Vox

The Democrats need a makeover | America Actually - August 11, 2026 - Vox
Progressives are racking up primary wins. Is the Democratic establishment getting the message?
In a special episode of America, Actually, Vox’s Astead Herndon speaks to Democratic strategist Neera Tanden, president and CEO of the Center for American Progress, to discuss what it will take to build a coalition capable of defeating Trump. Tanden discusses the failures of the Biden era, the party’s need to win back working-class voters, and the ideological divide on AIPAC, Israel, and the Iran war.
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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What happens when we stop reading? | The Gray Area - August 10, 2026 - Vox
What happens when we read less? What does that do to our ability to understand complex ideas, or even think for ourselves?
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In today’s episode, guest host Jonquilyn Hill speaks with Atlantic staff writer Rose Horowitch. In her recent cover story, Rose argues that we are entering a postliterate age. Although we’re surrounded by text — like emails, text messages, and notifications — we no longer have an interest in reading longer, book-length content.
Jonquilyn and Rose discuss how the digital age has transformed the way we consume information, what deep reading teaches us that scrolling can't, and how being postliterate is changing our politics and culture.
00:00 Intro
04:05 A literacy crisis vs postliteracy
06:39 Why books are different from social media
13:24 The impact of postliteracy on students
26:53 Donald Trump is the first postliterate president
33:20 Print vs digital media
39:04 Deep reading vs the endless scroll
48:27 Could a postliterate society actually be better informed?
Host: Jonquilyn Hill, host of Explain It To Me
Guest: Rose Horowitch, staff writer for The Atlantic
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Will gas prices decide the midterms? | America, Actually - August 8, 2026 - Vox
Gas prices are hovering around $4 a gallon nationally, and hitting $4.20 in swing states like Pennsylvania. President Trump has promised relief once the Iran war ends, but history shows voters’ patience at the pump doesn’t last long. So Vox’s Astead Herndon traveled to one of the most competitive congressional districts in the country to see if high fuel costs might actually flip votes in this year’s midterm elections.
00:00 Do gas prices decide elections?
01:10 Why $4 gas could hurt Republicans
02:00 What Pennsylvania voters told us
03:00 Did Trump break his promise on gas prices?
05:00 What’s to blame for the higher prices?
08:03 Why some voters still support Trump
12:47 The history of gas prices and elections
14:53 How gas prices helped unseat Jimmy Carter
15:45 Why presidents get blamed for gas prices
17:19 Why gas prices hit differently for Americans
18:45 Can the GOP survive $4 gas?
21:19 Will gas prices decide the midterms?
21:21 How should Democrats campaign?
23:51 The limits of presidential power
Read more about gas prices:
Why Gas Prices Hit Different
https://julianzelizer.substack.com/p/why-gas-prices-hit-different
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.
If you enjoy our reporting and want to hear more from Vox journalists, sign up for our Patreon at patreon.com/vox. Each month, our members get access to exclusive videos, livestreams, and chats with our newsroom.
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What does a parent owe their child? | The Gray Area - August 7, 2026 - Vox
The Gray Area is taking a short break this week — but we’ve got something special for you.
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We’re dropping an episode from one of our favorite podcasts, Unexplainable. In it, host Noam Hassenfeld and Vox senior reporter Sigal Samuel explore one of the biggest dilemmas facing growing families: How much should parents decide about their children’s future from prenatal testing alone? Noam and Sigal wrestle with the moral dilemmas surrounding genetic testing, parental choice, and the limitations of trying to predict the future.
Host: Noam Hassenfeld, Host of Unexplainable
Guest: Sigal Samuel, Vox Senior Reporter
Listen to more Unexplainable episodes here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/unexplainable/id1554578197
Read Sigal’s advice column here: https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/459003/designer-babies-embryo-selection-polygenic-testing-ethics
00:00 Intro
03:49 What does a parent owe their child?
04:59 What do genetic tests screen for?
09:29 The complexities of genetics screening
13:02 Should parents choose their baby’s traits?
21:41 How did the Vox audience respond?
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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Listen to The Gray Area ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members
The Gray Area is taking a short break this week — but we’ve got something special for you.
Subscribe to our channel! http://goo.gl/0bsAjO
Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com.
Watch our full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE
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India’s internet war - August 6, 2026 - Vox
In 2014, Narendra Modi pioneered the use of social media and digital campaigning in India to become prime minister. Known as one of the first global politicians to harness the power of the internet, he has the most social media followers of any world leader currently in office.
Today, over a decade since Modi’s digital-first political campaign, an internet-fueled youth movement called the Cockroach Janta Party (or the Cockroach People’s Party) is using the same social media platforms to organize protests, successfully forcing the resignation of one of Prime Minister Modi’s top advisers. The Indian government has responded with a crackdown, arresting protesters and increasingly censoring X, Meta, and other social meda sites. The legacy of the Cockroach Janta Party will be complex: on one hand, it brought to the forefront important conversations around Gen Z unemployment and meritocracy; on the other, it may have pushed the Indian government to create stricter new censorship laws to silence future dissent.
The internet that helped propel Modi to power is becoming a tool that a new generation uses against him. How much further will Modi’s government go to censor its people and restrict free speech?
Read more about censorship in India and the Cockroach Janta Party:
Censorship tracker on MediaNama, a live list of censorship following the Jantar Mantar protests in New Delhi: https://www.medianama.com/2026/07/223-censorship-tracker-live-list-jantar-mantar-protests-new-delhi/
“Social Media Modi-Fication: Narendra Modi’s use of Social Media in Indian Elections 2014”: https://papers.iafor.org/wp-content/uploads/papers/mediasia2014/MediAsia2014_04062.pdf
“India CJP protests: Young women face harassment and abuse”: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g43l251vyo
“Activists decry AI surveillance at CJP protests”: https://www.dw.com/en/india-news-activists-decry-ai-surveillance-at-cjp-protests/live-78139564
“India’s young are more educated than ever. Why are so many jobless?”: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c17841zez8wo
If you enjoy our reporting and want to hear more from Vox journalists, sign up for our Patreon at patreon.com/vox. Each month, our members get access to exclusive videos, livestreams, and chats with our newsroom.
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Vox.com is a news website that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com.
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