Explain It to Me

Sarah, Ezra, and Matt talk about what’s really wrong with American infrastructure, the massacre in Parkland, FL, and new research on legislators’ irrational decision-making. Whitepaper! Bias in Perceptions of Public Opinion Among American Political Elites by David E. Broockman, Christopher Skovron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt, Dara, and Andrew Prokop talk about the Senate's failed immigration push, and they parse through the many-layered Rob Porter scandal. DACA/Immigration ReferencesThe 8 Republican senators who voted for the bipartisan compromiseMoran, Thune, and Portman’s new DACA proposal statementTara Golshan’s piece about Grassley’s Secure and Succeed Act Rob Porter ReferencesThe ever-shifting White House st...

Matt, Ezra, Sarah, and Dylan Matthews try to explain Trump’s budget and Disability Insurance. For today's white paper: Move over Swedish administrative data, it’s Denmark’s turn. Trump’s budget references:Dylan's explainer on Trump's proposed budgetAirports Council International report on the ownership of European airportsCongressional Research Service report on airport privatizationMatt’s explain...

Matt, Dara, and Tara Golshan, all weary from lack of sleep, try to make sense of the few hours on Thursday night/Friday morning when the government was shut down. Referenced Works Republicans laughing in Tara's face about addressing immigration: Immigration anxiety got Trump elected. Congress isn’t touching it. Further Reading House Democrats’ confusing, high-risk DACA government shutdown gamble,...

Matt, Ezra, and Sarah talk about the Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JP Morgan announcement about their joint healthcare venture, as well as the recent volatility in the stock market. White paper: From the Bargaining Table to the Ballot Box: Political Effects of Right to Work Laws Referenced Works: Ben Thompson's Stratechery piece: Amazon Health Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoic...

Dara, Matt, and Zack Beauchamp talk about the policy failures that created the gang haunting Donald Trump's dreams. Referenced Works Are there more than 2,000 MS-13 gang members in Virginia’s wealthy Fairfax County? The Teens Trapped Between a Gang and the Law The 'one percent' statistic Dara mentioned: Why Trump is Wrong to Blame Migration for MS13 Expansion, Violence Further Reading 3 winners an...

Sarah, Ezra, and Matt parse through Trump's State of the Union address and the response delivered by Rep. Joe Kennedy III. Referenced Works: Matt's piece on the State of the Union: Donald Trump has no solutions for America’s big problems German Lopez's piece that Ezra mentioned: Trump’s pathetic response to the opioid epidemic The Health Care Cost Institute report Sarah referenced: 2016 Health Car...

A DACA ransom note from the White House prompts Matt, Dara and Jane Coaston to muse on whose nation this is, anyway. Referenced Works The American Conservative piece Jane referenced: Of Sh*tholes And Second Thoughts Elizabeth Bruenig's op ed for The Washington Post: The antisocial politics of Trump The Passing of a Great Race Nations and Nationalism Imagined Communities Profile of Stephen Miller i...

Dara, Sarah, and Ezra dig into the details of the new shutdown deal — and what it means for the future of shutdown politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A few hours before a looming shutdown, DC is a very postmodern place. Referenced works: Dara on the DACA situation Dylan Matthew on past shutdowns Simulacra and Simulation by Jean Baudrillard On Capitol Hill: The Struggle to Reform Congress and its Consequences by Julian Zelizer How the National Parks Became the Biggest Battleground in the Shutdown from The Atlantic, by Garance Franke-Ruta Learn m...

Matt, Ezra, and Sarah talk about Mark Zuckerberg's recent announcement regarding what Facebook will focus on in 2018, and the state of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The mask slipped with Trump's "shithole" comments, and Matt and Dara take a hard look at what lies beneath it. Content warning: explicit policy discussions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

German Lopez joins Matt and Sarah to talk about Attorney General Jeff Sessions' most recent move on marijuana, how Trump spends his time, and child mortality in the US. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brian Resnick joins Dara and Matt to talk about the 'bomb cyclone' and how it relates to the climate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's only the second day of 2018, and Matt, Ezra, and Sarah are already talking about alarming statistics--this time, to do with average American life expectancy. White paper: Bias in Perceptions of Public Opinion Among American Political Elites The GOP is trying to pass a super-unpopular agenda — and that's a bad sign for democracy Impact Policy Submission URL: bit.ly/voximpact Learn more about y...

Sarah returns from New Zealand in time to reflect with Matt on the year in policy. White paper: Uniform Pricing in US Retail Chains Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt, Ezra, and Sarah answer your questions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt and Ezra talk about what the tax bill actually does, whether the deficit matters, and a white paper about rugged individualism. White paper: Frontier Culture: The Roots and Persistence of “Rugged Individualism” in the United States Other referenced works: Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America (America: a cultural history) American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cult...

Matt, Dara, and Tara Golshan talk about how Congress does and doesn’t handle sexual harassment allegations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt and Ezra talk about the result of the Alabama senate race and the state of the GOP. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt, Dara, and German Lopez discuss the (shallow, according to some) politics of pro-FBI liberals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt, Ezra, and Sarah talk through the argument around net neutrality, the possible CVS-Aetna merger, and a white paper about who becomes an inventor in America. Ben Thompson's defense of Ajit Pai Who Becomes an Inventor in America? The Importance of Exposure to Innovation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt, Dara Lind, and Vox contributor Mike Konczal talk tax reform and Democrats' sexual harassment problem. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt and Ezra parse through the many flaws of the tax bill. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sarah, Ezra, and Matt talk about what they're thankful for this year — plus disturbing new research about gender bias in surgical referrals. White paper: Interpreting Signals in the Labor Market: Evidence from Medical Referrals Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices