In the Bubble with Andy Slavitt

Latest Episodes:

Preparing for a Russian Cyberattack on U.S. Infrastructure (with Juliette Kayyem) Apr 11, 2022

Show notes

Andy talks with disaster expert Juliette Kayyem about how to prepare for scary and unpredictable things, from hurricanes to cyber attacks. As the former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Homeland Security for Intergovernmental Affairs, Juliette accepts that disasters will happen and helps people, companies, and governments “fail safer,” as she puts it. She explains to Andy why a Russian cyber attack on U.S. soil would likely come in the form of an oil, gas, or water disruption. Putting in some hard work now, before the next bad thing happens, will leave you more prepared and empowered when it does.

Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt.

Follow Juliette Kayyem on Twitter @juliettekayyem.

Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: https://lemonadamedia.com/sponsors/
Throughout the pandemic, CVS Health has been there, bringing quality, affordable health care closer to home—so it’s never out of reach for anyone. Because at CVS Health, healthier happens together. Learn more at cvshealth.com.

Check out these resources from today’s episode:

In the Bubble is nominated for two Webby Awards! Vote for Andy in the Best Host category here: https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2022/podcasts/features/best-host
Vote for the show in the Health & Wellness category here: https://vote.webbyawards.com/PublicVoting#/2022/podcasts/general-series/health-wellness
Order Juliette’s book, “The Devil Never Sleeps,” here: https://www.publicaffairsbooks.com/titles/juliette-kayyem/the-devil-never-sleeps/9781541700109/
Order free at-home COVID-19 tests through the USPS: https://special.usps.com/testkits
Find a COVID-19 vaccine site near you: https://www.vaccines.gov/
Order Andy’s book, Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250770165

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com/show/inthebubble.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why Democracy Depends on Putin's Defeat (with Ambassador Marie Yovanovitch) Apr 06, 2022

Show notes

Andy speaks with former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch about how she anticipates the Russian invasion of Ukraine playing out and why the fight for democracy can take decades. She explains how her parents' experience fleeing totalitarian regimes in the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany led her to join the U.S. Foreign Service, and relives her painful role as a key witness in the 2020 impeachment inquiry against Donald Trump in which she testified that the President pressured the State Department to remove her based on what she called unfounded and false claims.

Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt.

Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: https://lemonadamedia.com/sponsors/
Throughout the pandemic, CVS Health has been there, bringing quality, affordable health care closer to home—so it’s never out of reach for anyone. Because at CVS Health, healthier happens together. Learn more at cvshealth.com.

Check out these resources from today’s episode:

Order Marie Yovanovitch’s new memoir, “Lessons from the Edge”: https://www.harpercollins.com/products/lessons-from-the-edge-marie-yovanovitch
Order free at-home COVID-19 tests through the USPS: https://special.usps.com/testkits
Order Andy’s book, “Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response,” here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250770165

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com/show/inthebubble.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Should You Get Another COVID Booster Now? (with FDA’s Peter Marks) Apr 04, 2022

Show notes

Andy talks with Dr. Peter Marks about the FDA’s authorization of a fourth round of vaccines for those 50 and older. As the director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at the Food and Drug Administration, Marks is the man most responsible for our vaccines and the speed at which they were developed. Andy gets the inside scoop from him to help answer questions from listeners about boosters, such as: Who should get another shot? Should you mix and match? And when will we see vaccines for kids under 5?

Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt.

Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: https://lemonadamedia.com/sponsors/
Throughout the pandemic, CVS Health has been there, bringing quality, affordable health care closer to home—so it’s never out of reach for anyone. Because at CVS Health, healthier happens together. Learn more at cvshealth.com.

Check out these resources from today’s episode:

Check out the study from Israel that Dr. Marks says seems to show a significant reduction in death from COVID-19 for those who receive a fourth dose of the vaccine: https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.02.15.22270948v1
Explore covid.gov, where you can find out where to get free vaccines, boosters, high quality masks, tests, and treatments near you: https://www.covid.gov/
Order free at-home COVID-19 tests through the USPS: https://special.usps.com/testkits
Order Andy’s book, “Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response,” here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250770165

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com/show/inthebubble.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Great American Vaccine Debate (with Ken Burns) Mar 30, 2022

Show notes

When he wasn’t busy taming electricity and being a Founding Father of the United States, Benjamin Franklin was encouraging inoculations to combat the smallpox pandemic of the 18th century. Franklin bitterly regretted not inoculating his 4-year-old son, Francis, who died from smallpox when an outbreak hit Philadelphia in 1736. Andy talks to filmmaker Ken Burns, whose new PBS documentary on the founding father comes out April 4, about Franklin’s role during the smallpox pandemic, how he balanced his libertarian views with scientific and public health reasoning, and whether Franklin would support a COVID-19 vaccine mandate if alive today.

Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt.

Follow Ken Burns @KenBurns on Twitter.

Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: https://lemonadamedia.com/sponsors/
Throughout the pandemic, CVS Health has been there, bringing quality, affordable health care closer to home—so it’s never out of reach for anyone. Because at CVS Health, healthier happens together. Learn more at cvshealth.com.

Check out these resources from today’s episode:

Watch Ken Burns' four-hour documentary, “Benjamin Franklin,” which premieres on PBS April 4-5: https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/benjamin-franklin/
Watch this extended scene on inoculation that did not make it into the final film: https://www.pbs.org/kenburns/unum/playlist/innovation#benjamin-franklin-inoculation
Order free at-home COVID-19 tests through the USPS: https://special.usps.com/testkits
Order Andy’s book, “Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response,” here: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250770165

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com/show/inthebubble.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Why Texas's Bullying of Trans Kids Matters to Everyone (with Admiral Rachel Levine) Mar 28, 2022

Show notes

While states like Texas and Florida target LGBTQ+ youth and families, Andy digs into the top issues affecting our nation's health with Admiral Rachel Levine, a pediatrician currently serving as Assistant Secretary for Health. Dr. Levine, who is the nation's first openly transgender four-star officer, discusses her commitment to finding solutions to improve youth mental health, the opioid epidemic, and health equity. She and Andy also reflect on the profound difference one supportive adult can make for an LGBTQ+ young person.

Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt.

Follow Admiral Levine @HHS_ASH on Twitter.

Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: https://lemonadamedia.com/sponsors/
Throughout the pandemic, CVS Health has been there, bringing quality, affordable health care closer to home—so it’s never out of reach for anyone. Because at CVS Health, healthier happens together. Learn more at cvshealth.com.

Check out these resources from today’s episode:

Find more resources and information on transgender healthcare from the World Professional Association For Transgender Health: https://www.wpath.org/resources/general
For LGBTQ mental health support, call the Trevor Project’s 24/7 toll-free support line at 866-488-7386. You can also call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or text 741741 from anywhere in the country to text with a trained crisis counselor.
Read more about Admiral Rachel Levine, who was named one of USA TODAY’s Women of the Year: https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/opinion/2022/03/13/rachel-levine-honoree-usa-today-women-of-the-year/6600134001/
Learn more about legislation targeting LGBTQ+ youth across the country: https://www.npr.org/2022/03/16/1087034132/lgbtq-rights-video
Order free at-home COVID-19 tests through the USPS: https://special.usps.com/testkits
Find a COVID-19 vaccine site near you: https://www.vaccines.gov/
Order Andy’s book, Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250770165

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com/show/inthebubble.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Next COVID Crisis: Funding (with Jeff Zients and Zeke Emanuel) Mar 23, 2022

Show notes

Andy tackles the pressing need for more COVID funding with two guests who are fighting to make it happen: outgoing White House Coronavirus Coordinator Jeff Zients and former COVID Transition Team member Dr. Zeke Emanuel. What will happen if the U.S. can't afford to pay for a fourth round of vaccines? And what is holding Congress up? Zeke and Andy also discuss the plan Zeke is spearheading for the next phase of the pandemic, and Andy puts Zeke through a lightning round where he asks him about variant-specific vaccines, the potential return of mask mandates, how best to use oral antivirals like Paxlovid, and much more.

Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt.

Follow Zeke @ZekeEmanuel on Twitter.

Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: https://lemonadamedia.com/sponsors/
Throughout the pandemic, CVS Health has been there, bringing quality, affordable health care closer to home—so it’s never out of reach for anyone. Because at CVS Health, healthier happens together. Learn more at cvshealth.com.

Check out these resources from today’s episode:

Read the letter by Dr. Zeke Emanuel, signed by Andy and other health experts, calling for Congress to fund the U.S. COVID response: http://www.ezekielemanuel.com/academic-policy/all-academic-writing/2022/03/18/statement-urging-congress-to-extend-funding-for-covid-response
Learn about the plan that Dr. Emanuel and other experts made for how America can live with COVID: https://www.covidroadmap.org/
Check out the National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan: https://www.whitehouse.gov/covidplan/
Listen to the episode with Senator Tim Kaine: https://lemonadamedia.com/podcast/inside-the-three-russian-nuclear-threats-with-senator-tim-kaine/
Order free at-home COVID-19 tests through the USPS: https://special.usps.com/testkits
Find a COVID-19 vaccine site near you: https://www.vaccines.gov/
Order Andy’s book, Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250770165

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com/show/inthebubble.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

America's Next Omicron Wave (with Bill Hanage) Mar 21, 2022

Show notes

Andy brings Harvard epidemiologist Bill Hanage back to discuss what the US can expect to see with the new Omicron subvariant BA.2. How will our bump compare to what we’re seeing in Europe? And how will people navigate it with the nationwide relaxation of vaccine and mask mandates? Plus, they revisit some of their previous conversation about the original strain of Omicron from six weeks ago to see how well their predictions held up.

Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt.

Follow Bill @BillHanage on Twitter.

Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: https://lemonadamedia.com/sponsors/
Throughout the pandemic, CVS Health has been there, bringing quality, affordable health care closer to home—so it’s never out of reach for anyone. Because at CVS Health, healthier happens together. Learn more at cvshealth.com.

Check out these resources from today’s episode:

Here is the piece that Bill wrote with Marc Lipsitch back in February 2020 called ‘How to Report on the COVID-19 Outbreak Responsibly”: https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/how-to-report-on-the-covid-19-outbreak-responsibly/
Check out the paper Bill co-wrote in Cell about variants: https://www.cell.com/cell/pdf/S0092-8674(21)01374-X.pdf
Read the David Leonhardt piece that Andy references in today’s episode: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/18/briefing/covid-risks-poll-americans.html
Bill mentioned this paper that appeared in The Lancet about Omicron and Delta in the UK: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(22)00462-7/fulltext
Order free at-home COVID-19 tests through the USPS: https://special.usps.com/testkits
Find a COVID-19 vaccine site near you: https://www.vaccines.gov/
Order Andy’s book, Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250770165

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com/show/inthebubble.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is Ukraine the One Issue Congress Can Agree On? (with Rep. Ro Khanna) Mar 16, 2022

Show notes

Andy begins by talking about the rise in COVID cases around the world and what that could mean for us here in America. Then, listen in as Andy and Silicon Valley Congressman Ro Khanna have a wide-ranging conversation about the war in Ukraine, the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, and what it takes to build bridges both across the aisle and within one’s own party. Ro explains his views on how far the U.S. should go to defend Ukraine, what it means to be a "progressive capitalist," and how we can achieve dignity in a digital age.

Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt.

Follow Representative Khanna @RoKhanna on Twitter.

Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: https://lemonadamedia.com/sponsors/
Throughout the pandemic, CVS Health has been there, bringing quality, affordable health care closer to home—so it’s never out of reach for anyone. Because at CVS Health, healthier happens together. Learn more at cvshealth.com.

Check out these resources from today’s episode:

Read Andy’s whole thread that Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked about: https://twitter.com/ASlavitt/status/1503412039389102083
Check out Rep. Khanna’s new book, Dignity in a Digital Age: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Dignity-in-a-Digital-Age/Ro-Khanna/9781982163341
Order free at-home COVID-19 tests through the USPS: https://special.usps.com/testkits
Find a COVID-19 vaccine site near you: https://www.vaccines.gov/
Order Andy’s book, Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250770165

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com/show/inthebubble.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Inside the Three Russian Nuclear Threats (with Senator Tim Kaine) Mar 14, 2022

Show notes

Andy gets to the bottom of Vladimir Putin's escalating nuclear threats with U.S. Senator Tim Kaine and Hans Kristensen, Director of the Nuclear Information Project with the Federation of American Scientists. Plus, Senator Kaine details his personal two-year-long struggle with long COVID and his new bill, the Comprehensive Access to Resources and Education (CARE) for Long COVID Act.

Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt.

Follow Senator Kaine @timkaine and Hans @nukestrat on Twitter.

Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: https://lemonadamedia.com/sponsors/
Throughout the pandemic, CVS Health has been there, bringing quality, affordable health care closer to home—so it’s never out of reach for anyone. Because at CVS Health, healthier happens together. Learn more at cvshealth.com.

Check out these resources from today’s episode:

Learn more about the attack on the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant: https://www.npr.org/2022/03/11/1085427380/ukraine-nuclear-power-plant-zaporizhzhia
Listen to Hans talking about Russia’s nuclear arsenal on NPR: https://www.npr.org/2022/03/08/1085248170/putin-has-threatened-to-use-his-nuclear-arsenal-heres-what-its-actually-capable-
Read more about Senator Kaine’s battle with long COVID and the CARE for Long COVID Act: https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2022/03/02/kaine-long-covid-bill/
Order free at-home COVID-19 tests through the USPS: https://special.usps.com/testkits
Find a COVID-19 vaccine site near you: https://www.vaccines.gov/
Order Andy’s book, Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250770165

Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.

For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com/show/inthebubble.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Is the Pandemic Over If We Decide It Is? (with David Ho) Mar 09, 2022

Show notes

As mask mandates and vaccine requirements go away and life starts to look similar to the way it did in February 2020, Andy talks with world-renowned virologist David Ho, who says his career has been defined by two pandemics: HIV/AIDS and COVID-19. David tells Andy what he makes of people relaxing their precautions, how long he thinks COVID will remain problematic for us as a society, and what future vaccines and therapies could look like. Plus, David recounts his decades researching HIV/AIDS, which led to him being named TIME Magazine's Person of the Year in 1996.

Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt.

Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: https://lemonadamedia.com/sponsors/
Throughout the pandemic, CVS Health has been there, bringing quality, affordable health care closer to home—so it’s never out of reach for anyone. Because at CVS Health, healthier happens together. Learn more at cvshealth.com.

Check out these resources from today’s episode: