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Today, Explained

TMZ Goes to Washington

Today, Explained

Vox

Politics, Daily News, News

4.310.3K Ratings

🗓️ 21 April 2026

⏱️ 29 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The celebrity tabloid outlet is turning its attention to DC and supercharging a new era of political reporting. This episode was produced by Kelli Wessinger, edited by Amina Al-Sadi with help from Jolie Myers, fact-checked by Gabriel Dunatov, engineered by David Tatasciore, and hosted by Noel King. TMZ Founder and Executive Producer Harvey Levin displayed at a TMZ launch party. Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/Getty Images. Further reading: TMZ gets political by Paula Mejía for The New Yorker. Listen to Today, Explained ad-free by becoming a Vox Member: vox.com/members. New Vox members get $20 off their membership right now. Transcript at ⁠vox.com/today-explained-podcast.⁠ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0

If you are watching this and you see a senator out and about somewhere, especially somewhere on vacation, send them to us.

0:08.4

Send it to the TMZ tip line.

0:12.6

TMZ founder Harvey Levin asked Americans answer.

0:16.5

During the recent government shutdown, tipsters sent him photos of lawmakers doing anything but their jobs.

0:22.4

Senator Robert Garcia in a casino, Ted Cruz at the airport, Lindsay Graham, Disney

0:26.8

adulting with a bubble wand. Levin built his empire on celebrity gossip, but he told CNN that it was

0:32.7

an interview his outfit did with a TSA worker who wasn't getting her paycheck during the shutdown that

0:38.2

radicalized him.

0:39.2

It's not that the Democrats are at fault or the Republicans are at fault. They're all at

0:43.1

fault. So he set his sights on D.C., sending a team of three producers skittering around Capitol

0:48.0

Hill and forcing the question, should we cover our politicians like celebrities that's coming

0:53.1

up on today, Explain from Box?

0:55.0

Do you think you would have got as far in politics if you weren't so heads?

1:00.3

Support for the show comes from Dell. Remember Dell? Dell PCs with Intel Inside are built for the moments you plan. Still, and the ones you don't, still.

1:08.2

They're there for those late night study sessions when you get to the cafe and there's no outlets, all that stuff.

1:13.0

Dell is built to adapt to you.

1:15.5

It's built with long-lasting batteries.

1:17.1

You're not scrambling for an outlet and built-in intelligence that makes updates around your schedule, not in the middle of it.

1:23.7

Find technology built for the way you work at Dell.co.uk-U.K. forward

1:30.0

slash Dell PCs built for you. Support for her today explaining comes from CNN. Cool. Cable

1:38.1

News Network. What's up? Do you want to live forever? What? Yes? Maybe. I haven't thought

1:43.3

about it that much. Influential journalist Kara Swisher, I know her, is taking a hard look at the longevity industry to separate the influencer hype from evidence-backed science in her new CNN original series. Cool, Kara. Kara's talking to Silicon Valley Power Players and trying out the latest and anti-aging technology to see what works and what's a waste. I bet she is. Kara Swisher wants to live forever. New episodes streaming Sundays with the CNN subscription.

...

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