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.

Society & Culture
Politics
Education
326
The global class war
Barron's economics commentary Matt Klein explains what's really behind international trade conflicts
69 min
327
Tweeting through it
Ezra and Matt on Trump's war on social media, plus Joe Biden's policy agenda.
54 min
328
Joe Biden ain't black
Jane, Dara, and Matt on gaffes and the racial politics of 2020
55 min
329
The stimulus failure
Ezra and Matt on Trump's pseudo-federalism and Pelosi's strange aversion to automatic stabilizers.
48 min
330
Actual enumeration
Dara, Jane, and Matt take a look at America's first pandemic Census.
48 min
331
The psychology of opening up
Ezra and Matt on the deep roots (or not) of the lockdown debate.
52 min
332
Will the economy bounce back?
Dara, Jane, and Matt on the road ahead for the worst labor market since the Great Depression.
61 min
333
Reopening without a plan
Ezra and Matt on America's lost month and what happens next.
48 min
334
How to win elections
Dara, Jane, and Matt break down the great mobilization vs persuasion debate.
63 min
335
Are Democrats getting rolled?
Ezra and Matt on congressional bargaining strategy and the China blame game
49 min
336
A faster Covid-19 vaccine
Jane, Dara, and Matt discuss the possibility of "human challenge trials" to speed vaccine development.
48 min
337
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
338
Opening up
Dara, Jane, and Matt on conservatives’ desire for a rapid reopening of American businesses.
53 min
339
Help is on the way (sort of)
Ezra and Matt break down the implementation problems that have bedeviled the CARES Act.
42 min
340
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
341
How does this end?
Ezra and Matt review four major plans for after social distancing; plus the Democratic primary finally ends.
61 min
342
Covid-19 and the border
Dara, Jane, and Matt on the intersection between the pandemic and Trump's border crackdown.
56 min
343
Coronavirus meets health reform
Ezra and Matt discuss Covid-19's impact on insurance premiums, the case for single-payer, and more.
56 min
344
The mask fiasco
Jane, Dara, and Matt on the evidence for mask wearing, and a totally non-coronavirus white paper
55 min
345
When $2 trillion isn’t enough
Ezra and Matt analyze the huge but inadequate stimulus bill
52 min
346
Fighting coronavirus with corporate conscription
Jane, Dara, and Matt on the Defense Production Act, wartime mobilization, and pandemic-induced autarky
51 min
347
The story of Trump's swamp
Jane talks to Asawin Suebsaeng and Lachlan Markay about their new book on chaos at the White House and how President Trump differs (and doesn't) from prior administrations
55 min
348
Devaluing black assets
Brookings’ Andre Perry explains his research on how racism cripples black entrepreneurs and homeowners
45 min
349
Rescuing the economy from coronavirus
Jane, Dara, and Matt discuss President Trump’s new more serious tone and competing economic stimulus proposals.
48 min
350
Weeds 2020: The coronavirus election
Ezra and Matt on dueling pandemic response plans from Sanders and Biden, and Trump's disastrous speech
51 min