Explain It to Me - podcast cover

Explain It to Me

Should I buy a house? Why do I say “like” so much? Should Gen Z bother to save for retirement? Explain It to Me is the hotline for the issues that matter to your life. Send us your questions about health, personal finance, relationships, and anything else that matters to you. Host Jonquilyn Hill will take you on a journey to find the answers, whether it's to the halls of Congress or the local bar. You’ll get the answers you were looking for, and sometimes ones you didn't expect — and always with a dose of humor. New episodes every Sunday. Part of Vox and the Vox Media Podcast Network.
Last refreshed:
Download Metacast podcast app
Podcasts are better in Metacast mobile app
Don't just listen to podcasts. Learn from them with transcripts, summaries, and chapters for every episode. Skim, search, and bookmark insights. Learn more

Episodes

The Purge: DHS

Jane , Dara , and Matt discuss Trump's personnel shake-up at the Department of Homeland Security and what's next for immigration policy. Recommended reading: Jake Tapper on Trump telling border patrol agents to ignore the law The White House’s wish list for DHS actions Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen’s resignation, explained Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...

Apr 09, 201955 min

Attack of the clone bills

Matt , Sarah , and Dara copied this discussion of model legislation from an asbestos lobbyist. Recommended reading: USA Today article Article on 'ALEC' Research on model legislation 1 Research on model legislation 2 Research on model legislation 3 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...

Apr 05, 201952 min

Learning from Norway's lesbian mothers

Dara , Jane , and Matt on President Donald Trump’s latest border moves and a new wrinkle in the story of the gender pay gap. Recommended reading: Explainer on Trump cutting off aid Explainer on border closure CNN report on Trump’s border briefings The US policy of returning Central American asylum seekers to wait in Mexico An optimistic take on aid and El Salvador A pessimistic take on aid and El Salvador White paper Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...

Apr 02, 201950 min

Infrastructure Week (and Farm Week and Teacher Week)

Dara , Jane , and Matt analyze three new policy proposals from Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren, and Kamala Harris. Recommended reading: Amy Klobuchar's infrastructure plan Elizabeth Warren's agriculture plan Kamala Harris's teacher-pay plan HuffPost feature on Harris's truancy policy We are conducting an audience survey to better serve you. It takes no more than five minutes, and it really helps out the show. Please take our survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3X6WMNF Learn more about yo...

Mar 29, 201942 min

Mueller's investigation is over. Obamacare repeal isn't.

Sarah , Dara , and Jane discuss the Hill's response to Mueller, the DOJ's siege of Obamacare, and the benefits of IUDs. National Review article Zack Beauchamp's article on the reaction to William Barr's Mueller letter New York Times article on Mueller report White paper We are conducting an audience survey to better serve you. It takes no more than five minutes, and it really helps out the show. Please take our survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3X6WMNF Learn more about your ad choices....

Mar 26, 201955 min

Should presidential candidates get into the weeds?

Sarah , Jane , and Matt debate the value of policy details in the primary. We are conducting an audience survey to better serve you. It takes no more than five minutes, and it really helps out the show. Please take our survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3X6WMNF Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...

Mar 22, 201952 min

The reparations primary

Dara , Jane , and Matt on the unexpected issue of the moment, plus Swedish administrative data on what makes a CEO. Suggested reading: White Paper Original Ta-Nehisi Coates essay on reparations We are conducting an audience survey to better serve you. It takes no more than five minutes, and it really helps out the show. Please take our survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3X6WMNF Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...

Mar 19, 201956 min

Live Weeds with Julián Castro

Dara , Jane , and Matt sit down with the former US secretary of housing and urban development and 2020 presidential candidate, live from South by Southwest. We are conducting an audience survey to better serve you. It takes no more than five minutes, and it really helps out the show. Please take our survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3X6WMNF Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...

Mar 15, 20191 hr 4 min

Introducing Switched on Pop

Vox takes culture seriously. Our coverage seeks to understand how our cultural touchstones work — and what they reveal about who we are. That's why we’re excited to introduce you to Switched on Pop . It's a podcast that digs into the cultural context and musical theory of pop music, and it's now part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. In this episode, you'll meet hosts Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding. You'll hear some of their favorite interviews, as they pull back the curtain on how pop hits work...

Mar 13, 201914 min

Live Weeds with Pete Buttigieg

Dara , Jane , and Matt sit down with the South Bend, Indiana, mayor and presidential candidate, live from South by Southwest. We are conducting an audience survey to better serve you. It takes no more than five minutes, and it really helps out the show. Please take our survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3X6WMNF Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...

Mar 12, 20191 hr 3 min

The long con

Jane and Matt discuss Jacob Wohl and the intermingling of grift and conservative politics. Jane's article on Jacob Wohl Iraqi dinar on YouTube Casey Newton's newsletter - The Interface We are conducting an audience survey to better serve you. It takes no more than five minutes, and it really helps out the show. Please take our survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3X6WMNF Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...

Mar 08, 201945 min

But seriously, how are you going to pay for it?

Sarah , Dylan , and Matt discuss Pramila Jayapal’s Medicare-for-all bill, its lack of pay-fors, and an interesting white paper on income transparency. Sarah on private insurance in other countries Dylan's interview with Matt Bruenig Sarah's interview with Rep. Jayapal on her bill White paper We are conducting an audience survey to better serve you. It takes no more than five minutes, and it really helps out the show. Please take our survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3X6WMNF Learn more ...

