9/8 to 9/15, 2025

This is This Week, Basically, hosted by Robyn Davies. Every week we skim the chaos of politics, disasters, and oddities, then pour it into something you can actually follow: all in under ten minutes. Think of it as your global digest, trimmed of the fluff but with just enough bite to keep you sharp. Let’s dive in.

We start with Washington, where President Trump and his health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., are performing the political equivalent of a three-legged race: awkward, stumbling, but still somehow moving forward. Kennedy, the administration’s celebrity skeptic on vaccines, has made headlines for firing the CDC director just weeks into her tenure and presiding over a string of resignations . He’s also struggled to square Trump’s insistence that vaccines “work, pure and simple” with his own lifelong crusade against them. At a recent event, Kennedy dodged, then muttered agreement, before Trump’s adviser shut the questions down with a gavel — a moment that screamed discord. For now, Trump keeps Kennedy close, praising his ideas in public even as aides quietly ask him to tone it down. The uneasy partnership has Republicans on the Hill side-eyeing the whole setup, wondering if Kennedy is an asset or a liability.

Shift over to another Trump-fueled firestorm: the aftermath of conservative activist Charlie Kirk’s assassination. Instead of lowering the temperature, Trump doubled down, blaming the “radical left” before investigators even named a suspect. He’s cast the tragedy as proof of a one-sided campaign of violence, promising a crackdown not just on killers but on institutions and individuals who so much as mocked Kirk online. His allies floated stripping visas, revoking licenses, and even banning people from social media platforms if they celebrated Kirk’s death. Meanwhile, critics warn the White House is weaponizing grief into a broader assault on dissent. The bigger picture? Political polarization is already at a boiling point, and this latest episode risks turning up the heat even further.

Internationally, tensions keep bubbling. In Panama, scientists were stunned when the annual cold-water upwelling in the Gulf of Panama, a natural event that feeds fisheries, cools coral reefs, and sustains migrating whales, simply didn’t happen this year. Trade winds that normally push surface waters aside fizzled out, leaving warm, nutrient-poor waters in their place. The disappearance could ripple through the entire food chain and hammer Panama’s fishing industry. Researchers say they’ve never seen anything like it in at least 40 years of monitoring. Whether it’s climate change, shifting pressure systems, or a freak La Niña effect, they don’t know yet. But they agree: something unusual and worrying is happening in the Pacific.

And in Paris, the romance of zinc rooftops is colliding with the brute force of climate change . Those iconic blue-gray roofs, covering four-fifths of the city, heat up to 158 degrees Fahrenheit during summer waves, turning top-floor apartments into ovens. Scientists warn it’s a public health crisis; living under one of those roofs can quadruple the risk of death in extreme heat. City officials are pushing to adapt, but heritage authorities, who control nearly every renovation, are saying non. To them, the skyline’s “gray sea” is untouchable. That leaves Parisians stuck between preserving postcard Paris and making it livable in a hotter century.

Back in the States, schools in New York City are testing whether life really is better without a screen glued to every teenager’s hand . A new statewide ban on cellphones, smartwatches, and laptops in schools is underway, making New York the largest district in America to try it. Some parents complain about losing contact with kids; students grumble about hauling paper notebooks again. But teachers are reporting fewer distractions, quicker bathroom breaks, and even more face-to-face conversations among teens. Early signs suggest it’s “better than expected,” though whether this sticks as kids get craftier remains to be seen.

Let’s lighten it up a notch. Over in Puerto Rico, Bad Bunny isn’t just filling stadiums; he’s pumping life into the entire economy. His three-month San Juan residency, thirty shows strong, is expected to draw 600,000 fans and generate $400 million in spending. Hotels are sold out, cocktails are themed after his lyrics, and even nail salons are cashing in on custom Bunny manicures. Economists say the boost is short-term, but for now, Puerto Rico is dancing its way through what’s usually the sleepy, stormy season. Tourism numbers are up, wallets are open, and the island has turned into one giant merch stand.

And that’s the week. From vaccine fights in D.C. to vanished cold water in Panama, from Parisian roofs cooking their residents to Puerto Rican beats fueling an island, the headlines show how politics, climate, and culture keep colliding; sometimes in ways we expect, sometimes in ways that leave even scientists scratching their heads.

This has been This Week, Basically, hosted by Robyn Davies. Thanks for tuning in; and as always, I’ll catch you next time.