After The Fact

While the national poverty rate has been declining, Philadelphia’s has remained stubbornly high. At 25.7 percent, it is the highest among the nation’s 10 largest cities. That means 400,000 city residents, including more than one-third of the city’s children, live in a household with an annual income of $19,337 or less. In this episode, host Dan LeDuc talks with Larry Eichel, director of Pew’s Philadelphia research initiative, about the faces behind these numbers. We also hear from Matt Bergheiser of University City District about its West Philadelphia Skills Initiative, an innovative program that provides job training to local residents and helps match them with employers. To learn more, visit >>> pewtrusts.org/afterthefact.

Up to 1 in 5 fish taken from the sea is caught illegally, costing as much as $23.5 billion globally each year and harming ocean health and fishing communities. Through technology and coordination between governments, law enforcement, industry, and nongovernmental organizations, the tide is slowly starting to turn, however. Host Dan LeDuc talks with Peter Horn, who leads Pew’s work from London with Oversea Ocean Monitor—satellite technology that helps countries detect illegal fishing. We also hear from Sandy Davies, who works with FISH-i Africa, a network of African nations committed to ending illegal fishing. To learn more, visit >>> pewtrusts.org/afterthefact. If you appreciate the nonpartisan data and stories our podcast provides, please write a review.

What happens when the medicine we rely on to fight infections stops working? It’s been 30 years since a new type of antibiotic has made it to market. Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 2 million Americans fall ill with antibiotic-resistant infections each year—and 23,000 of them die. These superbugs can yield tragic outcomes, as it did for our guests in this episode. U.S. Army veteran Carl Romm was 27 when he died because of drug-resistant bacteria. His parents, Chris and Joyce Romm, are working to teach others about the threat of antibiotic resistance, and in this episode they tell Carl’s story to Pew’s Laura Margison. To learn more, visit >>> pewtrusts.org/afterthefact. If you appreciate the nonpartisan data and stories our podcast provides, please write a review!

President Donald Trump recently declared the nation’s opioid epidemic a public health emergency—but what will it take to connect patients with effective treatment? Our previous episode explored the scope of the crisis and proven solutions. In this bonus edition, you’ll hear more from Shawn Ryan, chief medical officer at BrightView Health in Cincinnati, and Cindy Reilly, who directs Pew’s efforts to expand access to medication-assisted treatment. They discuss what’s at stake with host Dan LeDuc, as well as the potential solutions. To listen to our full episode on the opioid epidemic and hear from a patient on her journey to sobriety, visit >>> pewtrusts.org/afterthefact. If you appreciate the nonpartisan data and stories our podcast provides, please write a review and subscribe.

The nation’s opioid epidemic has been making headlines, and much is required to curtail this public health crisis. In this episode, we learn more about increasing public awareness and expanding treatment opportunities from those on the front lines. Cindy Reilly directs Pew’s work to expand access to proven treatment, and Dr. Shawn Ryan, president and chief medical officer at BrightView Health in Cincinnati, guides patients through treatment. We also speak with a nurse in Minnesota who struggled with substance use disorder and is now on the path to recovery. To learn more, visit >>> pewtrusts.org/afterthefact. If you appreciate the nonpartisan data and stories our podcast provides, please write a review and subscribe. 

The digital revolution is transforming innovation, providing access to information in ways unheard of even a generation ago. Putting this knowledge to purpose is changing how we live, communicate, and govern—and raising new issues about equality and fairness. This new age of invention was the subject of the latest edition of Trend, The Pew Charitable Trusts’ journal of ideas. And this episode is a rebroadcast of a conversation on the topic held not long ago in Philadelphia by several contributors to Trend. With questions from moderator Frazierita Klasen, Pew’s vice president for Philadelphia programs, Susan Urahn, Pew’s executive vice president and chief program officer; Lee Rainie, director of internet and technology research at the Pew Research Center; and Jody Roberts, director of the Chemical Heritage Foundation’s Institute for Research and managing director of CHF West, discussed the possibilities and the dilemmas of technical change and the opportunities for invention today. To learn more, visit >>> pew