Mar 05, 201956 min

The Weeds fixes racism

Jane , Dara , and Matt excavate the most contentious moment in the Cohen hearing in a hunt for "racist bones." Recommended reading: Dara on the Meadows/Tlaib standoff Jane on Steve King Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...

Mar 01, 201957 min

Amy Klobuchar and the Jill Robinson effect

Sarah and Matt discuss the recent spate of stories about the Minnesota senator — and an announcement from Ezra! Relevant articles: Paper on the Jill Robinson Effect Buzzfeed Klobuchar story Huffington Post Klobuchar story Kelsey Piper story on the fake white paper Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...

Feb 26, 201953 min

Day care for all!

Sarah, Dara, and Matt discuss Elizabeth Warren's universal child care plan — and the other options on the table. Relevant articles: Alvin Chang wealth tax explainer Jonathan Cohn day care story Quebec day care study Warren's child care plan The Family Fun Pack Head Start negative evaluation Head Start positive evaluation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...

Feb 22, 201959 min

Collusion and the Mueller endgame

Andrew Prokop joins Dara and Matt to explain what we've learned from the latest developments in the Russia investigation. Andrew's article on Jerome Corsi's unreliable book Article on the redacted Manafort transcript Marcy Wheeler article Special counsel regulation text Trump Tower Moscow explainer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...

Feb 19, 20191 hr 10 min

Emergency Weeds

Dara, Sarah, and Matt explain the border security deal and Trump’s plan to bypass Congress. Dara's article Matt's article on non-legislative priorities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...

Feb 15, 20191 hr 2 min

What’s the best way to help the poor?

Dylan Matthews joins Sarah, Ezra, and Matt to discuss five new plans on poverty from leading Democrats. Dylan's Article Sarah's Article on Childhood Wealth Elizabeth Warren's Housing Bill Cory Booker's HOME Act Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...

Feb 12, 201958 min

WTF, VA?

Virginia is embroiled in multiple blackface scandals — and Jane Coaston, Sarah Kliff, and Dylan Scott are here to talk about it. Video about Slavery in the US Medical System Jane's Article Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...

Feb 08, 201946 min

Do we need private insurance?

Sarah, Ezra, and Matt break down the latest twist in the Medicare-for-all debate — plus rigorous new research on Facebook. White Paper Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Feb 05, 201951 min

House Democrats’ plan to save democracy

Jane, Dara, and Matt break down HR 1 — the first bill from the new Democratic majority. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Feb 01, 201959 min

Elizabeth Warren and the Two-Income Trap

Sarah, Ezra, and Matt analyze the presidential candidate’s first popular book and review new evidence on the dangers of opioid marketing. Ezra's Article Matt's Article White Paper Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...

Jan 29, 201958 min

The end of the shutdown

Jane, Ezra, and Matt have a slightly ill-timed discussion about the Pelosi-Trump showdown and the politics of the wall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jan 25, 20191 hr 4 min

Investigating ER bills and SNAP fraud

Sarah, Dara, and Matt discuss Trump's latest proposal, suspicious ER billing practices, and SNAP investigations Sarah's articles about hospital ER fees White Paper Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices...

Jan 22, 201955 minEp. 278

You can't eat your principles for dinner

Sarah, Dara, and Matt analyze the prolonged shutdown's impact on the future of the federal workforce Reference Articles: The shutdown threatens the promise of government jobs — and a way of life FBI, federal agents see cases hampered, lives rattled as shutdown continues The American Action Forum explainer on the Anti-Deficiency Act How the Border Patrol union became Trump’s closest shutdown allies by Dara Lind Why Don’t Unpaid Federal Workers Walk Off the Job? Learn more about your ad choices. V...

Jan 18, 201957 minEp. 277

Taxing the rich

Jane, Ezra, and Matt consider the ethics and economics of a 70 percent top marginal rate Americans misperceive racial economic equality Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jan 15, 201959 minEp. 276

Tucker Carlson vs the free market

Jane, Dara, and Matt explain the argument over economic populism that’s roiling the conservative world Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jan 11, 20191 hrEp. 275

Ask Weeds Anything

Matt, Sarah, and Dara take questions from our audience Book Recommendations: The Field of Blood by Joanne B. Freeman Theodore Roosevelt: A Strenuous Life by Kathleen Dalton Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou Stories: The 17 saddest moments of Jeb Bush’s very sad campaign by Dara Lind Despite congressional pressure, Amtrak can’t get its story straight on train-boarding rules by Matthew Yglesias Do No Harm by Sarah Kliff Learn more about your ad choices. Visi...

Jan 08, 201958 minEp. 274

New year, no government

Dara, Jane, and Matt explain why a shutdown is not The Purge and delve into the all-important difference between slats, bollards, and walls Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jan 04, 20191 hr 5 minEp. 273

Classic Weeds: The great white panic

Jane Coaston joins Dara, Ezra, and Matt to talk about the racial panic tearing America apart and also salt. References and further reading: Ezra's piece on the changing demographics in America Identity Crisis book mentioned by Ezra Salt white paper This episode is a rebroadcast from July of 2018. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jan 01, 20191 hr 10 minEp. 270
For the best experience, listen in Metacast app for iOS or Android