Explain It to Me

Dara, Sarah and Matt trace the Supreme Court Masterpiece Cakeshop ruling back to peyote and then discuss a Swedish study about lottery winners. References and further reading: Vox.com explainer on the Masterpiece Cakeshop ruling Vox.com piece about religious liberty in American history The Gallup poll on rates of support for gay marriage, mentioned by Sarah White paper on Swedish lottery winners Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sarah and Matt are joined by Vox.com Congress reporter Tara Golshan to talk about missing children, separated families, and the latest immigration action on the Hill. References and other reading: Sarah's piece with an immigration expert explaining the 1,500 "missing" migrant children Sarah explainer on family separations Tara's piece on Republican moderates and immigration Dara's explainer on the family separation policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Libby Nelson, Vox.com news editor and former education reporter, joins Matt and Sarah to talk about the discipline practices and educational outcomes at so-called "no excuses" charter schools. Then they turn to a white paper that looks at lead poisoning and fertility. References and further reading: Illinois Public Radio story on Noble Academy Video of teacher at Success Academy ripping up student's homework Research mentioned by Libby on outcomes at the Harlem Children's Zone Upper West Side parents mad about school integration plan White paper on lead poisoning and fertility Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sarah and Matt talk about America’s rapidly falling birthrate, and a study on the long-term benefit of the 1980s Medicaid expansion. References and further reading: National Center for Health Statistics report on declining birth rates Vox's Julia Belluz's piece on the low birthrate trend NPR piece on the CDC report on declining fertility rates in the U.S. Sarah's piece on why teen births are declining Lyman Stone paper Sarah mentioned arguing that government interventions don't boost fertility NY Times piece Matt referenced on American women having fewer children then they'd like Dylan Matthew's piece explaining the child allowance plan The white paper on Medicaid coverage and economic mobility Converge with Casey Newton is a new conversational game show from The Verge. Listen to the first episode today, and subscribe wherever you're enjoying this podcast. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Senior politics reporter Jane Coaston joins Dara and Matt to debate the “identity politics” backlash and the prospects for pluralism. References and further reading: Bari Weiss' piece on the 'intellectual dark web' Conor Friedersdorf's piece on how the left fuels the right's bigotry Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sarah, Dara and Matt discuss the the exorbitant cost of prescription drugs and a white paper that looks at the correlation between counties that vote Republican and the number of low and high-skilled immigrants living in those communities. References and further reading: Dylan Scott's piece on the price of prescription drugs mentioned by Sarah The white paper on 'The Political Impact of Immigration: Evidence from the United States' Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vox.com senior political reporter Andrew Prokop joins Dara and Matt to explain the strange tale of Donald Trump’s lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, who now seems to be in serious legal hot water. References and further reading: Andrew's piece on the corporations that hired Michael Cohen Andrew's piece on the Cohen's ties to Russia Andrew's Stormy Daniels explainer Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sarah, Dara, and Matt analyze Trump’s drastic rollback of Temporary Protected Status for immigrants from Honduras, El Salvador, and Haiti and discuss new research on the never-ending “economic anxiety” debate. References and further reading: Dara's TPS explainer White paper on attitudes toward social change Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vox's science reporter Brian Resnick joins Dara and Sarah to talk about psychiatry's Goldwater Rule, which has never met a test like Donald Trump. References and further reading: Brian's piece on why Trump's fitness for office is not a medical question Brian's explainer on the Goldwater Rule Sharon Begley's article Trump's mental health mentioned by Sarah Sarah's piece on fax machines Dara's piece on why the palace intrigue stuff matters to Trump Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vox's Dylan Matthews joins Sarah and Matt to break down the jobs guarantee debate and discuss research on a promising school desegregation initiative undermined by racist police practices. References and further reading Dylan's jobs guarantee explainer (with links to Stephanie Kelton's writing) Dylan's explainer of Sen. Cory Booker's jobs guarantee proposal (with links to Darrick Hamilton and Sandy Darity's writing) Bryce Covert's piece on the case for a jobs guarantee Gallup poll on workers getting a sense of identity from their jobs White paper on school integration "risks and benefits" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Congressional reporter Ella Nilsen makes her Weeds debut joining Sarah and Matt to break