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Explain It to Me
Author: Vox
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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.
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Listener Siobhan is very much in love. So in love that she and her boyfriend will probably walk down the aisle soon. But she’s also seen the marriages of older people in her life fall apart. As she considers embarking on this next step in life, she wants to know: Are younger generations less likely to get divorced than their parents? And what’s behind the shifting trends in matrimony? Host Jonquilyn Hill gets answers from author and historian Stephanie Coontz.
Read More:
Welcome to the Divorce Issue of The Highlight!
Marriage, A History
Submit your questions here, or give us a call. Our number is 1-800-618-8545.
Credits:
Jonquilyn Hill, host
Sofi LaLonde, producer
Cristian Ayala, engineer
Caitlin PenzeyMoog, fact-checker
Carla Javier, supervising producer
Jorge Just, editor
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Listener David runs 5K fundraisers for his local zoo. And he wants to know: Is he doing the right thing? Are zoos a bastion for conservation, educating the public about endangered species? Or are they nothing more than a prison for pandas, creating a troubling power dynamic between humans and other living creatures? Host Jonquilyn Hill gets into the ethics of zoos with Vox senior reporter Kenny Torrella.
Read More:
Zoos aren’t for animals. They’re for us.
Vox.com’s new newsletter, Processing Meat
Submit your questions here, or give us a call. Our number is 1-800-618-8545.
Credits:
Jonquilyn Hill, host
Sofi LaLonde, producer
Cristian Ayala, engineer
Caitlin PenzeyMoog, fact-checker
Carla Javier, supervising producer
Katherine Wells and Jorge Just, editors
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Much to the chagrin of English teachers everywhere, people use the word “like”…a lot. Listener Allison calls the hotline to ask why we talk the way that we do and if she can change her own speech. Host Jonquilyn Hill gets answers from sociolinguist Valerie Fridland and speech coach Rhonda Khan.
Send us your questions! You can call us at 1-800-618-8545, email us at askvox@vox.com, or fill out this form.
Credits:
Jonquilyn Hill, host
Sofi LaLonde, producer
Cristian Ayala, engineer
Carla Javier, supervising producer
Katherine Wells, editor
Caitlin PenzeyMoog, fact-checker
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Matt wants to know how to tell if he’s being scammed by his dentist. To find the answer, we open up the surprising history of dentistry, ask why it seems so different from internal medicine, and drill down on why dental insurance doesn’t really feel like insurance. Host Jonquilyn Hill talks with journalist Mary Otto and Dr. Lisa Simon, DMD, MD, to find the answers.
We want to hear your questions. Call us at 1-800-618-8545, or email us at askvox@vox.com
Extra reading:
Teeth: The Story of Beauty, Inequality, and the Struggle for Oral Health in America
Dental Use and Spending in Medicare Advantage and Traditional Medicare, 2010-2021 | Health Policy
Credits:
Jonquilyn Hill, host
Sofi LaLonde, producer
Andrea Kristinsdottir and Cristian Ayala, engineers
Carla Javier, supervising producer
Katherine Wells, editor
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Life is complicated, and here at Vox, we love to explain it. Enter Explain It to Me: your go-to hotline for all the questions you can’t quite answer on your own. Give us a call, and we’ll do all the heavy lifting to get you the answers you need. Call 1-800-618-8545, send an email to askvox@vox.com, or submit a question here. New episodes drop every Wednesday.
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We have some exciting news to share: There are some big changes coming to this feed, and we need your help with them!
The Weeds as you know it is ending, but we’ll be back this fall with the same crew, some new artwork, and a new sound. We’ll be answering your burning questions — about politics, policy, and everything in between. So send us an email with your questions to askvox@vox.com or call us at 1-800-618-8545. Have a great summer!
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If you went to public school in America, you most likely got a serving of milk with your lunch. The National School Lunch Program has been in operation for decades, serving tens of millions of school-aged kids cow’s milk with their lunches. But it turns out, there’s more supply than demand: According to USDA findings in 2019, students threw away about 41 percent of the milk served in schools. So why do schools keep serving it? Today on The Weeds: Why the US government loves milk.
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We want to know what you’re curious about.
