CD331: December 2025 — Authorizing Future Disasters
Congressional Dish
This episode breaks down major provisions of the newly passed National Defense Authorization Act, including how Congress quietly weakened air-traffic safety rules, expanded counter-drone authorities for law enforcement, loosened protections against toxic “forever chemicals” for firefighters, and repealed outdated Iraq war authorizations while leaving broader war powers intact. It also covers new laws affecting taxes, veterans, and public lands, Trump’s vetoes of bipartisan bills, and a wave of confirmations placing industry-connected figures in powerful regulatory and defense roles. ...
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CD330: Prosecutor Jack Smith’s Deposition
Congressional Dish
Special Prosecutor Jack Smith gave a closed-door, eight-hour deposition to the House Judiciary Committee that was later—surprisingly—made public. In this episode, hear highlights from his testimony about the investigation into Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, including the fake electors scheme, key prosecutorial decisions, and why members of Congress chose to scrutinize the investigation rather than the alleged crimes. Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via Support Congressional Dish via (donations per episode) Send...
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CD329: Citizens Detained
Congressional Dish
In this episode, hear testimony that Republican leadership refused to make part of the official Congressional Record—stories from U.S. citizens who were violently arrested and jailed by agents of the Department of Homeland Security, often while clearly identifying themselves as Americans. This is not rhetoric, speculation, or partisan spin; it is sworn testimony, backed by a Senate investigation, and it raises a terrifying question: if this can happen to them, what stops it from happening to any of us? Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via ...
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CD328: November Laws & Vaccine Chaos
Congressional Dish
In this two-topic episode, we break down what became law in November—including the shutdown deal that reopened the government and the dingleberries that were quietly slipped into it. Then we revisit the hearing on the firing of the CDC Director, focusing on a politicized vaccine advisory committee that has changed its recommendation for the hepatitis B vaccine for newborns. Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via Support Congressional Dish via (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments...
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CD327: 23AndMe and the Sale of Your DNA
Congressional Dish
Millions of people have trusted 23andMe with their most intimate data—but what happens when a company holding 15 million DNA profiles goes bankrupt? In this episode, you’ll hear highlights from bipartisan House and Senate hearings exposing how genetic data can be hacked, shared, retained, and even sold under current U.S. law. Using testimony from lawmakers, legal experts, and 23andMe leaders, this episode uncovers the alarming gaps in federal privacy protections and explains why your genetic information—and even your relatives’—may be far less secure than you think. Please Support...
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CD326: October 2025 — Slippery Barnacles
Congressional Dish
In this episode, you’ll hear what actually happened in Congress during October 2025, a month dominated by a record-breaking shutdown. While the House was on vacation, the Senate enacted mass confirmations of over 100 Trump-aligned nominees—many with extreme views, conflicts of interest, or industry ties—as well as the surprising bipartisan pushback against Trump’s global tariff abuses. We also examine the Senate’s failed attempt to stop Trump’s unauthorized overseas boat strikes. Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via ...
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CD325: Politics Trump Science at the CDC
Congressional Dish
After months of chaos under Trump’s second term, a shocking Senate hearing exposes how HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has politicized the CDC—firing scientists, silencing evidence, and demanding blind approval of vaccine changes. This episode dives into testimony from former CDC leaders and the rare moment of bipartisan oversight that could mark a turning point for accountability in Congress. Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via Support Congressional Dish via (donations per episode) Send Zelle payments to:...
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CD324: Sept 2025: Destruction of Norms
Congressional Dish
A summary of September 2025. From new laws on veterans’ health, privacy, and export controls to a wave of Trump-era nominees confirmed in bulk — including several with jaw-dropping conflicts of interest — this month was a mess. In addition to new laws and confirmations, there were failed censure stunts, a delayed swearing-in that’s blocking a vote on the Epstein files, and yet another avoidable government shutdown. Both parties are playing games while regular people pay the price. Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Contribute monthly or a lump sum via Support...
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CD323: Shutdown Bad
Congressional Dish
Congress is once again playing with fire, and this time it’s the Democrats holding the match. In today’s episode, I’m sounding the alarm about a looming government shutdown that could hit at midnight on September 30th. History tells us shutdowns backfire on the party that demands partisan add-ons to must-pass funding bills, yet Democrats are betting they can use that same failed strategy and escape the blame. I’ll walk you through the shutdown showdowns of the past decade, explain what’s different—and more dangerous—about this moment, and lay out the real costs to workers,...
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CD322: Last Quarter in Congress — Indefinite Detention, Regulation Murders & Empowered Trump Minions
Congressional Dish
Since the beginning of this Congress, there have been 24 new laws signed and dozens of confirmations shaping our government in President Trump’s second term. From the Laken Riley Act’s attack on immigrant rights, to the One Big Beautiful Bill’s devastating effects on healthcare and the environment, to quiet but powerful confirmations of billionaires, bankers, and loyalists into positions that control our economy and foreign policy, this is a moment when Congress is rewriting the rules of our democracy. If you want to understand how decisions made in Washington are enriching corporations,...
info_outlineOn August 3rd, Senate Republicans held a hearing examining gain of function research: its possible role in creating the COVID-19 pandemic; the problems with oversight of this dangerous research; and recommendations to Congress for how to fix those problems.
