Getty Chris Hayes and I spoke last March, in the early days of COVID-19 in the United States, when people were still calling it "the coronavirus," and we were running on adrenaline. One hundred and fifteen people had died in the United States from the virus, and businesses were just starting to shut down. On his nightly MSNBC show All In, Hayes’ tone was growing increasingly panicked and frustrated. Hayes had switched to nearly full-time COVID-19 coverage, and his urgency was obvious. “That tone you’re talking about," he told Esquire, "is me being like, we are headed for disaster here! Like, wake the fuck up!"