In the Bubble with Andy Slavitt

Andy talks with Nick Clegg, Facebook's Vice President of Global Affairs, about one of the most important issues out there: Facebook, social media, COVID-19 and misinformation. After President Biden said Facebook is "killing people" with COVID misinformation, Andy and Nick discuss what Facebook says its obligation is with regard to misinformation, what they're doing to combat it, and whether it’s e...

Andy explores the latest hazard to your health: the misinformation persuading people not to get vaccinated. US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy has declared war on misinformation and explains why he put out a rare Surgeon General's Advisory on the topic. Andy then covers the latest data on how Americans get information and what they believe with Molly Brodie of the Kaiser Family Foundation. And Dr...

To begin, Andy has thoughts on CPAC attendees cheering the US not hitting its vaccine goal. Then, David Axelrod, longtime Democratic strategist, joins Andy for a deep dive into the topic of the unvaccinated. They also contemplate how the pandemic will affect the 2022 and 2024 elections and lament the politicization of public health.   Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavi...

Andy’s conversation with famed conservative pollster Frank Luntz about the unvaccinated and the political games of the GOP takes an unpredictable and emotional turn. Whatever your incoming impressions of Luntz, the rawness of the conversation helps us see the dilemma of the unvaccinated in a new light – and gives real tips on how to have difficult conversations. You’ll hear the inside story of wha...

In perhaps the most essential episode of the series, Andy gets a real sense of where we are now in the scientific response to COVID-19 with Dr. Scott Gottlieb, FDA Commissioner under President Trump. In this riveting conversation, they cover the science, the politics, and the policies that got us here and will lead us out. They also discuss the importance of their bipartisanship work together and...

What does the science really, really say about wearing masks indoors if you’re vaccinated? Andy gets answers to your most pressing questions on everyone’s favorite game show, Safe or Not Safe, with top-flight epidemiologists Farzad Mostashari and Caitlin Rivers. Plus, Dr. Lisa goes out into the field to take the pulse of people starting to return back to life.    Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASla...

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky joins Andy to provide direct answers to today’s toughest questions about COVID-19. They discuss unvaccinated kids, the Delta variant, and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. She and Andy have a candid conversation about what it’s like to run the CDC right now and she weighs in on Andy’s most controversial tweet of all time.   Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt and...

White House press secretary Jen Psaki joins Andy fresh off a press briefing to talk about rebuilding public trust in the government, working with President Biden, and what it was like becoming a household name overnight. Andy shares his thoughts on the ultimate COVID-19 question: bat or lab? Plus, In the Bubble field correspondent Dr. Lisa visits a federal vaccination site to see what a government...

Andy starts by answering the one question no one else will about the Delta variant. Then, journalist Jessica Yellin joins Andy to discuss his new book Preventable. They talk about key figures like President Trump, Jared Kushner, and Dr. Deborah Birx, what lessons we need to take with us from the pandemic, and why we should feel hopeful now. You’ll hear some of the most riveting clips from the book...

Andy and Dr. Lisa launch into the first chapter of “Our Shot” by remembering the wounds of the beginning of the pandemic. Listener memories of the early days set the scene and Dr. Lisa introduces us to a Seattle physician who was one of the first doctors on the front lines of the pandemic in America and an ER doc in New York City who recalls the lasting mental health effects many of her colleagues...

Andy's back! He’s joined by his expanded In the Bubble team, including new regular contributor Dr. Lisa Fitzpatrick and his son Zach, who returns with one of his signature “Zach facts.” This episode weaves in Andy’s audio journal from his time as Senior Advisor for Coronavirus Response in the Biden White House. Listen as Andy and Dr. Lisa go inside the administration’s urgent, war-like effort to v...

Enjoy this Best of In the Bubble episode featuring Andy’s riveting conversation with The Atlantic's Ed Yong, the journalist Andy thinks has done the best job writing about and analyzing the pandemic. We’re highlighting this conversation in part because Ed recently returned to writing about the pandemic after a few months away on book leave. They discuss America's failed response, how this whole th...

Enjoy this Best of In the Bubble episode in which Andy (and Zach) chat with actor and comedian Kumail Nanjiani. They talk about the scary, early days of COVID, how the pandemic impacted Kumail’s mental health, and what it was like living with an immunocompromised person through it all. Plus, Kumail’s wife, Emily V. Gordon, stops by to tell us the couple’s top 3 “cool things to do at home.”   Follo...

