Explain It to Me

Matt is joined by New York Times education reporter Dana Goldstein to talk about what Biden's American Families Plan will do to bolster and expand public education access in this country. They talk about the plan for universal preschool, free community college, and also talk about how the administration has been involved in pandemic-related school reopening decisions behind the scenes.Resources:"Schools Are Open, but Many Families Remain Hesitant to Return" by Dana Goldstein (New York Times, May 9)The Teacher Wars: A History of America's Most Embattled Profession by Dana Goldstein (Anchor; 2015)"Biden Directs Education Funding to Community Colleges, a Key Lifeline" by Stephanie Saul and Dana Goldstein (New York Times, Apr. 28)Learning in Public: Lessons for a Racially Divided America from My Daughter's School by Courtney E. Martin (Little, Brown; August 2021)Guest:Dana Goldstein (@DanaGoldstein), national correspondent, New York TimesHost:Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias), Slowboring.comCredits:Erikk Geannikis, Editor and 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 and Dara are joined by Vox Politics and Policy Fellow Jerusalem Demsas to talk about homelessness, and the policies that have failed to even properly confront this problem. They talk about the decline of SRO housing, the progressives who seem to oppose any way to help out, and the 1951 sci-fi classic The Day the Earth Stood Still. Then, some research is discussed that takes a look at how Italian workers responded to a 2011 pension reform.Resources:"Iowa is making it harder to be a low-income renter" by Jerusalem Demsas (Vox, May 5)"Homeless Reflect on Life in a New York City Hotel Room, One Year Later" by Claudia Irizarry Aponte (The City, May 10)"The effort to recall California Gov. Gavin Newsom, explained" by Jerusalem Demsas (Vox, Apr. 26)White paperHosts:Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias), Slowboring.comDara Lind (@DLind), Immigration Reporter, ProPublicaJerusalem Demsas (@JerusalemDemsas), Politics and Policy Fellow, VoxCredits:Erikk Geannikis, Editor and 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 Makena Kelly of The Verge to talk about some recent stories at the intersection of policy and tech. She discusses the Facebook Oversight Board's ambivalent "ruling" on Trump's ban from the platform, Apple's ongoing antitrust court battles, and the prospect for a sweeping antitrust overhaul foreshadowed by Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI).Resources:"Facebook's Trump ban can stay in place, says Oversight Board" by Makena Kelly and Adi Robertson (The Verge, May 5)"As Epic v. Apple approaches the courtroom, Valve is getting sued over Steam too" by Sean Hollister (The Verge, May 1)"Amazon's Antitrust Paradox" by Lina M. Khan (Yale Law Journal, Jan. 2017)"Facebook's shadow court" (The Weeds, March 5)"Apple Accused of 'Power Grab' in Senate App Store Hearing" by David McLaughlin and Anna Edgerton (Bloomberg, Apr. 21)Guest:Makena Kelly (@kellymakena), policy reporter, The VergeHost:Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias), Slowboring.comCredits:Erikk Geannikis, Editor and 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 and Dara are joined by Vox's Andrew Prokop to talk about the very notion of a president's "first hundred days," whether or not it is a useful or important metric for their performance. Andrew talks about the history of the term, originating with F.D.R., and our hosts evaluate some of the recent lines of comparison between Biden and Roosevelt that have been floating around in the discourse lately. Plus, some research is analyzed that examines the effect of the channel placement of Fox News in certain areas, and Republican performance in federal elections.Resources:"The myth of a president's 'first 100 days'" by Andrew Prokop, Vox (Apr. 29, 2021)"Biden's first 100 days, explained in 600 words" by German Lopez, Vox (Apr. 30, 2021)White paperHosts:Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias), Slowboring.comDara Lind (@DLind), Immigration Reporter, ProPublicaAndrew Prokop (@awprokop), Senior Politics Correspondent, VoxCredits:Erikk Geannikis, Editor and 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 Rachel Silverman, a policy fellow at the Center for Global Development, who talks about the extreme dangers and high prevalence of lead contamination globally. Despite the manifest health benefits that would be served by Biden's plans to finally replace lead pipes in the U.S., this is marginal compared to the lead poisoning occurring due to unregulated electronics recycling, traditional ceramics glazing, and by bright, yellow turmeric.Resources:"Biden Wants to Eliminate Lead Poisoning in American Children. We Propose an Even More Ambitious Goal: Global Eradication" by Susannah Hares, Rachel Silverman, and Lee Crawfurd (Apr. 20, 2021)"Your old phone is full of untapped precious metals" by Bianca Nogrady, BBC (Oct. 18, 2016)"Ground Turmeric as a Source of Lead Exposure in the United States" by Whitney Cowell, Thomas Ireland, Donna Vorhees, and Wendy Heiger-Bernays, Public Health Reports (May-Jun 2017)Choked: Life and Breath in the Age of Air Pollution by Beth Gardiner (U. Chicago, 2019)"New evidence that lead exposure increases crime" by Jennifer L. Doleac, Brookings Institution (June 1, 2017)Guest:Rachel Silverman (@rsilv_dc), policy fellow, Center for Global DevelopmentHost:Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias), Slowboring.comCredits:Erikk Geannikis, Editor and 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 and Dara are joined by Vox's Andrew Prokop, author of an in-depth revelatory profile on America's swingiest Senator: Mr. Manchin in the Middle. Andrew brings Manchin's history as a legislator to bear in discussion, shedding light on what Manchin's policy goals as a legislator in this Congress might be (if he has any, that is), what his governing ideology might be beyond the mere politics of his re-election, and why, ultimately, he is being so weird about the filibuster right now. Joe, if you're out there: please get in touch. Also, some research is discussed that explores the connection between the partisan identity of members of the so-called "deep state" (non-political-appointee civil servants) and their performance at their jobs.Resources:"Joe Manchin wants to save Democrats from themselves" by Andrew Prokop, Vox (Apr. 27, 2021)White paperHosts:Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias), Slowboring.comDara Lind (@DLind), Immigration Reporter, ProPublicaAndrew Prokop (@awprokop), Senior Politics Correspondent, VoxCredits:Erikk Geannikis, Editor and 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 and Eric discuss the reasons behind the frequent failures of transit projects in the US. They examine high-profile cases and explore why American cities spend more on transit than cities in other countries. The podcast delves into issues like redundant transit lines, political opposition, and the need for more accessible and environmentally-conscious infrastructure. They also touch on the challenges faced in planning, construction, and approval processes for transit projects, and highlight the importance of utilizing existing rights of way and focusing on convenience and high ridership.

