Us & Them

Us & Them Encore: Diminishing OB Care In Rural America

12 Mar 2026

Contributed by Lukas

Children are often described as the future. But in many rural communities across America, the path to bringing a child into the world is getting longe...

Us & Them Encore: The Stigma of Sobriety

26 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

America’s overdose crisis keeps changing shape.In recent years, provisional CDC data have shown a sharp national decline in overdose deaths — even...

Us & Them Encore: A Band On The Right Side Of History

12 Feb 2026

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. continues to struggle with racial discrimination and this episode of Us & Them looks back at a moment in the 1960s when music and race in...

Us & Them Encore: Re-Entry

22 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

For this encore episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay hears about the challenges to America’s incarcerated population as they re-enter society. At...

Us & Them Encore: Amazing Grace

08 Jan 2026

Contributed by Lukas

In this encore episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay shares the story of a simple song written more than 250 years ago that now has a profound and u...

Us & Them: America’s Civil Rights Champion

18 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Many people know Thurgood Marshall as the first African American U.S. Supreme Court justice, however, first he had a long and distinguished career wit...

Us & Them: 2025 — Changing Definitions, Upending Institutions

11 Dec 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As we count down to the end of 2025, Us & Them host Trey Kay looks back at the year’s whirlwind of actions and reactions. Each week presented fr...

Us & Them Encore: Who’s Going To Take Care Of Maw Maw?

24 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

We’re an aging nation. Today 16% of Americans are over 65. In the next few decades that will double as the youngest Baby Boomers move into old age. ...

Us & Them: The Mythology Of Crime Stats

13 Nov 2025

Contributed by Lukas

America’s crime rates have prompted President Donald Trump to deploy federal agents and National Guard troops in a handful of major cities. On this ...

Us & Them Encore: The Housing Struggle

23 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

America’s housing shortage continues to put affordable homes out of reach for people across the country — from small towns to big cities. While We...

Us & Them Encore: The Fight For The Youth Vote

09 Oct 2025

Contributed by Lukas

This episode first aired in 2023, focusing on the strategies to motivate young voters and we’re sharing it again in the wake of the Sept. 10, 2025, ...

Us & Them: A Fresh Look At America’s Origin Story

25 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

As the United States prepares to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, attention is focused on the relevance of the American ...

Us & Them: Rebuilding Justice In A Divided America

11 Sep 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Just as America faces some of its most critical political divides, our criminal justice system suffers from a lack of public trust. How are these dual...

Us & Them: Caregiving In West Virginia

28 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Every day, 10,000 people turn 65 as America’s Baby Boom generation ages. By 2040, the number of people 85 or older will more than double and the nee...

Us & Them: West Virginia’s News Deserts — With No Government Watchdog Civic Engagement Plummets

14 Aug 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Every week across the U.S. more than two newspapers go out of business. In the past two decades more than 3,000 papers have shut down operations. That...

Us & Them: Three Strikes 2.0 — But Is Kentucky Any Safer?

24 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The perception of crime in our nation shows an enormous divide. One recent poll reports 90% of Republicans say crime is up while 60% of Democrats say ...

Us & Them Encore: Another Small Town Paper Down

10 Jul 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Our country’s divides often reveal themselves in our choices and habits, including how and where we get our information. As the economics of the med...

Us & Them: Transgender In The Mountain State

26 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling just out upholds a state ban on gender affirming care for transgender minors. The Tennessee case will likely bolster effor...

Us & Them Encore: The Geography of Abortion

12 Jun 2025

Contributed by Lukas

State borders are the new front lines in the nation’s abortion battle. On this encore episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay looks at the evolving ...

Us & Them: 100 Days And A Lot To Discuss At Our Dinner Party

21 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

During his first months in office, President Donald Trump has issued about 150 executive orders and is taking action on the very issues he promised du...

Us & Them: Carpe Sonum — Celebrating 10 Years of Us & Them with the Dead Podcasters Society

07 May 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay celebrates the tenth anniversary of the podcast with the young members of Marshall University’s Dea...

Us & Them: Diversity, Equity & Inclusion — Its History And The Efforts To Erase It

23 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

For decades, polls have shown most Americans believe equal opportunity in the workplace is beneficial and laws like the 1964 Civil Rights Act worked t...

Us & Them: Daniel Johnston — The Troubled Life And Artistic Genius Of West Virginia Music Hall Of Fame Inductee

03 Apr 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Us & Them: Daniel Johnston — The Troubled Life And Artistic Genius Of West Virginia Music Hall Of Fame Inductee

Us & Them: Substance Use Disorder — Can You Recover Without A Place To Call Home?

26 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Reality is more challenging now for people who live at the intersection between substance use disorder, homelessness and the criminal justice system. ...

