The Weeds

By Vox

Social Sciences

What's The Weeds about?

Everyone is always warning you not to get lost in the weeds. But not Vox's Ezra Klein, Sarah Kliff, and Matthew Yglesias. They love the weeds. That's where all the policy is. This is the podcast for people who follow politics because they love thinking about health care, economics, and zoning. It is not podcast for people who like hearing talk about gaffes.

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LAST EPISODE

Think like a scout

04.17.2021

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 ...

The Weeds episodes:

04.17.2021 Think like a scout 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 ...
04.14.2021 White paper-palooza 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 ...
04.10.2021 It's time for class warfare Matt is joined by Faiz Shakir, a top adviser to Sen. Bernie Sanders and the former manager of his 2020 presidential campaign, to talk about adopting a working class lens for crafting progressive policy, cultivating an ethic of solidarity, and ...
04.07.2021 Bidencare? Matt and Dara are joined by Vox's Dylan Scott to examine the $400 billion portion of Biden's $2 trillion infrastructure plan that is designated for the "caretaking economy." Is this merely an expansion of Medicaid? Does it actually address fundamental ...
04.03.2021 The politics of cultural criticism Matt is joined by Alyssa Rosenberg, cultural critic and opinion columnist at the Washington Post, to talk about the intersection of criticism and politics. Should J.K. Rowling's recent anti-trans political statements retroactively alter the critical appraisal of Harry Potter? Can ...
03.31.2021 All circuits matter Matt and Dara are joined by Vox Senior Correspondent Ian Millhiser to discuss the future of judicial appointments in Biden Administration — starting with the spate of appointees announced on Tuesday, just as we began taping. They also discuss some ...
03.27.2021 The optimistic leftist Matt is joined by political scientist and author Ruy Teixeira to talk about how Democratic messaging has gone wrong, and how to get it right. Resources: "Immigrant Neighborhoods Shifted Red as the Country Chose Blue" by Weiyi Cai and Ford ...
03.24.2021 Is gun violence fixable? Matt and Dara are joined by Vox Politics and Policy Fellow Jerusalem Demsas to talk about gun violence and mass shootings in America. They discuss the recent shootings in Atlanta and Boulder, talk through the difference between real policy solutions ...
03.19.2021 All about inflation Skanda Amarnath from Employ America joins Matt to talk about inflation. They discuss how the Fed tracks markers of inflation, the difference between cyclical and asymmetric inflation, and talk about whether or not to give into Larry Summers's fears about ...
03.17.2021 Asylum policy for the here and now Matt and Dara are joined by Vox Senior Correspondent Ian Millhiser to examine the current state of affairs at the southern border, and to evaluate the Biden administration's immigration response more generally. Then, some research is discussed that examines (pre-Covid) ...
03.14.2021 Introducing Unexplainable Unexplainable is a new podcast from Vox about everything we don’t know. Each week, the team look at the most fascinating unanswered questions in science and the mind-bending ways scientists are trying to answer them. New episodes drop every Wednesday. ...
03.12.2021 An A.I. wrote this title Vox's Kelsey Piper joins Matt to talk about the future of artificial intelligence and AI research. Should AI research be more heavily regulated, or banned? What kind of future will the continued development of AI bring us? Will AI turn ...
03.10.2021 The right to vote, constrained Matt and Dara are joined by Vox Senior Correspondent Ian Millhiser to talk through the several ongoing legal challenges being initiated by the GOP to curtail and hinder the right to vote in America. They talk through what has become ...
03.05.2021 Facebook's shadow court Kate Klonick, law professor at St. John's University, joins Matt to talk about her investigation into Facebook's secret content moderation board. She talks about her inside-Silicon-Valley reporting, the problems of regulating content in general, and why Facebook both is and ...
03.03.2021 How to destroy the suburbs Matt and Dara are joined by Vox Politics and Policy Fellow Jerusalem Demsas to talk about how to take on America's housing problem, exclusionary and discriminatory zoning restrictions, message against NIMBYs, and ultimately, to sue and destroy the suburbs. Then, ...
02.26.2021 All organizing is local Author, researcher, and University of Pittsburgh professor of history Lara Putnam sits down with Matt to talk about the structure of local progressive political organization. They talk about the recent history of these movements in the wake of the 2016 ...
02.23.2021 Covid-$1.9T Vox's Emily Stewart joins Matt and Dara to unpack what's in the Covid relief bill, now that it's out of committee. They talk about state & local relief, UI extensions, the $15 minimum wage, and why Congress is perma-hamstrung to ...
