Inside the Turmoil at the CDC

Science Quickly

Scientific American

Science

4.3 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 5 September 2025

⏱️ 13 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this episode of Science Quickly, host Rachel Feltman is joined by associate editor for health and medicine Lauren J. Young to unpack the growing unrest at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention following the departure of the agency’s director Susan Monarez. As criticism mounts against Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.—including a scathing essay from nine former CDC leaders and a resignation demand from more than 1,000 past and current HHS staffers—the episode explores what these developments mean for the future of public health leadership in the U.S. Recommended Reading CDC’s Leadership Is in Chaos—Experts Warn of Public Health Risks “Kennedy Is Endangering Every American’s Health,” by Richard Besser et al., in New York Times; September 3, 2025 “HHS Employees Demand RFK Jr. Resign for ‘Compromising the Health of This Nation,’” by Meg Tirrell, in CNN Health. Published online September 3, 2025 Join the #SciAmInTheWild photography challenge for a chance to win a one-year Unlimited subscription to Scientific American—plus an exclusive bundle of gadgets and gear to level up your next adventure. See the rules for entry here. E-mail us at [email protected] if you have any questions, comments or ideas for stories we should cover! Discover something new every day: subscribe to Scientific American and sign up for Today in Science, our daily newsletter. Science Quickly is produced by Rachel Feltman, Fonda Mwangi, Kelso Harper and Jeff DelViscio. This episode was edited by Alex Sugiura. Shayna Posses and Aaron Shattuck fact-check the show. The theme music was composed by Dominic Smith. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:27.8	slash UK slash AI for people. For scientific Americans, For Scientific American Science Quickly, I'm Rachel Seltman.
0:47.6	Breaking headline as we're on the air tonight, just in from the CDC, the sudden shakeup.
0:56.6	At this hour, folks, we are trying to figure out the job status of the CDC director, Susan Menaris.
1:02.4	We're following breaking news out of the CDC where top officials are resigning en masse.
1:07.5	As you've probably noticed, things at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are pretty chaotic right now.
1:13.9	Last week, the Department of Health and Human Services announced that CDC head Susan Menares would no longer be leading the agency,
1:21.8	an announcement that Menares and her legal team had plenty to say about.
1:26.2	On September 1st, a group of nine former CDC directors
1:29.4	and acting directors penned a guest essay in the New York Times, denouncing HHS Secretary Robert
1:35.3	F. Kennedy Jr.'s leadership. The group of CDC veterans, who have served presidents of both
1:40.6	major parties and collectively carry more than a century of experience at the agency,
1:45.9	called Kennedy's recent moves unacceptable and said his actions should alarm every American
1:51.8	regardless of political leanings. Additionally, a group of more than 1,000 past and present
1:57.7	HHS employees put out a letter this week calling for Kennedy to resign.
	...

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