Social Distance
Journalists from The Atlantic document the first 15 months of the coronavirus pandemic through regular phone calls. Listen in as Dr. Jim Hamblin, the producer Katherine Wells, and the comedian and the writer Maeve Higgins ask journalists, experts, and friends about the news and science behind the pandemic, get some advice, and learn how to apply it.
51
CDC Data Goes Dark
The White House mandated hospitals stop sending data to the CDC. Why?
28 min
52
Is it Safe To Fly?
How to assess risk when you have to travel
17 min
53
Our Deadliest Pandemic Mistake
Over 40 percent of all coronavirus deaths in America have been linked to nursing homes. How did it happen, and how bad could it get? Staff writer Olga Khazan joins to explain.
26 min
54
What Will It Take To Get To Herd Immunity?
What we need to slow down the pandemic
19 min
55
The Sun Belt Spike
Are we back to where we were in March?
27 min
56
The Stock Market is... Up?
Why Wall Street's doing great while everything else is not
25 min
57
Why the World Can’t Reopen If Schools Can’t
A case for universal childcare
22 min
58
How the Coronavirus Affects Kids
The latest on a mysterious syndrome hitting kids — and what it means for schools.
27 min
59
How Is College Going To Work?
The good and bad plans for higher education
25 min
60
The Ethical Calculus of Reopening
A medical ethicist weighs the options.
26 min
61
The Air Conditioning Question
Is indoor air safe? And do I even want to know what a toilet plume is?
18 min
62
People Are Panic Moving
Will the virus remake big cities?
26 min
63
Serenity Now
As the virus continues to spread, how do we reckon with the reality of ongoing death and disruption?
28 min
64
Should I Be Taking Something?
Supplements and vitamins claim to “boost your immune system.” Jim explains why this is nonsense.
28 min
65
An Extremely Bizarre Plan to Play Basketball
Rising case numbers, an empty theme park, and 22 teams in quarantine. What could go wrong?
29 min
66
Can We Sing?
And other questions from listeners.
23 min
67
Why the Virus Is Spreading So Unevenly
The pandemic isn’t going away, and its spread is hard to predict.
25 min
68
Would Defunding Police Make Us Safer?
Police departments have enormous budgets. Are we getting what we pay for?
31 min
69
How Limiting Protests Will Spread the Virus
18 min
70
Fighting the Machine
The health effects of racism are usually less obvious than murder.
34 min
71
Sometimes, Things Can Change
A historian shares lessons—and warnings—from the New Deal.
27 min
72
Is America Going to Make It?
James Fallows gives us some historical perspective.
28 min
73
Is Anyone Else Not Showering?
There's good cleaning and bad cleaning. Jim attempts to explain.
20 min
74
It’s a Small World Health Organization
After all
24 min
75
Is There a Vaccine Shortcut?
Should we speed up the development of a vaccine by deliberately exposing volunteers to the virus?
27 min