they called cdc and cdc did not have people there to help support that effort. those are just a couple examples of the challenges that are now faced by the indiscriminate slashing of positions that are so important to protecting health in every community in america. host: the budget bill that just past the house includes cuts to medicaid for the washington post has this headline, trump tax bill would force cuts to medicare according to the cbo. what kind of impact do you think this can have on public health as a whole and does it just impact the people that would no longer have their health insurance? guest: to me, this strikes me as one of the cruelest things the government is trying to move forward. we are the only wealthy nation that doesn't ensure that every citizen has high quality comprehensive, affordable health care. the affordable care act went a long way to closing the gap by providing access to health care to so many more people, millions more people. this bill if it goes forward, the congressional budget office estimates over 7 million people will lo

when the city of milwaukee asked the cdc for help addressing a lead crisis in schools, cdc should be able to provide support and assistance because congress appropriated $51 million for cdc to do its job to address lead poisoning. despite what you told me last week that you've no intention of eliminating this program, you fired the entire office responsible for carrying it out. cdc told milwaukee public schools they simply could not help. your decision to fire staff and eliminate offices is endangering children, including thousands of children in milwaukee. if you have a proposal to make these programs work better, present it and justify it. mr. secretary, you will say you have to fire thousands of employees and eliminate programs because our deficit is too large. you will not mention that at the same time this administration is proposing these cuts it is proposing tax cuts for billionaires that will add trillions to our debt. you are cutting programs on firing staff with no plan and no understanding of the department you are leading even does for the american people. that is why you

he talked about how big the cdc is. understandable. he's a lot in his purview.then we reached out today and said, following up, we'd like to know how many staffers are on the ground. and just to the point of what you're talking about there, that one technician, this is the quote we got from the hhs tonight saying the cdc is assisting with validating new lab instrumentation used for environmental lead testing. staff from the milwaukee lab are focused on the lead response and other routine testing. while the cdc will assist with testing, validation, lab quality management, and regulatory requirements. documentation to documentation to onboard the new lab instrument. so essentially, you're saying there is no one from the cdc who is helping test kids and figure out whether or not they were exposed to lead paint in milwaukee? >> that is correct. the technician who was out in milwaukee from, i believe, may 5th to may 16th, was validating a new instrument and that instrument can be used to test lead. but the request for that instrument and that validation had nothing t

there are no cdc. childhood lead experts. >> on the ground. >> in milwaukee. because secretary kennedy fired all of them. >> that's why. >> milwaukee's outreach for help and assistance. >> and. >> resources during this lead crisis was denied, because there are no experts. left in that branch at cdc. now, either. secretary kennedy is lying or he is uninformed. and i actually don't know which is worse, but this is deeply disturbing. i want you to understand the scale of this. we're talking about six public schools, and we're talking about 1500 students who have been displaced because of lead presence in the school and the very experts who should be able to come to the assistance of milwaukee public schools and the city of milwaukee's public health department are no longer there. >> and i mean, either the cdc is on the ground or they're not. and you're saying right now that there are not cdc people on the ground in milwaukee. >> what i would tell you about what secretary kennedy might be talking about, because this is what i've had verified from the city of milwa

the cdc has an outside group of doctors, health officials, and scientists, who provide guidance abouts. but secretary kennedy made this decision without their input and without a cdc director, a position that is currently vacant. health and human services secretary robert f. kennedy jr. made the announcement on x. >> a covid vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the cdc recommended immunization schedule. >> reporter: typically, the cdc's advisory committee for immunization practices votes on changes to vaccine schedules and guidelines before the director of the cdc makes a final recommendation to the hhs secretary. in this case, the committee did not weigh in. instead, flanking kennedy today, the heads of the fda and the nih. >> last year, the biden adminstration urged healthy children to get yet another covid shot, despite the lack of any clinical data to support the repeat booster strategy in children. >> that ends today. it's common sense, and it's good science. >> there is no evidence healthy kids need it today, and most countries have stopp

would make a recommendation to the cdc director. right now, there is no director. what does this mean? the affordable care act says insurance has to cover cdc recommended vaccines. it's unclear tonight if people will have to pay out of their own pockets for their kids' covid shots. the cdc's website doesn't match what secretary kennedy said. we reached out to hhs but have yet to hear back. >>> we are learning the state department is stopping all new applications for student visas as president trump also escalates his clash with harvard, warning he could take away millions in taxpayer funded grants for the university. gabe gutierrez has late details. >> reporter: president trump's crackdown on international students is intensifying. his administration ordering embassies to stop interviews for student visas. the state department prepares for an extended social media screening. it comes after a judge temporarily barred president trump from blocking harvard university from accepting future international students, which make up over a qu

