After the Fact

Text message reminders help many of us manage our busy, day-to-day lives—especially for important appointments. But what happens when that appointment is a court date? These systems are often not digital and not set up to help people who forget or are missing information about their hearing. And the consequences for people missing their court date, even by accident, can escalate quickly.
Pew's Michelle Russell tells us about the research behind why there can be a lot of no-shows in court. She shares how text reminders could address the main reason half of people missed their court hearings as well as could help people to better engage with courts and help courts to operate more effectively.

As the United States approaches its 250th anniversary, Americans are growing more concerned about the state of the nation's democracy. According to Pew Research Center, 80% of U.S. adults say that when it comes to major issues facing the country, Republican and Democratic voters don't just disagree on policies—they can't even agree on basic facts.
So, what does it take to bridge divides during a time of deep polarization? In this special rebroadcast of The Pew Charitable Trusts and Disagree Better's "America at 250 Forum," Governors Spencer Cox (UT), Wes Moore (MD), and Kevin Stitt (OK) join NPR's Steve Inskeep for a cross-party conversation about civil discourse, public trust, and where we can find common ground on our nation's most pressing policy issues.

Getting a first smartphone has become a modern rite of passage for many children and teens. And with the rise of social media and the constant need to stay connected, today's kids are spending more time online than any other generation. 
But parents are often just as glued to screens as their children, and many are concerned that their own tech habits are straining family relationships and affecting their mental health. In fact, a 2024 report from the U.S. surgeon general found that 48% of parents say their stress is completely overwhelming on most days.
In this episode of "After the Fact," Pew expert Jessica Roark discusses why screens and social media can have a negative impact on mental health. And Andrea Davis, founder and CEO of Better Screen Time, shares strategies to help families build and maintain healthy tech habits.

A cancer diagnosis can be devastating. And the chemotherapy that often follows can be particularly rigorous. The American Cancer Society projects that 2.1 million people in the United States will be diagnosed with cancer in 2026—but researchers are making major advances in cancer treatment and patient survival.
Ziyang Zhang is a chemist and 2023 Pew-Stewart Scholar for Cancer Research who leads cutting-edge studies on reducing the negative effects of chemotherapy on cancer patients. In his lab at the University of California, Berkeley, he and his team are producing new tools at the chemical level that will help to develop more effective therapies to target cancer mutations and avoid damage to healthy cells.

Last year, a devastating and deadly fire in Milwaukee forced residents to confront a painful reality: The places where many people can afford to live are often the least safe. As the United States faces a shortage of millions of homes, new research shows that the path to safer, more affordable housing may lie in modern multifamily buildings that are constructed with fire-resistant materials like sprinkler systems and stronger building codes. In fact, the rate of fire death in modern apartments is one-sixth the rate of single-family houses and older apartment buildings.
In this episode of "After the Fact," Pew housing expert Alex Horowitz explains how modern housing design can save lives, and why public misconceptions about density and safety can limit progress. We also travel to Milwaukee to learn from firefighters on the ground about why better policy and smarter construction can help shape safer homes for the future.