The Omicron subvariant BA.5 is proving that the pandemic is still not over.  It continues to evade immunity, even from previous omicron infections.  The good news is that death rates are down and hospitals aren’t overwhelmed like before, but the virus is spreading fast again and the small fraction of people getting seriously ill can add up.  Umair Irfan, senior reporter at Vox, joins us for how virus mutations are keeping Omicron in play.

 

Next, all signs point to President Biden running again in 2024, but the one person who weighs most heavily on his decision is former President Trump.  It has set up an almost codependent relationship between the two for the next election.  Rumors are that Trump could declare in September and Biden in April, but there are plenty of considerations yet to be made.  Matt Viser, White House reporter at The Washington Post, joins us for how we could be in store for a presidential rematch.

 

Finally, we’ll tell you how the Brazilian butt lift became one of the deadliest cosmetic surgeries and inadequate regulations make it hard for patients to tell if they are getting a good doctor or not.  One of the things to consider, there is a difference between plastic surgeons, which require years of specialized training and cosmetic surgeons which doctors can call themselves after a few months of training.  Fiona Rutherford, healthcare reporter at Bloomberg News, joins us for what to know.

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