Although Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other sites weren’t designed as places to get news, that’s what they’ve become. Today, 67 percent of Americans report that they get at least some of their news on social media. In fact, according to the Pew Research Center’s latest data, the share of Americans who get at least some of their news online is fast approaching the share who rely on television, which has long been the main source for many Americans. In this episode, host Dan LeDuc talks with Amy Mitchell, who directs journalism research at the center, about this trend and what it means for the way news and information are shared. To listen, visit >>> pewtrusts.org/afterthefact. If you appreciate the nonpartisan data and stories our podcast provides, please write a review >>> http://pew.org/pdcstrvw.

Louisiana holds the No. 1 spot on an unenviable list: state imprisonment rates. The state has put more people behind bars per capita than any other, but Louisiana leaders intend to change that with new, comprehensive criminal justice reform passed this summer. It was a tremendous bipartisan effort that aims to reduce crime and incarceration through innovative means backed by data. Terry Schuster of Pew's public safety performance project speaks with host Dan LeDuc about why this change was important and what its impact could be. To learn more, visit >>> pewtrusts.org/afterthefact. If you appreciate the nonpartisan data and stories our podcast provides, please write a review >>> http://pew.org/pdcstrvw.

The devastating floods from Hurricane Harvey have left thousands of Texas residents homeless. The scenes of water spilling onto highways and rushing through neighborhoods have raised attention to the impacts of flooding. Fortunately, there are ways to combat rising waters. We’re rebroadcasting a conversation between Joseph Riley, the former mayor of Charleston, South Carolina, who’s now a Pew distinguished fellow, and Jim Brainard, six-term mayor of Carmel, Indiana. Both came to Pew in May to discuss their experiences after major storms in their cities. To learn more, visit >>> pewtrusts.org/afterthefact. If you appreciate the nonpartisan data and stories our podcast provides, please write a review >>> http://pew.org/pdcstrvw.

We’ve all seen the devastating photos in news coverage following a big storm, but what happens after the flood? Pew’s Fred Baldassaro travels to Norfolk, Virginia, a coastal U.S. city that has endured rising waters, to find out. Listen as he and Skip Stiles, founder and executive director of Wetlands Watch, tour neighborhoods in the flood plain and discuss sea level rise, the recovery process, and how the city is building resilience against future flooding through innovative solutions. To learn more >>> pewtrusts.org/afterthefact. Like what we’re doing? Please leave us a quick review >>> http://pew.org/pdcstrvw

It’s hurricane season—and extreme weather events are on the rise. Along with the catastrophic losses that families face after the flood is the economic burden on taxpayers through the National Flood Insurance Program. It’s the financial lifeline for those who carry flood insurance and an essential funding source for both disaster preparation and recovery efforts. However, the program is also $25 billion in debt, and more than a quarter of that total is from properties that flood repeatedly. It’s a growing issue affecting more than just coastal cities. Host Dan LeDuc discusses the flood that devastated Nashville, Tennessee, in 2010 with Roger Lindsey, chairman of the Tennessee Association of Floodplain Management and practice leader for Stormwater and Floodplain Management for Nashville’s Metro Water Services, and Laura Lightbody, who directs Pew’s flood-prepared communities work. To learn more >>> pewtrusts.org/afterthefact. Like what we’re doing? Please leave us a quick review >>> http://pew.org/pdcstrvw

The planet is facing increased environmental pressures—from warming oceans to species loss. At the same time, new tools such as satellite monitoring and forensic science continue to support conservation gains around the world. But will technology help save the Earth? In this episode, you’ll hear leading experts discuss and debate this issue. Featuring: Tony Juniper, special advisor to The Prince of Wales’ International Sustainability Unit, president of The Wildlife Trusts, and fellow with the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership; Rear Adm. Nick Lambert, ambassador to Satellite Applications Catapult’s Blue Economy Initiative; and Callum Roberts, professor of marine conservation at the University of York’s Environment Department. Pew speakers include Rebecca Rimel, president and CEO; Susan Urahn, executive vice president and chief program officer; and Kerri-Ann Jones, vice president of research and science. Event video is also available >>> pewtrusts.org/afterthefact Like what we’re