Credits:
Jonquilyn Hill, host
Sofi LaLonde, producer
Cristian Ayala, engineer
A.M. Hall, editorial director of talk podcasts
Support The Weeds by becoming a Vox Member today: http://www.vox.com/members
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Pretty much everyone is unhappy with food delivery these days. Prices are rising for customers; workers are barely making minimum wage; and restaurants feel gauged by delivery apps. Today on The Weeds: how the gig economy turned sour, and how you can still order your favorite food without feeling guilty. Vox senior reporter Whizy Kim explains.
Read More:
Food delivery fees have soared. How much of it goes to workers?
Submit your policy questions!
We want to know what you’re curious about.
Credits:
Jonquilyn Hill, host
Sofi LaLonde, producer
Cristian Ayala, engineer
A.M. Hall, editorial director of talk podcasts
Support The Weeds by becoming a Vox Member today: http://www.vox.com/members
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Do you think crime is on the rise? You aren’t the only one. According to Gallup, over 75 percent of Americans think crime is up from last year. The crime rate, though, has actually been falling. So why do so many Americans think crime is getting worse? Vox policy correspondent Abdallah Fayyad joins Weeds host Jonquilyn Hill to discuss the disconnect and what the numbers tell us.
Read More:
Lawmakers are overreacting to crime
The shoplifting scare might not have been real — but its effects are
The cruel consequences of America’s aging prison population - Vox
Submit your policy questions!
We want to know what you’re curious about.
Credits:
Jonquilyn Hill, host
Sofi LaLonde, producer
Cristian Ayala, engineer
A.M. Hall, editorial director of talk podcasts
Want to support The Weeds? Please consider making a donation to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts
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Last week, the US Drug Enforcement Administration announced a move to reclassify marijuana as a Schedule III drug, after the Biden administration requested a review in late 2022. For decades, cannabis has been classified as Schedule I alongside drugs like heroin and LSD—and research on its effects and medical use has been limited. While rescheduling could lead to more clinical research on marijuana, the future is currently hazy. Today on The Weeds: what rescheduling cannabis means for medical research, and why it still might not be enough to push past the barriers that still exist.
Read More:
Marijuana could be classified as a lower-risk drug. Here’s what that means. - Vox
What marijuana reclassification means for the United States
Submit your policy questions!
We want to know what you’re curious about.
Credits:
Jonquilyn Hill, host
Sofi LaLonde, producer
Cristian Ayala, engineer
A.M. Hall, editorial director of talk podcasts
Want to support The Weeds? Please consider making a donation to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts
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Something is happening in Connecticut. Back in 2021, the state legislature passed a measure that would create something called baby bonds: trust accounts for children receiving government assistance. It’s an idea that started decades ago and was championed by Darrick Hamilton, the founding director of the Institute on Race, Power and Political Economy at the New School. On this week's episode of The Weeds, host Jonquilyn Hill sits down with Hamilton to discuss how the idea came to fruition, how a race-neutral policy can close the racial wealth gap, and the way we define economic value.
Submit your policy questions!
We want to know what you’re curious about.
Credits:
Jonquilyn Hill, host
Sofi LaLonde, producer
Cristian Ayala, engineer
A.M. Hall, editorial director of talk podcasts
Want to support The Weeds? Please consider making a donation to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts
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If you’ve never used Amazon, you almost definitely know someone who has. Amazon is pretty much everywhere. In the three decades since its founding, Amazon has grown from a small startup to a trillion-dollar company, skirting rules, taxes, and accountability along the way. Then, in 2023, the Federal Trade Commission filed a lawsuit against the company for monopolistic business practices. Reporter Dana Mattioli has covered Amazon for years, and chronicled their rise to power in her new book, The Everything War: Amazon’s Ruthless Quest to Own the World and Remake Corporate Power.
Read More:
The Everything War: Amazon's Ruthless Quest to Own the World and Remake Corporate Power
Submit your policy questions!
We want to know what you’re curious about.
Credits:
Jonquilyn Hill, host
Sofi LaLonde, producer
Cristian Ayala, engineer
A.M. Hall, editorial director of talk podcasts
Want to support The Weeds? Please consider making a donation to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts
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America is in the midst of a homelessness crisis. With little affordable housing and limited space at shelters, many people are instead sleeping outside. But as tent encampments become more common, particularly on the West Coast where the housing crisis is most acute, the pressure on local governments to address the problem has skyrocketed. Now, the Supreme Court has decided to weigh in. The issue at the center of it is whether cities can fine or jail unhoused people for sleeping outside. Vox senior policy reporter Rachel Cohen (X, Instagram) explains the case and the stakes.
