Paging America

Paging America
  • 4.9 (29)
  • Politics

Exploring the power, profit & politics shaping American health care with hosts Miles Baker and Dr. Rob Davidson. New episodes every Thursday. www.pagingamerica.org

  1. Trump's Health Problems Won't Stop the Grift

    3d ago

    Trump's Health Problems Won't Stop the Grift

    In a win for grassroots democracy, the group Michiganders for Money Out of Politics turned in over 562,000 signatures this week — well above the threshold needed to put a measure on the November ballot that would ban corporate donations to political causes from public utilities and large state contractors. It’s a striking contrast to the week’s other big story: a deepening portrait of federal pay-to-play, with Trump’s portfolio managers day-trading health insurer stocks while Medicare Advantage payment policy was being written, and a $5 million Big Tobacco donation to MAGA Inc. preceding a very convenient FDA vaping decision by just days. Meanwhile, the NIH is so understaffed it’s asking grad students to volunteer as grants administrators, the Ebola outbreak has become the third-largest in history, and the acting head of the infectious disease institute just quit. Trump’s Surgeon General pick is exploiting a New Jersey farm tax loophole on her $5.8 million estate, chickenpox parties are making a comeback, and RFK Jr. got bitten by a snake at Dr. Oz’s house. Plus, Dr. Rob administered a cognitive test to legendary journalist Jim Acosta on his show. We interviewed him after the test to discuss his results and why Trump would be bragging about passing such an easy test. * Michigan Public: Petition drive to get “money out of politics” submits signatures for ballot campaign * Becker’s Payer Issues: Trump’s portfolio traded 7 health insurer stocks amid MA rate discourse * The Hill: FDA approves some flavored vapes after reports of Trump pressure * The New York Times: A $5 Million Donation From Big Tobacco Preceded F.D.A. Vape Decision * Brennan Center for Justice: Unprecedented Big Money Surge for Super PAC Tied to Trump * Reuters: Acting head of US NIH infectious disease institute has left, senators say * The New York Times: Trump Administration to Send Americans Exposed to Ebola to Kenya * The Hill: Key takeaways from Trump’s Cabinet meeting: Iran, Ebola, midterms * Wikipedia: Great Barrington Declaration * MedPage Today: CDC Chief Orders 2 Americans to Quarantine Over Hantavirus Concern * The New York Times: Health Experts ‘Stunned’ by Trump Officials’ Strict Quarantine Measures * STAT: NIH behind in filling top roles, with 15 of 27 institutes led by acting directors * NATURE: NIH staffing shortage could slash number of new grants issued this year * The Hill: GOP House rep’s wife to perform duties of U.S. surgeon general * Nicole Saphier’s Instagram post saying she’s only pretending to be a doctor is HERE * POLITICO: Nicole Saphier is Trump’s pick for surgeon general. She’s also a ‘farmer’ in New Jersey — and gets a tax break. * WIRED: The Backward Logic of Chickenpox Parties * RFK Jr.’s post showing him catching snakes is HERE * Video of RFK Jr. at Trump cabinet meeting talking about circumcision again is HERE * MedPage Today: After 3-Hour Medical Visit, Trump Says ‘Everything Checked Out PERFECTLY’ * Trump on Truth Social referencing his medical visit is HERE * NPR: Trump to get ‘routine annual’ medical exam 7 months after last visit to Walter Reed * Dr. Rob Davidson administers a cognitive exam to Jim Acosta HERE * The Jim Acosta Show on Substack is HERE Join the fight at committeetoprotect.org. Subscribe, share, and leave a rating to help more people find Paging America. Have thoughts, questions, or your own health care story? Email us at feedback@pagingamerica.org. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe

    1h 21m
  2. MEMORIAL DAY WITH STEVE SCHMIDT, PLUS I TAKE THE COGNITIVE TEST, WITH DR. ROB DAVIDSON

    5d ago

    MEMORIAL DAY WITH STEVE SCHMIDT, PLUS I TAKE THE COGNITIVE TEST, WITH DR. ROB DAVIDSON

    Thank you Dani Smart, Peter W Shuster, Bird Mama, Katherine Cooper, CO, and many others for tuning into my live video with Jim Acosta and Steve Schmidt! Join me for my next live video in the app. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe

    1h 9m
  3. Purges and Implants and Grifting.. Oh My!

