Episodes

  • Why can I buy Halloween candy that would be banned in other countries?

    Why can I buy Halloween candy that would be banned in other countries?
    Oct 30 2024
    Listener Sommer calls in to ask why she can buy foods in her grocery store that other countries have banned. Trying to figure out what all the chemicals and dyes in her food might do to her has left her with one question: “Don’t you care about us?” This week on Explain It to Me, host Jonquilyn Hill gets some answers (and a scary story about orange dye!) from Vox producer Kimberly Mas and the Environmental Working Group’s Melanie Benesh. Election Day is less than a week away. To commiserate, we’re producing a special episode featuring your election-related questions and experiences, from heading to the polls to processing the results. So save our number now 1-800-618-8545 and call us next week with what you suddenly need to know. Read More: Why food recalls are everywhere right now Watch Kim’s video about Red Dye No. 3 here Credits: Jonquilyn Hill, host Sofi LaLonde, producer Cristian Ayala, engineer Anouck Dussaud, fact-checker Carla Javier, supervising producer Jorge Just, editor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    49 mins
  • Why do I keep getting these weird fundraising texts?

    Why do I keep getting these weird fundraising texts?
    Oct 23 2024
    “We are hitting the PANIC button.” Does that wording sound familiar? You’ve probably seen it on your phone. This week on Explain It to Me, we begin to answer the questions we’ve gotten from you about the election, like why you’re getting so many urgently phrased texts asking for money. We also take a closer look at polling. Host Jonquilyn Hill gets answers from Vox senior politics reporter Christian Paz and Banter founder Lloyd Cotler. We want to help answer more of your election-related questions for our election week episode. Tell us what’s on your mind here, or give us a call. Our number is 1-800-618-8545. Read More: Can we trust the polls this year? Why are political campaigns always guilt-tripping us to donate? Sign up for the Today, Explained and Explain It to Me newsletters here. Credits: Jonquilyn Hill, host Sofi LaLonde, producer Cristian Ayala, engineer Caitlin PenzeyMoog, fact-checker Carla Javier, supervising producer Jorge Just, editor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    54 mins
  • Will the world end before I can retire?

    Will the world end before I can retire?
    Oct 16 2024
    From the moment Carolina graduated from college and started her first real job, the financial advice came pouring in. It felt like everyone she knew was telling her to save for retirement. So Carolina wants to know: really? Maybe that advice was good for boomers, Gen X and millennials, but the world Carolina would be saving for seems like it’s on the brink of collapse. So should Gen Z do things differently? Vox editor Bryan Walsh tells us how close we might be to an extinction-level event, and Vivian Tu a.k.a. Your Rich BFF offers some financial real talk. Submit your questions here, or give us a call. Our number is 1-800-618-8545. Credits: Jonquilyn Hill, host Sofi LaLonde, producer Andrea Kristinsdottir, engineer Carla Javier, supervising producer Melissa Hirsch, fact checker Katherine Wells and Jorge Just, editors Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    38 mins
  • My parents divorced. Will I?

    My parents divorced. Will I?
    Oct 10 2024
    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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    31 mins
  • Is it okay to go to the zoo?

    Is it okay to go to the zoo?
    Oct 2 2024
    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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    35 mins
  • Why do I say “like” so much?

    Why do I say “like” so much?
    Sep 25 2024
    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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    44 mins
  • Is my dentist scamming me?

    Is my dentist scamming me?
    Sep 18 2024
    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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    43 mins
  • Introducing Explain It to Me

    Introducing Explain It to Me
    Sep 8 2024
    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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
    Show more Show less
    3 mins