This week, we present a special episode: Michael's interview on Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso. It begins with the release of "The Premonition" (2:40), which reveals how the U.S. mishandled the pandemic (5:05) and why the 2009 H1N1 virus was a precursor to 2020 (10:15). Then, Michael and Sam discuss how he grew up in New Orleans (20:48) and fell in love with writing at Princeton (26:20), before working as a bond salesman on Wall Street (29:29). He also shares his approach to creating honest journalist-subject relationships (36:19), his six months covering President Obama (37:12), a favorite poem from his high school baseball coach (43:02), and the role of luck in his career (47:55). You can hear more episodes of Talk Easy with Sam Fragoso at https://talkeasypod.com/ Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.iheartpodcastnetwork.com