Why Should I Trust You?

Brinda Adhikari, Tom Johnson, Maggie Bartlett, Dr. Mark Abdelmalek
  • 4.5 (112)
  • NEWS COMMENTARY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Bold, unfiltered, and uncompromisingly honest, Why Should I Trust You?  is a weekly podcast that looks at the breakdown in trust for science and public health. It drops every Thursday, with occasional additional special episodes sprinkled in. Hosted by Brinda Adhikari, the former executive producer of “The Problem with Jon Stewart” and a former TV news journalist; Tom Johnson, the former executive producer of “The Circus,” and also a former TV news journalist; Dr. Maggie Bartlett, a virologist and assistant research professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; and Dr. Mark Abdelmalek a skin cancer surgeon, a medical journalist and a dermatologist practicing in Philadelphia -  each week we try to figure out what is behind this staggering collapse in trust and see if we can rebuild towards trust again. 

  1. 3D AGO

    A Conversation w Dr Sue Kressly, AAP: On Tension w HHS, Boycotting ACIP, Pharma Influence and On a Path Forward

    In today’s episode, we focus on a battle underway between two institutions that have long worked side by side. On one side: the Department of Health and Human Services. On the other: the American Academy of Pediatrics. Right now, these two organizations are in disagreement over how best to protect the health of children. You’ve likely seen the headlines: for the first time, the AAP has broken with the CDC, refusing to endorse the agency’s childhood vaccination recommendations. Instead, the AAP is urging pediatricians across the country to follow the vaccination schedule that was in place before the current HHS made its changes. Today, we’re joined by Dr. Susan Kressly, who sits on the AAP’s board, until very recently served as the organization’s president, and is a practicing pediatrician. She led the group through this tumultuous past year. We ask her why the AAP sued HHS, why it did not participate in the most recent ACIP meeting, how she believes trust in public health can be repaired, and, most importantly, at this fraught moment, who parents should trust. Hosts: Brinda Adhikari Tom Johnson Maggie Bartlett Dr. Mark Abdelmalek Guest: Dr. Susan Kressly, immediate past president of the American Academy of Pediatrics; board-certified pediatrician 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

    57 min

  2. JAN 29

    A Conversation w Bret Weinstein, Craig Spencer, Rachael Bedard & Aaron Everitt: On Minneapolis, Covid, Tyranny & Shared Values

    The deadly shooting of Alex Pretti by federal immigration agents in Minneapolis has become a flashpoint in the national conversation. It feels like an inflection point. Today, we’re joined by evolutionary biologist and influential podcaster Bret Weinstein; MAHA supporter and writer Aaron Everitt; and doctors Rachael Beddard and Craig Spencer, both writers and prominent voices in public health. Together, we examine what Minneapolis tells us about where we are as a country today: How is it that people can watch the same video and reach radically different conclusions? Do we still share the same facts, or has our shared sense of truth fully collapsed? Should those who saw the government's response during COVID as overreach also see what's happening in Minneapolis as government overreach? And finally, could this tragedy actually reveal that we share more values with one another than we realize in these tense and combative days? Hosts: Brinda Adhikari Tom Johnson Maggie Bartlett Dr. Mark Abdelmalek Guests: Dr. Bret Weinstein, evolutionary biologist, author, co host of DarkHorse podcast Dr. Craig Spencer, ER physician, professor at Brown School of Public Health; writer Dr. Rachael Bedard, palliative care and geriatics physician; worked as physician at Rikers Island; contributing writer The New York Times Aaron Everitt, MAHA supporter, Kennedy campaign volunteer, video journalist and writer House In Habit and Besides the Revolution substacks 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

    1h 55m

  3. JAN 22

    A Conversation w Dr. Kirk Milhoan, Chair of ACIP: On Sec. Kennedy, Trust & The Future of America’s Vaccines

    Dr. Kirk Milhoan, chair of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), is our guest today. ACIP sets America’s vaccine policy, and since Robert F. Kennedy Jr. took the reins at HHS, it has been at the center of some of the most heated public health debates. A pediatric cardiologist, Air Force veteran, and physician who has dedicated his life to helping sick children around the globe, we’ll ask Dr. Milhoan about his philosophy on vaccines, how he approaches vaccine policy for American children, and whether ACIP can operate independently of political pressure. We’ll also explore the massive changes that HHS has just been made to America's childhood vaccine schedule. Was ACIP consulted? And, finally, what does he see as his committee’s role in rebuilding public trust? Hosts: Brinda Adhikari Tom Johnson Maggie Bartlett Dr. Mark Abdelmalek  Guest: Dr. Kirk Milhoan: pediatric cardiologist; chair of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices; co-founder For Hearts and Souls 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

