The Last Word With Lawrence O’Donnell - Aug. 27 | Audio Only

Public Health & Politics - The Trump administration's efforts to reshape public health are causing mass resignations at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) [1] - HHS Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr is facing calls for his immediate termination due to the politicization of public health [1] - CDC Director Susan Manarez is reportedly being targeted for refusing to support unscientific directives regarding COVID-19 vaccines [1] - Key CDC officials resigned in protest against the weaponizing of public health [1] - The FDA sharply narrowed COVID-19 vaccine eligibility, restricting it to adults 65 and older and those with underlying conditions [1] - There is concern that the dismantling of the CDC leadership leaves the country vulnerable to biological threats [3] Gun Violence & Policy - A mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis resulted in the deaths of two students (aged 8 and 10) and injuries to 14 other children (between ages 6 and 15) and three adults in their 80s [8] - Gun violence is described as the leading cause of death for children in America [24] - Congressman Maxwell Frost criticizes the lack of action on gun violence prevention and the removal of the Office of Gun Violence Prevention by the Trump administration [14][16] Political Landscape & Elections - An Iowa Democrat, Caitlyn Dre, flipped a state senate district blue for the first time since 2011, winning by 11 percentage points in a district that Donald Trump carried by 10 percentage points in the 2024 election [30] - This victory broke the GOP's supermajority in the Iowa Senate for the first time in three years [30] - The Iowa election result is seen as a potential sign of shifting voter sentiment and frustration with the direction of politics [30][31] Judiciary & Executive Power - A Trump-appointed federal judge dismissed a Trump administration lawsuit against federal judges in Maryland, calling it a threat to the constitutional order [26] - The judge accused the Trump administration of taking a confrontational approach with the judicial system over a two-day stay of deportation for immigrants [27] - Former Judge Michael Ludig characterized the lawsuit as an attempt by the executive branch to intimidate the judiciary [28]