    May 21

    Purges and Implants and Grifting.. Oh My!

    This week on the show, the Supreme Court has punted mifepristone access back to the notoriously hostile Fifth Circuit — a short-term win for advocates, but a longer-term gift to Republicans hoping to dodge the issue before the midterms. We break down what the ruling actually means and where Alito and Thomas signaled they want the case to go. Then we get into the chaotic state of public health leadership: the Trump administration tapped a penile implant specialist with a YouTube show called Erection Connection to front its hantavirus press conference. The surgeon general position remains vacant — until now, sort of, filled temporarily by a congressman’s wife. Plus: RFK Jr. is reclassifying hundreds of senior HHS career staff to strip their civil service protections, fired the leadership of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force without explanation, and his MAHA allies are celebrating after Sen. Bill Cassidy lost his Louisiana primary. We also look at stock trades suggesting Trump may have profited from insider knowledge on Eli Lilly’s GLP-1 drugs, the administration’s push to make European countries pay more for pharmaceuticals so Americans pay less, a quiet reversal on ACIP’s new charter, and TrumpRx’s new partnership with Mark Cuban’s Cost Plus Drugs. Plus, our interview with State Rep. Donovan McKinney, where he discusses Michiganders for Money Out of Politics, also known as Mop Up Michigan. It’s a ballot initiative to curb corporate influence in politics and address economic disparities. Representing the state’s lowest-income district, McKinney argues that corporate monopoly money stifles legislative action on crucial issues like rising healthcare costs and affordability. Background Reading: * The Hill: Supreme Court preserves abortion pill access over Alito, Thomas dissents * ABORTION, EVERY DAY: Republicans Aren’t Done With Mifepristone * CNN: Penile implant specialist with history of far-right comments led hantavirus presser * KFF Health News: Trump Bought Stock in Drugmaker as His Government Boosted Its Obesity Drugs * The Hill: GOP House rep’s wife to perform duties of U.S. surgeon general * STAT: Kennedy names interim surgeon general amid vacancies atop health department * Bloomberg (via MSN): RFK Jr. taps Haridopolos as temporary surgeon general * POLITICO: RFK Jr.’s department to make it easier to fire career staff * POLITICO: RFK Jr. fires leaders of group that determines what insurers must cover * STAT: Top U.S. officials pressured Germany to pay more for prescription drugs * Rep. Donavan McKinney’s House Dems webpage is HERE * Planet Detroit: As Michigan insurance costs rise, ballot drive highlights Blue Cross lobbying * The Michiganders for Money Out of Politics (Mop Up Michigan) website is HERE Join the fight at committeetoprotect.org. Subscribe, share, and leave a rating to help more people find Paging America. Have thoughts, questions, or your own health care story? Email us at feedback@pagingamerica.org This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe

    57 min
  4. Polling the MAHA Voter

    May 19 ·  Bonus

    Polling the MAHA Voter

    With the midterm elections looming, a staggering 41% of Americans now identify with the MAHA (Make America Healthy Again) movement. But who are these voters, and what do they actually want? Host Miles welcomes KFF Senior Survey Manager Lunna Lopes to go past the talking points and look straight at the data. Lunna shares surprising insights from KFF’s latest health tracking poll, revealing a diverse, cross-partisan electorate that cares deeply about kitchen-table issues like the cost of health care. Tune in to find out where these voters put their trust, how they view federal agencies like the FDA and CDC, and what both parties need to know to win them over in November. References: * The Washington Post: Why 41 percent of Americans say they identify with the MAHA movement * KFF Health Tracking Poll: MAHA and the Midterms Join the fight at committeetoprotect.org. Subscribe, share, and leave a rating to help more people find Paging America. Have thoughts, questions, or your own health care story? Email us at feedback@pagingamerica.org. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe

