Transcript

10.11.25 · Washington Post

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Speaker 1: Welcome to the reading of today's Washington Post. It is Saturday,
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October eleventh of twenty twenty five. Goodness, we're almost halfway
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through this month. Your reader is Alice Stainer, with the
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reminder that RADIOI is an organization for those blinded with
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other major difficulties in holding and reading printed material. And
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I will start off with today's front page. On the
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far left, Natignahu under US pressure to keep peace as
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Gaza agreement goes into effect. Israeli leader faces new political
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reality by Jerry Sith and Leosa Soor or Sober. I'll
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read it better later in the middle, which takes up
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the whole front half of the paper. But in the middle,
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for some, TikTok can become an around the clock obsession.
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More than eight hundred users of the social media app
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shared their data with The Washington Post. We used it
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to find out why people can become power users spending
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hours per day scrolling. And on the far right, layoffs
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hit forty one hundred across seven agencies targeted jobs out
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of step with Trump, their legality questioned Cutsfield's shutdown threat
1:40
by Hannah Nadison, Merrill Cornfield and Jacob Bowdage and at
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the bottom iron Lady Machado of Venezuela nets the Peace
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Prize by Samantha Schmidt and Steve Hendrix. And to the
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far right of that, Trump readies one hundred percent tariffs
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on China in fresh jolt to markets by kat Zurzuski,
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Kate Kadell, Dan Diamond and Eva dah And then below
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the article on TikTok. Surgeon General could expand MAHA's influence.
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Casey means Kennedy's choice for the role has been critical
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of the medical establishment. Lauren Webber and Rachel Bobin first
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article top left with Trump pressing for peace. Netti Yahoo
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adapts to new political reality. The Israeli military said the
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ceasefire went into effect midday local time. Now Prime Minister
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Benjamin Nettinahu is under pressure, including from President Donald Trump,
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to keep the peace. And there is a picture of
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people celebrating the Gaza ceasefire agreement Thursday in the Tel
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Aviv plaza known as Hostages Square. Having been in that
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area in twenty nineteen, I can imagine the joy it
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is bringing Jerry Shia and Laura Soroka out of Jerusalem
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after Israel and Hamas greed on an earlier ceasefire in
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January Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Natanna, who ended that truce
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after forty two days and resumed fighting in Gaza at
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the urging of his influential far right coalition partners. This time, however,
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he is under pressure from an even more powerful ally,
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President Donald Trump to keep the peace. The Prime minister
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won his government's approval early Friday for a ceasefire and
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hostage GELL based on Trump's peace plan. The agreement came
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into effect at midday, according to the Israeli military, which
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said it was pulling back along the updated deployment lines
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in preparation for the ceasefire agreement and the return of hostages.
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Gaza's Hamas run Interior ministry said its security forces were
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deployed to areas Israeli troops were withdrawing from Middle East.
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Envoy Steve Whitkoff set on social media that US Central
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Command had confirmed the IDF's withdrawal to the pre arranged
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yellow line, and said the twenty four hour period for
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Harmas to release the hostages had begun. Seventy two hour
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period for Harmas to release the hostages had begun. The
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Israeli military also said Friday that Palestinians may now return
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to the north of the enclave, with footage from Al
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Jazeera and other Arabic language media showing thousands of people
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beginning the journey by foot. As Netigna, who weighs his
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next steps, he faces a difficult a different political landscape
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from earlier in the year. In Trump Nettinjaho finds an
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American president who now appears far more invested in seeing
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peace achieved, and his image as a peacemaker burnished in
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the far right fire brands Itamara Ben Greer and bizellal
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Sumortrich Netina, who see a pair of cabinet ministers who
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wield diminished leverage around the world. Israel faces mounting international
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isolation and at home. An exhausted Israeli security establishment has
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voiced its strong reservations about continuing the Goaza military camp,
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pain into its third year. As a result, Israeli political
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observers say Natiyaho may be motivated to advance negotiations with
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Hamas even after the group returns all of the Israeli
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hostages held in Gaza, which is expected to happen Monday
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or Tuesday. Under terms of the deal. Nettignah, who spent
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days signaling to the Israeli public that the country's forces
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might resume combat after the hostage release if his conditions
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were not met, But on Thursday, his Foreign minister, Gideon Sar,
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told Fox News that Israel was committed to Trump's plan
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and did not have any intention to renew the war.
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Before Israel and Hamas reached an agreement this week, the
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United States had given verbal guarantees to Hamas that Israel
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would not resume the war after the militant group released
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the hostages, said two regional officials familiar with the mediation process.
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They spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity
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of the negotiations for Netinnahu, angering Simotrich and Ben Bigeir,
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or even risking the collapse of his government. If those
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are these coalition partners, Bolt may be preferable to inviting
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Trump's fury by disrupting the peace process, said Michael orn,
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a former Israeli ambassador to Washington. If President Donald Trump
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says don't, then nobody dares to cross him. It's the
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return of Pax Americana or in said nor is it
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certain that ben Vere and smart Trich would immediately quit
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the government and force early national elections if Nettignah who
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does not resume the war, as they insist, given how
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much the right wing coalition is lagging in opinion polls.