Read More:
Cities are asking the Supreme Court for more power to clear homeless encampments
The Supreme Court will decide what cities can do about tent encampments
Supreme Court Amicus Brief No. 23-175
Submit your policy questions!
We want to know what you’re curious about.
Credits:
Jonquilyn Hill, host
Sofi LaLonde, producer
Cristian Ayala, engineer
A.M. Hall, editorial director of talk podcasts
Want to support The Weeds? Please consider making a donation to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts
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Since the Dobbs decision almost two years ago, reproductive rights have been at the center of our national consciousness. Two of the latest headlines come from Florida and Arizona: a six-week abortion ban, and a total abortion ban unless the life of the pregnant person is threatened, respectively. Both states have constitutions that name-check privacy rights, but both courts found that those rights don’t extend to abortion. What does privacy look like in the United States, and do we still have it in a post-Dobbs world?
Read more:
Do Americans still have a right to privacy?
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We want to know what you’re curious about.
Credits:
Jonquilyn Hill, host
Sofi LaLonde, producer
Patrick Boyd, engineer
A.M. Hall, editorial director of talk podcasts
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Earlier this year, the Alabama Supreme Court ruled frozen embryos have the same rights as children. The decision sent shockwaves throughout Alabama and raised serious questions about the future of IVF in the United States. While the Alabama legislature has since passed legislation protecting IVF in the state, that doesn’t address the big question behind the court’s decision: What does personhood mean, and what does it mean for the anti-abortion movement?
Read More:
Fetal personhood laws, explained - Vox
Alabama’s Supreme Court IVF ruling is a warning to the country - Vox
Opinion | The Anti-Abortion Movement Is Gunning for Fetal Personhood - The New York Times
How America’s Two Abortion Realities Are Clashing - The New York Times
Submit your policy questions!
We want to know what you’re curious about.
Credits:
Jonquilyn Hill, host
Sofi LaLonde, producer
Cristian Ayala, engineer
A.M. Hall, editorial director of talk podcasts
Want to support The Weeds? Please consider making a donation to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts
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What if you weren’t allowed to have more than $2,000 at any given time? Could you make it work? For people who receive Supplemental Security Income, this isn’t a what-if — it’s reality. SSI beneficiaries are subject to strict requirements and risk losing their benefits if they have more than $2,000 in financial assets, even if they exceed that by just a dollar. Why is the limit so low, and is anything being done to fix it? That’s today on The Weeds.
Read More:
Tyler (@tylerlimaroope) | TikTok
The Case for Updating SSI Asset Limits | Center on Budget and Policy Priorities
Submit your policy questions!
We want to know what you’re curious about.
Credits:
Jonquilyn Hill, host
Sofi LaLonde, producer
Cristian Ayala, engineer
A.M. Hall, editorial director of talk podcasts
Want to support The Weeds? Please consider making a donation to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts
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America is in the midst of a child care crisis. The cost of child care has skyrocketed to the point where, in some states, caring for kids in pre-k is more expensive than college tuition or a home mortgage. According to economist Kathryn Anne Edwards, it’s a market failure. So how do we fix it? That’s in today’s installment of our series exploring economic fanfiction and the stories we should be covering this election year.
Read More:
Kathryn's plan to fix child care
Submit your policy questions!
We want to know what you’re curious about.
Credits:
Jonquilyn Hill, host
Sofi LaLonde, producer
Rob Byers, engineer
A.M. Hall, editorial director of talk podcasts
Want to support The Weeds? Please consider making a donation to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts
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Four years after a pandemic pause, some colleges and universities are again requiring applicants to submit standardized test scores. Inside Higher Ed’s Liam Knox and the University of Delaware’s Dominique Baker explain.
This episode of Today, Explained was produced by Avishay Artsy, edited by Matt Collette, fact-checked by Laura Bullard, engineered by Rob Byers, and guest-hosted by Jonquilyn Hill. It originally ran on March 8th, 2024.
