In the Bubble with Andy Slavitt

With the next round of COVID-19 funding stalled in Congress, Americans face a future where vaccines and tests will no longer be free for everyone. Andy speaks with CVS Health’s Executive Vice President Tom Moriarty, who says cutting off funding for basic preventative measures along with new advances like a nasal vaccine is a bad decision both for public health and national security. Tom gives us a...

The five people killed in Colorado Springs this month join 18,000 other Americans who died of gun homicides this year. Stephanie Wittels Wachs sits in for Andy to process the news with Shannon Watts, the founder of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America. Shannon shares her experience hearing about the shooting as the mother of a nonbinary young adult living in Colorado, and takes stock of wha...

On this holiday weekend, we celebrate a favorite episode from earlier this year. Oscar winner and best-selling author Matthew McConaughey comes in the bubble to talk about the big lessons: what unites us, what he has learned about being a dad, what values really matter, and what we owe our kids. McConaughey tells Andy about the moments of decisive action that have shaped his life, which he explore...

The producers of this series would like to share with you another series they know you’ll love. BEING is reality TV for your ears, an innovative new audio format like no other podcast you've ever heard. This season, it’s BEING Golden -- a look inside the lives of four 60+ seniors living in LA. Meet Buzz, a 71-year-old former sales and marketing executive who drastically uprooted his life by moving...

Americans are having a hard time getting in to see a doctor, and burnout among heathcare workers is a leading reason why. The stressors of the Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated a burnout crisis among physicians and nurses. But even before the pandemic, burnout was already a rampant problem for physicians and other health workers. Dr. Bob Wachter sits in for Andy and talks with AMA vice president and b...

Democrats defied expectations in this year’s midterm elections, maintaining control of the Senate and keeping the GOP from gaining ground in the House. Former U.S. Housing Secretary Julián Castro unpacks the midterm election results with Time magazine’s national political correspondent, Molly Ball. Just how much did issues like abortion, the Jan. 6 insurrection, and the economic crisis shape the r...

Some pediatric units are reaching capacity already and experts are warning of a possible "Tripledemic" of respiratory viruses this winter. With an early surge in RSV cases, the upcoming flu season and the possibility of a COVID-19 surge, emergency rooms are preparing for a flood of visits in the coming month. Dr Bob Wachter sits in for Andy and talks with Dr Caitlin Rivers, an Infectious disease e...

Trump is expected to formally announce his run for president any day now. His reputation was tarnished after the predicted red wave in the midterms didn’t surface, but as New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman reminds guest host Gloria Riviera in this episode, Trump has survived political vulnerability many times before. Maggie talks about who is taking a step back from Trump after the midterms,...

With a potentially split legislature on the horizon, passing climate policy could become a lot more difficult. We revisit a recent show on one piece of policy President Biden was able to get passed: the Inflation Reduction Act. Andy speaks with public policy expert Leah Stokes, who helped craft The IRA’s climate provisions. She explains how the law will transition the economy from fossil fuels to...

Republicans expected to celebrate a red wave this morning. Instead, we’re all left wondering who will control the Senate, and what’s next for Congress. Guest Host, Steve Nelson calls on former US Senator, Al Franken and “The Political Junkie”, Ken Rudin to get their early reactions to the 2022 Midterms and what it means for both parties going forward. Plus, Sen. Franken recounts what it’s like to...

Leading up to Election Day, we’re revisiting a favorite episode with lawyer and journalist Dahlia Lithwick. Dahlia explains in detail the consequences of the Dobbs ruling and whether they'll drive people out to the midterms. How does your vote impact the makeup of the highest court and the decisions it makes? This episode is for everyone who cares about the future of reproductive rights. Keep up w...

For most of us, our mental health took a hit during the pandemic. Gary Gulman knows a little something about severe depression. His HBO special, “The Great Depresh,” goes deep into his experience being hospitalized, getting treatment, and the ongoing road called recovery. Guest host Stephanie Wittels Wachs talks with Gary about her own bout of severe depression after losing her brother Harris Witt...