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Or added, Trump's strong determination that the two warring sizes
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except the cease file also gave natayahuo political cover to
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push the deal through his government, said a person familiar
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with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity
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to discuss internal deliberations. That person said it put him
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in a stronger position viz. A vid the different factions
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in the coalition. He basically said, I have no choice.
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What do you want from me? Decide whether you want
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to continue or dissolve the coalition. While gin Vere and
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Samotrich agitated for the war to continue in early twenty
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twenty five, they have so far issued only restrained warnings
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about agreeing to Trump's deal. Ben Vere said Thursday that
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he jose the agreement under which the Israeli hostages would
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be released in exchange for about two thousand Palestinian prisoners,
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but that he would not leave the government unless Netignyahu
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failed to finish off Hamas' rule. In Gaza. This represented
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a milder version of his previous demands, which have included
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calling for Israeli conquest of the Gaza Strip. Somotrich said
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he would vote against the deal, but did not threaten
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to bring down Netanyahu's coalition. Meanwhile, the Israeli military has
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been urging Netanyaho to accept a cease fire, said Brigadier
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General Ron Kochov, a former Heir and Missile Defense commander
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and the Israel Defense Forces spokesman. Kochav noted that the
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military rushed to issue a statement at four a m.
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Welcoming the deal between Israel and Hamas after it was
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announced by Trump on Wednesday evening in Washington. Kochav said
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Trump forced a plan on both netin Yahu and Hamas
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that neither of them really wanted. The only ones doing
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it willingly are the id F. The army is tired,
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worn down, establishment rates of falling, and it's still active
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on other fronts. The chief of Staff was very pleased
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with Trump's directive to halt the fire while negotiations are
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under way. For his part, Trump said Thursday that he
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will travel to Egypt on Sunday to personally sign the
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ceasefire agreement, which will add further weight to the deal.
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Mustapha Virgotudi, the West Bank based leader of the Palestinian
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National Initiative Party, said Palestinian political factions consider it significant
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that Trump and other mediators from the region such as Kada,
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have guaranteed that that Nettignahoo will not restart the war.
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President Donald Trump's personal participation provides much more of a
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base than any time before for a continuation of the
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cease fire. He will be the one officially announcing it
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using his reputation. But we remain alert because of the
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games of Netta Nahou. He is a manipulator, said Barguti,
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who was consulted during the ceasefire negotiations. Negotiations over the
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next phases of Trump's plan, which will address the disarmament
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of Hamas and Israeli withdrawal from more of Gaza, questions
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over who will govern the enclave and a pathway to
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Palestinian statehood will probably prove far more difficult. Palestinian political
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groups have already begun discussing the possibility of creating a
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united governing body, potentially including an overhauled version of Hamas.
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That outcome would be hard for Smotrich and been gripped
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to accept, as well as for other Israeli leaders and
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Netta Yahu himself. If Netin Yahu's coalition partners become so
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displeased with the course of negotiations that they quit the government,
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he may be forced to call early elections before the
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scheduled date of October twenty twenty six. Nettin Yahoo may
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also see an advantage to early elections himself. Political overb
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observers say the prime Minister will probably be watching opinion
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polls over the coming days to see how much of
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a bump he gains from bringing the hostages home. Although
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Netin Yahu's recent foreign policy of achievements, including his strikes
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on Iran in June, have failed to give him a
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lasting boost in the polls, the hostages relief may give
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him a flip in re election bid, analysts say. A.
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Philip Filp dan Dyk, president of the Jerusalem Center for
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Security and Foreign Affairs, said there was a strong possibility
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that Nattignahu would call early elections and tote his achievement
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in securing the hostage release, along with his successful military
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campaigns against Iran and the Lebanese militant group has Belah.
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The calculation is that this is a high point and
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a relief for the Israeli public, Dyker said, adding his
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strategy all along was to use maximum pressure to bring
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Hamasti heel to make a deal, and that along with
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cooperation with United States, brought this deal to fruition. The
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top right Trump administration begins laying off federal workers amid shutdown.
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More than four thousand positions will be eliminated across the agencies,
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the government told a court Friday night by Hannah Natterson,
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Merrill Cornfield, and Jacob Bogage. The Trump administration began laying
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off federal workers Friday as the government shut down stretched
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into its tenth day, fulfilling threats from President Donald Trump
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to take advantage of the closure to shave off more
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parts of the federal workforce he dislikesf's have begun. Whitehouse
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chieft Budget director Russell Vote posted on x on Friday
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afternoon using an acronym for reductions in force r I
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f Reductions in force, The administration told a federal judge
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in California on Friday night. At seven agencies commerce, education, energy,
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health and human services, Housing in urban Development, Homeland Security,
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and Treasury had issued RIF notices to a total of
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more than forty one hundred workers. Lawyers for the government
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added that the Environmental Protection Agency had also told about
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twenty to thirty employees that they might be affected by
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an RIF in the future, and other agencies are actively
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considering whether to conduct additional RIfS related to the ongoing
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lapse in appropriations. According to the court filing, Trump told
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reporters in the Oval office on Friday that the administration
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deliberately moved to lay off people that the Democrats want.
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It would be democrat oriented, because we figure, you know,
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they started this thing, so they should be democratic oriented.
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It'll be a lot, Trump said as the dismissal's unfurled Friday.
