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The recording opens with a phone call chasing a late co-host, with the others joking that his absence would hand him extra airtime. The hosts then greet listeners and say the usual science co-host is not on this episode because he is moving. They joke about taking applications for a replacement and decide to record anyway because so much is happening.

The hosts debate whether to open with COVID for a third episode in a row and agree to keep it quick. One host says the show was about two weeks ahead of national media in predicting a Delta wave and in saying that vaccinated people can catch and pass the variant. Another says he caught it from a vaccinated person. They add that vaccines still protect against the most serious cases, so protection should be seen as a spectrum and not an on-off switch. These are the hosts' own characterizations and were not checked.

A speaker recalls the show also predicted lockdown and mask debates, arguments over when your vaccine decision affects others, and employers or venues requiring vaccine cards, with France mentioned as an example. He hopes the next variant is less deadly and less contagious, as such things tend to go.

A speaker says vaccine passports became the central issue worldwide after the previous episode. He describes Israel as telling its last million unvaccinated people, out of about nine million, that they would need to be vaccinated or tested at their own expense to attend gatherings over a hundred people, synagogue, sports games or malls. He calls this the government making it a real pain until people comply, a characterization of the policy.

He then cites NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who he says told unvaccinated players they would be tested daily and would lose pay if an outbreak caused a missed game, which he links to a bad game last year when many starters on one team were out. He adds that Facebook and Google are requiring vaccination to return to offices, though offering paid testing as an alternative. These are his accounts of the policies, not verified here.

One speaker argues that Republicans may lose midterm ground because of vaccine hesitancy, saying red-state governors are scrambling and some unvaccinated voters may be dead or sick by the election. He is sympathetic to religious objectors and people living off the grid, but not to those who use public resources while opting out, and he thinks the carrot-and-stick approach works, pointing to French sign-ups after cafes and bars were restricted. He also notes that restaurateur Danny Meyer announced on CNBC that his restaurants will require vaccination for staff and customers. These are his opinions and predictions.

Other speakers back the restaurant policy. One says he does not want to spend thousands on wine and a tip while sitting near an unvaccinated person, and that high-end restaurants are not chain restaurants. When asked how his view changed, the host who values freedom says he likes that Meyer and Goodell are making private business decisions to protect their product and customers. His reservation is government coercion, because he does not like giving government the power to put a needle in someone's arm, though he accepts the state can make it a job requirement for its own employees.

One speaker criticizes California for singling out teachers while, in his view, the governor lacks the nerve to confront the teachers' union. He notes teachers first demanded priority access to vaccines and now resist mandates. Another speaker says certain groups, such as the army, teachers and healthcare workers, should be required to be vaccinated, with the example of an operation needing close quarters in a helicopter. A third says every employer has the right to require it if it affects job performance.