We discuss how much private health plans pay hospitals compared with Medicare; potential solutions for the humanitarian crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border; reducing opioid overdose deaths; myths about the Sri Lanka bombings; how to fund the rebuilding of U.S. infrastructure; and the gap between America’s defense strategy and its military capacity. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.

We discuss whether the Mueller report will lead to better behavior from Russia; young adults using cannabis and nicotine/tobacco products together; the emergence of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi; surprise medical bills; what kind of Brexit the British people want; and a social worker turned RAND researcher. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.

We discuss an in-school program that helps children cope with trauma; ways the U.S. can exploit Russia’s weaknesses; how women make the U.S. Coast Guard stronger; avoiding satellite collisions in space; human smuggling from Central America; and the strengthening ties between China and Russia. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.

We discuss teachers’ and principals’ views on school reform; how economic sanctions are similar to carpet bombing; a holistic approach to the opioid crisis; deterring Russia in the Baltics; how much Medicare spending is devoted to primary care; and the U.S. designation of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.

We discuss how Medicare for All might affect national health care spending; what “principal pipelines” are and how they can improve student achievement; whether graphic warning labels can stop smokers from buying cigarettes; the latest challenges facing Syria; preventing suicides after a mass shooting; and lessons about the opioid crisis from Grey’s Anatomy. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.

We discuss why effective teachers are even more valuable than you think; NATO’s enduring importance after seven decades; how to improve gender diversity in the Coast Guard; what happens when a food desert’s oasis dries up; and the characteristics of successful U.S. military interventions. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.

We discuss how to stop Russian social media influence; congestion pricing on Manhattan’s roads; whether terrorists might use cryptocurrencies; the best way for the Air Force to maintain its pilot roster; and the cost of making California hospitals more resistant to earthquakes. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.

We discuss who should be held accountable for abusive online content in the wake of the New Zealand terrorist attack; how the UK can prepare for a no-deal Brexit; relations between China and Israel; the Trump administration’s rumored “Cost Plus 50” policy; and federal options for supervised drug consumption sites. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.

We discuss how the opioid crisis affects infants; U.S. policy in Afghanistan; artificial intelligence bias; whether teachers and principals agree on school leadership; and how jobs can help improve the lives of Syrian refugees and their host countries. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.

We discuss how speed is affecting society; a strategy to help reduce health care spending; what we know about U.S. gun policy; the debate over ISIS detainees returning home; and life as a U.S. Army private. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.