Explain It to Me
Episodes
America’s Public Health Experiment: The testing failure
03 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
German talks with Dr. Neeraj Sood, director of the Covid Initiative at the University of Southern California’s Schaeffer Center for Health Policy an...
Defund the police?
01 Dec 2021
Contributed by Lukas
German, Jerusalem, and Dylan talk about an idea that has come to dominate national discussions of policing: defunding the police. They walk through th...
Biden’s $3.40 a gallon problem
24 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dylan, Jerusalem, and Dara talk about the specific kind of inflation that’s roiling American politics: the heightened price of gas. They discuss how...
Taxing Back Better
19 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dylan talks to Chye-Ching Huang, the executive director of the Tax Law Center at NYU Law, about the many, many, many tax provisions in Democrats’ Bu...
How does the pandemic end?
16 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Now that nearly 60 percent of the US population is fully vaccinated, Dylan, German, and Jerusalem discuss potential exit strategies for policies such ...
Reshaping America’s cities
12 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Vox policy reporter Jerusalem Demsas talks with the Atlantic’s Derek Thompson (@DKThomp) about how the future of remote work could reshape America’...
Pass the SALT?
10 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dylan, Jerusalem, and Dara discuss congressional Democrats’ efforts to uncap the state and local tax (SALT) deduction, and how the party found itsel...
The Most Dangerous Branch: Covid-19 v. The Constitution
05 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Vox senior correspondent Ian Millhiser talks to law professor Nicholas Bagley about the pandemic — and how the courts are undermining the government...
Is Facebook really that bad?
02 Nov 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dylan, German, and Dara talk about Facebook and the controversy surrounding it in recent weeks. They cover just how much — and how little — we kno...
Housing policy, but make it British
29 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
America’s housing market is failing to meet the needs of most Americans. Rents have skyrocketed, homeownership is slipping out of grasp for young an...
The case for and against open borders
26 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dylan, German, and Jerusalem get together to discuss one of the world’s least likely but most interesting utopian ideas: open borders. They discuss ...
The Most Dangerous Branch: A well-regulated militia
22 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Vox senior correspondent Ian Millhiser talks with law professor Joseph Blocher and historian Carol Anderson about the Second Amendment, the triumph of...
Is inflation out of control?
19 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dylan, German, and Dara talk about the whopping 5.4 percent inflation rate the Consumer Price Index estimated last week, what it means, and if inflati...
The home care fight in Congress
15 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Joe Biden has proposed a landmark $400 billion expansion of funding for home and community-based services (HCBS), the part of Medicaid that funds supp...
The coming climate exodus
12 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Vox senior reporter Rebecca Leber (@rebleber) joins The Weeds to explain the problem of migration caused by climate change, such as that due to wildfi...
The Most Dangerous Branch: Roe v. Wade
08 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Vox Supreme Court correspondent Ian Millhiser talks with NYU professor Melissa Murray (@ProfMMurray) about the future of reproductive freedom. The Sup...
Yes, vaccine mandates work
05 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dylan, German, and Jerusalem talk about vaccine mandates. They discuss the evidence supporting vaccine requirements, the United States’ history with...
How genes impact your life
01 Oct 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dylan and Jerusalem are joined by Kathryn Paige Harden, professor of clinical psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, to discuss her new bo...
The debt ceiling’s threat to America
28 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dylan, German, and Dara discuss the debt ceiling: the current crisis, what the debt ceiling even is, and how the debt ceiling has become a politically...
AMA time with Dylan, German, and Jerusalem
24 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dylan, German, and Jerusalem sit down to answer listener questions. In our first AMA episode of the post-Matt-Yglesias Weeds era, the trio discusses c...
Means testing our patience
21 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Dylan, German, and Jerusalem discuss means testing and work requirements after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) suggested their inclusion in one of Biden's leg...
Ezra, Matt, and Sarah Try (Again) to Podcast
17 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
For Matt’s last episode of The Weeds, Ezra Klein and Sarah Kliff return for a look at why health care and drug costs in the US keep rising, how subs...
The Weeds Will Live Forever
14 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt, Dara, Jerusalem, and German use Matt’s last Tuesday episode to discuss life expectancy in the US. They explore paternalistic policy decisions,...
The Federal Reserve's regulatory issues
10 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt is joined by Mike Konczal, Director of Macroeconomic Analysis and Progressive Thought at the Roosevelt Institute and author of Freedom From...
