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Is my dentist scamming me? Why do political campaigns cost so much? Should Gen Z bother to save for retirement?
Explain It To Me is the hotline for all your unanswered questions. Sometimes explanations are hard to find, misinformation is rampant, and those internet searches and AI asks can come up empty. Call 1-800-618-8545 with what’s on your mind, and host Jonquilyn Hill will be your friendly guide to the answers you're looking for — and maybe even the ones you don’t expect. New episodes every Wednesday starting September 18.
Part of Vox and the Vox Media Podcast Network.
SCOTUS, DBCFT, and Hitler's Highways
Sarah, Ezra, and Matt talk about Neil Gorsuch, a controversial tax reform idea, and Nazi infrastructure building.
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01:12:3801/02/2017
The Don't-Call-It-A-Muslim-Ban
Dara Lind joins Ezra and Matt to discuss Donald Trump's latest crackdown on immigrants and refugees.
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41:5030/01/2017
Gag Order and Infrastructure
Sarah, Ezra, and Matt talk about widely-misunderstood Trump administration efforts to shut up career civil servants, talk about infrastructure, and ask journalism's most pressing question: What's up with eggs?
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01:00:2326/01/2017
Inauguration Special
Shortly after the inauguration ceremonies ended, Ezra, Matt, and Sarah gathered to analyze what it all means in the first Trump-era Weeds episode.
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43:1721/01/2017
DeVos, Rigged Polls, and Quitting Bureaucrats
Sarah, Ezra, and Matt are joined by Libby Nelson to discuss Trump's not-so-great hires, not-so-great polls, and new research into how career staff act during presidential transitions.
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01:03:5018/01/2017
Trump Cabinet, Obamacare Update, and Heroin
Sarah, Ezra, and Matt talk about the rush to hold hearings on Trump's cabinet appointees, the sudden emergence of trouble in repeal paradise, and an effort to cut down on pill abuse that backfired massively.
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59:4810/01/2017
Sarah and Ezra Interview Obama About Obamacare
Two weeks before he leaves office, President Obama sits down for a lengthy conversation about the lessons of the Affordable Care Act and the law's uncertain future.
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01:13:0306/01/2017
Happy New Year
Sarah and Matt offer predictions for 2017, and offer tax wonk tips about when to time your child's birth.
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50:4904/01/2017
Year-End Spectacular
Sarah, Ezra, and Matt each review one big thing they learned in a tumultuous year for policy and politics.
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01:02:4628/12/2016
Kentucky, the Rust Belt, and the Big Picture on Trade
Sarah, Ezra, and Matt talk about what Obamacare-using Trump voters are hoping for, which regions really need help, and a massive overview of the evidence on globalization and inequality.
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52:5621/12/2016
Russia and the American Dream
Ezra and Matt discuss Russian hacking, Rex Tillerson, and inequality's role in reducing social mobility.
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57:4714/12/2016
Trump's Surprisingly Ambitious Education Agenda
Matt is joined by Libby Nelson to discuss Donald Trump's big plans for K-12 education and his massive financial conflicts of interest.
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01:16:0807/12/2016
Assessing the Trump Cabinet — and Exploring How Recessions Affect Health
Sarah and Matt take a deep dive into what Trump's cabinet picks say about how he will govern, with a particular focus on HHS Secretary-designate Tom Price. Also: an exciting white paper on recessions and health outcomes!
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54:5930/11/2016
Conflicts of Interest, Trump and the Media, and Rethinking Teen Pregnancy
Sarah, Ezra, and Matt consider the extraordinary possibility of corruption during the Trump administration, the president-elect's unusual relationship with the media, and a new study debunking the old study about 16 and Pregnant.
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01:10:2623/11/2016
Sneak peak: a new Vox podcast, about how policy effects real people
This is a pilot episode of a new show Sarah has been working on, looking at the real-life stakes of policymaking. The show's name? That's for you to help us decide.
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22:3221/11/2016
The Trump Agenda
Sarah, Ezra, and Matt talk about Obamacare repeal, deportations, and the House Democrats leadership fight.
