News and Happenings

If you loved Andy’s conversation with Chelsea Clinton, we’ve got a lot more of it for you.

Andy calls Washington Post columnist, Jennifer Rubin, to talk about how a conservative changed teams and reckons with the precedent of a country on the precipice. They also remember the time they were on MSNBC together and got a big surprise.

Andy and Pete Buttigieg talk about allyship, protest, and this week’s historic supreme court decision on LGBTQ rights. They also get into what it’s like to go straight from a presidential campaign into social isolation. (Spoiler: It’s weird!) Then, Andy calls Dr. Nzinga Harrison to chat about health equity, the relationship between racism and addiction, and how to do addiction treatment in America better.

Andy calls comedian and director Judd Apatow to talk about how to get through this long crisis day by day with some harmony. Working through trauma is also the topic of Judd’s latest movie The King of Staten Island. This is a talk that’s both deep and funny.

Every parent wants to know: Will school will reopen in the fall, and if so, what will it look like? Andy brings you the answer as he chats with former Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan. He also interviews Sonal Gerten, a parent of two public school kids, and a budding college freshman named Zach.

Today, Andy calls emergency room physician and public health expert, Dr. Leana Wen to get the best advice on how to manage their risk of contracting COVID-19, even while resuming some normal activities. But they start by talking about why racism and police violence is also a public health emergency.

Andy talks to DeRay Mckesson about another epidemic sweeping the country — violence by the police against Black people. They talk data and policy solutions, and DeRay provides a personal and comprehensive view of what’s been going on across the country in the wake of George Floyd’s murder at the hands of the Minneapolis police. Then Andy calls disability activist Sinéad Burke in Ireland to provide a global perspective on militarized police and what we can learn about disability and accessibility in a pandemic.

Andy calls his friend Al Franken and they ramble about holding people accountable, bearing witness, Zach’s burden, and being a grandparent during the pandemic. Mostly, they talk about ways Andy can do a much better job. The episode is dedicated to the memory of George Floyd and healing the city of Minneapolis.

Today, it’s a moms episode! Andy and Zach are joined by Lana, who leads a chat with activist Shannon Watts about how the pandemic is colliding with guns. They talk about gun violence and what can be done to address gun safety under these circumstances. They also talk about the movement of women running for political office. The Slavittt family touches on Andy’s new initiative #opensafely and go over the low, medium and high-risk levels of our favorite summer activities. Andy ends the show with a call to his sister Lesley about her work coordinating the emergency response to COVID 19 in Flint, Michigan.

This Memorial Day, Andy speaks with veteran and politician, Jason Kander. Jason has long been candid about his experiences with PTSD but also how post-traumatic growth is possible. He and Andy talk about challenging assumptions about what’s appropriate to feel, accepting help, and how COVID-19 has been so traumatizing for people. They also discuss voter suppression and the importance of making sure everyone has a voice in American politics.