down the botched nomination at the Veterans’ Administration, they also address the questions around the troubled agency’s future. References and further reading: Sarah's piece on the Ronny Jackson scandal Ella's piece on the controversy surrounding Jackson's nomination CNN piece on Ronny Jackson's alleged 'grab-and-go' clinic NY Times piece on the concierge emergency room Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sarah, Dara and Matt discuss a Republican farm bill that would impose work requirements on SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) beneficiaries. Then they turn to a white paper on OxyContin and the heroin epidemic. References and further reading: Good Politico article summarizing the farm bill Marion Nestle's piece on the farm bill White paper on OxyContin's impact on the heroin epidemic German Lopez's piece on the OxyContin white paper Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Zack Beauchamp joins Dara and Matt to explain the ever-expanding 2001 Authorization for the Use of Military Force and Trump's even more expansive legal rationale for bombing Syria. References and further reading: Vox's history of the AUMF A primer on the legal dispute in Doe v. Mattis Chesney primer on the Corker-Kaine Draft AUMF Who is Italian philosopher Giorgio Agamben? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt, Sarah and Dara work backward from James Comey through FBI history and discover an 18th-century demon hidden in the Constitution. No, really. References and further reading: Dara's piece on the tension between the rule of law and political leadership Recent PBS poll on how Americans view the FBI Max Weber, explained White paper on gender integration in the Norwegian military Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dylan Scott joins Sarah and Matt to talk about Paul Ryan's retirement, his legacy, and the Weedsiest health reform of all. References: Sarah's all-payer rate setting explainer Dylan's piece on Paul Ryan's legacy Melanie Mason's piece on California's healthcare bill RTI evaluation of all-payer rate setting Health Affairs evaluation on changes in hospital use in Maryland Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sirens galore, as the team races through Environmental Protection Agency administrator Scott Pruitt's many, many scandals and a white paper about unnecessary ambulance use. References: Trump's defense of Scott Pruitt A good explainer on the Pruitt scandal How EPA deregulations impact toxic air pollution Michael Grunwald's piece on Pruitt's rollback of Obama era environmental regulations Elaina Plott's pieces on Scott Pruitt and more Working paper on ambulance usage in New York Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dylan Matthews joins Sarah and Matt to break down the history of Sinclair Broadcast Group, its politics, and the regulatory favors that fueled its growth. References: Dylan's piece on the Sinclair media takeover Timothy Burke's Sinclair anchor mashup Alving Chang's piece on Sinclair media, see if your local news station is owned by Sinclair Martin and McCrain's paper on local news and national politics Good Mother Jones piece on Sinclair's local news takeover Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sarah, Dara, and Matt talk about the citizenship question, funding, and the potential consequences of a botched enumeration. Plus a weedsy dive into potential redistricting mischief, and research on Jose Canseco's malign influence on Major League Baseball. References: Dara's piece on the 2020 census Carlos Waters' video on the 2020 census The baseball white paper Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Weeds/Worldly crossover event continues: Jennifer Williams tries to persuade Dara and Matt they're wrong about an Islamophobic shift in Trump's new cabinet, and the old-fashioned democracy-promoting hawkery of George W. Bush. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt, Sarah and Ezra on a new, blockbuster study on racial mobility — and whether Mark Zuckerberg should shut down Facebook. References: Race and Economic Opportunity in the United States Dylan Matthews' piece Income Mobility Charts for Girls, Asian-Americans and Other Groups. Or, Make Your Own Extensive Data Shows Punishing Reach of Racism for Black Boys Matt's case against Facebook Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Andrew Prokop, senior politics reporter for Vox.com, joins Dara and Matt to break down the scandal that’s rocking the worlds of technology and politics. References: The Jane Mayer piece on the Mercers Dara mentioned A study on Big Five personality attributes and voting behavior SCIENCE! on the Cambridge Analytica model A big five personality test you can do at home Andrew's Cambridge Analytica explainer Matt's good Facebook take Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

