Every 6 seconds: $1,000+ vet bill
Sponsor Fetch Pet Insurance claims a pet owner in the US receives a vet bill over $1,000 every 6 seconds.
Where this was said
Intro: Hot Socialist Summer
At 1:00 · chapter starts 0:00
Summer 2026 has no shortage of spectacle — daredevils climbing the Empire State Building, the World Cup, a heat dome — but Noel King cuts through the noise to the story that's actually reshaping American politics [1] — Will Steakin "The DSA just knocked off a 30-year incumbent in Denver and won mayoral races in New York City and Washington D.C. all in the same primary s…" 02:38 . In New York City, Washington D.C., and Colorado, Democratic Socialists of America candidates are winning primary elections, knocking out incumbents, and sending shockwaves through the Democratic establishment. The teaser is deliberately disorienting: Kamala Harris is calling Zohran Mamdani, AOC is endorsing an Abdul Syed in Michigan, and David Duke is somehow weighing in on a DSA candidate's tweets. It's a measure of how strange the political moment has become that the episode's opening question is simply: what is the DSA, what do they want, and why now?
DSA wins: NYC, D.C., Colorado
The DSA scored major primary victories in New York City, the Washington D.C. mayoral race, and a congressional race in Colorado in a single primary season.
Similar snapshots
More than 3 in 4 Americans report anxiety or depression
Mental health challenges are nearly universal — BetterHelp's own research found the majority of Americans experiencing symptoms right now.
Medicaid 5-year look-back rule
When applying for Medicaid to cover nursing home costs, there is a 5-year look-back period that can disqualify applicants who gave away or spent down assets.
Pipe broke → hydrogen sulfide studio air
A broken pipe filled the Bad Friends studio with what the hosts identified as hydrogen sulfide — microscopic fecal aeroparticles — that the crew denied smelling.
Robot surgery: 10x less blood loss
Fei-Fei Li's father's liver surgery performed by a da Vinci robot resulted in 10 times less blood loss than a typical open liver surgery, thanks to laparoscopic precision.
115M US adults have prediabetes
Approximately 115 million adults in the US currently have prediabetes, most of whom are unaware, according to the Lingo sponsor segment.
Drug overdose deaths: 110K to 80K to 70K
Drug overdose deaths in the US fell from 110,000 to 80,000 in 2024, and then to roughly 70,000 — the largest single-year drop the CDC has ever recorded.
Men's overdose rate fell 27% in one year
Men's overdose death rate fell 27% in a single year, outpacing the 23% drop for women.
Ages 15–24 overdose deaths down 37%
The steepest decline in overdose deaths was among 15–24-year-olds, whose rate fell 37%.
Nurses walk miles per shift fetching items
Fei-Fei Li observed that on a given hospital shift, nurses walk miles just to fetch medicine and supplies, illustrating a clear use case for assistive robotics in healthcare.
