John Yang

Massive storms like Helene and Milton can devastate the people and properties that take direct hits, causing billions of dollars in damages. But the economic effects of these events can be felt thousands of miles away and for many months to come. John Yang speaks with Megan Leonhardt, senior economics writer for Barron’s, to learn more.

For the first time in decades, public health data shows a sharp drop in U.S. drug overdose deaths. But at the same time, numbers from the CDC show that fatal overdoses involving antidepressants have been on the rise for the past two decades. John Yang speaks with clinical psychologist and behavioral scientist Alison Athey for more.

Saturday is the first day of statewide early voting in Michigan, and both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are in the state trying to energize their supporters. Chad Livengood, politics editor and columnist at The Detroit News, joins John Yang to discuss the neck-and-neck race for Michigan’s 15 electoral votes.

After Israel’s first-ever open attack on Iranian soil, Iran is saying that it might not respond in kind if there’s a cease-fire in Gaza and Lebanon. A senior Biden administration official said efforts will soon resume to end the fighting in Lebanon and Gaza and secure the return of Israeli hostages still held by Hamas. John Yang speaks with Suzanne Maloney of the Brookings Institution for more.

This past week, a county judge in Ohio struck down the state’s near-total abortion ban, saying it violated a voter-approved constitutional amendment protecting reproductive rights. The ruling is likely to end up before the state Supreme Court, underscoring the importance of races on many state ballots that are flying under the radar this fall. John Yang reports.

Researchers at New York University have concluded that social media is not an accurate reflection of society, but more like a funhouse mirror distorted by a small but vocal minority of extreme outliers. It's a finding that has special resonance this election season. John Yang speaks with psychology professor Jay Van Bavel, one of the authors of the paper that reported the research, to learn more.

In our news wrap Sunday, Harris and Trump and their running mates campaigned with just nine days to go until Election Day, Egypt proposed a two-day cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, satellite images showed damage to a secret Iranian military base after Israel’s retaliatory strike, and Georgia’s president said the country was the victim of a Russian “special operation” after Saturday’s election.

On Friday, Kamala Harris and Donald Trump held dueling rallies just five miles apart in Wisconsin. Trump won the state in 2016 after it had gone for Democratic candidates for 28 years, and President Biden narrowly won it back in 2020. This year, it could help determine control of the White House, Senate and House of Representatives. John Yang speaks with PBS Wisconsin’s Zac Schultz for more.

Reproductive rights are front and center as the election enters its home stretch, more than two years after the overturning of Roe v. Wade. Despite the state bans that followed the Supreme Court ruling, the number of abortions has actually gone up. At the same time, infant mortality has been on the rise. John Yang speaks with The 19th’s reproductive health reporter Shefali Luthra for more.

Trump has long cultivated strong support among Christian conservatives. He got about 80 percent of the white evangelical Christian vote in 2016 and 2020, and appears to be on track for a similar result this year. In the closing days of the campaign, some of his supporters have characterized Harris with terms like “devil” and “Antichrist.” Historian Kristin Kobes Du Mez joins John Yang to discuss.