DecodeDC

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News & Politics
**DecodeDC**

A reliable, honest and entertaining podcast about Washington D.C’s people, culture and politics.

Latest Episodes:

216: A coal community divided Oct 19, 2017

Show notes

Residents of coal country are getting sick, but not everyone is convinced of the cause.

Our Newsy colleague Zach Toombs explains what the science says and what the government is — or is not — doing about it.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

215: No one knows how big the opioid epidemic really is Oct 12, 2017

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Local law enforcement and national politicians are struggling to deal with the opioid epidemic gripping American communities, in large part because no one can figure out just how big the problem is. We speak with Angela Hill, who led a Scripps News investigation into a synthetic opioid called carfentanil.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

214: Why can’t Congress get anything done on guns? Oct 05, 2017

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Americans are once again mourning after another mass shooting. We explain why elected leaders fail — despite broad public support — to pass measures like additional background checks on firearm purchases. We speak with filmmaker Michael Kirk, who made the FRONTLINE documentary Gunned Down: The Power of the NRA.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

213: Got milk subsidies? Sep 28, 2017

Show notes

What does the government have to do with the price of milk? Turns out – everything. For decades, government subsidies have tried to balance supply and demand for a commodity that is produced every day, at least twice day, everywhere – and has only hours to go from the cow to the store shelf. This week, Amy Mayer of Iowa Public Radio and Harvest Public Media explains how that support has changed and what the farmers think about it.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

212: What if the government gave everyone free money? Sep 21, 2017

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A universal basic income isn't a new idea, but it's getting traction in politics today. It's a different type of safety net: free cash from the government, with absolutely no strings attached. It's never been tried in the US in a pure form, but we have had experiments that came close. Ioana Marinescu, a professor of economics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Social Policy & Practice, walks us through some of those experiments, and tells us how this whole idea might work.

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211: The problem with FEMA's flood maps Sep 14, 2017

Show notes

The Federal Emergency Management Agency maps flood plains across the country. The maps are intended to show which areas are likely to flood so that local governments can better plan for disasters. They also determine who must buy flood insurance, and at what rates. But there are problems: Many of them are outdated and don’t take into account the anticipated effects of climate change. And if you have enough money and enough political power, you can get your condo or your city moved off the map, even if you are in the eye of a storm. Host Jimmy Williams talks to two experts on why these maps don’t tell the true story of where floods are happening now and in the future.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bonus: Jeff Sessions spins the facts on DACA Sep 08, 2017

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Attorney General Jeff Sessions made some questionable statements to justify ending, DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that shielded 800,000 people who were brought to the US illegally as children. In this bonus episode, we fact-check some of those claims with the editor of PolitiFact, Angie Drobnic-Holan.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

210: Why Washington isn’t ready for the next hurricane Sep 07, 2017

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Hurricane Harvey caused billions of dollars of damage, and Hurricane Irma will likely cost even more. But how will the federal government pay for all of it, and is it possible that Washington had a hand in making the destruction worse? This week we take a look at the National Flood Insurance Program with Michael Grunwald of Politico.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

209: The Texas town with no drinking water Aug 31, 2017

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Contaminated drinking water is coming into the homes of tens of millions of Americans, especially in smaller, lower income communities, from aging, under-funded water treatment plant and distribution systems, poorly maintained private wells, and groundwater sources polluted by industrial dumping and agricultural waste. Experts and the GAO say it will require billions of dollars of infrastructure improvements to maintain safe water throughout the U. S. Customers of antiquated, poorly maintained, under-funded systems in rural areas, smaller communities and neglected older urban areas – who are disproportionately lower income, African-American and Latino – are most at risk.

Today we're going to Sand Branch, Texas, where 100 residents haven't had access to clean water for decades. What's it like to not have access to clean drinking water, and just how far do residents have to go to get it? Jimmy speaks with Brandon Kitchin, a reporter with News21's Troubled Waters investigative team, about their deep dive into clean water access across the country.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

208: The military's toxic water problem Aug 24, 2017

Show notes

The military spent decades contaminating the drinking and ground water at bases across the country and has spent billions to contain the mess.

But the veterans and families who lived on those bases are still struggling with the long legacy of that toxic water and feel abandoned and betrayed by their government. Host Jimmy Williams speaks with Adrienne St. Claire, a reporter with News21 Troubled Waters investigative team about their deep dive into the impact of the military’s on-going toxic water problem.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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