In the Bubble with Andy Slavitt

Election denialism represents a fundamental breakdown in our democracy, a problem America has never experienced in its history. But that’s not it. There’s also an increasingly alarming disconnection between public opinion and the power to shape American politics. Andy explores these two threats with New York Times senior writer David Leonhardt, who explains why candidates that win the most votes are less and less able to take power and address the country’s problems. They also dig into the specific policy changes that could help protect our democracy, from Electoral College reform bills to ranked choice voting.  Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt. Follow David Leonhardt on Twitter @DLeonhardt. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.    Support the show by checking out our sponsors! Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: https://lemonadamedia.com/sponsors/    Check out these resources from today’s episode:  Read David’s piece, “‘A Crisis Coming’: The Twin Threats to American Democracy”: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/17/us/american-democracy-threats.html Check out the findings in the latest New York Times/Siena College Poll: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/09/22/upshot/donald-trump-approval-poll.html Find vaccines, masks, testing, treatments, and other resources in your community: https://www.covid.gov/ Order Andy’s book, “Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response”: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250770165  Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.  For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com/show/inthebubble.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What if every baby could receive a college savings account, regardless of the financial situation they’re born into? That’s the mission behind baby bonds, a government policy championed by Senator Cory Booker that would provide children with a nest egg to start off adulthood. Andy speaks with economist Darrick Hamilton, who proposed the policy in 2010 as a mechanism to reduce the racial wealth gap in the United States, and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, who created a program in his city. They explain how baby bonds could eliminate college debt, why we should invest in kids we don’t personally know, and the money and public support it would take to expand local programs to the national level. Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt. Follow Darrick Hamilton and Mayor Melvin Carter on Twitter @DarrickHamilton and @MayorCarter. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.    Support the show by checking out our sponsors! Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: https://lemonadamedia.com/sponsors/    Check out these resources from today’s episode:  Read how Darrick helped bring the concept of baby bonds to the national conversation: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2022-03-17/baby-bonds-eyed-as-way-to-close-u-s-racial-wealth-gap Learn more about Mayor Carter's baby bonds program, College Bound St. Paul: https://collegeboundstp.com/ Find vaccines, masks, testing, treatments, and other resources in your community: https://www.covid.gov/ Order Andy’s book, “Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response”: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250770165  Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.  For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com/show/inthebubble.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Four years of new judges on the Supreme Court have transformed the landscape of what justice in America looks like. Andy unpacks that landscape with lawyer and journalist Dahlia Lithwick, who explains in detail the intended and unintended consequences of the Dobbs ruling as the latest example of dramatic changes in the highest court, and what it means heading into the midterms. If you’re a person with a reproductive life, this episode impacts you. Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt. Follow Dahlia Lithwick on Twitter @Dahlialithwick. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.    Support the show by checking out our sponsors! Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: https://lemonadamedia.com/sponsors/    Check out these resources from today’s episode:  Order Dahlia’s book, “Lady Justice: Women, the Law, and the Battle to Save America”: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/598207/lady-justice-by-dahlia-lithwick/ Find vaccines, masks, testing, treatments, and other resources in your community: https://www.covid.gov/ Order Andy’s book, “Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response”: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250770165  Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.  For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com/show/inthebubble.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Andy takes a look at the first two years of Joe Biden’s presidency with his Chief of Staff, Ron Klain, who breaks down the successes and obstacles the administration has faced and the national agenda moving forward. In a wide-ranging conversation, they cover the war in Ukraine, climate provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act, guns, the economy, and the threat to democracy. Kick off midterm season with this exclusive interview. Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt. Follow Ron Klain on Twitter @WHCOS. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.    Support the show by checking out our sponsors! Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: https://lemonadamedia.com/sponsors/    Check out these resources from today’s episode:  Read more about the Inflation Reduction Act: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/08/15/by-the-numbers-the-inflation-reduction-act/ Find vaccines, masks, testing, treatments, and other resources in your community: https://www.covid.gov/ Order Andy’s book, “Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response”: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250770165  Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.  For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com/show/inthebubble.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From droughts to fires to floods, a year of extreme weather is taking a toll on communities from Jackson, Mississippi to Pakistan. Climate change is here and impacting our homes and drinking water. Andy speaks with climate scientist Daniel Swain and former EPA Southeast Coordinator Heather McTeer Toney about why global warming is increasing the intensity of natural disasters, who’s most at risk, and how communities should spend Inflation Reduction Act funds to boost their resiliency. Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt. Follow Heather McTeer Toney and Daniel Swain on Twitter @HeatherMcTeer and @Weather_West. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.    Support the show by checking out our sponsors! Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: https://lemonadamedia.com/sponsors/    Check out these resources from today’s episode:  Read about Daniel’s latest study on California’s coming megastorm: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/08/12/climate/california-rain-storm.html Read Heather’s book, “Before the Streetlights Come On Black America’s Urgent Call for Climate Solutions”: https://www.broadleafbooks.com/store/product/9781506478623/Before-the-Streetlights-Come-On Find vaccines, masks, testing, treatments, and other resources in your community: https://www.covid.gov/ Order Andy’s book, “Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response”: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250770165  Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.  For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com/show/inthebubble.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At first, researcher Kristian Andersen believed that COVID-19 most likely originated from a lab leak. But he changed his mind upon greater investigation, and is now certain the Huanan market in Wuhan, China, was the epicenter. Andy unravels the mystery with Andersen using new key information about what happened, which animals could have transmitted it to humans, and how to make wet markets and factory farming safer in order to prevent the next pandemic. Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt. Follow Kristian Andersen on Twitter @K_G_Andersen. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.    Support the show by checking out our sponsors! Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: https://lemonadamedia.com/sponsors/    Check out these resources from today’s episode:  Read these two preprints that provide the strongest evidence yet that the COVID-19 pandemic began at a market selling live animals in Wuhan: https://zenodo.org/record/6299600#.YyCykOzMKWA and https://zenodo.org/record/6291628#.YyCyj-zMKWA Find vaccines, masks, testing, treatments, and other resources in your community: https://www.covid.gov/ Order Andy’s book, “Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response”: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250770165  Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.  For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com/show/inthebubble.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Updated vaccines to fight Omicron for Americans 12 and older are now available, but you may have questions about when to get the shot and how effective it’ll be as we head into the colder seasons. Andy brings on White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator Dr. Ashish Jha to explain why you should get the COVID and flu shot simultaneously, whether it’ll cost money this time, and how a new powerful variant could throw a wrench in the plan. Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt. Follow Dr. Ashish Jha on Twitter @AshishKJha46. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.    Support the show by checking out our sponsors! Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: https://lemonadamedia.com/sponsors/    Check out these resources from today’s episode:  Learn more about the updated COVID-19 vaccines: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2022/09/06/press-briefing-by-white-house-covid-19-response-team-and-public-health-officials-88/ Find vaccines, masks, testing, treatments, and other resources in your community: https://www.covid.gov/ Order Andy’s book, “Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response”: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250770165  Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.  For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com/show/inthebubble.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kids are back in school, routine testing has begun, and new data shows math and reading skills have plunged since the pandemic. How do we spend the $122 Billion in federal funding to combat learning loss? Andy speaks with Tennessee Education Commissioner Penny Schwinn and Oakland Reach Founder Lakisha Young about the successful approaches they’re using to get kids on track, from high dosage tutoring to hubs that train community members to be “literacy liberators.” Listen and walk away motivated to do your part. Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt. Follow Penny Schwinn and Lakisha Young on Twitter @SchwinnTeach and @LakishaYoungCEO. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.    Support the show by checking out our sponsors! Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: https://lemonadamedia.com/sponsors/    Check out these resources from today’s episode:  Learn more about Oakland Reach, a virtual hub that combines high-quality instruction for students with socio-economic supports for the whole family: https://oaklandreach.org/ Read about how Tennessee student reading scores are largely back to pre-pandemic levels: https://www.tn.gov/education/news/2022/6/14/tennessee-releases-2021-22-tcap-state-level-results-highlighting-significant-learning-acceleration-.html Find vaccines, masks, testing, treatments, and other resources in your community: https://www.covid.gov/ Order Andy’s book, “Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response”: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250770165  Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.  For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com/show/inthebubble.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Kids and teenagers across the country are still recovering from the learning loss caused by schools shutting down during the height of the pandemic. Andy talks with former NPR Education Reporter Anya Kamenetz about her new book, “The Stolen Year,” which unpacks COVID’s devastating effects on our youth, from fewer college goers to toddlers with developmental delays. How behind is our youngest generation and what will it take for school districts, teachers, and parents to get kids back on track? Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt. Follow Anya Kamenetz on Twitter @anya1anya. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.    Support the show by checking out our sponsors! Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: https://lemonadamedia.com/sponsors/    Check out these resources from today’s episode:  Order Anya’s new book, “The Stolen Year: How COVID Changed Children's Lives, and Where We Go Now”: https://www.publicaffairsbooks.com/titles/anya-kamenetz/the-stolen-year/9781541701014/ Read this study which found that 70% of Detroit students were chronically absent in the 2020-2021 school year: https://www.edworkingpapers.com/sites/default/files/ai22-609.pdf Find vaccines, masks, testing, treatments, and other resources in your community: https://www.covid.gov/ Order Andy’s book, “Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response”: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250770165  Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.  For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com/show/inthebubble.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this Labor Day, Andy is recommending a stellar CNN podcast: Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta. In this episode, Sanjay explores the endless loop of pain we can feel after a loved one dies. What happens when grief doesn’t subside with time? He speaks to Wendy Lichtenthal, Director of the Bereavement Clinic at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, about why we grieve, how to navigate the grief process, and a new medical diagnosis: prolonged grief disorder. Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt. Follow Dr. Sanjay Gupta on Twitter @drsanjaygupta. Joining Lemonada Premium is a great way to support our show and get bonus content. Subscribe today at bit.ly/lemonadapremium.    Support the show by checking out our sponsors! Click this link for a list of current sponsors and discount codes for this show and all Lemonada shows: https://lemonadamedia.com/sponsors/    Check out these resources from today’s episode:  Check out more episodes of CNN’s Chasing Life here: https://www.cnn.com/audio/podcasts/chasing-life Find vaccines, masks, testing, treatments, and other resources in your community: https://www.covid.gov/ Order Andy’s book, “Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response”: https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250770165  Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia.  For additional resources, information, and a transcript of the episode, visit lemonadamedia.com/show/inthebubble.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.