In the Bubble with Andy Slavitt

Latest Episodes:

How Will COVID-19 End? (with Ed Yong) Sep 21, 2020

Show notes

You do not want to miss this riveting conversation between Andy and The Atlantic's Ed Yong, the journalist Andy thinks has done the best job writing about and analyzing the pandemic. They discuss America's failed response, how this whole thing might end, and why wanting things to go back to "normal" isn't the right mindset.

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

Follow Ed Yong on Twitter @edyong209.

In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. Become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble/

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Livinguard masks have the potential to deactivate COVID-19 based on the testing they have conducted from leading universities such as the University of Arizona and the Free University in Berlin, Germany. Go to shop.livinguard.com and use the code BUBBLE10 for 10% off.
You can digitally purchase life insurance from Haven Life Insurance Agency at havenlife.com/bubble. Haven Term is a Term Life Insurance Policy (ICC17DTC) issued by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual), Springfield, MA 01111 and offered exclusively through Haven Life Insurance Agency, LLC. Policy and rider form numbers and features may vary by state and not be available in all states. Our Agency license number in California is 0K71922 and in Arkansas, 100139527.

Check out these resources from today’s episode:

Pre-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
Read all of Ed Yong’s COVID-19 reporting in The Atlantic: https://www.theatlantic.com/author/ed-yong/
Check out The New York Times piece “The Pandemic in Six-Word Memoirs” Ed mentions in today’s show: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/11/opinion/coronavirus-pandemic-poetry-memoirs.html
Read the paper Ed talks about by historian Howard P. Segal on “America as Techno-Fix Nation”: https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5325/utopianstudies.28.2.0231

To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/in-the-bubble shortly after the air date.

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.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Trump Knew (with Julián Castro) Sep 16, 2020

Show notes

To kick things off, Andy and former presidential candidate Julián Castro wrestle with the recent revelations from Bob Woodward, including that the President acknowledged the gravity of the pandemic in interviews with the journalist back in February. Despite that start, the conversation ends in a hopeful place about where the country is headed and Julián’s new Lemonada Media podcast, Our America. Plus: Andy announces the show’s latest donation!

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

Follow Julián Castro on Twitter @JulianCastro and Instagram @juliancastrotx.

In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. Become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble/

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Livinguard masks have the potential to deactivate COVID-19 based on the testing they have conducted from leading universities such as the University of Arizona and the Free University in Berlin, Germany. Go to shop.livinguard.com and use the code BUBBLE for 15% off.
You can digitally purchase life insurance from Haven Life Insurance Agency at havenlife.com/bubble. Haven Term is a Term Life Insurance Policy (ICC17DTC) issued by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual), Springfield, MA 01111 and offered exclusively through Haven Life Insurance Agency, LLC. Policy and rider form numbers and features may vary by state and not be available in all states. Our Agency license number in California is 0K71922 and in Arkansas, 100139527.

Check out these resources from today’s episode:

Pre-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
Subscribe to Our America wherever you get your podcasts: https://smarturl.it/ouramericapodcast
Watch Bob Woodward talk about his interviews with President Trump on 60 Minutes: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/donald-trump-bob-woodward-rage-60-minutes-2020-09-13/
Read more about Kristin Urquiza, who spoke at the DNC after her father died of COVID-19: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/17/us/politics/kristin-urquiza-dad-covid-trump.html
Learn more about how the pandemic has affected migrant workers in America: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/08/08/900220260/without-federal-protections-farm-workers-risk-coronavirus-infection-to-harvest-c
Check out this opinion piece Julián wrote about how to prevent the next housing crisis: https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/16/perspectives/next-housing-crisis/index.html

To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/in-the-bubble shortly after the air date.

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.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Toolkit: Testing, Testing, 1, 2, 3 Sep 14, 2020

Show notes

This toolkit episode is all about testing with Michael Mina, Harvard infectious disease specialist and laboratory director, and Robby Sikka, who helped develop the SalivaDirect test with the NBA in partnership with Yale University. Andy asks these experts your email and voicemail questions about the new wave of tests on the horizon, their reliability, how they work, when to get tested, plus some potential new creative at-home tests. What would you name an at-home sewage test? Tell Andy on Twitter!

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

Follow Michael Mina @michaelmina_lab and Robby Sikka @robbysikka on Twitter.