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They did appear to mostly target offices that do work
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typically out of line with Trump administration priorities, including a
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unit within the Department of Health and Human Services focused
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on family and community policy and an office focused on
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fair and equal housing within the Department of Housing and
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Urban Development, according to several federal employees familiar with them
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out speaking on the condition of anonymity because they weren't
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authorized to speak publicly. Also next was an Education Department
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division focused on improving academic achievement for K through twelve students.
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A half dozen of staffer said employees will have at
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least thirty days and many will have at least sixty
16:55
days before any dismissals take effect. According to federal guidance,
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the shutdown layoffs of the combination of years of ground
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Lurk laid by Vote, an architect of the Project twenty
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twenty five playbook for Trump's second term, which Airline ad
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drastically reduced federal bureaucracy. Vot's office had threatened mass dismissals
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during the shutdown, perhaps even stretching into the hundreds of thousands,
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but it also told agencies that layoff plans might need
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to be revised after the government reopens. Trump told reporters
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before the shutdown that he might fire a lot of people,
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and once the shutdown began, Vice President J. D. Bans
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and White House Press Secretary Caroline Levitt likewise indicated that
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cuts were coming. The size of the federal workforce is
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unrelated to the government's ability to pay its bills during
17:56
a shutdown, though White House officials have fought mostly suggested otherwise.
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The Washington Posts previously reported that the dismissals were likely
18:06
to total fewer than sixteen hundred. The layoffs run counter
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to recent internal warnings from senior government officials that such
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dismissals are legally questionable. In the first days of the shutdown,
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officials privately counseled agencies against conducting reductions in force while
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the government lacks funding, because it would probably violate the law,
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the Post reported this month. The officials cautioned that the
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Anti Deficiency Act forbids the government from of obligating or
18:44
expending any money not appropriated by Congress, which means the
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government cannot incur new expenses during a shutdown when funding
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has lapsed. The RIF process, which is extensive and involves
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promising severance payments, would probably be prohibited under the Act.
19:04
The officials concluded that theory will now almost certainly be
19:11
put to the test. Even before the layoffs began, they
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drew a legal challenge from several federal unions. Their lawsuit,
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brought against the Officer Management and Budget and the Office
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of Personnel Management on September thirtieth, over threats of dismissals,
19:29
argued that the administration has no authority or ability to
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conduct our ifs omitted a shutdown. In part, citing the
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Anti Deficiency Act. The suit argued nothing in the Anti
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Deficiency Act or any other statute authorizes urfs of employees
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who work in agencies or programs with a lapse in funding.
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Ignoring binding federal law is arbitrary and capricious. A federal
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judge in the Northern District of California this week ordered
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the administration to provide by Friday the status of any
20:12
currently planned or in progress URF notices to be issued
20:17
during slash because of the government shutdowns, including the earliest
20:22
date that those or if notices will go out. The
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government had not provided that information by the time Vought
20:31
announced the dismissals, but it later furnished it shortly after
20:36
votes Social Post the lawyers for the unions requested an
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immediate halt to any layoffs, pending an upcoming hearing. The
20:45
government said it opposed that motion. Senator Patty Murray Washington,
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the top Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, accused Trump of
20:58
choosing to inflict more pain on the American people with
21:02
the new layoffs. Murray said, no one is making Trump
21:07
and vote herd American workers. They just want to This
21:11
is nothing new and no one should be intimidated by
21:14
these crooks. Federal employment lawyers said the attempted dismissals are
21:20
almost certainly illegal, violating rules that guide the process of
21:24
federal staff cutbacks. Federal regulations say that agencies kind dismiss
21:30
employees for one of several reasons, including a lack of work,
21:35
a reorganization, or a shortage of funds, but a shutdown
21:40
driven temporary lapse in funding does not count as shortage
21:45
of funds. The lawyers said, it's like trying to call
21:49
an apple and orange. They're both fruit, but it's not
21:52
the same thing, said Kevin Owen, a partner at a
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firm representing federal workers at the Department of Health and
22:00
Human Services. The layoffs are an attempt to reign in
22:04
growth of the agency during the Biden administration's pandemic response,
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spokesman Andrew Nixon said in a statement. Nixon said all
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HHS employees receiving reduction enforced notices were dissignated non essenter
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by their respective divisions. AHHS continues to close wasteful and
22:27
duplicative entities, including those that are at odds with the
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Trump's administration's Make America Healthy Again agenda. This round of
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layoffs is the latest development in a difficult year for
22:44
federal workers, who have already seen hundreds of thousands of
22:48
their coworkers depart through firings, retirement programs, and a deferred
22:53
resignation offer developed by the Trump administration. The last initiative alone,
23:00
one hundred and fifty thousand people leave federal service in
23:05
a year already filled with cruel and relentless attacks on
23:09
the federal workforce. This is yet another example of this
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administration treating us like pawns and further dehumanizing and traumatizing us,
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said an EPA worker, speaking on the condition of anonymity
23:24
for fear of retaliation. Education Department employees were told there
23:29
would be a reduction in force in sixty days, according
23:32
to one worker, and it wasn't clear if that meant
23:35
plans could be reversed once the shutdown ends. I feel
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like they are going to rethink this and call us
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back in, the worker said, also speaking on the condition
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of anonymity for fear of apprisal. Despite early promises to
23:53
fire many federal workers, administration officials had been largely moving
23:57
away from mass layoffs after the thousands took biot offers
24:02
and retired. For instance, Veteran's Affairs, the second largest federal
24:07
agency council, and expected fifteen percent cut citing high numbers
24:13
of voluntary departures. Other agencies, such as the IRS and
24:17
General Services Administration have recently brought back workers who took
24:23
biotes or were fired, and the National Weather Service over
24:28
the Summa one permission to hire for more than one
24:32
hundred positions after cuts left the agency significantly diminished and
24:38
struggling to keep basic forecasting going, often at the cost
24:42
of workers' mental health. And next article is about the
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possible new Surgeon General pick. She left the medical main
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stream and rose to be RFK Junior's Surgeon General pick.
