News and Happenings

When soccer journalist Grant Wahl died suddenly of an aortic aneurysm during the World Cup, his wife Dr. Céline Gounder was bombarded by messages from online trolls saying that she killed her husband with the COVID vaccine. She decided to fight those trolls. Andy speaks with Céline about the five most common moves in the vaccine disinformation playbook, how artificial intelligence could make things worse, and the emotional toll of protecting her husband’s legacy.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison has spent more than 20 years fighting for civil rights and racial justice, including successfully prosecuting the police officer who murdered George Floyd. On this Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Andy calls up his friend to get his thoughts on what Dr. King would say about racism and inequality today. Rooted in the history of slavery and the civil rights movement, Keith’s perspective on policing, reparations, and how to talk about race is a must-hear.

When the United States pulled out of Afghanistan in 2021, the Taliban promised that women would be allowed to exercise their human rights within the confines of Sharia law, including the right to work, study, and be in public squares. That was a lie. Former U.S. Department of State Diplomat Annie Pforzheimer explains the actual situation for women today in Afghanistan and why the U.S. is both morally and strategically obligated to help them.

As fringe Republicans drive the agenda in Congress, Andy turns to the hope found in many states through newly elected and reelected governors. Democratic Minnesota Governor Tim Walz joins to discuss how he was able to bridge the rural-urban divide, first representing a district that voted for Trump and then winning statewide election in a purple state. Can we govern our country, states, and localities in ways that resist extreme elements and get things done? Tim offers his path forward.

XBB.1.5 is being called the most transmissible subvariant of Omicron to date. With multiple mechanisms to evade our immune system, including getting around our monoclonal antibody treatments, it’s driving our January wave and leading to worse outcomes than previous mutations. Andy speaks with science journalist Laurie Garrett, who explains what makes XBB.1.5 unique and why the lack of global surveillance and federal funding could easily erode the advances we’ve made so far to combat COVID.

This year’s Congress is off to an astonishing start. As Kevin McCarthy moves his furniture into the speaker’s office despite not having the votes, Andy talks to journalist Mark Leibovich about the shenanigans taking place within the House GOP. He explains why the Freedom Caucus is pushing for chaos, how reasonable Republicans are reacting, and what it all means for a functioning Congress. Mark also shares his opinion on whether President Biden should run for a second term.

Congressman Jamie Raskin and the rest of the January 6 Committee are out with their final report. Andy asks Jamie about the chargeable offenses, what a criminal referral to the Justice Department does, and how to stop the Donald Trumps of the future. Raskin also discusses what Democrats can get done in this year’s divided government.

Andy wants to share one of his favorite episodes from this year that’s just as relevant today as it was when we taped it. Millions of student loan borrowers breathed a sigh of relief after the White House revealed a...

Andy wants to share one of his favorite episodes from this year that’s just as relevant today as it was when we taped it. The price of goods like gasoline and food is up sharply amid the highest inflation since...

Elon Musk’s Twitter takeover has reignited a debate about the dangers of social media. It may seem like all funny gifs and nephew photos, but these days, many sites are also full of dangerous lies that impact democracy, bullying that affects the mental health of our kids, human trafficking, and drug sales. Andy speaks with Stanford Law Professor Nate Persily and former Facebook employee Brandon Silverman about whether social media platforms should be policed, the consequences if they’re not, and healthier options if you’re sick of Facebook and Twitter.