Explain It to Me

Vox Supreme Court correspondent Ian Millhiser talks with NYU professor Melissa Murray (@ProfMMurray) about the future of reproductive freedom. The Supreme Court started its new term this week, and with six conservative judges on the bench, Republicans are likely to win a generational victory overruling Roe v. Wade.Resources:Texas’s radical anti-abortion law explainedThe staggering implications of the Supreme Court’s Texas anti-abortion ruling“Race-ing Roe: Reproductive Justice, Racial Justice, and the Battle for Roe v. WadeHosts:Ian Millhiser (@imillhiser), Senior Correspondent, VoxCredits:Sofi LaLonde, Producer & EngineerLibby Nelson, Editorial AdvisorAmber Hall, Deputy Editorial Director of Talk PodcastsSign up for The Weeds newsletter each Friday: vox.com/weeds-newsletter 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, German, and Jerusalem talk about vaccine mandates. They discuss the evidence supporting vaccine requirements, the United States’ history with inoculation campaigns, and the patchwork nature of America’s many public health measures. Plus, a white paper about elite universities. References:This is a good summary of the evidence supporting vaccine mandatesHere is the Homevoter Hypothesis Dylan mentionedThe NIMBY lawsuit against UC Berkeley and the NIMBY war against Georgetown’s expansionGerman mentioned two vaccination studies: this one and this oneThis week’s white paper about elite universitiesLeopold Aschenbrenner on the case for smaller universitiesHosts:Dylan Matthews (@dylanmatt), senior correspondent, VoxGerman Lopez (@germanrlopez), senior correspondent, VoxJerusalem Demsas (@jerusalemdemsas), policy reporter, VoxCredits:Sofi LaLonde, producer & engineerLibby Nelson, editorial adviserAmber Hall, deputy editorial director of talk podcastsSign up for The Weeds newsletter each Friday: vox.com/weeds-newsletter 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 and Jerusalem are joined by Kathryn Paige Harden, professor of clinical psychology at the University of Texas at Austin, to discuss her new book The Genetic Lottery: Why DNA Matters for Social Equality. They talk about what geneticists have learned about the impact of genes on income and education inequality, the social implications of this research and its potential misuse, and why genetics should leave us humbled by the huge effect of luck in our lives.Hosts:Dylan Matthews (@dylanmatt), senior correspondent, VoxJerusalem Demsas (@JerusalemDemsas), policy reporter, VoxCredits:Sofi LaLonde, producer and engineerLibby Nelson, editorial adviser Amber Hall, deputy editorial director, talk podcastsSign up for The Weeds newsletter each Friday: vox.com/weeds-newsletter 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, German, and Dara discuss the debt ceiling: the current crisis, what the debt ceiling even is, and how the debt ceiling has become a politically polarized issue. They also talk about why the debt ceiling is bad for democracy. Plus, a white paper about Canadian bread cartels. Resources:The Bipartisan Policy Center’s estimate of when we’ll hit the debt ceilingCongressional Research Service’s history of the debt ceilingJanet Yellen on the costs of breaching the debt ceilingNeil Buchanan and Michael Dorf on why breaching the debt ceiling is the “least illegal” optionThe trillion dollar coin (and the Obama rejection of it) explainedSteven Schwarcz on using special investment tools to evade the debt ceilingMatt Yglesias on the “Honduras scenario” for American democracy failing"Hub and Spoke Cartels: Theory and Evidence from the Grocery Industry" by Robert Clark, Ignatius Horstmann, Jean-François HoudeNetflix documentary on the Canadian maple syrup cartelHosts:Dylan Matthews (@dylanmatt), Senior Correspondent, VoxGerman Lopez (@germanrlopez), Senior Correspondent, VoxDara Lind (@DLind), Immigration Reporter, ProPublicaCredits:Sofi LaLonde, Producer & EngineerLibby Nelson, EditorAmber Hall, Deputy Editorial Director of Talk PodcastsSign up for The Weeds newsletter each Friday: vox.com/weeds-newsletter 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, German, and Jerusalem sit down to answer listener questions. In our first AMA episode of the post-Matt-Yglesias Weeds era, the trio discusses constitutional amendments, climate change, how we could fix global poverty, influential books, and more.Resources:Reasons and Persons by Derek ParfitGang of Five: Leaders at the Center of the Conservative Ascendancy by Nina J. EastonThe Collaborator: The Trial and Execution of Robert Brasillach by Alice KaplanNight by Elie WieselThe