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Case He Means, the surgeon General nominee, has criticized the
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medical establishment. She could be put in position to change it,
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Belauren Webber and Rachel Rubin. Seven years ago, Casey Means
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was on a path to finishing up a highly competitive
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residency and becoming a well paid surgeon, but she resigned,
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becoming a health products entrepreneur and popular online personality who
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has frequently suggested that Americans should question the advice they
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get from medical authorities. We are told to trust the science,
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she wrote in her twenty twenty four book Good Energy,
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The Surprising Connection between Metabolism and Limitless Health. This obviously
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doesn't make sense. We have been gaslighted to not ask
25:55
questions over the past fifty years, at the exact time,
25:59
chronic disease rates have exploded as a best selling offer
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with more than eight hundred and fifty thousand followers on
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her Instagram account at doctor k C. Kitchens. She centers
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her message around the concept of good energy, which she
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defines as optimizing metabolic health. This idea suggests that mains
26:24
maintaining a healthy lifestyle will ward off and potentially treat diseases.
26:31
Now means thirty eight is poised to become the next
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Surgeon General of the United States, one of the nation's
26:39
most recognizable and trusted medical posts. Thea her back as
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and critics believe she will advance health in Human Services
26:49
Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Junior's Make America Healthy Again movement,
26:54
aimed at addressing childhood illness and chronic disease. Medical and
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scientific experts say she has portrayed healthy eating an active
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lifestyle and using health tracking devices as more powerful and
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reservicing disease than scientific research has established. They are concerns
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she may use the Surgeon General's bully pulpit to amplify
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policy recommendations that are not grounded in evidence. R fk
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JOR and Casey Means have a history of saying things
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in a direct and potentially misleading, often scientifically wrong way,
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which you can defend if you're just saying it is
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Casey Means or as rfk JR, but are hard to
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defend if you're saying that as the AHS Secretary or
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as the Surgeon General of the United States, said Jerome m. Adams,
27:54
who served as Surgeon General during President Donald Trump's first
27:58
term and joined five of the former surgeons general in
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an op ad arguing Kennizy's actions are endangering the health
28:08
of the nation. In a statement, the Department of Health
28:13
and Human Services called Means a world class physician and
28:18
scientists whose nomination as Surgeon General reflects her deep understanding
28:23
of modern metabolic health and her fierce commitment to evidence
28:29
based Chao surgeon general Surgeons general have traditionally helped fight HIV, smoking, obesity,
28:38
addiction and more. They oversee more than six thousand uniformed
28:43
public health personnel and to charge with issuing similar reports
28:48
with the latest medical research. They haven't all been doctors, nurses,
28:53
and a veterinarian have temporarily filled the post, but typically
28:57
come from the medical establishment. Means rose through the ranks
29:02
of top academic institutions, racking up accolades before pursuing a
29:08
different career. She currently has a medical license in Oregon
29:13
that she voluntarily placed in inactive status according to the
29:18
Oregon State Medical Board, which means she cannot practice medicine
29:22
in the state as of the beginning of twenty twenty four.
29:27
Means holds no other licenses, according to the Federation of
29:31
State Medical Boards. As a key part of her message,
29:37
Means wrote in her book that the ability to prevent
29:41
and reverse a variety of ailments, including infertility in Alzheimer's,
29:47
is under your control and simpler than you think. She
29:52
dedicates the book to her mother, who died of pancreatic cancer,
29:56
calling it a preventable metabolic condition. Medical experts say there
30:03
is significant evidence that diet and exercise can lower the
30:07
risk of some chronic conditions and slow the progression of
30:11
other diseases, but some caution that Means goes too far
30:16
when she says it can reverse many of them. For
30:21
most diseases, there are very few absolutes. And the problem
30:25
with a lot of our wellness advocates or advocates is
30:29
that give people the impression that if you do something
30:33
very simplistic things you'll avoid some very bad things, said
30:39
Georges C. Benjamin, a physician and longtime head of the
30:43
American Public Health Association. Tragically, life just isn't that simple.
30:51
At times, Means has promoted products outside of the medical mainstream.
