Trump Pivots on AI Regulation, Fired DOGE Official Runs for Office, and Hantavirus Explained

Brian Barrett: This was the first time I thought about it search for people in many years, and I was very happy not to think about it for a long time, because it is very difficult and what is difficult to do. Emily, given all of this, what is the concern here, according to what the World Health Organization and other organizations have said? It sounds like you’re being careful about it, but maybe don’t waste time, but I’ll leave it at that because maybe I just want to be better.

Emily Mullin: No, I think you are right. The hantavirus expert I spoke with said there have been previous outbreaks in the Andes in the past, but not major outbreaks. And these clusters have long been associated with people suffering from this disease. This is a virus that does not spread as well as other respiratory viruses that we like for example Covid or the flu. Hantavirus symptoms are often more severe. So this is not a virus, again, like Covid where many people travel with the disease, they spread it unconsciously without knowing it. So it’s a bit of fun, although part of it is that the disease is very difficult. Therefore, the World Health Organization has said that the risk to the general public is low, and it is probably not another case of Covid.

Brian Barrett: Leah, how are we feeling?

Leah Feiger: It’s not good, you guys. I don’t know. Are you telling the truth? How are you doing? Maybe it’s my turn to go, “Are you still with me?”

Brian Barrett: No, I was good, but Emily hit maybe too hard in a way that I felt a little worried.

Leah Feiger: Yeah, it was probably a swallow.

Emily Mullin: That was me editorializing. The World Health Organization did not include either.

Brian Barrett: OK. What if they only had italics or repeated capital letters? Like “maybe” good.

Leah Feiger: I don’t know, guys. I think, one, I’m excited that there are different versions of this. And it brought me back early to the early Covid armchair scientists who were like, “No, no, no, this is great.” So for it to be officially announced, yes, this is the pressure that can go through people, I think it’s at least a little known. You have to give it to me.

Brian Barrett: Oh, I think that’s true. And I guess my open questions are, how long are these people going to be on the train before everybody says, “Okay, you can go now,” or do they send them back ashore and just isolate them for a long time? The search for contacts is also concerning because I have a problem. But I think the things that, Emily, that you said about how this differs from Covid in important ways in terms of how quickly it spreads, how easily it spreads, especially now that we have the means to do that, I’m going to be less concerned.