After the Fact

Story:  Wildfires have once again made headlines, highlighting the growing intensity and frequency of natural disasters across the United States. And these disasters leave more than destruction in their wake; they have lasting effects on communities, including expensive recovery bills. In fact, 2024 was the fourth-costliest year on record with 27 natural disasters that resulted in at least $1 billion in damage each. In this episode of “After the Fact,” we speak to Pew’s Colin Foard and Caitlyn Wan Smith about how states can prepare better financially for natural disasters rather than reacting to emergencies. And Kimiko Barrett, a research and policy analysist with Headwaters Economics, discusses why wildfires pose a particularly difficult challenge to state budgets and local communities. 

Stat: 1/3: Placental-related disorders, such as miscarriage and pre-eclampsia, affect around a third of human pregnancies. Story: The placenta is a temporary yet vital organ that can have long-term effects on the lives of babies and mothers. But it’s often discarded and remains an understudied part of pregnancy.  In this episode of our “From Lab to Life” series, Geetu Tuteja describes how her lab at Iowa State University is working to better understand the placenta’s functions and why placental disorders start. She also discusses how her background in genomics and computational biology informs the way she conducts her research. 

Stat: 40%: Up to 40% of the food supply in the United States is wasted each year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Story: When you see the perfect displays of produce in grocery stores, do you ever wonder whether it’s all sold before it spoils? It isn’t, and stores often pay to send unpurchased produce to landfills. In this episode of “After the Fact,” Evan Ehlers, founder of Sharing Excess, shares how his organization is working to solve what he calls “the world’s dumbest problem.” As a college student in Philadelphia, Ehlers saw how this problem of food waste could be prevented and hunger could be addressed in the United States, where millions of people. lack access to three healthy meals per day. In just a few years, Sharing Excess—which receives support from the Pew Fund for Health and Human Services in Philadelphia—has evolved from a group of college volunteers to a growing organization that redistributes millions of pounds of food across the country to people in need. Pew’s Kristin Romens discusses the factors that contribute to food insecurity for individuals and families—and how funding organizations that support economic mobility projects can improve community outcomes.

Stat: $1.6 trillion: The amount that Americans collectively owe in student loan debt. Story: In the United States, getting a college degree is often seen as a pathway to a prosperous future. But since the 1980s, the price of college has skyrocketed, leaving millions of students to rely on federal loans to help cover the cost. Now, many borrowers face high monthly payments that are difficult to afford while balancing necessities like food, housing, and health care.  In this episode of “After the Fact,” we speak with Brian Denten from Pew’s student loan initiative about potential solutions to make repayment more manageable. And Washington Post reporter Danielle Douglas-Gabriel talks about the history of student loans and the impact they have on individuals and communities.

More people are living longer. According to Pew Research Center, within the next 30 years, the population of Americans age 100 and over is expected to increase more than fourfold. With an aging population, how will the stages of our lives shift and expand? In this episode from 2019, Andrew Scott, longevity expert and economics professor at the London Business School, discusses what individuals and society can consider about the challenges and opportunities of living longer for. One upside, Scott says, is “this gift of time” means that people will be younger for longer

Stat: 45%: The share of U.S. adults who describe research scientists as good communicators.  Story: How does good communication help build trust in science? In this episode of “After the Fact,” we sit down with Hank Green—a science communicator and “internet guy” with over 30 million subscribers across his YouTube channels—to help answer this question.  Green reflects on how his 2023 Hodgkin lymphoma diagnosis inspired him to better connect with his audience and educate them about the science behind his treatment journey. He also speaks about the challenges of combating misinformation in today’s world, and why empathy, transparency, and clarity are key to fostering greater understanding.

Stat: 1 in 4: More than 2 million Americans suffer from opioid use disorder, but only about 1 in 4 receive any care. Story: Opioid use has become a major public health problem in the United States, but there are many obstacles to treatment, including stigma. In this episode, members of Pew’s substance use prevention and treatment team explain how to overcome barriers to care—and how new rules from the quarantine days of the pandemic can help show the way.  We also hear from Jordan Scott, an advocate for people with substance use disorders in Pennsylvania, who shares her own long journey with addiction and the obstacles she faced.     Please note that this episode references addiction and self-harm. If you or someone you know needs help, please call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988 or visit 988lifeline.org and click on the chat button.

Stat: 4 million to 7 million: The United States has a shortage of 4 million to 7 million homes.  Story: For many Indigenous communities, the concept of land or home ownership can stand in opposition to their cultures—which often place more emphasis on land stewardship. But just like communities across the country, on and off the reservation, housing availability and affordability is a growing problem. In this episode, Jody Cahoon Perez, now the executive director of the Salish and Kootenai Housing Authority, shares how she became a homeowner on the Flathead Reservation in Montana. And the “After the Fact” team dissects some creative solutions that could help cities address housing disparities, like restrictive zoning and inventory near city centers.

Stat: 41%: The share of U.S. adults who have some form of health care debt.  Story: Millions of Americans are struggling with debt, from credit card bills to unexpected medical expenses. And many face a tough choice between paying off debt or covering basic needs such as rent, food, and health care. But what happens when these debts go unpaid?  In this episode, Lester Bird of The Pew Charitable Trusts explains how it’s possible for consumers with debt to end up in civil court, facing a lawsuit, or experience serious consequences such as wage garnishment. He discusses how these cases make up a large portion of court dockets. Noam Levey of KFF Health News shares how medical debt cases can worsen the economic conditions of individuals and communities. And Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison discusses how policymakers in his state are helping to ease the burden of medical debt on his constituents through landmark reforms. 

Stat: 1 foot: the amount the sea level rose in the Chesapeake Bay in the last century, twice as fast as the global average. Story: Climate change is driving sea-level rise and worsening coastal flooding across the globe. And in many coastal communities, the rising waters are changing local environments and the places people call home. For generations, the Nause-Waiwash people have raised families, worked, and practiced traditions like muskrat trapping in the marshlands of Maryland’s Eastern Shore. In this episode, Nause-Waiwash Chief Donna “Wolf Mother” Abbott takes us through her ancestral lands and guides us through muskrat hunting in the marsh. She discusses how her Tribe’s lands are disappearing and what she’s doing to protect her community’s histories and traditions.