Transcript at vox.com/todayexplained
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2024 is a big year for elections, not just in the US but globally: More than 50 countries will be holding elections this year. With rampant disinformation and polarization in politics, fast-moving technologies like AI pose a unique threat to democracy. On a scale from 1–10, how worried should we be about AI and the election? Host Jonquilyn Hill talks to New York Times reporter Tiffany Hsu to find out.
Learn More:
The Black Box: Even AI's creators don't understand it - Unexplainable
Test Yourself: Which Faces Were Made by A.I.? - New York Times
In Big Election Year, A.I.’s Architects Move Against Its Misuse - New York Times
Submit your policy questions!
We want to know what you’re curious about.
Credits:
Jonquilyn Hill, host
Sofi LaLonde, producer
Cristian Ayala, engineer
A.M. Hall, editorial director of talk podcasts
Want to support The Weeds? Please consider making a donation to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts
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Political philosopher Ingrid Robeyns believes that there should be a maximum amount of money and resources that one person can have. She tells Sean how much is too much and why limiting personal wealth benefits everyone, including the super rich. This episode of The Grey Area originally aired in January 2024.
Host: Sean Illing (@seanilling), host, The Gray Area
Guest: Ingrid Robeyns. Her book is Limitarianism: The Case Against Extreme Wealth.
Enjoyed this episode? Rate The Gray Area ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.
Be the first to hear new episodes of The Gray Area by following us in your favorite podcast app. Links here: https://www.vox.com/the-gray-area
Support The Gray Area by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts
This episode was made by:
Producer: Jon Ehrens
Engineer: Cristian Ayala
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United States
I'm truly not one of those nitpicky people who has the propensity to complain about everything, but the vocal fry of the guest made this conversation absolutely unbearable to listen to. I couldn't make it more than ten minutes before I gave up.
Please stop using the term "birthing person" until you cite me a case where a man gave birth.
One of the most disingenuous political podcasts out in leftist media
fuck the new York times
"I would never think of enlisting in the Army. I would rather live, not die." what an arrogant, ignorant, and snobbish think to say. I have served in the Army for almost 20 years and I too would rather live than die. That is not what differentiates those who choose to serve from those that do not. I listen to The Weeds podcasts to hear intelligent conversations about major issues but that was some sophomoric bullshit.
One of my favorite episodes so far
if black kids are not taking advance courses who's fault is that? not all kids black & white can take advance courses that being said education starts day one. if a kid is failing in school who needs to take charge? the parents.
I don't know any school.that doesn't teach slavery. or teaches whites are better than black people. disagree? show me. we have class privilege over white privilage. why doesn't one black leader come out, write exactly what CRT is, put it on paper & send out press releases? take questions & be open when people disagree with you? people fear change. people do not want to be blamed for someone else failures when they 1. they are having a hard time themselves 2. none of their relatives owned slaves or were slaves. 3. black people want us to listen to them but they refuse to listen to whites, it's ok to call whites names & reduce them to a label you. not vise versa
The most racist people I know voted for Obama. They had hope for change & didn't see a black man. They saw that guy they worked with who was a work friend. Then Fox news went into overdrive.
Fascinating conversation
read this title having not checked the news in two hours and it nearly gave me a heart attack. jeeze.
I'm really confused. how is the argument that we should put aside or differences to take down the powerful, wealthy elites not a class argument?
This podcast contained the best argument I've actually heard thus far to actually vote for Biden, rather than simply against Trump, as a leftist. If Biden is actually non-ideological (rather than ideologically neoliberal which idk), and is forced (and also able) to remove the filibuster, the left wing of the party will be in a position to bargain in congress with the dems for real change. there's a number of assumptions there, but none are too, too crazy. it's at least worth thinking about. certainly more than "we can push him left after he gets into office". the outcome looks the same, but this has an actual mechanism by which it could work. so thank you and good job. you've given me more to think about.
it would be great to get reference to some of the statics and Data discussed
it is broken
man I'm so glad they did this pod. just had this conversation with someone yesterday about the supposed epidemic of child sex trafficking. crazy how people believe this stuff
I like this guy
If Biden picked Warren it would mean a republican governor in Charlie Baker would appoint her successor though right?
FANTASTIC interview and guest. A very illuminating and explanatory discussion about qualified immunity.
Damn, the Biden advertisements at the end were boring AF.