The Weeds
In politics, you’re often told not to get lost in the weeds. But we love the weeds! That’s where politics becomes policy – the stuff that shapes our lives. Every Tuesday, Dylan Matthews, Dara Lind, and other voices dig into the weeds on important national issues, including healthcare immigration, and housing.
Produced by Vox and the Vox Media Podcast Network.
201
Fixing the police
Jane, Dara, and Matt on what we know about police reform and its limits.
67 min
202
America gives up on Covid-19
Ezra and Matt on the return of a virus that never went away.
50 min
203
After George Floyd
Jane, Dara, and Matt on America's dual reckonings with racism and police impunity
62 min
204
Defund the police?
Ezra and Matt on reformism vs radicalism and reimagining law enforcement
49 min
205
The global class war
Barron's economics commentary Matt Klein explains what's really behind international trade conflicts
69 min
206
Tweeting through it
Ezra and Matt on Trump's war on social media, plus Joe Biden's policy agenda.
54 min
207
Joe Biden ain't black
Jane, Dara, and Matt on gaffes and the racial politics of 2020
55 min
208
The stimulus failure
Ezra and Matt on Trump's pseudo-federalism and Pelosi's strange aversion to automatic stabilizers.
48 min
209
Actual enumeration
Dara, Jane, and Matt take a look at America's first pandemic Census.
48 min
210
The psychology of opening up
Ezra and Matt on the deep roots (or not) of the lockdown debate.
52 min
211
Will the economy bounce back?
Dara, Jane, and Matt on the road ahead for the worst labor market since the Great Depression.
61 min
212
Reopening without a plan
Ezra and Matt on America's lost month and what happens next.
48 min
213
How to win elections
Dara, Jane, and Matt break down the great mobilization vs persuasion debate.
63 min
214
Are Democrats getting rolled?
Ezra and Matt on congressional bargaining strategy and the China blame game
49 min
215
A faster Covid-19 vaccine
Jane, Dara, and Matt discuss the possibility of "human challenge trials" to speed vaccine development.
48 min
216
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
217
Opening up
Dara, Jane, and Matt on conservatives’ desire for a rapid reopening of American businesses.
53 min
218
Help is on the way (sort of)
Ezra and Matt break down the implementation problems that have bedeviled the CARES Act.
42 min
219
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
220
How does this end?
Ezra and Matt review four major plans for after social distancing; plus the Democratic primary finally ends.
61 min
221
Covid-19 and the border
Dara, Jane, and Matt on the intersection between the pandemic and Trump's border crackdown.
56 min
222
Coronavirus meets health reform
Ezra and Matt discuss Covid-19's impact on insurance premiums, the case for single-payer, and more.
56 min
223
The mask fiasco
Jane, Dara, and Matt on the evidence for mask wearing, and a totally non-coronavirus white paper
55 min
224
When $2 trillion isn’t enough
Ezra and Matt analyze the huge but inadequate stimulus bill
52 min
225
Fighting coronavirus with corporate conscription
Jane, Dara, and Matt on the Defense Production Act, wartime mobilization, and pandemic-induced autarky
51 min
226
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
227
Devaluing black assets
Brookings’ Andre Perry explains his research on how racism cripples black entrepreneurs and homeowners
45 min
228
Rescuing the economy from coronavirus
Jane, Dara, and Matt discuss President Trump’s new more serious tone and competing economic stimulus proposals.
48 min
229
Weeds 2020: The coronavirus election
Ezra and Matt on dueling pandemic response plans from Sanders and Biden, and Trump's disastrous speech
51 min
230
Meet the YIMBYs
Conor Dougherty on his new book "Golden Gates: Fighting for Housing in America"
61 min
231
Mayor Pete and the state of LGBTQ politics
Jane, Dara, and Matt on queer politics after marriage equality.
46 min
232
A "titan" of social conservatism on the courts ...
Conservative thinker Robert George joins Jane to talk about abortion, marriage, the Supreme Court, and wielding the power of the federal government.
56 min
233
Behind the Covid-19 curve
The Kaiser Foundation's Josh Michaud explains what the US is — and should be — doing to fight coronavirus.
59 min
234
Coronavirus 101
Jane, Dara and Brian Resnick talk about COVID-19 -- how it started, its potential impact, and where we go from here.
40 min
235
Weeds 2020: The Bernie electability debate
Welcome to Weeds 2020! Every other Saturday Ezra and Matt will be exploring a wide range of topics related to the 2020 race.
55 min
236
Going nuclear
Jessica Lovering joins Matt to discuss nuclear power's role in combatting climate change.
58 min
237
Black voters take the stage
The New Republic's Osita Nwanevu joins Jane and Matt to discuss black voting patterns and the South Carolina primary.
51 min
238
The year of housing reform
Mercatus' Emily Hamilton on what's working and what isn't to increase housing abundance
54 min
239
Mike can get what done?
Jane, Dara, and Matt on Michael Bloomberg’s record as mayor of New York City.
59 min
240
Private equity, explained
Vox business and politics reporter Emily Stewart on the mysteries of one of America's most powerful industries.
47 min
241
After asylum
Jane and Matt join as Dara explains her reporting on the new reality at the border.
43 min
242
How we pick a president
University of Maryland political scientist David Karol joins Matt to explain the consequences of presidential nomination reform.
84 min
243
Iowapocalypse Now
Vox politics reporter Andrew Prokop joins Dara and Matt to explain Monday night's disaster.
64 min
244
Fix recessions by giving people money
Claudia Sahm from the Washington Center for Equitable Growth joins Matt to explain a surprisingly simple strategy to stabilize the economy.
