The Future Of Social Security Benefits, This West Virginia Morning

The Future Of Social Security Benefits, This West Virginia Morning

August 20, 2026 Duration: 0:00
Social Security began 91 years ago when President Franklin Roosevelt signed it into law. Since then, it has provided a social safety net to Americans, allowing many of them to retire with dignity, according to John Hishta, senior vice president of campaigns with AARP. But many experts say that without some action, social security benefits will have to be reduced by 20% in 2032. News Director Eric Douglas sat down with Hishta to understand the situation....

Blankenship On Trial is a news and politics podcast that investigates the deadly explosion at the Upper Big Branch Mine in Montcoal, West Virginia, where 29 miners lost their lives on April 5, 2010. Through detailed storytelling and careful reporting, this series examines how a history of unsafe practices may have paved the way for disaster, and how federal regulators and prosecutors worked to trace responsibility up the corporate ladder to former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship. Listeners can expect a gripping, methodical look at corporate power, regulatory failure, and the human cost of profit-driven decisions. Each week, Blankenship On Trial guides you through courtroom developments, key witness testimony, and the broader political and social context that shaped the case. Listen episodes to gain a deeper understanding of how one mine disaster became a national reckoning over workplace safety and corporate accountability.
Language: English Episodes: 50

Blankenship On Trial
Podcast Episodes
Remembering Dolly Parton, Inside Appalachia [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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This week, we remember the one and only Dolly Parton. Dolly used her musical success to help others. She started the Imagination Library, a free book program for children that included some of her favorites, like the "Li…
Understanding How Heat Affects The Body, This West Virginia Morning [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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NPR recently released a story showing that heat-related deaths in the United States have likely been undercounted. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) tracks deaths, but it isn’t always easy to attribute…
Dealing With The Hottest Days, This West Virginia Morning [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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Every week, the Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom’s Bill Burton and meteorologist Tawana Andrew break down what we know - and what we don't - about the climate and weather in the region. This week, we're talking about when…
Unchecked Data Center Noise Pollution, This West Virginia Morning [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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Noise pollution has reached dangerous levels for residents living near the Memphis-Mississippi border. That’s the home of Elon Musk’s X-AI data center campus that runs Grok, the AI chatbot for the social platform X, form…
Why The Youth Are Disconnected, This West Virginia Morning [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

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On this West Virginia Morning, about 12% of West Virginia’s young people from 16 to 24 are disconnected youth - not going to school or working. Us & Them looks into why the state has such a high number....