RFK Jr.'s Wild Week
Plus: The National Guard standoff in Chicago, navigating debates when you’re outnumbered, and a court ruling that could upend Trump’s tariff agenda.
This week, editors Katherine Mangu-Ward and Matt Welch are joined by Senior Producer Zach Weissmueller and Senior Editor Robby Soave to unpack RFK Jr.'s tumultuous week at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), from leadership shake-ups and changes to COVID-19 vaccine access to mounting backlash from employees and former agency directors. They examine what this chaos says about the politicization of public health and the risks of concentrating so much authority in a single agency.
The conversation then shifts into the brewing fight over deploying the National Guard in Chicago, weighing the constitutional questions and the practical realities of federal intervention in local crime. A listener question prompts a discussion around strategies for holding your ground when you're outnumbered in a debate. The panel then weighs in on a federal court ruling on Trump's tariffs, what it could mean for trade policy, and how it intersects with the broader libertarian legal movement.
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0:00—Chaos at the CDC
9:45—RFK Jr.'s Health and Human Services report card
23:00—Trump and the Chicago crime crackdown
35:17—Listener question on debating when outnumbered
43:55—Liberation Day tariffs ruled unconstitutional
49:06—Weekly cultural recommendations
Mentioned in the podcast:
"Neither Cranks Nor Hacks Should Head HHS," by Matt Welch
"Is RFK Jr. 'Weaponizing Public Health'?" by Ronald Bailey
"Robert F. Kennedy Jr.: COVID, Ukraine, Bitcoin, Guns, Free Speech, and More," by Nick Gillespie and Zach Weissmueller
"Should Vaccines Be Mandatory?" by Matt Welch, Ronald Bailey, Jeffrey A. Singer, and Sandy Reider
"When It Comes to Fighting Crime With the National Guard, Trump Says, He Can Do 'Anything I Want To Do,'" by Jacob Sullum
"Chicago Next for National Guard?" by Liz Wolfe
"Federal Appeals Court Says Trump's Tariffs Are Unlawful, Allows Them To Remain in Place," by Eric Boehm
"The Federal Circuit's Tariff Ruling Highlights the Audacity of Trump's Power Grab," by Jacob Sullum
"Trump's Tariff Spin Is Putting Republicans in an Awkward Spot," by Eric Boehm
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