Enjoy this Best of In the Bubble episode featuring Andy’s conversion with Dr. Anthony Fauci. Andy brings you into the bubble with Dr. Fauci by asking some of the questions he received from you. Even if you already listened, check it out again and see how their predictions for 2021 held up!   Check out In the Bubble’s Twitter account @inthebubblepod.   Keep up with Andy in D.C. on Twitter @ASlavitt...

Dr. Bob gets answers to your questions about long COVID from pulmonologist Lekshmi Santhosh and neurologist Jennifer Frontera. They cover who’s getting it, what treatments are available, why the vaccines seem to help some people, and much more on this Toolkit. Plus, Dr. Bob weighs in on the new CDC guidelines on masking.   Follow Dr. Bob on Twitter @Bob_Wachter and check out In the Bubble’s new Tw...

Dr. Bob calls up San Francisco Giants President and CEO Larry Baer to talk about what it’s taken to get people back in the stadium for the first time since 2019. They discuss what fans have to do to see a game, how the organization decided on those criteria, and what the reaction has been so far. Plus, what the Giants are doing to encourage people to get vaccinated.   Follow Dr. Bob on Twitter @Bo...

The good news: things are starting to open back up. The bad news: it’s going to feel weird. Dr. Bob is joined by Lucy McBride and Craig Spencer for this toolkit all about how to navigate the "new normal." From taking off your mask in public to dealing with anxiety to navigating post-vaccine life with unvaccinated kids... this toolkit’s got something for everyone.   Follow Dr. Bob on Twitter @Bob_W...

Dr. Bob talks with journalist Vidya Krishnan about India’s devastating COVID surge. As India’s health system collapses, Vidya says this global health crisis has been exacerbated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and, as she calls it, the “moral malnutrition of the rich.” Plus, the lessons she wants the US to take from this unfolding tragedy.   Follow Dr. Bob on Twitter @Bob_Wachter and check out In...

Dr. Bob has two conversations about the work being done to get vaccines to Latino and Black communities. First, Jon Jacobo and Diane Havlir talk about the Latino Task Force, which is testing and vaccinating people in San Francisco’s Mission District. Then, Rhea Boyd breaks down the things that are preventing a lot of Black people from getting vaccinated. Spoiler alert: It’s not about attitudes. It...

Dr. Bob talks with John Halamka, President of Mayo Clinic Platform, about how COVID has forced medicine to embrace technology at a blistering pace. They discuss what changed, what will stick around post-COVID, and why a computer will never be able to fully replace your doctor. But, are we close to having Alexa diagnose your illnesses?   Follow Dr. Bob on Twitter @Bob_Wachter and check out In the B...

Dr. Bob calls up Nicole Lurie from the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations to talk about the state of COVID-19 vaccinations around the globe. They cover COVAX, vaccine nationalism, how vaccine hesitancy is playing out in different countries, and the biggest barriers to vaccinating the world. Plus, the lessons she’s taking away from COVID for the next global health crisis.   Follow Dr....

Dr. Bob calls up Weill Cornell immunologist John Moore to figure out what you need to know about the pause on the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. They discuss why this extremely rare side effect is showing up in J&J and AstraZeneca but not Moderna or Pfizer, how people who have received the J&J vaccine should be thinking about it, and how they think this will get resolved. Plus, John’s thoughts on how...

Is it safe to go on vacation this summer? Can I send my kids to camp? Should I invite unvaccinated family members to my summer wedding? Drs. Caitlin Rivers and Farzad Mostashari join Dr. Bob to answer all this and more on this special, summer edition of Safe or Not Safe.   Follow Dr. Bob on Twitter @Bob_Wachter and check out In the Bubble’s new Twitter account @inthebubblepod.   Follow Caitlin Riv...

Dr. Bob calls up author John Barry and TIME Magazine’s Jeffrey Kluger to talk about what the 1918 flu pandemic and the American polio epidemic can illuminate about COVID-19. In addition to the historical similarities and differences, they discuss what “the end” looked like and what, if anything, that means for us today. Plus, find out which of the three men was a Polio Pioneer! And get Dr. Bob’s t...

Dr. Bob calls up University of Florida biostatistician Natalie Dean to ask whether or not we've hit the fourth wave. They discuss where cases are surging, why it's regional as opposed to national, and what role the vaccines will play in keeping this wave smaller than the previous three. Plus, how she's using Legos to help the masses better understand vaccine efficacy.   Follow Dr. Bob on Twitter @...