News and Happenings

On this Memorial Day, the producers of In the Bubble wanted to share another Lemonada Media show that they hope you will find helpful as the country feels like it’s spinning out of control. It’s called Last Day. In this award-winning series, Lemonada co-founder and author Stephanie Wittels Wachs confronts massive epidemics with humanity, wit, and a quest for progress. Now, back for a third season, Last Day grapples with guns in America, asking: How can we live safely in a country with more guns than people?

Following this week’s shooting in Uvalde, Andy speaks with a mother who knows the pain parents of the victims are experiencing. Rhonda Hart lost her 14-year-old daughter, Kimberly, in the 2018 Santa Fe High School shooting in Texas, and talks about how she continues to fight for gun reform despite the uphill battle. Joining the conversation is reporter Jennifer Mascia and former firearms executive Ryan Busse, who explain why politicians won’t act on gun reform despite widespread bipartisan consensus among citizens. Plus, Andy processes the tragedy with Last Day host Stephanie Wittels Wachs, who dedicated an entire season to understanding America’s relationship with guns and shares how she talked with her 2nd grader about the shooting.

For those overwhelmed by the news of yet another infectious disease outbreak by the name of monkeypox, this episode is for you. With an equal dose of relief and urgency, Andy invites one of the world’s leading experts on monkeypox, UCLA professor Anne Rimoin, to explain why the disease is spreading now and how concerned we should be. You’ll be reassured but also encouraged to pay attention — at the very least for the sake of those at risk around the globe.

COVID-19 variants are evolving around the world, impacting the trajectory of the pandemic and our ability to fight it. Andy speaks with microbiologist Katherine Wu, who’s been writing for the Atlantic about how surges in North Korea, China, and South Africa will affect the U.S. and what we can do about it. She expresses cautious optimism about variant-specific vaccines, worry over zero-COVID policies in parts of Asia, and insight into what the virus will do next.

The echoes of white nationalism have seeped into talking points espoused by conservative media and the GOP party. The shooting in Buffalo is the latest example of where those dangerous thoughts can lead. Andy speaks with hate crime researcher Jeannine Bell and extremism reporter Andy Campbell about how Republican politicians and political pundits spouting anti-immigrant and anti-Black hate leads directly to someone taking action on those beliefs. Is this a quest for country-wide reconciliation and rehabilitation, or a war over good and evil? How can you fight hate in your community? Find out.

Our nation’s children are experiencing some of the highest levels of stress in history due to the pandemic, yet they lack the skills to properly verbalize and manage their mental health. The good news? It’s not too late for adults to lend a hand, and you don’t have to be a primary caregiver to do so. Mental health expert Dr. Nzinga Harrison teaches Andy about the seven Positive Childhood Experiences (PCEs) that build a child’s sense of belonging, and how to help any young person in your life access them. She also reflects on the positives of the pandemic, including a decreased stigma in requesting mental health support.

With the 2022 primaries underway and the midterms in less than six months, CNN’s John King has his iconic magic wall prepped and ready for election coverage. Tracking the races more closely than arguably anyone else, John gives Andy his insider take on Trump’s effect on the primaries so far, whether Democrats will turn out for the midterms with the same force they did in 2018, and the key House and Senate races that’ll decide who controls Congress.

Women make up more than half of the U.S. population, yet less than a third of the nation’s elected leaders. It’s not because they’re not winning. It’s because they’re not running. And studies show that the gender gap in political ambition is just as big today as it was 20 years ago. Why, and how do we change that? Andy poses those questions to gender and politics researcher Jennifer Lawless and She Should Run founder Erin Loos Cutraro. Walk away from this interview with practical tips on how to run yourself or motivate your friend to turn that thought into an actual candidacy.

You asked, we answered! Andy asks Dr. Ashish Jha, current White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator, the top 10 questions submitted by listeners, including our overall risk levels, what’s next for vaccines, how to diagnose long COVID, and minute by minute timing of the approval process for young kids. He explains who’s still dying from COVID, predicts when waves will hit different parts of the U.S., and breaks down the best therapeutics.

As the U.S. hits the tragic milestone of 1,000,000 deaths, Andy talks with Dr. Deborah Birx to explore how it happened and some of the most pivotal moments of President Donald Trump’s COVID response. Birx says she knew she wouldn’t win any popularity contests when she agreed to serve as the White House Coronavirus Response Coordinator under Trump in 2020. She was right. Andy gives Birx a chance to respond to criticisms that her public praise of Trump undermined the opportunity to save more lives. The conversation gets heated as it goes on.