Us & Them: We The People [But Not So Much] Women

12 Mar 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Many Americans assume the U.S. Constitution guarantees men and women equal rights. But the authors of the Constitution did not consider women as part ...

Us & Them: Black West Virginians With Substance Use Disorder Face unique Challenges

26 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

The Trump administration’s efforts to cut federal spending is targeting a broad range of departments and agencies including the low-income health ca...

Us & Them: Housing Options Are Few & Far Between In Appalachia

12 Feb 2025

Contributed by Lukas

Home ownership in America is one of the most common ways to build wealth for future generations. But in Appalachia, West Virginia presents the complex...

Us & Them: What’s Next For Abortion?

22 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

There’s a fresh slate of legislative agendas in the new year and some include efforts to chip away at reproductive rights and access to abortion, ev...

Us & Them: They’ve Been Here Before

08 Jan 2025

Contributed by Lukas

With the start of 2025, legislators in some states are determined to pass even tighter abortion restrictions. In the two years since the U.S. Supreme ...

Us & Them: Listening So Hard That It Hurts

22 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The headlines and issues front and center in 2024 have presented complex challenges. In this year end episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay uses his...

Us & Them: No Rest For The Homeless

11 Dec 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There are people in the U.S. who break the law each day, simply by sleeping outside. This year, more states and local governments have passed laws ban...

Us & Them: Post-Election Politics Can Be A Bit Tough To Swallow

25 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Host Trey Kay brings together the Us & Them dinner party guests once again, this time for a candid post-election review. The group, representing a...

Us & Them: Childhood Vaccines — Parental Rights vs. Public Health in West Virginia

13 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

West Virginia’s vaccination requirements for school children are what a lot of health experts call the gold standard. Only a medical exemption will ...

Us & Them: Bridging Divides After A Brutal Election

07 Nov 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In the aftermath of Election Day 2024, Us & Them host Trey Kay reflects on the increasingly divided American landscape and how the tone of politic...

Us & Them: Next Generation Voters

23 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

The 2024 Presidential election season continues to be a rollercoaster of unpredictable actions, reactions and events. It seems each week brings big po...

Us & Them: Is The Playing Field Fair?

09 Oct 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We love our sports in America. From little league to professional competition, athletic teams can bring us together. However sports can also spotlight...

Us & Them: Pre-Election Politics & Food For Thought

25 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Us & Them host Trey Kay invites us all back for a new dinner party episode bringing together a wide-ranging group of people for food and conversat...

Us & Them: Three People - Three Stories - One Community

11 Sep 2024

Contributed by Lukas

In Charleston, West Virginia, there’s a monthly live storytelling event called “Three Things” that invites three highly-visible members of the c...

Us & Them: In The Beginning, There Was Very Little Mention Of The Right To Vote

21 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Many people expected the 2024 presidential election would be unpredictable.  But no one anticipated the recent sequence of events - Joe Biden’s deb...

Us & Them: Can Former Prisoners Help Fill Our Workforce Gaps?

07 Aug 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There’s a serious labor shortage in the U.S. right now with millions of jobs going unfilled. Each year, West Virginia releases 50,000 people from st...

Us & Them Encore: Re-Entry

24 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

America’s prisons incarcerate people who’ve violated the law, but at some point, at least 95% of all state prisoners will be released back into th...

Us & Them Encore: Mental Health Crisis Behind Bars In West Virginia

10 Jul 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Overcrowding and understaffing have pushed West Virginia’s prisons and jails to what many believe is a crisis point. On this Us & Them, we hear ...

Us & Them Remembrance — 50 Years Ago Today: Reflecting on a Pivotal Kanawha County Board of Education Meeting

27 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We are releasing this bonus podcast because this month marks a significant milestone for Us & Them, West Virginia and actually American history. F...

Revisiting The Great Textbook War

26 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Fifty years ago this month, a fierce controversy erupted over newly adopted school textbooks in Kanawha County, West Virginia. The fight led to violen...

Us & Them Encore: SNAP — Do The Hungry Get More Policy Than Nutrition?

12 Jun 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Forty-two million Americans or about 12 percent of the the population need help feeding their families. That help often comes from a federal program c...

Us & Them Encore: Can Childhood Trauma Limit The Future?

22 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

We continue to learn more about the way childhood trauma can affect our physical and psychological health and the result is creating a social movement...

Us & Them Encore: Compassion Fatigue

08 May 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Homelessness has been on the rise since 2016 and the pandemic only exacerbated an acute shortage of resources to help people living on the streets. No...

Us & Them: Our Foster Care Crisis

24 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There’s a foster care crisis in America. Nationally, more than 390,000 children are in foster care, in West Virginia that’s just over 6,000 childr...

Us & Them: Locked Out Of Voting?

