Friday Focus: Trump takes aim at the CDC and Putin is undeterred

August 29, 2025
00:00:00
00:00:00

Friday Focus: Trump takes aim at the CDC and Putin is undeterred

Rudyard and Janice start the show with Trump’s firing of CDC director Susan Monarez over disputes about vaccine policy, and the attempted dismissal of Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook in his bid to take control of the central bank and lower interest rates. In the second half of the show Rudyard and Janice turn to the ongoing war in Ukraine. Vladimir Putin brazenly launched a major ballistic and drone attack in Kyiv killing almost two dozen people, only ten days after his summit in Anchorage with the US President. Is it time to call Trump’s attempt at a deal a foreign policy failure? In the remaining moments of the show Rudyard and Janice turn to events in the Middle East where Israeli troops are entering Gaza City as the first phase of a planned occupation. Why are both sides so unwilling to accept a ceasefire deal? And why is Trump so focused on ending the war in Ukraine while ignoring the destruction in Gaza?

Thank you to this week’s new Munk Curators and Supporters. Your contribution supports our efforts to bring back civil and substantive dialogue to the public square.

Curators:

Matthew A

Supporters:

Michael R

Nicole H

F H

Gabrielle M

Christina F

Eden G

Julia W

Bonni E

carolina G

Joanne E

Jacqueline S

John S

Karina D

Michael R

Leila F

Philamon H

Share
00:00:00
00:00:00