Matt, Dara, Jerusalem, and German use Matt’s last Tuesday episode to discuss life expectancy in the US. They explore paternalistic policy decisions, the misnomer of “deaths of despair,” and the longevity of The Weeds. US life expectancy is compared to that of European and Asian nations, and the US numbers are disaggregated and examined up close. 
Resources:
“Why Americans Die So Much” by Derek Thompson (The Atlantic; Sep 12, 2021)
“Inequality in Mortality between Black and White Americans by Age, Place, and Cause, and in Comparison to Europe, 1990-2018” by Hannes Schwandt et al. (NBER; Sep 2021)
“The Great Divide: Education, Despair and Death” by Anne Case and Angus Deaton (NBER; Sep 2021)
The Insider by Michael Mann (Touchstone Pictures; 1999)
“Immigration and improvements in American life expectancy” by Arun S. Hendi and Jessica Y. Ho (Science Direct; Sep 2021)
Hosts:
Matt Yglesias (@mattyglesias), Slowboring.com
Dara Lind (@DLind), Immigration Reporter, ProPublica
Jerusalem Demsas (@JerusalemDemsas), Policy Reporter, Vox
German Lopez (@germanrlopez), Senior Correspondent, Vox
Credits:
Ness Smith-Savedoff, Producer & Engineer
Erikk Geannikis, Producer, Talk Podcasts
Sofi LaLonde, Producer

As the Biden administration gears up, we'll help you understand this unprecedented burst of policymaking. Sign up for The Weeds newsletter each Friday: vox.com/weeds-newsletter.

The Weeds is a Vox Media Podcast Network production.
Want to support The Weeds? Please consider making a contribution to Vox: bit.ly/givepodcasts

About Vox
Vox is a news network that helps you cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines.
Follow Us: Vox.com
Facebook group: The Weeds
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices