Explain It to Me

Latest Episodes:

Maybe we’re not doomed? Aug 02, 2022

Show notes

As the Earth swelters through yet another record-breaking summer, a surprise push for climate legislation on Capitol Hill gave us a shimmer of optimism and hope toward fighting climate change. But, while it’s a step in the right direction to reduce carbon emissions, it’s not a panacea. How do we maintain optimism, even when the right steps feel too small?

References:

Summaries of the climate, tax, and prescription drug parts of the Manchin deal

What Democrats' big new bill would actually do

What the Inflation Reduction Act needs to pass, including Sen. Sinema

Princeton researchers’ estimate of the deal’s climate impact

The Republican vote against benefits for veterans exposed to toxins

The White House/Employ America plan to reduce gas prices

Nina Kelsey’s theory of the “green spiral”

It’s so hot in Europe that roads are literally buckling

Europe is burning like it’s 2052

Hosts:

Bryan Walsh(@bryanrwalsh), Future Perfect editor, Vox

Dylan Matthews, (@dylanmatt), senior correspondent, Vox

Sigal Samuel (@sigalsamuel), Future Perfect senior reporter, Vox

Credits:

Sofi LaLonde, producer and engineer

Libby Nelson, editorial adviser

Amber Hall, deputy editorial director of talk podcasts

Want to support The Weeds? Please consider making a donation to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts

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Weeds Time Machine: The ADA Jul 26, 2022

Show notes

Dylan Matthews, Dara Lind, and special guest Ari Ne’eman (@aneeman) fire up the Weeds Time Machine for a special episode on the Americans with Disabilities Act. The ADA was signed into law 32 years ago today, and while the legislation had a profound impact on almost every corner of American society, the bill wasn’t perfect. So hop into the Time Machine to learn about the history of the disability rights movement, how the ADA came to be, and what the movement is working toward today.

References:

What if Disability Rights Were for Everyone?

Opinion | A 'Safety Net' That's a Kafkaesque Mess

Watch Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution | Netflix Official Site

The Power of 504

Episode transcript

Hosts:

Dylan Matthews (@dylanmatt), senior correspondent, Vox

Dara Lind (@dlind), Weeds co-host, Vox

Credits:

Sofi LaLonde, producer and engineer

Libby Nelson, editorial adviser

Amber Hall, deputy editorial director of talk podcasts

Want to support The Weeds? Please consider making a donation to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What the hell is up with SCOTUS? Jul 19, 2022

Show notes

Dara Lind is joined by Vox senior correspondent Ian Millhiser (@imillhiser) to discuss the major decisions handed down by the Supreme Court this term. They talk about the Court’s emphasis on historical narrative, its move away from settled legal doctrine, and the politicization of the Court. Plus, a white paper on originalism and stare decisis written by then-professor Amy Coney Barrett.

References:

The post-legal Supreme Court

Originalism and Stare Decisis

Hosts:

Dara Lind (@dlind), Weeds co-host, Vox

Credits:

Sofi LaLonde, producer and engineer

Libby Nelson, editorial adviser

Amber Hall, deputy editorial director of talk podcasts

Want to support The Weeds? Please consider making a donation to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The legal limbo of abortion rights Jul 12, 2022

Show notes

Vox Supreme Court correspondent Ian Millhiser (@imillhiser) speaks with Michele Goodwin, a law professor, bioethicist, and leading expert on reproductive health policy, about the future of abortion rights in a world without Roe.

References:

Policing the Womb by Michele Goodwin

Credits:

Sofi LaLonde, producer and engineer

Libby Nelson, editorial adviser

Amber Hall, deputy editorial director of talk podcasts

Want to support The Weeds? Please consider making a donation to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Pregnancy in a post-Roe America Jun 28, 2022

Show notes

Dylan Matthews and Dara Lind are joined by Vox senior reporter Keren Landman, M.D., (@landmanspeaking) to discuss the extremely high maternal mortality rate in the United States. Breaking down those numbers by socioeconomic factors like race or income, the rate of pregnancy-related deaths gets even worse. What will happen now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned?

References:

Where will abortion still be legal now that Roe v. Wade has been overruled?

The end of Roe will mean more children living in poverty

Maternal Mortality Rates in the United States, 2020

Maternity Care Deserts Report

Maternal Mortality and Maternity Care in the United States Compared to 10 Other Developed Countries

How Many American Women Die From Causes Related to Pregnancy or Childbirth? No One Knows.

