I’m Jake Braun, the Executive Director of the Cyber Policy Initiative at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy. I served as the acting Principal Deputy National Cyber Director during the Biden Administration and helped design the U.S. government’s first whole-of-government strategy to combat fentanyl. I’m the author of Fentanyl: Fighting the Mass Poisoning of America and the Cartel Behind It.
The book is a firsthand account of how the fentanyl crisis unfolded inside the White House — from working with Mexican agents taking down cartel leadership, to tracking Chinese precursor chemicals on the Dark Web, to coordinating intelligence, law enforcement, and national security agencies under intense pressure. That effort contributed to a nearly 37% drop in fentanyl fatalities in its first year, though the crisis continues.
Ask me anything about fentanyl, cartel evolution, U.S.–Mexico cooperation, China’s role, what crisis policymaking actually looks like inside the White House, and what it will take to finally end this epidemic. I’ll be responding here on March 11 at 12 PM CT along with support from the Harris School of Public Policy team account, which is helping me track and manage incoming questions.
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