Matt and Dara are joined by Vox's Dylan Scott to talk about his new Pandemic Playbook project from Vox, exploring how six nations coped with the Covid-19 pandemic, and evaluating what we can all learn from their experiences to help us with the next pandemic. In this episode, Dylan talks with Matt and Dara about how South Korea's response to Covid-19 was shaped in many ways by the 2015 MERS outbreak, and about how the South Korean people's relationship to their government contrasts with the situation in the U.S. Then, some research is analyzed that aims to evaluate a correlation between female representation in the venture capital industry with news coverage of a high-profile trial.Resources:"The Pandemic Playbook: Vox explores the successes — and setbacks — in six nations as they fought Covid-19" by Dylan Scott, Vox (Apr. 19, 2021)"South Korea's Covid-19 success story started with failure" by Dylan Scott and Jun Michael Park, Vox (Apr. 19, 2021)White paperHosts:Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias), Slowboring.comDara Lind (@DLind), Immigration Reporter, ProPublicaDylan Scott (@dylanlscott), Policy Reporter, VoxCredits:Erikk Geannikis, Editor and 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 author and podcast host Julia Galef to talk about her new book The Scout Mindset. They talk about the difference between epistemic and social confidence, the role of uncertainty in thinking critically, and — most of all — about fighting with people on the internet.Resources:The Scout Mindset: Why Some People See Things Clearly and Others Don't by Julia Galef (Apr. 2021)Guest:Julia Galef (@juliagalef), Author, host of the Rationally Speaking podcastHost:Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias), Slowboring.comCredits:Erikk Geannikis, Editor and 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

It's an all white paper episode, folks. Vox climate reporter Umair Irfan joins Matt and Dara to take on three research papers all concerning climate change: first, on the social costs of carbon; then on the disparate effects of temperature rise on a diverse array of geographic regions; finally, on global migration due to climate change.Be sure to check out the bonus content on the short-form version of The Weeds that comes out Wednesday mornings as part of Vox Quick Hits. Subscribe to Vox Quick Hits wherever you get your podcasts.Resources:White Paper #1: "Revisiting the cost of social carbon" by William D. Nordhaus, PNAS 114 (7) 1518-1528; Feb. 2017. See also Umair's article on this paper: "Climate change is a global injustice. A new study shows why" by Umair Irfan, Vox (Sep. 26, 2018)White Paper #2: "The Economic Geography of Global Warming" by Jose Luis Cruz Alvarez & Esteban Rossi-Hansberg, NBER Working Paper 28466; Feb. 2021.White Paper #3: "Climate Vulnerability and Human Migration in Global Perspective" by Martina Grecequet, Jack DeWard, Jessica J. Hamilton, and Guy J. Abel, Sustainability 9 (5), Apr. 2017.Hosts:Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias), Slowboring.comDara Lind (@DLind), Immigration Reporter, ProPublicaUmair Irfan (@umairfan), Staff Writer, VoxCredits:Erikk Geannikis, Editor and 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