30:57
She has toted the products and services of company that
31:00
partnered with her on her book launch, including longevity supplements
31:05
that cost one hundred and twenty five dollars in perrinn,
31:08
which at one point offered a ten percent off coupon
31:12
code Casey in Perrine. A Washington Post review of her
31:17
financial disclosures reporting income from twenty twenty four and into
31:22
the summer of this year found she had been paid
31:25
more than five hundred and thirty six thousand dollars for
31:28
partnerships as well as for book tour and newsletter sponsorships
31:34
with companies. The forms described as selling diagnostic testing, herbal
31:40
remedies and wellness products, and tease supplements and elixias. Legal
31:47
and advertising experts the Post spoke to questioned whether her
31:51
financial ties were adequately disclosed when she promoted the propducts.
31:57
To think that it's possible that someone with this kind
32:00
and a position could be engaged in false or dissective
32:03
marketing is absolutely concerning, said Bonnie Patton, executive director of
32:09
Truth in Advertising or dot org, a consumer advocacy group.
32:16
H just says means will comply with all ethical requirements.
32:21
Her confirmation, which is expected in the coming months after
32:25
Trump selected her in May, would further solidify the power
32:29
and influence of Kennedy and the MAHA movement. Half a
32:33
dozen medical experts said, Pushing aside traditional medical expertise, means
32:40
as Backer says, she has been early to document failures
32:44
in the healthcare system for Americans disillusioned with it, and
32:48
is an effective communicator, making her well positioned to serve
32:52
as the nation's doctor. There's almost a spiritual crisis happening
32:58
in America, Bannie Harry, an author activist in Kennedy, Ala
33:03
known as food Babe, said in an interview, adding there's
33:08
this fierce battle of good versus evil where these special interests,
33:14
the pharmaceutical, the food and chemical corporations have largely controlled
33:18
our government. Means was instrumental in capitulating Kennedy's Maha initiative,
33:26
which has been galvanized by women who support his goals
33:30
and who have become known as Maaha Moms. On Fox
33:35
News in May, Kennedy noted that Means was pregnant and
33:39
said she has a touchstone with every mother in this country.
33:45
As Surgeon General, Means would be charged with speaking to
33:49
the American public with authority. Being a successful advocate, she
33:53
has written, comes from communicating forcefully. People are attracted to
34:00
a point of view, So ask yourself, what are we
34:03
adding to the internet with that take on this particular topic,
34:07
Means wrote in a twenty twenty one blog post, And
34:11
be bold in communicating it through every bit of content
34:15
you can produce. This kind of Means rise to Surgeon
34:20
General nominee is based on interviews with more than thirty
34:23
five colleagues, friends, and medical experts, and review of her book, newsletters,
34:30
social media, podcast appearances, and other professional writings. Good Energy
34:38
Means best selling book, which she wrote with her brother
34:41
CALLI a close Kennedy Ally now reads like a make
34:46
America Healthy Again manifesto that's the MAHA. It includes the
34:53
chapter titled trust Yourself, not your Doctor. She writes that
34:58
ultra processed foods should be avoided as if they were
35:02
illicit drugs. She argues to ditch Lunchibles, Heinz, Ketchup, and
35:08
Gator Aid, and criticizes other major food companies, including Coca
35:13
Cola and Craft. In her Good Energy newsletter, Means is
35:19
called ultraprocessed foods lifeless disease, causing franken foods that are
35:25
exploiting and sickening humans and the planet for profit and
35:29
reaching our life force in our long term joy. Nutritionists
35:34
have applauded her focus on moving away from ultraprocessed foods,
35:38
which studies have identified as risk factors for obesity, heart disease, cancer,
35:44
and diabetes. Researchers are still trying to determine exactly why
35:49
they are leading to poor health, but it has been
35:52
complex and expensive to study the mass produced hyperpalatable products.
35:58
According to several nutrients experts and former federal health officials,
36:04
Some researchers caution against demonizing all ultraprocessed foods, which make
36:09
up more than half of the calories Americans consume each day.
36:14
Some foods like candy and soft drinks are worse than others,
36:18
like some sliced breads and some peanut butters that can
36:22
contrain nutrients like fiber and protein. They say, Means often
36:28
invoke spirituality as underpinning the path to health. Builds your
36:34
life on an unshakable foundation in service of unlocking your
36:38
limitous pottintial as a lightning rod of spirit and as
36:43
a part of God, she wrote in a newsletter. In
36:48
her book, Means talks about taking sisos silos cybin mushrooms
36:58
silo cybin mushrooms. Means did not mention vaccines, one of
37:03
the most divisive issues within the MAAHA movement in her
37:07
May twenty twenty four book, but on prominent podcast a
37:11
few months later, she publicly questioned the accumulation of the
37:14
childhood vaccine schedule and the hepatitis B vaccine that echoes Kennedy,
37:21
who founded a prominent anti vaccine group and has reshaped
37:24
US vaccine policy, prompting an outcry for some medical experts
37:30
who say the vaccine schedule is safe and effective. I
37:34
bet that one vaccine probably isn't causing autism, but what
37:39
about the twenty that they're getting before eighteen months? Means
37:43
said on Joe Rogan's podcast last October. Major medical associations,
37:50
such as the American Academy of Pediatrics say there is
37:54
no link between vaccines and autism, pointing to reams of
37:58
scientific data. After Trump said he would nominate Means, some
38:04
MAHA activists argued she was insufficiently devoted to opposing immunizations.