We are living in a time of incredible technological advances that pose both opportunities and risks to the human species. Andy speaks with futurist William MacAskill about some of the ways humanity could end, from nuclear war to artificial intelligence, and how to take steps now to prevent our own extinction. He explains his approach to living with a long term mindset and the ways in which the fut...

MAGA Republicans like Marjorie Taylor Greene will hold major influence in the House if the GOP takes back the majority in the midterms. What impact will that have on the priorities set by Congress and the way our government functions? Andy speaks with journalist Robert Draper, whose new book, “Weapons of Mass Delusion,” details how a new breed of Republicans have taken the politics of hysteria to...

Abortion access is on the midterm ballot in more ways than one, from state measures restricting and expanding rights to federal races that will decide the future of nationwide legislation like Senator Lindsey Graham’s abortion ban bill. Andy talks with reproductive rights lawyer Fatima Goss Graves and activist Kimberly Inez McGuire about what’s at stake this November and how your vote impacts the...

Words matter. Coming from the highest office, they have the power to bring the nation together or tear it apart. Andy speaks with Barack Obama’s chief speechwriter Cody Keenan about some of the most high-stakes speeches Obama gave during his presidency, from the aftermath of a white supremacist shooting to the fate of marriage equality, and why his message of redemption resonated so strongly with...

Saudi Arabia’s push for OPEC+ to cut oil production is fueling Russia's coffers in its war in Ukraine. Andy talks to US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s right hand man, Derek Chollet, about the geopolitical reasons behind that decision and the effect it will have abroad and at home. He explains the delicate diplomacy taking place between America and Saudi Arabia and why Europe’s split from Rus...

The Jan. 6 hearings were must-see TV for many Americans, but did they come too late?  Washington Post’s Karoun Demirjian and Politico’s Rachael Bade join Andy to explain why the hearings were in many ways a tacit acknowledgement that the second impeachment got botched. They take us inside the thoughts and minds of political leaders, including Nancy Pelosi’s aversion to impeachment and McConnell’s...

Prescription drugs are about to become more affordable for millions of Americans, despite the efforts of the pharmaceutical lobby. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra joins Andy to talk about the fight to control drug costs, how it relates to containing inflation and what it means for your wallet. They also dig in on the Administration’s efforts to keep abortion accessable following the Dobbs decision an...

How bad will this winter’s COVID-19 wave be? That’s what Andy asks epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina, who’s been watching Europe closely and combing through the data on new variants. She predicts that a winter wave is about 90% likely and explains her biggest worries – an Omicron subvariant called BQ.1.1 and a simultaneous flu wave with fewer masking requirements. She and Andy also discuss how the f...

CNN’s Chief National Correspondent John King is back in the bubble to break down the major House and Senate races this midterm that will determine which party controls Congress next year. From John Fetterman in Pennsylvania to Herschel Walker in Georgia, Andy asks John which candidates are most likely to flip their state, who’s spending the most money in the final weeks, and what to watch closely...

With less than a month until Election Day, CNN’s Chief National Correspondent John King returns to the bubble to dig deep into the key themes and dynamics unique to this midterm. Andy asks which issues are galvanizing voters, what the polls tell us (and if we should believe them), and whether a swarm of election deniers will win state races. Tune in Friday for part two of this conversation, when J...

The last SCOTUS term was monumental, with a leaked draft and major precedents like Roe v. Wade overturned. What can we expect from this upcoming term? Michigan Law Professor Leah Litman ranks the most important cases coming before the court, from affirmative action to fair elections. Andy asks Leah why she calls this six-justice conservative supermajority a YOLO court, and how life could have been...

President Biden says Vladimir Putin is not joking about his threats to use nuclear weapons to get out of the war in the Ukraine. As tensions escalate worldwide, America continues to supply the Ukrainian army with the equipment it needs to fight Russia. Andy speaks with Andrea Kendall-Taylor and Andrew Weiss, experts on Putin and Russian intelligence, about what it would take for Putin to follow th...

Donald Trump is taking center stage in the midterm elections, even though he isn’t on the ballot. And to this day there are still unanswered questions about his presidency: what was the true nature of his relationship with Putin? Can he be held accountable for his crimes? Andy talks with veteran journalists Peter Baker of The New York Times and Susan Glasser of The New Yorker who have written a hi...