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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.

The Weeds

Are hush puppies racist? Why do we celebrate weddings with a multi-tiered, super fancy, sometimes not particularly tasty, very expensive cake? Can a dairy-intolerant person actually drink a glass of A2 milk? 

These three questions came from listeners. Just not our listeners. They came to Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley, hosts of Gastropod, a show that investigates the history and science behind the foods we eat. Our host Jonquilyn Hill called them up to ask about the show, and play an episode from their Ask Gastropod series. 

Check out Gastropod.

Let us know what questions you want us to look into for future episodes of Explain It to Me: Call 1-800-618-8545, email us at askvox@vox.com, or fill out this form.
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Bite-sized questions

It’s the most wonderful time of the year: Cuffing season. Or is it? That’s the question Antares asked this week. She told her lovelorn friend he’ll have better luck on dating apps once the temperatures drop, but then she wondered… is that actually true? This week on Explain It to Me, host Jonquilyn Hill goes on a journey to find out if Cuffing Season is real. She speaks with artist Musa Murchison, Alison Gemmill of the Hopkins Population Center, Michael Kaye of OKCupid, and Devyn Simone of Tinder to find out.

We’re working on some great episodes, and want to answer more of your questions in the new year! Leave us a voicemail at 1-800-618-8545, fill out this form, or send us a voice memo at askvox@vox.com. We love to hear from you.

Credits:
Jonquilyn Hill, host and producer
Sofi LaLonde, producer
Cristian Ayala, engineer
Caitlin PenzeyMoog and Kim Eggleston, fact-checkers
Carla Javier, supervising producer
Jorge Just, editor
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Is cuffing season real?

When it gets cold outside, we get colds inside. We also get the flu. And RSV. And — lately — norovirus. We all know that washing our hands helps defend against illness. But with what? There’s too many kinds of soap, and not all of them will keep you healthy in every situation. Should you up the ante with antibacterial or does bar soap set the bar? This week on Explain It to Me, host Jonquilyn Hill breaks down the suds and bubbles with Vox senior reporter Keren Landman, MD. 

Read more:
Wait, should I bother using antibacterial soap?
You’ve never heard of the Covid booster with the fewest side effects
Put down that cough medicine

We want to answer your questions in future episodes. Call us at 1-800-618-8545, fill out this form, or send us an email at askvox@vox.com. We love to hear from you.

Credits:
Jonquilyn Hill, host
Sofi LaLonde, producer
Andrea Kristinsdottir, engineer
Caitlin PenzeyMoog, fact-checker
Carla Javier, supervising producer
Jorge Just, editor
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Should I buy antibacterial soap?

After seeing someone make an illegal left turn, Mike joked to his daughter that they should do a citizen’s arrest. She had no idea what he was talking about, and now Mike wants to know: wait, are citizen’s arrests actually a real-life thing, or just something he saw on TV? And if they are real, how do they work? And what do they say about crime and policing in our country? This week on Explain It to Me, host Jonquilyn Hill talks to Stanford Law School professor David Sklansky to find out. He’s the author of the new book Criminal Justice in Divided America.

We want to know what’s on your mind! Call us at 1-800-618-8545 and leave us a voicemail with your name and your question — we may answer it in a future episode.

Credits:

Jonquilyn Hill, host
Patrick Boyd, engineer
Kim Eggleston, fact checker
Carla Javier, supervising producer
Jorge Just, editor
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Why can I make a citizen's arrest?

Should I give up flying for the environment’s sake? Is it ethical to stay on Twitter and Facebook if I don’t like the owners’ politics? If a DNA test shows that my dad isn't my biological dad, should I tell him? There are no bad questions. But there are some that are really hard to answer. Those are the ones Vox senior reporter Sigal Samuel likes to tackle. This week on Explain It to Me, she tells host Jonquilyn Hill how she goes about answering your ethical and philosophical questions in her column, Your Mileage May Vary. 

This episode was made in partnership with Vox's Future Perfect team. 

Have questions you can’t answer? Call Explain It to Me at 1-800-618-8545, or submit them here. 

Read more:
Sigal’s column, Your Mileage May Vary
You can’t optimize your way to being a good person
The Future Perfect newsletter
Share your quandaries with Sigal here 

Credits:

Jonquilyn Hill, host
Cristian Ayala, engineer
Caitlin PenzeyMoog, fact checker
Carla Javier, supervising producer
Jorge Just, editor
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Is flying ethical?

In this first episode of the new Vox.com podcast the weeds, Ezra Klein, Sarah Kliff, and Matthew Yglesias look at why Hillary Clinton is trying to gut a major part of Obamacare, how Donald Trump's tax plan made Matt sad, and whether American politics is becoming structurally biased towards outsiders like Trump and away from insiders like Bush. It gets real nerdy, real fast.
This episode was sponsored by Audible.com. For a free audio book and a 30 day free trial, head to Audible.com/WEEDS
 
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Ezra, Matt and Sarah Try to Podcast

In the second episode of the Weeds, Ezra, Sarah, and Matt debate whether nationalized health care could work in America, what solutions are really needed to solve the country's mass shooting issue — and introduce an exciting new, regular segment: white paper of the week! 
 
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Would single payer health care work in America?

In a special edition of The Weeds, Ezra interviews Arthur Brooks —head of the right-leaning American Enterprise Institute, a New York Times columnist, a major influence on Jeb Bush, and a surprisingly snappy dresser. Really.
 
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Arthur Brooks on think tanks, happiness, and management

On this week's episode, Ezra, Sarah, and Matt debate a little known Obamacare program, learn all about Nordic economies, and take on a new white paper forcing health economists to rethink deductibles. 
 
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The Weeds: Can the government trick you into dieting?

In this week's episode of the Weeds, Ezra, Matt, and Sarah dive head first into a new Brookings white paper about income inequality (and how to not to fix it). We also imagine what a Joe Biden administration could have been, with a commander-in-chief who considers Republicans friends rather than enemies.
This episode of The Weeds is brought to you by Squarespace. Start building your website today at Squarespace.com. Enter offer code WEEDS at checkout to get 10% off. Squarespace: Build it Beautiful.
 
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Want to fix inequality by taxing the rich? Good luck.

Sarah and Matt talk about the policy errors behind Hurricane Harvey's devastation, the single-payer wonk gap, and new research on kindergarten red shirting.

White paper: School Starting Age and Cognitive Development
 
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The policy origins of America's most expensive natural disaster

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