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