In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. Become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble/

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Livinguard masks have the potential to deactivate COVID-19 based on the testing they have conducted from leading universities such as the University of Arizona and the Free University in Berlin, Germany. Go to shop.livinguard.com and use the code BUBBLE for 15% off.
You can digitally purchase life insurance from Haven Life Insurance Agency at havenlife.com/bubble. Haven Term is a Term Life Insurance Policy (ICC17DTC) issued by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual), Springfield, MA 01111 and offered exclusively through Haven Life Insurance Agency, LLC. Policy and rider form numbers and features may vary by state and not be available in all states. Our Agency license number in California is 0K71922 and in Arkansas, 100139527.

Check out these resources from today’s episode:

Here’s the article about saliva-based testing from the New England Journal of Medicine Dr. Sikka mentions in the episode: https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2016359
Learn more about the SalivaDirect test here: https://salivadirect.org/
Read the CDC’s answers to frequently asked questions about wastewater surveillance for COVID-19: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/wastewater-surveillance.html
Check out this article from The New York Times that provides a more skeptical look at daily, at-home COVID-19 testing: https://www.nytimes.com/2020/09/06/health/coronavirus-rapid-test.html.
Listen to a recent press conference from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health with Michael Mina: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/features/coronavirus-covid-19-press-conference-with-michael-mina-09-04-20/

To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/in-the-bubble shortly after the air date.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Political Influence at the FDA (with former FDA Commissioners Mark McClellan and Robert Califf) Sep 09, 2020

Show notes

In maybe the most heated In the Bubble episode, Andy talks with two former FDA commissioners -- Mark McClellan from the George W. Bush administration and Robert Califf from the Obama administration -- and confronts them about the politicization of the FDA under President Trump. The former commissioners are hesitant to criticize the current head of the FDA, Stephen Hahn, but Andy pushes them pretty hard on Hahn's inaccurate statements regarding convalescent plasma and what effect that might have on the public's trust in the FDA as the agency gears up to approve a COVID-19 vaccine.

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

Follow Robert Califf on Twitter @califf001.

In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. Become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble/

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Livinguard masks have the potential to deactivate COVID-19 based on the testing they have conducted from leading universities such as the University of Arizona and the Free University in Berlin, Germany. Go to shop.livinguard.com and use the code BUBBLE for 15% off.
You can digitally purchase life insurance from Haven Life Insurance Agency at havenlife.com/bubble. Haven Term is a Term Life Insurance Policy (ICC17DTC) issued by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual), Springfield, MA 01111 and offered exclusively through Haven Life Insurance Agency, LLC. Policy and rider form numbers and features may vary by state and not be available in all states. Our Agency license number in California is 0K71922 and in Arkansas, 100139527.

Check out these resources from today’s episode:

Learn more about the evidence for convalescent plasma as a treatment for COVID-19: https://www.vox.com/2020/8/24/21399007/trump-covid-19-convalescent-plasma-coronavirus-fda-nih-stephen-hahn.
Read Robert Califf’s four-part Twitter thread on convalescent plasma:

Listen to Mark McClellan’s first In The Bubble appearance, where he discusses the COVID-19 vaccine with Andy and David Agus: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/toolkit-everything-you-need-to-know-about-vaccines/id1504128553?i=1000488693356,
Pre-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.

To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/in-the-bubble shortly after the air date.

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.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Toolkit: COVID Long-Haulers Sep 07, 2020

Show notes

A Monday Toolkit episode -- this one focused on the mystery of COVID-19 long-haulers, people who report an array of long-term symptoms. We've got two experts to break down what we know -- and don't know -- from both a clinical and research standpoint. Emergency room physician Craig Spencer and virologist Angela Rasmussen answer your voicemails and emails about why some people become long-haulers and others don't, what, if any, patterns are emerging, where to go for help, and how we are trying to figure it all out.

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

Follow Craig Spencer @Craig_A_Spencer and Angela Rasmussen @angie_rasmussen on Twitter.

In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. Become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble/

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Livinguard masks have the potential to deactivate COVID-19 based on the testing they have conducted from leading universities such as the University of Arizona and the Free University in Berlin, Germany. Go to shop.livinguard.com and use the code BUBBLE for 15% off.
You can digitally purchase life insurance from Haven Life Insurance Agency at havenlife.com/bubble. Haven Term is a Term Life Insurance Policy (ICC17DTC) issued by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual), Springfield, MA 01111 and offered exclusively through Haven Life Insurance Agency, LLC. Policy and rider form numbers and features may vary by state and not be available in all states. Our Agency license number in California is 0K71922 and in Arkansas, 100139527.