11 Apr 2024

Contributed by Lukas

More than 4.5 million Americans cannot vote because of a felony conviction but only about a quarter are currently in prison. On the newest episode of...

Us & Them: Another Small Town Paper Down

26 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Our country’s divides often reveal themselves in our choices and habits, including how and where we get our information. As the economics of the med...

Us & Them Encore: Dicamba Woes

13 Mar 2024

Contributed by Lukas

There's a nationwide rift among farmers over the use of dicamba, a popular herbicide. A 2024  federal court ruling  has halted dicamba's use, but th...

Us & Them: Navigating Post-Pandemic Medicaid

21 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

Our healthcare systems continue to struggle from aftereffects of the pandemic. The most recent example spotlights Medicaid - a joint federal and state...

Us & Them: The Geography of Abortion

07 Feb 2024

Contributed by Lukas

State borders are the new front lines in the nation’s abortion battle. On this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay looks at the evolving geograp...

Us & Them: Expungement — Between Hope and Danger

24 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

It’s estimated that more than a quarter of the adults in West Virginia have a criminal record. That includes cases with one arrest or more, but no c...

Us & Them: Caught Between Two Worlds

10 Jan 2024

Contributed by Lukas

American politics is now a very ‘us and them’ world. Insiders know the privilege of power, but loyalties can shift and doors can slam shut. Cassid...

Us & Them: 2023 Had Some Serious Trust Issues

21 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

It’s the time of year to look back on where we’ve been and prepare for what’s ahead. Us & Them host Trey Kay has been reflecting on 2023, a...

Us & Them: Bidding Farewell To My Unlikely Friend, Alice Moore

13 Dec 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Friendships that last through the years can be a remarkable gift. In this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay remembers his dear friend Alice Moor...

Us & Them: Diminished Trust In Science

21 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Our confidence is eroding. Polls and surveys report we’ve lost trust in one another and in some of our most essential institutions. As a followup to...

Us & Them: Potluck & Politics

08 Nov 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode of Us & Them, host Trey Kay invites his dinner party guests to gather once again for some fresh conversation across the divide. Ka...

Us & Them: Diminished Trust In The News Media

25 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Trust is in short supply in America as social and political divides continue to erode our faith in our democratic republic. National surveys and polls...

To Friend or Unfriend? That Is The Question

11 Oct 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Many Americans are getting good at ignoring friends and relatives who disagree with them. Roughly four in ten registered voters say they don’t have ...

Mental Health Crisis Behind Bars In West Virginia

27 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Overcrowding and understaffing have pushed West Virginia’s prisons and jails to what many believe is a crisis point. On this episode of Us & Th...

Trust: East Palestinians Not On The Same Track

13 Sep 2023

Contributed by Lukas

In the aftermath of a disaster, people search for assistance and answers. Since a rural Ohio train derailment sent toxic material into the air, soil a...

Us & Them Encore: The Right To Compete

23 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

At least 20 states have laws banning transgender girls and women from competing on girls and womens sports teams. On the next episode of Us & Them...

Us & Them Encore: Leaving The White Bubble

09 Aug 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Travel is an activity some people use as a classroom.  Leaving the familiar lets us learn about culture, history, the environment and many other topi...

Us & Them Encore: Court of Second Chances?

26 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

This episode of Us & Them was first released in December of 2022 and since then, it has received a regional Edward R. Murrow award from the Radio ...

Us & Them: SNAP — Do The Hungry Get More Policy Than Nutrician?

12 Jul 2023

Contributed by Lukas

More than 12 percent of Americans, or 42 million people, need help getting enough food to eat. In West Virginia, that number is about 18 percent. Tha...

Us & Them: Who Gets Stuck Behind Bars In West Virginia?

21 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

West VIrginia’s state prisons and jails are overcrowded and understaffed. Just over half of those who are incarcerated have not yet been found guil...

Us & Them: Larry Bellorín’s Unwritten Song

07 Jun 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Larry Bellorín began making his living as a singer, multi-instrumental musician and music teacher when he was a teenager in Venezuela. His career was...

Us & Them: The ‘Toxic Stew’ Of School Discipline

24 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Across the nation, students of color and those from poor families are more likely to be suspended from school and data from West Virginia reflects thi...

A Fiddler Contemplates The Fate of the Mountain State

10 May 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Phillip Bowen grew up playing the fiddle. The 38-year-old learned classical violin as well as how to improvise on the fiddle, combining musical styles...

Us & Them Encore: The Gun Divide

26 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Us & Them was recently honored with a first place award for best documentary from Virginias Associated Press Broadcasters. Our episode called “...

Diminishing OB Care In Rural America

11 Apr 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Children are the future - it’s a common refrain. However, in isolated, rural communities across America, there are people traveling many miles from ...

