After the Fact
After the Fact

After the Fact

The Pew Charitable Trusts

Overview
Episodes

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After the Fact is a podcast from The Pew Charitable Trusts that brings you data and analysis on the issues that matter to you—from our environment and the sciences, to larger economic trends and public health. Experts from Pew and other special guests discuss the numbers and trends shaping some of society's biggest challenges with host Dan LeDuc, then go behind the facts with nonpartisan analysis and stories.

Recent Episodes

Gen Z Vibes on Retirement
OCT 31, 2025
Gen Z Vibes on Retirement

Millions of Americans are behind on their retirement savings goals, and nearly 70% of those already retired wish they had started saving earlier. But Gen Z, the latest generation to enter the workforce, is an outlier, with the data showing that they are saving more than millennials and putting new emphasis on planning for the future. What gives?

In this episode of "After the Fact," John Scott, who directs Pew's retirement savings project, explains new ways people can save more and earlier. And Taylor Price, a financial educator, influencer, and entrepreneur known online as Priceless Tay, discusses how she's trying to help close the financial literacy gap for Gen Zers.

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20 MIN
America's Most Problematic Drug Is Alcohol
OCT 17, 2025
America's Most Problematic Drug Is Alcohol

While opioid use disorder dominates headlines, alcohol quietly remains America's most problematic—and overlooked—drug. Nearly 30 million people are estimated to have alcohol use disorder. In this episode of "After the Fact," Dr. Elizabeth Salisbury-Afshar, an addiction medicine specialist, and Pew's Frances McGaffey discuss the latest trends related to alcohol use, its normalization in American culture, and the evolving science behind its risks.

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23 MIN
From Lab to Life: How to Heat-Proof Coral Reefs
OCT 3, 2025
From Lab to Life: How to Heat-Proof Coral Reefs

The ocean's coral reefs support an estimated 25% of all known marine life yet are threatened by rising ocean temperatures and bleaching. In this "After the Fact" episode from our recurring "From Lab to Life" series, we look at ways scientists are pioneering efforts to save corals.

Phillip Cleves is a marine scientist who researches ways to restore and protect these important ecosystems. From his lab at the Carnegie Institution for Science at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, he describes how studying coral genetics can help uncover solutions to protect marine health—and how this research can advance human health too.

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13 MIN