Health Oct 06 American pharmacies face trial in Ohio over role in opioid crisis A key opioids trial — the first to go to federal court — began this week in Ohio. The trial focuses on questions of accountability and responsibility for the opioids crisis, which has been connected directly with the deaths of…
Nation Oct 05 Facebook whistleblower asks Congress to regulate tech giant’s influence on users Facebook is under fire Tuesday following testimony by a former employee before a U.S. Senate committee. Frances Haugen alleged the company too frequently turns a blind eye to potential harm for the sake of profit. Facebook denied that in statements…
Health Oct 05 New book shows how failure to implement quick, accurate testing compounded COVID’s spread The United States has now passed yet another tragic pandemic milestone. COVID-19 has now claimed the lives of more than 700,000 Americans. William Brangham talks to Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a former FDA commissioner and author of new book "Uncontrolled Spread:…
Nation Oct 04 What caused the Facebook outage and how it affected global users, businesses Facebook and its group of apps and social media platforms like WhatsApp and Instagram were down most of Monday. The outages come on the eve of another difficult congressional hearing for the social media giant. The cause of the outages…
Science Sep 30 Why discovery of DNA’s double helix was based on ‘rip-off’ of female scientist’s data It is the famous lightbulb-going-off story every school kid learns: How James Watson and Francis Crick discovered the structure of DNA, cementing their place in scientific history. But as William Brangham explains, a new book titled "The Secret of Life"…
Health Sep 29 Vaccine mandates can become a ‘political battleground,’ former FDA commissioner says YouTube on Wednesday announced it will remove videos that spread false information about the safety and efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccine and any other commonly used vaccines. Accounts associated with several prominent figures — such as Robert Kennedy Jr. —…
Health Sep 21 How COVID-19’s death toll and social impact compares to past U.S. pandemics The death toll from the COVID pandemic has put the U.S. at another tragic milestone — more than 675,000 Americans, overall, have died of COVID as of Monday. That number surpasses the number of lives lost to the 1918 flu.
Nation Sep 10 Smithsonian Institution pieces together 9/11 history through personal, poignant relics With memories of Sept. 11, 2001 fading for some, and images of that day unknown to a younger generation, the Smithsonian Institution is working at piecing together history object by object. William Brangham takes a behind-the-scenes look as part of…
World Aug 16 Haitians left homeless by 7.2 magnitude earthquake now brace for storm An earthquake Saturday brought devastation to Haiti. Landslides have made major roads impassable for aid groups. Hospitals in southern Haiti are overwhelmed and thousands are sheltering in the streets or on soccer fields. Tropical depression Grace could trigger flash flooding…
Nation Aug 10 California prison inmates become a critical resource for fighting wildfires The Dixie Fire, now the second-largest in California history, continues to burn northern parts of the state. It comes as California faces a shortage of firefighters, a scenario that's bringing new attention to a critical firefighting resource: prison inmates. William…