The Federal Reserve: Climate Change edition
07 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Vox's Dylan Matthews joins Matt and Jerusalem to talk about whether the Federal Reserve can use monetary policy to fight climate change and how the id...
Who's afraid of a big bad poll?
03 Sep 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt is joined by David Shor, Head of Data Science at OpenLabs R&D, to discuss the causes and implications of polling errors in recent election ...
Galaxy Brain Recession
31 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt, Dara, and German use this week’s episode to explore the infrastructure bill before Congress. They focus on broadband access for rural and urba...
Afghan refugees face an uncertain future
27 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt is joined by Vox’s Nicole Narea for a discussion on the complex situation facing Afghan refugees following the United States withdrawal. Nicole...
Boosters: Worth it or not, here they come
25 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt and Dara are joined by Vox's German Lopez to talk about the Biden administration’s plan to authorize third doses of the vaccine for Americans b...
Baby making vibes
20 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt is joined by The Atlantic’s Elizabeth Bruenig. They discuss J.D. Vance’s attacks on the parental status of liberal politicians and dissect wh...
Back to School: Masters mishaps
17 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt is joined by Vox's Libby Nelson and Jerusalem Demsas for a conversation about the rising cost of master’s programs, their usefulness in today’...
Reign of Terror
13 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt is joined by reporter Spencer Ackerman, author of the new book Reign of Terror. Ackerman explains the ways in which America’s approach to domes...
Back to School: Learning loss
10 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt and Dara are joined by Vox's German Lopez for a conversation about student learning loss. They focus on the policy decisions that led to school s...
Dare to speak freely
06 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt is joined by author and CEO Suzanne Nossel for a discussion about how to reconcile a robust defense of free speech with the advancement of an inc...
Back to School: All for pre-K, and pre-K for all
04 Aug 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt and Dara are joined by Vox's Jerusalem Demsas for a conversation about pre-K and day care programs. They discuss the impacts of pre-K programs on...
Getting power to the people
30 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt is joined by Liza Reed of the Niskanen Center to talk about energy policy, electricity transmission, and how America's complex system of power gr...
Time Machine: Buchanan v. Warley (1917)
28 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Vox's Jerusalem Demsas joins Matt and Dara on a time machine trip back to a WW1-era Supreme Court decision that shaped land use policy, zoning, and ra...
Prices on the rise
23 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt is joined by economist Julia Coronado to talk about inflation, markets, and employment in the pandemic recovery economy. They discuss housing, ne...
Time Machine: Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965
21 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Vox's Li Zhou joins Dara and Matt for another spin in the time machine, to talk about the policy that shaped how immigration largely still works in Am...
The critical race theory debate
16 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt is joined by Education Week reporter and editor Andrew Ujifusa to talk about the ill-defined and somewhat facetious debate over critical race the...
Time Machine: Volcker Shock
14 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Vox's Dylan Matthews joins Matt and Dara for another step into Weeds Time Machine: a visit to the past to review some now-forgotten chapter in policy ...
Cruelty: the point
09 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt is joined by Atlantic staff writer Adam Serwer, author of the new book The Cruelty Is the Point. They discuss the racial politics of the Trump-er...
Time Machine: No Child Left Behind
07 Jul 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Vox's Libby Nelson joins Matt and Dara on the first episode of the Weeds Time Machine: a visit to the past to review some now-forgotten chapter in pol...
Coming attractions
30 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Vox film critic and culture reporter Alissa Wilkinson joins Matt and Dara to take a break from politics (sort of) to talk about movies. They discuss t...
Who started Covid?
26 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt is joined by deputy editor of New York magazine and author David Wallace-Wells to talk about the new evidence for the so-called "Lab-Leak hypothe...
So, for the next pandemic....
23 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt and Dara are joined by Vox's German Lopez to talk through some of the lessons we seem not to have learned from the way the Covid pandemic unfolde...
What's the deal with that new Alzheimer's drug?
16 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt and Dara are joined by Vox's Dylan Scott to learn about aducanumab, the new drug that was recently approved by the FDA for treating Alzheimer's d...
Zoning our way through it
12 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt is joined by Emily Hamilton of the Mercatus Center to talk about the way that zoning and land use policy affects property value, housing availabi...
Hot jobs summer
09 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt and Dara are joined by Vox's Emily Stewart to talk about the state of the economy right now. They take on the jobs numbers, some of the markets t...
