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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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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A broad coalition of addiction experts wants Congress to maintain healthcare funding for the nation's response to fentanyl and other street drugs. -
Spring brings lambing season, a time of hard work and long hours for farmers. But it's also a time made joyful by cuddly newborns. -
Trump hopes to deport and imprison U.S. citizens abroad. Critics say the concept is unconstitutional and dangerous. -
Republicans hope to save a lot of tax dollars by cutting Medicaid. Drug policy experts say as many as a million Americans in treatment for addiction could lose coverage. -
Three migrant children who lack legal status are expected back in school this week in Sackets Harbor, New York. The kids and their mom were detained during a raid last month on a dairy farm in the small town near the US-Canada border. The family was released following protests and a bipartisan lobbying effort.
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A mother and three children swept up in an ICE raid at the kids' school will be returned to the small town of Sackets Harbor New York.
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The so-called de minimis exemption allowed Chinese and Hong Kong retailers to ship millions of packages worth $800 or less directly to U.S. consumers. That loophole will close May 2. -
For this week's Reporter's Notebook segment, NPR Addiction Correspondent Brian Mann explains the reasons behind the surprise drop in overdose deaths across the country.
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The Trump administration says it hopes to save $11.4 billion by freezing and revoking COVID-era grants. Addiction experts say clawing back the federal funding is risky and could put patients at risk.