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55:4116/11/2016
Trumpocalypse Now
Sarah, Ezra, and Matt look at the causes and consequences of Donald Trump's shocking win.
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53:0809/11/2016
The Massive Policy Stakes of 2016
You may not know it from watching cable news — but both Trump and Clinton have very clear and very different policy visions for America. Ezra, Matt, and Sarah dive into their plans to change the country in the last pre-election episode.
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50:5404/11/2016
Is Obamacare Failing?
Ezra, Matt and Sarah go deep into what's going wrong with Obamacare's rising premiums — and take on a research paper that helps explain a lot about Gilmore Girls (really!)
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01:04:5126/10/2016
Final Debate Special
Ezra, Sarah, and Matt rally after a late night to talk about the third and mercifully last presidential debate.
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55:1720/10/2016
Second Presidential Debate Special
The morning after Clinton and Trump's debate in St. Louis, Ezra, Sarah, and Matt head to the studio to talk about internal Republican divisions, Trump's threat to throw Clinton in jail, and the surprising amount of policy the two candidates covered.
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01:01:5210/10/2016
Veep Debate and Cranky Judges
Sarah, Ezra, and Matt debate Mike Pence's puzzling performance at the vice presidential debate and highlight new research on the surprising link between college football and prison sentences.
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52:3405/10/2016
The First Debate and Pet Health Care
Sarah, Ezra, and Matt try to take the policy content of the Trump-Clinton debate seriously and discuss important new research into out of control health care spending -- on pets.
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01:06:3729/09/2016
An Interview with Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell
The Weeds' Sarah Kliff heads to Capitol Hill to interview Secretary Burwell on all things health care. They talked about how to pay doctors to provide better care, the current state of the Obamacare marketplaces, and what she's learned about management running the federal government's largest agency.
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45:2721/09/2016
Best Census Ever, the Trump Foundation, and Class Discrimination
Sarah, Ezra, and Matt get deep into the weeds of the latest Census report on income and poverty, briefly consider Donald Trump's ridiculous charity, and discuss new research into class-based employment discrimination.
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01:09:1314/09/2016
Gender Wage Gap and the Mystery of State Legislatures
Reunited after many summer vacations, Sarah, Ezra, and Matt take a deep dive into Claudia Goldin's theory of the gender pay gap and possible remedies. Plus hot new research that proves nobody cares about state government.
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54:3708/09/2016
EpiPen Prices, the Clinton Foundation, and Lead Exposure
Why did EpiPen's price skyrocket 400 percent over the past decade? Sarah and Matt dive into the complex world of American drug pricing to find out. Also on this episode: understanding why the Clinton Foundation gets so much scrutiny, and a white paper of the week that shows how problematic a small level of lead exposure can be.
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55:3131/08/2016
Obamacare Update and Aging America
Sarah, Ezra, and Matt are all together for a gloriously in-the-weeds discussion of the success and failure of the Affordable Care Act plus some hot new research with bad news for the future of economic growth.
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56:3824/08/2016
Think Tanks, Transition, and What Drives Trumpkins
Ezra and Matt talk about conflicts of interest in think tank funding, Hillary Clinton's transition team, and the biggest study yet of who supports Donald Trump and why.
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01:06:3318/08/2016
Trump's tax plan, democratic legitimacy, and the Freakonomics of decisionmaking
Ezra is joined by Dara Lind and Libby Nelson to talk about Donald Trump's new tax plan — how it shows the difference between Trump and reform conservatives, between the Donald and Ivanka, between Democrats and Republicans, and the similarities between Trump and Paul Ryan. The trio also talks about what happens when elections lose legitimacy, and mull over a fascinating new paper by Steven Levitt — yes, the Freakonomics economist — that could change how you make decisions.
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01:01:3712/08/2016
Interview with Atul Gawande
With Ezra and Matt on summer vacation, Sarah is left to her own devices — and decides to share a fantastic interview from the Ezra Klein Show with surgeon and writer Atul Gawande. Atul talks about the fascinating academic work he has in progress, attempting to improve end-of-life care and make hospitals safer, and how he became a writer in the first place.