Cult of Pharmacology: How America Became the World’s Most Troubled Drug Culture by Richard DeGrandpreMiddlesex by Jeffrey EugenidesCochraneThe Journalist’s Resource, the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public PolicyJim Tankersley, the New York Times (@jimtankersley)Victoria Guida, Politico (@vtg2)Eric Levitz, New York magazine (@ericlevitz) Hosts:Dylan Matthews (@dylanmatt), senior correspondent, VoxJerusalem Demsas (@JerusalemDemsas), policy reporter, VoxGerman Lopez (@germanrlopez), senior correspondent, Vox Credits:Sofi LaLonde, producer and engineerAmber Hall, deputy editorial director, talk podcastsSign up for The Weeds newsletter each Friday: vox.com/weeds-newsletter Want to support The Weeds? Please consider making a donation to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dylan, German, and Jerusalem discuss means testing and work requirements after Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) suggested their inclusion in one of Biden's legacy priorities: the expanded child tax credit. Right now Democrats in Congress are trying to hammer out a 10-year, $3.5 trillion budget that includes an extension of the federal child tax credit; expanding Medicare to include dental, vision, and hearing aids; additional resources for home care workers; a slew of climate change measures; and much more. Resources:“The Time Tax” by Annie Lowrey (The Atlantic; July 27, 2021)“We’re Still Here” by Jennifer Silva“‘Neoliberalism has really ruptured’: Adam Tooze on the legacy of 2020” by Zack Beauchamp (Vox.com; September 9, 2021)“Are we automating racism?” by Joss Fong (Vox.com; March 31, 2021)“AIs Islamophobia problem” by Sigal Samuel (Vox.com; September 18, 2021)White Paper: “New Evidence on Redlining by Federal Housing Programs in the 1930s” by Price V. Fishback, Jonathan Rose, Kenneth A. Snowden, and Thomas StorrsHosts:Dylan Matthews (@dylanmatt), Senior CorrespondentJerusalem Demsas (@JerusalemDemsas), Policy Reporter, VoxGerman Lopez (@germanrlopez), Senior Correspondent, VoxCredits:Sofi LaLonde, Producer & EngineerAmber Hall, Deputy Editorial Director of Talk PodcastsSign up for The Weeds newsletter each Friday: vox.com/weeds-newsletter 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

For Matt’s last episode of The Weeds, Ezra Klein and Sarah Kliff return for a look at why health care and drug costs in the US keep rising, how subsidizing industries leads to higher consumer costs, and what both political parties can do about it. It gets real nerdy just as fast as the last time these three co-hosted. We also learn about the first print piece Matt ever published, and he shares some feelings about pseudo-Cyrillic. Resources:“How the US made affordable homes illegal” by Jerusalem Demsas (Vox Media; Aug 17, 2021)“Building housing — lots of it — will lay the foundation for a new future” by Matt Yglesias (Vox Media; Sep 23, 2020)“The true story of America’s sky-high prescription drug prices” by Sarah Kliff (Vox Media; May 10, 2018)"The real reason American health care is so expensive" by Liz Scheltens, Mallory Brangan, and Ezra Klein (Vox Media; Dec 1, 2017)White Paper: “Cost Disease Socialism: How Subsidizing Costs While Restricting Supply Drives America’s Fiscal Imbalance” by Steven Teles, Samuel Hammond, Daniel Takash (Niskanen Center; Sep 9, 2021)Guest:Ezra Klein (@ezraklein), Columnist, The New York TimesSarah Kliff (@sarahkliff), Investigative Reporter, The New York TimesHost:Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias), Slowboring.comCredits:Ness Smith-Savedoff, Producer & EngineerErikk Geannikis, Producer, Talk PodcastsSofi LaLonde, Producer, The WeedsEfim Shapiro, EngineerAs the Biden administration gears up, we'll help you understand this unprecedented burst of policymaking. Sign up for The Weeds newsletter each Friday: vox.com/weeds-newsletter.The Weeds is a Vox Media Podcast Network production.Want to support The Weeds? Please consider making a contribution to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcastsAbout VoxVox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines.Follow Us: Vox.comFacebook group: The Weeds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt, Dara, Jerusalem, and German use Matt’s last Tuesday episode to discuss life expectancy in the US. They explore paternalistic policy decisions, the misnomer of “deaths of despair,” and the longevity of The Weeds. US life expectancy is compared to that of European and Asian nations, and the US numbers are disaggregated and examined up close. Resources:“Why Americans Die So Much” by Derek Thompson (The