Chaos at the US CDC

Amanpour

CNN

News

4.1 • 1K Ratings

🗓️ 28 August 2025

⏱️ 53 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

The White House has fired the Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Susan Monarez, after only one month in the position. This comes just days after she reportedly clashed with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over his stance on vaccines. Several other top CDC officials announced they were quitting in her wake, leaving the health agency in turmoil. Doctor Fiona Havers is a former CDC official and infectious disease expert, who resigned from her post as a Senior Vaccine Adviser in June, citing concerns about changes to the agency's vaccine processes under Secretary Kennedy. She joins the show to discuss what this all means for public health in America, and for the next pandemic. Also on today's show: Narges Bajoghli, Associate Professor of Middle East Studies, Johns Hopkins University & Suzanne Maloney, VP/Director of Foreign Policy, The Brookings Institution; David Mora, Senior Analyst for Mexico, International Crisis Group Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hello everyone and welcome to Ammanpur.
0:06.1	Here's what's coming up.
0:07.8	The White House fires new CDC director over vaccine clashes, leaving the health agency in turmoil.
0:14.0	Former CDC official Fiona Havers will join me with more.
0:17.7	Then snapback sanctions on Iran.
0:20.4	Could they bring Tehran to the table finally or push Iran towards a bomb?
0:25.5	I ask expert Narges Bajogli and former State Department advisor Suzanne Maloney.
0:31.8	Also ahead, a notorious Mexican drug lord pleads guilty in America, but will U.S. intervention
0:37.3	help or hinder the
0:39.0	cartel crackdown in Mexico? We'll break it all down with analyst David Mora. Welcome to the program, everyone. I'm Biona Goldriga, New York, sitting in for Christian Amonpour.
1:05.9	The White House has fired the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Suzanne Menares after only
1:12.1	one month in the position. This comes just days after she reportedly clashed with Health and Human
1:17.8	Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over his stance on vaccines. At first, she refused to
1:23.8	resign, but then the White House stepped in to oust her. In a statement, her lawyers
1:28.4	pulled no punches, writing the attacks on Dr. Menares is a warning to every American. Our
1:34.5	evidence-based systems are being undermined from within. Several other top CDC officials
1:40.1	announced that they too were quitting in her wake, leaving the health agency in turmoil.
1:45.0	So what does this mean for public health in America and for the pandemic?
1:49.2	Dr. Fiona Havers is a former CDC official and infectious disease expert.
1:53.8	She resigned from her post as a senior vaccine advisor in June,
1:58.0	citing concerns about changes to the vaccine's processes under Secretary Kennedy.
2:03.6	She joins me now from Atlanta to assess the very latest.
	...

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