Three-quarters of our planet is covered with water—and it’s this water that sustains life as we know it. But our liquid planet, home to half of the world’s known creatures, isn’t getting the care it needs. That’s why leading scientists say that 30 percent of our oceans should be protected—that is, free from overfishing and commercial development. Host Dan LeDuc explores why this 30 percent data point is important with two people devoted to safeguarding the oceans: native Hawaiian Sol Kaho’ohalahala, whose culture and livelihood depend on sustainable seas; and Matt Rand, who directs the Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy Project and has been working with people like Kaho’ohalahala since 2006 to keep our oceans healthy. To learn more, visit pewtrusts.org/afterthefact. 

Technology is transforming our world and our workplaces. With the quick pace of change, the future can be as unsettling as it is exciting. However, in this episode, Brian David Johnson says we can invent the future. As a futurist for major corporations who now teaches at Arizona State University, Johnson talks with host Dan LeDuc about how we can envision our futures and find paths to reach them. It’s a conversation with resonance—especially when considering this data point: 47 percent—that’s the share of jobs that researchers at Oxford University say are at risk of being overtaken by robots in the next two decades. To learn more, visit pewtrusts.org/afterthefact.

More than 331 million visits were made to America’s national parks last year—to hike stunning trails, drive scenic roads, and climb stairs in historic structures. But as the number of visitors has been growing, so have the maintenance needs for those trails, roads, and buildings. In this episode, The Pew Charitable Trusts explores that backlog of maintenance, which now totals more than $11.9 billion. Host Dan LeDuc speaks with Marcia Argust, director of Pew’s campaign to restore America’s parks; Phil Francis, a retired Blue Ridge Parkway superintendent who spent 40 years with the National Park Service (NPS); and Bryan Atchley, mayor of Sevierville, Tennessee, a gateway community to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. To learn more, visit pewtrusts.org/afterthefact. (Sounds of nature recorded by the NPS’ Jennifer Jerrett and Montana State University’s Acoustic Atlas.)

While concern about childhood immunization stirs debate, Pew Research Center finds that the vast majority of Americans—88 percent—believe that the benefits of vaccines outweigh the risks. In this episode, host Dan LeDuc discusses that data point and more on the study with Cary Funk, associate director of research on science and society at Pew Research Center. She is currently studying public attitudes about various scientific topics at the nonpartisan research organization, a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. To listen and to learn more, visit pewtrusts.org/afterthefact.

States are finding new ways to get smart on crime and, in the process, changing how America views crime and punishment. After decades of rising prison populations, reforms in 33 states have helped cut the national incarceration rate by 13 percent since 2007. That data point drives this episode’s conversation about the new approaches, informed by research-based sentencing and corrections policies, that are slowing prison growth and helping communities become safer. Host Dan LeDuc speaks with Adam Gelb, director of Pew’s public safety performance project, as well as two leaders in South Carolina—state Senator Gerald Malloy (D), who has led his state’s reform efforts; and Bryan Stirling, state corrections director, who is implementing these transformative changes. To listen and to learn more, visit pewtrusts.org/afterthefact.

Struggling to pay bills and set aside savings? You’re in good company: 92 percent of Americans say financial stability is more important to them than moving up the economic ladder. That’s just about everybody, and it makes for a new version of the American Dream.  In this episode, Erin Currier, who researches family financial security for The Pew Charitable Trusts, explains why, even during this time of economic recovery, so many people are still feeling uneasy.  To listen and to learn more about that research, visit pewtrusts.org/afterthefact. It’s about the data and trends shaping your world.

Join experts from The Pew Charitable Trusts and other special guests for the story behind the numbers and trends shaping some of society’s biggest challenges. Whether it’s data on the financial plight of American families or research on how to protect the environment, you’ll hear evidence-based—and nonpartisan—conversations as we go after the facts that can inform, enlighten, and expand your worldview.