Next Question with Katie Couric

In this special bonus episode of Next Question with Katie Couric, Katie shares her conversation with California Governor Gavin Newsom, which was recorded as part of her ongoing video series with Time Magazine — 'TIME Reports with Katie Couric' — that shines a light on the heroes and newsmakers of this COVID moment. Governor Newsom has been praised for his leadership of California, which despite being among the first to report cases of the virus, has managed to avoid the catastrophic spread we've seen in other places. He shares with Katie the guiding principles that shaped his early response and considers the way forward for his state — and all of us. For more, sign up for Katie's morning newsletter "Wake-Up Call" at KatieCouric.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With widespread shelter-in-place orders shutting down major cities and many states, the U.S. economy has come to an abrupt standstill. And after just five weeks, this COVID crisis has forced more than 26 million Americans to file for unemployment. On this episode of Next Question with Katie Couric, Katie talks to Victor Tan Chen, sociology professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, and author of “Cut Loose: Jobless and Hopeless in an Unfair Economy.” Chen explains what makes this unemployment crisis so unprecedented, why it’s underscoring pre-existing inequalities in the labor force and how the pandemic could change the job market — and who it could leave behind. Throughout the episode, we also hear from the people behind the unemployment statistics.Read the Atlantic article ‘The Second Phase of Unemployment Will Be Harsher,’ by Victor Tan Chen and Ofer Sharone.Sign up for Katie Couric’s morning newsletter, Wake-Up Call. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

As our loyal listeners know, Next Question with Katie Couric has been devoted to covering the coronavirus crisis from the moment this unprecedented pandemic began to upend virtually every facet of our daily lives. Now, with this special bonus episode, Katie begins a new chapter, exploring something most all of us are surely wondering -- what will “life after coronavirus” look like? First up, a conversation with one of the most respected and experienced authorities in public health today, Dr. Tom Frieden. Dr. Frieden is the former Director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (aka the CDC) and is currently President of the non-profit, Resolve to Save Lives, which aims to make the world safe from epidemics. He shares with Katie his plan to “box in” the coronavirus, so we can safely get the country up and running -- and, hopefully, begin to find and embrace our "new normal." Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Yesterday, on “Next Question with Katie Couric,” we heard the devastating story of how one mother, Kira Johnson, became a part of a shameful statistic:​that between 700 and 900 American women die each year from pregnancy and childbirth-related causes. We learned that structural issues like racism as well as an increase in medical interventions during labor, have led to more women dying from pregnancy and childbirth today than they did 30 years ago. Today, in Part 2, Katie tackles her next question: What is being done to better protect American mothers, and particularly women of color? Katie talks to Olympic runner Allyson Felix who, in 2018, became one of the 50,000 women who nearly die from pregnancy-related complications. “Being a professional athlete,” Allyson says, “I just thought that will never happen to me.” Katie also hears from public health leaders like Dr. Debra Bingham and politicians like New Jersey’s First Lady Tammy Murphy who are actively trying to turn high maternal mortality rates around. Today, given the additional challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic and the existing racial health disparities COVID-19 has only exacerbated, this kind of work is more urgent and relevant than ever. Guests and resources for this episode include: Olympic runner Allyson Felix helps March of Dimes advocate for the health and safety of moms and babies.  New Jersey First Lady Tammy Murphy launched in 2019 Nurture NJ, a statewide awareness campaign committed to reducing maternal mortality and morbidity. New moms can stay on top of symptoms with the Post-Birth Warning Signs factsheet from the The Institute for Perinatal Quality Improvement To help families like the Johnsons, visit 4Kira4Moms.com For more information, sign up for Katie Couric’s newsletter Wake-Up Call at KatieCouric.com.Correction (4-27-20):The podcast incorrectly attributes the "Save Your Life" POST BIRTH warning signs handout to the Institute for Perinatal Quality Improvement. It was developed under the leadership of Debra Bingham, DrPH, RN, FAAN when she worked at the Association of Women's Health Obstetrics and Neonatal Nurses. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Long before COVID-19 hit the U.S. in early 2020, the American health system was suffering another crisis: alarmingly high — and rising — rates of maternal mortality, particularly among black women. In this country, an estimated two women die every day from pregnancy and childbirth-related causes. And 60 percent of those deaths could have been prevented. And now, the coronavirus is forcing tens of thousands of women to give birth in unprecedented circumstances — sometimes alone, and often without the support networks they need to stay healthy. In Part 1 of a special episode of “Next Question with Katie Couric,” Katie talks to Charles Johnson, whose wife Kira died in 2016 just hours after giving birth to their second son, Langston. “I thought that what happened to Kira was an isolated incident,” Charles tells Katie. “I thought, this doesn’t happen in 2016, in our country.” Why are women like Kira Johnson — healthy, prepared, and insured — dying? And how did the U.S. become one of the most dangerous places in the developed world to have a baby? Guests and resources for this episode include: Charles Johnson, founder of 4Kira4Moms, a non-profit dedicated to maternal mortality advocacy. Dr. Debra Bingham, founder and executive director of the Institute for Perinatal Quality Improvement, and associate professor at the University of Maryland Monica Rose McLemore, associate professor in the family health care nursing department at the University of California, San Francisco Nina Martin, an investigative reporter at ProPublica and co-author of the award-winning ProPublica and NPR series “Lost Mothers.” For more information, sign up for Katie Couric’s newsletter Wake-Up Call at KatieCouric.