

In the Bubble with Andy Slavitt
Lemonada Media
In the Bubble is the go to place to learn more about the most important news events on YOUR mind. We take the time that’s needed to go beyond the headlines with A list guests from Andy's bubble. From Tina Fay to Tony Fauci. From the next vaccine to the next election issue. To an occasional dad joke. It’s Actual Facts from Actual Experts, every Wednesday from Lemonada Media.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jan 27, 2021 • 48min
Inside the National COVID-19 Plan (with Atul Gawande)
Dr. Bob calls up a friend – Dr. Atul Gawande – to bring clarity and empathy to some pretty complicated issues. Atul, a practicing surgeon and bestselling author, recently finished serving on the Biden transition’s COVID-19 task force. Atul discusses the work of the task force, how best to handle vaccines and the schools, and what COVID-19 has taught him about our healthcare system, our politics, and our approach to death and dying. Follow Dr. Bob on Twitter @Bob_Wachter and check out In the Bubble’s new Twitter account @inthebubblepod. Follow Atul Gawande on Twitter @Atul_Gawande. Keep up with Andy in D.C. on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt. In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. Become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble/ 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://drive.google.com/file/d/1NEJFhcReE4ejw2Kw7ba8DVJ1xQLogPwA/view Check out these resources from today’s episode: Watch President Biden's full address on his COVID-19 response plan: https://youtu.be/JzA37FofhmM Read President Biden’s National Strategy for the COVID-19 Response and Pandemic Preparedness: https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/National-Strategy-for-the-COVID-19-Response-and-Pandemic-Preparedness.pdf Watch Anthony Fauci speak at a recent White House press conference, his first under the new Biden administration: https://youtu.be/sFLxkM3xeGw Learn more about what Atul Gawande and his colleagues are up to at CIC Health: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/01/24/business/seven-months-ago-cic-health-didnt-exist-today-its-running-states-mass-vaccination-effort/ Learn more about Dr. Bob Wachter and the UCSF Department of Medicine here: https://medicine.ucsf.edu/ To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/in-the-bubble shortly after the air date. 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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 25, 2021 • 49min
Toolkit: Where Is My Vaccine?
Now that we are a couple of months into the vaccine rollout, we wanted to answer more of your vaccine-related questions. Dr. Bob asks Paul Offit your questions about what more we've learned about the vaccines in terms of safety, efficacy and vaccinating kids. Ruth Faden tackles your questions about the ethics of deciding who gets the shots first, jumping the line, and vaccination passports. Plus, Dr. Bob and his wife Katie Hafner discuss what it's like when one person in a bubble is vaccinated and the other isn’t. Follow Dr. Bob on Twitter @Bob_Wachter and check out In the Bubble’s new Twitter account @inthebubblepod. Follow Paul Offit @DrPaulOffit and Ruth Faden @fadenethx on Twitter. Keep up with Andy in D.C. on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt. In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. Become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble/ 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://drive.google.com/file/d/1NEJFhcReE4ejw2Kw7ba8DVJ1xQLogPwA/view Check out these resources from today’s episode: Find your place in the line for the COVID-19 vaccine with this tool from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/12/03/opinion/covid-19-vaccine-timeline.html Keep track of the U.S.’s vaccine rollout with this graphic from The Washington Post: https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/health/covid-vaccine-states-distribution-doses/ Read more on what Dr. Paul Offit thinks of President Biden’s plan to distribute 100 million vaccines in 100 days: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/21/health/biden-covid-vaccine-supply.html Check out this New Yorker article featuring Ruth Faden, asking if it’s wrong to take advantage of technicalities and glitches in the vaccine distribution: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/article/should-you-wait-your-turn-for-the-covid-19-vaccine.html Learn more about Dr. Bob Wachter and the UCSF Department of Medicine here: https://medicine.ucsf.edu/ To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/in-the-bubble shortly after the air date. 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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 20, 2021 • 43min
What Went Wrong in L.A. (And What We’re Hopeful About in D.C.)
On the first day of President Biden's term, Dr. Bob takes a look at the toll the pandemic is having right now in Los Angeles – the epicenter of the nation’s winter surge – with emergency room physician Erika Flores Uribe and Hal Yee, Chief Medical Officer with the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. They discuss who's most affected, what it's like on the front lines, what they're doing to turn things around, and how the vaccine rollout is going in L.A. Dr. Bob also reflects on what we can look forward to after Inauguration Day in the fight against COVID-19. Follow Dr. Bob on Twitter @Bob_Wachter and check out In the Bubble’s new Twitter account @inthebubblepod. Keep up with Andy in D.C. on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt. In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. Become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble/ 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://drive.google.com/file/d/1NEJFhcReE4ejw2Kw7ba8DVJ1xQLogPwA/view Check out these resources from today’s episode: Keep track of the COVID-19 situation in California with The Los Angeles Times: https://www.latimes.com/projects/california-coronavirus-cases-tracking-outbreak/ Learn about the 5 new vaccination super sites opening up in Los Angeles: https://laist.com/latest/post/20210118/5-more-vaccination-super-sites-open-tomorrow-in-LA-county Check out this article about Los Angeles lifting its cremation limits due to a backlog caused by skyrocketing COVID-19 deaths: https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2021/01/19/958354466/cremation-limits-lifted-in-la-due-to-backlog-as-covid-19-deaths-skyrocket Watch the full clip of CNN reporter Sara Sidner choking up after reporting from a hospital in Los Angeles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Du5HjRpAliE Learn more about Dr. Bob Wachter and the UCSF Department of Medicine here: https://medicine.ucsf.edu/ To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/in-the-bubble shortly after the air date. 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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 18, 2021 • 44min
Toolkit: What You Need to Know About the Variants
If you were worried that a new host would mean a completely different show, let this Monday Toolkit ease your fears. Dr. Bob poses your questions about the so-called UK and South African variants to virologist Angela Rasmussen and evolutionary biologist Paul Turner. You'll get answers about what the variants mean for the vaccines, how they affect kids, how to adjust your behavior in response to them, and much more. Follow Dr. Bob on Twitter @Bob_Wachter and check out In the Bubble’s new Twitter account @inthebubblepod. You can follow Andy in D.C. on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt. In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. Become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble/ 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://drive.google.com/file/d/1NEJFhcReE4ejw2Kw7ba8DVJ1xQLogPwA/view Check out these resources from today’s episode: Here’s a link to CDC’s webpage on the new COVID-19 variants: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/transmission/variant.html Check out this article about the CDC’s prediction that the UK variant could become the dominant COVID strain in the US by March: https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/coronavirus-variant-dominant-us/2021/01/15/4420d814-5738-11eb-a817-e5e7f8a406d6_story.html Learn more about ‘The Swiss Cheese Model of Pandemic Defense:’ https://www.nytimes.com/2020/12/05/health/coronavirus-swiss-cheese-infection-mackay.html Read about Andy’s temporary role in the Biden administration: https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/14/politics/andy-slavitt-biden-covid-team/index.htm Learn more about Dr. Bob Wachter and the UCSF Department of Medicine here: https://medicine.ucsf.edu/ To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/in-the-bubble shortly after the air date. 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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 15, 2021 • 23min
Andy Goes to Washington
On January 20th, Andy will begin serving in the Biden White House as Senior Advisor for the pandemic response. He will be back to the show in June. Hear about the decision, what he’ll be doing, and who will be hosting the show while he’s away. Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt. Follow In the Bubble’s new Twitter account @inthebubblepod. In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. Become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble/ 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://drive.google.com/file/d/1NEJFhcReE4ejw2Kw7ba8DVJ1xQLogPwA/view Check out these resources from today’s episode: Pre-order Andy’s book, Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response, here: www.preventablebook.com To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/in-the-bubble shortly after the air date. 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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 13, 2021 • 38min
Meet the New CDC Director (with Rochelle Walensky)
Incoming CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky gives her first major interview. She and Andy discuss her background as a young girl who wanted to grow up to be financially independent and how that turned into a storied career that led her to the pinnacle of public health. She discusses the challenges she faces in this epic role and her priorities for the CDC. There’s never been a more important time to have a strong leader like Dr. Walensky in charge of this agency. Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt. Follow In the Bubble’s new Twitter account @inthebubblepod. Follow Rochelle Walensky on Twitter @RWalensky. In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. Become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble/ 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://drive.google.com/file/d/1NEJFhcReE4ejw2Kw7ba8DVJ1xQLogPwA/view Check out these resources from today’s episode: Read Rochelle’s opinion piece in The New York Times about her priorities as CDC Director: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/11/opinion/rochelle-walensky-cdc-director.html Watch President-elect Joe Biden introduce his health team nominees, including Rochelle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mVFUIrWMkXA Learn more about the Biden administration’s plan distribute 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in his first 100 days: https://www.npr.org/2021/01/08/955005344/biden-vows-to-distribute-100-million-covid-19-vaccine-doses-in-his-first-100-day Find the CDC’s latest guidance on COVID-19 here: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/ Pre-order Andy’s book, Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response, here: www.preventablebook.com To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/in-the-bubble shortly after the air date. 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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 11, 2021 • 1h 3min
Toolkit: How to Stay Safe at Work
Here’s the toolkit for everyone who needs to physically be at work — either now or in the future. Andy’s got you covered with expert advice on how to stay safe at work with attorney Jessica Rosenberg and Director of Harvard’s Healthy Buildings program Joseph Allen. They’ve got answers about Plexiglas, filtration, bad bosses, your rights, and more. Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt. Follow Joseph Allen @j_g_allen on Twitter. In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. Become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble/ Support the show by checking out our sponsors! Livinguard masks have the potential to deactivate COVID-19 based on the testing they have conducted from leading universities such as the University of Arizona and the Free University in Berlin, Germany. Go to shop.livinguard.com and use the code BUBBLE10 for 10% off. Check out these resources from today’s episode: Find the website for The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) here: www.osha.gov Check out the Healthy Buildings tool that’ll help you to calculate air changes per hour in an indoor space: https://tinyurl.com/portableaircleanertool Read this 5 step guide to checking ventilation rates in classrooms that Joe mentions in today’s episode: https://schools.forhealth.org/ventilation-guide/ Order Joe’s book, Healthy Buildings: How Indoor Spaces Drive Performance and Productivity, co-authored with John D. Macomber: https://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog.php?isbn=9780674237971 Pre-order Andy’s book, Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response, here: www.preventablebook.com To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/in-the-bubble shortly after the air date. 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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 6, 2021 • 30min
15 Top Scientists' Predictions for 2021
When do the country’s top scientists think we'll be gathering indoors again? How about when most adults in America will be vaccinated? And what's the number one thing you can do this year to slow the pandemic? We all want to know what’s going to happen in 2021, so Andy got you some answers from a few of the smartest people out there. You’ll hear from Larry Brilliant, Leana Wen, Anthony Fauci, Megan Ranney, David Agus, and many more. Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt. In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. Become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble/ Support the show by checking out our sponsors! Livinguard masks have the potential to deactivate COVID-19 based on the testing they have conducted from leading universities such as the University of Arizona and the Free University in Berlin, Germany. Go to shop.livinguard.com and use the code BUBBLE10 for 10% off. Check out these resources from today’s episode: Check out the five key milestones in the COVID-19 pandemic that experts are anticipating in 2021: https://www.statnews.com/2021/01/04/five-key-milestones-in-the-covid19-pandemic-2021/ This article explains the breakthroughs that will make 2021 better than 2020: https://www.gatesnotes.com/About-Bill-Gates/Year-in-Review-2020 Learn more about the new UK coronavirus variant: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/coronavirus-covid-19-uk-variant-pandemic-spread Get the latest news and resources about the coronavirus vaccines from The New York Times: https://www.nytimes.com/spotlight/coronavirus-vaccine Pre-order Andy’s book, Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response, here: www.preventablebook.com To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/in-the-bubble shortly after the air date. 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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Jan 4, 2021 • 47min
Best of In the Bubble: What No One Knows About COVID-19 (with Larry Brilliant)
If you didn’t catch this Best of In the Bubble episode the first time around, you are in for a treat! And even if you've heard it already, go ahead and give it another listen. If there is one expert Andy could talk with about coronavirus and how we are really doing, it is epidemiologist Larry Brilliant. Larry, who helped eradicate smallpox and is hard at work on coronavirus, grades our performance on a scientific, sociological, and political basis. He also shares everything that science knows, and doesn't know, about the way the novel coronavirus is transmitted and infects us. Larry doesn’t mince words about political leadership or the CDC. Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt. Follow Larry Brilliant on Twitter @larrybrilliant. In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. Become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble/ Support the show by checking out our sponsors! Livinguard masks have the potential to deactivate COVID-19 based on the testing they have conducted from leading universities such as the University of Arizona and the Free University in Berlin, Germany. Go to shop.livinguard.com and use the code BUBBLE10 for 10% off. Check out these resources from today’s episode: Check out the latest information on the Oxford vaccine, as mentioned in this week’s Zach Fact: https://www.statnews.com/2020/07/20/study-provides-first-glimpse-of-efficacy-of-oxford-astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine/ Here is more information if you are Interested in volunteering for a COVID-19 prevention clinical study: https://www.coronaviruspreventionnetwork.org/clinical-study-volunteer/ Watch Larry Brilliant’s 2006 TED Talk here: https://www.ted.com/talks/larry_brilliant_my_wish_help_me_stop_pandemics/transcript?language=en Read more about how chronic fatigue syndrome may hold keys to understanding post-Covid syndrome: https://www.statnews.com/2020/07/21/chronic-fatigue-syndrome-keys-understanding-post-covid-syndrome/ To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/in-the-bubble shortly after the air date. Stay up to date with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at @LemonadaMedia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dec 30, 2020 • 40min
In the Bubble's Top 10 Moments
Andy counts down his top 10 moments of the year, including a look inside an emergency room COVID-19 unit, our “Safe or Not Safe?” toolkit, and Andy’s all-time favorite clip of Zach. We’ll revisit some of our favorite In the Bubble guests like Kumail Nanjiani, Kara Swisher, and Ed Yong. You’ll laugh. You’ll cry. You may even break out in song. Either way, it’s an episode you won’t want to miss. Keep up with Andy on Twitter @ASlavitt and Instagram @andyslavitt. In the Bubble is supported in part by listeners like you. Become a member, get exclusive bonus content, ask Andy questions, and get discounted merch at https://www.lemonadamedia.com/inthebubble/ Support the show by checking out our sponsors! Livinguard masks have the potential to deactivate COVID-19 based on the testing they have conducted from leading universities such as the University of Arizona and the Free University in Berlin, Germany. Go to shop.livinguard.com and use the code BUBBLE10 for 10% off. Check out these resources from today’s episode: Pre-order Andy’s book, Preventable: The Inside Story of How Leadership Failures, Politics, and Selfishness Doomed the U.S. Coronavirus Response, here: www.preventablebook.com To follow along with a transcript and/or take notes for friends and family, go to www.lemonadamedia.com/show/in-the-bubble shortly after the air date. 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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.