it is. >> right then it is cdc where it is. >> okay. these are all thing yourself unfamiliar withou the programs that you have cut -- >> you're unfamiliar with my agency that nih and part of hhs. >> i absolutely know nih is in my county i was there this past weekend -- that you have fired so i absolutely know where nih is and don't need help from you in knowing that.ou exceeded time thank you. >> senator did you have something that you wanted in the record? you mentioned something but didn't formally ask and i want to make sure -- >> yes mr. chairman like i would like to introduce this into the record cdc has no acting director sources conclude -- >> without objection entered into the record. thawnch so much. >> ask unanimous consent enter the record 21 letters of group raising concerns about budget riffs, also asking anonymous consent on behalf of senator murphy to answer two articles into the record. >> without objection. >> for any senator wishes to ask additional questions questions will be asked on ten business days at 10 a.m. than

you should know that. >> the cdc is where it is. >> okay.it then it is the cdc. >> again, these are all the things you seem unfamiliar with. >> you are unfamiliar with my agency. part of hhs. >> i absolutely know. i was there this past weekend. i absolutely know where nih is and do not need any help from you and knowing that. thank you. >> did you have something that you wanted in the record? you mentioned something but did not formally ask and i wanted to make sure. >> i would like to introduce into the record, the cdc has no acting director. >> without objection let's enter it into the record. senatorsor sanders. raising concerns about the organization budgets and risk. entering two articles into the record. >> without objection. for any senator wishing to ask additional questions, questions for the record will be due in 10 business days on may 28 at 5:00 p.m. thank you again, secretary kennedy for being here. the committee stands adjourned. >> c-span democracy unfiltered funded by d's television companies and more including charter communication. >> charter. proud to be recognized as

i can understand the delay given there is been no current cdc director. who is the acting cdc director. >> the acting director is now up for permanent director. does this person have a medical background? or public health expertise? >> public health expert. >> the fact that the recommendations are kind of talk >> can ise clarify something? the flu shot -- >> my question was more about do we have a cdc director. then i want to enter into the record information about what harms could be because until we get one. >> relying on this committee. >> this is my question. we are senators. so, i do not want to have the same exchange it happened before with other people. i wanted to shift gears. your proposed compassionate budget would cut funding for multiple maternal programs. i rememberdi learning that

then former acting director of the cdc dr. richard besser will talk about trump administration actions that impact public health and trita parsi the quincy institute discusses the latest on u.s.-iran nuclear talks and u.s. efforts to reach a cease-fire in the israel-hamas conflict. "washington journal" starts now. ♪ host: good morning. it is thursday, may 29. we are getting your top new story of the week. elon musk has ended his government service. president trump expressed frustration with vladimir putin over continued attacks in ukraine, saying he was playing with fire. and a u.s. court has blocked president trump's ability to impose most tariffs. we want to know, what is your top news story. here's how to reach us. democrats, (202) 748-8000. republicans, (202) 748-8001. independents, (202) 748-8002. you can send a text to (202) 748-8003. include your first name and your city state. you can also post your comment on social media, facebook.com/cspan and x @cspanwj. welcome to today's "washington journal." we will start with a

why the cdc was not included in the decision. >>> first, fighting back. harvard students taking a stand after president trump fired the latest shot in his war with the nation's oldest and wealthiest university. >>> good morning. i'm michael george. a dark cloud is hanging over harvard's graduation ceremonies this week after president trump escalated his attack on the university. the white house is ordering agencies to cancel around $100 million in remaining contracts with the school, and that's not all. now all international students are also in the president's cross hairs. cbs' jarred hill joins us with more on this. we're talking about students who come here legally, really the best and brightest from all over the world. >> reporter: that's right. what we're seeing, looking at this cable from the state department, the move is not about challenging legal status. rather, confirming ideological leaning with the trump administration planning to expand screening of all international students. [ chants ] protests at harvard university as the trump administrat

bypassing the cdc, announcing these major changes. no longer recommending the vaccines for healthy pregnant women and children. kennedy's decision blindsiding many experts. about this unexpected move, it is very clear that covid-19 infection during pregnancy can be catastrophic. here's rachel scott. >> reporter: tonight, in a significant change to cdc guidelines, health secretary robert f. kennedy jr. announcing the department will no longer recommend routine covid shots for healthy children and pregnant women. >> i couldn't be more pleased to announce that as of today, the covid vaccine for healthy children and healthy pregnant women has been removed from the cdc keck d dc recommended immi schedule. >> reporter: kennedy, a known vaccine skeptic, today was joined by other top health officials. >> there's no evidence healthy kids need it today, and most countries have stopped recommending it for children. >> reporter: but the move was quickly questioned by public health officials, accusing the trump administration of bypassing the in d