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Background Sources
Gain-of-function Research
Talha Burki. Feb 1, 2018. “Ban on gain-of-function studies ends.” The Lancet Infectious Diseases 18(2): pp 148-149.
“Framework for Guiding Funding Decisions about Proposed Research Involving Enhanced Potential Pandemic Pathogens.” 2017. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
Michael J. Selgelid. Aug 8, 2016. “Gain-of-Function Research: Ethical Analysis.” Science and Engineering Ethics 22(4): pp 923-964.
Sara Reardon. October 22, 2014. “US suspends risky disease research.” Nature 514: pp 411-412.
“Doing Diligence to Assess the Risks and Benefits of Life Sciences Gain-of-Function Research.” Oct 17, 2014. The White House Blog.
Board on Life Sciences; Division on Earth and Life Studies; Committee on Science, Technology, and Law; Policy and Global Affairs; Board on Health Sciences Policy; National Research Council; Institute of Medicine. April 13, 2015. “Potential Risks and Benefits of Gain-of-Function Research: Summary of a Workshop.” National Academies Press.
Marc Lipsitch. Jun 29, 2014. “Anthrax? That’s Not the Real Worry.” The New York Times.
COVID-19 Origin Theories
Gary Ruskin. Sep 14, 2022. “Key articles on origins of Covid-19, gain-of-function research and biolabs.” U.S. Right to Know.
Alina Chan. Jul 30, 2022. “The evidence for a natural vs lab origin of Covid-19.” Medium.
Maria Cheng and Janey Keaten. Jun 9, 2022. “WHO: COVID origins unclear but lab leak theory needs study.” AP News.
“WHO Scientific Advisory Group for the Origins of Novel Pathogens (SAGO): preliminary report.” Jun 9, 2022. World Health Organization.
Carl Zimmer and James Gorman. Updated Oct 13, 2021. “A Group of Scientists Presses a Case Against the Lab Leak Theory of Covid.” The New York Times.
Richard Muller and Steven Quay. Oct 5, 2021. “Science Closes In on Covid’s Origins.” The Wall Street Journal.
Steven Quay and Richard Muller. Jun 6, 2021. “The Science Suggests a Wuhan Lab Leak.” The Wall Street Journal.
“TWiV 762: SARS-CoV-2 origins with Robert Garry.” May 30, 2021. This Week in Virology [Podcast].
Glenn Kessler. May 25, 2021. “Timeline: How the Wuhan lab-leak theory suddenly became credible.” The Washington Post.
Jorge Casesmeiro Roger. Mar 24, 2021. “An Interview with Richard Ebright: The WHO Investigation Members Were ‘participants in disinformation.’” Independent Science News.
Josh Rogin. Mar 8, 2021. “In 2018, Diplomats Warned of Risky Coronavirus Experiments in a Wuhan Lab. No One Listened.” Politico.
Jane Qiu. Jun 1, 2020. “How China’s ‘Bat Woman’ Hunted Down Viruses from SARS to the New Coronavirus.” Scientific American.
EcoHealth Alliance and Funding for Coronavirus Research
Katherine Eban. March 31, 2022. “‘This Shouldn’t Happen’: Inside the Virus-Hunting Nonprofit at the Center of the Lab-Leak Controversy.” Vanity Fair.
Sharon Lerner and Maia Hibbett. Sep, 23 2021. “Leaked Grant Proposal Details High-Risk Coronavirus Research.” The Intercept.
Glenn Kessler. May 18, 2021. “Fact-checking the Paul-Fauci flap over Wuhan lab funding.” The Washington Post.
Meredith Wadman and Jon Cohen. Apr 30, 2020. “NIH's axing of bat coronavirus grant a ‘horrible precedent' and might break rules, critics say.” Science.
National Institutes of Health. May 27, 2014. NIH grant to EcoHealth Alliance for Wuhan research. NIH RePORTER.
NIH Database Data Removal
Amy Dockser Marcus. Jun 23, 2021. “Chinese Covid-19 Gene Data That Could Have Aided Pandemic Research Removed From NIH Database.”
The Hearing
Revisiting Gain of Function Research: What the Pandemic Taught Us and Where Do We Go From Here
August 3, 2022
Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs: Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Spending Oversight
Witnesses:
Richard H. Ebright, Professor of Chemistry and Chemical Biology and Laboratory Director, Rutgers University Waksman Institute of Microbiology
Steven Quay, CEO and Founder, Atossa Therapeutics, Inc.
Kevin M. Esvelt, Associate Professor of Media Arts and Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cover Art
Design by Only Child Imaginations