Iran on the Brink, Ebola Out of Control, and the Pope Takes on Silicon Valley

In this episode of The Morning Rundown, hosts Maya and David cover three major stories shaping the global conversation: U.S.-Iran nuclear negotiations, a worsening Ebola outbreak, and Pope Leo's first major teaching on artificial intelligence.Listeners will get a clear-eyed breakdown of a complicated Middle East moment, including why the U.S. is simultaneously striking targets and pursuing a deal with Iran, what Netanyahu's escalation against Hezbollah signals, and how the Abraham Accords expansion fits into Trump's foreign policy legacy ambitions. The episode then shifts to the Ebola crisis in Congo, where the death toll has reached 220, WHO is warning that the response is being outpaced by the spread, and a Trump administration policy is preventing U.S. disease researchers from participating in WHO coordination talks. The hosts close with a discussion of Pope Leo's encyclical calling for AI to be disarmed, his five specific concerns about the technology, and whether a moral authority without regulatory power can meaningfully influence how a handful of companies develop and deploy AI systems.U.S.-Iran talks: Secretary Rubio says a deal could come within days, but Iran says significant obstacles remain, even as American airstrikes continue in the region.Hezbollah escalation: Netanyahu has ordered the IDF to intensify strikes against Hezbollah, complicating the diplomatic picture further.Ebola outbreak: The WHO warns the response is falling behind the spread, with 11 countries considered at risk and community attacks on health workers hampering containment in Congo.U.S. researchers blocked: A Trump administration policy is keeping American disease experts out of WHO outbreak coordination talks at a critical moment.Pope Leo on AI: The pontiff's first major encyclical targets concentrated AI power, threats to human dignity, and the erosion of truth, entering the debate without regulatory authority but with significant global reach.