02.19.2021 The problem of child care Melissa Boteach of the National Women's Law Center joins Matt to have a discussion about the role of child care in the economy, which has been "made visible" in the Covid-19 pandemic, and exposed the economically marginalized care workers who ...
02.17.2021 The Antipope in Mar-a-Lago Vox's Emily Stewart joins Matt and Dara to wonder about whether and how Trump may rear his head in politics again, and about the future of the Republican party (zombie Paul Ryanism, or dynastic Trumpism?). Plus, a new study about ...
02.12.2021 Rethinking immigration Immigration advocate Ali Noorani of the National Immigration Forum joins Matt to discuss the future of immigration in America, including the oncoming "grey tsunami," the consequences of Trump's border and asylum policies, and the effects of the way we speak ...
02.10.2021 What's happening with the stimulus? White House reporter Ella Nilsen joins Matt and Dara to talk about the current state of the Covid-19 relief bill, and the implications of the debate for both Congress and the Biden Administration. Plus, research on the correlation between SNAP ...
02.05.2021 The future of remote work Economist Adam Ozimek from Upwork joins Matt to discuss the future of remote work, post-pandemic. They discuss the implications for migration, local governance, and the elusive concept of work/life balance. Resources: "Economist Report: Future Workforce" by Adam Ozimek (Dec. 2020) ...
02.03.2021 Where are the vaccines? Vox Senior Correspondent German Lopez joins Matt and Dara to discuss what went — and is still going — wrong with vaccine distribution, as well as to talk through some new research about the effects of implementing eviction moratoria on ...
01.29.2021 Filibusted Matt is joined by author Molly Reynolds of the Brookings Institution to talk about the intricacies of the Senate filibuster, budget reconciliation, and the Byrd rule, with a view toward the prospect of getting legislation through a divided Senate. Resources: ...
01.27.2021 Biden's immigration shuffle Vox Senior Correspondent German Lopez joins Matt and Dara to discuss some of the motivations, obstacles, and oppositions to the Biden administration's early signals on immigration policy, as well as a white paper on a natural experiment in the effects ...
01.22.2021 Freedom from markets Matt is joined by author Mike Konczal, Director of Progressive Thought at the Roosevelt Institute, and author of the new book Freedom from the Market. They talk about the past, present, and future of public affordances in America, and discuss ...
01.20.2021 Biden's rescue plan Vox business and politics reporter Emily Stewart joins Matt and Dara to unpack what's in Biden's giant stimulus package, and to examine how the new Congress will handle the massive imperatives of economic recovery, on the eve of the commencement ...
01.15.2021 The Next Four Years: Fighting tech monopolies Matt is joined by antitrust and competition policy expert Charlotte Slaiman to discuss the ongoing antitrust cases against Google and Facebook, the basics of antitrust litigation, and their outlook for the future of regulatory efforts to rein in the power ...
01.13.2021 Will the GOP be Q-pilled or Coup-pilled? Vox Senior Correspondent Zack Beauchamp joins Matt and Dara to discuss some of the potential political ramifications of the insurrection of 1/6/21, as well as what this event might portend for addressing questions of police reform. Resources: "Capitol police officer ...
01.08.2021 Unemployment Insurance in the pandemic, and beyond Matt is joined by Employ America policy advisor Elizabeth Pancotti for a detailed discussion about unemployment insurance. They take on the recent expansion of the benefits, explain some of the difficulties in distributing them, and outline a possible road toward ...
01.06.2021 America's vaccine distribution needs a shot in the arm Umair Irfan joins Dara and Matt to discuss some challenges and obstacles to prioritization and distribution of the Covid vaccine, in the U.S. and elsewhere. Resources: White paper Hosts: Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias), Slowboring.com Dara Lind (@DLind), Immigration Reporter, ProPublica Umair ...
12.22.2020 Best of: Homelessness and how to fix it Mary Cunningham, vice president of Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy at the Urban Institute, joins Matt for part two of homelessness week to discuss the causes and potential solutions of homelessness. They dive deep into the data surrounding the issue, ...
12.18.2020 The Next Four Years: Beyond the student debt debate New America’s Kevin Carey explains loan forgiveness and the deeper problems with American higher education. Guest: Kevin Carey (@kevincarey1), Vice President, Education Policy and Knowledge Management, New America Host: Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias), Slowboring.com Credits: Jeff Geld, (@jeff_geld), Producer Jackson Bierfeldt, ...
12.15.2020 Build Back Exactly The Same Dylan Matthews joins Matt and Dara to discuss Covid’s impact on poverty and the road to recovery. Resources: "Joe Biden is taking office amid a poverty crisis" by Dylan Matthews, Vox Income and poverty in the COVID-19 pandemic by Jeehoon ...
