Disagree Better

While the U.S. has a declining overall cancer rate, Iowa's is sharply increasing. Cancer-causing byproducts from agricultural production might be a major reason why. Jake speaks with Cody Smith of the Iowa Environmental Council. Cody was a co-author of a report released this year by the Council on Iowa's environmental risk factors and the state's cancer crisis.

Jake speaks with Dr. Sandro Galea, who proposes how to address, or at least how to think about the American crisis of faith in public health in the wake of the pandemic in his new book, Why Health: What We Need to Think about When We Think about Health. Dr. Galea is the Dean of the Bursky School of Public Health at Washington University.

Dr. Craig Spencer recently authored a piece in The Atlantic in which he contends that the field of public health must swallow its pride and admit where the insurgent MAHA movement is right. Jake and Dr. Spencer discuss the critique he lays out in his writing, as well as the backlash Dr. Spencer received after the article was published.

New Mexico recently became the first state in the nation to offer free access to childcare for all, regardless of income, saving the average family $12,000 per year. Jake speaks with James Jimenez, Executive Director of New Mexico Voices for Children Action Fund, to discover how this breakthrough was achieved.

North Carolina's Healthy Opportunities Pilots (HOP) is a Medicaid program that addresses healthy food, housing, interpersonal violence, and transportation. By keeping people healthy in their communities, the program has yielded savings of $164 per participant per month. The program is paused due to a budget impasse, but is poised to return. Jake explores HOP with Dr. Betsey Tilson, who served as State Health Director and Chief Medical Officer at the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services when HOP was rolled out, and is currently the Executive Director of Nurture NC, where she’s working to improve maternal health.

Can the real world compete with smartphones for our kids' attention? What is the goal and effect of policies that remove these devices from students' hands during the school day? These questions and more are covered in the conversation that Jake has with Casey Mock, Senior Policy Director for The Anxious Generation. 

Political violence is becoming more common, and Americans report personal stress and dissatisfaction with the quality of our political dialogue. Disagree Better is an initiative that helps Americans engage in healthier conflict. Jake speaks with Marianne Viray, Disagree Better's Executive Director, about why they're taking on this challenge, and what they've learned along the way.

As legalized sports gambling has risen online, so has personal debt, bankruptcy, and even domestic violence. At least 8 million Americans now struggle with a gambling addiction. Jake speaks with Jonathan Cohen about policy responses to address this growing public health challenge. Cohen is the Sports Betting Policy Lead for the American Institute for Boys & Men and the author of Losing Big: America's Reckless Bet on Sports Gambling.

Youth are increasingly interacting with AI chatbots, and the risks to their wellbeing, including self harm, are becoming tragically apparent. Jake speaks with Amina Fazlullah, Head of Tech Policy Advocacy at Common Sense Media, about how we can responsibly regulate these platforms to protect kids.

Jake speaks with Brian Heilman of Movember to discuss the unique challenges of men's health, including the role of masculinity. Movember is a global annual event in November where people grow moustaches to raise awareness and funds for men's health issues. They invest those resources in projects, including the Real Face of Men's Health Report, which includes both a diagnosis of challenges, as well as highlights of what is working to improve men's health.