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.
1
Could ranked choice voting fix our elections?
Ranked choice voting — yay, nay, or something else?
41 min
2
Why can’t I tell my left from my right?
And why are there lefties and righties?
26 min
3
What just happened, and what comes next
Your election questions answered
46 min
4
It’s election week. Ask us anything.
Call us with your election questions.
1 min
5
Why can I buy Halloween candy that would be ban...
How food additive regulation works in the US.
43 min
6
Why do I keep getting these weird fundraising t...
Two of your election questions, explained
48 min
7
Will the world end before I can retire?
How to balance retirement advice and climate change realism
35 min
8
My parents divorced. Will I?
What current marriage trends say about modern relationships
27 min
9
Is it okay to go to the zoo?
Do the pros outweigh the cons?
31 min
10
Why do I say “like” so much?
In defense of the supremely useful and unfairly maligned word
41 min
11
Is my dentist scamming me?
There’s a reason why going to the dentist can feel so shady.
40 min
12
Introducing Explain It to Me
2 min
13
Our next chapter
There are some big changes coming to this feed, and we need your help with them!
2 min
14
How we Got Milk
And why the government wants you to drink it.
37 min
15
Those pesky delivery fees
Nobody is happy with delivery apps right now
36 min
16
Panic! At The Drugstore
The panic about the crime rate really is just a panic.
37 min
17
A new era of cannabis research
What rescheduling cannabis could mean for science.
34 min
18
Are baby bonds a good investment?
A unique policy program that could help close the racial wealth gap
35 min
19
Alexa, is Amazon a monopoly?
Antitrust is back, baby!
31 min
20
Is homelessness a crime?
The Supreme Court weighs in on the homelessness crisis.
29 min
21
Abortion and the erosion of privacy
Do Americans still have a right to privacy?
36 min
22
What is “fetal personhood”?
The legal definition tearing the anti-abortion movement apart.
32 min
23
A safety net’s poverty trap
What would you do if you could only save $2,000?
31 min
24
Let’s fix child care together
The real issue blocking universal child care? Politics.
40 min
25
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