How could the midterms impact public health?

For this week's STATus report, I report from arguably the birthplace of American democracy, and my hometown, Boston. What better place is there to be ahead of next week's midterm elections? In this episode, STAT reporters from our DC bureau and across the newsroom will discuss what the midterms could mean for vaccine policy, drug policy, the MAHA movement, and more. But first, STAT reporter Anil Oza recently spoke to Michigan Senate candidate Abdul El-Sayed. This week's episode includes some excerpts from that interview, in which El-Sayed responds to recent statements from RFK Jr. about Arab Americans in health and science, and what public health goals he hopes to accomplish if elected. 00:00 Introduction 00:59 Abdul El-Sayed responds to RFK Jr. 01:59 Bringing public health into politics 03:08 Rebuilding trust in public health 04:43 Vaccine policy and key races 06:58 How the parties could respond to the results 08:11 MAHA, Medicaid and health ballot measures 09:55 Why Abdul El-Sayed's race matters 10:51 Can Democrats win over MAHA voters? 12:32 Massachusetts' marijuana repeal vote