Health Jan 03 Examining football’s health risks after Damar Hamlin’s cardiac arrest on the field Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin remains in critical condition following his collapse in the Monday Night Football game. His family thanked the medical team that responded and expressed gratitude for the national outpouring of support. Hamlin's cardiac arrest prompted another…
Health Jan 02 New COVID subvariant spreads rapidly in Northeast, sparking concerns it evades vaccines Three years into the pandemic and yet another new variant of the coronavirus has emerged. The omicron subvariant known as XBB.1.5 now accounts for more than 40% of new COVID infections in the U.S. and around 75% of cases in…
Nation Dec 26 Why there are new assessments of Oppenheimer’s role in history Physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer led the Manhattan Project to develop nuclear weapons during World War II and is perhaps best known as the "Father of the Atomic Bomb.” But he was a complicated man. As William Brangham explains, there are…
Health Dec 22 U.S. life expectancy falls to lowest level since mid-1990s due to COVID and drug overdoses There is grim news about the state of America's health. The average expected lifespan for a person in this country shrank by over seven months last year, according to the CDC. That comes after an even steeper decline in 2020.
Science Dec 22 Discovery of 2-million-year-old DNA in Greenland reveals new details about ancient life Scientists working in Greenland identified the oldest samples of DNA ever found on earth. By analyzing the two-million year old genetic material, they’ve revealed how northern Greenland was once a wildly different environment than the cold, polar region it is…
Politics Dec 21 Congressional committee begins release of Trump’s tax returns Newly released information from a Congressional investigation shows that the IRS did not pursue timely mandatory audits of former President Trump during his term in office, as required. Russ Buettner of The New York Times joined William Brangham to discuss…
Nation Dec 20 Border communities try to balance needs of residents and migrants amid humanitarian crisis In normal times, asylum seekers who make it to the U.S. border are entitled to a hearing. But during the pandemic, emergency rule Title 42 allowed officials to deport certain migrants. Monday, the Supreme Court put a hold on a…
World Dec 19 How effective will UN biodiversity agreement be in saving species at risk? A historic agreement was reached Monday at the United Nations Biodiversity Conference in Canada that aims to increase protections for the world’s lands and oceans. It comes as the planet continues to experience a staggering decline in biodiversity driven in…
Health Dec 15 Winter surge in infections from RSV, flu, and COVID straining U.S. hospitals The White House is warning of a surge of illness this holiday season, as the country deals with the simultaneous uptick of three, highly contagious respiratory viruses. Hospitals across the country are filling up with patients suffering from flu, RSV…
Nation Dec 14 Newtown remembers those killed at Sandy Hook a decade after the tragedy Ten years ago, a mass shooting forever changed the small town of Newtown, Connecticut. Twenty students and six educators were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School in one of the worst mass shootings in U.S. history. William Brangham spoke with…