Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, is defending his policies on Capitol Hill. He recently spoke to Congress following a brain drain at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The CDC’s director was fired. And several other high-level officials have also left the agency. They say Kennedy is weakening the administration with what they call “unscientific views.”

Today on The Wheelhouse, we ask public health officials in Connecticut how they’re preparing for the next pandemic and their thoughts on the future of health policy amid a nationwide movement to “Make America Healthy Again.”

GUESTS:
Apoorva Mandavilli, science and global health reporter, The New York Times
Lynn Sosa, Infectious Diseases Director, CT Department of Public Health
Sujata Srinivasan, senior health reporter, Connecticut Public

Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the secretary of the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/09/05/nx-s1-5529371/health-secretary-rfk-jr-grilled-on-vaccines-and-more-during-senate-hearing">is defending his policies on Capitol Hill</a>. He recently spoke to Congress following a brain drain at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The CDC&rsquo;s director was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/2025/08/27/susan-monarez-cdc-director-ousted/">fired</a>. And several other high-level officials have also&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/27/cdc-director-susan-monarez-ousted">left the agency</a>. They say Kennedy is weakening the administration with what they call &ldquo;<a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/01/opinion/cdc-leaders-kennedy.html">unscientific views</a>.&rdquo;
Today on The Wheelhouse, we ask public health officials in Connecticut how they&rsquo;re preparing for the next pandemic and their thoughts on the future of health policy amid a nationwide movement to &ldquo;Make America Healthy Again.&rdquo;
GUESTS:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/by/apoorva-mandavilli">Apoorva Mandavilli</a>, science and global health reporter, The New York Times</li>
<li><a href="https://portal.ct.gov/dph/infectious-diseases">Lynn Sosa</a>, Infectious Diseases Director, CT Department of Public Health</li>
<li><a href="https://www.ctpublic.org/people/sujata-srinivasan">Sujata Srinivasan</a>, senior health reporter, Connecticut Public</li>
</ul>

If you’re a news junkie — or maybe just news curious, we’ve got your weekly dose of Connecticut politics, tackling everything from tax cuts to human composting. Amplifying important local and national voices, The Wheelhouse walks listeners through the most important political stories of the week.  You’ll hear from well-known political reporters, academics, and local journalists across Connecticut’s 169 cities and towns.

If you’re a news junkie — or maybe just news curious, we’ve got your weekly dose of Connecticut politics, tackling everything from tax cuts to human composting. Amplifying important local and national voices, The Wheelhouse walks listeners through the most important political stories of the week.  You’ll hear from well-known political reporters, academics, and local journalists across Connecticut’s 169 cities and towns.

Connecticut's best journalists come out of the political trenches every Wednesday to join us on WNPR's weekly news roundtable The Wheelhouse.

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