As the opioid epidemic continues to worsen in the U.S., some jails and prisons have turned to a medication called Vivitrol to treat inmates. But the drug is expensive, and many inmates rely on Medicaid to keep treatment going.

Here & Now

For Opioid-Addicted Inmates, More Jails Rely On Vivitrol

On the minds of many voters in South Carolina is one of the greatest tragedies to hit state in modern history: the mass shooting at Charleston's Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, often called Mother Emanuel.

Rev. Anthony Thompson lost his wife, Myra, that night. He shares that experience, as well as his thoughts on the 2016 election, with Here & Now's Jeremy Hobson.

February 18, 2016 | Produced by Dean Russell

Husband Of AME Shooting Victim Supports Clinton In S.C. Primary

Obesity affects more than a third of Americans, complicating health, relationships and, sometimes, happiness. All of those Americans have their own stories about how they gained weight and what role it plays - or doesn't - in their lives.

As part of Here & Now's five-part series, America On The Scale, host Jeremy Hobson speaks with three people who all have dealt with obesity in different ways: one is struggling to lose weight, one has succeeded in losing weight and one has decided not to lose weight.

December 08, 2015 | Produced by Dean Russell

America On The Scale: Part 2 - Learning To Live With Obesity

American music can mean a lot of things to different people. It's jazz. It's folk. It's hip-hop. For the Americana band Blitzen Trapper, "American music" means the music that reminds them most of home: rural Oregon and Portland (before Portland was cool).

As part of Here & Now's occasional music series, the guys of Blitzen Trapper - on their U.S. tour promoting their latest album "All Across This Land" - stopped by to talk about quintessential American music as they hear it, and explain how American roots music has influenced their sound.

Produced by Dean Russell

Blitzen Trapper Picks The Most American Americana

Radio journalist, composer and videographer.

deanwrussell