Sep 18, 2026 · 12 min
AI copyright fight collides with vaccine politics and celebrity access
RFK Jr. on vaccines; a closer look at fast online degrees; Democrats feeling bullish; and more
The episode connects a legal battle over AI’s use of creative work with public-health accountability and the limits of reporting powerful figures.
- 1Microsoft frames AI training as an unprecedented theft of labor, while publishers challenge Microsoft and OpenAI over copyrighted works.
- 2Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defends his vaccine record as a major measles outbreak intensifies scrutiny of his public-health messaging.
- 3Jeff Edgers dissects Tom Cruise’s evasive interview, showing how tightly controlled access can frustrate even direct questions.
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Jeff Edgers’s account of Tom Cruise’s evasive interview reveals how a highly guarded star can control the terms of questioning.
The brief
Microsoft executive Brent Hecht describes AI model training as the “largest theft of labor in history,” framing the copyright fight as a conflict over who gets paid for creative work.
The episode introduces The New York Times and other publishers’ lawsuit against Microsoft and OpenAI, putting the legal status of training data at the center of the dispute.
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. defends his vaccine record and says he will follow scientific evidence as the nation faces its worst measles outbreak in decades.
The final segment examines Tom Cruise’s tightly controlled interview, where questions about dangerous stunts and fear of death meet evasive answers.
Washington Post reporter Jeff Edgers shows why interviewing a guarded Hollywood star can become a test of access, persistence, and accountability.