Brian Mann
Brian Mann is NPR's first national addiction correspondent. He also covers breaking news in the U.S. and around the world.
Mann began covering drug policy and the opioid crisis as part of a partnership between NPR and North Country Public Radio in New York. After joining NPR full time in 2020, Mann was one of the first national journalists to track the deadly spread of the synthetic opioid fentanyl, reporting from California and Washington state to West Virginia.
After losing his father and stepbrother to substance abuse, Mann's reporting breaks down the stigma surrounding addiction and creates a factual basis for the ongoing national discussion.
Mann has also served on NPR teams covering the Beijing Winter Olympics and the war in Ukraine.
During a career in public radio that began in the 1980s, Mann has won numerous regional and national Edward R. Murrow awards. He is author of a 2006 book about small town politics called Welcome to the Homeland, described by The Atlantic as "one of the best books to date on the putative-red-blue divide."
Mann grew up in Alaska and is now based in New York's Adirondack Mountains. His audio postcards, broadcast on NPR, describe his backcountry trips into wild places around the world.
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Purdue Pharma and Sackler family members who own the company have reached a $7.4 billion settlement with all 50 states and U.S. territories over the company's improper marketing of opioids.
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A new $7.4 billion opioid settlement for Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family has been approved by all U.S. states and territories -
Organizers say weekend protests against President Trump and his policies drew millions of people nationwide. The demonstrations were held as Trump hosted a military parade in Washington, D.C.
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GOP lawmakers on Thursday blasted Democratic immigration policies as coddling violent criminals. Democrats portrayed Trump's escalating migrant sweeps as a dangerous assault on civil liberties. -
NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with addiction correspondent Brian Mann about the drop in overdose deaths among teens and young adults in the U.S.
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U.S. drug deaths dropped by roughly 40% last year among people under the age of 35. It's a welcome pivot for families and communities devastated by fentanyl. -
President Trump has promised to attack drug gangs and called for the death penalty for street dealers. But he has also pardoned more than 20 people serving time for serious drug crimes, some involving violence. -
Cerro San Cristobal in the heart of Chile's capital offers stunning views of wildflowers, pine forests and the soaring Andes. -
Overdose deaths plummeted in the U.S. in 2024, down by 27%. The news comes as the White House and Congress are advocating for steep cuts in programs that may be working to lower the death rate.
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Trump hopes to deport and imprison U.S. citizens abroad. Critics say the concept is unconstitutional and dangerous.
