Explain It to Me

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 KoyamaDylan also wrote about the bookHosts:Dylan Matthews (@dylanmatt), senior correspondent, VoxCredits:Sofi LaLonde, producer and engineerLibby Nelson, editorial adviserAmber Hall, deputy editorial director of talk podcastsSign up for The Weeds newsletter each Friday: vox.com/weedsletter 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

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 pandemicThe way the United States pays for nurses is brokenHosts:Dylan Matthews (@dylanmatt), senior correspondent, VoxDara Lind (@dlind), Weeds co-host, VoxCredits:Sofi LaLonde, producer and engineerLibby Nelson, editorial adviserAmber Hall, deputy editorial director of talk podcastsSign up for The Weeds newsletter each Friday: vox.com/weedsletter 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

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, explainedDylan 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 shootingsHosts:Dylan Matthews (@dylanmatt), senior correspondent, VoxDara Lind (@dlind), Weeds co-host, VoxCredits:Sofi LaLonde, producer and engineerLibby Nelson, editorial adviserAmber Hall, deputy editorial director of talk podcastsSign up for The Weeds newsletter each Friday: vox.com/weedsletter 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

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 AndersonCredits:Sofi LaLonde, producer & engineerLibby Nelson, editorial advisorAmber Hall, deputy editorial director of talk podcastsSign up for The Weeds newsletter each Friday: vox.com/weedsletter 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

This special episode of The Weeds was taped live at TruCon 2022! Join Dara Lind, Zack Beauchamp, and Jen Kirby for a live panel discussion about the state of global democracy. They discuss the complicated relationship among migration, the threat of the populist far right, and what this means for global democracy. References:Zack’s latest piece on “replacement theory”He also wrote about Democrats and immigration policies in 2019And more from Zack about Hungary, Tucker Carlson, and the election in the Philippines Jen wrote about the French presidential runoff elections in April She also recommends this piece about far-right politics in GermanyThe first installment of the multi-part series from NYT about Tucker Carlson and Fox NewsWhite paper: Waking Up the Golden Dawn: Does Exposure to the Refugee Crisis Increase Support for Extreme-Right Parties? White paper: Refugee Migration and Electoral Outcomes Hosts:Dylan Matthews (@dylanmatt), senior correspondent, VoxDara Lind (@dlind), Weeds co-host, VoxJen Kirby (@j_kirby1), foreign and national security reporter, VoxCredits:Sofi LaLonde, producer and engineerLibby Nelson, editorial adviserAmber Hall, deputy editorial director of talk podcastsSign up for The Weeds newsletter each Friday: vox.com/weedsletter 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

Dylan Matthews and Dara Lind are joined by Annie Lowrey (@annielowrey), a staff writer at the Atlantic, to talk about why it’s so hard for people to get government benefits. Frequently called the “time tax,” the administrative burden of applying for and distributing government benefits leads to thousands of people not getting the aid they qualify for. References:Annie Lowrey on Code America’s efforts to fight the Time TaxPamela Herd and Don Moynihan's book on administrative burdenWhy Is It So Hard to Make a Website for the Government? from the New York TimesWhite paper — Program Recertification Costs: Evidence from SNAPA sudden change to SSI eligibility had huge, lasting negative consequencesHosts:Dylan Matthews (@dylanmatt), senior correspondent, VoxDara Lind (@dlind), Weeds co-host, VoxCredits:Sofi LaLonde, producer and engineerLibby Nelson, editorial adviserAmber Hall, deputy editorial director of talk podcastsSign up for The Weeds newsletter each Friday: vox.com/weedsletter 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

Dylan Matthews and Dara Lind talk with Washington Post economic columnist Heather Long (@byHeatherLong) about the global food supply crisis spinning out of the war in Ukraine. The crisis is so bad that the United Nations said it could be the worst shortage since World War II. What, if anything, can be done? Dylan, Dara, and Heather discuss how we got here and the costs of potential solutions.References:The war in Ukraine is triggering a global food crisis. Here’s how the U.S. can help.A global famine looms. The U.S. could prevent it.How war in Ukraine is making people hungry in the Middle East Russian Blockade Prompts Ukraine to Find New Ways to Shift Vital Wheat Exports Hosts:Dylan Matthews (@dylanmatt), senior correspondent, VoxDara Lind (@dlind), Weeds co-host, VoxCredits:Sofi LaLonde, producer and engineerLibby Nelson, editorial adviserAmber Hall, deputy editorial director of talk podcastsSign up for The Weeds newsletter each Friday: vox.com/weedsletter 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

Dara Lind sits down with Vox Supreme Court correspondent Ian Millhiser (@imillhiser) for a deep dive into the leaked draft opinion on abortion written by Justice Samuel Alito. They discuss the text of the opinion itself; why Alito was chosen to write it; and what could happen in the days, weeks, and months following a ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. References:The Roe opinion and the case against the Supreme Court Ian’s explainer on the draft memoWhat happens next if the Supreme Court strikes down Roe Ian’s interview with Professor Melissa MurrayProfessor Melissa Murray NYT op ed from December: What would a post-Roe America look like?Hosts:Dara Lind (@dlind), Weeds co-host, VoxCredits:Sofi LaLonde, producer and engineerLibby Nelson, editorial adviserAmber Hall, deputy editorial director of talk podcastsSign up for The Weeds newsletter each Friday: vox.com/weedsletter 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

This episode originally published in October 2021 as the first installment of our “Most Dangerous Branch” miniseries about the Supreme Court. Vox senior correspondent Ian Millhiser (@imillhiser) talks with NYU professor Melissa Murray about the future of Roe v. Wade, specifically discussing some of the legal theories used to chip away at the law.References:What we know and don't know on the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade draft opinionSupreme Court has voted to overturn abortion rights, draft opinion shows Credits:Sofi LaLonde, producer and engineerLibby Nelson, editorial adviserAmber Hall, deputy editorial director of talk podcastsSign up for The Weeds newsletter each Friday: vox.com/weedsletter 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

Dylan Matthews interviews economist Chris Blattman (@cblatts) about his new book Why We Fight, which examines the root causes of war and what can be done to stop it. In a wide-ranging discussion that touches on conflict all over the world, Dylan and Chris discuss the role of the state, commonalities among historical conflicts, and the game theory of war.References:Chris Blattman’s book, Why We FightChris’s research workResearch on how drug gangs govern in ColombiaHow therapy can reduce conflictUsing summer vacations to study peace deal mediatorsThe influence of royal mounties in the 19th century may make Canadian hockey less violent nowBlattman on Ukraine before the warCivil war predictions in the USHosts:Dylan Matthews (@dylanmatt), senior correspondent, VoxCredits:Sofi LaLonde, producer and engineerLibby Nelson, editorial adviserAmber Hall, deputy editorial director of talk podcastsSign up for The Weeds newsletter each Friday: vox.com/weedsletter 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