    12 min

  5. May 14

    "Under-babied and over-medicated"

    This week in health policy chaos: Mifepristone remains available for now after a series of last-minute court stays, but the Trump DOJ's silence in the case has legal experts baffled. FDA Commissioner Marty Makary resigned rather than approve fruit-flavored vapes — beating Trump to the punch. A hantavirus outbreak on a cruise ship exposed serious gaps in U.S. public health response, with CDC teams slow to act and the Vessel Sanitation Program gutted by DOGE cuts. RFK Jr. is reportedly exploring restrictions on widely used antidepressants like Zoloft and Prozac, while quietly running a sprawling investigation to link vaccines to chronic disease. And at a White House event for expectant mothers, Dr. Oz worried about America being "under-babied" and promoted "Trump babies," while RFK Jr. warned about declining sperm counts. Background reading: * The Hill: Supreme Court extends pause on abortion pill restrictions through Thursday * NPR: With legal briefs in, Supreme Court weighs telehealth access for the abortion pill * NBC News: Trump weighs firing Dr. Marty Makary as FDA chief * The Hill: FDA approves some flavored vapes after reports of Trump pressure * The New York Times: F.D.A. Commissioner Marty Makary Resigns After Weeks of Pressure * The New York Times: Hantavirus Response Shows How Trump Cuts Have Compromised U.S. Preparedness * The Hill: RFK Jr.: ‘We’re not worried’ about hantavirus spreading after cruise ship outbreak * NBC News: U.S. departure from WHO could hinder hantavirus response * Futurism: The CDC Fired All Its Cruise Ship Inspectors Before the Hantavirus Outbreak * Reuters: Kennedy’s health officials explored US ban of some widely used antidepressants * CNN Health: RFK Jr. launches plan to address ‘overuse’ of psychiatric medications * The New York Times: Kennedy Starts a Push to Help Americans Quit Antidepressants * The New York Times: Kennedy Is Driving a Vast Inquiry Into Vaccines, Despite His Public Silence * Moms.gov * Dr. Oz’s “under-babied” comments are HERE * Dr. Oz’s “Trump babies” comments are HERE * PEOPLE: RFK Jr. Says Men in the ‘70s Had Twice as Much Sperm as Teenage Boys Today: ‘Existential Crisis Join the fight at committeetoprotect.org. Subscribe, share, and leave a rating to help more people find Paging America. Have thoughts, questions, or your own health care story? Email us at feedback@pagingamerica.org. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe

    39 min

  6. May 7

    The Battle Over Medication Abortion: Courts & Chaos

    This week, Miles and Dr. Rob open with a seismic shift in reproductive rights: a Fifth Circuit ruling that functionally banned mifepristone access via telehealth and through pharmacies, throwing medication abortion into chaos nationwide, even in states like Michigan where abortion rights are constitutionally protected. Dr. Rob sits down with Founding Director of the Center for Health Policy and the Law, Katie Keith, to break down the competing court deadlines around abortion medication, the Supreme Court’s options around the Fifth Circuit’s ruling, and the impossible political bind facing the Trump administration. In the second half of the show, Miles and Dr. Rob cover the collapse of Casey Means’ Surgeon General candidacy and the nomination of Fox News contributor, Dr. Nicole Saphier, a pandemic-era grievance podcaster already drawing fire from the MAHA coalition she was supposed to appease. They also discuss the FDA burying reports that are favorable to vaccines and new health care-related messaging guidance for Democrats. Background reading: * The Center for Health Policy and the Law at the O’Neill Institute’s website is HERE * Katie Keith’s bio * Louisiana Illuminator: Louisiana sues Food & Drug Administration to stop mailing of abortion medication * Reuters: US judge pauses Louisiana’s challenge to FDA abortion drug rule * ABC News: RFK Jr. launches FDA review of abortion pill * Center for Reproductive Rights: 5th Circuit Limits Telehealth Provision of Abortion Pill * CNN: Supreme Court temporarily restores ability to receive abortion drug mifepristone by mail * AXIOS: Abortion pill rulings cause whiplash and confusion * Stateline: Unpacking the fight over telehealth access to abortion medication * PBS: Trump’s new surgeon general nominee has both praised and criticized his administration * Calley Means’ tweet about his sister’s demise * RFK Jr.’s tweet about Casey Means’ demise * Julia Letlow’s tweet about Casey Means’ demise * POLITICO: Casey Means: Murkowski sank my nomination * Radiology Business: President Trump nominates radiologist to serve as surgeon general * The Hill: Who is Nicole Saphier, new Trump surgeon general nominee? * The Guardian: Who is Nicole Saphier, Trump’s new nominee for US surgeon general? * Drop Rx website * The Drop Rx About page * POLITICO: 4 facts about the new surgeon general nominee * POLITICO: The new surgeon general nominee has a MAHA problem * The Washington Post: CDC won’t publish report showing covid shots cut likelihood of hospital visits * The New York Times: F.D.A. Blocked Publication of Research Finding Covid and Shingles Vaccines Were Safe * POLITICO: Dem pollster says party should do more to sell health care message * Sen. Jon Ossoff’s ad “This Is Why Things Don’t Work For Ordinary People” Join the fight at committeetoprotect.org. Subscribe, share, and leave a rating to help more people find Paging America. Have thoughts, questions, or your own health care story? Email us at feedback@pagingamerica.org. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe

    59 min
  7. MAHA Got Played and Big Tobacco Got a Promotion

    Apr 30

    MAHA Got Played and Big Tobacco Got a Promotion

    This week, Miles and Dr. Rob cover a week of troubling health care news: Senator Bill Cassidy goes soft on RFK Jr. at Senate hearings as he faces a tough Senate primary, a former tobacco executive lands a CDC deputy director role, and the $50 billion Rural Health Transformation Fund is shaping up to be a corporate cash grab that leaves small rural clinics behind. They also unpack the Trump administration’s quiet rewrite of Title X, steering the country’s flagship family planning program away from contraception toward pro-natalist goals lifted straight from Project 2025, and close on a silver lining as the MAHA movement sours on Trump, with major influencers saying their followers feel lied to, even as the MAHA PAC is revealed to be funded largely by Big Pharma. Background reading: * MedPage Today: How ‘The Pitt’ Gets Emergency Medicine Right * NBC News: Cassidy clashes with RFK Jr. on vaccines and abortion medicine * The Hill: Cassidy clashes with Kennedy over vaccine studies * POLITICO: Bill Cassidy’s still attacking RFK Jr. Now it’s about abortion. * AP: RFK Jr. faced the Senate. One lawmaker’s competing loyalties were on display * The New York Times: MAHA Group Pledges $1 Million to Help Defeat Senator Cassidy in Louisiana Primary * STAT: Former tobacco executive joins CDC senior leadership, raising concerns over industry influence * KFF Health News: Big Companies Position Themselves for Payday From $50B Federal Rural Health Fund * The New York Times: The Trump Administration Is Coming After Birth Control Access in a Terrifying New Way * Newsweek: Stephen Miller’s Wife Condemns Teen Birth Rate Falling-‘Biological Destiny’ * Katie Miller’s tweet lamenting falling teen birthrates * The New York Times: The ‘Make America Healthy Again’ Movement Is Cooling on Trump and Republicans * The Hill: Supreme Court hears Roundup case that could limit Americans’ ability to sue pesticide companies * POLITICO: The groups backing RFK Jr. are running low on cash Join the fight at committeetoprotect.org. Subscribe, share, and leave a rating to help more people find Paging America. Have thoughts, questions, or your own health care story? Email us at feedback@pagingamerica.org. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe

