Every day in the United States, 17 veterans die by suicide. This Veterans Day, President Joe Biden is putting their mental health in the spotlight. In the latest episode of RadioEd, veteran Evan Stratton explains why the conversation needs reframing. Then, a University of Denver associate clinical professor in the military psychology specialty, Kathryn Barrs, who works closely with veterans, service members and their families, shares mental health trends, obstacles to care and stories of resilience.

Among the many revelations associated with the Pandora Papers scandal was new information about Douglas Latchford, a notorious figure in the art world. He was indicted in 2019 for trafficking looted Cambodian antiquities. According to a trove of Pandora documents, 27 art artifacts with Latchford ties remain on display in prominent museums, including six in the Denver Art Museum. Elizabeth Campbell, director of the University of Denver’s Center for Art Collection Ethics, joins us to talk about ethical stewardship, repatriation of stolen art and the impact of returning these pieces to their rightful owners.

Advocates on both sides of the abortion debate have Dec. 1 circled on their calendars. That's the day the U.S. Supreme Court will take up Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Clinic, a Mississippi case that has the potential to severely restrict abortion rights and undermine the court's 1973 decision in Roe v. Wade. Other cases out of Texas and Kentucky threaten to do the same. Ahead of oral arguments, 154 researchers and economists submitted an amicus brief to the court, explaining how reduced access to abortion affects women's income, educational opportunities, professional success and more. One of the signatories, University of Denver economist Paula Cole, joins RadioEd to explore the "downstream impacts" for women and economies across the country.

Ever since 22-year-old Gabby Petito’s parents first reported her missing, the case has run wild on social media, where amateur detectives have picked apart every last detail of the young woman’s final days, even contributing legitimate leads to the investigation. But all that social media attention isn’t necessarily a good thing, and it raises a number of questions. Whose lives are deemed important enough for the masses to care about? How does intense media scrutiny impact a case and the family behind it? And what are the larger implications of social media sleuthing? Jeff Lin, associate professor of criminology in the University of Denver’s College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences joins us to dive in.

This week, Broadway’s biggest shows are leading a nationwide revival that returns musicians, dancers, cast and crew to the spotlight. For some, the pandemic pause sparked creativity, but it also spawned questions about inequities, irregular hours, extended travel and high pressure. University of Denver alumna Karyn Meek, a longtime Broadway stage manager, shares how COVID changed her perspective on work-life balance. Then, Aisha Ahmad-Post, executive director of the Robert and Judi Newman Center for the Performing Arts, reflects on what organizations endured over the last year and the challenges they face in a changed environment.

In 2001, the United States sent its military into Afghanistan with plans to remove the Taliban from power and build a democracy in its stead. This week, 20 years later, the last U.S. soldier departed the country. But what was supposed to be the end to a decades-long war instead turned into tragedy, as the Taliban quickly wrested back control of the country and its people, setting off a new refugee crisis and global outrage. Nader Hashemi, associate professor in the Josef Korbel School of International Studies and director of the Center for Middle East Studies, joined RadioEd to analyze the situation through a humanitarian lens and pose the question: What does the United States owe Afghanistan, as well as its own people?

So far this year we’ve seen fires ravage Greece, record heat waves bake the U.S. and a massive 7.2 earthquake rock Haiti. These catastrophic events are symptoms of a larger issue according to the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The report’s analysis makes clear that climate change is real, it is dangerous and it’s happening now. Cullen Hendrix, a professor in the Josef Korbel School of International Studies and senior research advisor at the Center for Climate and Security shares with us key takeaways from the report, what they mean for humanity and why he still holds out hope.

The race to space is on for some of the wealthiest men in the world. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ 11-minute trip to space on his company Blue Origin’s rocket made headlines, but also raised significant questions about the ethics of escaping Earth at the price of a multi-million-dollar ticket. University of Denver business professor Michael Nalick weighs in on the ethical responsibility of business leaders, what this means for the wealth gap and if this was a smart business move.

After more than a year of uncertainty, athletes are finally on their way to Tokyo for the Olympic Games, which begin Friday, July 23. (The Paralympics begin Tuesday, Aug. 24.) For those who had their sights set on representing their countries, an extra year of preparation proved to be a test of both physical and mental fortitude. Athletes dealt with added stress from the COVID pandemic, limited access to training facilities and an ambiguous future. In this episode, Paralympian Lacey Henderson and Jessica Dale Bartley, a clinical assistant professor and director of mental health services for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, share the ways COVID altered athletic routines, redefined mental toughness and permanently changed high performance training.

For decades, Britney Spears has been a fixture not just in pop music but also the headlines. Most recently, it’s not her music drawing attention, but a legal battle she’s been waging against a conservatorship that​ empowers her father to make key decisions on the singer’s behalf. This arrangement, Spears says, has become a tool of abuse, and she’s calling for its end. Tammy Kuennen, a ​Sturm College of Law professor who has litigated multiple conservatorships, tells us what a typical conservatorship entails and how they can sour.