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Olympic weightlifting, explained - September 2, 2026 - Vox

Olympic weightlifting is defined by only two moves: the snatch and the clean and jerk. But behind what seems like a simple contest to see who can lift the most is a sport built on technique, speed, strategy, and psychology.

We speak to Matthew Tung, a competitive weightlifter who represents Hong Kong internationally, who breaks down how the lifts work, the strategy behind athletes changing their declared weights mid-competition, and how a lifter can miss four of their six attempts and still bring home gold.

In this video, we explore what it really takes to compete in Olympic weightlifting and what the rest of us can learn from athletes who have pushed strength training to the extreme.

Read more about professional weightlifting:

Weightlifting in Olympics: Everything you need to know https://www.olympics.com/en/news/weightlifting-olympics-rules-history-snatch-clean-and-jerk

A Guide to Competitive Weightlifting

https://www.usaweightlifting.org/news/features/2022/july/29/a-guide-to-competitive-weightlifting

Hong Kong’s first pro weightlifter in 12 years had to compete in tracksuit borrowed from footballer, learned to lift from YouTube

https://www.scmp.com/sport/other-sport/article/3253998/hong-kongs-first-pro-weightlifter-12-years-had-compete-tracksuit-borrowed-footballer-and-learned

This Northeastern grad taught himself weightlifting and is now competing internationally

https://news.northeastern.edu/2024/09/10/international-weightlifting-competition-matthew-tung

Unique aspects of competitive weightlifting: performance, training and physiology

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22873835/

This video is presented by Colgate. Colgate doesn’t have a say in our editorial decisions, but they make videos like this one possible.

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Angie Nixon’s playbook to be Florida’s next senator | America, Actually - September 1, 2026 - Vox

Florida state Rep. Angie Nixon overcame a 17-to-1 fundraising gap to win the state’s Democratic Senate primary. Can she score another upset victory in November?

In this special episode of America, Actually, Nixon joins Vox’s Astead Herndon to break down her primary win, her progressive policy stance, and her strategy to become Florida’s next US Senator.

00:00 How Angie Nixon pulled off a stunning upset

01:55 The grassroots strategy that powered her victory

03:38 Can progressive policies win statewide in Florida?

07:01 From union organizer to Senate candidate

11:06 Why progressives struggle to reach Black voters

14:35 Nixon on Israel, Gaza, and supporting BDS

16:39 Policing, public safety, DEI, and reparations

22:49 The Democratic establishment, DSA, and the socialist label

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 we can’t stop thinking about aliens | The Gray Area - August 31, 2026 - Vox

Are we truly alone in the universe? Despite the lack of hard evidence, belief in aliens and UFOs, officially known as Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP), has shifted from the fringes to the center of mainstream culture.

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In this episode of The Gray Area, host Jonquilyn Hill is joined by Adam Kirsch, senior editor at The Atlantic and author of the new book We Want to Believe: How Aliens Went Mainstream and Why It Matters.

They explore why our fascination with extraterrestrial life persists and what that need to believe tells us about our current relationship with authority, scientific expertise, and even spirituality. The search for aliens has become the ultimate self-portrait of humanity.

00:00 Intro

03:10 Evidence vs testimony

07:59 Why UFO sightings come in waves

13:38 Why did our attitude towards UFOs shift?

22:08 UFOs and religion

31:58 UFOs and science

41:03 Why do we want to believe in UFOs?

Host: Jonquilyn Hill, host of Explain It To Me

Guest: Adam Kirsch, Senior editor, The Atlantic and author of We Want to Believe

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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Gen Z is done with both political parties | America, Actually - August 29, 2026 - Vox

It’s clear that the youngest generation of voters isn’t the same as the ones that came before. So, what’s up with the kids?

Gen Z researcher Rachel Janfaza joins Vox’s Astead Herndon to discuss how young voters are prioritizing economic survival, confronting their anxieties related to AI-job displacement, and searching for pragmatic, transparent leaders who address their everyday challenges.

00:00 Astead’s love-hate relationship with Gen Z

05:04 The theory of two Gen Z’s

06:19 How the pandemic broke Gen Z

09:48 Growing up with a phone in one hand

16:15 Rejection of the algorithm

17:56 The drivers of economic anxiety

22:08 AI and the future of work

25:25 The gender divide, explained

31:43 Hope for a post-Trump politics

32:51 Takeaways

Sources and further reading:

The Up and Up: https://www.theupandup.us/

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Why straight dating feels like a battleground | The Gray Area - August 28, 2026 - Vox

Have you noticed the bad vibes around dating lately? Whether you’re swiping on apps or scrolling through social media, it’s easy to feel like the romantic landscape has become a battleground — at least, for the heterosexual among us. This pervasive feeling of hopelessness and negativity — often called "hetero-pessimism" — is everywhere. But is this cynicism the actual picture, or is it just another digital trap?

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In this episode of The Gray Area, host Jonquilyn Hill is joined by Magdalene J. Taylor, senior editor at Playboy. Together, they dissect why we’ve become so hostile towards straight dating, the disconnect between our online expectations and real-world reality, and why Magdalene is making a radical case for "hetero optimism."

00:00 Intro

03:00 What is hetero-pessimism?

08:30 The evolving gender war

16:34 Optimism about straight dating

22:55 Needing vs wanting a relationship

27:06 Hetero-pessimism vs hetero-optimism

31:35 How the personal became political

Host: Jonquilyn Hill, host of Explain It To Me

Guest: Magdalene J. Taylor, senior editor for Playboy

And you can watch new episodes of The Gray Area on YouTube.

Listen to The Gray Area ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members

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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