    41 min
  8. Misinterpreting Vaccine Data = More Clicks, Fewer Jabs

    Apr 23

    Misinterpreting Vaccine Data = More Clicks, Fewer Jabs

    Dr. Rob and Dr. Kristin Lyerly break down major developments shaping the current health care and political landscape, including new threats to environmental health in the Boundary Waters, the detention of a physician serving an underserved community, and high-stakes judicial races in Georgia where abortion rights are once again on the ballot. They also examine early fallout from the GOP’s health care agenda and raise concerns about political interference in public health—highlighting suppressed CDC data on COVID-19 vaccines and cuts to mRNA research. In the second half, Dr. Rob sits down with pediatrician and public health expert Dr. David Higgins to unpack a viral POLITICO poll claiming Americans are increasingly skeptical of vaccines. Higgins breaks down why the data is being misinterpreted, what it actually reveals about public trust, and how misinformation spreads through media and social networks. Background reading: * Dr. Kristen Lyerly on Substack * The Dr. Kristen Lyerly Show on YouTube * CNBC: Senate overturns Boundary Waters protections, a boon for Chilean mining company * MedPage Today: Medical Groups Call for Release of Detained Doctor * News From The States: Abortion debate plays out in Georgia Supreme Court race * KFF Health News: Rural Nebraska Dialysis Unit Closes Despite the State’s $219M in Rural Health Funding * The Washington Post: CDC won’t publish report showing covid shots cut likelihood of hospital visits * CNN: HHS rejects publication of study showing Covid-19 vaccines prevent hospitalizations, ER visits * HHS press release: HHS Winds Down mRNA Vaccine Development Under BARDA * STAT: Kennedy’s case against mRNA vaccines collapses under his own evidence * NBC News: FDA refuses to review Moderna’s mRNA flu shot * CNN: After a year of turmoil, cancer researchers see promising signs for mRNA vaccines * NBC News: Pancreatic cancer mRNA vaccine shows lasting results in an early trial * Morning Brew: mRNA vaccines could treat aggressive pancreatic cancer * INC.: New Study Finds mRNA Cancer Vaccine Could Be a Game Changer * CIDRAP: Lyme disease vaccine shows over 70% efficacy in phase 3 trial * Boston Globe: RFK Jr. sat for his first congressional hearings this year. Here are some takeaways. * Bloomberg: RFK Jr. Has Stopped Talking About Vaccines. A Memo Shows Why. * The New York Times: Kennedy Shifts Tone on Vaccines in Congressional Hearing * MedPage Today: Kennedy Defends His Record on Measles, Prior Auth in Traditional Medicare * ABC News: RFK Jr. defends vaccine views, autism comments during House committee hearing * Sen. Elizabeth Warren questions RFK Jr. during HELP Committee hearing * POLITICO: More Americans doubt vaccine safety than trust it, POLITICO Poll finds * Community Immunity: Headlines Claim Vaccine Skepticism Is Widespread. The Data Say Otherwise. * DavidHigginsMD.com * Dr. David Higgins on LinkedIn * Dr. David Higgins’ Substack Community Immunity Join the fight at committeetoprotect.org. Subscribe, share, and leave a rating to help more people find Paging America. Have thoughts, questions, or your own health care story? Email us at feedback@pagingamerica.org. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.pagingamerica.org/subscribe

    1h 11m
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4.9
out of 5
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About

Exploring the power, profit & politics shaping American health care with hosts Miles Baker and Dr. Rob Davidson. New episodes every Thursday. www.pagingamerica.org

Information

  • Creator
    Paging America
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    69
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Paging America
  • Show Website
    Paging America

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