Overturning Roe v. Wade Could Make Maternal Mortality Even Worse

White paper: Maternal Mortality and Women's Political Power

Hosts:

Dylan Matthews (@dylanmatt), senior correspondent, Vox

Dara Lind (@dlind), Weeds co-host, Vox

Credits:

Sofi LaLonde, producer and engineer

Libby Nelson, editorial adviser

Amber Hall, deputy editorial director of talk podcasts

Want to support The Weeds? Please consider making a donation to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

ConGRADulations, fellow kids Jun 21, 2022

Show notes

Hey, Weeds listeners: Today, we are bringing you an episode of Today, Explained that originally aired in early June.

Ten months ago, the faculty of Cramer Hill Elementary set out to get their kids back on track after a year of mostly remote learning. Today, Explained’s Miles Bryan attended eighth-grade graduation to see how they did.

This episode was reported and produced by Miles Bryan, edited by Matt Collette, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Efim Shapiro, and hosted by Sean Rameswaram.

Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained

Support Today, Explained by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

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How the world became rich Jun 14, 2022

Show notes

Dylan Matthews sits down with economic historians Jared Rubin and Mark Koyama to discuss their new book, How the World Became Rich. It tries to answer one of the hardest questions in history: Why, roughly 200 years ago, did parts of the world start experiencing sustained economic growth?

References:

How the World Became Rich by Jared Rubin and Mark Koyama

Dylan also wrote about the book

Hosts:

Dylan Matthews (@dylanmatt), senior correspondent, Vox

Credits:

Sofi LaLonde, producer and engineer

Libby Nelson, editorial adviser

Amber Hall, deputy editorial director of talk podcasts

Want to support The Weeds? Please consider making a donation to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Does the US need a National Guard of nurses? Jun 07, 2022

Show notes

Dylan Matthews and Dara Lind are joined by Vox senior correspondent Dylan Scott (@dylanlscott) to discuss the shortage of nurses in the American health care workforce. The nursing shortage goes back many years, and not only did the pandemic exacerbate the problem, it also put it under a microscope. The US needs more nurses, but what can be done?

References:

America needs more doctors and nurses to survive the next pandemic

The way the United States pays for nurses is broken

Hosts:

Dylan Matthews (@dylanmatt), senior correspondent, Vox

Dara Lind (@dlind), Weeds co-host, Vox

Credits:

Sofi LaLonde, producer and engineer

Libby Nelson, editorial adviser

Amber Hall, deputy editorial director of talk podcasts

Want to support The Weeds? Please consider making a donation to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The gun control stalemate, explained May 31, 2022

Show notes

Dylan Matthews and Dara Lind are joined by Vox politics reporter Nicole Narea (@nicolenarea) to talk about gun violence. They discuss the findings of three different research studies related to gun policy, which gun control policies are effective, the outcomes of specific violence interventions, and how state legislatures respond to mass shootings.

Editorial note: This episode touches on gun violence and suicide. If you want to talk to someone, you can call 1-800-273-8255 or visit www.suicidepreventionlifeline.org

References:

The Uvalde massacre and America's unique gun violence problem, explained

Dylan on how gun ownership became a powerful political identity

White paper 1: “The Science of Gun Policy”

White paper 2: “Presence of Armed School Officials and Fatal and Nonfatal Gunshot Injuries During Mass School Shootings, United States, 1980-2019”

White paper 3: “The Impact of Mass Shootings on Gun Policy”

Press coverage of mass shootings can cause copycat shootings

Hosts:

Dylan Matthews (@dylanmatt), senior correspondent, Vox

Dara Lind (@dlind), Weeds co-host, Vox

Credits:

Sofi LaLonde, producer and engineer

Libby Nelson, editorial adviser

Amber Hall, deputy editorial director of talk podcasts

Want to support The Weeds? Please consider making a donation to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Most Dangerous Branch: A well-regulated militia May 27, 2022

Show notes

This episode originally published in October 2021 as the second installment of our “Most Dangerous Branch” miniseries about the Supreme Court. Vox senior correspondent Ian Millhiser (@imillhiser) talks with law professor Joseph Blocher and historian Carol Anderson about the Second Amendment, the triumph of the NRA's vision for that amendment, and an upcoming Supreme Court case that endangers more than a century of American gun control laws.

References:

The Positive Second Amendment Rights, Regulation, and the Future of Heller, Joseph Blocher

The Second: Race and Guns in a Fatally Unequal America, Carol Anderson

Credits:

Sofi LaLonde, producer & engineer

Libby Nelson, editorial advisor

Amber Hall, deputy editorial director of talk podcasts

Want to support The Weeds? Please consider making a donation to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices