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.
351
The way forward on family leave
New America's Vicki Shabo joins Matt to discuss universal paid leave and how to finance it.
53 min
352
Ezra and Matt debate the debaters
Ezra and Matt break down the last debate before the Iowa caucuses, and explore the current state of the Democratic field.
54 min
353
Mission Accomplished?
Vox national security correspondent Alex Ward joins Jane and Matt to break down Trump's Iran policy.
51 min
354
Why are we fighting Iran?
Cato’s Emma Ashford joins Matt to explain America’s larger (lack of) strategy in the Persian Gulf region.
57 min
355
Midichlorian chili
Dara, Jane, and Matt kick the new year off by answering listeners' questions on everything under the sun.
74 min
356
Neighborhood Defenders
Boston University's Katherine Levine Einstein explains the dysfunctional politics behind America's housing crisis.
57 min
357
2019 in review
Dara, Jane, and Matt talk about what surprised them in 2019, remember the last decade, and predict what 2020 might have in store.
49 min
358
The next abortion debate
UC Berkley's Abigail Burman on the growing battles over self-managed abortion
43 min
359
No room at the inn (live!)
Dara, Jane, and Matt on the global crackdown on refugees.
84 min
360
Wine cave cage match
Politics reporter Ella Nilsen joins Matt to break down this week's Democratic debate
50 min
361
Primary mooples
Dara, Jane, and Matt on America's odd system of choosing presidential nominees
42 min
362
Policy by other means
Georgetown’s Don Moynihan and Pamela Herd explain administrative burdens and why they matter
64 min
363
The free college debate
Jane, Dara, and Matt on tuition, debt relief, and the role of major choice in the gender wage gap.
49 min
364
Movement building in the Trump era
Indivisible co-founder Leah Greenberg joins Matt to talk about her new book and the path forward for democratic reform
50 min
365
You say "usmca," I say "U-S-M-C-A"
Dara and Matt on the congressional debate over Trump's trade deal.
53 min
366
Build housing near transit
San Diego-area congressman Scott Peters joins Matt to talk about his plan to boost transit-oriented development.
35 min
367
Impeachment's policy roots
Andrew Prokop joins Dara and Matt to discuss the long shadow of Viktor Yanukovitch's downfall.
70 min
368
Single-payer federalism
Rep. Ro Khanna joins Matt to make the case for his legislation encouraging state-based Medicare for All programs.
44 min
369
Groypers vs. Conservatism Inc.
Jane, Dara, and Matt on white nationalists' campus battles, plus a major scandal in Swedish administrative data.
55 min
370
The case for subsidized jobs
Indi Dutta-Gupta of the Georgetown Center on Poverty and Inequality's big idea for turning Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) into an effective recession-fighting tool.
57 min
371
Introducing Reset
Host Arielle Duhaime-Ross explores why–and how–tech is changing everything.
46 min
372
The billionaire backlash
Jane, Dara, and Matt on Michael Bloomberg’s presidential aspirations and the case against billionaires
51 min
373
The internet we lost
Function's Anil Dash joins Matt to discuss how Big Tech broke the web and how we can get it back.
55 min
374
Paying for single-payer
Jane, Dara, and Matt on Elizabeth Warren's Medicare-for-all financing plan and its critics
51 min
375
Beyond the leaky bucket
Heather Boushey of the Washington Center for Equitable Growth makes the case that a rise in equality would stimulate the economy.
52 min