12.11.2020 The Next Four Years: An optimistic climate agenda Third Way’s Josh Freed and Jackie Kempfer explain a path forward for low-carbon policy in a time of divided government. Guest: Josh Freed (@ThirdWayEnergy), Senior VP, Climate and Energy Program, Third Way Jackie Kempfer (@JackieKempfer), Senior Policy Advisor, Climate and ...
12.08.2020 The blob is back Alex Ward joins Dara and Matt to analyze the Biden national security team. Resources: "The revenge of the blob" by Alex Ward, Vox Why Nations Fall White paper Hosts: Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias), Slowboring.com Dara Lind (@DLind), Immigration Reporter, ProPublica Alex ...
12.04.2020 The Next Four Years: The Covid transition Kaiser’s Jennifer Kates joins Matt to explain the next steps in countering the pandemic. Guest: Jennifer Kates (@jenkatesdc), Senior VP/Director, Global Health & HIV Policy, Kaiser Foundation Host: Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias), Slowboring.com Credits: Jeff Geld, (@jeff_geld), Producer Jackson Bierfeldt, Editor ...
12.01.2020 The job nobody wants Dara and Matt on Biden’s choice to run Homeland Security and the many challenges he’ll face. Resources: "Biden picks Alejandro Mayorkas, a son of Jewish Cuban refugees, to lead the Department of Homeland Security" by Nick Miroff and Maria Sacchetti, ...
11.24.2020 The post-election economy Emily Stewart joins Dara and Matt to discuss the prospects for Covid relief and Janet Yellen. Resources: "Janet Yellen's mistake" by Matthew Yglesias, Slowboring.com "Electoral politics on an unfair playing field" by Aaron Strauss, Slowboring.com White paper Hosts: Matt Yglesias ...
11.20.2020 The Next Four Years: Joe Biden’s world The Atlantic Council’s Emma Ashford joins Matt to explain the president-elect’s approach to national security. Guest: Emma Ashford (@EmmaMAshford), Senior Fellow, Atlantic Council Host: Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias), Slowboring.com Credits: Jeff Geld, (@jeff_geld), Producer Jackson Bierfeldt, Editor The Weeds is a ...
11.17.2020 Georgia on my mind Resources: "Why Georgia has runoff elections" by Jerusalem Demsas, Vox "David Perdue and Jon Ossoff advance to Georgia Senate runoff" by Ella Nilsen and Jerusalem Demsas "Detailed Turnout Data Shows How Georgia Turned Blue" by Nate Cohn, New York Times ...
11.13.2020 The Next Four Years: How to make a Biden Boom Vox’s new series THE NEXT FOUR YEARS delving into the policy prospects for the Biden Era kicks off with Bloomberg’s Karl Smith explaining a bipartisan approach to healing the labor market. Guest: Karl Smith (@karlbykarlsmith), Bloomberg Columnist Host: Matthew Yglesias ...
11.10.2020 The never ending election story Jane, Dara, and Matt on Trump’s refusal to quit and his “surprising” Hispanic support. Resources: "How Democrats Missed Trump’s Appeal to Latino Voters" by Jennifer Medina "Why Democrats Lost So Many South Texas Latinos—the Economy" by Elizabeth Findell, Wall Street ...
11.06.2020 Democracy lost Ezra and Matt on the election results and the prospects for majority rule. Resources: Chris Hayes and I process this wild election, Ezra Klein Show Hosts: Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias), Senior correspondent, Vox Ezra Klein (@ezraklein), Editor-at-large, Vox Credits: Jeff Geld, ...
11.03.2020 Election Day Special In this special live episode of the Weeds - Ella Nilsen joins Matt and Jane to highlight the most contested senate races, and what to watch for as results come in. Resources: 2020 Election Coverage Live results for the 2020 ...
10.30.2020 Lessons learned from Trump’s first term Ezra and Matt look back on what’s surprised them. Resources: "Can anything change Americans’ minds about Donald Trump?" by Ezra Klein, Vox "Republicans are sowing the seeds of the next financial crisis" by Matthew Yglesias, Vox "Trump Is Losing Ground ...
10.27.2020 Biden’s border options Dara, Jane, and Matt on the big immigration questions that will face a new administration. Resources: "Would Biden 'rebuild the old program' to reduce Northern Triangle migration?" by Teresa Welsh, Devex "Inside the Refugee Camp on America's Doorstep" by Caitlin ...
10.23.2020 Trump’s last stand Ezra and Matt on the final presidential debate. Hosts: Matthew Yglesias (@mattyglesias), Senior correspondent, Vox Ezra Klein (@ezraklein), Editor-at-large, Vox Credits: Jeff Geld, (@jeff_geld), Producer The Weeds is a Vox Media Podcast Network production Want to support The Weeds? Please ...
10.20.2020 Trump's second term agenda Dara, Jane, and Matt break down the policy stakes in 2020. Hosts: Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias), Senior Correspondent, Vox Jane Coaston (@cjane87), Senior politics correspondent, Vox Dara Lind (@DLind), Immigration reporter, ProPublica Credits: Jeff Geld, (@jeff_geld), Editor and Producer The Weeds ...
10.17.2020 Go For Broke: Inside the Dot-Com Bubble Go For Broke is a new narrative series from Epic Magazine and the Vox Media Podcast Network exploring the 2000 dot-com bubble... and what happened when the bubble popped. Listen wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts: https://apple.co/31ovruD ...

