WEBVTT

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Before we begin, we just wanted to give you a heads up that this episode contains references to suicide.

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I'm on my bed going, if this ratchets up and I die, they're going to write this off as a heart attack or an aneurysm.

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Like, there's no, there's clearly nothing that's going to leave any signs or whatever it is.

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I can't believe you've never been out of Philly, Charlie.

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Oh man, man, what the hell?

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It's December 29th, 2016.

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Tony, whom we've learned was an undercover CIA officer stationed in Havana, is home, trying to catch up on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia on his laptop.

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Just started.

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Really? You just fired me?

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So why are you looking good?

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When suddenly he hears a loud noise.

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A noise that just won't go away.

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He's in a lot of pain now, but he's trying to bear it.

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Because he thinks that this is an attack and that whoever is doing it is watching him, and he doesn't want to show weakness.

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I was starting to reach my limit at that point.

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Now there's pain and stuff happening.

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There may actually be something happening to me here.

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And then I started blacking out from it.

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What worried me about going completely unconscious is that if this thing kept going, I didn't know what I was going to end up as, or if I would even come to from it.

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And so I rolled off my bed, hit the ground, kind of jolted me out of whatever it was for the most part.

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Like I still could feel it.

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I still hurt, but I wasn't in that like blackout tunnel anymore.

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And I got out of my bedroom, ran down the hallway, and went into my kitchen.

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Once I was in the kitchen, it was more of like, am I still in it?

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I couldn't hear anything.

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I would talk to myself, and I could feel the vibration in my chest, but I couldn't hear anything.

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And so then you do a head-to-toe assessment, and you go, do I feel pressure?

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Do I feel pain?

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Well, there's residual pain, but my head's not in a vice anymore.

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I must be out of it.

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And so I decided at that point, well, I'm not staying in my room anymore, right?

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Like I can't go to sleep in that.

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And I spent the rest of the night on the couch, just in pain, not really being able to sleep,

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and reading closed captions on the show as always sunny, just praying for the sun to come up.

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The next morning, he's not feeling the acute pain anymore, but he decides to tell his bosses about the incident.

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He's worried about what his bosses will think.

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He's a rookie.

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This is his first covert assignment.

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And he doesn't want the more hardcore CIA bureau chiefs to think he was weak or soft or couldn't take the pressure.

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I was still pretty new down there at this point, right?

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And now I'm coming forth going, hey, some crazy sounds in my house and now my head hurts.

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Like, it doesn't look great, frankly.

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And so I didn't want to report it.

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I mean, the last thing I wanted to do was report it.

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But I'm also torn with my obligation to report what's happening.

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So Tony sends his bosses in both the State Department and Langley a report detailing what happened.

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But that doesn't stop the noise.

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Every time he goes home, it starts up again.

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And he keeps getting these painful physical reactions to it.

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I would still wake up in pools of blood, like, gushing out of my nose.

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Couldn't stop it until I was out and down through the house somewhere else multiple times.

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Just, like, just pouring out head pressure, head pain.

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Like, I never have bloody noses, ever.

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But I would wake up just pools of it with this crazy head pressure and pain.

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These debilitating events are all starting to have other impacts, too.

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I could normally write a cable in an hour.

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It would be a couple pages.

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I would walk away, come back.

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20 minutes later, edit, send, done.

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That same thing would take me four, six, eight hours.

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But you would come back to edit, and it would be completely incoherent.

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Like, beyond incoherent.

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I would ask the guys that I was working with to come in and be like,

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Hey, can you read this?

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What is this?

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What was I even trying to say here?

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And they'd be like, I have no idea.

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Like, it's complete, nonsensical, words mashed together that didn't even make a coherent sentence.

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I was at the top physical, psychological, emotional place I could have ever been in my life.

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And I was gung-ho to do my job.

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And within six months, I was a zombie and non-functional as a human being.

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I'm John Lee Anderson.

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And I'm Adam Entis.

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From Vice World News, this is Havana Syndrome.

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We'll be right back.

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Episode 3, The Immaculate Concussion.

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They're here for you, Matt Lee.

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Okay.

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Hi.

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And, sir, your name is?

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Yeah, Steve Dorsey from CBS News.

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Hi, Steve.

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Hi.

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Just a quick change in topic.

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Can you tell us about the incidents that have been going on in Havana affecting U.S. government workers there?

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Yes.

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So we are certainly aware of what has happened there.

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Give me one second here.

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August 2017.

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Seven months after Tony's incident, the American government finally acknowledges for the first time that there's been a series of mysterious health incidents affecting their personnel in Havana.

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They've reported some incidents which have caused a variety of physical symptoms.

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And how long has this been going on for?

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So we first heard about these incidents back in late 2016.

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We asked the State Department why they chose to keep quiet about these incidents in those early weeks and months.

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They told us our standing practice is not to discuss specific individuals or events due to privacy concerns as well as for security reasons.

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My understanding is that it has only affected State Department employees.

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And, of course, the State Department doesn't mention that any CIA officers are involved.

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The U.S. government has a rule.

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They don't talk about CIA officers overseas.

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We take this very seriously.

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What is this?

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This incident.

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This incident.

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What is the incident?

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And that's what we're calling it.

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We don't know exactly what…

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So it's 2016 and you don't know what this incident is?

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What this requires is providing medical examinations to these people.

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Initially, when they started reporting what I will just call symptoms, it took time to figure out what it was.

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And this is still ongoing.

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By the time the news goes public, Tony has reached a breaking point.

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After heading back to the U.S. to try to get better, he still has no answers.

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You know, my health's deteriorating.

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My vision's deteriorating.

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I have migraines that just are permanent.

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They won't stop.

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You know, you look at yourself and you go, am I…

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Is this…

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Is this life now?

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And I thought, how can I go from this pinnacle of a person that I was and within such a short period of time, within a year, have ended up crawling around with migraines in dark rooms, not able to drive, can't see straight.

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How did I end up here?

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He goes back to his supervisors at Langley, asks for help, but says he's still pretty much on his own at this point.

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Tony says he's feeling like a pariah, ignored by the CIA.

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We'll get into that more in a later episode.

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But it's that combination of factors that brings Tony to almost do something drastic.

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Everything went to shit.

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Everything went to shit.

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And I said, all right, you're done.

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That's fine.

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Check it out.

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Like, I think I'm done.

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I think I've given it everything now.

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I think that this part of my story is over.

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And so, you know, I made plans to kill myself at that point.

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And so, I started making plans.

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You know, you write your letters to family.

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I think I kind of sat there.

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And before kind of making that ultimate choice, I kind of gave myself a chat.

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You know, you do, kind of like in Havana, you do a head-to-toe assessment.

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You go, all right, wait, like before you're here, before you make this that you can't come back from, what are you going to do?

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And I gave myself an out.

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I go, you have just a little bit left in you.

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Push.

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Use all that up.

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And in a week, if you're still here, we're still on the floor, we're still fucked, you're allowed to go.

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He hadn't told us everything.

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That's Tony's brother.

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You know, we knew it had been a bit of a shit show and they hadn't believed him.

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And it was hard getting treatment and no one knew what it was and what have you.

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But at that point, you know, we, like I'm learning a lot today, you know, so.

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Did you know that he was thinking about killing himself?

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No.

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Yeah.

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Yeah, it's difficult.

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Yeah.

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This isn't unique.

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I've talked, like, I can't tell, like, there's been more than a handful of phone calls where I've talked to friends from pulling guns out of their mouths.

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I've sent people over to homes to pull weapons out of people's homes because we've all been in such a dark place and we didn't get the support that we needed.

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Multiple.

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That's so fucked up, you know.

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And so I gave myself a week.

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And within two days after that moment, I got a call from one of the doctors at work and said, we've got you to into UPenn.

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The whole team's going to see you.

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I get emotional because.

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Yeah, fair enough.

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And so I went up to Penn and went through everything with them and they go, what the fuck happened to you?

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Before the news of Havana syndrome goes public in August 2017, the number of U.S. spies and diplomats who've become afflicted has risen to almost two dozen people.

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Almost all of them say they've experienced an incident at home or in a hotel in which they feel a directional pressure at their heads.

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One that didn't go away unless they got off the X.

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Many of the spies and diplomats that experienced this also heard a sound during their incidents.

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Afterwards, many of them felt dizzy and foggy.

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They're having trouble even keeping their balance.

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And now they're having trouble keeping up at work.

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Finally, in February 2017, the CIA and State Department reach out to a prominent ear, nose and throat doctor based in Miami.

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After studying these patients, the doctor suspects that they're actually suffering from a brain injury, which ends up causing a lot of drama within the CIA.

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We'll get to that later in the series.

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But government officials soon realize they need a plan to help treat all these patients at once.

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And so they reach out to another doctor who specializes in brain trauma.

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So I'm Douglas Smith.

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I'm a professor of neurosurgery and director of the Center for Brain Injury and Repair at the University of Pennsylvania.

