especially as Taiwan’s main weapons dealer?

Read more about Taiwan and the concept of “One China”:

The Many “One Chinas”: Multiple Approaches to Taiwan and China: https://carnegieendowment.org/research/2023/02/the-many-one-chinas-multiple-approaches-to-taiwan-and-china?lang=en

The Collapse of One China: https://www.csis.org/analysis/collapse-one-china

Do the Cairo and Potsdam Declarations “restore” Taiwan to China?: https://www.rfa.org/english/news/afcl/fact-check-potsdam-05082023093502.html

Tracking China’s Increased Military Activities in the Indo-Pacific in 2025: https://chinapower.csis.org/china-increased-military-activities-indo-pacific-2025/

Most people in Taiwan see themselves as primarily Taiwanese; few say they’re primarily Chinese: https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/01/16/most-people-in-taiwan-see-themselves-as-primarily-taiwanese-few-say-theyre-primarily-chinese/

How Taiwan came to dominate the global chip industry: https://theconversation.com/how-taiwan-came-to-dominate-the-global-chip-industry-276939

U.S. Military Support for Taiwan in Five Charts: https://www.cfr.org/articles/us-military-support-taiwan-five-charts

Americans and Taiwanese Favor the Status Quo: https://globalaffairs.org/research/public-opinion-survey/americans-and-taiwanese-favor-status-quo

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