THE WAR ROOM WITH STEPHEN K. BANNON (EP. 4766)

Date: September 9, 2025
Podcast: Real America’s Voice / iHeartPodcasts

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the dramatic congressional hearings about vaccine safety, public health policy, and the contentious political climate surrounding the COVID and post-pandemic era. Steve Bannon hosts, providing commentary and context as witnesses like Dr. Robert Malone (noted vaccine scientist and outspoken critic of certain pandemic policies), Aaron Siri (vaccine-injury attorney), and Senators Ron Johnson and Richard Blumenthal debate issues ranging from vaccine safety data transparency to public accountability and the politicization of health agencies. The episode also touches on breaking global news, particularly regarding Middle East geopolitics and US foreign policy.

Bannon frames the episode as “one of the wildest hearings” in recent memory, setting a combative and urgent tone, often questioning mainstream narratives and demanding accountability from political, scientific, and media establishments.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Vaccine Safety, Data Transparency, and Legal Immunity

[00:35 – 02:22]

• Aaron Siri describes lawsuits against the CDC demanding studies showing infant vaccines (notably, Hep B, Hib, polio, meningococcal) do NOT cause autism. He alleges the CDC failed to provide relevant studies, submitting only data on MMR or thimerosal.
  • “This notion that there's a mountain of studies out there that show vaccines with autism is ridiculous...” — Aaron Siri [01:00]
• Steve Bannon and Siri discuss the broader issue of liability immunity for vaccine manufacturers:
  • “If vaccines are so safe, why are they the only consumer product where you cannot sue the manufacturer for injuries...?” — Aaron Siri [02:02]
  • “It's a product that causes so much injury that it has to have liability...immunity for the injuries that it's causing. That's what a vaccine is.” — Aaron Siri [02:18]

2. Congressional Hearing – Dr. Malone’s Testimony and Memes Controversy

[03:02 – 29:00]

• Dr. Robert Malone is sworn in to respond to criticism regarding his online activity, particularly the publication of memes (some gun-related) close to the date of a shooting at the CDC building.
  • He explains the meme process (satirical, often crowdsourced, used for political commentary) and his wife’s role in curating them.
  • Malone outlines his extensive vaccinology credentials (over 100 papers, contributor to mRNA vaccine patents).
  • He frames himself as a whistleblower whose career has repeatedly suffered for challenging establishment narratives both during COVID-19 and prior crises.
• Key clarification:
  • “Russian roulette is a metaphor. It is just like any form of roulette, only it has a very severe outcome... Humor, by the way, is free speech. None of those were ones that we originated...none of them had anything to do with inciting violence.” — Dr. Malone [07:39 – 18:18]
  • On accountability requests:
    • “I'd like Lena Wen to apologize...I'd like both of them to be asked, why did you say these things during this crucial time, these things that caused so much pain, that caused so much harm, that was so divisive, that politicized public health...?” — Dr. Malone [20:50]
• Senator Blumenthal directly accuses Malone of posting threatening imagery and questions the appropriateness given his advisory role at CDC, especially during a traumatic event.
  • “And that's a pretty threatening post, I would say.” — Sen. Blumenthal [25:00]
  • “Did you consider how they would react?” [after CDC shooting] — Sen. Blumenthal [27:08]
  • Malone admits:
    • “No, I didn’t. I had to go feed the horses, take care of the farm. My wife put together the memes... Gunfire is normal in Atlanta. It happens all the time.” — Dr. Malone [27:08]
    • “Don’t you regret those posts?” — Sen. Blumenthal
    • “I don’t.” — Dr. Malone [27:38]

3. Steve Bannon’s Editorial Framing

[05:41, 07:00, spread throughout]

• Sets the stakes as a culture war over truth, public health policy, and governmental overreach.
  • “This is the primal scream of a dying regime. Pray for our enemies. Because we're going medieval on these people.” — Steve Bannon [04:42]
• Draws connections between legal efforts to unseal vaccine data (thanks to Aaron Siri and activist groups) and wider political movements against “Big Pharma” and what Bannon sees as collusion between government, the media, and corporations.

4. Middle East Geopolitics and Biden/Netanyahu/Trump Drama

[34:28 – 45:16]

• Bannon segues into a passionate and fiery critique of US Middle East policy, targeting:
  • Netanyahu’s handling of Hamas and Qatar, alleging secret deals and lack of coordination with US President (Trump).
  • Mainstream conservative pundits and politicians (e.g., Mark Levin) whom Bannon accuses of dual loyalty (“they don’t put America first, they put Israel first” — [34:28]).
  • Bannon laments US entanglement and lack of communication, arguing Netanyahu is reckless and endangers US interests and global Jewish communities.
• “Netanyahu and his government are destroying not only the state of Israel and going to turn it into a Jewish Pakistan. They are...turning the world against the Jewish community, full stop.” — Steve Bannon [52:24]
• Criticizes what he terms the “Greater Israel Project” and Israel’s “sideshow,” urging US restraint and focus on internal problems (border, crime, economy).

5. Government Shutdown and Fiscal Policy

[46:01 – 50:00]

• Bannon discusses the possibility (and strategic desirability) of a government shutdown to force “essential vs. not essential employees” and shrink the federal bureaucracy.
• Cites Trump’s use of “rescissions, pocket rescissions, impoundments,” projecting an imminent constitutional crisis over budget strategy.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Aaron Siri:
  “We sued the CDC for the studies...they ended up in stipulated order. They gave us 20 studies. Not one of them has to do with those vaccines. They're all MMR or they're all thimerosal. This notion that there's a mountain of studies out there that show vaccines with autism is ridiculous.” [00:58]

• Dr. Robert Malone:
  “I've been a whistleblower and had my profession destroyed. ... I make a living as a licensed physician publishing a substack essay once a day, day after day, year after year after year... Humor, by the way, free speech.” [08:31 – 13:21]
  “I'd like both of them to be asked, why did you say these things ... that politicized public health during the COVID crisis unnecessarily. Why did you say those things? Do you regret them now?” [20:50]

• Steve Bannon:
  “This is the primal scream of a dying regime. Pray for our enemies. Because we're going medieval on these people.” [04:42]
  “They're dragging us into attacking a capital of a country that President Trump is very close to...We got enough problems, okay? ... We don't need your problems. That you're instigating an attack on a country that President Trump has said we're going to defend.” [40:00]

• Senator Blumenthal vs. Dr. Malone:

  • “That's a pretty threatening post, I would say.” — Blumenthal [25:00]
  • “If you believe that's threatening, then clearly you haven't watched Netflix. We are constantly bombarded by violent images...That is not a threatening post, in my opinion.” — Malone [25:05]
  • “Don't you regret those posts?” — Blumenthal [27:34]
  • “I don't.” — Malone [27:38]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [00:35] – Vaccine injury legal battles (Aaron Siri on CDC litigation)
• [02:22] – Senator Johnson’s panel wrap up, introduction of Dr. Malone
• [07:39] – Dr. Malone’s credentials, meme controversy, comments on public accountability
• [21:30] – Senator Blumenthal’s direct questioning of Malone about memes, threat perception, and role at CDC
• [27:00 – 28:00] – Malone’s lack of regret and rationale for posting memes after CDC shooting
• [34:28] – Middle East analysis: Bannon on Netanyahu, Qatar, and US policy
• [46:01] – Government shutdown discussion, Bannon on Trump’s fiscal maneuvering
• [52:24] – Bannon’s closing remarks on Israel, US alliances

Tone and Language

• The tone is combative, skeptical of mainstream narratives, frequently mixing humor and sarcasm with outrage and polemic. Bannon and most guests use populist rhetoric, often framing the issues as existential clashes between the “regime”/establishment and “the people.”
• Anti-establishment, openly defiant of government agencies, media, and global institutions; sympathetic to the grievances of vaccine skeptics and conservative populists.

Summary for First-time Listeners

This episode of The War Room is a raw, contentious look at vaccine policy, accountability in public health, and the crisscrossing political fires of post-pandemic America and Middle East turmoil. Dr. Malone’s testimony—both defensive and self-vindicating—stands at the center, as he faces off with Senator Blumenthal over the boundaries of free speech, public responsibility, and old wounds from the COVID-19 crisis. Steve Bannon, as always, ties these battles to a larger culture war, arguing that truth, sovereignty, and American interests are on the line—whether in congressional hearings, the CDC, or in the sands of the Middle East.