After the Fact

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 b...

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 o...

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 po...

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....

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 billi...

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 attit...

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,...

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 t...

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 world...