Social Distance

Katherine tries to convince Jim to take on a new hobby with help from self-described “bird nerd,” Jason Ward.

Follow Jason Ward on Twitter & Instagram.

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Jim wants to see a modern version of the Civilian Conservation Corps. As it happens, there’s a bill in Congress to dramatically expand national service called the CORPS Act. Senator Chris Coons has led the effort to pass it. He joins the show to talk about solving two problems with one bill.

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Staff writer Graeme Wood makes his first visit to Walt Disney World in the midst of a pandemic.

You can read Graeme's piece here and support all of The Atlantic's journalism by subscribing at http://theatlantic.com/supportus.

Katherine gets the results of her coronavirus and antibody tests. She has questions about what they mean, so immunologist Dr. Lisa Butterfield joins to explain the immune system (with help from Jim’s metaphors).

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In a few days, 30 million Americans will lose the $600 in unemployment insurance they’ve depended on every week. What happens next? Annie Lowrey, staff writer and author of Give People Money, joins to explain.

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Jim talks about his new book Clean: The New Science of Skin with his dream interviewer. Sort of. 

You can buy his book here: rb.gy/anajcp

This week, the Trump administration mandated that hospitals no longer send their data to the CDC, and the public appears to have lost access to key data. Alexis Madrigal, staff writer and co-founder of The Atlantic’s COVID Tracking Project, joins to explain what happened and why it matters as states seek to reopen.

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Jim answers a listener question about plane flights. Katherine peppers him with hypotheticals. Jim unfurls a bad metaphor, again.

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.

Read her piece on nursing homes here, and Jim's piece on herd immunity here.

How does this end? Absent a treatment or vaccine, coronavirus won’t stop spreading until we reach herd immunity. But what is it?

What does the surge in cases in the south and west mean for the country’s chances of containing the pandemic? Staff writer Alexis Madrigal explains.

Why Wall Street's doing great while everything else is not

Many plans for school reopenings involve a mix of online and in-person instruction. That could have huge downstream effects on a workforce that can’t rely on children being in or out of school. Staff writer Helen Lewis shares a solution that’s too logical to actually happen.

The latest on a mysterious syndrome hitting kids — and what it means for schools.

Colleges and universities pack students into dorms, classrooms, and parties. Now they have to figure out how to do that in a pandemic. Staff writer Adam Harris joins to discuss what they’re planning for the fall.

Cases are on the rise in twenty-five states. A vaccine is, for now, a distant dream. How do we negotiate the ethical trade-offs of the deaths to come in the meantime? Dr. Lydia Dugdale, medical ethicist and author of The Lost Art of Dying, joins to discuss.

Note: this episode was recorded on June 23rd, 2020. All numbers mentioned were accurate for that date.

Jim explains how ventilation affects the spread of the virus with yet another unwieldy metaphor. Plus, a puppy update.

In the last few months, many people who have the option have chosen to leave big cities. Will their departures be permanent? Staff writer Amanda Mull has been talking to demographers to find out.

As the virus continues to spread, how do we reckon with the reality of ongoing death and disruption? Public theologian Ekemini Uwan explains the idea of “radical acceptance.” Read Ekemini’s piece in The Atlantic.

Supplements and vitamins claim to “boost your immune system.” Jim explains why this is nonsense.