38:10
The same issue haunted the White House's first Surgeon General nominee,
38:15
Janette Nishiwa, whose nomination was withdrawn in early May amid
38:20
conservative criticism over questions about her medical credentials and past
38:25
advocacy for coronavirus vaccines. Calli Means, who has faced some
38:32
of the same critiques as his sister, says it speaks
38:35
to Casey's ability to think for herself. Casey has been
38:40
called anti vaccine and two pro vaccine, he told The Post.
38:45
She's been called an industry plant and radical witch doctor.
38:49
She's excelled at the highest levels of medicine and has
38:51
also been called a traitor to that system. An evolution,
38:57
Casey and Cali Means grew up in Washington, d c.
39:01
Attending elite to private high schools. They were raised Catholic
39:05
with a strong spiritual grounding by parents who encouraged independent thinking.
39:10
According to Cali, their father worked on health and warfare
39:14
programs in the Ford administration, at one point leading an
39:17
effort to reform the food stamps program. According to his website.
39:22
Means has said she weighed over two hundred pounds as
39:26
an adolescent. She struggled with acne, painful minstrual cycles, and
39:31
low grade anxiety. Magazines mistakenly led her to believe that
39:36
low fat foods could help solve her problems, she has said.
39:40
After doing her own research on nutrition, she wrote in
39:43
her book, she was able to lose the excess weight.
39:48
She continued to explore the topic at Stanford, majoring in
39:52
human biology and became passionate about nutrient geanec g genomics
40:02
nutrient gegonomics, the study of how genes and diet impact
40:06
a person's risk factor to disease. She would later serve
40:11
as a Stanford lecturer, teaching students about food and health.
40:16
Over the years, she's received academic honors, written scientific papers,
40:21
as well as worked on research at the National Institutes
40:24
of Health and at New York University Langone Medical Center.
40:29
According to HHS and her website, she has also championed
40:34
the medical humanities the intersection of art and medicine. She
40:39
graduated from Stanford School of Medicine before starting at Oregon
40:43
Health and Science University for a residency in author laryngeology
40:49
head and neck surgery, a top medical specialty, but Means
40:54
leftoard the end of her residency in September twenty eighteen. Means,
40:59
is byiography on her website, says ultimately she felt so
41:03
disillusioned with the practice and incentives of surgical CAD that
41:07
she chose to resign and work on reform from outside
41:11
the system. She left as the program begged her to stay,
41:17
said Fiona Biles, who has been a close friend of
41:20
Means for nearly twenty years, adding that Means was being
41:23
recruited for surgical jobs that would have paid her hundreds
41:26
of thousands of dollars. She felt a deep sense of
41:32
futility as a surgeon and began looking for answers beyond
41:37
this scapel Biles said. In her book, Means describes how
41:42
the stress of residency affected her own health, writing as
41:46
she suffered from chronic neck pain, depression, and severe gastro
41:51
intestinal problems. Fellow's resident Lauren Luck told The Post that
41:57
Means express to her during her residency that she couldn't
42:01
keep hurting people if I'm not going to fix them,
42:05
But Luke said that surgery is not perfect. You know,
42:09
it's not like you're going to get a cure every time.
42:14
Means wrote she had a strong interest in complementary and
42:18
alternative medicine while writing to a nonprofit leader in twenty
42:23
seventeen in an email posted on her website, But the
42:28
last several years in a mainstream E and T residency
42:31
have not allowed me to explore these modilities with patients.
42:40
Luke and another resident, Elizabeth Schmiel, also stressed that Means
42:45
were smart, passionate, and kind. Smiel, who said she was
42:49
friends with Means at the time, voiced concern in an
42:53
interview with The Post that someone who did not finish
42:55
residency could be the nation's top doctor. You would I
43:00
want the head of the military to have dropped out
43:02
of basic training. Means website was recently updated to list
43:07
her numerous academic accomplishments and research background, as well as
43:12
a list of her podcast appearances. Means is considered controversial
43:17
because her work challenges the economic and cultural foundations of
43:21
US healthcare, agriculture, and food systems. The website says of
43:27
early October, the reaction among Means's family to her decision
43:32
to leave residency was split. Her brother, Kelli Means that
43:36
he was concerned at the time that Casey was ruining
43:39
her life. He now believes it was a bold decision
43:43
that changed his own life, he told the Post. Her
43:46
parents through her party, she recalled on Tucker Colson's podcast
43:51
last year. She went on to launch her own functional
43:55
medicine and wellness consulting practice called Means Health. As described
44:00
in Oregon Secretary of State documents, I do not replace
44:06
the valuable role of your primary care provider or specialist,
44:11
but aim to supplement their conventional care with a comprehensive
44:15
plan of safe, natural, and holistic therapies to help your
44:19
unique body and physiology return to optimal functioning. Memes wrote
44:25
on a twenty nineteen version of her practice's website, where
44:29
she detailed that she saw patients with pain, autoimmune issues,
44:33
and a variety of other maladies. Supporters of the functional
44:38
medicine field say it's a way of tackling the chronic
44:41
disease epidemic that focuses on a holistic lifestyle intervention approach
44:47
to the root causes of disease. The field does not
44:51
recognize as a specialty certified by the American Board of
44:55
Medical Specialties, and some medical critics contend it can result
44:59
in old for testing and French treatments. I think new
45:04
ideas in medicine are very hard to include in the paradigm,
45:09
said Mark Hyman of Kennedy Allai, who was founding director
45:12
of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine. He said
45:17
he believes criticism will fall by the wayside over time
45:21
is more and more evidence is created and published. Means
45:26
on her website describes wanting to scale the reach of
45:29
functional medicine and began circulating a concept called Labra c Dobra,
45:37
which would use existing lab information from routine blood work
45:42
as an educational biofeedback tool to empower patients to understand
45:47
their health. Means his brother connected her with the people
45:51
behind Levels, a health tech company. She went on to
45:55
become a co founder and chief medical officer the company.
