In the Bubble with Andy Slavitt

In an eye-opening and powerful episode, Andy talks to Rep. Adam Smith (D-Wash.), one of the most powerful members of Congress, about the debilitating anxiety he faced for years and his road back. Smith tells Andy about the fight against his inner voice that stirred his self-hatred, no matter how much he accomplished and how many people he helped. In his own revealing moment, Andy shares his own challenges with anxiety with Adam and his listeners...

Despite what the Republican talking points say, the latest debt ceiling crisis ended in another victory for President Joe Biden. Washington Post opinion writer Jennifer Rubin tells Andy why she believes that Biden might be having one of the most effective presidencies of all time, even outpacing Obama. Andy asks if Speaker Kevin McCarthy reigned in the far right and if centrism is making a comeback. Plus, Rubin explains why Ron DeSantis makes a lousy candidate for the GOP in 2024...

 The producers of this series are excited to let you know about another Lemonada Media podcast, Choice Words with Samantha Bee. Each week on Choice Words, Samantha Bee sits down with people she admires to examine the biggest choices they’ve made in their lives and the ripple effects those decisions have had.

When Rosie O’Donnell chose to step away from her talk show after six successful seasons, her actor friends thought she was out of her mind...

Ron DeSantis’s disastrous campaign launch on Twitter Spaces drew public attention back to the ongoing collapse of Twitter since Elon Musk bought it. Users are fleeing, and Noam Bardin is hoping they will flock to his new platform, Post.news. Bardin, also the founder of traffic app Waze, joins Andy to discuss why we need a vibrant news and social media platform to ward off authoritarianism and how he plans to make a more civil social media platform...

Republicans in Congress are playing chicken once again with the nation’s debt ceiling. Are Republicans really ready to test what happens if both sides can’t come to an agreement, or is this just political theatre? Andy talks to New York Times Congressional Correspondent Catie Edmondson, and Michael Feroli, Chief U.S. Economist at J.P. Morgan. 

Keep up with Andy on Post and Twitter @ASlavitt.

Follow @CatieEdmondson on Twitter...

Why didn’t the long-expected surge of migrants at the US-Mexico border materialize following the end of the Title 42 policy? That’s why Andy wanted to find out this week. So he called up Michael D. Shear, White House Reporter for the New York Times. Andy and Michael discuss the end of Title 42, what the Biden Administration’s new border policy looks like, why neither the right nor left are happy and what it will mean for the 2024 election cycle...

As BuzzFeed News shuts down this week, former editor-in-chief Ben Smith joins Andy to reflect on BuzzFeed’s successes and pitfalls and the end of the first digital era of news. Smith explains how they used metrics and analytics to change journalism, what he learned from his fateful meeting with Steve Bannon, and why the platforms are still bigger than the personalities -- even Tucker Carlson. They also chat about the future of journalism and how it will be funded in a post-click world...

New guidelines from the CDC have people wondering: Just who should get a second COVID booster? In the Bubble favorite Dr. Eric Topol returns to break down who should get boosted, who should get a second booster, and who can wait a bit. They also discuss Eric’s thoughts on where we are in the fight against COVID and what the next frontier of vaccines will look like. Plus, Andy and Eric reflect on Dr...

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.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A tidal wave of federal money is set to flow into communities across the country as programs like the American Rescue Plan Act, the Inflation Reduction Act, and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act disperse funding. Andy speaks with Marguerite Casey Foundation president Dr. Carmen Rojas about how to make sure that money goes into the right hands. They also discuss the brightsides of COVID, how to make the government work for us, and why liberal movements must include poor white people...