Episodes

  • A Year In Review

    A Year In Review
    Apr 4 2022
    It's been a year since the "Is It Normal Yet?" podcast started documenting how the DC region is recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. This week, ex-host and co-creator Laura Spitalniak returns to the show to take stock of the podcast's first year with host and co-creator Luke Garrett. The two review their favorite episodes and share what they've learned from creating and hosting the "Is It Normal Yet?" podcast.

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    18 mins
  • Dr. Fauci: 'We’re not there yet, but we’re getting there'

    Dr. Fauci: 'We’re not there yet, but we’re getting there'
    Mar 28 2022
    Though COVID-19 caseloads, deaths and hospitalizations are declining in the U.S., the nation’s top infectious disease expert is urging Americans to get vaccinated and boosted as a new variant emerges across Europe. WTOP's Digital Editor Scott Gelman talked to President Joe Biden’s chief medical adviser, Dr. Anthony Fauci, about the rise in COVID-19 cases, why it's happening and what to do about it. This episode features Scott's entire conversation with Dr. Fauci.

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    15 mins
  • BA.2 Variant Explained

    BA.2 Variant Explained
    Mar 21 2022
    COVID-19 cases continue to fall in the United States, but parts of Europe and Asia are seeing spikes in coronavirus cases due to BA.2 — a subvariant of Omicron. It remains un-clear if BA.2 will cause a similar spike in the U.S., but experts believe cases will go up. Andrew Pekosz is a professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Johns Hopskins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Professor Pekosz explains what BA.2 is and how we should respond to it.

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    15 mins
  • Home Prices Aren't Normal

    Home Prices Aren't Normal
    Mar 14 2022
    The price of a house in the DC area continues to rise, even as COVID-19 restrictions and case counts ease. This week, I talk to WTOP's Jeff Clabaugh about why this is and what home-buyers can do about it. We also discuss the future of work and the new-found leverage workers have during the "great resignation."

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    22 mins
  • Returning to Normal

    Returning to Normal
    Mar 7 2022
    How does one determine whether it's normal or not? One way is to look at the medical reality of COVID-19 and the government's response to the virus. This week, I talked to Dr. Monica Gandhi, a Professor of Medicine at the University of California San Francisco. We try to answer this impossible question: is it normal yet? Dr. Gandhi says we are, in fact, returning to normal and explains why.

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    18 mins
  • DC Braces for Trucker Convoys

    DC Braces for Trucker Convoys
    Feb 28 2022
    It remains unclear how many trucker caravans will actually make it to D.C. to protest COVID-19 restrictions, but the U.S. Capitol police and the Secret Service aren't taking any chances. Fences are up and the national guard is active in the nation's capital. This week, WTOP reporter Dick Uliano talks about what we know so far about these convoys, their motivations and whether their protests will affect area residents. He also shares his conversation with D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton who received a security briefing on the convoys.

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    14 mins
  • Mask Mandates Fade At Virginia Schools

    Mask Mandates Fade At Virginia Schools
    Feb 21 2022
    The debate over mask mandates at Virginia schools is coming to a close, after Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed his mask-optional policy into law. The battle over mask mandates started on Youngkin's first day in office, when he signed a mask-optional executive order. This sparked a political, moral and legal battle that ultimately ended in the governor's favor. WTOP's Neal Augenstein reported on this story from start to finish and spoke with Gov. Youngkin about the issue. This week, Augenstein explains what this law means for Virginians and how the new governor was able to pass the mask-optional law with bi-partisan support.

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    17 mins
  • Mask Mandates Reconsidered for Maryland Schools

    Mask Mandates Reconsidered for Maryland Schools
    Feb 14 2022
    Governors across the United States are rethinking mask mandates in the classroom and Maryland's Gov. Larry Hogan is one of them. He's asked the state board of education to change their rules and make masks optional for all students. WTOP's Luke Lukert has been covering this emerging battle over masks in Maryland. He explains the current board of education rules, why Hogan didn't sign a mask-optional executive order like Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, and what this all means for COVID-19 restrictions in the D.C. region.

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    11 mins