Who is Dr. Casey Means and what is her significance in the U.S. health landscape?
Live from NPR News in Washington, I'm Ryland Barton. Dr. Casey Means made the case for why she should be the next U.S. Surgeon General today. Means was tapped by President Trump for the job and appeared in front of a Senate committee. NPR's Will Stone has more.
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.
Vice President J.D. Vance says the Trump administration is pausing some Medicaid funding to Minnesota because of fraud concerns.
The providers on the ground in Minnesota have actually already been paid. The state has paid those providers the money. What we're doing is we are stopping the federal payments that will go to the state government until the state government takes its obligations seriously to stop the fraud that's being perpetrated against the American taxpayer.
It's part of what Vance says is an aggressive crackdown on misuse of public funds for the health care safety net for low-income Americans. As of late 2025, nearly 70 million people were enrolled in Medicaid nationwide. Allegations of fraud involving daycare centers run by Somali residents in Minneapolis prompted the Trump administration's immigration crackdown in the Twin Cities.
Former Harvard University President Larry Summers will step down from his teaching and administrative positions following revelations over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. From member station GBH in Boston, Kirk Carrapeza reports some students are celebrating Summers' resignation.
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