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01:35:2103/08/2016
DNC-Palooza
With Matt dispatched to Philadelphia, Sarah and Ezra are left to make sense of the Democratic National Convention. They discuss why it feels so different from the Republican National Convention last week, why it matters that a woman was just nominated for president, and whether Sanders could inspire a Tea Party of the left.
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58:1028/07/2016
Republican Convention Special
Matt, Sarah, and Ezra take a deep dive into the many detailed policies proposals discussed at the RNC in Cleveland.
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54:0322/07/2016
Basic Income and Police Shootings
Andy Stern joins Ezra, Sarah, and Matt to talk about his new book, Raising the Floor: How a Universal Basic Income Can Renew Our Economy and Rebuild the American Dream. Then, the regular cast considers new research on police use of force.
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58:0415/07/2016
Hillary Clinton. Yes, that Hillary Clinton.
A special presentation from the Ezra Klein Show: My interview this week is with Hillary Clinton. You may have heard of her.I won't bore you with Clinton's bio. Instead, I want to say a few words about what this interview is, as it's a bit different than the EK Show's normal fare (though I do ask her for book recommendations!).I got about 40 minutes with Hillary Clinton. I wanted to use that time to try to answer a question I've had about Clinton for years: why is the candidate I see on the campaign trail so different from the person described to me by her staff, colleagues, friends, and even foes? I wanted, in other words, to try to see what Clinton is like when she's working her way through policy and governance issues. And so that's what we talk about. Among the topics we covered are:- Extreme poverty, welfare reform, and the working poor- Is it time for more deficit spending?- Would more immigration be good for the economy?- The difficulties of free college and universal health care- What skills does a president need that campaigns don't test?- What's on her bookshelf?- Why America stopped trusting elites — and what elites should do about itIf you want more on this discussion, I also reported out a long piece on how Clinton governs — you can find it on Vox.com.
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43:0314/07/2016
Free College, Email Extravaganza, and the China Shock
Matt, Ezra, and Sarah talk about proposals to eliminate college tuition, the real issues behind Hillary's email server, and a new paper on a small policy change with huge consequences.
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01:00:3808/07/2016
Brexit 2, SCOTUS on abortion, and the missing male workers
Sarah, Ezra, and Matt discuss the United Kingdom's descent into political chaos, a big win for abortion rights at the high court, and a big labor market mystery.
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01:03:3701/07/2016
Welfare reform, SCOTUS deadlock, and health care jerk
Sarah, Ezra, and Matt consider the alarming rise in deep poverty over the past 15 years, a fresh Supreme Court non-decision that imperils Obama's immigration policy, and what to make of the slowing rate of growth of health care spending.
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01:05:1725/06/2016
Guns, Brexit, and Free Condoms
Sarah and Matt discuss the nexus of terrorism and gun control, Britain's upcoming referendum, and an unintended consequence of school condom giveaways.
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57:4417/06/2016
5uper Tue5day
Hillary Clinton's clinch of the Democratic nomination gives Sarah, Ezra, and Matt a chance to go deep on what we know about women in electoral politics.
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55:5910/06/2016
Accountable Care Organizations, more Swedish administrative data, and the big city recovery
With Ezra in sunny California, Matt and Sarah gets weedsier than ever as she attempts to explain to Matt the mysteries of ACOs before they discuss a brewing controversy over economic journal citations.
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57:3003/06/2016
Health care innovation, did Dems rig the primary, and fetal stress
Health care innovation, did Dems rig the primary, and fetal stress: Sarah, Ezra, and Matt look at a specific case in America's great productivity slowdown, assess Bernie Sanders' complaints, and examine some exciting Swedish administrative data.
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01:08:3027/05/2016
90s nostalgia, Obamacare lawsuits, and the truth about abortion
Ezra, Sarah, and Matt look back at whether Bill Clinton deserves credit for the booming economy of the 1990s, survey the ongoing legal challenges to Obamacare, and dissect new research revealing some surprising facts about abortion rates around the world.
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55:3120/05/2016
Competition in Obamacare marketplaces and how low-income housing can boost poor neighborhoods
Sarah, Ezra, and Matt talk about which companies are succeeding and failure in the Affordable Care Act's new individual market and why, and delve deep into the weeds of some new research on the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit.
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49:5213/05/2016
Trump is the Republican nominee. What happens next?
Trump is the last man standing in the Republican nominating contest — so Ezra, Matt, and Sarah spend this week's entire episode taking stock of what that means. How did the rise of Trump happen? What does it mean for the Republican party? And how much potential does this have to reshape America's political parties?This episode is brought to you by Texture, an app to help you binge-read your favorite magazines. get a free trial right now when you visit Texture.com/Weeds.This episode is also brought to you by Club W, which will give you $20 off your first order when you go to ClubW.com/Weeds, and will pay your shipping on orders of four bottles or more.And by Goldman Sachs. To learn about developments currently shaping markets, industries, and the global economy, subscribe to the firm’s podcast, ‘Exchanges at Goldman Sachs,’ available on iTunes.
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01:00:4306/05/2016
Interview with Secretary of Defense Ash Carter
Max Fisher sits down with Defense Secretary Ash Carter to talk about the modern international environment, why Carter thinks great power rivalry is making a comeback, and for some deep weedsy talk about nuclear weapons.
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47:3502/05/2016
Land value taxes, soda taxes, and carbon taxes — oh my!
Every policy nerd has their favorite tax proposal — and today on the Weeds, Sarah, Matt, and Ezra talk about a few of theirs. What would happen if we abolished all taxes and replaced them with a land tax? Is it a good idea to tax sugary sodas? And how did the carbon tax become the default option in the environmental debate?This episode is brought to you by Texture, an app to help you binge-read your favorite magazines. get a free trial right now when you visit Texture.com/Weeds.This episode is also brought to you by Club W, which will give you $20 off your first order when you go to ClubW.com/Weeds, and will pay your shipping on orders of four bottles or more.And by Goldman Sachs. To learn about developments currently shaping markets, industries, and the global economy, subscribe to the firm’s podcast, ‘Exchanges at Goldman Sachs,’ available on iTunes.
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01:09:0029/04/2016
Our undemocratic primaries, Obama's new fiduciary rule, and the challenge of information polarization
With Sarah still on vacation Ezra and Matt ask what we want out of our presidential nominating system, explain a new regulatory initiative that could save the middle class billions, and look at some new research on media consumption and polarization.The Weeds is supported by Goldman Sachs. To learn about developments currently shaping markets, industries, and the global economy, subscribe to the firm’s podcast, ‘Exchanges at Goldman Sachs,’ available on iTunes.The Weeds is also brought to you by The Great Courses Plus. Visit TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/Weeds to stream Understanding Investments and hundreds of other courses for free!And by Harry’s Razors. Visit Harrys.com right now and get $5 off your first purchase with promo code WEEDS.
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01:04:2422/04/2016
Interview with Jason Furman
The Obama administration's top economist talks to Vox's Dylan Matthews about the challenges facing the American economy.
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30:4918/04/2016
Why inequality matters, Trump's delegate problem, and the geography of life expectancy
With Sarah on vacation, Matt and Ezra talk about the philosophical underpinnings of worries about inequality, take a look at Donald Trump's difficulty grappling with the delegate selection process, and discuss a blockbuster new paper that reveals huge city-to-city variation in how long poor people live. The Weeds is supported by Goldman Sachs. To learn about developments currently shaping markets, industries, and the global economy, subscribe to the firm’s podcast, ‘Exchanges at Goldman Sachs,’ available on iTunes.The Weeds is also brought to you by The Great Courses Plus. Visit TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/Weeds to stream Understanding Investments and hundreds of other courses for free!
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01:12:2915/04/2016