Why Should I Trust You?

Bold, unfiltered, and uncompromisingly honest, Why Should I Trust You? is a weekly podcast that looks at the breakdown in trust for science and public health. It drops every Thursday, with occasional additional special episodes sprinkled in.

Hosted by Brinda Adhikari, the former executive producer of “The Problem with Jon Stewart” and a former TV news journalist; Tom Johnson, the former executive producer of “The Circus,” and also a former TV news journalist; Dr. Maggie Bartlett, a virologist and assistant research professor at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; and Dr. Mark Abdelmalek a skin cancer surgeon, a medical journalist and a dermatologist practicing in Philadelphia - each week we try to figure out what is behind this staggering collapse in trust and see if we can rebuild towards trust again.

All Episodes

Why Should I Trust You?

Special Ep: A Conversation w Leading MAHA Activist Kelly Ryerson On the EPA & On the "Jump Ball" For Either Party

January 20, 2026 • Brinda Adhikari, Tom Johnson, Maggie Bartlett, Dr. Mark Abdelmalek • Season 2 • Episode 5

Today, we’re joined by Kelly Ryerson, known to many as the “Glyphosate Girl”. Ryerson is a leading grassroots voice inside the MAHA movement focused on environmental toxins, especially herbicides and pesticides, which she believes are putting public health at risk. Her fight comes at a volatile moment: the Supreme Court has agreed to hear a pivotal case that could sharply limit Americans’ ability to sue pesticide makers, Congress is debating industry liability shields, and a major glyphosate safety study has just been retracted.

We ask Ryerson whether MAHA’s environmental wing is gaining real traction or hitting a wall. With the Midterms approaching, she has threatened to mount primary challenges against Republicans who side with industry on liability protections, raising questions about the future of the MAHA–MAGA alliance. And how much is the Trump administration and this EPA an ally in her fight, or are they operating under very different priorities?

Hosts:

Brinda Adhikari

Tom Johnson

Maggie Bartlett (off)

Dr. Mark Abdelmalek (off)

Guest:

Kelly Ryerson, educator, speaker, activist, "Glyphosate Girl" on Instagram; co-founder American Regeneration

Thanks for listening! If you like us, please leave a review, rate us, and please subscribe!

Got questions? Comments? We'd love to hear from you! Email us at questions@whyshoulditrustyou.net