45:59
Promotes continuous glucose monitors, which are traditionally used by diabetics
46:05
to monitor their bloodshedar for nine by non diabetics or prediabetics.
46:12
A subscription to the company's app, along with medical testing
46:15
and access to monitors, can cost hundreds of dollars. I
46:21
believe CGM is the most powerful technology for generating the
46:25
data and awareness to rectify our bad energy crisis in
46:29
the Western world, Means wrote in her book. Kennedy has
46:34
promoted biowarables, including continuous glucose monitors. In twenty twenty four,
46:40
the Food and Drug Administration cleared the first over the
46:43
counter device for both diabetics and nidiabetics, saying they can
46:49
be a powerful tool to give people more information about
46:53
their health. The American Association of Clinical Indracinology does not
46:59
recommend them for people without diabetes. For those with prediabetes,
47:04
the group's president, Scott Isaacs, said in an email that
47:09
there wasn't strong scientific evidence to do so. Most studies
47:15
have been small and exploratory. While it can be interesting
47:18
to see how your blood sugar changes after meals or exercise,
47:23
these numbers only tell part of the story about your
47:26
overall health. Novels also served as a launchpad for Means.
47:33
The long term vision is for Casey's personal brand to
47:36
be a critical piece of the levels overall marketing and
47:40
brand awareness strategy. According to a Level's job listing. Much
47:45
in the way that public scientists and doctors like Mark Hayman,
47:49
Andrew Humeman, and David Sinclair have built significant audiences and
47:54
distribution channels, we believe there is a huge opportunity for
47:58
Casey to be the leading public voice in metabolic health.
48:03
Means resigned from the company as chief medical officer in
48:06
the winner of twenty twenty three and focused on promoting
48:09
her book. According to her website, her ethics forms say
48:14
she became an advisor and were resigned from that post
48:17
if confirmed. The company did not respond to requests for
48:22
comments partnership questions. Means has at times blurred sponsorship lines
48:29
when talking about supplements and other products. Legal and advertising
48:33
experts told the Post she has said she only promotes
48:37
products that she researches herself. Means that a YouTube video
48:42
titled unbox my Genova metabolic mix plus nutrition test with
48:49
meat a better test that can cost hundreds of dollars.
48:54
Genova Dynostics is a sponsor of her book tour and newsletter,
48:58
according to her financial desas disclosures, for twenty thousand dollars
49:02
enlisted as a partner of her book launch on her website.
49:06
She did not expressly disclose that connection in the video,
49:10
but did note viewers could get ten percent off in
49:14
the description. She also did not disclose the partnership in
49:18
a May twenty twenty four newsletter when she promoted the brand.
49:23
Mehan said she takes longevity supplements from the brand Timeline
49:27
for Moto Chronical Health without identifying them as a book
49:33
launch partner. In a June twenty twenty four newsletter, the
49:37
link she included previously took the reader to a URL
49:40
that identifies her as a partner for the brand. Amazentis Essay,
49:46
the parent company of Timeline, paid Means more than one
49:50
hundred and thirty four thousand dollars for newsletter sponsorship, partnership fees,
49:55
and book tour sponsorship, according to her disclosure forms. Both
50:00
companies did not respond to requests for comment. Some legal
50:05
and advertising experts said these instances raise questions about whether
50:10
the Means clearly disclosed her ties to the brands as
50:13
required by Federal Trade Commission guidelines. Rebecca Tuschnitt, a professor
50:20
at Harvard Law School who focuses on false advertising, said
50:26
FTC guidelines would say she should be disclosing when she
50:31
promotes those products. In a statement, HHS said, as Surgeon General,
50:38
doctor Means will comply with all ethical requirements, which is
50:41
standard for any presidential appointee. Past Surgeons General have come
50:47
under fire for their financial times. Vivic H. Murphy, who
50:52
served as both Barack Obamas and Joe Biden Surgeon General,
50:56
received criticism for serving as a coronavirus consultant to cruise
51:00
lines and other industries while advising Biden's campaign. Means disclosure
51:09
details her plans to comply upon my confirmation, I will
51:13
stop producing my newsletter and monetize social media, post she wrote.
51:20
Not posted on means website is newsletter number forty Doctor
51:25
Casey's Healthy Gift Guide, which the post accessed through Internet archives.
51:31
The guide from Dissemble links to products from at least
51:35
three companies that partnered with her without disclosing her partnership.
51:39
Is unclear when it was removed from her website this year.
51:44
Means's website has been updated to address some of the
51:47
criticisms that has ricocheted online after her nomination. She has
51:53
been criticized for being an influencer it states and widely
51:58
labeled as such as response to having sponsors which support
52:02
her newsletter and for whom she has shared marketing links.
