In the Bubble with Andy Slavitt

Andy speaks with former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine Marie Yovanovitch about how she anticipates the Russian invasion of Ukraine playing out and why the fight for democracy can take decades. She explains how her parents' experience fleeing totalitarian regimes in the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany led her to join the U.S. Foreign Service, and relives her painful role as a key witness in the 2020 impe...

Andy talks with Dr. Peter Marks about the FDA’s authorization of a fourth round of vaccines for those 50 and older. As the director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research at the Food and Drug Administration, Marks is the man most responsible for our vaccines and the speed at which they were developed. Andy gets the inside scoop from him to help answer questions from listeners about bo...

When he wasn’t busy taming electricity and being a Founding Father of the United States, Benjamin Franklin was encouraging inoculations to combat the smallpox pandemic of the 18th century. Franklin bitterly regretted not inoculating his 4-year-old son, Francis, who died from smallpox when an outbreak hit Philadelphia in 1736. Andy talks to filmmaker Ken Burns, whose new PBS documentary on the foun...

While states like Texas and Florida target LGBTQ+ youth and families, Andy digs into the top issues affecting our nation's health with Admiral Rachel Levine, a pediatrician currently serving as Assistant Secretary for Health. Dr. Levine, who is the nation's first openly transgender four-star officer, discusses her commitment to finding solutions to improve youth mental health, the opioid epidemic,...

Andy tackles the pressing need for more COVID funding with two guests who are fighting to make it happen: outgoing White House Coronavirus Coordinator Jeff Zients and former COVID Transition Team member Dr. Zeke Emanuel. What will happen if the U.S. can't afford to pay for a fourth round of vaccines? And what is holding Congress up? Zeke and Andy also discuss the plan Zeke is spearheading for the...

Andy brings Harvard epidemiologist Bill Hanage back to discuss what the US can expect to see with the new Omicron subvariant BA.2. How will our bump compare to what we’re seeing in Europe? And how will people navigate it with the nationwide relaxation of vaccine and mask mandates? Plus, they revisit some of their previous conversation about the original strain of Omicron from six weeks ago to see...

Andy begins by talking about the rise in COVID cases around the world and what that could mean for us here in America. Then, listen in as Andy and Silicon Valley Congressman Ro Khanna have a wide-ranging conversation about the war in Ukraine, the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, and what it takes to build bridges both across the aisle and within one’s own party. Ro explains his views on h...

Andy gets to the bottom of Vladimir Putin's escalating nuclear threats with U.S. Senator Tim Kaine and Hans Kristensen, Director of the Nuclear Information Project with the Federation of American Scientists. Plus, Senator Kaine details his personal two-year-long struggle with long COVID and his new bill, the Comprehensive Access to Resources and Education (CARE) for Long COVID Act.    Keep up with...

As mask mandates and vaccine requirements go away and life starts to look similar to the way it did in February 2020, Andy talks with world-renowned virologist David Ho, who says his career has been defined by two pandemics: HIV/AIDS and COVID-19. David tells Andy what he makes of people relaxing their precautions, how long he thinks COVID will remain problematic for us as a society, and what futu...

As Russia cracks down on the truth about the war in Ukraine, Andy connects with Jim Sciutto, CNN’s Chief National Security Correspondent, on the ground in Lviv. Jim tells Andy about some of the Ukrainians he’s spoken with: a member of parliament, a law student-turned-volunteer medic, and a family fleeing to safety. They also discuss the convoy outside Kyiv and what Putin’s next steps may be.   Kee...

Andy digs into the global sanctions levied against Vladimir Putin and Russia as a result of the invasion of Ukraine with Atlantic staff writer David Frum. They get into how the sanctions are already affecting Russians, how they may play out here, and if David thinks there's a point at which they could go too far.    Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt.    Follow David...

Andy tries to get a glimpse into SARS-CoV-2's future with Fred Hutchinson molecular biologist Jesse Bloom. Jesse is studying the ways the virus could continue to evolve and he gives us a sense of what may be on the horizon and how our immunity could hold up to those changes. Plus, they go back to the basics and talk about how and why this virus is evolving so much faster than other known viruses....

