The Weeds

Politics is how people achieve power. Policy is what they do with it. Every week on The Weeds, host Jonquilyn Hill and guests break down the policies that shape our lives, from abortion to financial regulations to affirmative action to housing. We dive deep and we get wonky, but we have fun along the way. New episodes drop every Wednesday.

Produced by Vox and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Politics
News Commentary
Social Sciences
101
The Great Expiration
Saying goodbye to the Covid-era social safety net
51 min
102
The art of the gerrymander
Why a fair electoral map is more complicated than it looks
49 min
103
The myth of US energy independence
How can America call itself energy independent when it still relies on foreign oil?
49 min
104
Why it’s so hard to move in America
The cultural cost of high housing prices
40 min
105
Russia's terrible invasion
And what the US can do about it
64 min
106
A quick update
A brief message from Dylan about our spring schedule
1 min
107
Why San Francisco’s school board got booted
What a local election can say about our national political climate.
48 min
108
Democracy in crisis: The two-party problem
Just how worried should we be about the future of American democracy?
54 min
109
The curse of the midterms
Yes, Democrats should be worried.
55 min
110
Beijing, boycotts, and the enduring politics of...
What does a diplomatic boycott actually do?
34 min
111
Affirmative action could be doomed (again). Wha...
A conservative-leaning Supreme Court could mean the end of affirmative action.
36 min
112
It’s not about Ukraine. It’s about Putin.
It’s not about Russia, either.
48 min
113
Think of the children
What two studies about early childhood poverty interventions can tell us about pediatric brain development
41 min
114
Unions!
Why unions are stronger yet smaller than ever
52 min
115
What happens to voting rights now?
The plan to make it easier to vote has been fili-busted.
40 min
116
Are corporations winning at inflation?
If they are profiting from inflation, can we do anything about it?
40 min
117
What BBB means for climate policy
Can the White House and Congress see eye-to-eye on climate?
65 min
118
How the 1918 flu pandemic ended
What the deadliest pandemic in history can tell us about Covid-19
33 min
119
The case for more babies
We need to talk about the slowing population growth.
49 min
120
The building blocks of radicalization
What happens when political extremism goes mainstream
52 min
121
Why hasn’t student debt been canceled?
A look at the policy merits and political implications of canceling student loan debt.
50 min
122
Best Of: The coming climate exodus
A look back at The Weeds from earlier this year.
55 min
123
America’s Public Health Experiment: Federal fai...
Did the government fail in its public health response for the American people?
52 min
124
America's Public Health Experiment: More checks...
How automatic stabilizers could help prevent future economic disaster.
49 min
125
Can school be normal again?
55 min