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hospitals in hotspots like New York City may have postponed or canceling non-essential surgeries due to the coronavirus, but, you can’t postpone birth. Pregnant mothers are still entering hospitals, sometimes alone, to deliver babies to doctors and nurses in full hazmat gear. On this episode of Next Question with Katie Couric, Katie finds out what it's like — from the perspective of mothers, doctors, and doulas — to give birth in the time of coronavirus.First, Katie talks to Alicia Biggs, a mom who had to give birth alone at the end of March. Then, Katie checks in with two obstetricians, one from New York Presbyterian in Manhattan and one from the Elmhurst Hospital Center in Queens, to understand the obstacles they face in keeping pregnant and laboring moms healthy and safe. Finally, New York City doula Chantal Traub offers tips to pregnant women and their partners for how to feel safe — and empowered — during a time of uncertainty. Next Question listeners can go to ChantalTraub.com to get their free guide for how to enter birth with confidence and calm. For more, subscribe to Katie's morning newsletter Wake-Up Call at KatieCouric.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Long before the coronavirus upended our lives and distanced ourselves from our jobs, routines, and loved ones, loneliness was already considered a widespread issue. But now, whether you're living alone or surrounded by people, that feeling of loneliness is probably more profound than ever. On this episode of Next Question with Katie Couric, Katie talks with former surgeon general Vivek Murthy about how dangerous this human condition can be, not only to our emotional health but also our mental and physical health. In a discussion around his new book, "Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World," Katie and Dr. Murthy talk about ways to mitigate our loneliness and how to use this time of isolation to appreciate and strengthen our relationships. Later in the show, massage therapist David Lobenstine shares a few techniques — to use on yourself or on one of your quarantine partners — to help relieve the effects of this longterm stress and loneliness. Sign up for Katie's morning newsletter, Wake-Up Call, at KatieCouric.com for more information on today's episode, the coronavirus, and the day's most pressing news. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In these unprecedented times, when tensions, anxieties and fears about the coronavirus are high, many people are finding comfort in a surprising source: Steven Soderbergh’s 2011 thriller “Contagion.” It’s about a mysterious and highly contagious virus that crosses continents, causes city-wide lockdowns, throws government protocols into chaos, upends daily life, and instills an almost universal state of dread across the globe. Sound familiar? Katie talks with “Contagion” screenwriter Scott Burns and one of the lead consultants on the film, Dr. Ian Lipkin, the John Snow Professor of Epidemiology at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, about why the movie is having such a moment, how they managed to create something so prescient, and ways our own pandemic nightmare might end. The pair also touch on their latest collaboration: With help from the original “Contagion” cast, Scott Burns and the Mailman School of Public Health have created PSAs to help spread the word about social distancing, hand washing, and other life-saving measures in the age of COVID-19. You can check those out at ControlTheContagion.org and spread the word on social media with #ControlTheContagion. Sign up for Katie Couric's morning newsletter, Wake-Up Call, at KatieCouric.com. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Next Question with Katie Couric, Katie continues her special coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. First, Katie looks to New York City — now the national epicenter of this crisis — where the rate of positive COVID-19 cases is doubling ever three days. Which means the peak of coronavirus infections will be much higher and hit New York much sooner than expected, giving the city's vast network of hospitals — which are already under tremendous strain — less time to prepare for a deluge of patients. Katie talks to Dr. Robert Femia, the chair of emergency medicine at NYU Langone to find out how emergency rooms in New York City are faring now and how they are bracing for what's to come. Then, Katie speaks to Beth Cameron, the former head of the National Security Council Directorate for Global Health Security and Biodefense, about why the U.S. wasn't prepared for this pandemic. Beth Cameron is now the Vice President for Global Biological Policy and Programs at the Nuclear Threat Initiative, which has a new effort to help local officials during the COVID-19 pandemic. You can find more information about that here. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of Next Question with Katie Couric, Katie continues with special coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. First, Katie tackles coronavirus anxiety and how to balance our mental health with concern over our physical health. Katie talks with psychotherapist and best-selling author Lori Gottlieb who shares ways to cope during this uncertain time and answers questions from Katie’s listeners and followers. Then,San Diego physician Dr. Peter Attia hares what he has learned in his research of the pandemic, from the mysterious biological mechanisms behind COVID-19 and the looming challenges it poses for our healthcare system. So take a deep breath, everyone, and - as always - go to CDC.gov and WHO.int for the most updated information. You can also sign up for Katie's morning newsletter Wake-up Call, at KatieCouric.com, for dedicated coronavirus coverage. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.