Countering the illegal flow of synthetic opioids; unblocking the Black Sea to free up Ukrainian grain; the link between poor sleep and dementia; mental health services in NYC; and defining the metaverse. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.

Teachers are stressed at a higher rate than other working adults; how states can play a role in preventing mass shootings; “don’t poke the bear” as a flawed model for U.S. strategy toward Russia; San Francisco’s open-air drug dealing problem and what to do about it; and countering violent nonstate actors. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.

Announcing our new president and CEO; Americans’ views on the U.S. Foreign Service; mapping online violent extremist rhetoric; America’s new mental health hotline; and transportation equity for older adults. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.

Which gun laws work—and which ones don’t; tracking extremism online; defending against mass attacks; insights from RAND experts on the war in Ukraine. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.

The Truth Decay phenomenon and how to stop it; what civilian technology professionals think about military applications of artificial intelligence; the link between school lunch nutrition standards and childhood obesity; why focusing so much on preventing escalation in Ukraine might be counterproductive; and a new approach to regulating space activity. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.

How tapping into Facebook data can help host countries help refugees; a survey of people experiencing homelessness in L.A.; understanding burnout among military health care providers; leveraging technology to help incarcerated people reenter the community; and how the U.S. should respond to cyberattacks. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.

Why now may be the time for a U.N.- or NATO-led peacekeeping mission in Ukraine; the geostrategic consequences of Russia’s war; a new way to address the synthetic opioid crisis; improving long-term outcomes for veterans with traumatic brain injury; and how raising the minimum wage affects divorce rates among poor Americans. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.

Why Russian mercenaries may be a weak link; the threat of Russian cyberattacks; the bleak future of Russia’s economy; why Indo-Pacific countries tiptoe around Russia; and rebuilding Ukraine after the war. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.

The potential value of an insurgent campaign in Ukraine; Russian disinformation; factors that could ultimately end the war; addressing L.A.’s housing crisis; lessons from the 2017 battle for Raqqa; a look at U.S. hospital prices; Americans’ options for reaching the middle class; and how to help single mothers get out of poverty. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.

How to help Ukrainian refugees; negotiating with Russia to end the war; how shortwave radio can help fight disinformation; the link between Russia’s war and the Arctic; how U.S. security assistance has helped Ukraine; why Russia would likely struggle to retain vast swaths territory; how reasoning and cognitive biases affect resistance to Truth Decay; using data to understand environmental racism; and what wastewater can reveal about the spread of COVID-19. For more information on this week’s episode, visit rand.org/podcast.