The pandemic forced us to confront many previously unacknowledged societal issues, including the lack of infrastructure we have to support those who need care and those who give it. As COVID-19 deaths near one million in America, the time has come to address the caregiving crisis in this country. There are nearly 50 million unpaid family caregivers and 4.5 million paid home care aides in America,...

Andy and CDC Director Rochelle Walensky dig into some of the toughest COVID questions of the moment. When will we be able to take our masks off? Will we need a 4th vaccine dose? What does the data tell us about variant-specific boosters? They talk about how our public health infrastructure has transformed over the past two years, the new COVID surveillance systems at our disposal, and what the CDC...

Andy gets the latest on the most pressing legal issues with Preet Bharara, former U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York and host of the podcast Stay Tuned with Preet. Andy and Preet discuss what's happening with the January 6th select committee, the idea of Donald Trump running again in 2024, and how the process to replace Supreme Court justice Stephen Breyer may play out. Plus, Pree...

Andy enlists Scripps Research immunologist and Danish expat Kristian Andersen to understand why Denmark lifted all their COVID restrictions — despite leading the world in per capita infections — and what we in the U.S. can learn from that. Plus, how BA.2 compares to BA.1 with regard to transmissibility, severity, and immune evasiveness and what Kristian thinks we need to do to minimize the risk of...

Andy begins this jam-packed episode by talking about Pfizer's long-awaited vaccine for kids under 5 with Julie Morita, a pediatrician and executive vice president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Then he's joined by Safe or Not Safe alumna Caitlin Rivers, who is working to establish the new Center for Epidemic Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics at the CDC. Caitlin tells Andy what the group i...

Andy turns the tables on award-winning Washington Post journalist Dan Diamond, who has covered health care policy (and Andy) since the Obama administration, and asks him about COVID and the media. Andy and Dan talk about what it's like reporting on the Biden administration after covering the Trump administration, if Andy considers himself a member of the media, and Andy's appearance as Dan's debut...

Andy explores what Omicron means for immunity with Harvard epidemiologist Bill Hanage. Andy and Bill tackle what we know about the kind of immunity Omicron may provide against future variants, what role layered immunity will play moving forward, and why we shouldn't count Delta out just yet. While you listen, see if you can catch all the literary and Arsenal F.C. references Bill skillfully slides...

Omicron came and flipped everything we thought we knew about how to act during COVID up in the air. It also made another edition of Safe or Not Safe necessary. This time around, Andy brings in two new contestants, epidemiologist Katelyn Jetelina and former guest host Dr. Bob Wachter, to answer your questions about indoor dining, outdoor transmission, and how to keep kids under five and those who a...

Andy and ER doctor Megan Ranney take you inside her Rhode Island emergency department to hear just how thinly stretched everyone and everything is during the Omicron wave. Nearly two years into this pandemic, we are all exhausted. But as you can hear in Megan's voice, the people who staff emergency departments have been pushed to their breaking point. Go with her on a recent shift as she treats pa...

With the defeat of the Freedom to Vote Act, Andy turns his attention to the threat to our democracy with Crooked Media co-founder and Pod Save America co-host Jon Favreau. They discuss just how real the threat remains, how a Big Lie scenario could play out in 2024, and what we can do to prevent that from happening. Plus, what Jon, a former Obama speechwriter, wants to hear the Biden Administration...

Andy brings you information directly from the source to let you know what to expect when the antivirals arrive: who will get them, how to get them, when to get yours, and the biggest question — will they change everything? In an exclusive interview with In the Bubble, Dr. David Kessler, Chief Science Officer of the White House COVID-19 Response Team, tells Andy how he is personally navigating Omic...

Andy enlists two experts — UC Davis Dean of Engineering Rich Corsi and “Mask Nerd” Aaron Collins — to better understand the importance of masking and indoor air quality during this Omicron wave. Fan favorite Rich returns to talk about how to think about ventilation, ways to reduce our inhalation dose, and how that’s changed with Omicron. Aaron breaks down everything you need to know about the diff...

Being a parent is never easy, but has it ever felt as hard as it does right now? Andy talks all things kids and Omicron with pediatrician and vaccinologist Paul Offit. They cover the latest on keeping kids safe at school, how Omicron is affecting young people, and what kind of masks are best for children. Plus, an update on when we can expect a vaccine for kids younger than five.   Keep up with An...