Why are some countries recovering from the pandemic faster than others, and how much of it has to do with the psychology of their citizens? On today's show, Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post columnist, host of CNN’s Fareed Zakaria GPS, and the author of Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World (W. W. Norton & Company, 2020), discusses economic and public health recovery efforts from around the globe.

Last week, the CDC suddenly reversed its guidance on vaccinated people wearing masks indoors, taking many, including some at the White House, by surprise. So what's the politics behind the new guidance, and what are the public health considerations? On today's show, Nsikan Akpan, WNYC's health and science editor, and Annie Linskey, Washington Post national reporter covering the White House, talk about the CDC's change to its indoor mask guidance, including the political forces at play, and what it means for people's health. NOTE: In the interview, Akpan misidentified a statistic about breakthrough cases. As of the best available data at the time of the interview, there were 1,300 severe COVID cases -- those which result in hospitalization or death -- out of 115 million fully vaccinated people, or about 1 severe case for every 100,000 vaccinated people. The best available data on total breakthrough cases, mild or severe, indicated 9,245 infections out of 95 million fully vaccinated, or about 1 in 10,000 breakthrough infections.

We've got a list of words we can't say on the radio, and a whole slew more we won't say, even though we can. On today's show, John McWhorter, Columbia University linguistics professor, host of the Lexicon Valley podcast at Slate and the author of Nine Nasty Words: English in the Gutter: Then, Now, and Forever (Avery, 2021), joins to discuss his new book on profanity, where swear words come from and why they hold so much power.

The CDC issued new guidance yesterday saying that vaccinated people can remove their masks in most indoor settings. What spurred the change, and what does it mean for COVID risk management? On today's show: Stephanie Silvera, epidemiologist at Montclair State University, talks about how this affects unvaccinated people, especially those who can't get it yet, like kids.

Biden announced yesterday the country's first large-scale project to build offshore wind turbines near Martha's Vineyard. We talked to one of wind's biggest proponents in Congress. On today's show, Kathleen Rice, United States representative for New York's 4th congressional district, talks about the latest news from Washington, including the development of offshore wind farms, and the ouster of Liz Cheney as a GOP party leader.

A lackluster April jobs report came out last week, and this morning, an report on inflation has investors spooked. So what are the economic tea leaves saying about our economic recovery? On today's show, Jim Tankersley, New York Times White House correspondent with a focus on economic policy, talks about all the issues at play that might have led to the sluggish recovery numbers.

Now that kids as young as 12 are eligible for the Pfizer vaccine, parents had questions about how it could affect younger bodies. On today's show, Brianne Barker, virologist and immunologist, associate professor of biology at Drew University, and co-host of the podcast This Week in Virology, talks about the science behind the decision and answers questions from parents of kids in that age group, plus anyone still weighing their options for vaccination against COVID-19.

After criticizing former President Trump and his allies for spreading lies about the election and then violence at the Capitol, her party role is being challenged by NY's Elise Stefanik. On today's show, Jacqueline Alemany, Washington Post congressional correspondent and “Power Up” anchor, talks about the changes afoot in GOP House leadership.

Summer is on the horizon, and as the pandemic begins to draw down, parents are thinking about summer activities, and keeping un-vaccinated kids COVID safe once school's out. On today's show, Daniel Griffin, MD, PhD, an infectious disease clinician and researcher at Columbia, ProHEALTH chief of the division of Infectious Disease and president of Parasites Without Borders, talks about how best to plan and enjoy summer activities with children too young for COVID vaccines, including family vacations and summer camp.

If there's people in your life who still don't want to get vaccinated, you might be wondering how to convince them. Turns out, it's a combo of sticks & carrots, and not being judgemental. On today's show, Mitra Kalita, co-founder of URL Media and CEO and publisher of Epicenter-NYC, talks about Biden's new vaccine messaging, local outreach and how to strike a less judgmental tone with those questioning the vaccine.