Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Associate Director of the Graduate Program in Science Writing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and author of The Panic Virus: The True Story Behind the Vaccine-Autism Controversy
PROFILE
Seth Mnookin
Guest
FROM Seth Mnookin
To the Point
Will California's Vaccine Law Influence Other States? All 50 states require immunization of children starting school, but almost two-dozen allow waivers based on personal beliefs and religion. Now the biggest state in the union has enacted an uncompromising ban on all such exemptions. California Governor Jerry Brown has signed into law a sweeping ban on exemptions to mandatory childhood vaccination , joining Mississippi and West Virginia as the only states to ban not just personal waivers -- but waivers based on religion as well. Is it a test case for the rest of the nation? Seth Mnookin is author of The Panic Virus: The True Story behind the Vaccine-Autism Controversy . Special thanks to Paul von Zielbauer for production assistance.
To the Point
Preventable Diseases Are Making a Comeback The development of vaccines has changed modern history by preventing diseases that once killed millions of people. But there have recently been outbreaks of childhood maladies thought to have been eliminated. Most Americans don't remember measles, because the disease was declared eradicated in the year 2000. But, from New York to California, recent outbreaks are reminders of the potentially deadly disease, due to a drop in the vaccination of vulnerable children. Elsewhere in the world, polio's making a comeback, where violence and religious beliefs have discouraged vaccination or made it impossible. In America, some parents are making a choice. Is there a lack of trust in the public health system? Are the media spreading misinformation? How's a parent to know?
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To the Point
Trump's 'America First' goes missing abroad In the Middle East, President Trump is changing some policies of the Obama Administration—and reversing his own campaign attacks on Islam as a religion that "hates us." We hear about his visit to Saudi Arabia and what's at stake for the rest of his foreign excursion.
To the Point
Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.
To the Point
What happens when America retreats from the world? Is President Trump taking his "America First" agenda to extremes, withdrawing the country from the international stage on trade and climate change, distancing America from its traditional allies across the Atlantic and even threatening to physically isolate the country through the building of a wall along its southern border? León Krauze guest hosts.
To the Point
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?