• Bill Gates has long been a vocal steward of pandemic preparedness and vaccination.
• Gates told WSJ that he estimates a 10-15% chance of another pandemic in the next four years.
• In 2015, the billionaire warned that the world was "not ready" for a deadly outbreak.

Bill Gates said the world is not prepared for another pandemic despite going through COVID-19.

In a recent video interview with The Wall Street Journal's Editor in Chief Emma Tucker, the Microsoft cofounder expressed his concerns about the prospect of another pandemic.

"The chance of a natural pandemic in the next four years is somewhere between 10 and 15 percent," he said. "And it'd be nice to think we're actually we're more ready for that than we were last time. But so far we're not."

"We're absolutely not," he added.

Gates has long been an outspoken proponent of pandemic preparedness and vaccinations.

In a 2015 Ted Talk, the billionaire warned that the world was "not ready" for a deadly outbreak.

Seven years later, he authored "How to Prevent the Next Pandemic," drawing on the lessons learned from COVID-19. That year, the Gates Foundation also committed up to $125 million in the US to "help end the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic and prepare for future pandemics."

Gates told WSJ the world still isn't prepared for the next outbreak because "people, rather than having a consensus about what tools are missing, are mostly still replaying the various mistakes that were made."

"So, I wouldn't say that we're as far along as you'd expect after trillions of dollars and millions of lives have been lost," he said.

It's unclear how much the US will invest in pandemic preparedness under a second Trump administration.

Federal health agencies, including the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, were recently advised to halt all communications to the public, including press releases, until further notice, NBC News reported.

President Donald Trump also has nominated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. to lead the HHS. Kennedy has been a vocal opponent of vaccine mandates and has promoted false or unproven claims about the impacts of vaccines.

The draft is three weeks away now. GM Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson have pieced together an off-season that is earning widespread praise across the league. The question is whether they can stick the landing with their 1st round pick in the draft. Current projections have the top three picks likely being a mix of Cam Ward, Travis Hunter, and Abdul Carter. After that, it gets tricky. People in Chicago want to know where running back Ashton Jeanty will end once the dust settles.

Widespread belief has been that the Las Vegas Raiders are the heavy favorites to take him at 6th overall, with New Orleans at #9 also being a possibility. It makes sense. Las Vegas’ best option right now is a 33-year-old Raheem Mostert. New Orleans knows Alvin Kamara turns 30 in July. Both teams need to think about the future at that position. Both have head coaches who like to run the ball. One thing is clear. A source told SM that those around the league believe one thing is certain.

“He likely won’t get passed Chicago if he falls that far.”

Ashton Jeanty is a strong probability for the Bears.

Whispers from Halas Hall indicate they love the Boise State star. It isn’t hard to see why. He nearly broke Barry Sanders’ single-season rushing record in 2024, nearly winning the Heisman in the process. The guy carried his team to the college football playoffs. He’s built like a brick house with power, speed, contact balance, and vision. There aren’t any truly glaring weaknesses in his game. He’s earned comparisons to the likes of LaDainian Tomlinson and Marshawn Lynch. The Bears haven’t had a back of that caliber since Matt Forte.

Try to imagine what this offense could look like with Ashton Jeanty, Rome Odunze, D.J. Moore, and Cole Kmet all as options for quarterback Caleb Williams. Throw all of it into Johnson’s offense, and you can understand why some people around the league aren’t wild about the idea. They are quietly hoping Jeanty goes somewhere else. One thing is certain. If he gets past the Raiders, the noise will get loud in a hurry. It would mark the first time in 20 years the Bears have taken a running back in the 1st round.