America Dissected

Abdul reflects on the outcome of the election in the context of the COVID19 pandemic. Then he interviews Kaiser Health News Journalists Sarah Jane Tribble (host of the new podcast “No Mercy”) and Dr. Elisabeth Rosenthal about America’s rural healthcare crisis and COVID19.

Abdul talks about voting as a public health intervention. Then he interviews Rep. Rashida Tlaib about the consequences of this election in Detroit and Crooked Media’s own Dan Pfeiffer about what to watch for as the returns come rolling in.

Abdul talks about how America’s precarious healthcare system isn’t ready for this next COVID-19 surge. Then he interviews Ben Wikler, Chair of Wisconsin’s Democratic Party about their preparations for the forthcoming election.

Abdul talks about the COVID19 surge we’re facing right now. Then he interviews Shaniqua McClendon, Crooked Media’s Political Director, and Stephen Pierson at Swing Left, about how the pandemic is changing the nature and tactics of campaigns, and how they’re organizing through it to Get out the Vote.

Abdul reflects on the absurdly high stakes of November’s election for the future of COVID19. Then he interviews Andrew Joseph, a reporter at STAT News who’s reported on the road ahead for COVID-19.

Abdul reflects on Donald Trump’s COVID-19 diagnosis and its implications for the fight against the pandemic. Then he interviews Bill Nye about the pandemic and its implications for America’s scientific future. 

Abdul reflects on how policy making has to center the people we’re trying to support, and how sometimes it doesn’t. He also talks to Claire Babineaux-Fontenot, CEO of Feeding America about the pandemic and its role on the state of Hunger in America.

Abdul reflects on the grim milestone of 200,000 deaths to COVID19. He talks to Carmen Rojas, President & CEO of the Margarite Casey Foundation about the communities COVID-19 has hit the hardest.

Abdul reflects on the way that COVID-19 has changed so much of the fabric of our lives, especially our relationship with music. He talks to Zola Jesus, a singer/songwriter about how COVID19 has impacted her and her life, as well as Anthony Fantano, host of The Needle Drop, about how it’s shaping the industry.

Abdul reflects on the way that the Trump administration has simply ceded public health to politics. He then interviews Dr. Howard Koh, a lead public health official in the Obama administration, about what a functional Department of Health & Human Services would be doing right now.

Abdul speaks with an American who just moved to New Zealand about the different approaches to COVID19 in both countries, and then interviews Allison Carlson, managing director, and Fouad Pervez, senior quantitative and policy analyst, of Foreign Policy Analytics about their  COVID19 Global Response Index .

Abdul considers the risks of going “back” to in-person learning at schools and colleges and interviews President M. Roy Wilson, of Wayne State University, and Dr. Katherine Auger, a pediatrician and author of a new study about school closings and COVID19.

Abdul talks about the challenges of doing science in real time during a pandemic and interviews Prof. Kerry Keyes, an epidemiology professor at Columbia’s Mailman School of Public Health about the scientific process, and how people should approach new findings.

Abdul walks through the state of a COVID-19 vaccine and speaks with pro-vaccine activist Ethan Lindenberger about how online anti-vaxxers are exploiting COVID19 to stoke misinformation as well as Dr. Ashish Jha, Dean of the School of Public Health at Brown University, about the vaccine development process and how to build public trust for COVID19 vaccinations.

Abdul talks about how COVID19 interacts with the environment and discusses Environmental Justice with Catherine Flowers, a leading environmental justice advocate in Alabama.

Abdul discusses the critical need for legislation to support a country reeling from COVID19 and sits down with Prof. Michael Osterholm, one of the world’s most respected infectious disease epidemiologists.

Abdul talks about the interplay between coronavirus and our culture and then talks to Michael Baumann, staff writer at The Ringer, about how sports leagues are reacting to COVID19 and what it can teach us about society’s response to the pandemic in general.

Abdul reflects on the challenge of public messaging in a pandemic and then talks to Dr. Anthony Fauci, America’s COVID-communicator-in-chief.

Abdul reflects on how COVID19 is challenging us to meet our ideals as Americans. Then he chats with Congressman Andy Levin about his proposal for a Coronavirus Containment Corps to create a federally-funded contact-tracing force...which could have been helpful right about now.

Abdul discusses the surging cases of COVID19 in several states and nationwide, as well as the startling increase in transmission globally. He chats with Prof. Kelley Lee, a global health governance expert, about the WHO and the future of the global fight against COVID19.

Abdul discusses the odd biology of viruses. He catches up with virologist Dr. Angela Rasmussen about the biology of the coronavirus, and why exactly it’s so deadly.

Abdul discusses the economic consequences of COVID. He catches up with Dr. Tara Sinclair, a macroeconomist, about the future ahead of us. 

Abdul discusses the public health consequences of the #GeorgeFloyd protests. We speak with Cary Junior II, an audio producer at the Detroit Free Press and a Fellow at WDET in Detroit who’s been covering the protests. Then we'll speak to epidemiologist Julia Marcus, a harm reduction expert who helps understand how to stay safe from COVID19 while re-engaging our lives. Activity

Abdul discusses the lynching of George Floyd in the context of COVID19 and reflects on the way that social media has changed our world--and the experience of COVID19. We hear from listeners about how they’ve consumed social media throughout. Abdul speaks with Dr. Eric Feigl-Ding, an epidemiologist who first sounded the alarm about COVID, about how social media has shaped the debate over science an...

Abdul reflects on what it means that 100,000 Americans have now died of COVID19. He interviews Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster, Reverend Jill Zundel and Imam Mohamed Al Masmari on how faith communities are responding to the pandemic.