    1h 16m

  4. JAN 20

    Special Ep: A Conversation w Leading MAHA Activist Kelly Ryerson On the EPA & On the "Jump Ball" For Either Party

    Today, we’re joined by Kelly Ryerson, known to many as the “Glyphosate Girl”. Ryerson is a leading grassroots voice inside the MAHA movement focused on environmental toxins, especially herbicides and pesticides, which she believes are putting public health at risk. Her fight comes at a volatile moment: the Supreme Court has agreed to hear a pivotal case that could sharply limit Americans’ ability to sue pesticide makers, Congress is debating industry liability shields, and a major glyphosate safety study has just been retracted. We ask Ryerson whether MAHA’s environmental wing is gaining real traction or hitting a wall. With the Midterms approaching, she has threatened to mount primary challenges against Republicans who side with industry on liability protections, raising questions about the future of the MAHA–MAGA alliance. And how much is the Trump administration and this EPA an ally in her fight, or are they operating under very different priorities? Hosts: Brinda Adhikari Tom Johnson Maggie Bartlett (off) Dr. Mark Abdelmalek (off) Guest: Kelly Ryerson, educator, speaker, activist, "Glyphosate Girl" on Instagram; co-founder American Regeneration 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

    1h 6m

  5. JAN 17

    Special Ep: On New Dietary Guidelines, Conflicts of Interest & Food Science w Nutrition Experts DeeDee Tobias, Kevin Klatt & Ty Beal

    With the new federal nutrition guidelines out — and the old food pyramid effectively turned on its head — we dig into what this moment is really about. Where do MAHA and traditional nutrition experts actually agree on the new recommendations, and where do they sharply diverge? How has industry influenced past guidelines, and is it exerting a similar influence on the new ones? How should we understand the bold messaging about ending the “war” on protein and “healthy” saturated fats? And despite the heated rhetoric, is there real common ground here that could help rebuild trust? We’re joined by nutrition experts with a wide range of perspectives — plus a dose of MAHA — to unpack what these guidelines really mean for both our health and our confidence in the institutions behind them. Hosts: Brinda Adhikari Tom Johnson Maggie Bartlett Dr. Mark Abdelmalek (off) Guests: DeeDee Tobias, a nutrition and obesity epidemiologist at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.  Kevin C. Klatt is a phD and a registered dietitian. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Nutritional Sciences at the University of Toronto. Ty Beal, is a nutrition scientist at GAIN–the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition–and host of The Ty Beal Show. Dr. Beal was a scientific review author for the 2025–2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, part of the advisory team under the Trump administration Elizabeth Frost, a grassroots organizer, she leads MAHA Ohio, worked for the Kennedy campaign,  co-founder of a political consulting company called Independent Force 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

    1h 13m

  6. JAN 15

    Have Institutions - Including Public Health - Lost Touch w Working Class Americans? A Conversation w Vivek Chibber & Dr. Craig Spencer

    Today, we’re joined by sociologist Vivek Chibber, the provocative scholar and social critic who has a pointed critique of the modern day Left. The host of the Confronting Capitalism podcast joins us and argues that their management of institutions—including academia, media, the Democratic Party, and even public health—is completely out of touch with the lives and struggles of working and middle-class Americans. We discuss how this disconnect is fueling the widespread distrust of experts and institutions today, as well as Chibber's critique of the MAHA movement and its alliance with MAGA.  We also speak with public health professor and emergency physician Craig Spencer to explore how these critiques play out in the health space —on public health, cuts to scientific research, and the shrinking safety nets under the Trump administration. Finally, we discuss what, if anything, can be done to rebuild trust within communities that feel left behind, keying off of polling showing dramatic bipartisan support of the idea that good healthcare is a human right. Hosts: Brinda Adhikari Tom Johnson Maggie Bartlett (off) Dr. Mark Abdelmalek (off) Guests; Vivek Chibber,  sociology professor at NYU who studies capitalism, class, and social theory. He is a contributor to Jacobin magazine and editor of Catalyst: A Journal of Theory and Strategy. Currently co-host of podcast Confronting Capitalism. Dr. Craig Spencer, associate professor at Brown University School of Public Health, an ER doctor, has also worked for Doctors without Borders 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

    1h 12m

  7. JAN 10

    Special Ep: Denmark, Why Are We So Obsessed w You? A Conversation w Danish & American Doctors On Vaccines

