Topic: Purdue Pharma

Governmental programs like Medicare and Medicaid spend nearly $1 trillion annually on drugs, with 30% of that cost being profited by insurance middlemen. The opioid crisis is cited as a prime example of the FDA and big pharma colluding to push addictive products for profit. Dr. Marty Makary's appointment to the FDA is seen as a hopeful step toward breaking this cycle of corruption.

The segment compares the $965 million judgment against Alex Jones to much smaller fines paid by Purdue Pharma for the opioid crisis and banking executives for the 2008 financial collapse. Comparisons are also drawn to the OJ Simpson civil trial and the Young Turks' denial of the Armenian genocide. Critics like Marjorie Taylor Greene defend Jones's speech, while others like J.K. Rowling and Jen Psaki call for the end of InfoWars.

The discussion turns to the history of the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma as a precedent for the current "biopharmaceutical complex." John Leake cites the book "Empire of Pain" to illustrate how the pharmaceutical industry uses captured FDA officials and medical propaganda to market dangerous drugs like OxyContin. This historical context is used to explain how hospitals and the media are currently suppressing COVID-19 treatments.