3/24/23: CNN Worst Ratings In 30 Years, Kamala World Salad, Signature Bank Fundraiser For Congressman, Adderal Shortage, Google AI Bard, Ebola Lab Leak, How Banks Created OverDraft Fees, TikTok Ban
This podcast discusses topics such as CNN's worst ratings in 30 years, Kamala's 'word salad' moment, a bank fundraiser for a congressman under investigation, the national Adderall shortage, Google's new AI competitor Bard, the history of a potential Ebola lab leak, how banks created overdraft fees, and the potential ban of TikTok.
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Quick takeaways
The narrative that a two-year-old child playing with bats in Guinea caused the Ebola outbreak in 2014 is being questioned, as evidence suggests a potential effort to frame Guinea and misattributions of cases originating from Sierra Leone.
Concerns about safety practices and conflicts between organizations operating in a lab studying dangerous viruses in Sierra Leone raise doubts about the accurate detection and reporting of Ebola cases during the outbreak.
Deep dives
Uncovering the Truth: The Origin of the Ebola Outbreak
The mainstream media initially reported that a two-year-old child playing with bats in Guinea led to the Ebola outbreak in 2014. However, virologist Christian Anderson's admission that they were studying Ebola near the outbreak site raises questions. The narrative of bats being the source doesn't align with evidence, as there was no die-off of local mammalian species or presence of bats in the village claimed to be the outbreak starting point. This casts doubt on the dominant narrative and suggests a potential effort to frame Guinea. While the balance of evidence suggests Guinea as the origin, there are misattributions to be considered, with some early cases likely originating from Sierra Leone. There is a possibility that the outbreak started earlier than officially claimed, with an outbreak identified in Sierra Leone two months prior to the official start in Guinea.
Allegation of outbreak origin in Guinea
There is a dispute regarding the alleged outbreak of Ebola in Guinea. Fabian Linderts and his paper argue that the outbreak did not start in December, as claimed, due to lack of evidence. The child who supposedly died of Ebola did not have a confirmed diagnosis, neither did his contacts. No confirmed diagnosis was made until three months later, making it unlikely that the outbreak originated from that child. The child's father believes the cause of death was malaria, and the healthcare workers in the village did not contract any illness. The lack of early diagnosis and misdiagnosis possibilities make it difficult to confidently attribute the outbreak to Ebola.
Safety concerns and conflicting research at the lab in Sierra Leone
Concerns have been raised about the safety practices at a lab in Sierra Leone, run by Robert Garrity and Christian Anderson, the primary authors of the proximal origins paper on COVID-19. The lab was involved in studying dangerous viruses, but it lacked proper safety protocols, evidenced by biosecurity breaches and reusing reagents. The lab's work was also affected by conflicts between the Viral Hemorrhagic Fever Consortium and Metabiota, who operated in the same premises. The lab's safety issues, conflicts, and potential data confusion raise questions about the accurate detection and reporting of Ebola cases in Sierra Leone during the two-month period when the virus seemed to be circulating.
This week we discuss CNN having the worst primetime ratings in over 30 years, Kamala has another "word salad" moment on Stephen Colbert, Signature Bank having a fundraiser for Congressman now investigating them, Matt Stoller on the National Adderal Shortage, Google releases an AI ChatGPT competitor called Bard, the history of the potential Ebola Lab Leak, How Banks Created Overdraft Fees, and Congress introducing a Tik Tok Ban.