What Next - Can You Get a COVID Vaccine?
What Next | Daily News and Analysis
Slate Podcasts
4.3 • 2.4K Ratings
🗓️ 8 September 2025
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s tenure as HHS Secretary has meant turmoil for the CDC: thousands of employees have either been let go, or are unclear on their employment status; leadership has been stepping down; and there was a shooting at their Atlanta building in August. The result is RFK being yelled at in the Senate, thousands of CDC employees calling for his resignation, and a country less prepared for the next pandemic.
Guest: Apoorva Mandavilli, science and global health reporter at the New York Times.
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Podcast production by Elena Schwartz, Paige Osburn, Anna Phillips, Madeline Ducharme, and Rob Gunther.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Abby's just woken up. It's 731 and she's forgotten to ring the doctor. There's no point |
| 0:05.5 | ringing now. She needs to get to work, but she's not worried. She's got an HSBC Premier bank account |
| 0:10.5 | with access to digital GP appointments plus two second opinions a year should she need them. |
| 0:15.1 | Everything's premier when your bank account is. Search HSBC Premier, HSBC UK, opening up a world of opportunity. |
| 0:22.4 | The doctor will see you now. |
| 0:24.6 | Apply with £100,000 annual income or £100,000 savings or investments with HSBC UK or Premier status abroad. |
| 0:30.0 | There are some things you should always check, like the hygiene rating on your local takeaway, |
| 0:36.2 | the setting on your razor, and whether the party actually |
| 0:39.2 | is fancy dress. The other thing you should check is your Experian credit report, especially if you're |
| 0:45.6 | looking to borrow money. It lets you understand what lenders see so you can increase your chances |
| 0:50.8 | of getting the best deals. It's dead easy to check it and completely free. |
| 0:56.5 | See it in seconds. Download the Experian app today. |
| 1:05.3 | Last week, U.S. Senators spent three hours in a hearing room grappling with an urgent problem. |
| 1:13.3 | The problem is that even though most Americans trust vaccines feel safer when they and their families have access to them, |
| 1:20.8 | the Trump appointee in charge of distributing America's shots, he has got his doubts. |
| 1:28.3 | Thank you. America's shots. He has got his doubts. This hearing will come to order. Today we meet to hear from U.S. Department of Health and Human |
| 1:37.7 | Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy. This hearing was supposed to be about the president's plan |
| 1:42.2 | to make America healthy again. |
| 1:49.7 | But for Democrats, Robert F. Kennedy's actions, as Secretary of Health and Human Services, |
| 1:51.8 | changed the agenda. |
| 1:57.2 | The United States is in the midst of a health care calamity. |
| 1:59.5 | This is Senator Ron Wyden. |
... |
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