Those who don’t remember the past are doomed to repeat it, baby, yet here we are. The response to the last major epidemic, HIV/AIDS, was a cautionary tale in public health policy. Timely response, regard for medical science, and rhetoric from the President were far from ideal, and thousands of lives were lost as a result. As the COVID crisis rages on, we talk to John Ascher, who cared for his partner, Mackenzie’s uncle Stewart Joy, until Stewart’s death from AIDS in 1988.

Next week’s episode will be a heavily reluctant farewell to Justice Ginsburg.