What Would Convince a Lab Leak Skeptic?

What Would Convince a Lab Leak Skeptic?

It was reported this week that the U.S. Department of Energy now believes, “with low confidence,” that the COVID-19 virus came from a lab. But is there enough evidence for the “lab leak theory” to convince those who believe the virus emerged from animals in a wet market?


Guest: Angela Rasmussen, virologist at the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Organization at the University of Saskatchewan in Canada.


Host: Lizzie O’Leary


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Episoder(2352)

Rerun: Death of the Weather Forecast?

Rerun: Death of the Weather Forecast?

This episode was originally published on April 27, 2025. The Trump administration has already begun cutting the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which includes the U.S. National Weathe...

4 Jul 202523min

One Big Deeply Unpopular Bill

One Big Deeply Unpopular Bill

Trump wants his “One Big Beautiful Bill” passed by July 4. But the bill is so large and expensive—with deep tax cuts only partially offset by huge cuts to Medicaid and SNAP—there’s something in there ...

3 Jul 202525min

Is This the End of NPR and PBS?

Is This the End of NPR and PBS?

The Trump administration’s plans to strip funding from PBS and NPR is the latest in a long line of Republican fights against public broadcasting. The House has already voted to take back over a billio...

2 Jul 202526min

We Need to Talk About the Supreme Court

We Need to Talk About the Supreme Court

Last week’s big Supreme Court decisions walked back rights for individuals and the powers of the lower courts—and in aggregate made it ever more difficult to believe the court is anything other than a...

1 Jul 202528min

Why Is ICE Masked Up?

Why Is ICE Masked Up?

ICE agents have begun concealing their identities in masks and plainclothes while making arrests. Experts—including a former ICE official—say that endangers those agents, and violates the trust betwee...

30 Jun 202527min

The FTC’s Merger Shakedown

The FTC’s Merger Shakedown

Under a normal administration, a merger between two large advertising firms might attract the government’s interest for anti-monopoly reasons. Under this one, the Federal Trade Commission is creating ...

29 Jun 202521min

The Other Iran-Israel War

The Other Iran-Israel War

In addition to the three-dimensional war of bombs and missiles, Iran and Israel—and the US—are squaring off in a cyber battle. With everything from water infrastructure to banking connected to the int...

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Zohran Mamdani’s Former Boss Weighs In

Zohran Mamdani’s Former Boss Weighs In

How Democratic Socialist Zohran Mamdani upset the better-connected, better-funded, better-known candidate in New York’s Democratic mayoral primary—and how he might actually govern if he makes it into ...

26 Jun 202527min

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