Is The US Ready For A New Global Health Threat?

Is The US Ready For A New Global Health Threat?

Author: What A Day May 20, 2026 Duration: 19:06
The World Health Organization met on Tuesday in Switzerland to discuss a deadly outbreak of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda. According to the WHO, the outbreak, which has killed more than 130 people and infected more than 500, could last for months. Those numbers could be much, much higher than what they've been able to report. The Ebola outbreak comes in the midst of another deadly health crisis you've probably heard a lot about: hantavirus. It's part of a family of extremely dangerous viruses that are primarily spread by rats and mice. As all this is going on, you're probably wondering who's running the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention? And who is currently the Surgeon General of the United States? The answer to both? Currently, no one has been confirmed by the Senate. To find out more about what's happening with America's public health system, we spoke with Apoorva Mandavilli. She's a science and global health reporter at the New York Times. And i

Each afternoon, the team at What A Day sorts through the overwhelming rush of headlines to bring you clarity and context. This daily podcast cuts through the noise of the 24-hour news cycle, focusing on the few stories that truly matter and explaining why they’re important. You’ll get a smart, concise breakdown of the day’s biggest developments in politics, culture, and everything in between, delivered with a mix of sharp analysis and a necessary dose of humor. It’s designed for anyone who wants to stay informed but feels exhausted by the constant churn of information. The conversation feels like catching up with a well-informed friend who can highlight the key points, connect the dots, and occasionally find the absurdity in it all. Tuning into this podcast means ending your day actually understanding how the news fits together, rather than just remembering scattered soundbites. The pace is brisk but thorough, making it a perfect companion for your commute, evening walk, or while making dinner. It’s a straightforward tool for navigating a complicated world, transforming the day’s chaos into a coherent narrative you can use.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

What A Day
Podcast Episodes
Are The Killer Robots Inevitable? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:15
Artificial Intelligence isn't just clogging up your Instagram feed with cartoon cat romance-revenge videos or helping your cousin pass AP European History class. Artificial Intelligence is on the battlefield. The Trump a…
The CBS News Crisis [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:35
CBS News, under the leadership of Bari Weiss, continues to devolve into chaos. On Tuesday, CBS News fired longtime "60 Minutes" correspondent Scott Pelley. It came a day after Pelley reportedly said Weiss was "murdering…
Trump’s Dangerous New Spy Boss [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 17:06
President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday that he's appointing the head of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, Bill Pulte, as acting Director of National Intelligence. The news comes after Tulsi Gabbard announced she w…
Californians Vote With New Map [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:07
California politics is experiencing a rare moment on the national stage as wacky candidates and local scandals have become a microcosm for the country as a whole, as well as a potential preview of what November’s midterm…
Is Social Media Hype Even Real? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:36
It’s no secret that what we see on social media is highly choreographed. But a recent article in New York Magazine by Lane Brown confirms it by uncovering the world of artificial hype that drives what we perceive as buzz…
ICE Is Still Detaining People [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:07
President Donald Trump's immigration policies haven't been getting much attention lately. But don't be fooled — the immigration detention industrial complex hasn't slowed down. One infamous facility in Florida, known as…
The Challenge To Ending The Iran War [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:15
Despite whatever President Donald Trump has said over the last few days, his war in Iran does not look like it's ending soon. But here's the thing: a major factor in what happens with Trump's Iran war isn't Trump – it's…
The Real J6 Victims Are Standing Up [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 19:21
You know, President Donald Trump's 1.776 billion-dollar MAGA slush fund? The fund is intended for victims of "DOJ weaponization," like the January 6 insurrectionists Trump pardoned. Shockingly, very few people support it…
MAGA's Misogyny [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:35
You may have noticed that misogyny seems to be everywhere right now, especially online. As American women continue to move further to the political left, men on the American Right appear to have responded by losing their…
How Trump Got In The Way Of His Own Bill [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 21:41
Republicans had a filibuster-proof immigration bill that would allocate $70 billion to immigration enforcement and fully reopen the Department of Homeland Security. But then, Trump got involved. First, he wanted $1 billi…