Explain It to Me

Latest Episodes:

Super(b) Tuesday special Mar 16, 2016

Show notes

Sarah, Ezra, and Matt discuss the results of the March 15 primaries and the state of the 2016 presidential election.Today’s episode is brought to you by The Great Courses Plus. Visit TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/Weeds to stream Inexplicable Universe: Unsolved Mysteries and hundreds of other courses for free!This episode is also brought to you by Club W, offering The Weeds listeners fifty percent off your first wine order when you go to ClubW.com/Weeds.

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The productivity slowdown, TrumpCare, and better textbooks Mar 11, 2016

Show notes

Sarah, Ezra, and Matt talk about why Silicon Valley's technical marvels aren't visible in economic statistics, dive into the details of Donald Trump's surprisingly banal health plan, and tackle some new research on improving teaching by improving textbooks.This episode is brought to you by Squarespace. Start building your website today atSquarespace.com. Enter offer code WEEDS at checkout to get 10% off.This episode is also brought to you by Harry’s razors. Visit Harrys.com and enter WEEDS at checkout to receive $5 off your first purchase.

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Super Tuesday/Exhausted Wednesday special! Mar 02, 2016

Show notes

In this episode of the Weeds, Ezra, Matt and Sarah discuss the results of Super Tuesday. Everyone is tired, so it gets a bit weird. Topics include whether Donald Trump is actually a moderate, how the election shows American politics is either polarizing or de-polarizing, and whether Bernie Sanders or Hillary Clinton would be a stronger general-election candidate. Oh, and Bernie Sanders has finally convinced Matt that free college —including for rich kids — is a good idea! This week’s episode of The Weeds is sponsored by Warby Parker. Warby Parker brings you a new concept in eyewear: Contemporary eyeglasses that are extremely affordable and fashion forward. Visit WarbyParker.com/Weeds to begin your free home try-on experience today!This episode is also brought to you by Club W, offering The Weeds listeners fifty percent off your first wine order when you go to ClubW.com/Weeds.

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TPP, the Nevada Caucus, and the Great Texas Abortion clinic shutdown. Feb 26, 2016

Show notes

By popular demand, Sarah, Matt, and Ezra finally address the Trans Pacific Partnership before contemplating the GOP's ongoing self-immolation, and the real consequences of the war on Planned Parenthood.Today’s episode is brought to you by Harry’s razors. Visit Harrys.com and enter WEEDS at checkout to receive $5 off your first order.Today’s episode is also brought to you by The Great Courses Plus. Visit TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/Weeds to stream Inexplicable Universe: Unsolved Mysteries and hundreds of other courses for free!Today’s episode is also sponsored by CNN’s new original series “Race for the White House.” Uncover the reasons some campaigns became powerful while others failed. The series premieres Sunday, March 6th, at 10pm Eastern on CNN.

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The Supreme Court vacancy and the possible collapse of American democracy Feb 19, 2016

Show notes

Sarah, Ezra, and Matt consider the case for reforming America's current practice of granting life tenure to Supreme Court Justices, discuss the political fight over replacing the late Justice Scalia, and ponder a 25 year-old work of political science that implies the United States is heading for a coup.Today’s episode is brought to you by The Great Courses Plus. Go to TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/Weeds for a special limited-time offer to stream hundreds of courses for free!This episode is also brought to you by Club W. Visit ClubW.com/weeds and get fifty percent off your first order today, and don’t ever come home to a wine-free house again.

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Could more corruption fix American politics? Feb 12, 2016

Show notes

Sarah, Ezra, and Matt use the New Hampshire primary results as a lens through which to discuss Jonathan Rauch's case for "political realism" as a governing philosophy.This episode of The Weeds is brought to you by Squarespace. Start Building your website today at Squarespace.com. Enter offer code WEEDS at checkout to get 10% off.This episode is also brought to you by Harry’s razors. Go to Harrys.com right now to get $5 off your first order with the promo code WEEDS.

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The Iowa Caucuses Feb 02, 2016

Show notes

Who wins the 2016 election will hugely influence what type of policies Washington passes — and that's why Ezra, Sarah, and Matt devote this entire episode of The Weeds to dissecting the results of the Iowa caucus. We look at Bernie's surprising success, the declining strength of political parties, and how a Cruz administration would govern.For a limited time, The Great Courses Plus is offering The Weeds listeners a chance to stream The Fundamentals of Photography and hundreds of other courses for free! Go to TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/WEEDS to take advantage of this special offer.Club W is a revolutionary new wine club that sends you wine directly to yourdoor -- saving you all those trips to the grocery store. Not only does Club W send you wine, they send you wine that you'll LOVE drinking. Visit ClubW.com/WEEDs to get fifty percent off your first order.

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Will taxing the rich hurt growth – and will third parties save politics? Jan 29, 2016

Show notes

It’s one of the most fundamental disputes in Washington: what effect do taxes have on the economy? On this week's episode of the Weeds, Ezra, Matt, and Sarah work through some of the top papers to explain. Also on this episode: why a third party won't save American politics, and a new working paper that shows a surprising way to encourage students to attend high school.This episode is brought to you by Squarespace. Start building your website today atSquarespace.com. Enter offer code WEEDS at checkout to get 10% off. Squarespace—Build it Beautiful.For a limited time, The Great Courses Plus is offering The Weeds listeners a chance to stream The Fundamentals of Photography and hundreds of other courses for free! Go to TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/WEEDS to take advantage of this special offer.

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Ross Douthat on campus conservatism, being thankful for Donald Trump, and how to write so liberals will read you Jan 26, 2016

Show notes

In this preview of Ezra's coming interview podcast, he interviews New York Times op-ed columnist Ross Douthat. Douthat is the author of Privilege: Harvard and the Education of the Ruling Class, Grand New Party: How Republicans Can Win the Working Class and Save Themselves, and Bad Religion: How We Became a Nation of Heretics. He's also a fascinating political thinker with a skill that's rare in these polarized times: he's a conservative writing for an overwhelmingly liberal audience, and he's able to regularly disagree with his readers without alienating them. In this discussion, he tells Ezra about his winding path to the Times op-ed page, as well as his appreciation for Donald Trump, and his predictions for what could split both the Democratic and Republican parties.

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Campaign finance and global inequality — with lead poisoning in between Jan 22, 2016

Show notes

On this episode of the Weeds, Ezra, Matt, and Sarah dive into one of Bernie Sanders' favorite campaign trail arguments: that money causes more Congressional dysfunction than partisanship. Also on this episode: why the lead poisoning crisis in Flint matters, and a discussion of a (not so great) paper of the week on global inequality. This episode is sponsored by The Great Courses Plus. Just for a limited time The Great Courses Plus is offering our listeners a chance to stream this course: The Fundamentals of Photography - a $235 value- and hundreds of other courses for FREE! Visit TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/WEEDS for this limited-time offer.This episode is also sponsored by Ballotcraft, a fantasy politics game. Think fantasy football, but for politics. Win in Ballotcraft by best predicting who's going to win the Iowa Caucuses, New Hampshire Primaries, and other upcoming elections. It's 100% free. Check it out at ballotcraft.com

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