How a speculative story about dead and missing scientists went from the fringe to the White House

By T.M. Brown, CNN (CNN) — In an April 15 press briefing, Fox’s Peter Doocy asked White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt an unexpected question. “There are now 10 American scientists who have either gone missing or died since mid-2024. They all reportedly had access to classified nuclear or aerospace material,” he said. “Is anybody