Why Should I Trust You?

Aaron Everitt, MAHA supporter and writer, shares personal takes on health policy and political disillusionment. Ashley Kirzinger, KFF survey methodology lead, breaks down polling methods and trends. Liz Hamel, KFF public opinion director, brings long-running expertise on health polling. They discuss rising healthcare costs, nutrition and food-safety worries, MAHA’s appeal, vaccine attitudes, and how people get health information.

Today, we explore an unlikely alliance.The Make America Healthy Again movement is nearly always associated with MAGA and the Republican Party. But on one issue, the political lines are being scrambled. It is Democrats in Congress, and not Republicans, who are standing with the movement in opposing liability protections for pesticide manufacturers.  At the center of the fight is a controversial provision in the new Farm Bill that critics say would give pesticide manufacturers a legal liability shield.We’re joined by two key Democrats who fought to stop it—Congresswoman Chellie Pingree of Maine and Congressman Jim McGovern of Massachusetts—one of whom called the proposal “an outrage.”We’ll also hear from influential MAHA environmental advocate Kelly Ryerson.Are Democrats willing to work with MAHA on some issues? Is MAHA willing to break with Republicans when their goals diverge? And what could this unusual coalition mean for the coming midterm elections and, most importantly, the health of Americans?Hosts:Brinda AdhikariTom JohnsonMaggie BartlettDr. Mark AbdelmalekGuests:Rep. Jim McGovern (D-MA), is the Ranking Member of the House Rules Committee and also serves on the House Agriculture Committee.Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME), serves on House AppropriationsCommittee and House Agriculture Committee.Kelly Ryerson, MAHA activist, Glyphosate Girl, currently advocating to oppose legal protections for pesticide manufacturers. Thanks for listening! If you like us, please leave a review, rate us, and please subscribe! Got questions? Comments? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at questions@whyshoulditrustyou.net

In today’s episode, Dr. Kirk Milhoan, the chair of the influential ACIP, returns to our show. In a wide-ranging conversation, we discuss his reaction to major news this week: the federal judge issuing a preliminary order pausing his committee’s work, leading to the cancellation of their scheduled meeting.Since ACIP was expected to take up the issue of vaccine injury, we explore the topic with Dr. Milhoan, alongside Dr. Craig Spencer of Brown University School of Public Health and Dr. Akiko Iwasaki of Yale School of Medicine.Together, we hear the stories of three remarkable individuals who have experienced serious health setbacks following a COVID vaccine. We ask whether enough is being done to care for Americans like them, what challenges stand in the way of better understanding vaccine-related injuries, and how public health should respond to the very real experiences of those affected.Hosts:Brinda AdhikariTom JohnsonMaggie BartlettDr. Mark AbdelmalekGuests:Dr. Kirk Milhoan, chairman, ACIP, pediatric cardiologistJohn West, federal employee, Covid vaccine injuredProf. Akiko Iwasaka, immunologist, Yale School of MedicineDr. Craig Spencer, ER doctor, public health professor, Brown School of Public HealthJane Rioseco, consultant working on health and justice issues; Covid vaccine injured(recorded voice of Daniel King), Covid vaccine injured; served as active duty military. Thanks for listening! If you like us, please leave a review, rate us, and please subscribe! Got questions? Comments? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at questions@whyshoulditrustyou.net

Dr. Catherine Wells, Lubbock public health director who led West Texas response; Dr. Robin LaCroix, pediatric infectious disease expert from Prisma Health; Dr. Stuart Simko, frontline pediatrician in Greer. They discuss who is unvaccinated, community profiles behind hesitancy, clinical care and severe measles cases, outreach strategies with trusted local workers, and tensions between public health tactics and compassionate communication.

GLP-1 drugs are being hailed as “miracle” treatments for obesity and diabetes, two of the biggest drivers of America’s chronic disease crisis. Nearly 30 million Americans say they’re taking one, and early signs suggest they may be changing not just individual lives, but even national health trends. Could Ozempic actually help reverse the obesity epidemic?But in the era of “Making America Healthy Again,” where the focus is on food, lifestyle, and root causes, how does a blockbuster pharmaceutical fit in? Are GLP-1s a genuine breakthrough or another example of America reaching for the next quick medication fix while deeper problems go unsolved?We’re joined by Rachael Bedard, who recently wrote about GLP-1s for New York Magazine; Mariela Glandt, an expert on metabolic health; and Dhruv Khullar, who has covered these drugs for The New Yorker.Hosts:Brinda AdhikariTom JohnsonMaggie BartlettDr. Mark AbdelmalekGuests:Dr. Rachael Bedard, geriatrician, palliative-care specialist, contributing writer for The New York Times (https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/ozempic-weight-loss-diet-drug-moral-panic.html)Dr. Dhruv Khullar, physician, associate professor Weill Cornell Medical College; staff writer at The New Yorker (https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2026/02/16/can-ozempic-cure-addiction)Dr. Mariela Glandt, endocrinologist, experience treating diabetes, founder of Owna Health, a virtual clinic that helps people — especially in underserved communities — manage and even reverse type 2 diabetes and obesity through a nutrition-focused plan. (https://owna.health/)Thanks for listening! If you like us, please leave a review, rate us, and please subscribe! Got questions? Comments? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at questions@whyshoulditrustyou.net