The pipeline to prison
05 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt sits down with John Pfaff, professor and author of Locked In, an influential and important 2017 book about mass incarceration in America. The two...
The lab-leak hypothesis
02 Jun 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt is joined by Vox's Libby Nelson and Jerusalem Demsas for a conversation about the rising cost of master’s programs, their usefulness in today’...
Stephen Breyer should retire
28 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt is joined by author and Harvard Kennedy School professor Maya Sen to talk about the state of the American judiciary. They discuss Breyer's unwill...
Give more money to cranks!
25 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt and Dara are joined by Vox's Dylan Matthews to talk about what the Covid vaccine development process has taught us vaccine development, productio...
Research the police
21 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt is joined by economist and NYU faculty fellow Morgan Williams, Jr. to talk about his research on policing and gun control legislation, and the co...
Masks off! Party time?
18 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's everybody's birthday! No, seriously. Taurus Matt Yglesias is joined by two people who also share a May 18th birthday: Vox's Libby Nelson and The ...
The plan for more free school
14 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt is joined by New York Times education reporter Dana Goldstein to talk about what Biden's American Families Plan will do to bolster and expand pub...
Homelessness and the rising tide
11 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt and Dara are joined by Vox Politics and Policy Fellow Jerusalem Demsas to talk about homelessness, and the policies that have failed to even prop...
The app store war
07 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt is joined by Makena Kelly of The Verge to talk about some recent stories at the intersection of policy and tech. She discusses the Facebook Overs...
The "hundred days" myth
05 May 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt and Dara are joined by Vox's Andrew Prokop to talk about the very notion of a president's "first hundred days," whether or not it is a useful or ...
There's lead in your turmeric
30 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt is joined by Rachel Silverman, a policy fellow at the Center for Global Development, who talks about the extreme dangers and high prevalence of l...
A Manchin for all seasons
28 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt and Dara are joined by Vox's Andrew Prokop, author of an in-depth revelatory profile on America's swingiest Senator: Mr. Manchin in the Middle. A...
Why transit projects fail
23 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt is joined by professor and transit researcher Eric Goldwyn to talk about why transit projects in the U.S. often fail. They discuss several high-p...
The pandemic playbook
21 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt and Dara are joined by Vox's Dylan Scott to talk about his new Pandemic Playbook project from Vox, exploring how six nations coped with the Covid...
Think like a scout
17 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt is joined by author and podcast host Julia Galef to talk about her new book The Scout Mindset. They talk about the difference between epistemic a...
White paper-palooza
14 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
It's an all white paper episode, folks. Vox climate reporter Umair Irfan joins Matt and Dara to take on three research papers all concerning climate c...
It's time for class warfare
10 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt is joined by Faiz Shakir, a top adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders and the former manager of his 2020 presidential campaign, to talk about adopting a...
Bidencare?
07 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt and Dara are joined by Vox's Dylan Scott to examine the $400 billion portion of Biden's $2 trillion infrastructure plan that is designated for th...
The politics of cultural criticism
03 Apr 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt is joined by Alyssa Rosenberg, cultural critic and opinion columnist at the Washington Post, to talk about the intersection of criticism and poli...
All circuits matter
31 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt and Dara are joined by Vox Senior Correspondent Ian Millhiser to discuss the future of judicial appointments in Biden Administration — starting...
The optimistic leftist
27 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt is joined by political scientist and author Ruy Teixeira to talk about how Democratic messaging has gone wrong, and how to get it right. Resourc...
Is gun violence fixable?
24 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt and Dara are joined by Vox Politics and Policy Fellow Jerusalem Demsas to talk about gun violence and mass shootings in America. They discuss the...
All about inflation
19 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Skanda Amarnath from Employ America joins Matt to talk about inflation. They discuss how the Fed tracks markers of inflation, the difference between c...
Asylum policy for the here and now
17 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt and Dara are joined by Vox Senior Correspondent Ian Millhiser to examine the current state of affairs at the southern border, and to evaluate the...
Introducing Unexplainable
14 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Unexplainable is a new podcast from Vox about everything we don’t know. Each week, the team look at the most fascinating unanswered questions in sci...
An A.I. wrote this title
12 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Vox's Kelsey Piper joins Matt to talk about the future of artificial intelligence and AI research. Should AI research be more heavily regulated, or ba...
The right to vote, constrained
10 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt and Dara are joined by Vox Senior Correspondent Ian Millhiser to talk through the several ongoing legal challenges being initiated by the GOP to ...
Facebook's shadow court
05 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Kate Klonick, law professor at St. John's University, joins Matt to talk about her investigation into Facebook's secret content moderation board. She ...
How to destroy the suburbs
03 Mar 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt and Dara are joined by Vox Politics and Policy Fellow Jerusalem Demsas to talk about how to take on America's housing problem, exclusionary and d...
All organizing is local
26 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Author, researcher, and University of Pittsburgh professor of history Lara Putnam sits down with Matt to talk about the structure of local progressive...
Covid-$1.9T
23 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Vox's Emily Stewart joins Matt and Dara to unpack what's in the Covid relief bill, now that it's out of committee. They talk about state & local relie...
The problem of child care
19 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Melissa Boteach of the National Women's Law Center joins Matt to have a discussion about the role of child care in the economy, which has been "made v...
The Antipope in Mar-a-Lago
17 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Vox's Emily Stewart joins Matt and Dara to wonder about whether and how Trump may rear his head in politics again, and about the future of the Republi...
Rethinking immigration
12 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Immigration advocate Ali Noorani of the National Immigration Forum joins Matt to discuss the future of immigration in America, including the oncoming ...
What's happening with the stimulus?
10 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
White House reporter Ella Nilsen joins Matt and Dara to talk about the current state of the Covid-19 relief bill, and the implications of the debate f...
The future of remote work
05 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Economist Adam Ozimek from Upwork joins Matt to discuss the future of remote work, post-pandemic. They discuss the implications for migration, local g...
Where are the vaccines?
03 Feb 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Vox Senior Correspondent German Lopez joins Matt and Dara to discuss what went — and is still going — wrong with vaccine distribution, as well as ...
Filibusted
29 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt is joined by author Molly Reynolds of the Brookings Institution to talk about the intricacies of the Senate filibuster, budget reconciliation, an...
Biden's immigration shuffle
27 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Vox Senior Correspondent German Lopez joins Matt and Dara to discuss some of the motivations, obstacles, and oppositions to the Biden administration's...
Freedom from markets
22 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt is joined by author Mike Konczal, Director of Progressive Thought at the Roosevelt Institute, and author of the new book Freedom from the Market....
Biden's rescue plan
20 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Vox business and politics reporter Emily Stewart joins Matt and Dara to unpack what's in Biden's giant stimulus package, and to examine how the new Co...
The Next Four Years: Fighting tech monopolies
15 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt is joined by antitrust and competition policy expert Charlotte Slaiman to discuss the ongoing antitrust cases against Google and Facebook, the ba...
Will the GOP be Q-pilled or Coup-pilled?
13 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Vox Senior Correspondent Zack Beauchamp joins Matt and Dara to discuss some of the potential political ramifications of the insurrection of 1/6/21, as...
Unemployment Insurance in the pandemic, and beyond
08 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Matt is joined by Employ America policy advisor Elizabeth Pancotti for a detailed discussion about unemployment insurance. They take on the recent exp...
America's vaccine distribution needs a shot in the arm
06 Jan 2021
Contributed by Lukas
Umair Irfan joins Dara and Matt to discuss some challenges and obstacles to prioritization and distribution of the Covid vaccine, in the U.S. and else...
Best of: Homelessness and how to fix it
22 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Mary Cunningham, vice president of Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy at the Urban Institute, joins Matt for part two of homelessness week to...
The Next Four Years: Beyond the student debt debate
18 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
New America’s Kevin Carey explains loan forgiveness and the deeper problems with American higher education. Guest: Kevin Carey (@kevincarey1), Vice...
Build Back Exactly The Same
15 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Dylan Matthews joins Matt and Dara to discuss Covid’s impact on poverty and the road to recovery. Resources: "Joe Biden is taking office amid a pov...
The Next Four Years: An optimistic climate agenda
11 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Third Way’s Josh Freed and Jackie Kempfer explain a path forward for low-carbon policy in a time of divided government. Guest: Josh Freed (@ThirdWa...
The blob is back
08 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Alex Ward joins Dara and Matt to analyze the Biden national security team. Resources: "The revenge of the blob" by Alex Ward, Vox Why Nations Fall Wh...
The Next Four Years: The Covid transition
04 Dec 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Kaiser’s Jennifer Kates joins Matt to explain the next steps in countering the pandemic. Guest: Jennifer Kates (@jenkatesdc), Senior VP/Director, G...