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I was curious how you got involved in the first place in Havana syndrome.

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Like, do you know the origin story of your involvement?

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Yeah, to some extent.

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So I got a strange email.

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It's like I was wondering if somebody wanted me to, you know, accept $20 million for my bank account type of thing.

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One day in the summer of 2017, Dr. Smith gets an email with a strange request.

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Do you remember what the email said?

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Did it suggest a phone call or did it actually say, you know, what actually was going on down in Havana?

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No, it didn't mention anything about Havana.

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And it just said, this is going to sound a little weird, you know, but we might need your help or something and give me a call.

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I know that the person who emailed Dr. Smith worked for the CIA, but of course the CIA won't confirm that for me.

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Did you realize that this was in, you were entering like a world of espionage or was it, were you oblivious to that until you got more involved?

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Yeah, I really didn't know what it was about.

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And, you know, people call me up a lot.

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You know, anybody who's been around for a while, you serve on, you know, panels of, expert panels or whatnot.

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And so I really didn't know what was up and I had some information.

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Dr. Smith is well known in his field, particularly for his work studying professional football players with head injuries.

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As the world is learning of Havana syndrome, he's starting to see affected spies and diplomats at his office.

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Morale was definitely being affected. People were very nervous.

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Back in Havana by this point, Tina has come clean to her husband and colleagues about her own incident in her kitchen the previous March.

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Like Tony, she's still suffering from a variety of symptoms.

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But by the time she comes forward, the U.S. ambassador, Jeffrey De Laurentiis, has already been dealing with the CIA cases for months.

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And I think everybody saw how I looked.

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My boss, the consul general, called it the elephant in the room because I wasn't talking about it with anyone, but I looked like a zombie.

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I looked like absolute crap.

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And De Laurentiis, by that point, was really, really worried.

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He said, we're working on this. We're going to get you help. We're going to fix this.

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And I remember him saying those words.

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And that might be why I was the first one to end up at Pennsylvania.

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It may have been a coincidence.

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But on August 20th, I was in Philadelphia.

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Before Tina and her cohort arrive, Dr. Smith gathers a team of specialists together to try to do a gut check.

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What do they think is going on here?

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They don't have a lot to go on.

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Yeah, so right down the hall here, we met before the patients came.

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At that meeting, we just had to kind of take out and we're just sitting around and everybody's like, what do you think this is?

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And I think that at that time, I think the majority of folks really thought there was nothing here.

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They're just like, well, we'll do this.

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I mean, we're being asked and we want to, you know, do our part.

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But this doesn't really make any sense.

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When they walked through the door, did you say to yourself, oh, yes, this person has had a brain injury?

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Or did they have a common look?

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Did they look dazed and confused or was it not until you examined them and put them through your medical procedures that you could see?

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Or did they look desperate?

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Well, what a good word.

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I think some of them were desperate.

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You know, many of them, these are very high achiever folks who really want to do well at their jobs,

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but, you know, often could not concentrate for very long, couldn't work a full day, had terrible headaches,

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you know, just had this, you know, brain fog, you know, kind of, you know, word-finding issues,

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you know, just be sitting there for a minute trying to think of that word.

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Do you count yourself as one of the people who thought there was nothing there?

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Before I met anybody, any of the patients, I had a sense that there could be something there.

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They just seem like very believable patients.

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These patients are very good historians about the symptoms and cause of that.

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As far as any theory about what it was, that was completely unknown.

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At first, the doctors really didn't have much information besides the symptoms the patients were reporting.

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Dr. Smith had hoped he would get some blood samples.

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Because when certain cells in the brain are damaged,

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they release a type of protein into the bloodstream that can be detected.

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This is how specialists can diagnose some types of concussions.

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Hoping to collect physiological evidence to support the victims' accounts,

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the CIA arranged for the medical staff at the embassy to draw blood from some of the patients.

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And those samples were stashed in a fridge in the basement of the U.S. embassy

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before they would be secretly flown to a lab in the U.S. for analysis.

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The hope was that those tests would detect these special proteins,

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hard evidence that the brains of the victims were damaged in some way.

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Unfortunately,

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The serum that was in Cuba, we were just in the process of having it shipped to Penn,

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but a hurricane got in the way.

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We never got it.

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We asked the CIA about what happened there, but they wouldn't respond.

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In any case, it's far from ideal for the U.Penn doctors.

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There was no baselining done to the patients before their injuries

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to assess if or how their conditions changed.

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There was no physical evidence, at least on the surface, of a wound or an injury.

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They didn't get the blood samples, so the doctors had to make do.

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They talked to all the patients about their incidents.

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Some felt like they had been in a beam of energy.

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The majority of them heard a sound.

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Some didn't.

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It's pretty confusing.

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Tony, after his incident.

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This thing was 20-plus minutes of straight-line, singular, non-adjusting tone

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that was either an artifact or a byproduct or was part of it.

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I don't know.

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Probably the majority who said they heard a sound.

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It was more like a cicada-like.

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But other descriptions of the sound really varied.

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There were high kind of whine, like just before an alarm in your house goes off,

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that high-pitched noise.

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That noise when you have the back window of your car open,

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you're going down the highway, kind of that baffling wah-wah-wah noise.

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Others said there was like a grinding, low-metal grinding noise.

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And then there was still some that heard nothing.

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So it was a little bit all over the place.

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So then they put Tony, Tina, and the rest of their cohort through a battery of tests.

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What are they physically making you do or doing to you?

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Yeah.

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A lot of those initial tests had to do with movement and with eye movement.

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So how is our balance?

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Could we stand on one foot on the floor?

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Could we close our eyes and stay standing without falling over?

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Could we track a finger with our eyes?

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Did our eyes work together?

20:27.700 --> 20:31.080
Could they converge and diverge, as we know now, is kind of a big part of this.

20:32.220 --> 20:36.640
The vestibular testing is probably the most interesting.

20:36.980 --> 20:40.000
That's the system in the inner ear that helps with balance.

20:40.500 --> 20:44.540
You're in basically a dark, a completely pitch-dark enclosed room.

20:47.440 --> 20:51.200
Sometimes they're just following your eye movements with sensors.

20:51.900 --> 20:54.240
Other times you're actually playing an active role.

20:54.400 --> 20:56.680
You're trying to straighten lines with a little joystick.

20:57.520 --> 21:00.980
You're trying to follow lines around the black interior.

21:01.860 --> 21:03.680
And one other important thing.

21:04.720 --> 21:06.700
The chair spins as well.

21:06.940 --> 21:10.520
So just to add an element of vomit to all of this,

21:10.900 --> 21:13.140
I have to have a spinning chair.

21:14.840 --> 21:16.600
I've never thrown up so much in my life.

21:17.440 --> 21:21.640
The most unpleasant test?

21:23.320 --> 21:29.300
They flush this stream of water into your ear,

21:29.380 --> 21:31.540
and it's super hard and super fast.

21:31.780 --> 21:33.580
This is caloric reflex testing.

21:33.820 --> 21:36.120
Rushing water spinning around in your ear.

21:36.300 --> 21:38.280
Which checks for issues with balance.

21:39.020 --> 21:41.060
And that was awful.

21:41.260 --> 21:43.300
I thought I was, like, having morning sickness.

21:43.420 --> 21:44.260
Am I pregnant again?

21:44.260 --> 21:45.120
This is terrible.

21:45.460 --> 21:46.960
I felt so sick.

21:48.000 --> 21:49.940
And then somehow it magically drains out.

21:49.940 --> 21:56.160
I just remember being so ill that night.

21:56.320 --> 21:58.000
I just could not get my balance back.

21:58.080 --> 21:59.840
I was staggering back to the hotel.

21:59.960 --> 22:00.820
I wasn't walking right.

22:00.820 --> 22:05.000
So if I didn't have vestibular problems, I did after that test.

22:05.000 --> 22:11.960
All of the doctors involved made sure not to discuss with one another

22:11.960 --> 22:15.720
what they were finding or hearing from the patients during the testing,

22:16.140 --> 22:19.020
so as not to influence their independent judgment.

22:19.860 --> 22:22.100
After seeing the first series of patients,

22:22.300 --> 22:24.680
we met back in the same conference room down the hall,

22:24.680 --> 22:26.700
and we call it kind of the reveal.

22:27.200 --> 22:28.660
So basically it's like, so what do you think?

22:28.940 --> 22:32.980
And one member spoke up and he said, this is real.

22:34.760 --> 22:36.280
He said, I'm just kind of surprised,

22:36.400 --> 22:38.180
but there really is a neurological issue here.

22:39.840 --> 22:41.280
And then one by one,

22:41.420 --> 22:44.580
everybody who had examined these patients felt there was something there,

22:44.820 --> 22:47.120
that this was really a neurological issue.

22:47.120 --> 22:52.580
So now Dr. Smith starts asking,

22:52.960 --> 22:55.080
what could have happened to cause this?

22:56.760 --> 22:59.100
We looked at things like insecticides.

22:59.200 --> 23:01.180
There are certain types of toxins or poisons.

23:02.180 --> 23:05.020
And, you know, you can absolutely get brain injury

23:05.020 --> 23:06.440
from these damage to the brain,

23:06.560 --> 23:08.640
but it does not seem to manifest this way,

23:08.700 --> 23:10.180
and it doesn't quite look like this.

23:10.820 --> 23:13.360
He also rules out that this is some kind of infection.

23:13.680 --> 23:16.440
You know, that really wouldn't make sense to be directional.

23:16.440 --> 23:19.820
The waxing and waning of symptoms as they duck behind a wall,

23:20.660 --> 23:22.580
you know, I don't know many infections that go away

23:22.580 --> 23:25.080
when you duck behind the wall and then come back, they come back.

23:25.160 --> 23:28.480
So that history doesn't really fit for that kind of a toxin

23:28.480 --> 23:30.100
or infection type of issue.

23:30.640 --> 23:33.220
And as for the sound many of the patients reported hearing?

23:33.520 --> 23:34.780
We, from the beginning,

23:35.380 --> 23:38.060
didn't think the sounds had anything to do with brain injury

23:38.060 --> 23:40.740
or hurting the brain because sound cannot hurt their brain.

23:41.840 --> 23:43.520
So, Dr. Smith says,

23:43.520 --> 23:46.140
The patient's symptoms couldn't be the result

23:46.140 --> 23:48.160
of some sort of attack using sound.

23:48.740 --> 23:50.680
Sound may have accompanied whatever happened,

23:51.040 --> 23:52.380
but it couldn't be the cause.

23:52.900 --> 23:55.900
Certainly, out loud enough, you know, volume can hurt your hearing.

23:56.420 --> 23:58.060
So sound can drive people off,

23:58.160 --> 24:00.280
but again, that's, you know, it wasn't a hearing issue,

24:00.340 --> 24:02.620
and sound itself really shouldn't injure the brain.

24:03.000 --> 24:04.060
Okay, interesting.

24:04.060 --> 24:07.640
This felt like a revelation to all of us during that interview.

24:08.300 --> 24:11.440
Personally, I had no idea that sound couldn't hurt the brain.

24:12.040 --> 24:14.340
It also means that what these people experienced

24:14.340 --> 24:17.900
could not have been caused by sound or some kind of sonic device.

24:18.520 --> 24:20.140
But according to Dr. Smith,

24:20.320 --> 24:23.920
the symptoms these patients have do all remind him of something,

24:24.580 --> 24:26.820
something he's treated for a long time now.

24:27.280 --> 24:29.440
This really sounds like concussion.

24:29.440 --> 24:34.040
A concussion is a form of traumatic brain injury, or TBI.

24:34.560 --> 24:37.980
And what happens in a concussion is kind of fascinating and complex.

24:38.600 --> 24:42.460
In part, it involves a particular component of neurons in your brain

24:42.460 --> 24:43.940
called axons.

24:44.680 --> 24:48.860
So axons are these really tiny electrical fibers, basically.

24:49.000 --> 24:50.620
They're the electric grid of the brain

24:50.620 --> 24:52.940
that connect one part of the brain to the other.

24:53.360 --> 24:54.880
But they're so small and delicate,

24:55.020 --> 24:57.080
you take about 100 of those side by side

24:57.080 --> 24:58.600
to be as wide as a human hair.

24:58.600 --> 25:01.280
So in a concussion,

25:02.060 --> 25:05.400
the axons, the tissue that they're in, gets shifted.

25:06.000 --> 25:08.200
So as your brain gets rapidly deformed,

25:08.360 --> 25:09.440
kind of changes shape,

25:09.940 --> 25:11.460
the axons get stretched.

25:12.480 --> 25:14.540
Normally, they can tolerate a pretty big stretch.

25:14.880 --> 25:16.640
But under something that's very dynamic,

25:16.800 --> 25:17.740
something very rapid,

25:18.140 --> 25:19.660
that pulls them very fast,

25:19.980 --> 25:21.760
something inside actually breaks.

25:22.840 --> 25:24.020
And what breaks

25:24.020 --> 25:26.060
is really what transports the protein.

25:26.180 --> 25:27.320
It's like the train tracks

25:27.320 --> 25:29.640
inside this tiny structure.

25:30.000 --> 25:31.840
And they can physically break

25:31.840 --> 25:33.220
at the moment of injury.

25:34.120 --> 25:34.740
So usually,

25:35.040 --> 25:36.480
the way neurons in your brain

25:36.480 --> 25:37.780
communicate with each other

25:37.780 --> 25:39.820
involves a wave of electrical charge.

25:40.280 --> 25:42.360
It's really fast and really intense.

25:42.780 --> 25:44.860
This wave creates a spark of electricity

25:44.860 --> 25:47.220
that then becomes an electrical current

25:47.220 --> 25:49.720
that travels up to 100 meters per second

25:49.720 --> 25:51.360
to the end of the axon,

25:51.360 --> 25:53.000
which triggers the release

25:53.000 --> 25:55.040
of chemical neurotransmitters.

25:55.880 --> 25:57.560
And that's how you can transmit a signal

25:57.560 --> 25:58.960
down the axon

25:58.960 --> 26:00.720
from one part of your brain to the other.

26:01.720 --> 26:03.520
But in traumatic brain injury,

26:04.300 --> 26:05.340
this kind of acts like a,

26:05.520 --> 26:07.160
think of like the toilet tank.

26:08.040 --> 26:08.960
Dripping at night,

26:09.040 --> 26:09.920
it's driving you crazy.

26:10.380 --> 26:11.560
You open up the lid

26:11.560 --> 26:13.580
and you see this flapper valve is open.

26:14.180 --> 26:15.800
And the water just keeps pouring in.

26:16.740 --> 26:18.040
When you have an injury,

26:18.200 --> 26:20.060
instead of just laying the right amount,

26:20.600 --> 26:23.320
the Goldilocks amount of sodium in

26:23.320 --> 26:24.780
to create that spark and then stop,

26:25.100 --> 26:26.740
it just keeps kind of pouring in.

26:27.520 --> 26:28.620
So this makes it

26:28.620 --> 26:30.120
so it cannot have another spark.

26:30.120 --> 26:32.640
And so we think

26:32.640 --> 26:33.500
that that's fundamentally

26:33.500 --> 26:34.680
what causes individuals

26:34.680 --> 26:36.260
to become that dazed and confused

26:36.260 --> 26:37.600
that they can't get

26:37.600 --> 26:38.940
the right electrical signals.

26:39.960 --> 26:41.440
And then on top of that,

26:41.560 --> 26:43.540
you get these swellings of these axons.

26:44.800 --> 26:45.840
And they swell,

26:45.960 --> 26:47.420
if they swell past a certain point,

26:47.840 --> 26:49.900
they'll disconnect.

26:50.340 --> 26:51.600
And once they disconnect,

26:51.740 --> 26:52.400
they're gone forever.

26:53.260 --> 26:54.920
You cannot grow an axon

26:54.920 --> 26:56.180
across the brain again.

26:57.860 --> 26:59.420
Okay, so that's what happens

26:59.420 --> 27:00.100
in a concussion.

27:00.840 --> 27:02.620
But usually something physically

27:02.620 --> 27:03.820
has to happen to you.

27:04.200 --> 27:05.720
Say you fall and hit your head

27:05.720 --> 27:07.600
or have a 300-pound man

27:07.600 --> 27:08.920
run full speed into you

27:08.920 --> 27:09.960
on a football field.

27:10.680 --> 27:11.480
And that didn't happen

27:11.480 --> 27:12.280
to any of these

27:12.280 --> 27:13.700
Havana Syndrome patients.

27:14.240 --> 27:14.560
Right.

27:14.940 --> 27:16.180
But Dr. Smith says

27:16.180 --> 27:18.180
you don't actually have to hit your head

27:18.180 --> 27:18.980
to have a concussion.

27:19.780 --> 27:20.380
In a car accident,

27:20.500 --> 27:21.980
if you're restrained with a seatbelt,

27:22.040 --> 27:22.900
your head might rotate

27:22.900 --> 27:24.520
and actually not hit anything.

27:24.940 --> 27:25.740
But that's enough to cause

27:25.740 --> 27:27.340
the brain to change shape rapidly,

27:27.440 --> 27:28.520
just like if you hit your head.

27:28.520 --> 27:35.440
And so you can have a concussion

27:35.440 --> 27:37.480
with no blow to your head,

27:38.060 --> 27:39.540
no bruises or anything.

27:40.120 --> 27:41.920
But in the case of these spies

27:41.920 --> 27:43.280
and diplomats in Havana,

27:43.920 --> 27:45.880
Dr. Smith has no idea

27:45.880 --> 27:48.060
what caused their concussion-like symptoms.

27:49.060 --> 27:51.160
This really is a novel illness,

27:51.840 --> 27:52.880
something that no one

27:52.880 --> 27:54.280
on Dr. Smith's team

27:54.280 --> 27:55.500
has seen before.

27:55.500 --> 27:57.500
As they were being examined,

27:57.820 --> 27:58.720
the patients themselves

27:58.720 --> 27:59.420
kind of took on,

27:59.540 --> 27:59.740
you know,

28:00.060 --> 28:01.360
despite all this suffering,

28:01.520 --> 28:02.380
they had a sense of humor

28:02.380 --> 28:03.320
and they called it

28:03.320 --> 28:04.900
immaculate concussion.

28:05.600 --> 28:06.680
They called it themselves.

28:07.560 --> 28:08.360
Immaculate concussion.

28:09.840 --> 28:10.640
Can you see that?

28:10.720 --> 28:11.580
Like, can the human eye

28:11.580 --> 28:12.520
just looking at a brain,

28:12.580 --> 28:13.180
would you be able to see

28:13.180 --> 28:13.780
any of these things

28:13.780 --> 28:14.300
you're talking about?

28:14.340 --> 28:14.740
And if so,

28:14.800 --> 28:15.580
what would that look like?

28:16.420 --> 28:17.200
You actually can.

28:17.200 --> 28:17.800
So this is something

28:17.800 --> 28:18.580
that's so small,

28:18.640 --> 28:19.340
you need a microscope

28:19.340 --> 28:20.400
and you can't stuff

28:20.400 --> 28:20.960
a microscope

28:20.960 --> 28:22.440
into somebody's living brain.

28:23.040 --> 28:24.080
But what we can do

28:24.080 --> 28:24.860
neuroimaging,

28:25.640 --> 28:27.420
we call it advanced neuroimaging

28:27.420 --> 28:29.260
or diffusion MRI.

28:29.760 --> 28:32.080
And the MRI allows us

28:32.080 --> 28:33.880
to look at these tracks,

28:34.060 --> 28:34.980
these pathways

28:34.980 --> 28:36.160
that the axon form

28:36.160 --> 28:36.920
in the white matter

28:36.920 --> 28:38.780
and determine...

28:38.780 --> 28:41.160
Dr. Smith used these MRIs

28:41.160 --> 28:43.180
to peer into the patient's brains

28:43.180 --> 28:44.520
and what he saw

28:44.520 --> 28:45.520
was abnormal.

28:46.120 --> 28:46.640
But again,

28:46.840 --> 28:47.500
he had nothing

28:47.500 --> 28:48.520
to compare them to.

28:48.840 --> 28:49.460
These patients

28:49.460 --> 28:50.740
did not have MRIs

28:50.740 --> 28:51.780
before they left

28:51.780 --> 28:52.500
for Havana.

28:53.380 --> 28:54.300
So it was impossible

28:54.300 --> 28:54.820
to know

28:54.820 --> 28:55.960
how their axons

28:55.960 --> 28:56.600
had changed.

28:57.060 --> 28:57.920
The best they could do

28:57.920 --> 28:58.540
is compare

28:58.540 --> 29:00.500
the patient's MRI results

29:00.500 --> 29:01.680
with quote-unquote

29:01.680 --> 29:02.800
normal brains.

29:03.460 --> 29:04.340
There was a change

29:04.340 --> 29:05.760
in the tracks,

29:06.080 --> 29:06.680
the connectivity

29:06.680 --> 29:07.640
across these tracks

29:07.640 --> 29:09.020
through a lot of the brain.

29:09.360 --> 29:10.240
That doesn't tell us

29:10.240 --> 29:10.840
that there's a bunch

29:10.840 --> 29:11.740
of broken axons

29:11.740 --> 29:12.360
there necessarily.

29:12.520 --> 29:13.160
That just tells us

29:13.160 --> 29:14.000
there's a change.

29:14.240 --> 29:15.140
Which is important,

29:15.260 --> 29:16.000
but this isn't

29:16.000 --> 29:17.300
a definitive diagnosis

29:17.300 --> 29:17.880
of anything.

29:18.360 --> 29:18.540
You know,

29:18.600 --> 29:19.480
I would predict

29:19.480 --> 29:20.800
that there was damage

29:20.800 --> 29:21.640
to axons,

29:21.980 --> 29:23.240
a change in the axons.

29:23.660 --> 29:24.620
But, you know,

29:24.700 --> 29:25.620
fortunately we don't have

29:25.620 --> 29:26.780
any of those patients' brains,

29:27.400 --> 29:28.420
so we really don't know.

29:28.540 --> 29:30.340
We just can only surmise

29:30.340 --> 29:31.200
looking at the imaging

29:31.200 --> 29:32.420
that the axons

29:32.420 --> 29:33.000
were affected.

29:33.840 --> 29:34.600
Even though

29:34.600 --> 29:35.460
they aren't able

29:35.460 --> 29:37.320
to make a specific diagnosis,

29:37.760 --> 29:39.060
the doctors at UPenn

29:39.060 --> 29:40.220
have no doubt

29:40.220 --> 29:41.080
that they are dealing

29:41.080 --> 29:42.420
with something real.

29:43.260 --> 29:44.800
And in March 2018,

29:44.800 --> 29:47.120
seven months after examining

29:47.120 --> 29:48.760
their first set of patients,

29:49.400 --> 29:50.700
Dr. Smith's team

29:50.700 --> 29:53.260
publishes a peer-reviewed study

29:53.260 --> 29:54.760
announcing their findings.

29:55.800 --> 29:57.140
The doctors say

29:57.140 --> 29:58.340
the patients in Havana

29:58.340 --> 29:59.280
appear to have

29:59.280 --> 30:00.160
a new kind of

30:00.160 --> 30:02.000
brain network disorder

30:02.000 --> 30:03.800
with symptoms similar

30:03.800 --> 30:05.480
to traumatic brain injury

30:05.480 --> 30:06.780
or a concussion.

30:06.780 --> 30:11.720
As for what would cause this,

30:12.080 --> 30:12.740
the doctors say

30:12.740 --> 30:13.440
they don't know,

30:13.780 --> 30:14.500
but that it appeared

30:14.500 --> 30:15.540
to come from a, quote,

30:16.080 --> 30:17.420
directional exposure

30:17.420 --> 30:19.640
of undetermined etiology.

30:22.840 --> 30:23.980
It's the first time

30:23.980 --> 30:25.320
a group of medical professionals

30:25.320 --> 30:26.420
is saying publicly,

30:26.940 --> 30:28.340
hey, we studied this.

30:28.520 --> 30:29.240
It's real.

30:29.620 --> 30:30.440
Something happened.

30:30.960 --> 30:32.320
They don't say it bluntly,

30:32.320 --> 30:34.200
but because of the directionality

30:34.200 --> 30:35.280
of the experience,

30:35.280 --> 30:37.160
it implies that injuries

30:37.160 --> 30:37.900
were caused

30:37.900 --> 30:39.320
by some sort of device

30:39.320 --> 30:40.620
that is being aimed

30:40.620 --> 30:41.380
at the targets.

30:41.780 --> 30:43.020
Which was huge,

30:43.300 --> 30:44.700
but also still vague.

30:45.680 --> 30:46.120
Ultimately,

30:46.300 --> 30:47.120
the UPenn study

30:47.120 --> 30:48.300
did less to solve

30:48.300 --> 30:48.920
the mystery

30:48.920 --> 30:50.220
and instead

30:50.220 --> 30:52.320
created more questions.

30:54.460 --> 30:55.820
That's after the break.

30:55.820 --> 31:06.560
This back-to-school season,

31:06.780 --> 31:07.640
one thing is clear.

31:07.920 --> 31:08.800
Kids need a way

31:08.800 --> 31:09.560
to stay connected.

31:09.880 --> 31:10.660
Between pickups,

31:10.840 --> 31:11.240
practices,

31:11.500 --> 31:12.640
and after-school activities,

31:12.940 --> 31:13.640
having a phone

31:13.640 --> 31:14.300
is a must.

31:14.540 --> 31:15.740
But it shouldn't come

31:15.740 --> 31:16.320
at the cost

31:16.320 --> 31:17.320
of their mental health.

31:17.480 --> 31:18.440
The youth mental health

31:18.440 --> 31:19.260
crisis is growing

31:19.260 --> 31:20.240
and social media

31:20.240 --> 31:21.340
is a major driver.

31:21.640 --> 31:22.260
Teens are spending

31:22.260 --> 31:23.480
up to nine hours a day

31:23.480 --> 31:24.060
on screens

31:24.060 --> 31:24.920
and studies show

31:24.920 --> 31:25.740
a direct link

31:25.740 --> 31:26.420
to anxiety,

31:26.660 --> 31:26.960
depression,

31:27.200 --> 31:28.900
and even suicidal thoughts.

31:29.120 --> 31:30.500
That's where Gab comes in.

31:30.740 --> 31:31.380
Gab offers

31:31.380 --> 31:32.360
kids-safe phones

31:32.360 --> 31:32.800
and watches

31:32.800 --> 31:33.860
with no internet

31:33.860 --> 31:35.060
or social media apps

31:35.060 --> 31:36.440
and just the right features

31:36.440 --> 31:37.200
for their age.

31:37.380 --> 31:38.760
From GPS-enabled watches

31:38.760 --> 31:39.660
for younger kids

31:39.660 --> 31:40.440
to phones with

31:40.440 --> 31:41.520
parent-approved apps

31:41.520 --> 31:42.040
for teens,

31:42.380 --> 31:44.260
Gab's tech-in-steps approach

31:44.260 --> 31:45.700
grows with your child.

31:45.900 --> 31:46.780
So this school year,

31:46.980 --> 31:47.960
skip the adult phone.

31:48.140 --> 31:48.860
Get them Gab

31:48.860 --> 31:49.880
social connection

31:49.880 --> 31:50.880
without the risks.

31:50.880 --> 31:52.400
Visit Gab.com

31:52.400 --> 31:53.420
slash GetGab

31:53.420 --> 31:54.400
and use the code

31:54.400 --> 31:55.120
GetGab

31:55.120 --> 31:56.000
for a special

31:56.000 --> 31:57.060
back-to-school offer.

31:57.440 --> 31:58.940
That's G-A-B-B

31:58.940 --> 31:59.700
dot com

31:59.700 --> 32:00.960
slash GetGab.

32:01.140 --> 32:01.460
Gab.

32:01.640 --> 32:02.360
Tech-in-steps.

32:02.600 --> 32:03.560
Independence for them.

32:03.700 --> 32:05.020
Peace of mind for parents.

32:06.160 --> 32:07.920
The problem with group insurance

32:07.920 --> 32:08.920
is that healthcare

32:08.920 --> 32:10.460
isn't a group decision.

32:10.940 --> 32:11.520
It's personal.

32:12.100 --> 32:12.640
Group insurance

32:12.640 --> 32:13.340
means businesses

32:13.340 --> 32:14.240
get one carrier

32:14.240 --> 32:15.760
and just a few plan options

32:15.760 --> 32:16.760
for the whole company.

32:16.940 --> 32:17.900
But that doesn't fit

32:17.900 --> 32:18.680
everyone's needs.

32:19.060 --> 32:19.340
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So you wouldn't think

33:23.820 --> 33:24.480
a straightforward

33:24.480 --> 33:25.560
medical report

33:25.560 --> 33:26.100
out of the

33:26.100 --> 33:27.320
University of Pennsylvania

33:27.320 --> 33:28.060
would stir up

33:28.060 --> 33:29.040
a lot of controversy.

33:29.640 --> 33:30.260
But it did.

33:30.760 --> 33:31.540
But before we can

33:31.540 --> 33:32.380
explain why this

33:32.380 --> 33:33.500
finding from UPenn

33:33.500 --> 33:34.300
upset people,

33:34.600 --> 33:35.540
you have to understand

33:35.540 --> 33:36.560
what had been going on

33:36.560 --> 33:37.280
between the U.S.

33:37.300 --> 33:37.760
and Cuba.

33:38.500 --> 33:39.080
Keep in mind

33:39.080 --> 33:39.840
that at this point,

33:40.160 --> 33:41.220
March 2018,

33:42.060 --> 33:42.880
we're still only

33:42.880 --> 33:43.760
a few years into

33:43.760 --> 33:44.400
the historic

33:44.400 --> 33:45.560
restoration of ties

33:45.560 --> 33:46.340
between Cuba

33:46.340 --> 33:47.060
and the U.S.

33:47.780 --> 33:48.360
The embassies

33:48.360 --> 33:49.100
were reopened,

33:49.260 --> 33:49.540
yes,

33:49.900 --> 33:50.560
but things had

33:50.560 --> 33:51.420
gotten complicated

33:51.420 --> 33:52.540
in part because

33:52.540 --> 33:55.120
President Donald Trump.

33:57.500 --> 33:58.360
Donald Trump

33:58.360 --> 33:59.400
was now president.

34:01.580 --> 34:02.300
Thank you,

34:02.380 --> 34:02.660
everybody.

34:02.900 --> 34:03.840
Thank you very much.

34:04.000 --> 34:04.720
Great honor,

34:04.840 --> 34:05.720
and thank you to...

34:05.720 --> 34:06.700
The first incidents

34:06.700 --> 34:07.480
had been reported

34:07.480 --> 34:08.500
during the transition

34:08.500 --> 34:09.720
from Obama to Trump,

34:09.800 --> 34:11.180
who during the campaign

34:11.180 --> 34:12.360
sent mixed messages

34:12.360 --> 34:13.080
about Cuba.

34:13.600 --> 34:14.080
Privately,

34:14.080 --> 34:14.940
he told Obama

34:14.940 --> 34:15.660
that he supported

34:15.660 --> 34:16.860
his policy changes.

34:17.300 --> 34:18.400
And thank you

34:18.400 --> 34:19.260
to Miami.

34:19.520 --> 34:20.820
We love Miami.

34:21.120 --> 34:21.580
But later,

34:21.680 --> 34:22.040
publicly,

34:22.200 --> 34:23.100
he slammed the deal.

34:23.800 --> 34:24.880
Effective immediately,

34:25.520 --> 34:26.880
I am canceling

34:26.880 --> 34:29.380
the last administration's

34:29.380 --> 34:31.860
completely one-sided

34:31.860 --> 34:33.720
deal with Cuba.

34:37.440 --> 34:38.660
And after Trump

34:38.660 --> 34:39.320
took office,

34:39.640 --> 34:40.660
he effectively handed

34:40.660 --> 34:41.660
over U.S. policy

34:41.660 --> 34:42.160
on Cuba

34:42.160 --> 34:44.000
to Senator Marco Rubio,

34:44.360 --> 34:45.360
who was an outspoken

34:45.360 --> 34:46.280
critic of the opening

34:46.280 --> 34:47.200
and of the Cuban

34:47.200 --> 34:48.240
government in general.

34:49.820 --> 34:50.860
And so there was

34:50.860 --> 34:51.680
very little interest

34:51.680 --> 34:53.060
on the U.S. side

34:53.060 --> 34:54.540
in continuing efforts

34:54.540 --> 34:55.380
to bring the two

34:55.380 --> 34:56.140
countries together.

34:57.260 --> 34:58.960
But as American officials

34:58.960 --> 34:59.840
start to wrap

34:59.840 --> 35:00.820
their heads around

35:00.820 --> 35:01.920
the sheer volume

35:01.920 --> 35:03.440
of bizarre health anomalies

35:03.440 --> 35:04.280
their people

35:04.280 --> 35:05.120
are experiencing

35:05.120 --> 35:05.700
in Cuba,

35:06.120 --> 35:07.200
they start to pay

35:07.200 --> 35:07.960
more attention.

35:08.740 --> 35:09.440
Early on,

35:09.740 --> 35:11.040
Ambassador De Laurentiis

35:11.040 --> 35:11.960
reaches out

35:11.960 --> 35:12.780
to his counterpart

35:12.780 --> 35:13.400
in Cuba,

35:13.800 --> 35:14.220
saying,

35:14.500 --> 35:14.960
you guys need

35:14.960 --> 35:15.820
to cut this out.

35:16.780 --> 35:17.500
But the Cubans

35:17.500 --> 35:18.860
insist they have

35:18.860 --> 35:19.740
nothing to do with it.

35:20.400 --> 35:21.340
The president of Cuba

35:21.340 --> 35:21.840
himself,

35:21.940 --> 35:22.660
Raul Castro,

35:23.000 --> 35:23.740
actually meets

35:23.740 --> 35:24.600
with De Laurentiis

35:24.600 --> 35:26.020
to try to convince him

35:26.020 --> 35:27.340
not only are the Cubans

35:27.340 --> 35:28.020
not fucking

35:28.020 --> 35:28.760
with the Americans,

35:29.180 --> 35:29.940
but that they want

35:29.940 --> 35:30.860
to help solve

35:30.860 --> 35:31.840
whatever this is.

35:32.880 --> 35:33.620
Raul says,

35:33.840 --> 35:34.860
it isn't us.

35:35.600 --> 35:36.560
But the Americans

35:36.560 --> 35:37.740
don't trust the Cubans

35:37.740 --> 35:38.820
to be honest participants

35:38.820 --> 35:40.020
in an investigation.

35:40.820 --> 35:41.580
And they can't tell

35:41.580 --> 35:42.540
whether it's true

35:42.540 --> 35:43.440
that they know nothing

35:43.440 --> 35:44.600
or whether they are

35:44.600 --> 35:45.500
in fact perpetrating

35:45.500 --> 35:46.120
the incidents

35:46.120 --> 35:47.420
or possibly helping

35:47.420 --> 35:48.160
someone else

35:48.160 --> 35:48.960
carry them out.

35:49.740 --> 35:50.800
An additional possibility

35:50.800 --> 35:51.540
is that some kind

35:51.540 --> 35:52.700
of rogue faction

35:52.700 --> 35:53.860
in the Cuban government

35:53.860 --> 35:54.960
opposed to the opening

35:54.960 --> 35:55.620
with the Americans

35:55.620 --> 35:57.000
went out on their own

35:57.000 --> 35:57.500
on this.

35:58.020 --> 35:58.720
And that the Cuban

35:58.720 --> 36:00.080
leadership knows about it,

36:00.540 --> 36:01.740
but can't tell the Americans

36:01.740 --> 36:02.480
that they don't have

36:02.480 --> 36:03.120
full control

36:03.120 --> 36:03.740
over the island.

36:03.740 --> 36:12.480
By the time news

36:12.480 --> 36:13.300
of Havana Syndrome

36:13.300 --> 36:14.100
goes public,

36:14.620 --> 36:15.280
well, little trust

36:15.280 --> 36:16.280
may have been there

36:16.280 --> 36:17.280
has evaporated.

36:17.980 --> 36:18.840
Until this point,

36:18.940 --> 36:19.420
the Americans

36:19.420 --> 36:20.100
had been trying

36:20.100 --> 36:21.080
to secretly deal

36:21.080 --> 36:22.180
with the mystery themselves.

36:22.680 --> 36:23.720
But now that it was public,

36:24.060 --> 36:25.140
they had to respond.

36:25.780 --> 36:26.580
But that means

36:26.580 --> 36:27.400
all the subtlety

36:27.400 --> 36:28.480
is thrown out the window.

36:29.200 --> 36:30.480
Now the Trump administration,

36:30.920 --> 36:31.500
which has already

36:31.500 --> 36:32.380
signaled politically

36:32.380 --> 36:33.720
that they want to roll back

36:33.720 --> 36:34.960
the relationship with Cuba,

36:35.540 --> 36:36.340
has to convince

36:36.340 --> 36:37.280
a domestic audience

36:37.280 --> 36:38.380
that they're not only

36:38.380 --> 36:39.480
taking it seriously,

36:39.920 --> 36:40.700
but responding.

36:41.480 --> 36:42.280
Which means that

36:42.280 --> 36:43.000
they have to act

36:43.000 --> 36:44.060
like they know a lot more

36:44.060 --> 36:45.100
than they actually do.

36:45.160 --> 36:45.980
Thank you, Mr. President.

36:46.120 --> 36:47.160
General Kelly said

36:47.160 --> 36:48.980
on just last week

36:48.980 --> 36:50.080
that you believe

36:50.080 --> 36:51.780
that Cuba could stop

36:51.780 --> 36:53.040
the attacks against Americans.

36:53.200 --> 36:54.000
Do you believe then

36:54.000 --> 36:54.640
that Cuba is responsible?

36:54.640 --> 36:55.800
I think Cuba do about it.

36:55.800 --> 36:56.400
Do you believe Cuba is responsible?

36:56.680 --> 36:58.240
I do believe Cuba is responsible.

36:58.500 --> 36:59.240
I do believe that.

36:59.260 --> 37:00.920
We hold the Cuban authorities

37:00.920 --> 37:02.020
responsible for fighting

37:02.020 --> 37:02.920
out who is

37:02.920 --> 37:04.140
carrying out

37:04.140 --> 37:05.400
these health attacks.

37:06.400 --> 37:07.660
Hardliner sees on this,

37:08.040 --> 37:08.900
saying Cuba needs

37:08.900 --> 37:09.700
to be isolated.

37:09.980 --> 37:10.720
We can say that

37:10.720 --> 37:11.160
we don't know

37:11.160 --> 37:11.720
how it happened.

37:11.980 --> 37:12.660
We can even say

37:12.660 --> 37:13.480
we can't know for sure

37:13.480 --> 37:14.020
who did it.

37:14.660 --> 37:15.320
But two things

37:15.320 --> 37:16.000
we know for sure.

37:16.860 --> 37:17.580
People were hurt

37:17.580 --> 37:19.180
and the Cuban government

37:19.180 --> 37:20.060
knows who did it.

37:20.860 --> 37:21.840
But the Cuban government

37:21.840 --> 37:22.980
insists to the U.S.

37:22.980 --> 37:24.040
and to the world

37:24.040 --> 37:24.900
that if something

37:24.900 --> 37:25.640
were happening

37:25.640 --> 37:26.300
on their turf,

37:26.800 --> 37:27.680
they would know about it.

37:28.060 --> 37:28.740
Cuba says

37:28.740 --> 37:29.740
it has never used

37:29.740 --> 37:30.460
nor allowed

37:30.460 --> 37:31.160
its territory

37:31.160 --> 37:32.140
to be used

37:32.140 --> 37:33.620
to attack diplomats.

37:34.620 --> 37:35.900
The Cuban government

37:35.900 --> 37:36.820
decides to launch

37:36.820 --> 37:38.040
its own investigation

37:38.040 --> 37:39.080
into the matter.

37:39.600 --> 37:40.460
They don't have access

37:40.460 --> 37:41.420
to the patients,

37:41.740 --> 37:42.580
though they do have access

37:42.580 --> 37:43.920
to other potential evidence

37:43.920 --> 37:44.740
from the island,

37:45.240 --> 37:47.400
including a leaked audio recording

37:47.400 --> 37:48.380
made public

37:48.380 --> 37:49.780
by the Associated Press.

37:50.560 --> 37:51.900
The Cubans say

37:51.900 --> 37:52.600
that the sound

37:52.600 --> 37:53.580
on the recording

37:53.580 --> 37:55.220
is likely just a cricket.

37:55.840 --> 37:57.320
And so when the UPenn study

37:57.320 --> 37:58.620
comes out calling this

37:58.620 --> 38:00.080
a brain network disorder,

38:00.600 --> 38:01.880
Cuba pounces on it,

38:02.280 --> 38:03.400
makes fun of the study,

38:03.680 --> 38:04.320
and suggests

38:04.320 --> 38:05.500
that it's full of holes.

38:06.040 --> 38:07.180
We spoke to one

38:07.180 --> 38:08.180
of the Cuban scientists,

38:08.440 --> 38:10.080
Mitchell Joseph Valdezosa,

38:10.420 --> 38:11.620
who said it's possible

38:11.620 --> 38:12.380
these patients

38:12.380 --> 38:13.340
had head injuries

38:13.340 --> 38:14.860
prior to coming to Cuba.

38:15.480 --> 38:16.260
And to be fair,

38:16.520 --> 38:17.380
there is controversy

38:17.380 --> 38:18.080
over this

38:18.080 --> 38:19.040
because a lot of people

38:19.040 --> 38:20.980
do have brain abnormalities.

38:21.360 --> 38:22.160
They can be common.

38:22.900 --> 38:23.760
He also argued

38:23.760 --> 38:24.860
that some of these patients

38:24.860 --> 38:25.880
seemed to become ill

38:25.880 --> 38:27.200
after they'd heard rumors

38:27.200 --> 38:28.160
of their colleagues

38:28.160 --> 38:29.380
getting sick on the island.

38:30.260 --> 38:31.220
Dr. Valdezosa

38:31.220 --> 38:31.780
was hinting

38:31.780 --> 38:32.740
that maybe this was not

38:32.740 --> 38:33.240
the result

38:33.240 --> 38:34.320
of any kind of attack

38:34.320 --> 38:35.260
or illness at all,

38:35.740 --> 38:36.720
but perhaps

38:36.720 --> 38:38.100
a bad case

38:38.100 --> 38:39.440
of gringo hysteria.

38:43.460 --> 38:45.000
There's an actual term

38:45.000 --> 38:45.860
for what the Cubans

38:45.860 --> 38:46.700
are implying here,

38:47.100 --> 38:48.540
mass psychogenic illness.

38:48.980 --> 38:50.180
That's when a group of people

38:50.180 --> 38:50.800
all hear about

38:50.800 --> 38:51.640
an alleged threat,

38:51.960 --> 38:53.260
like a poison or a virus,

38:53.540 --> 38:54.340
and then they start

38:54.340 --> 38:55.460
to feel like they're sick,

38:55.460 --> 38:56.360
and come down

38:56.360 --> 38:57.200
with real symptoms,

38:57.420 --> 38:58.540
even if they haven't

38:58.540 --> 38:59.540
actually been exposed

38:59.540 --> 39:00.580
to any threat at all.

39:01.000 --> 39:01.900
This is a condition

39:01.900 --> 39:02.720
that's been documented

39:02.720 --> 39:03.460
for centuries.

39:04.060 --> 39:05.160
Psychologists used to call

39:05.160 --> 39:06.400
this mass hysteria.

39:06.840 --> 39:07.820
The word hysteria

39:07.820 --> 39:08.680
comes from the Greek

39:08.680 --> 39:09.440
for uterus,

39:09.800 --> 39:10.380
and the Greeks

39:10.380 --> 39:10.920
and Egyptians

39:10.920 --> 39:11.620
had this thing

39:11.620 --> 39:12.560
about how the womb

39:12.560 --> 39:13.740
could cause women's

39:13.740 --> 39:14.860
psychological problems.

39:15.640 --> 39:15.980
Anyway,

39:16.160 --> 39:17.060
it's now understood

39:17.060 --> 39:18.160
to be pretty sexist.

39:19.380 --> 39:20.180
Historians believe

39:20.180 --> 39:20.820
that that is what

39:20.820 --> 39:21.760
caused the young women

39:21.760 --> 39:22.280
and girls

39:22.280 --> 39:23.520
in Salem, Massachusetts,

39:23.520 --> 39:24.820
to start violently

39:24.820 --> 39:26.060
twitching and screaming

39:26.060 --> 39:26.720
en masse,

39:27.140 --> 39:28.620
which ultimately led

39:28.620 --> 39:30.040
to the Salem Witch Trials.

39:30.700 --> 39:31.400
But instances

39:31.400 --> 39:33.400
of mass psychogenic illness

39:33.400 --> 39:34.300
have been documented

39:34.300 --> 39:35.480
more recently as well.

39:36.020 --> 39:36.740
They're quite common,

39:36.920 --> 39:37.780
especially in places

39:37.780 --> 39:38.620
of high stress,

39:39.180 --> 39:39.900
like schools

39:39.900 --> 39:40.980
with strict rules

39:40.980 --> 39:42.640
and repressive workplaces.

39:43.760 --> 39:44.260
Recently,

39:44.400 --> 39:45.160
some doctors found

39:45.160 --> 39:46.120
that kids watching

39:46.120 --> 39:47.080
TikTok videos

39:47.080 --> 39:48.320
of people with the symptoms

39:48.320 --> 39:49.420
of Tourette syndrome

39:49.420 --> 39:50.420
started to feel

39:50.420 --> 39:51.440
those same symptoms.

39:51.440 --> 39:52.840
remember this is

39:52.840 --> 39:54.300
a very closely knit

39:54.300 --> 39:55.080
community,

39:55.420 --> 39:56.740
largely isolated

39:56.740 --> 39:58.180
from the Cuban community,

39:58.780 --> 40:00.440
with very close ties.

40:00.840 --> 40:02.140
People like Cuban doctor

40:02.140 --> 40:02.880
Valde Sosa

40:02.880 --> 40:03.820
point out that

40:03.820 --> 40:04.920
some of these diplomats

40:04.920 --> 40:05.400
in Havana,

40:05.940 --> 40:06.760
including Tina,

40:07.380 --> 40:08.440
may have been swept up

40:08.440 --> 40:09.180
in the rumor mill.

40:09.780 --> 40:11.120
And this gives you

40:11.120 --> 40:12.060
all the conditions

40:12.060 --> 40:13.260
for the psychogenic

40:13.260 --> 40:14.060
propagation

40:14.060 --> 40:16.360
of this sort of

40:16.360 --> 40:18.040
amplification

40:18.040 --> 40:19.360
of concern

40:19.360 --> 40:20.340
about diseases.

40:20.340 --> 40:25.640
And to be fair,

40:26.120 --> 40:27.100
an embassy can be

40:27.100 --> 40:28.320
something of a fishbowl.

40:34.080 --> 40:35.200
Now, Dr. Smith

40:35.200 --> 40:36.300
disagrees with those

40:36.300 --> 40:36.860
who say that

40:36.860 --> 40:37.760
the Cuban patients

40:37.760 --> 40:38.320
were suffering

40:38.320 --> 40:39.820
from mass psychogenic illness.

40:40.460 --> 40:41.100
Unlike Tina,

40:41.400 --> 40:42.280
most of the patients

40:42.280 --> 40:43.680
during their initial incidents

40:43.680 --> 40:44.640
weren't aware

40:44.640 --> 40:45.640
that anyone else

40:45.640 --> 40:46.480
was getting sick.

40:47.180 --> 40:47.940
He also says

40:47.940 --> 40:48.500
these symptoms

40:48.500 --> 40:49.460
would be impossible

40:49.460 --> 40:50.080
to fake.

40:50.340 --> 40:51.480
In mass hysteria,

40:51.580 --> 40:52.020
it's just like

40:52.020 --> 40:52.540
you have to be

40:52.540 --> 40:53.160
essentially kind of

40:53.160 --> 40:54.620
contaminated or influenced

40:54.620 --> 40:55.820
by somebody else

40:55.820 --> 40:56.780
with the same symptoms

40:56.780 --> 40:58.860
so that you can empathize

40:58.860 --> 41:00.340
or subconsciously

41:00.340 --> 41:01.520
take on those symptoms.

41:02.560 --> 41:03.860
That doesn't work here.

41:04.120 --> 41:05.220
It doesn't work at all

41:05.220 --> 41:06.880
because many of these patients

41:06.880 --> 41:07.880
had never met

41:07.880 --> 41:08.980
the other patients.

41:08.980 --> 41:10.780
they just independently

41:10.780 --> 41:11.880
had the same kind of history

41:11.880 --> 41:13.020
of some kind of exposure

41:13.020 --> 41:14.720
and then they had

41:14.720 --> 41:15.760
these symptoms

41:15.760 --> 41:17.040
but independently

41:17.040 --> 41:17.740
described

41:17.740 --> 41:18.640
kind of the same type

41:18.640 --> 41:19.120
of story

41:19.120 --> 41:19.780
without ever

41:19.780 --> 41:20.960
seeing another patient.

41:22.000 --> 41:23.060
But it's not just

41:23.060 --> 41:23.880
the Cuban government

41:23.880 --> 41:24.840
pushing this theory.

41:25.400 --> 41:26.700
So the details are sketchy.

41:26.900 --> 41:27.440
I've been working

41:27.440 --> 41:27.960
with a lawyer

41:27.960 --> 41:28.840
named Mark Zaid

41:28.840 --> 41:30.180
and we filed a lawsuit

41:30.180 --> 41:30.980
seeking access

41:30.980 --> 41:31.760
to documents

41:31.760 --> 41:32.780
about the government's

41:32.780 --> 41:33.220
investigation.

41:33.860 --> 41:34.800
I've actually gotten

41:34.800 --> 41:35.980
a lot of documents back

41:35.980 --> 41:37.360
but almost all the pages

41:37.360 --> 41:38.320
are so redacted

41:38.320 --> 41:39.340
they're completely black.

41:39.980 --> 41:40.980
What I really want to see

41:40.980 --> 41:41.560
is a report

41:41.560 --> 41:42.440
by the FBI's

41:42.440 --> 41:43.840
Behavioral Analysis Unit.

41:44.460 --> 41:45.180
They concluded

41:45.180 --> 41:46.700
without having interviewed

41:46.700 --> 41:47.540
any of the victims

41:47.540 --> 41:48.080
themselves

41:48.080 --> 41:49.060
that the patient

41:49.060 --> 41:49.700
suffered from

41:49.700 --> 41:50.940
mass psychogenic illness.

41:51.920 --> 41:52.740
We asked the FBI

41:52.740 --> 41:54.240
for a copy of the report

41:54.240 --> 41:55.400
but they declined

41:55.400 --> 41:56.220
to provide it.

41:57.020 --> 41:57.980
And some American

41:57.980 --> 41:58.940
medical professionals

41:58.940 --> 41:59.820
have also questioned

41:59.820 --> 42:00.720
the UPenn study.

42:01.220 --> 42:02.180
And what really struck me

42:02.180 --> 42:03.440
was how nonspecific

42:03.440 --> 42:04.820
these symptoms were.

42:04.820 --> 42:06.020
Adam Gaffney.

42:06.220 --> 42:07.280
He's a pulmonologist

42:07.280 --> 42:08.820
at Harvard Medical School.

42:09.160 --> 42:09.860
These sorts of

42:09.860 --> 42:10.720
symptom complexes

42:10.720 --> 42:11.660
that are described

42:11.660 --> 42:12.420
are very common

42:12.420 --> 42:13.380
in the general population.

42:13.640 --> 42:14.500
He studies lungs

42:14.500 --> 42:15.380
not brains

42:15.380 --> 42:16.400
but his criticism

42:16.400 --> 42:17.300
is focused on

42:17.300 --> 42:18.600
the scientific methodology

42:18.600 --> 42:19.300
of the study.

42:19.460 --> 42:20.200
As I said

42:20.200 --> 42:20.500
there could be

42:20.500 --> 42:21.200
many different things.

42:21.340 --> 42:21.960
There could be

42:21.960 --> 42:23.540
undiagnosed medical conditions

42:23.540 --> 42:24.520
among some individuals

42:24.520 --> 42:25.320
for all we know.

42:25.520 --> 42:25.660
Right?

42:26.100 --> 42:26.860
There could be

42:26.860 --> 42:28.300
simply what we would refer to

42:28.300 --> 42:28.740
as medically

42:28.740 --> 42:29.640
unexplained symptoms

42:29.640 --> 42:30.700
which are a very

42:30.700 --> 42:31.600
common issue

42:31.600 --> 42:32.720
in primary care

42:32.720 --> 42:33.840
a substantial portion

42:33.840 --> 42:34.760
of patients

42:34.760 --> 42:35.920
you know

42:35.920 --> 42:36.940
as any primary care

42:36.940 --> 42:37.800
physician will tell you

42:37.800 --> 42:38.860
often have symptoms

42:38.860 --> 42:40.100
that can't easily

42:40.100 --> 42:41.080
be tied to a particular

42:41.080 --> 42:41.660
diagnosis.

42:43.900 --> 42:44.680
It doesn't mean

42:44.680 --> 42:45.500
the symptoms aren't real.

42:46.260 --> 42:47.000
It doesn't mean

42:47.000 --> 42:48.040
their suffering's not real.

42:48.120 --> 42:48.480
It doesn't mean

42:48.480 --> 42:49.300
it's not biological.

42:50.520 --> 42:51.400
It just means

42:51.400 --> 42:52.480
that we don't understand it.

42:56.240 --> 42:57.040
Fair enough.

42:57.380 --> 42:58.360
There are a lot

42:58.360 --> 42:59.160
of unexplained

42:59.160 --> 43:00.080
and undiagnosed

43:00.080 --> 43:01.520
physical and psychological

43:01.520 --> 43:02.200
ailments

43:02.200 --> 43:03.040
that can affect

43:03.040 --> 43:03.740
the human body.

43:05.040 --> 43:06.260
With all due respect

43:06.260 --> 43:06.500
though

43:06.500 --> 43:07.360
these experts

43:07.360 --> 43:07.960
who came out

43:07.960 --> 43:09.060
against the UPenn study

43:09.060 --> 43:10.040
had no access

43:10.040 --> 43:10.780
to the patients

43:10.780 --> 43:11.280
in Havana.

43:11.960 --> 43:12.860
It would be like

43:12.860 --> 43:13.780
me writing a story

43:13.780 --> 43:14.300
about this

43:14.300 --> 43:15.440
without interviewing anyone.

43:15.920 --> 43:16.520
You have to do

43:16.520 --> 43:17.240
some leg work.

43:17.620 --> 43:18.040
I don't know

43:18.040 --> 43:18.840
of any psychiatric

43:18.840 --> 43:20.040
issues that kind of

43:20.040 --> 43:21.120
look like what you have

43:21.120 --> 43:22.060
with traumatic brain injury.

43:22.300 --> 43:22.860
It doesn't mean

43:22.860 --> 43:23.680
it could never happen

43:23.680 --> 43:25.060
but this is kind of

43:25.060 --> 43:26.240
a unique disruption

43:26.240 --> 43:27.740
of the brain's networks.

43:28.120 --> 43:28.240
You know

43:28.240 --> 43:29.540
not certain regions

43:29.540 --> 43:30.280
just you know

43:30.280 --> 43:31.240
solitary regions

43:31.240 --> 43:31.720
of the brain.

43:33.760 --> 43:34.320
There's something

43:34.320 --> 43:35.420
called curbside medicine.

43:36.060 --> 43:36.200
You know

43:36.200 --> 43:37.020
a couple of physicians

43:37.020 --> 43:37.780
they see each other

43:37.780 --> 43:38.320
on the you know

43:38.320 --> 43:39.840
passing on the sidewalk

43:39.840 --> 43:40.840
and they say

43:40.840 --> 43:41.520
hey I have this patient

43:41.520 --> 43:43.300
but if you didn't

43:43.300 --> 43:44.040
examine the patient

43:44.040 --> 43:44.680
or know whatever

43:44.680 --> 43:45.240
it's just a

43:45.240 --> 43:47.300
just a very vague opinion.

43:48.360 --> 43:49.220
A famous quote

43:49.220 --> 43:49.760
from Faraday

43:49.760 --> 43:50.220
is that

43:50.220 --> 43:51.220
there's no one

43:51.220 --> 43:52.120
quite so frightening

43:52.120 --> 43:52.600
as somebody

43:52.600 --> 43:53.400
who is sure

43:53.400 --> 43:54.040
they're correct

43:54.040 --> 43:56.240
and just seeing

43:56.240 --> 43:57.580
so many reports

43:57.580 --> 43:58.600
quotes from individuals

43:58.600 --> 44:00.140
who were absolutely

44:00.140 --> 44:00.700
certain

44:00.700 --> 44:01.560
that this was

44:01.560 --> 44:02.020
psychological

44:02.020 --> 44:02.560
for example

44:02.560 --> 44:03.360
or something else

44:03.360 --> 44:04.360
and that people

44:04.360 --> 44:05.200
are just making it up

44:05.200 --> 44:06.140
or that they were

44:06.140 --> 44:06.520
making it up

44:06.520 --> 44:07.680
for a political reason

44:07.680 --> 44:09.400
I didn't understand that

44:09.400 --> 44:10.780
I've never seen that before

44:10.780 --> 44:12.400
and the harm

44:12.400 --> 44:12.900
that it does

44:12.900 --> 44:13.540
to the patients

44:13.540 --> 44:14.260
just doesn't make

44:14.260 --> 44:15.120
any sense to me either.

44:15.120 --> 44:25.300
So we're a little

44:25.300 --> 44:26.080
further along

44:26.080 --> 44:27.500
it seems clear

44:27.500 --> 44:28.540
at least as far

44:28.540 --> 44:29.100
as the doctors

44:29.100 --> 44:29.700
who examined

44:29.700 --> 44:30.340
these patients

44:30.340 --> 44:30.920
are concerned

44:30.920 --> 44:32.160
that something

44:32.160 --> 44:32.760
has happened

44:32.760 --> 44:33.880
to these people's brains

44:33.880 --> 44:36.680
but we still don't know

44:36.680 --> 44:37.520
what did it

44:37.520 --> 44:38.360
or who

44:38.360 --> 44:39.980
which is why

44:39.980 --> 44:40.480
we decided

44:40.480 --> 44:41.080
to go back

44:41.080 --> 44:42.240
to where this all began

44:42.240 --> 44:43.840
my favorite city

44:43.840 --> 44:44.440
in the world.

44:45.120 --> 44:50.660
Next time

44:50.660 --> 44:51.880
we head to Cuba

44:51.880 --> 44:52.960
to follow up

44:52.960 --> 44:53.720
on some leads.

44:54.160 --> 44:54.880
Okay so

44:54.880 --> 44:56.540
what just happened?

44:57.620 --> 44:58.940
So we drove

44:58.940 --> 45:00.840
into Tina's neighborhood

45:00.840 --> 45:02.080
onto her street

45:02.080 --> 45:03.620
which is

45:03.620 --> 45:05.400
in a highly secure area

45:05.400 --> 45:08.540
and when we

45:08.540 --> 45:09.320
turned around

45:09.320 --> 45:10.000
and went back

45:10.000 --> 45:11.240
I think we picked up

45:11.240 --> 45:11.720
a tail.

45:15.120 --> 45:27.180
Havana Syndrome

45:27.180 --> 45:28.280
is hosted and reported

45:28.280 --> 45:29.320
by Adam Entus

45:29.320 --> 45:29.920
and me

45:29.920 --> 45:30.900
John Lee Anderson

45:30.900 --> 45:32.520
it's produced and reported

45:32.520 --> 45:33.520
by Julia Nutter

45:33.520 --> 45:35.300
Jesse Alejandra Cottrell

45:35.300 --> 45:36.980
and Ramon Campos-Iriarte

45:36.980 --> 45:38.020
and edited

45:38.020 --> 45:39.460
and executive produced

45:39.460 --> 45:40.380
by Annie Aviles

45:40.380 --> 45:42.020
and Kate Osborne

45:42.020 --> 45:43.540
with original composition

45:43.540 --> 45:44.580
and sound design

45:44.580 --> 45:45.580
by Steve Bone

45:45.580 --> 45:46.420
as early PG&D

45:46.420 --> 45:47.260
who

45:47.260 --> 45:47.660
was

45:47.660 --> 45:47.720
going toımız

45:47.720 --> 45:48.640
from it

45:51.760 --> 45:52.380
andognize

45:52.380 --> 45:52.620
and everything

45:52.620 --> 45:53.780
came to him

45:53.780 --> 45:55.540
in a safer place

45:55.540 --> 45:56.160
above their open

45:56.160 --> 45:56.280
and personal

45:56.280 --> 45:56.960
and drone

45:56.960 --> 45:58.880
is

45:58.960 --> 45:59.400
the purpose

45:59.560 --> 45:59.800
is

45:59.800 --> 46:00.060


46:00.060 --> 46:02.060
You