An economics working paper finds that access to Naloxone, a drug to reverse opioid overdoses, may increase opioid abuse. Sarah and Ezra explain the paper that started a social media firestorm — and what it means for combating the opioid epidemic. References: Doleac and Mukherjee working paper A good summary of the debate from The Atlantic Health Affairs blog post Working paper from Daniel Rees People are dying because we misunderstand how those with addiction think A lifesaving drug for overdoses doesn’t reduce opioid deaths? Be skeptical Trump’s opioid crisis plan: more death penalty, fewer prescriptions, more treatment Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dara and Matt break down the history of Immigration & Customs Enforcement: how it got this way, and why some on the left want it to go away. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vox senior politics reporter Jane Coaston joins Ezra and Matt to talk about Trump turmoil, political correctness and the latest research on the state of the parties. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vox Politics & Policy reporter Alexia Fernandez-Campbell joins Dara and Matt to talk about the West Virginia teachers strike. References: Alexia’s article on teachers Vox's Alvin Chang just published this amazing tool to see how teachers are paid in your state An explainer on the Supreme Court’s Janus case How public-sector unions are preparing for a post-Janus future The original “If You’re Gonna Play in Texas” Photographer evidence that he’s been called “Beto” since he was a toddler A good primer on “Hispanic” as an identity constructed in the US Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sarah, Ezra, and Matt talk about a bipartisan bank deregulation bill, Medicaid work requirements, and constitutional hardball. References: Mark Tushner’s original constitutional hardball article Ron Chernow’s biography of Ulysses Grant Why there are two Dakotas Dylan Scott’s “Trump’s Hidden War on Medicaid” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Vox senior politics reporter Jane Coaston joins Dara and Matt to talk about a week of extremely erratic policymaking from an increasingly chaotic Trump White House. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dylan Scott joins Sarah and Matt to talk about a new universal health care plan — plus some exciting administrative data from the good-old USA! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

There are also some good ideas discussed. All of them are about guns. German Lopez joins Dara and Matt to talk about gun control in the wake of the Parkland shooting. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sarah, Ezra, and Matt talk about what’s really wrong with American infrastructure, the massacre in Parkland, FL, and new research on legislators’ irrational decision-making. Whitepaper! Bias in Perceptions of Public Opinion Among American Political Elites by David E. Broockman, Christopher Skovron Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt, Dara, and Andrew Prokop talk about the Senate's failed immigration push, and they parse through the many-layered Rob Porter scandal. DACA/Immigration ReferencesThe 8 Republican senators who voted for the bipartisan compromiseMoran, Thune, and Portman’s new DACA proposal statementTara Golshan’s piece about Grassley’s Secure and Succeed Act Rob Porter ReferencesThe ever-shifting White House story on Rob PorterThe Rob Porter scandal, explainedJane Coaston’s piece: The White House had to protect Rob Porter to save Donald Trump Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt, Ezra, Sarah, and Dylan Matthews try to explain Trump’s budget and Disability Insurance. For today's white paper: Move over Swedish administrative data, it’s Denmark’s turn. Trump’s budget references:Dylan's explainer on Trump's proposed budgetAirports Council International report on the ownership of European airportsCongressional Research Service report on airport privatizationMatt’s explainer on Trump’s infrastructure planDisability Insurance references:Dylan's defense of SSDITerrance McCoy’s pieces on SSDI for The Washington Post: 597 days. And still waiting & After the check is gonePlanet Money / This American Life report on SSDI A Fiscal Crisis UnfoldingStephen Goss’ perspective on SSDI: The Financing Challenges Facing the Social Security Disability Insurance Program Recessions only modestly increase actual awards of disability insuranceExpiring unemployment benefits don’t lead to an increase in disability applicationsWhat it’s like to apply for disability insuranceDemographics explain most of the rise in disability incidence, and it’s not in fiscal troubleDisability insurance explains at most 0.1 percentage points of the decline in male workGender pay gap references:Today’s white paper: Children and Gender Inequality: Evidence from DenmarkClaudia Goldin studyMarianne Bertrand studySarah’s illustrated version of the Claudia Goldin study Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt, Dara, and Tara Golshan, all weary from lack of sleep, try to make sense of the few hours on Thursday night/Friday morning when the government was shut down. Referenced Works Republicans laughing in Tara's face about addressing immigration: Immigration anxiety got Trump elected. Congress isn’t touching it. Further Reading House Democrats’ confusing, high-risk DACA government shutdown gamble, explained Congress just funded CHIP for a full decade Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt, Ezra, and Sarah talk about the Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JP Morgan announcement about their joint healthcare venture, as well as the recent volatility in the stock market. White paper: From the Bargaining Table to the Ballot Box: Political Effects of Right to Work Laws