Check out these resources from today’s episode:

Read this article by a COVID long-hauler: https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2020/09/covid-19-heart-pots-myocarditis/616021/
Survivor Corps is one of the largest support groups for COVID-19 long-haulers: https://www.survivorcorps.com/
Check out Dr. Rasmussen’s recent article on COVID-19 reinfection: https://slate.com/technology/2020/08/coronavirus-reinfection-hong-kong-study.html
Here is Dr. Spencer’s latest New York Times Opinion piece, co-written with Dr. Seema Yasmin, about how COVID-19 hoaxes are making doctors' jobs harder : https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/28/opinion/sunday/coronavirus-misinformation-faceboook.html
Learn more about Congressman Jamie Raskin’s legislation to expand funding for COVID long-hauler research: https://raskin.house.gov/media/press-releases/raskin-introduces-legislation-address-america-s-hidden-health-crisis

To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/in-the-bubble shortly after the air date.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Laughter is the Best Medicine Unless it's Droplets (with Mike Birbiglia) Sep 02, 2020

Show notes

In between episodes about school closures, long-haulers, the CDC and FDA, Andy records a conversation with one of the funniest people alive, Mike Birbiglia. Mike has some pandemic-related questions for Andy and they hope to remind you that it’s still ok to laugh.

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

Follow Mike Birbiglia on Twitter and Instagram @birbigs.

In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. Become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble/

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Livinguard masks have the potential to deactivate COVID-19 based on the testing they have conducted from leading universities such as the University of Arizona and the Free University in Berlin, Germany. Go to shop.livinguard.com and use the code BUBBLE for 15% off.
You can digitally purchase life insurance from Haven Life Insurance Agency at havenlife.com/bubble. Haven Term is a Term Life Insurance Policy (ICC17DTC) issued by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual), Springfield, MA 01111 and offered exclusively through Haven Life Insurance Agency, LLC. Policy and rider form numbers and features may vary by state and not be available in all states. Our Agency license number in California is 0K71922 and in Arkansas, 100139527.

Check out these resources from today’s episode:

Learn more about the SalivaDirect test: https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/fda-approves-new-saliva-based-covid-19-test-67829
Read Jim Gaffigan’s post about his experience tweeting about politics: https://www.facebook.com/5642244660/posts/what-ive-learned-since-i-lost-my-mindbefore-you-start-reading-this-let-me-be-cle/10158761187769661/
Check out the book Mike wrote with his wife Jen: https://www.grandcentralpublishing.com/titles/mike-birbiglia/the-new-one/9781538701539/
Listen to Mike’s podcast, Working it Out: https://www.birbigs.com/working-it-out-pod

To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/in-the-bubble shortly after the air date.

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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

Toolkit: School’s in Session Aug 31, 2020

Show notes

This Monday Toolkit episode is timed to help parents, teachers, and students figure out what to expect and how to make it through a challenging school year. Two incredible guests, Chicago Public Schools CEO Janice Jackson and former Secretary of Education John B. King, Jr. answer your questions about remote learning, special needs, mental health, social and emotional needs, and equity issues. They also talk about how the decisions over who to bring back -- and when -- are likely to work.

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

Follow John B. King, Jr. @JohnBKing and Janice Jackson @JaniceJackson on Twitter.

In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. Become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble/

Support the show by checking out our sponsors!

Livinguard masks have the potential to deactivate COVID-19 based on the testing they have conducted from leading universities such as the University of Arizona and the Free University in Berlin, Germany. Go to shop.livinguard.com and use the code BUBBLE for 15% off.
You can digitally purchase life insurance from Haven Life Insurance Agency at havenlife.com/bubble. Haven Term is a Term Life Insurance Policy (ICC17DTC) issued by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual), Springfield, MA 01111 and offered exclusively through Haven Life Insurance Agency, LLC. Policy and rider form numbers and features may vary by state and not be available in all states. Our Agency license number in California is 0K71922 and in Arkansas, 100139527.

Check out these resources from today’s episode:

Learn more about John’s organization, The Education Trust: https://edtrust.org/
Here’s what a virtual school day will look like for CPS students this fall: https://chicago.suntimes.com/education/2020/8/5/21355791/cps-remote-virtual-learning-public-schools-covid-fall-high-elementary
Read more about the Pew Research Center report on who has access to reliable internet: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/fact-sheet/internet-broadband/

Learn more about the Chicago Connected program, which provides free high-speed internet for families in need: https://www.cps.edu/strategic-initiatives/chicago-connected/
Check out the CDC’s toolkit for K-12 schools: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/communication/toolkits/schools.html
Read more about what Michelle Obama said about experiencing “low-grade depression:” https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/06/us/michelle-obama-depression.html

To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/in-the-bubble shortly after the air date.

