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.
26
What is “fetal personhood”?
The legal definition tearing the anti-abortion movement apart.
32 min
27
A safety net’s poverty trap
What would you do if you could only save $2,000?
31 min
28
Let’s fix child care together
The real issue blocking universal child care? Politics.
40 min
29
Bringing back the SAT
Four years after a pandemic pause, some colleges and universities are again requiring applicants to submit standardized test scores.
23 min
30
The AI election
Will we be able to spot the deepfakes this election season?
38 min
31
The case for banning...millionaires?
Sean talks with political philosopher Ingrid Robeyns, whose new book Limitarianism makes the case for imposing limits on personal wealth.
51 min
32
How racism ages Black people
Racism and the long-term health effects of weathering
34 min
33
Skipping the broom
Why the marriage rate for Black women is falling
38 min
34
Eviction: the scarlet E
What we can learn about eviction from Black women and children
37 min
35
Let’s fix retirement together
An economist’s take on policy fanfiction
40 min
36
How to be a (realistic) climate optimist
A data scientist who’s cautiously optimistic about the climate
37 min
37
How celebrity fandom explains Trump
When “stanning” goes mainstream.
39 min
38
Why we can’t stop talking about Harvard
What’s really going on in higher ed.
36 min
39
Are unions making a comeback?
The labor movement’s big year.
33 min
40
Why are so many kids missing school?
Chronic absenteeism, from the barriers to the solutions.
34 min
41
Can Black churches lead the way on teen mental ...
A Black mental health researcher’s long, difficult crusade
42 min
42
The Devil wears fast fashion
Can we make the garment industry better?
37 min
43
Barack Obama on AI, free speech, and the future...
President Obama sits down with The Verge’s Nilay Patel
45 min
44
Why everything is (still) so expensive
A charcuterie board, in THIS economy?
39 min
45
BDS and the history of the boycott
Do boycotts even work?
43 min
46
Will school choice change the future of education?
School choice, parental rights, and the future of public education
42 min
47
The sandwich generation: Caring for kids and se...
Baby boomers are aging. Their kids aren’t ready.
34 min
48
Why your health insurance is tied to work
The wartime policy that changed health insurance forever
41 min
49
Conservative socialism?
A conservative makes the case for democratic socialism.
52 min
50
How (not) to budget
The no-good-very-bad federal budget problem
42 min