    We delve into the CDC’s move to recommend fewer vaccines in the childhood immunization schedule, one of the most significant steps taken by the Kennedy administration so far. The change is sparking strong reactions across the spectrum, and we aim to understand why it’s happening, what evidence is being used to justify it, and what the potential consequences could be for children, parents, and public trust. The administration says it looked to models abroad, particularly Denmark, where fewer vaccines are recommended. So we invited two Danish physicians who know their country’s vaccine policy and practice, along with a friend of the show, Dr. Michael Mina. We ask: Is Denmark — a far smaller country with universal health care — really a good model for U.S. vaccine policy? Was this change grounded in gold-standard science? Or, as mainstream public health warns, does it increase risk for American children, even though all vaccines remain available and covered? And what, if anything, can the U.S. learn from countries that recommend fewer vaccines? Hosts: Brinda Adhikari Tom Johnson Maggie Bartlett Dr. Mark Abdelmalek Guests: Dr. Eskild Petersen, an infectious disease specialist who worked 14 years at the Statens Serum Institut moving back into clinical ID in 2003. Since 2024 adjunct professor at PandimiX Center, Roskilde University, Denmark. Leading author of "Infectious Diseases, A Geographical Guide (Rutledge 2024) and editor in chief of the International Journal of Infectious Diseases. Dr. Lone Graff Stensballe, a consultant pediatrician and expert in pediatric infectious diseases, with over 20 years of clinical experience at the pediatric department of Denmark’s National University Hospital. She is Professor of Pediatric Vaccinology and Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the University of Copenhagen. Since 2018, she has served as Chair of the Research Ethics Committees in Denmark.  Dr. Michael Mina, an epidemiologist and immunologist and physician. Over the course of his career, he’s been an associate professor at Harvard Medical School as well as the TH Chan School of Public Health. In the height of the pandemic, he led America’s Test to Treat program, which connected home testing to treatment options. He’s been a scientific advisor for health start-ups and has served on high-profile boards.  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

    54 min

  8. JAN 8

    MAHA Supporters Talking w Doctors: On the New Vaccine Schedule, On Informed Consent & On Being a Doctor in America Today

    Welcome to Season 2!  As the new year gets underway, we’re looking inside America’s exam rooms. We’ve brought together a group of traditional, allopathic doctors across multiple specialties and a group of MAHA supporters. With breaking news about changes to the childhood vaccine schedule and the dietary guidelines, this felt like the right moment to convene an honest conversation between physicians and patients about how the relationship is working. Trust in doctors remains high—but it’s drifting downward. And we know from countless conversations that a negative experience with a doctor—over a diagnosis, treatment plan, or vaccine recommendation—can fuel mistrust in the entire medical system. Why do some patients leave these interactions feeling dismissed, and where do they turn next? What is it actually like to be a doctor in America right now? What financial pressures and systemic constraints are they operating within? How do they view their time with patients? And finally, how might this week’s changes reshape trust, care, and those exam-room conversations? Hosts: Brinda Adhikari Tom Johnson Maggie Bartlett Dr. Mark Abdelmalek Guests: Nancy Fuller, MAHA supporter, former Kennedy campaign volunteer, from Ohio Dr. Craig Spencer, ER physician Providence, RI; professor at Brown University School of Public Health Len Arcuri, MAHA supporter, host of podcast Autism Parenting Secrets  Dr. Keisha Callins, OB/GYN Jeffersonville, GA; professor at Mercer University School of Medicine Daniel DeLuca, MAHA supporter, bar and restaurant owner, political consultant Dr. Jamie Loehr, family doctor from Ithaca, NY. Former ACIP member Dr. Ross England, infectious disease pediatrician, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia 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

    1h 26m
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About

Bold, unfiltered, and uncompromisingly honest, Why Should I Trust You?  is a weekly podcast that looks at the breakdown in trust for science and public health. It drops every Thursday, with occasional additional special episodes sprinkled in. Hosted by Brinda Adhikari, the former executive producer of “The Problem with Jon Stewart” and a former TV news journalist; Tom Johnson, the former executive producer of “The Circus,” and also a former TV news journalist; Dr. Maggie Bartlett, a virologist and assistant research professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; and Dr. Mark Abdelmalek a skin cancer surgeon, a medical journalist and a dermatologist practicing in Philadelphia -  each week we try to figure out what is behind this staggering collapse in trust and see if we can rebuild towards trust again. 

Information

  • Creator
    Brinda Adhikari, Tom Johnson, Maggie Bartlett, Dr. Mark Abdelmalek
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    74
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Why Should I Trust You?
  • Show Website
    Why Should I Trust You?

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