Atlantic; Sep 12, 2021)“Inequality in Mortality between Black and White Americans by Age, Place, and Cause, and in Comparison to Europe, 1990-2018” by Hannes Schwandt et al. (NBER; Sep 2021)“The Great Divide: Education, Despair and Death” by Anne Case and Angus Deaton (NBER; Sep 2021)The Insider by Michael Mann (Touchstone Pictures; 1999)“Immigration and improvements in American life expectancy” by Arun S. Hendi and Jessica Y. Ho (Science Direct; Sep 2021)Hosts:Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias), Slowboring.comDara Lind (@DLind), Immigration Reporter, ProPublicaJerusalem Demsas (@JerusalemDemsas), Policy Reporter, VoxGerman Lopez (@germanrlopez), Senior Correspondent, VoxCredits:Ness Smith-Savedoff, Producer & EngineerErikk Geannikis, Producer, Talk PodcastsSofi LaLonde, ProducerAs the Biden administration gears up, we'll help you understand this unprecedented burst of policymaking. Sign up for The Weeds newsletter each Friday: vox.com/weeds-newsletter.The Weeds is a Vox Media Podcast Network production.Want to support The Weeds? Please consider making a contribution to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcastsAbout VoxVox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines.Follow Us: Vox.comFacebook group: The Weeds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

​​Matt is joined by Mike Konczal, Director of Macroeconomic Analysis and Progressive Thought at the Roosevelt Institute and author of Freedom From the Market. They explore Jerome Powell’s tenure as Fed Chair, the relationship between interest rates and unemployment numbers, and ways to use monetary policy to create an equitable society.Resources:“Fed Up” by Matthew Yglesias (Democracy Journal; Spring 2011)“Disparities in Wealth by Race and Ethnicity in the 2019 Survey of Consumer Finances” by Neil Bhutta et al. (The Federal Reserve; Sep 28, 2020Guest:Mike Konczal (@rortybomb), Director, Roosevelt Institute Macroeconomic Analysis and Progressive Thought, Author, Freedom From the MarketHost:Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias), Slowboring.comCredits:Ness Smith-Savedoff, Producer & EngineerErikk Geannikis, Producer, Talk PodcastsAs the Biden administration gears up, we'll help you understand this unprecedented burst of policymaking. Sign up for The Weeds newsletter each Friday: vox.com/weeds-newsletter.The Weeds is a Vox Media Podcast Network production.Want to support The Weeds? Please consider making a contribution to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcastsAbout VoxVox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines.Follow Us: Vox.comFacebook group: The Weeds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vox's Dylan Matthews joins Matt and Jerusalem to talk about whether the Federal Reserve can use monetary policy to fight climate change and how the ideal Fed Chair may not exist. Plus, a new study about the effectiveness of masking against Covid-19 reignites the debate on public health messaging around the pandemic. Also, Matt wants experts to stay in their lanes. Resources:“Will Biden Make a Historic Mistake at the Fed?” by J. Bradford Delong (Project Syndicate; Sep 1, 2021)“Strengthening the Financial System to Meet the Challenge of Climate Change” by Lael Brainard (Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System; Dec 18, 2020)“The Planet Depends on the Next Federal Reserve Chair” by David Dayen (The American Prospect; Aug 27, 2021)“The Planet Needs Jerome Powell” by Robinson Meyer (The Atlantic; Sep 1, 2021)“On Maximizing Employment, a Case for Caution” by Raphael Bostic (Policy Hub: Macroblog; Oct 26, 2018)White paper: “The Impact of Community Masking on COVID-19: A Cluster-Randomized Trial in Bangladesh” by Mushfiq Mobarak et al. (Innovations for Poverty Action; Sep 1, 2021)Hosts:Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias), Slowboring.comJerusalem Demsas (@JerusalemDemsas), Policy Reporter, VoxDylan Matthews (@dylanmatt), Senior CorrespondentCredits:Ness Smith-Savedoff, Producer & EngineerErikk Geannikis, Producer, Talk PodcastsAs the Biden administration gears up, we'll help you understand this unprecedented burst of policymaking. Sign up for The Weeds newsletter each Friday: vox.com/weeds-newsletter.The Weeds is a Vox Media Podcast Network production.Want to support The Weeds? Please consider making a contribution to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcastsAbout VoxVox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines.Follow Us: Vox.comFacebook group: The Weeds Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices