ed yong: that was frustrating. this pandemic happened, a lot of people asked me and there were many other reporters and health experts who warned about pandemics for years, if not decades. do you feel any sort of vindication? no. there is only tragedy. there are calls for action that are unheard. they are deeply introspective. for our society. there were things that i feel i missed out and did not discuss in that piece. this new one on the cover of our current issue, to write some of those, to fill in some of those holes and provide an even more thorough template of what went wrong and what needs to be fixed for the future. jeffrey goldberg: i want to get to that statement you made about how there are things you think that you missed the first time around. before that, give the listener, those who are watching now -- give some sketch of your findings in this current piece. was it all the links of the chain that collapsed simultaneously? ed yong: a little bit of column a and a little bit from column b. it does have

we are joinened by the prize winning science reporter ed yong.is new article "how the pandemic defeated america" is the cover story in the atlantic. yong begins his piece -- "how did it come to this? a virus a thousand times smaller than a dust mote has humbled and humiliated the planet's most powerful nation. america has failed to protect its people, leaving them with illness and financial ruin. it has lost its status as a global leader. it has careened between inaction and ineptitude. the breadth and magnitude of its errors are difficult, in the moment, to truly fathom." ed yong, welcome b back to democracy now! it is great to have you with this. ok, how did it happen and how can it be fixed? to try and summarize, i think there are two main things we need to talk about. one is the devastatingly and after response to the pandemic -- inept response to the pandemic. the trumpet administration is possibly failed ththe american people and failed to takeke the lead. it is failed to listen to experts, to rollout a workable plan to get testing in place

ed yong joins us now. it's an incredible piece. i want to get right to it and read you some points.ed every inequity that the united states had to offer. far from being a great equalizer, the pandemic fell unevenly upon the u.s., taking advantage of injustices that had been brewing throughout the nation's history. let me read one more before i turn this over to you. you also write, as of early july, every one in 1,450 black americans had died from covid, a rate twice that of white americans. latinos were three times as likely to be infected as white people. >> i mean, the statistics are so stark. and i think the sad thing about this is it was entirely predictable. like, of course, this would happen. america has such long-standing health inequities that date back to after the end of the civil war and ever since, when health care has been deliberately pushed away from black communities, where health care has been apportioned more according to the logic of jim crow than of hypocrisies. as a result, black people suffer worse health outcomes across the board. so it is no surprise at all

. >> next, a conversation with atlantic staff member ed yong. he talks about the trump administration's response to the pandemic and how a biden administration might handle the crisis. this is in our. hello, everyone. welcome to the latest -- everyone.: hello, welcome to the latest installment. this has been going on, seemingly forever.

. >> next, a conversation with atlantic staff member ed yong. he talks about the trump administration's response to the pandemic and how a biden administration might handle the crisis. this is in our. hello, everyone. welcome to the latest -- everyone.: hello, welcome to the latest installment. this has been going on, seemingly forever. because behind -- we go behind-the-scenes to talk about some of our latest reporting and writing. i will remind you that next month we are hosting our atlantic festival, this time digitally. it will have certain advantages, namely you do not have to get dressed up to go to the festival. moree stay tuned for information and we will be delivering that you regularly. d yong.e will talk with e if you are watching, i assume you already know who he is. he is the preeminent pandemic reporter. he is certainly one of the most important reporters working in america today. his stories about the pandemic have not only told us what is going on, but they have helped us to orient around what we should think about what is going

ed yong ll

. >> all right, ed yong, thank you so much for coming on. >> thank you for having me. >>> and up next, they said they treated coronavirus like it was a joke, but now one couple's message has changed. >> keep your distance. and wear a fricken mask. behind every 2020 census taker's mask is a friendly neighbor. they're teachers, retirees, vets, people committed to doing right by getting the count right. if you haven't responded yet, they'll be stopping by to ask some simple questions that will inform how billions in federal funds are spent on local services every year for the next decade. so when they come knocking, say hi from a safe distance and do your part to support your community. time is running out. shape your future. start here at 2020census.gov. you know when your dog is itching for a treat. itching for an outing or itching for some cuddle time. but you may not know when he's itching for help licking for help or rubbing for help. if your dog does these frequently. they may be signs of an allergic skin condition that needs treatment. don't wait. talk to your veterinarian and lea

tonight >> next aatlantic staff member ed conversation with yong. he talks about the trump administration's response to the pandemic and how a biden administration might handle the crisis. if elected in november. this is an hour. this is in our. hello, everyone. welcome to the latest -- everyone.: hello, welcome to the latest installment. this has been going on,

. >> we'll be reading the new issue of the atlantic, ed yong. thank you so much.oe," we talked this morning about the policy changes by the new postmaster general that have created a mail delay with many now concerned that ballots could possibly not be delivered on time in november. garry kasparov has been warning about the signs of authoritarian and he warned about it months ago. he joins the conversation. back in a moment. joins the con. back in a moment and we always will. ♪ ♪ for people. ♪ ♪ for the future. ♪ ♪ and there has never been a summer when it's mattered more. wherever you go, summer safely. get 0% apr financing for up to five years on select models and exclusive lease offers. introducing the new sleep number 360 smart bed... now temperature balancing, so you can sleep better together. can it help keep me asleep? absolutely, it intelligently senses your movements and automatically adjusts to keep you both effortlessly comfortable. can it help with snoring? i've never heard snoring. exactly. no problem. ...and done. will it help me keep up with mom? yo

on monday, we had ed yong on the show. he answered that question in terms of the pandemic.for the cover, ibram x. kendi. his piece is called "the end of denial," which takes on the issue of race. he is founding director of the antiracist research and policy center at american university, author of the best-selling book titled "how to be an antiracist," and he recently launched boston university's new center for antiracist research. ibram, good to have you back on the show this morning. i cannot wait to dig into your piece here. you say that donald trump has actually given the country an opportunity here to defeat racism once and for all. what do you mean by that? what has he done to sort of open the door? and what do you make of the widespread support that you've seen and that you write about for the movement in the streets over the last couple of months in the wake of the killing of george floyd, across generations, across races? polls show 75% of americans support the movement for racial justice in this country. what does it all add up to for you? >> well, i think it all