Vox

Explain It to Me

Society EN ↓ 828 episodes

Should I buy a house? Why do I say “like” so much? Should Gen Z bother to save for retirement? Explain It to Me is the hotline for the issues that matter to your life. Send us your questions about health, personal finance, relationships, and anything else that matters to you. Host Jonquilyn Hill will take you on a journey to find the answers, whether it's to the halls of Congress or the local bar. You’ll get the answers you were looking for, and sometimes ones you didn't expect — and always with a dose of humor. New episodes every Sunday. Part of Vox and the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Be sure to visit the podcast's website and support the creator: www.vox.com

Author

Vox

Category

Society

Podcast website

www.vox.com

Latest episode

Oct 18, 2026

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Episodes

Trump Family (Tax) Values 16.04.2019

Dara, Sarah, and Matt talk about the suspiciously timed retirement of Trump's sister, IRS enforcement, and new research on how police stops can actually cause crime. Related reading: ProPublica study on the EITC audits White paper Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How Canada got Medicare-for-all done 12.04.2019

Ezra returns to discuss filibuster reform and the legacy of Tommy Douglas with Sarah and Matt. Recommended reading: Tommy Douglas named greatest Canadian Filibuster reform explainer Sanders and reconciliation explainer Doctor strike explainer White paper Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Purge: DHS 09.04.2019

Jane, Dara, and Matt discuss Trump's personnel shake-up at the Department of Homeland Security and what's next for immigration policy. Recommended reading: Jake Tapper on Trump telling border patrol agents to ignore the law The White House’s wish list for DHS actions Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen’s resignation, explained Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adc...

Attack of the clone bills 05.04.2019

Matt, Sarah, and Dara copied this discussion of model legislation from an asbestos lobbyist. Recommended reading: USA Today article Article on 'ALEC' Research on model legislation 1 Research on model legislation 2 Research on model legislation 3 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Learning from Norway's lesbian mothers 02.04.2019

Dara, Jane, and Matt on President Donald Trump’s latest border moves and a new wrinkle in the story of the gender pay gap. Recommended reading: Explainer on Trump cutting off aid Explainer on border closure CNN report on Trump’s border briefings The US policy of returning Central American asylum seekers to wait in Mexico An optimistic take on aid and El Salvador A pessimistic take on aid and El Sa...

Infrastructure Week (and Farm Week and Teacher Week) 29.03.2019

Dara, Jane, and Matt analyze three new policy proposals from Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren, and Kamala Harris. Recommended reading: Amy Klobuchar's infrastructure plan Elizabeth Warren's agriculture plan Kamala Harris's teacher-pay plan HuffPost feature on Harris's truancy policy We are conducting an audience survey to better serve you. It takes no more than five minutes, and it really helps out...

Mueller's investigation is over. Obamacare repeal isn't. 26.03.2019

Sarah, Dara, and Jane discuss the Hill's response to Mueller, the DOJ's siege of Obamacare, and the benefits of IUDs. National Review article Zack Beauchamp's article on the reaction to William Barr's Mueller letter New York Times article on Mueller report White paper We are conducting an audience survey to better serve you. It takes no more than five minutes, and it really helps out the show. Ple...

Should presidential candidates get into the weeds? 22.03.2019

Sarah, Jane, and Matt debate the value of policy details in the primary. We are conducting an audience survey to better serve you. It takes no more than five minutes, and it really helps out the show. Please take our survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3X6WMNF Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The reparations primary 19.03.2019

Dara, Jane, and Matt on the unexpected issue of the moment, plus Swedish administrative data on what makes a CEO. Suggested reading: White Paper Original Ta-Nehisi Coates essay on reparations We are conducting an audience survey to better serve you. It takes no more than five minutes, and it really helps out the show. Please take our survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3X6WMNF Learn more a...

Live Weeds with Julián Castro 15.03.2019

Dara, Jane, and Matt sit down with the former US secretary of housing and urban development and 2020 presidential candidate, live from South by Southwest. We are conducting an audience survey to better serve you. It takes no more than five minutes, and it really helps out the show. Please take our survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3X6WMNF Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastch...