Older episodes

The Weeds

What's The Weeds about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

The Weeds episodes:

Think like a scout

White paper-palooza

It's time for class warfare

Bidencare?

The politics of cultural criticism

All circuits matter

The optimistic leftist

Is gun violence fixable?

All about inflation

Asylum policy for the here and now

Introducing Unexplainable

An A.I. wrote this title

The right to vote, constrained

Facebook's shadow court

How to destroy the suburbs

All organizing is local

Covid-$1.9T

The problem of child care

The Antipope in Mar-a-Lago

Rethinking immigration

What's happening with the stimulus?

The future of remote work

Where are the vaccines?

Filibusted

Biden's immigration shuffle

Freedom from markets

Biden's rescue plan

The Next Four Years: Fighting tech monopolies

Will the GOP be Q-pilled or Coup-pilled?

Unemployment Insurance in the pandemic, and beyond

America's vaccine distribution needs a shot in the arm

Best of: Homelessness and how to fix it

The Next Four Years: Beyond the student debt debate

Build Back Exactly The Same

The Next Four Years: An optimistic climate agenda

The blob is back

The Next Four Years: The Covid transition

The job nobody wants

The post-election economy

The Next Four Years: Joe Biden’s world

Georgia on my mind

The Next Four Years: How to make a Biden Boom

The never ending election story

Democracy lost

Election Day Special

Lessons learned from Trump’s first term

Biden’s border options

Trump’s last stand

Trump's second term agenda

Go For Broke: Inside the Dot-Com Bubble

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