Wendell Potter on The Healthcare Crisis (Al Franken podcast on YouTube)

In a major blow to American healthcare, Congress has let the ACA subsidies expire. This means higher premiums and, as a result, fewer Americans enrolling. We are joined by Wendell Potter, former VP of Corporate Communications for Cigna turned whistleblower and healthcare reform advocate. Since 2009, Wendell has pulled back the curtain on how insurance giants game the system to prioritize profits over patients.

Wendell shares the two stories demonstrating the inhumanity of the American healthcare system that pushed him to speak out. He also talks about the impact of the expiring subsidies and why it could be what he calls a "death spiral." But don't worry! Donald Trump has a plan... or at least concepts of a plan.

Al and Wendell talk about the accomplishments of the ACA, while also acknowledging that Democrats should have done more to strengthen it during the Biden administration. Now with Trump and the Republicans in charge, any chance at meaningful reform is out the window.

Plus, we revisit the December 2024 murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson and why that struck a nerve with so many Americans. 

• READ Wendell's Substack, HEALTH CARE un-covered: https://healthcareuncovered.substack.com

Interview: 

https://youtu.be/MmXYc7aYBGs?si=5oNQ4WOMLoZEttza

Weekly Roundup: Kristi Noem Implicated, Erika Kirk’s Love Language, and Bill McKibben on the Tragedy of American Christianity (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)

Brad and Dan are back from the American Academy of Religion conference in Boston and kick off this episode with some love for the folks they met there before diving into a wild week in American politics and religion. They start with the viral moment between Erika Kirk and JD Vance at a TPUSA event, unpacking the media frenzy, the rumors about Kirk’s political aspirations, and what this says about the internal dynamics of a GOP that’s trying to blend celebrity, piety, and power. From there, they break down the Department of Justice’s statement implicating Kristi Noem in deportation flights and what that level of entanglement means for accountability within the MAGA movement.

The second half of the episode takes a thoughtful turn as Brad and Dan dig into Bill McKibben’s essay “They’re Doing to America What They Did to Christianity,” exploring how nostalgia and selective memory shape everything from Christian identity to policy debates. They look at why both right wing and progressive versions of Christian nationalism are so dangerous, how civilizational populism reshaped politics during and after the Obama years, and why the GOP still has no coherent healthcare plan. Despite the heavy topics, the hosts offer reasons for hope with updates on recent legal wins, global news like Bolsonaro’s sentencing in Brazil, and reminders of why staying engaged matters.
Interview: 

https://straightwhiteamericanjesus.com/episodes/weekly-roundup-kristi-noem-implicated-erika-kirks-love-language-and-bill-mckibben-on-the-tragedy-of-american-christianity/

Weekly Roundup: We May Never Vote Again + JD Vance Runs for President (Bradley Onishi and Daniel Miller; Straight White American Jesus podcast)

Dan’s “demon” costume sets the stage for a serious warning: Americans may not be able to vote freely in 2026. Brad argues that authoritarian tactics and election interference are accelerating, pointing to SNAP benefit cuts, ACA premium hikes, and the creation of a National Guard “quick reaction force” as tools of social control. The hosts connect these developments to historical examples of militarized regimes and discuss how Trump loyalists embedding on military bases signal deeper threats to democracy.

They also turn their attention to JD Vance’s recent appearances at Ole Miss and Turning Point USA, where his rhetoric blends Christian nationalism, white supremacy, and populist theater. From his calls to teach Christianity in schools to his public remarks about his Hindu wife, Vance uses religion as a political weapon while appealing to the MAGA base. Yet amid the darkness, Brad and Dan highlight reasons for hope, including legal and judicial pushback against extreme policies and bipartisan resistance in the Senate.
Interview: 

https://www.straightwhiteamericanjesus.com/episodes/weekly-roundup-we-may-never-vote-again-jd-vance-runs-for-president/

Obamacare sticker shock could jolt Republicans

Pressure on Congress to renew Affordable Care Act subsidies is likely to ramp up this fall as notices of 2026 premium increases go out and consumers get their first warnings that huge rate hikes could be coming...

https://www.axios.com/2025/08/08/obamacare-premium-increases-republicans

Atul Gawande on Musk’s Destruction of USAID (Al Franken podcast)

Elon Musk and DOGE have been taking a chainsaw to the federal government since Trump was re-elected. It could take us generations to fully recover from the damage inflicted by the careless and cruel nature of these cuts. We're joined by American surgeon, author, and public health advocate Atul Gawande to discuss just how devastating these actions are. During the Biden administration, Gawande was a senior official at USAID. He walks us through many of the great works the program did around the world… and the damaging and deadly road that lies ahead now that it's been gutted.

We also discuss the state of our healthcare system and the popularity of Medicaid expansion. The Affordable Care Act has improved the lives of millions of Americans, but Donald Trump and the Republicans threatened to take it away from Americans in his first term. Does he dare try again?

To hear more from Atul, check out his recent piece in The New Yorker about the chaotic attempt to freeze federal assistance: https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-lede/behind-the-chaotic-attempt-to-freeze-federal-assistance
Interview: 

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-al-franken-podcast/id1462195742?i=1000703321054

ACA sign-ups expected to reach record high, Becerra says

With the passage of the Inflation Reduction Act, Congress extended enhanced ACA subsidies — premium tax credits and cost-sharing reductions — through 2025...

https://www.axios.com/2022/11/22/aca-health-care-costs-insurance-enrollment-becerra

This Coup Shall Pass (Opening Arguments podcast OA438)

While it cannot be overstated how disgusting, unpatriotic, anti-American, and anti-Democratic this pathetic coup attempt by Trump and Republicans is, it also has no chance of working. At least, according to our resident optimist, Andrew Torrez! 

Before that, Andrew gives us the breakdown on the Affordable Care Act case, and why the media might be completely wrong in how they're covering it.

Interview: 

https://www.podbean.com/ew/dir-sq6wt-bfcb703

Amy Coney Barrett And The Possible Future Of The Supreme Court (On Point)

President Trump is moving swiftly to replace Justice Ginsburg. We take a close look at how his nominee Amy Coney Barrett will push the court rightward and what it means for the future of the country.

Interview: 

https://www.wbur.org/onpoint/2020/09/28/after-rbg-future-supreme-court