71 min
245
A conversation about anti-Semitism
Matt, Dara and Jane talk about the rise in anti-Semitic violence aimed at Hassidic communities, and what the political implications may be.
47 min
246
The road to polarization
Ezra joins Matt to discuss his upcoming book; Why We're Polarized.
78 min
247
Green New Germany
A preview of season 3 of Vox's The Impact
29 min
248
Three roads to universal coverage
Dylan Scott and special guest Sarah Kliff join Matt for a close look at health care in Taiwan, Australia, and the Netherlands.
66 min
249
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
250
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
251
Mission Accomplished?
Vox national security correspondent Alex Ward joins Jane and Matt to break down Trump's Iran policy.
51 min
252
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
253
Midichlorian chili
Dara, Jane, and Matt kick the new year off by answering listeners' questions on everything under the sun.
74 min
254
Neighborhood Defenders
Boston University's Katherine Levine Einstein explains the dysfunctional politics behind America's housing crisis.
57 min
255
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
256
The next abortion debate
UC Berkley's Abigail Burman on the growing battles over self-managed abortion
43 min
257
No room at the inn (live!)
Dara, Jane, and Matt on the global crackdown on refugees.
84 min
258
Wine cave cage match
Politics reporter Ella Nilsen joins Matt to break down this week's Democratic debate
50 min
259
Primary mooples
Dara, Jane, and Matt on America's odd system of choosing presidential nominees
42 min
260
Policy by other means
Georgetown’s Don Moynihan and Pamela Herd explain administrative burdens and why they matter
64 min
261
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
262
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
263
You say "usmca," I say "U-S-M-C-A"
Dara and Matt on the congressional debate over Trump's trade deal.
53 min
264
Build housing near transit
San Diego-area congressman Scott Peters joins Matt to talk about his plan to boost transit-oriented development.
35 min
265
Impeachment's policy roots
Andrew Prokop joins Dara and Matt to discuss the long shadow of Viktor Yanukovitch's downfall.
70 min
266
Single-payer federalism
Rep. Ro Khanna joins Matt to make the case for his legislation encouraging state-based Medicare for All programs.
44 min
267
Groypers vs. Conservatism Inc.
Jane, Dara, and Matt on white nationalists' campus battles, plus a major scandal in Swedish administrative data.
55 min
268
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
269
Introducing Reset
Host Arielle Duhaime-Ross explores why–and how–tech is changing everything.
46 min
270
The billionaire backlash
Jane, Dara, and Matt on Michael Bloomberg’s presidential aspirations and the case against billionaires
51 min
271
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
272
Paying for single-payer
Jane, Dara, and Matt on Elizabeth Warren's Medicare-for-all financing plan and its critics
51 min
273
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
274
The fall of Katie Hill
Jane, Dara, and Matt on the California representative’s resignation, power imbalances, and the problem of “revenge porn.”
42 min
275
The scary truth about air pollution
Gretchen Goldman of the Union of Concerned Scientists on the science and politics of clean air.
57 min
276
The electability debate
Jane, Dara, and Matt debate the idea of pundits trying to guess what the public thinks.
48 min
277
The four words that will decide impeachment
Ezra Klein and Gene Healy discuss the meaning of "High Crimes and Misdemeanors"
51 min
278
Debating the robot takeover
Ezra and Matt break down the fourth Democratic primary debate.
56 min
279
Understanding the student debt crisis
The Aspen Institute's Katherine Lucas McKay joins Matt to discuss the origins and consequences of America's ballooning student debt loan.
54 min
280
Progressives' Supreme Court problem
Vox's judiciary reporter Ian Millhiser joins Matt to analyze the Supreme Court's new term and what the left gets wrong about the courts.
59 min
281
Mayor Pete explains his prescription drug plan
Matt sits down with Mayor Pete Buttigieg to discuss the rollout of his new prescription drug plan.
27 min
282
What to expect when you’re impeaching
Dara, Jane, and Matt answer your questions on the impeachment inquiry
48 min
283
Homelessness and how to fix it
Part two of homelessness week
50 min
284
Trump's war on the homeless
Jane, Dara, and Matt discuss the strange revival of interest in punitive approaches to the housing crisis.
58 min
285
America's missing babies
Lyman Stone of the Institute for Family Studies joins Matt to discuss why Americans have fewer kids than they say they want.
58 min
286
The Kiev Caper
Jane, Dara, and Matt break down the scandal that seems to have set Trump on the road to impeachment.
56 min
287
Did economists break America?
Matt sits down with The New York Times' Binyamin Appelbaum to discuss the impact of economists on markets
49 min
288
Out of sight, out of mind
Dara, Jane, and Matt explore how Trump “fixed” the asylum crisis.
48 min
289
ABCDebate
Matt joins Today, Explained to break down the third Democratic debate
28 min
290
50 shades of Green New Deal
David Roberts joins Jane and Matt for a special live episode from Seattle
83 min
291
A plan to revive American unions
Matt sits down with SEIU's Mary Kay Henry to discuss the future of unions in America
52 min
292
The left’s path to power
58 min
293
Trump's primary challengers
51 min
294
The case for foreign policy restraint
Emma Ashford and Matt Yglesias discuss all things foreign policy
55 min
295
Trump's latest trade war
The Weeds team discusses the potential trade war with China, Elizabeth Warren's new trade plan, and a white paper about health care.
54 min
296
Does America need trade deals?
53 min
297
Slavery and its legacy
50 min
298
Trump's war on Medicaid
50 min
299
Epstein conspiracy time
The Weeds team discusses the implications of Jeffrey Epstein's apparent suicide
45 min
300
The case for a Green New Deal
Matt and Julian Brave NoiseCat discuss the inner workings of the Green New Deal.
58 min