GOP Congress Exodus, Lower Back Pain, Protecting Workers' Tips

Guest: James Curry, PhD, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University of Utah House Speaker Paul Ryan has announced he will not run for re-election, but he told reporters when he made the announcement that his decision has nothing to do with the possibility that Republicans will lose control of the US House in the coming mid-term election. Rather, Ryan says it’s about spending more time with his family. A record number of Republicans in Congress are retiring, resigning or leaving to run for other office. What’s does Paul Ryan’s departure as a Republican figurehead in Washington mean for the party’s chances of keeping control of Congress this year?

Guest: Judith Turner, PhD, Clinical Psychologist, Center for Pain Relief, University of Washington Medical Center, Professor of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences and of Rehabilitation Medicine at the University of Washington Low back pain is always bad news – and it’s increasingly common in the US and everywhere else in the world. But the really bad news is that the typical treatment for it – painkillers, “taking it easy,”  and even shots or surgery – are not scientifically proven to be that helpful. In fact, they’re not even the first line of treatment recommended by expert groups such as the American Pain Society.

Guest: Nicole Hallett, PhD, Assistant Clinical Professor, School of Law, and Director of the Community Justice Clinic, University at Buffalo In the restaurant business there’s a sort of class divide not unlike the upstairs/downstairs thing in Downtown Abbey – but it’s between the people who work in the front of the restaurant dealing with customers and the people who work in the back. When you leave a tip for your server, do you ever think about the line cooks or dishwashers who also made your meal possible? Would you like them to get a cut of what you’re leaving for the team that took your order, delivered your food and cleared your plates? This question of who should get a share of the tips is an ongoing, heated debate in the restaurant world, which both the Obama and Trump Administrations have waded into.

(Originally aired: Nov. 6, 2017) Guest: Giora Netzer, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Maryland There’s a nationwide movement to loosen visitor restrictions in critical care hospital settings. Advocates for giving a patient’s family open access to the ICU say it improves things for both the patient and the family. Not all intensive care nurses or hospital administrators agree, however.

(Originally aired: Jan. 30, 2018) Guest: Bryan Davies, PhD, Assistant Professor of Molecular Biosciences, University of Texas at Austin The rapid growth of bacteria resistant to antibiotics is a global health crisis, according to the World Health Organization. But the race to discover new antibiotics that work is slow-going. A team of biologists at the University of Texas at Austin has found a way to speed up the testing process.

(Originally aired: Aug. 29, 2017) Guest: Shoshanah Inwood, Assistant Professor of Community Development and Food Systems, Ohio State University When you think about the most dangerous jobs in America, does farming come to mind? Flipping tractors, unpredictable animals, chemical exposure and dangerous machinery make agriculture one of the most hazardous industries in the country. Little wonder that finding affordable health insurance is one of the most significant concerns facing American farmers, who are often self-employed. A survey funded by the US Department of Agriculture also found that concern deters young farmers from embracing the career.