Amid mixed messages from the White House on the approval process for a possible coronavirus vaccine, Surgeon General of the United States Jerome Adams addressed those who may be skeptical of what some see as a politicization of science.
"You should have trust in the process if you don't have trust in the politics and the people," Adams told Cheddar. "I promise you this vaccine, when it gets across the finish line, will be safe, will be effective, and I will be in line to get it when they tell me that I can."
The surgeon general noted that he was aware of the long history of medical malpractice that has disproportionately impacted people of color, but stressed that safety mechanisms and oversight boards have since been put in place to protect people.
As the Trump administration consults with scientists who support the controversial "herd immunity" approach, Adams also pushed back against the idea that this would mean "letting everyone go out and get sick" but instead would be best achieved by securing a vaccine as quickly as possible.
"I talked to [Dr. Anthony] Fauci last night, and we still expect one by the end of this year or beginning of next year," he said.
In the meantime, Adams is rolling out a new guidance on hypertension, which is one of several preconditions that increase the chances of death from coronavirus.
"If you have high blood pressure, it puts you at higher risk for cardiovascular disease, for stroke, which we know puts you at higher risk for complications and death from COVID," he said.
"People can't be expected to do this alone," he said. "We need to provide the community supports because people don't just have pre-existing medical conditions. They have pre-existing social conditions: lack of access to transportation, lack of a good-paying job, lack of child care. All of these things conspire to reduce our resilience, and we need to give more people the opportunity to make a healthy choice."
In light of the president's own COVID diagnosis, however, Adams made a general plea for all Americans to take basic preventive measures seriously such as wearing a mask, washing your hands, and social distancing.
"What I want people to understand is that COVID is contagious," he said. "It's very contagious, doesn't matter if you're Democrat or Republican, black or white, rich or poor, or where you live. You can still get it, and you can still die from it."
Florida lawmakers have introduced a controversial bill restricting some discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms with young students. Supporters say the move empowers parents to have more of a say in what their children learn. Florida State Senator Shevrin Jones joins Cheddar News to discuss more.
Congress this week passed a bill that would end forced arbitration for workplace sexual assault and harassment, one of the most significant changes to employment law in years. Cheddar News speaks with Marjorie Mesidor, Sexual Harassment Attorney, who explains that arbitrators are often retired judges or attorneys who "tends to have a more conservative view both to law and rewards."
As the situation with Russia has grown more precarious, the White House urged Americans remaining in Ukraine to leave immediately. The Biden administration that it sees continuing signs of escalation but did not have specific information detailing a timetable for a potential invasion. Kristine Berzina, senior fellow and head of the geopolitics team at the Alliance for Securing Democracy, joined Cheddar News to provide her analysis. "There's talk of an impending phone call between President Putin, President Biden," Berzina said. "That is certainly a good sign to indicate that there would be significant cost."
Terrell Starr, host of 'Black Diplomats' podcast and senior nonresident fellow at the Eurasia Center for Atlantic Council, joins Cheddar News from Kyiv, Ukraine to discuss the mounting tension there.
The White House laid out plans for a $5 billion investment into a national network of charging stations to ease EV driving anxiety. Bruce Brimacombe, CEO of EV infrastructure GOe3 joined Cheddar News to discuss how much needs to be done for drivers to get over the fear of running out of energy. "People need to be able to do what they're doing now," he said. "But that is the way that if you're going to buy an electric car, you got to feel like you're not changing your world." Brimacombe noted that building out the infrastructure between cities was GOe3's own focus.
U.S. automakers are saying that the blockade of the Ambassador Bridge, a crucial border crossing between the U.S. and Canada, is affecting their production lines. Michelle Krebs of Cox Automotive warns that the disruption "couldn't come at a worst time," amid chip and labor shortages in Detroit.
AND DETROIT-BASED AUTO MAKERS SAY THEY ARE SHUTTING DOWN PLANTS OR SCALING BACK PRODUCTION BECAUSE OF PARTS SHORTAGES.
Plans to add affordable housing to a development in Yellow Springs, Ohio, were squashed after comedian Dave Chappelle and other community members spoke out against the project. Chappelle threatened to pull the plug on his local comedy club and restaurant projects if the development had been approved.
David Tafuri, Former Obama Campaign Foreign Policy Advisor & Former State Department Official, joined Cheddar News to break down the latest geopolitical stories from Beijing, amid China's human rights abuses against Uyghur Muslims and yet another Russian doping scandal.
Dr. Jennifer Haythe of Columbia University's Irving Medical Center, joined Wake Up With Cheddar to discuss the latest with the pandemic, as the debate over child safety rages amid low vaccination rates and states easing school mask mandates.
