News and Happenings

Andy digs into the global sanctions levied against Vladimir Putin and Russia as a result of the invasion of Ukraine with Atlantic staff writer David Frum. They get into how the sanctions are already affecting Russians, how they may play out here, and if David thinks there’s a point at which they could go too far.

Andy tries to get a glimpse into SARS-CoV-2’s future with Fred Hutchinson molecular biologist Jesse Bloom. Jesse is studying the ways the virus could continue to evolve and he gives us a sense of what may be on the horizon and how our immunity could hold up to those changes. Plus, they go back to the basics and talk about how and why this virus is evolving so much faster than other known viruses.

The pandemic forced us to confront many previously unacknowledged societal issues, including the lack of infrastructure we have to support those who need care and those who give it. As COVID-19 deaths near one million in America, the time has come to address the caregiving crisis in this country. There are nearly 50 million unpaid family caregivers and 4.5 million paid home care aides in America, yet they remain largely invisible. Andy explores that dichotomy with Ai-jen Poo, Executive Director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and Caring Across Generations, and Randy Klein, CEO of Vesta Healthcare. They discuss why this work is historically undervalued and what we can all do to help change that. Plus, how to plan for the care you will likely need or give in your life, and what Build Back Better could do to support caregivers.

Andy turns the tables on award-winning Washington Post journalist Dan Diamond, who has covered health care policy (and Andy) since the Obama administration, and asks him about COVID and the media. Andy and Dan talk about what it’s like reporting on the Biden administration after covering the Trump administration, if Andy considers himself a member of the media, and Andy’s appearance as Dan’s debut guest on his old podcast Pulse Check. Keep an ear out for the moments where the two of them slip back into their more familiar roles, Dan as interviewer and Andy as interviewee.

Andy explores what Omicron means for immunity with Harvard epidemiologist Bill Hanage. Andy and Bill tackle what we know about the kind of immunity Omicron may provide against future variants, what role layered immunity will play moving forward, and why we shouldn’t count Delta out just yet. While you listen, see if you can catch all the literary and Arsenal F.C. references Bill skillfully slides into the conversation.

Omicron came and flipped everything we thought we knew about how to act during COVID up in the air. It also made another edition of Safe or Not Safe necessary. This time around, Andy brings in two new contestants, epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina and former guest host Dr. Bob Wachter, to answer your questions about indoor dining, outdoor transmission, and how to keep kids under five and those who are immunocompromised as safe as possible. After you finish listening, head over to Twitter and tell Andy who you think won: #TeamKatelyn or #TeamBob.

Andy and ER doctor Megan Ranney take you inside her Rhode Island emergency department to hear just how thinly stretched everyone and everything is during the Omicron wave. Nearly two years into this pandemic, we are all exhausted. But as you can hear in Megan’s voice, the people who staff emergency departments have been pushed to their breaking point. Go with her on a recent shift as she treats patients, talks with her colleagues, and reflects on the toll that practicing emergency medicine during COVID has taken on all of them.

With the defeat of the Freedom to Vote Act, Andy turns his attention to the threat to our democracy with Crooked Media co-founder and Pod Save America co-host Jon Favreau. They discuss just how real the threat remains, how a Big Lie scenario could play out in 2024, and what we can do to prevent that from happening. Plus, what Jon, a former Obama speechwriter, wants to hear the Biden Administration communicate to the American people about the pandemic.

Andy brings you information directly from the source to let you know what to expect when the antivirals arrive: who will get them, how to get them, when to get yours, and the biggest question — will they change everything? In an exclusive interview with In the Bubble, Dr. David Kessler, Chief Science Officer of the White House COVID-19 Response Team, tells Andy how he is personally navigating Omicron and what the Biden Administration is doing to ensure that we have the capacity to respond quickly to the next pandemic.

Andy enlists two experts — UC Davis Dean of Engineering Rich Corsi and “Mask Nerd” Aaron Collins — to better understand the importance of masking and indoor air quality during this Omicron wave. Fan favorite Rich returns to talk about how to think about ventilation, ways to reduce our inhalation dose, and how that’s changed with Omicron. Aaron breaks down everything you need to know about the different kinds of masks out there, including what masks are best for kids. Today’s episode is a battle of the nerds, and we all come out winners in the end with practical information to help us stay safer during this Omicron wave and beyond.