When the coronavirus first surfaced, conventional wisdom and the Chinese government suggested it emerged from a wet market in Wuhan. However, newly uncovered State Department cables give credence to the theory that the virus may have leaked from a research facility just down the road.

The Washington Post’s Josh Rogin joined the podcast to walk us through the 2018 cables warning of inadequate safety at a Wuhan coronavirus research lab. Rogin discusses the Chinese government’s reaction to the lab origin story, as well as politicization of the virus at home.

Josh Rogin is a columnist for the Global Opinions section of the Washington Post and a political analyst with CNN. He has covered foreign policy and national security for Bloomberg View, Newsweek, the Daily Beast, and Foreign Policy magazine, among other outlets. He was a 2011 finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists and the 2011 recipient of the Interaction Award for Excellence in International Reporting.

Download the transcript here.

 

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