Still Fighting 2020 While Measles Returns

It's 2026, but according to Jonathan Howard and Wendy Orent, some of the most powerful voices in American public health still can't stop relitigating 2020. In this episode of We Want Them Infected, Jonathan and Wendy break down a series of recent interviews and public appearances featuring Jay Bhattacharya, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Donald Trump, Stephen Miller, and others. They examine claims about the childhood vaccine schedule, splitting the MMR vaccine into separate shots, vaccine safety, measles outbreaks, and the continued effort to blame today's public-health problems on decisions made during the COVID-19 pandemic. They also revisit Bhattacharya's pandemic-era predictions and contrast them with his current role and responsibilities, including his responses to questions about declining public trust, vaccine misinformation, and the deadly CDC shooting. Later, Jonathan and Wendy discuss the tragic death of Cambridge professor Jason Arday and the online rhetoric surrounding the story, leading to a broader conversation about "crank magnetism" and how extreme beliefs can cluster together. In This Episode The push to change the childhood vaccine schedule and separate the MMR vaccine Stephen Miller's vaccine claims in the Oval Office Why Jay Bhattacharya keeps returning to the public-health decisions of 2020 Bhattacharya's past pandemic predictions versus his current leadership role Measles outbreaks, vaccination rates, and public trust RFK Jr.'s claims about vaccine safety and Anthony Fauci Trump's comments about the volume and timing of childhood vaccines The CDC shooting and questions about the consequences of vaccine misinformation Bill Cassidy's defense of his decision to support RFK Jr.'s confirmation Fauci's diaries and renewed arguments over COVID vaccines and pregnancy The death of Jason Arday and the rhetoric that followed "Crank magnetism" and the overlap between misinformation and other extreme beliefs About the Podcast We Want Them Infected examines the ideas, people, and policies that shaped the COVID-19 pandemic and continue to influence public health today. Hosts Jonathan Howard and Wendy Orent revisit the claims made by prominent pandemic contrarians and compare them with what happened in the real world.