The DSR Network Words Matter: Post-9/11 We Tried to Unite, Following the Kirk Shooting it’s the Opposite
Sep 11, 2025
Laurie Garrett, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and expert on public health and national security, joins David Rothkopf and Norm Ornstein for a poignant discussion on the impact of 9/11 and the current climate of political violence. They reflect on the shift from unity to division in America, especially after the recent Kirk shooting. The conversation delves into the consequences of misinformation and the evolving landscape of political polarization, emphasizing the need for dialogue and accountability in a society increasingly fraught with tensions.
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Personal 9/11 Eyewitness Account
- Laurie Garrett witnessed the second plane hit and described fleeing across the Brooklyn Bridge amid dust and collapse.
- She interviewed two men who had saved each other and watched the first tower collapse behind them.
9/11 Reshaped U.S. National Security
- Garrett argues 9/11 transformed the U.S. national security apparatus into a singular anti-terrorism lens that warped policy choices.
- That shift enabled wars in the wrong places and erosion of civil liberties under leaders like Dick Cheney.
Anthrax Response And CDC Militarization
- Garrett recounts the 2001 anthrax mailings and how reliance on outdated military anthrax data misdirected the response.
- She says the CDC was militarized and scientific ethos at public health institutions was damaged after anthrax.
