Explain It to Me

Latest Episodes:

America’s Next Top Supreme Court Justice Jun 29, 2018

Show notes

Vox senior politics reporter Jane Coaston joins Matt and Dara to talk about the future of the Supreme Court without Justice Kennedy. References and further reading: NYT piece on Justice Kennedy's son's connections to the Trump family Dara's piece on the most likely picks for Kennedy's replacement Jane's piece on Senator Mike Lee Jane's piece on polling that show's Trump voters were motivated by the Supreme Court vacancy Examiner piece on overturning Roe v. Wade

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With borders wide open Jun 26, 2018

Show notes

Ezra returns from the wilds of book leave to talk about open borders with Dara and Matt. References and further reading: Dara's piece on the 1996 immigration bill "Trillion dollar bills on the sidewalk" white paper Bryan Caplan paper on open borders Ezra's interview with LA Mayor Eric Garcetti

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The messy drama queens of the Supreme Court Jun 22, 2018

Show notes

While Sarah, Matt and Ezra are away Dara is joined by Dylan Matthews and Andrew Prokop to talk about the friction between how the Supreme Court says it makes its decisions, and the way everyone assumes it really works. Is it time for the Court to stop getting polite and start getting (legal) real(ist)? References and further reading: Andrew’s explainer on the gerrymandering decision The “efficiency gap,” explained by one of its creators Dylan on the public-sector union case Janus v. AFSCME Dara’s piece on Trump v. Hawaii, the travel ban case Sonia Sotomayor endorsed legal realism before joining the Court KENNEDYWATCH, 2018 Edition

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Which children matter? Jun 19, 2018

Show notes

Senior politics reporter Jane Coaston joins Dara and Matt to talk about the ideological roots of Donald Trump's family separation policy. References and further reading: Dara's piece on "operation wetback" the immigration policy Donald Trump loves Jane's piece on Stephen Miller Jamelle Bouie's piece on Stephen Miller Politico piece about Trump possibly shutting down the government in September over border wall, mentioned by Jane Dara's piece on the number of families separated at the border daily Dara's piece on how asylum officers are being told to implement Sessions' new rule

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Ask Weeds Anything...Again! Jun 15, 2018

Show notes

Sarah, Dara and Matt answer your questions.

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Why 12-step programs work — and family separation doesn’t Jun 12, 2018

Show notes

While Sarah and Matt are away Dara is joined by Vox.com congressional reporters Tara Golshan and Ella Nilsen to talk about immigration and family separation. Then she's joined by Vox.com criminal justice reporter German Lopez to talk about a white paper that looks at the effectiveness of 12- step programs. References and further reading: Ella's piece on Democrats trying to stop family separation at the border Tara's piece on the chaos in the House over immigration Sarah's piece on the missing children and family separation Miriam Jordan's NYT piece on transitional foster care placements for migrant children White paper on the effectiveness of 12-step programs German's piece on Alcoholics Anonymous

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Can we get tough on rapists without being “tough on crime”? Jun 08, 2018

Show notes

Sarah, Dara and Matt talk about the recent recall of Judge Aaron Persky, the California judge who sentenced former Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner to six months when he was convicted of sexual assault in 2016. References and further reading: Julia Ioffe's piece on the Stanford professor who led the charge against Persky AP reporting on Persky's record as a judge Rachel Marshall's Vox.com piece on why the recall isn't a progressive victory John Pfaff Twitter thread on how elections impact judicial behavior German Lopez's piece on incarceration rates from 1985-2010 Laura McGann's piece on men in #metoo exile Wesley Lowery's piece on widespread unsolved murders in major American cities

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Cake Wars, Supreme Court edition Jun 05, 2018

Show notes

Dara, Sarah and Matt trace the Supreme Court Masterpiece Cakeshop ruling back to peyote and then discuss a Swedish study about lottery winners. References and further reading: Vox.com explainer on the Masterpiece Cakeshop ruling Vox.com piece about religious liberty in American history The Gallup poll on rates of support for gay marriage, mentioned by Sarah White paper on Swedish lottery winners

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Trump isn’t losing immigrant kids, but he is taking them from their parents Jun 01, 2018

Show notes

Sarah and Matt are joined by Vox.com Congress reporter Tara Golshan to talk about missing children, separated families, and the latest immigration action on the Hill. References and other reading: Sarah's piece with an immigration expert explaining the 1,500 "missing" migrant children Sarah explainer on family separations Tara's piece on Republican moderates and immigration Dara's explainer on the family separation policy

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The debate over “no excuses” charter schools, explained May 29, 2018

Show notes

Libby Nelson, Vox.com news editor and former education reporter, joins Matt and Sarah to talk about the discipline practices and educational outcomes at so-called "no excuses" charter schools. Then they turn to a white paper that looks at lead poisoning and fertility. References and further reading: Illinois Public Radio story on Noble Academy Video of teacher at Success Academy ripping up student's homework Research mentioned by Libby on outcomes at the Harlem Children's Zone Upper West Side parents mad about school integration plan White paper on lead poisoning and fertility

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