Ex-Surgeon General on CDC director nominee

Yes or no? Yes. Thank you. ROBERT F. KENNEDY JR: It's safe for most people. Can you agree that getting the vaccine is a lot safer than getting measles? Yes. So that was a qualified response, but it was still an endorsement, it seemed. Is he persuaded by the evidence, do you think? Well, he also acknowledged under oath that it was possible vaccination could have saved the life of a child who died in the recent Texas outbreak. So these statements represent his strongest public endorsement of the measles vaccine to date. Not coincidentally, as you mentioned, this tepid support comes after reports the White House has instructed him to stop talking negatively about vaccines and ahead of midterms. But the qualified and tempered answer he gave, it still risks, Margaret, sending mixed messages at a time when we're facing our worst measles resurgence in decades, falling vaccination rates, preventable outbreaks, incurring millions in state and local costs and thousands of days of school missed.

Yeah. And I know that CDC data shows that the vaccination rate has been sliding. I did note that this one exchange that I also want to play for you here, because the secretary was asked a few times about past statements both he and the president of the United States have made linking Tylenol use in pregnant women to autism in their children. A Republican lawmaker, Blake Moore of Utah, told Kennedy that his own 10-year-old son, Winnie, is neurodivergent, and he said that Kennedy's remarks were hurtful. Listen to this. I was underwhelmed with what we ultimately put out. My wife was hurt, and she felt for a split second, until she came to her senses and we talked about this, that there was any way she was responsible. We don't even know if she took Tylenol during her pregnancy, but that was a hurtful moment for her. But on this, Kennedy did not give ground. He is still saying that studies showing there is no linkage are, quote, "garbage." What is the reality? Well, the reality is that for pregnant women dealing with fever or significant pain, Tylenol remains one of the safest and most studied options we have, and suggesting otherwise without evidence is dangerous and irresponsible. And as you heard the Congressman say, it is extremely stigmatizing towards parents and risk real harm to moms and babies. The science moves forward with data, not with dogma and with dismissal. And the "garbage" he was referring to was a Danish study of 1.5 million children that came out. And it presents clear, high-quality evidence that pregnant women who use Tylenol do not have an increased risk of autism. In fact, in that study, they had a lower risk of autism. I want to ask you about what the president announced yesterday in the Oval Office. He was surrounded by podcaster Joe Rogan, a number of Navy SEALs, and he said he wants to boost federal research into psychedelic drugs and make them more available. Specifically, they were touting this one drug, ibogaine, I believe, is how you say it.

Correct.

What do Americans need to know about this particular drug and the uses of it? Well, first of all, almost 15 million Americans experience serious mental illness every year. And among veterans, that burden is about one in four. So it's clear we do have to accelerate rigorous, evidence-based research into promising treatments. Early studies of psychedelics, such as ibogaine and psilocybin, have shown potential for rapid improvements in symptoms and functioning in treatment-resistant cases. So yesterday's executive order, it directs $50 million in research funding, and instructs the FDA to prioritize reviews for vouchers for breakthrough therapy, and directs the FDA and DEA to ease barriers under Right to Try. Also importantly, it maintains full FDA and DEA oversight, so it's not legalization or reclassification of psychedelics. But the content, while reasonable, was overshadowed by the rollout, as you mentioned with Joe Rogan. It was a spectacle resembling a WWE promotion. And people such as Kevin Sabet actually have said, well, this actually overshadows the substance that we've seen and what I think could be a productive EO. OK. Executive order. All right. Thank you there, Dr. Adams, always good to get your insight.