Aug 11, 2026 · 12 min
Earthquake toll rises as Washington reshapes vaccine policy
Evening Wire: Colombia Death Toll Climbs & Trump Orders Child Vaccine Changes | 8.11.26
The episode connects a deadly Colombian disaster with consequential shifts in U.S. health policy, immigration enforcement, and presidential security.
- 1A powerful earthquake in western Colombia killed at least 111 people and damaged homes, schools, and health centers.
- 2The administration is pursuing narrower childhood vaccine recommendations while newly released messages renew scrutiny of Anthony Fauci’s guidance.
- 3Visa revocations, an alleged threat to Trump, and disputes over WNBA speech rules broaden the episode’s domestic focus.
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The episode’s most startling closing item is a venomous cottonmouth discovered inside an Arkansas high school football helmet after practice.
The brief
Evening Wire opens with a powerful earthquake in western Colombia that killed at least 111 people and damaged homes, schools, and health centers.
A Syrian court sentenced Bashar al-Assad, his brother, and a cousin to death for crimes committed during Assad’s rule, while a separate report described security concerns around Trump’s departure from Syria.
The administration is directing agencies to revise routine childhood vaccine recommendations, potentially covering fewer diseases, reclassifying some shots, and separating measles, mumps, and rubella vaccines.
Newly released messages have prompted Republican calls to investigate Anthony Fauci’s COVID-19 vaccine guidance, including private discussion of immune reactions and miscarriage concerns during pregnancy.
The rundown closes with roughly 175,000 visa revocations, an American Airlines bird strike, alleged WNBA speech double standards, and a cottonmouth found inside a football helmet.
Featuring
Bashar al-AssadListen to the full episode and explore every guest, topic, and moment on PodLume.