Changing A State's Mind About Health

23 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

West Virginia often ends up at the bottom of national health reports — the rates of obesity and diabetes, conditions that can lead to cardiac and k...

Compassion Fatigue

08 Mar 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Homelessness has been on the rise since 2016 and the pandemic only exacerbated an acute shortage of resources to help people living on the streets. No...

Us & Them: Re-Entry

22 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

America’s prison system incarcerates millions of people, but at least 95% of all state prisoners are released after they serve their sentence. Some ...

The Fight For The Youth Vote

08 Feb 2023

Contributed by Lukas

Nothing divides Americans like politics. At the same time, young people are showing up to vote. Turnout in America among 18 to 29 year olds shot up in...

The Housing Struggle

25 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

America is staring down the barrel of its long term housing issues. Now, there are added complications and divisions created over the last few years. ...

Finding Your Family

06 Jan 2023

Contributed by Lukas

International adoption helped many Americans build families, but a dark side victimized poor people in developing countries. The practice began in the...

2023: Where Do We Go From Here?

19 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s been a year in America with lots of big political news and some very disturbing events. Supreme Court decisions are reshaping the nation’s po...

Court of Second Chances?

07 Dec 2022

Contributed by Lukas

In West Virginia there are nearly 50 specialized court programs designed to help teens and adults kick their drug addictions. Drug courts divert peopl...

Reimagining A Region

21 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Imagining the future is at the core of this episode of Us & Them. Earlier this fall, we held a day-long workshop to hear ideas and talk about what...

Us & Them: Post-Roe Mountain State

09 Nov 2022

Contributed by Lukas

There’s a lot of energy and movement on abortion policy and law this fall. Some states have defined their position with five states offering ballot ...

Please Pass The Politics

26 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

It’s time for our Us & Them dinner party crew to share a meal in person! This remarkable group of people has been meeting for two years, virtual...

Manchin Is Us & Them

05 Oct 2022

Contributed by Lukas

U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin may be redefining the nation’s political landscape by reconfiguring the middle. While some say he’s tough to predict, others...

Manchin In The Middle

21 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

West Virginia’s U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin is the man in the middle. For years, Manchin has used his deciding vote in the Senate to stand up to Pres. Joe...

Do We Have A Hearing Problem?

07 Sep 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Whatever you call what happened at the Capitol on January 6th, 2021, a rally - a protest - a riot - or an insurrection, the congressional investigatio...

Us & Them Encore: Blair Mountain

24 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

More than a hundred years ago West Virginia was home to our nation’s most violent labor uprising. For some, the Battle of Blair Mountain was a water...

Us & Them Encore: The Dental Gap

10 Aug 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Many West Virginians have trouble with their teeth. In fact, there’s a big gap between folks who can reliably access an affordable dentist and those...

The Right To Compete

27 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

More than a dozen states have new laws banning transgender girls and women from competing on girls and womens sports teams. Recently, three states hav...

Us & Them Encore: Kingwood March Exposed a Raw Seam of Rage

13 Jul 2022

Contributed by Lukas

2020 presented new levels of outrage over police killings of Black and Brown people in this nation. Police killed George Floyd and Breonna Taylor whic...

Vaccines: Now For Us, Later for Them

22 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Charges of vaccine hoarding and global protectionism are coloring the debate over our  response to new strains of COVID with vaccinations. The World ...

Doctors Hit Socials To Cure Disinformation

07 Jun 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Healthcare workers are the glue in our public health system. They’ve seen firsthand the impacts of messaging around COVID-19 — the good, the bad, ...

The Gun Divide

25 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

America has roughly 400 million guns in circulation. Our divisions - social, political and racial - and our fear of those differences fuel even more g...

Dicamba: Things Have Gotten A Bit Ugly

12 May 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The weedkiller dicamba has created a divide between people who work the land in Arkansas.  In a new episode from the award-winning program Us & T...

Us & Them: Who Can We Trust?

28 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Our trust can be tested by many things, both personal and professional. Political fractures make us question those we disagree with. The shifting scie...

Us & Them: Books Under Fire

14 Apr 2022

Contributed by Lukas

America’s public schools are once again in the crosshairs of our nation’s culture wars. Some parents want more say in what and how their kids are ...

Us & Them: Critical Race Theory

23 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Americans are looking back to reassess their history and origins. George Floyd’s murder launched a global movement to assert the critical role that ...

Historically Black Currently Adapting

10 Mar 2022

Contributed by Lukas

Born from an era of segregated educational opportunities when Black students were not welcome at predominantly white schools, Historically Black Coll...

Moving the Needle

24 Feb 2022

Contributed by Lukas

The public health campaign to sell people on COVID-19 vaccinations is more than a year old, but its success is limited. The latest strain of the virus...