Our guest today is Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Director of the National Institutes of Health and acting director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.As he leads the world’s largest biomedical research enterprise and now the CDC--the first time one individual has led both institutions--we discuss his goals, governing philosophy, and vision for the future of American health science.After emerging as a vocal critic of federal health leadership during the pandemic, how does he now approach his new roles? Nearly a year into his tenure, does he believe public trust is being restored?We examine the past year, including cuts to research deemed connected to diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives; the administration’s freeze on certain university funding tied to concerns about campus policies it considers discriminatory or antisemitic; his strategic approach to setting funding priorities; and his message to early-career researchers.Hosts:Brinda AdhikariTom JohnsonDr. Mark AbdelmalekMaggie Bartlett (producer role today)Guest:Dr. Jay Bhattacharya, Director of the National Institutes of Health; Acting Director of the Centers For Disease Control and PreventionThanks for listening! If you like us, please leave a review, rate us, and please subscribe! Got questions? Comments? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at questions@whyshoulditrustyou.net

In the wake of the President's executive order on glyphosate, the herbicide widely used on American farms and long derided by MAHA, there is intense focus on the movement. People are asking whether the wheels are coming off, whether this is the moment the MAGA–MAHA alliance begins to fracture. And that question isn’t just coming from critics. Many MAHA supporters themselves are wondering the same thing.President Trump’s executive order invoked the Defense Production Act to safeguard U.S. supplies of glyphosate, calling it critical not only to farmers, but also to the nation’s food security — and even national defense.MAHA and its leader, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have long argued that glyphosate is harming Americans’ health. Yet Kennedy has expressed support for the executive order.That has left many in the movement furious. But is MAHA really splintering? Or are followers beginning to see this as the reality of governance — compromise and patience?We’ve got a star-studded MAHA lineup today: Zen Honeycutt, Kelly Ryerson, and Jenna McCarthy — influential voices with plenty to say about where this movement goes next.Hosts:Brinda AdhikariTom JohnsonMaggie Bartlett (off)Dr. Mark Abdelmalek (off)Guests:Zen Honeycutt, founder + executive director of Moms Across America movement; environmental activistKelly Ryerson, Glyphosate Girl on social media; environmental activist; regen farming advocateJenna McCarthy, author of Jenna's Side substack and co-author of The War on Ivermectin with Pierre KoryThanks for listening! If you like us, please leave a review, rate us, and please subscribe! Got questions? Comments? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at questions@whyshoulditrustyou.net

Ben Mazer, surgical pathologist and Atlantic health journalist, breaks down the Moderna–FDA flap. He walks through trial design controversies, why the control arm mattered, and whether stricter evidence standards or politics drove the reversal. He also weighs mRNA’s strengths and limits for flu, potential chilling effects on developers, and how regulatory choices shape public trust.

Today, we bring together a group of Black women with a wide range of perspectives — from mainstream public health and medicine to MAHA and everything in between — for a candid conversation about their health, their lived experiences, and their trust, or lack of it, in the systems designed to heal us.Black women face higher rates of diabetes and stroke, more aggressive cancers, and far riskier pregnancies. And yet, time and again, they say the medical system meant to care for them has too often failed them.So what do they see as their most urgent needs? How do they view this administration — Kennedy, MAHA, the push against ultra-processed foods, and the backlash against DEI? And ultimately, do they believe these changes will improve their health, or once again leave them on the margins?And riding shotgun with us today is a friend of the pod, MacKenzie Isaac, who is passionate about the health issues affecting the Black community.Hosts:Brinda AdhikariTom JohnsonMaggie BartlettDr. Mark AbdelmalekGuest host: Mackenzie Isaac, health educator, getting phD in bioethics from Oxford UniversityGuests:Dr. Keisha Callins, OB/GYN, health educatorRenee Mitchell, founder Breaking the Cycle Drop Corp; Kennedy & MAHA supporterDenise Octavia Smith, community health worker and inaugaral executive directorAlexandra Thompson, public health policy analystTribeca Cannon, community health workerYesenia Muhammad, lawyer; Kennedy & supporterThanks for listening! If you like us, please leave a review, rate us, and please subscribe! Got questions? Comments? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at questions@whyshoulditrustyou.net

Marc Elia, Invivyd board chair with finance and biotech experience, and Dr. Michael Mina, epidemiologist and immunologist who led Test-to-Treat, discuss monoclonal antibodies. They cover how monoclonals work across diseases, their roles as treatment versus prevention, using them alongside vaccines, prospects for measles and RSV therapeutics, cost and market challenges, and rebuilding public trust in medical choices.