There are some good reasons to name Larry Summers as Treasury Secretary and some good reasons not to name Larry Summers as Treasury Secretary, but the reason being pushed right now — that he wrote a memo saying Africa is “under-polluted” and arguing that we should move extractive and wasteful industries there — is basically an urban myth. Dylan Matthews explains.

Ezra Klein is a former Prospect writer and current editor-in-chief at Vox. His work has appeared in the LA Times, The Guardian, The Washington Monthly, The New Republic, Slate, and The Columbia Journalism Review. He’s been a commentator on MSNBC, CNN, NPR, and more.