Explain It to Me
Is my dentist scamming me? Why do political campaigns cost so much? Should Gen Z bother to save for retirement?
Explain It To Me is the hotline for all your unanswered questions. Sometimes explanations are hard to find, misinformation is rampant, and those internet searches and AI asks can come up empty. Call 1-800-618-8545 with what’s on your mind, and host Jonquilyn Hill will be your friendly guide to the answers you're looking for — and maybe even the ones you don’t expect. New episodes every Wednesday starting September 18.
Part of Vox and the Vox Media Podcast Network.
301
Talking about talking
Jane, Dara, and Matt explain “intersectional,” “structural” and the new language of identity discourse.
42 min
302
The legal doctrine that protects brutal policing
Cato's Clark Neily joins Jane to discuss Qualified Immunity - where is came from, why it exists, and what's being done to eliminate it.
42 min
303
Fixing the police
Jane, Dara, and Matt on what we know about police reform and its limits.
67 min
304
America gives up on Covid-19
Ezra and Matt on the return of a virus that never went away.
50 min
305
After George Floyd
Jane, Dara, and Matt on America's dual reckonings with racism and police impunity
62 min
306
Defund the police?
Ezra and Matt on reformism vs radicalism and reimagining law enforcement
49 min
307
The global class war
Barron's economics commentary Matt Klein explains what's really behind international trade conflicts
69 min
308
Tweeting through it
Ezra and Matt on Trump's war on social media, plus Joe Biden's policy agenda.
54 min
309
Joe Biden ain't black
Jane, Dara, and Matt on gaffes and the racial politics of 2020
55 min
310
The stimulus failure
Ezra and Matt on Trump's pseudo-federalism and Pelosi's strange aversion to automatic stabilizers.
48 min
311
Actual enumeration
Dara, Jane, and Matt take a look at America's first pandemic Census.
48 min
312
The psychology of opening up
Ezra and Matt on the deep roots (or not) of the lockdown debate.
52 min
313
Will the economy bounce back?
Dara, Jane, and Matt on the road ahead for the worst labor market since the Great Depression.
61 min
314
Reopening without a plan
Ezra and Matt on America's lost month and what happens next.
48 min
315
How to win elections
Dara, Jane, and Matt break down the great mobilization vs persuasion debate.
63 min
316
Are Democrats getting rolled?
Ezra and Matt on congressional bargaining strategy and the China blame game
49 min
317
A faster Covid-19 vaccine
Jane, Dara, and Matt discuss the possibility of "human challenge trials" to speed vaccine development.
48 min
318
Who models the modelers?
Ezra and Matt on the failures of some popular epidemiological forecasts and a viral Silicon Valley essay urging America to build again
59 min
319
Opening up
Dara, Jane, and Matt on conservatives’ desire for a rapid reopening of American businesses.
53 min
320
Help is on the way (sort of)
Ezra and Matt break down the implementation problems that have bedeviled the CARES Act.
42 min
321
The corporate bailout watchdog
Congressional oversight committee member Bharat Ramamurti joins Matt to explain his new job and what's wrong with shareholder capitalism.
52 min
322
How does this end?
Ezra and Matt review four major plans for after social distancing; plus the Democratic primary finally ends.
61 min
323
Covid-19 and the border
Dara, Jane, and Matt on the intersection between the pandemic and Trump's border crackdown.
56 min
324
Coronavirus meets health reform
Ezra and Matt discuss Covid-19's impact on insurance premiums, the case for single-payer, and more.
56 min
325
The mask fiasco
Jane, Dara, and Matt on the evidence for mask wearing, and a totally non-coronavirus white paper
55 min