Introducing Switched on Pop 13.03.2019

Vox takes culture seriously. Our coverage seeks to understand how our cultural touchstones work — and what they reveal about who we are. That's why we’re excited to introduce you to Switched on Pop. It's a podcast that digs into the cultural context and musical theory of pop music, and it's now part of the Vox Media Podcast Network. In this episode, you'll meet hosts Nate Sloan and Charlie Harding...

Live Weeds with Pete Buttigieg 12.03.2019

Dara, Jane, and Matt sit down with the South Bend, Indiana, mayor and presidential candidate, live from South by Southwest. We are conducting an audience survey to better serve you. It takes no more than five minutes, and it really helps out the show. Please take our survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3X6WMNF Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The long con 08.03.2019

Jane and Matt discuss Jacob Wohl and the intermingling of grift and conservative politics. Jane's article on Jacob Wohl Iraqi dinar on YouTube Casey Newton's newsletter - The Interface We are conducting an audience survey to better serve you. It takes no more than five minutes, and it really helps out the show. Please take our survey here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3X6WMNF Learn more about yo...

But seriously, how are you going to pay for it? 05.03.2019

Sarah, Dylan, and Matt discuss Pramila Jayapal’s Medicare-for-all bill, its lack of pay-fors, and an interesting white paper on income transparency. Sarah on private insurance in other countries Dylan's interview with Matt Bruenig Sarah's interview with Rep. Jayapal on her bill White paper We are conducting an audience survey to better serve you. It takes no more than five minutes, and it really h...

The Weeds fixes racism 01.03.2019

Jane, Dara, and Matt excavate the most contentious moment in the Cohen hearing in a hunt for "racist bones." Recommended reading:Dara on the Meadows/Tlaib standoff Jane on Steve King  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Amy Klobuchar and the Jill Robinson effect 26.02.2019

Sarah and Matt discuss the recent spate of stories about the Minnesota senator — and an announcement from Ezra! Relevant articles: Paper on the Jill Robinson Effect Buzzfeed Klobuchar story Huffington Post Klobuchar story Kelsey Piper story on the fake white paper Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Day care for all! 22.02.2019

Sarah, Dara, and Matt discuss Elizabeth Warren's universal child care plan — and the other options on the table. Relevant articles: Alvin Chang wealth tax explainer Jonathan Cohn day care story Quebec day care study Warren's child care plan The Family Fun Pack Head Start negative evaluation Head Start positive evaluation Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Collusion and the Mueller endgame 19.02.2019

Andrew Prokop joins Dara and Matt to explain what we've learned from the latest developments in the Russia investigation. Andrew's article on Jerome Corsi's unreliable book Article on the redacted Manafort transcript Marcy Wheeler article Special counsel regulation text Trump Tower Moscow explainer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Emergency Weeds 15.02.2019

Dara, Sarah, and Matt explain the border security deal and Trump’s plan to bypass Congress. Dara's article Matt's article on non-legislative priorities Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What’s the best way to help the poor? 12.02.2019

Dylan Matthews joins Sarah, Ezra, and Matt to discuss five new plans on poverty from leading Democrats. Dylan's Article Sarah's Article on Childhood Wealth Elizabeth Warren's Housing Bill Cory Booker's HOME Act Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

WTF, VA? 08.02.2019

Virginia is embroiled in multiple blackface scandals — and Jane Coaston, Sarah Kliff, and Dylan Scott are here to talk about it. Video about Slavery in the US Medical System Jane's Article Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Do we need private insurance? 05.02.2019

Sarah, Ezra, and Matt break down the latest twist in the Medicare-for-all debate — plus rigorous new research on Facebook. White Paper Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

House Democrats’ plan to save democracy 01.02.2019

Jane, Dara, and Matt break down HR 1 — the first bill from the new Democratic majority. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Elizabeth Warren and the Two-Income Trap 29.01.2019

Sarah, Ezra, and Matt analyze the presidential candidate’s first popular book and review new evidence on the dangers of opioid marketing. Ezra's Article Matt's Article White Paper Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The end of the shutdown 25.01.2019

Jane, Ezra, and Matt have a slightly ill-timed discussion about the Pelosi-Trump showdown and the politics of the wall. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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