Michael Alexander, a professor of religious studies at the University of California, Riverside and the author of the new book “Making Peace with the Universe,” discusses how different spiritual masters helped guide him through a moment of crisis. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Seth Berman, a former state and federal prosecutor and a visiting lecturer at Harvard Law School, discusses how Trump could use his pardoning power before leaving office. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Noah Feldman is a guest on this episode of Axios Today, discussing what we learned from the presidential election about our democratic process and what it can and cannot withstand.  Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Eric Lander, the head of the Broad Institute and the host of the Pushkin podcast “Brave New Planet,” explains how big data helped scientists in the search for COVID-19 vaccines. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Paul Offit, a professor of vaccinology at the University of Pennsylvania and member of the F.D.A.’s vaccine advisory panel, discusses how the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines work and how they could be distributed.Update: Since Noah and Dr. Offit spoke, Pfizer released an updated analysis of its vaccine trial data, showing that the vaccine is 95% effective overall and 94% effective for adults over 65: https://www.pfizer.com/news/press-release/press-release-detail/pfizer-and-biontech-conclude-phase-3-study-covid-19-vaccine Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Tali Farhadian Weinstein, the host of the Pushkin podcast “Hearing” and a candidate to become the next District Attorney of Manhattan, discusses how she thinks local prosecution can be reformed from within. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week, President-elect Joe Biden named Vivek Murthy as one of the co-chairs of his COVID-19 Advisory Board. We spoke to Dr. Murthy on September 30th and wanted to re-share that conversation with you today. As the coronavirus surges on and news about a possible vaccine develops, this conversation is more relevant than ever. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Richard Pildes, a professor at New York University School of Law who specializes in legal issues affecting democracy, discusses the role that the courts could play in this election. Note: This conversation was recorded on Wednesday, November 4th, at 12:30 pm EST. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Noah Feldman is a guest on this episode of Axios Today, giving listeners a taste of what to expect for election night.For more, subscribe to Axios Today wherever you get your podcasts. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Marc Lipsitch, a professor of epidemiology at Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health, comes back to Deep Background to discuss where we are now in the fight against COVID-19.Clarification: There are two studies that suggest a decline in the risk of dying among hospitalized or ICU COVID-19 patients. Here is a link to those studies: https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/10/20/925441975/studies-point-to-big-drop-in-covid-19-death-rates. Marc Lipsitch also mentions unpublished data that he has seen from Florida that suggests no such decline. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.