In the Bubble with Andy Slavitt

Who will win? How is it likely to happen? What matters in the last two weeks? What would a contested election and a transition look like? And how would that affect the management of the pandemic? Andy calls the one political expert who can help answer these questions: Rahm Emanuel, the former mayor of Chicago and President Obama's first chief of staff. Hear the inside baseball and see who needs a...

Andy has an exclusive interview with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer to break down what's at risk if Judge Amy Coney Barrett is confirmed as a Supreme Court Justice: the ACA, LGBTQ rights, women's rights, and labor rights. Senator Schumer provides insights on Mitch McConnell, a contested election scenario, and the health consequences of a hearing with Senators who have tested positive for COV...

We all want to know what’s next so Andy calls up Zeke Emanuel, someone who spends a lot of time thinking about just that. Zeke was a special advisor to President Obama and now advises Vice President Joe Biden's coronavirus task force. Andy and Zeke look ahead at what might happen with COVID-19 in the late fall and winter, at what we hope to learn about what COVID-19 does to the human body in the n...

Andy starts with an update on President Trump’s health and the impact of what’s happening at 1600 Superspreader Avenue with Dr. Bob Wachter. Then, Connecticut senator and ACA advocate Chris Murphy discusses the future of the ACA, what the COVID-19 outbreak among Republican senators means for the Amy Coney Barrett hearings, the looming election, and what you can do to work for a positive outcome fo...

Andy calls up Rajiv Shah, who is leading an initiative in the US to fix our pandemic response. Rajiv is president of the Rockefeller Foundation and former head of USAID, where he led the response to the Ebola crisis in West Africa. Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt. Follow Rajiv Shah on Twitter @rajshah and Instagram @drrajivshah. In the Bubble is supported in part...

Andy breaks down what we know about – and what we can learn from – the President’s COVID-19 diagnosis. Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt. 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...

Major crises like COVID-19 are managed from one place. With the election approaching, there will be many takes on the politics but Andy wants to take you inside the West Wing bubble. He starts with Pete Souza, who photographed the Reagan and Obama administrations, to talk about what it's like inside the West Wing of the White House. If you had an image of beautiful offices and wide hallways becaus...

Andy talks with Nicholas Bagley, co-author of their recent New York Times piece on the razor’s-edge status of the Supreme Court, the Affordable Care Act, and the pandemic. Nicholas is a law professor and former Justice Department attorney; he has also advised Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer on the pandemic. This episode prepares you for the monumental and rapid progression of the potential appo...

Andy talks to Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, a Democrat governing in a largely red state with its share of income and health challenges. Beshear lays out his simple leadership formula: kindness. They talk about how the country could be unified in a COVID-19 response and the impact of Breonna Taylor's death in Louisville. Plus, they reflect on the life and legacy of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bade...

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...

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. P...

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 p...

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...

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 a...

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 Bubbl...

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...

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...

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 f...

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...

On the first day of the virtual Democratic National Convention, Andy talks to Kavita Patel, a policy advisor for Senator Kamala Harris, about what a Biden-Harris pandemic response would be and how it would change from the Trump administration. Then Andy chats with Neera Tanden, the President and CEO of the Center for American Progress, about what to expect this week from the convention. Livinguard...

Andy is joined by Lana this time for a conversation with another cool couple, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Connie Schultz and Senator Sherrod Brown. The four of them talk about the changing political climate of Connie and Sherrod's home state of Ohio and their commitment to people in the working class -- many of whom are on the front lines of the pandemic. Plus, what everyone thinks of Presid...

The Centers for Disease Control is our number-one resource for preventing and fighting a pandemic. With its credibility very much in question, Andy calls up his former colleague Dr. Tom Frieden, who ran the CDC for eight years during the Obama Administration, to discuss what the CDC does, how it’s doing, and the overall U.S. response to the pandemic. Gabi could save you money on the home and auto...

Listen in as Andy and former Presidential candidate Andrew Yang have a candid conversation about how to support Americans in the short term with the pandemic and, in the long term, through the fall-out. With more societal changes than we’ve seen in our lifetime piling up every day, Andrew’s signature policy of a universal basic income has never been more relevant, nor has Andy’s signature commitme...

Andy and Zach want to know if colleges are going to open, should they open, and should Zach move to campus later this month to start his freshman year. NYU Professor Scott Galloway has led this conversation with a very provocative and clear point of view. Like with almost everything in the pandemic, we see society’s pre-existing challenges exposed — in this case elitism, entitlement, privilege and...

In Andy’s conversation with Susan Rice, former UN Ambassador and National Security Advisor, see why she is considered a front-runner for Joe Biden’s pick for Vice President. Rice goes in-depth on her biography and shares her perspectives on how America’s strengths and challenges play out on the world stage. This is a rare chance to hear how she would approach issues ranging from the pandemic to cl...