Why Is This Happening? The Chris Hayes Podcast

What is the toll of becoming one of the most recognizable figures in the world? What are the downfalls of that level of fame? This week, we thought we'd try something a little different and discuss one of the most popular pieces of pop culture to come out in the era of physical distancing: ESPN's docuseries on Michael Jordan. "The Last Dance" paints a compelling portrait of the corrosive nature of fame and what's left when you get everything you want. Joel Anderson's article in Slate titled "Michael Jordan Is Exactly Who I Thought He Was" and David Roth's work recapping the series for Vulture both caught Chris' eye, so he brought them on to discuss the life and legacy of #23.RELATED LINKS:Follow David Roth on TwitterFollow Joel Anderson on TwitterListen to Joel Anderson host Season 3 of Slow Burn: Biggie and Tupac

What does education look like in the age of the coronavirus? What will it take for schools to reopen? The education system is in uncharted territory, with students isolated from their peers and guardians tasked with navigating the technological demands required by remote learning. Like everything else in this moment, there are more questions than answers about what comes next. Education reporter Dana Goldstein joins to discuss what she’s hearing from students, how other countries are adapting, and what long-term implications this disruption could have.Plus, Goldstein shares her personal story of becoming one of the first pregnant women in the country to be diagnosed with COVID. She describes the scariest moments in her battle with the disease, quarantined in her New York apartment with her husband and young daughter.RELATED READING:Read more of Dana' Goldstein's reporting hereThe Teacher Wars by Dana Goldstein

How is the pandemic playing out in jails and prisons? Insufficient health care, a lack of protective gear, and the fundamental inability to physically distance have created inescapable outbreaks. Those incarcerated are at the center of some of the top coronavirus hot spots in the country. And as lawyer and president of The Appeal Josie Duffy Rice points out, these systems are porous; an outbreak in a jail could mean an outbreak in the community. So what can and should be done for the incarcerated populations? And what broader inequities are we seeing with the criminal justice system in the midst of this pandemic? Listen to Josie Duffy Rice to find out.

Are we doing enough to keep the economy alive through this crisis? So far, economic relief efforts have been messy, convoluted, and inequitably distributed. But while we talk about the steps taken to save the economy, we first need to know the structures in which that recovery originates. Who decides where the money goes, how are those decisions being made – and can these mechanisms be more effective? Not just in this current pandemic-induced economic contraction, but on a more permanent institutional level. How can we ensure our financial system is stable enough to weather these types of crises? After dedicating her academic career to answering these types of questions, law professor Saule Omarova joins to discuss her proposal for what that new type of institution can and should look like.RELATED READINGUnsanitized: Why We Need a National Investment Authority by Saule Omarova

Why are African Americans getting hit the hardest by the coronavirus? In part, this public health crisis is shining a light on the ramifications of policies and politics rooted in the legacy of racism. And what’s interesting, and what Heather McGhee is writing about for her upcoming book, is the way these racially motivated politics end up creating bad economic policy overall, producing a government that makes everyone worse off. So while we watch scenes of people lining up for miles to get groceries from food banks and hear about unemployed Americans struggling within a broken system to receive some kind of financial relief, Heather McGhee joins to discuss the true cost of a racially divided nation.RELATED LINKSThe Sum of Us by Heather McGhee (available for Pre-order)Watch Heather McGhee's TED talk "Racism has a cost for everyone"Listen to Heather McGhee's call with Gary from North CarolinaHear the volcano suggestion Chris Hayes received on airYOU MIGHT ALSO LIKEWhite Identity Politics with Michael TeslerDying of Whiteness with Jonathan Metzl

Something remarkable is happening. While we must be physically isolated, separated from the world and those we love, people are finding creative ways to reach out and foster community. From sewing masks for strangers to singing with your neighbors to organizing virtual family meals, acts of generosity and grace are breaking through what can feel like an insurmountable darkness. Author Rebecca Solnit spent time studying the aftermath of tragedies like September 11th and Hurricane Katrina for her book, "A Paradise Built in Hell". She found that people often responded to these monumental moments of collective trauma with solidarity, courage, and a drive to make change for the better. RELATED READING:A Paradise Built in Hell by Rebecca SolnitRecollections of My Nonexistence by Rebecca Solnit'The impossible has already happened': what coronavirus can teach us about hope by Rebecca Solnit (The Guardian, Apr 7 2020)

There are still more questions than answers about COVID-19. While the impacts of the virus are felt in every corner of human life, there’s a desire to find a neat and clean explanation for how things got to this point. This search for causality creates an environment ripe for the spread of misinformation – conspiracy theories, premature conclusions, incomplete data- and it’s crucial to learn how to think critically about the stories being told. We invited biology professor Carl Bergstrom, author of the forthcoming book “Calling Bullshit: The Art of Skepticism in a Data-Driven World”, to talk about what we do and don’t know, what the experts are debating over, and what it means to have the first ever quarantine in the age of the internet. Come for the lesson on thinking critically about data, stay to hear about the shrimp who love to punch.RELATED:Calling Bullshit: The Art of Skepticism in a Data-Driven World by Carl Bergstrom (available for pre-order)Follow Carl Bergstrom on TwitterGo to CallingBullshit.org

What did we learn from the last great pandemic? You don’t have to dig deep into the 1918 influenza before finding eerie similarities to today – be it the White House downplaying the severity of the virus or the social distancing measures recommended by public health officials. Author John M. Barry’s meticulously researched account of the 1918 pandemic in his book “The Great Influenza” was so affecting that it inspired then President George W. Bush to develop a comprehensive pandemic plan after reading it. There’s no one better to discuss the similarities and differences to what played out a century ago – and the far reaching reverberations this moment will have – than John M. Barry.RELATED READING:The Great Influenza by John M. BarryThe Single Most Important Lesson From the 1918 Influenza by John M. Barry

WARNING: This episode discusses violence in war, suicide, depression and drug use.By the time he was 21-years-old, Thomas Burke Jr. had experienced enough trauma for a lifetime. After enlisting in the Marine Corps straight of high school, his deployments exposed him to horrors that dragged him down into what felt like an inescapable darkness. His journey is filled with pain and grief, struggles with depression and addiction, and attempts of taking his own life. He emerged from those depths a pastor, and a fierce advocate for veterans fighting the same battles he did. This is the story of what happened to an 18-year-old sent overseas – and the changed man who came back.RELATEDListen to our episode Facing Trauma with Jason KanderWatch the Trailer for Combat Obscura

As the coronavirus pandemic spreads, we know that there are marginalized groups that are exposed. Those migrants seeking asylum at the southern border are one of those exposed groups, and face even more danger in part due to the Trump administration’s immigration policies. These are policies that are intended to close off the country and deter those who are lawfully seeking asylum. This conversation with Bridget Cambria and Tobias Barrington Wolff about this administration’s policies and the case of a particular family that they represent was recorded prior to the heights of the pandemic that we now live in. It illustrates the hardships that asylum seekers face against a system that is actively working against them, and it is evidence of why they are now more vulnerable than ever.