Referenced Works: Ben Thompson's Stratechery piece: Amazon Health Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dara, Matt, and Zack Beauchamp talk about the policy failures that created the gang haunting Donald Trump's dreams. Referenced Works Are there more than 2,000 MS-13 gang members in Virginia’s wealthy Fairfax County? The Teens Trapped Between a Gang and the Law The 'one percent' statistic Dara mentioned: Why Trump is Wrong to Blame Migration for MS13 Expansion, Violence Further Reading 3 winners and 2 losers from Donald Trump’s first State of the Union Gangs in Central America Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sarah, Ezra, and Matt parse through Trump's State of the Union address and the response delivered by Rep. Joe Kennedy III. Referenced Works: Matt's piece on the State of the Union: Donald Trump has no solutions for America’s big problems German Lopez's piece that Ezra mentioned: Trump’s pathetic response to the opioid epidemic The Health Care Cost Institute report Sarah referenced: 2016 Health Care Cost and Utilization Report Further Reading: Dylan Scott's piece on the address: State of the Union: Trump’s abandoned promise to bring down drug prices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A DACA ransom note from the White House prompts Matt, Dara and Jane Coaston to muse on whose nation this is, anyway. Referenced Works The American Conservative piece Jane referenced: Of Sh*tholes And Second Thoughts Elizabeth Bruenig's op ed for The Washington Post: The antisocial politics of Trump The Passing of a Great Race Nations and Nationalism Imagined Communities Profile of Stephen Miller in high school: How a liberal Santa Monica high school produced a top Trump advisor and speechwriter Further Reading Explainer on the White House immigration framework: The immigration deal Trump’s White House is floating, explained Dara on framework pitting current immigrants against future immigrants: The White House is trying to force Democrats to choose between current immigrants and future ones Jane’s piece on white genocide: The scary ideology behind Trump’s immigration instincts Economic consensus on immigration: There's no evidence that immigrants hurt any American workers Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Dara, Sarah, and Ezra dig into the details of the new shutdown deal — and what it means for the future of shutdown politics. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

A few hours before a looming shutdown, DC is a very postmodern place. Referenced works: Dara on the DACA situation Dylan Matthew on past shutdowns Simulacra and Simulation by Jean Baudrillard On Capitol Hill: The Struggle to Reform Congress and its Consequences by Julian Zelizer How the National Parks Became the Biggest Battleground in the Shutdown from The Atlantic, by Garance Franke-Ruta Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt, Ezra, and Sarah talk about Mark Zuckerberg's recent announcement regarding what Facebook will focus on in 2018, and the state of the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The mask slipped with Trump's "shithole" comments, and Matt and Dara take a hard look at what lies beneath it. Content warning: explicit policy discussions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

German Lopez joins Matt and Sarah to talk about Attorney General Jeff Sessions' most recent move on marijuana, how Trump spends his time, and child mortality in the US. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Brian Resnick joins Dara and Matt to talk about the 'bomb cyclone' and how it relates to the climate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's only the second day of 2018, and Matt, Ezra, and Sarah are already talking about alarming statistics--this time, to do with average American life expectancy. White paper: Bias in Perceptions of Public Opinion Among American Political Elites The GOP is trying to pass a super-unpopular agenda — and that's a bad sign for democracy Impact Policy Submission URL: bit.ly/voximpact Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Sarah returns from New Zealand in time to reflect with Matt on the year in policy. White paper: Uniform Pricing in US Retail Chains Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt, Ezra, and Sarah answer your questions. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt and Ezra talk about what the tax bill actually does, whether the deficit matters, and a white paper about rugged individualism. White paper: Frontier Culture: The Roots and Persistence of “Rugged Individualism” in the United States Other referenced works: Albion's Seed: Four British Folkways in America (America: a cultural history) American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America Dialect Diversity in America: The Politics of Language Change Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt, Dara, and Tara Golshan talk about how Congress does and doesn’t handle sexual harassment allegations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt and Ezra talk about the result of the Alabama senate race and the state of the GOP. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Matt, Dara, and German Lopez discuss the (shallow, according to some) politics of pro-FBI liberals. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices