Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Live from NPR News, I'm Lakshmi Singh.
Chapter 2: What concerns were raised about Dr. Casey Means during her Senate confirmation hearing?
President Trump's nominee for Surgeon General is seeking Senate confirmation, but Dr. Casey Means faced concerns at today's hearing about her qualifications and her refusal to publicly endorse support for vaccines to guard against severe illness or deaths during flu or measles outbreaks. Here's NPR's Will Stone.
Casey Means is a wellness influencer, author, and entrepreneur. She graduated medical school but never finished her training to be a surgeon. Much of her messaging around diet and lifestyle aligns with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. 's agenda, and she was pressed throughout the hearing about her views on vaccines.
Means said she believes in vaccines but stopped short of saying she'd encourage mothers to vaccinate their kids for flu or measles.
Vaccine advocacy has never, or any anti-vaccine rhetoric has never been a part of my message.
Means has questioned the safety of the childhood vaccine schedule in public appearances and the use of oral birth control. When asked, she said birth control should be accessible, but women should know the risks. The medical establishment has largely opposed her nomination. Will Stone, NPR News.
President Trump declared a turnaround for the ages in his State of the Union address last night. NPR's Deepa Shivaram reports on the contrast between Trump's message on the economy and polling on his performance so far.
Voters feel like costs are high. They're criticizing the president for it. Recent polling from NPR PBS News Marist shows that most Americans say the country is worse off than a year ago. and that the State of the Union is not strong. Additionally, more people than ever are describing the direction that Trump is moving the country in as, quote, change for the worse.
So this speech was a moment for Trump to try and reset, address all of that. And he did, in a way. He spoke about lowering the cost of prescription drugs. He talked about lower gas prices. He also talked about wanting to lower housing costs and energy bills that have risen in part because of data centers.
NPR's Deepa Shivaram reporting. U.S. soybean farmers urged President Trump to avoid imposing more tariffs on agricultural inputs after the Supreme Court struck down his sweeping global import tax. Marlon Hyde of WABE reports the president has enacted a 10 percent global tariff amid rising costs for farming essentials.
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