America Dissected

Over the past decade, Fentanyl, a cheap, hyper-potent, and synthetic opiate has accelerated the opioid pandemic already ravaging the country. Abdul reflects on the way that our atomized, lonely communities left us vulnerable to opioid addiction and fentanyl and sits down with Dr. Rahul Gupta, director of National Drug Control Policy to talk through the history of the opioid epidemic, fentanyl, and how the federal government is working with local communities to solve it.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has promised action on President Biden’s Build Back Better agenda, a sweeping package of legislation that would transform the American social experience. Along with critically important investments like universal childcare and paid family leave, the version that passed the House includes a slew of healthcare reforms. Abdul speaks to Jonathan Cohn, National Correspondent at HuffPost, and author of The Ten Year War, about the fight over protecting the Affordable Care Act, about the potential impact of the legislation.

For a transcript of this episode, please visit crooked.com/americadissected.

Abdul and Katelyn discuss the latest in health policy this week including:

• RFK Jr’s plan to form a national registry of Americans with autism
• The shift to make US health policy look more like Europe’s
• The latest news on the Texas measles outbreak
• A White House budget proposal that calls for cutting $40 billion from HHS next year
• Why NIH’s top expert on ultra-processed foods left the agency

Then Abdul interviews Harvard polling expert Dr. Gillian SteelFisher about a new survey on pandemic safety measures -- and most Americans are more open than you think! And a special thanks to deBeaumont Foundation for their contribution to today’s interview.

Check out our shop at store.americadissected.com for our new America Dissected merch – including logo shirts, hoodies and mugs. And don’t miss our “Vaccines Matter. Science Works.” t-shirts!

This show would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. America Dissected invites you to check them out. This episode was brought to you by:

de Beaumont Foundation: Find new, research-tested messaging to communicate about public health, plus useful tips for the real-world situations you face, at debeaumont.org.

It’s pride month – a moment when LGBTQ+ Americans ought to feel out and proud. And yet that is becoming harder to do in an America where politicians are attacking the community through discriminatory policies designed specifically to stigmatize and exclude. Abdul talks about the way that exclusionary policy shapes mental health and speaks with Heather Zayde, a mental health provider who specializes in LGBTQ+ mental health about the challenges the community is facing and what it will take to overcome them.

Drowning is an epidemic in America. And like so many other public health challenges, it’s what happens when we over-privatize a public good. Abdul reflects on the human right of water. Then he speaks with New York Times journalist Mara Gay, author of a recent series on drowning in America.