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.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

What’s Next With the Pandemic (with Michael Osterholm) Aug 26, 2020

Show notes

Andy talks to epidemiologist Michael Osterholm, one of his most trusted sources. He was one of the first to see the pandemic coming in January and has been a step ahead ever since. Andy and Mike talk about what has happened since the pandemic came to the US, what the major surprises are, and what is happening next. Plus, hear an appreciation of Andy’s co-host and son Zach, who is leaving the show to focus on his first semester of college.

Livinguard masks have the potential to deactivate COVID-19 based on the testing they have conducted from leading universities such as the University of Arizona and the Free University in Berlin, Germany. Go to shop.livinguard.com and use the code BUBBLE for 15% off.
You can digitally purchase life insurance from Haven Life Insurance Agency at havenlife.com/bubble. Haven Term is a Term Life Insurance Policy (ICC17DTC) issued by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual), Springfield, MA 01111 and offered exclusively through Haven Life Insurance Agency, LLC. Policy and rider form numbers and features may vary by state and not be available in all states. Our Agency license number in California is 0K71922 and in Arkansas, 100139527.
In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. You can become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble
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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

The GOP: Government of Pandemic Aug 24, 2020

Show notes

As the Republican National Convention kicks off today, it's time to take a look at what a Trump re-election might look like with longtime political commentator Bill Kristol. They discuss how the President's handling of the pandemic will play out in the campaign, if the party is forever changed by his presidency and why Bill thinks the margin of victory matters almost as much as who wins. Plus, a frank discussion of race and racism in Trump's Republican party.

Livinguard masks have the potential to deactivate COVID-19 based on the testing they have conducted from leading universities such as the University of Arizona and the Free University in Berlin, Germany. Go to shop.livinguard.com and use the code BUBBLE for 15% off.
You can digitally purchase life insurance from Haven Life Insurance Agency at havenlife.com/bubble. Haven Term is a Term Life Insurance Policy (ICC17DTC) issued by Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company (MassMutual), Springfield, MA 01111 and offered exclusively through Haven Life Insurance Agency, LLC. Policy and rider form numbers and features may vary by state and not be available in all states. Our Agency license number in California is 0K71922 and in Arkansas, 100139527.
To Write Love on Her Arms is a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide. Visit twloha.com/BUBBLE and use the code BUBBLE at check out for 20% off your World Suicide Prevention Day pack.
Join Basketball Hall of Fame photographer Andrew Bernstein as he sits down with the biggest names in sports to discuss the NBA’s return in Legends of Sport: Restarting the Clock. https://link.chtbl.com/LegendsofSport
In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. You can become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble
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

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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

The NBA and Zero COVID cases (with Steve Kerr) Aug 19, 2020

Show notes

There’s one place in the country with zero COVID-19 cases. Andy chats with Golden State Warriors head coach and social justice advocate Steve Kerr about the NBA and the pandemic: from the suspension of the season in March to creating a COVID-free bubble in Orlando. Plus, how Steve’s incredible life story connects him to the tradition of outspoken athletes like Mohammed Ali and Bill Walton, and yes, there may be some basketball talk with Andy and Zach.

Livinguard masks have the potential to deactivate COVID-19 based on the testing they have conducted from leading universities such as the University of Arizona and the Free University in Berlin, Germany. Go to shop.livinguard.com and use the code BUBBLE for 15% off.
Get $75 off your order of Burrow furniture -- with fast and free shipping -- at www.burrow.com/bubble
The Jordan Harbinger Show is a place where you can learn the stories, secrets, and skills of the world’s most brilliant and interesting people. Check it out at https://www.jordanharbinger.com/podcasts/
Ashford University has online Bachelor’s and Master’s degree programs across 60 different programs. Financial aid is available, there’s no fee to apply and no standardized testing required. Learn more at: www.ashford.edu/bubble
Join Basketball Hall of Fame photographer Andrew Bernstein as he sits down with the biggest names in sports to discuss the NBA’s return in Legends of Sport: Restarting the Clock. https://link.chtbl.com/LegendsofSport
In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. You can become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble
Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.