David Zweig, author of An Abundance of Caution: American Schools, the Virus, and a Story of Bad Decisions, discusses public health’s blind spots—and when caution became the risk. Plus, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. reshapes the CDC’s vaccine advisory panel, swapping experts for skeptics and dredging up the long-debunked thimerosal panic on his way to declaring war on mayonnaise. And in the Spiel: a U.S. strike on Iran’s Fordow facility may have been less obliteration than “oblit-ish-ation,” though both the administration and its critics are spinning narratives faster than centrifuges.
The US defence secretary insists their strikes undermined Iran's nuclear plans. Also: Journalist Anna Wintour is to step down as US Vogue editor, and a man whose crimes helped create the term Stockholm Syndrome has died.
Debate on Iran war between Scott Horton and Mark Dubowitz. Scott Horton is the author and director of the Libertarian Institute, editorial director of Antiwar.com, host of The Scott Horton Show, and for the past three decades, a staunch critic of U.S. foreign policy and military interventionism. Mark Dubowitz is the chief executive of the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, host of the Iran Breakdown podcast, and a leading expert on Iran and its nuclear program for over 20 years. This debate was recorded on Tuesday, June 24, after the Iran-Israel ceasefire was declared.
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See below for timestamps, transcript, and to give feedback, submit questions, contact Lex, etc.
OUTLINE:
(00:00) – Introduction
(00:36) – Sponsors, Comments, and Reflections
(08:02) – Iran-Israel War
(16:45) – Iran’s Nuclear Program
(48:37) – Nuclear weapons and uranium
(1:00:40) – Nuclear deal
(1:26:14) – Iran Nuclear Archive
(1:48:50) – Best case and worst case near-term future
(2:24:15) – US attack on Iran – Operation Midnight Hammer
(2:47:48) – Nuclear proliferation in the future
(3:08:46) – Libertarianism
(3:21:35) – Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD)
(3:37:10) – Trump and Peacemaking process
(3:42:08) – WW2
(3:55:08) – WW3
Trump administration defends its assessment of Iran strikes. Senators receive briefing on strikes. Supreme Court rules South Carolina can block Medicaid money for Planned Parenthood services.
CBS News Correspondent Jennifer Keiper with tonight's World News Roundup.
The Trump administration again furiously defended the airstrikes against Iran's nuclear program, claiming the facilities were destroyed. Defense Secretary Hegseth denounced reporting on a leaked initial intelligence assessment that said Iran’s nuclear program was set back by only a few months. The leak of the report is being investigated by the FBI. Amna Nawaz discussed more with David Albright. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders
Republican Sen. Michael Rounds of South Dakota sits on both the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees. On Thursday, he and other senators were briefed by CIA Director John Ratcliffe, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Gen. Dan Caine on the airstrikes against Iran's nuclear program. Amna Nawaz spoke with Rounds after the briefing. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders
In our news wrap Thursday, hospital officials and witnesses in central Gaza say an Israeli airstrike killed at least 18 people as they waited for flour, the dangerous summer heat is finally easing across much of the eastern U.S., violent storms in France killed at least two people and injured 17 more and former Congresswoman Carolyn McCarthy has died. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders
A shift in a key vaccine advisory committee has raised alarms among public health experts. The ACIP routinely makes recommendations to the CDC. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. fired every prior member of the panel and appointed seven new ones. They just finished a two-day meeting pushing for a new direction. Geoff Bennett discussed more with former Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders
Continuing unemployment claims just hit nearly two million — the highest number since November 2021. There’s not much hiring right now and workers with jobs aren’t going anywhere. In this static labor market, what’s an unemployed person to do? Also in this episode: Car sales slow after a pre-tariff boom, a new report shows Americans are socializing less, and a town in Oregon is still rebuilding five years after a major fire.
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Ksenia Karelina thought she was going to visit family in Russia in January 2024, but authorities there had other ideas. They detained the 32-year-old because of a small donation she made to support Ukraine. They charged her with treason and gave her a 12-year sentence in a work camp. Karelina was released in a prisoner swap with the U.S. and sat down with Amna Nawaz for her first interview. PBS News is supported by - https://www.pbs.org/newshour/about/funders
