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Time Magazine
Health reporter for Time magazine and author of The Stem Cell Hope: How Stem Cell Medicine Can Change Our Lives
PROFILE
Alice Park
Guest
FROM Alice Park
To the Point
Joe Biden's "Moon Shot" and "Cancer Politics" This month's State of the Union Address was unusually short of sweeping, long-range promises, but President Obama did endorse the ambitious goals of Vice President Biden's "Moon Shot" against cancer. The disease takes hundreds of different forms and varies from person to person. The Vice President says he can't promise a single "cure." Instead, his "Moon Shot" is aimed at doubling the rate of progress toward prevention and treatment -- by replacing competition with collaboration. When cancer researchers don't share information, he's learned, promising work can be lost in what scientists call the "Valley of Death." With profit-making companies entitled to guard their secrets, we hear how a master politician is coping with "cancer politics."
To the Point
Angelina Jolie, Breast Cancer and Radical Surgery In 1974, First Lady Betty Ford talked openly about her mastectomy, bringing the fears of every woman out into the open. Since then, much has changed, including the discovery of the BRCA 1 and 2 genes in 1994 and 95. This week, international super-star Angelina Jolie revealed her decision to have both breasts removed — even though she did not yet have cancer – starting a new conversation about what to do if genetic testing shows a high risk for the disease. Experts say the most important lesson is that even the testing is not for everyone, let alone a double mastectomy. There’s concern that many women will demand more treatment than they need, partly because of the "pink ribbon" culture and the medical industry. We hear more about the agonizing decisions women might be faced with all on their own.
To the Point
FDA Targets Painkillers Some of America's most popular painkillers contain an ingredient that's hard on the liver in large doses. Disputes about Vicodin, Percocet, Tylenol and Excedrin have raged for years. Now an advisory panel has recommended that Vicodin and Percocet be banned. Alice Park reports on health and medicine for Time magazine.
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To the Point
Terrorism and tweets, hate speech and murder Just days before an election, Britain is coping with a rash of deadly terrorism, and Prime Minister Theresa May is on the defensive. And again today, President Trump has tweeted criticism of the Mayor of London. Later, a double murder in Portland, Oregon has revealed the ugly past of a supposedly “progressive” city. One immediate question: is “hate speech” protected by the First Amendment?
To the Point
Janesville and the American Dream Janesville, Wisconsin is the hometown of Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan. But he couldn’t prevent the closing of the General Motors factory after 100 years. On this Memorial Day rebroadcast of To the Point, we hear what’s happened to what once was a model of American middle-class unity.
To the Point
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.
To the Point
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.