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.
101
ConGRADulations, fellow kids
Ten months ago, the faculty of Cramer Hill Elementary set out to get their kids back on track after a year of mostly remote learning.
24 min
102
How the world became rich
A quick recap of thousands of years of economic history.
57 min
103
Does the US need a National Guard of nurses?
The country doesn’t have enough nurses. This could be one way to fix that.
40 min
104
The gun control stalemate, explained
There is no panacea for mass shootings.
42 min
105
The Most Dangerous Branch: A well-regulated mil...
With six conservative judges on the bench this term, the Supreme Court could rule in favor of the most sweeping gun rights laws yet.
63 min
106
Immigration, democracy, and the rise of the Wes...
The Weeds live at TruCon 2022
70 min
107
The scourge of the “time tax”
The miserable sludge of applying for government aid.
48 min
108
Ukraine and the global food supply crisis
What happens when the global breadbasket is empty?
41 min
109
What the Alito leak means for Roe — and everyth...
The draft opinion, explained.
54 min
110
The Most Dangerous Branch: Roe v. Wade
What does the future of abortion rights look like?
68 min
111
Why do we go to war?
An expert on why wars start and how to prevent them.
44 min
112
Weeds Time Machine: The Clean Air Act
How the landmark environmental policy changed America.
43 min
113
Tax time at the culture wars
Why Sen. Rick Scott’s 11-point plan to save America scares Mitch McConnell.
50 min
114
Taxes! Let’s get right Intuit.
Why filing your taxes is so annoying.
46 min
115
The Great Expiration
Saying goodbye to the Covid-era social safety net
51 min
116
The art of the gerrymander
Why a fair electoral map is more complicated than it looks
49 min
117
The myth of US energy independence
How can America call itself energy independent when it still relies on foreign oil?
49 min
118
Why it’s so hard to move in America
The cultural cost of high housing prices
40 min
119
Russia's terrible invasion
And what the US can do about it
64 min
120
A quick update
A brief message from Dylan about our spring schedule
1 min
121
Why San Francisco’s school board got booted
What a local election can say about our national political climate.
48 min
122
Democracy in crisis: The two-party problem
Just how worried should we be about the future of American democracy?
54 min
123
The curse of the midterms
Yes, Democrats should be worried.
55 min
124
Beijing, boycotts, and the enduring politics of...
What does a diplomatic boycott actually do?
34 min
125
Affirmative action could be doomed (again). Wha...
A conservative-leaning Supreme Court could mean the end of affirmative action.
36 min