52:08
My last article talks about the long lasting coastal storm
52:14
will soon hit the East coast. Coastal flood and wind
52:19
alerts covered the nearly the entire near coast region from
52:24
the Florida Keys to southern Maine. And considering on every
52:28
engage we got almost five inches during that wonderful rain
52:32
we had the other day, this is interesting. Ian Livingston
52:37
wrote the article, A long lasting coastal storm will plague
52:42
the East Coast with numerous hazards this weekend and ender
52:46
early next week. Storm alerts for coastal flood and wind
52:51
cover almost the entire near coast region from the Florida
52:55
Keys to southern main In addition to scattered flooding downpaws
53:00
from Florida to New England. Large swaths of the Southeast
53:05
and mid Atlantic are at risk for major coastal flooding
53:09
over several tidal cycles. Large battering waves are also triggering
53:15
dangerous rip currents at beaches, and unsafe boating conditions for
53:20
mariners or marinas. Up and down the East Coast, widespread
53:26
rainfall totals of greater than two inches are on tap
53:30
from the southeastern shores to much of southern New England,
53:34
with upward of three to six inches in some locations,
53:39
the heaviest probably ending up near the coast. While the
53:44
storm is imminent, interactions between dueling low precious centers at
53:49
the surface and the jet stream aloft are keeping the
53:53
situation more fluid than is often the case. These areas
53:59
will be most affected. Zones of heavy rain will cause
54:04
scattered flooding from Florida northward, with the heaviest probably near
54:09
the shore in southeast and perhaps New England. Long durations
54:16
of Nor'easter's conditions on shore winds from the north and
54:20
east are anticipated. The most widespread concerned is coastal flooding
54:26
and the damaging high surf that will impact much of
54:30
the East Coast Coast of flood alerts stretched from around
54:34
Miami to the Boston area could expand further north. On Friday,
54:40
coastal flood warnings covered most beaches from near Port Saint Lucie,
54:44
Florida to the North Carolina South Carolina border. The Cooper
54:49
River at Charleston Harbor in South Carolina is forecast to
54:54
top major flood levels in Friday's high tide and be
54:58
near there again on Saturday. That's today. Expect travel delays
55:04
near the coast, as some low lying coastal roads will
55:07
flood and possibly become impassable, the National Weather Service said.
55:13
In Charleston, flooding is forecast to envelop the Virginia Capes
55:19
on Sunday, with locations near Virginia Beach likely to witness
55:24
major flooding. On Monday, major flooding is expected at least
55:29
as far north as central New Jersey. The general rise
55:34
in water levels, known as storm surge, will be overtopped
55:38
by large and damaging surf. Waves of ten feet or
55:42
higher are possible in Florida, the North Carolina oter banks,
55:47
and perhaps Delaware Northwood to southeastern Massachusetts. Waves as high
55:53
as twenty or twenty five feet are possible in nearby
55:57
offshore waters. High waves and storm surge are driven by
56:02
the storm's unceasing winds and advisory and effect. Friday. For
56:07
areas around Jacksonville, Florida calls for wind guffs up to
56:11
fifty miles per hour. That threat will shifted north as well.
56:17
Damaging winds are possible across eastern portions of NYC and
56:22
Long Island Sunday into Sunday night. The Weather Service Office
56:26
for the region warned, outside these details, there is still
56:31
enough uncertainty that it's worth highlighting what we think we
56:35
know and what we are less sure we know. Increasingly
56:40
uncertain forecast details. The storm is still coming together, so
56:46
shifts can be expected. Complex interactions between two upper level
56:51
jet streams, swirls driving it or causing some late forecast
56:56
headaches among the things we're watching, some of more probable
57:00
than others. One. Rain will be heavy at times, focused
57:06
near the coast from Florida to the Carolinas. Through Saturday,
57:10
rainfall rates of one plus inches per hour were ongoing
57:15
in eastern Florida, where the Orlando and Daytona Beach areas
57:20
have seen two to four inches of rain. Two, there
57:24
will be major coastal flooding over multiple cycles and days.
57:29
At least three dozen water gages or forecasts to see
57:33
moderate to major flooding from South Carolina to New York.
57:37
Thanks to long duration on shore wind that may peak
57:41
in intensity for areas near New Jersey to Long Island,
57:47
and three portions of southern New England will probably also
57:52
see a soaking. Any slower initial storm development is less
57:57
critical to rainfall in New England than the mid Atlantic
58:01
because it judgs further east impacts with bigger question marks.
58:08
A number of weather models over recent days printed at
58:11
significant rainfall as far west as the DC area, with
58:16
no consistency a red flag. Recent consensus is for much
58:21
less than that area. A big reason is that the
58:25
storm is slower to develop because the two upper level
58:28
waves feeding it remains separate rather than phasing or combining
58:33
their power into rapidly developing northeaster. And with that, I
58:39
am closing off for today, Saturday, the eleventh of October
58:44
of twenty twenty five. Thank you for listening, and please
58:48
continue listening to Radio I over the weekend. We will
58:53
not be here next Thursday or Saturday, so we will
58:57
see you week after that or be back week after next.
59:01
Have a good weekend. Get outside, I'm headed that way. Bye,