and and, you know, i looked to the cdc and will continue to look to cdc for advice. but when there's this kind of political interference, i think we have to find other sources of good advice. and if this continues and goes into other, other parts of public health advice then then people are going to have to find sources such as high quality state health departments and other countries. >> well, quite a moment. we are in something that i think a lot of people feared, especially when they watched robert f kennedy over the years and his confirmation hearings. mark lipshutz thank you, lipsitch. thank you so much for coming in. i really appreciate it, john. >> all right. shocked with electric wires dangled over a balcony, hit with a gun. new claims about the alleged kidnaping and torture of a cryptocurrency trader. and this morning, at least five people are dead. six people missing after a deadly blast at a chemical plant. >> if you're living. >> with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis or active psoriatic arthritis, symptoms can sometimes hold you back. but now there sky

information the biggest hmos that are supposed to allow cdc to have a backstop system for the cdc will not look at it. >> neither any scientist for position but the congress ordered cdc to open it to the geyer's so they are the only scientist who had ever been in there. >> mr. byers not a scientist. >> the senator's time has expired before you move on to do ask for unanimous consent? senator hollie i did. a unanimous resent request for the printout of the web site that shows dr. geyer is mr. geyer is employed anti-unanimous consent request the finding from the board of licensing for maryland. >> without objection mr. kennedy before we get to my time if you'd like to finish a response go ahead. >> david geyer is the only living i scientist. there has been a lot of business including allegations of fraud and he was fired by an independent contractor by an independent contractor to look at the documents that we were getting to see if they conformed with what he saw between 2002 and 2016 that's the only reason he was brought in. there's so much information disappeared from that database. t

it's important to understand that there's no one in charge at cdc right now. after the inauguration, doctor susan, who has been hhs and cdc for a while a microbiologist and immunologist, she was the acting director. but in the middle of march, when the white house pulled former congressman dave weldon's nomination to be cdc director they nominated then doctor monterrey's to be the new director. but you can't be both nominee and acting director. so two weeks ago, at his health committee hearing mr. kennedy was asked by senator rochester, who's the acting director, and he mentioned somebody named, matt. matt bozzelli and matt bozzelli. actually, when you look at the depth chart on the cdc website, he's actually number four. he's the chief of staff. the only problem with that is that not only is he is he not qualified for the job, he's a he's a trial lawyer from from doj's criminal division. he's also apparently ineligible, because he's not sort of you know, he's not sort of the next in line who would be somebody named deborah horry who would be eminently qualifi

the city's health commissioner sounded the alarm and is seeking help from the cdc which so far has notn tonight's "interview" we are joined by milwaukee's health commissioner, mike totoraitis. mike, thanks for being with us. how is your team doing on taking care of these schools? >> it's been quite the journey. this story started back in january, and we really hit the ground running to investigate what's been happening here in our schools. it's been a specifically challenging time for our team as many of them are parents themselves and have children in some of these schools. we continue to navigate this on a weekly basis. with the school district, as we try to make schools safe again. >> john: among the cuts in the federal government has been cuts to the lead poisoning prevention program at the cdc. what would be happening differently if those cuts had not been made? >> that's a really good question. unfortunately, we lost the support we received from the beginning, really, of this investigation and enforcement action here in milwaukee. we had staff from the cdc who were the national e

be cdc director. they nominated then doctor monterrey's to be the new director. but you can't be both nominee. and acting director. so two weeks ago, at his health committee hearing mr. kennedy was asked by senator, rochester, who's the acting director, and he mentioned somebody named matt. matt buzzelli and matt buzzelli. actually, when you look at the depth chart on the cdc website, he's actually number four. he's the chief of staff. the only problem with that is that not only is he is he not qualified for the job, he's a he's a trial lawyer from from doj's criminal division. he's also apparently ineligible because he's not sort. >> of, you know, he's. >> not sort of the next in line. who would be somebody named deborah horry. >> who would. >> be eminently qualified to be acting director? so it seems like there is no acting director there, which might have been purposeful, because that's what enabled without an acting director, that's what enabled rfk jr. to make this decision himself last week. >> and yet and then perhaps, i guess, in the lack of leadership, t

according to cdc's own page on it. it can cause damage to the brain, nervous system, even death, if the exposure is high enough. now, last week, dr. sanjay gupta reported from milwaukee schools. and here's just part of that. >> for the first time, they were able to link lead poisoning in children to the city's aging schools. specifically, they found evidence of lead containing paint in the elementary school bathroom. since then, at least three more children have tested positive for elevated blood lead levels, and eight schools have also been found to have unsafe lead levels as well. in fact, here at westside academy, these kids had to be relocated to another school just this week. they found evidence of red flaking paint on the outside and lots of problems on the inside. paint that was flaking on doors and walls and window sills. >> now, without the experts from the cdc, milwaukee's health department is on its own to investigate the sources of lead exposure and to try to screen thousands of school kids. secretary kenne

tonight, the cdc says children may receive the shot with guidance from their doctor.regnant women now left with no recommendation on whether to vaccinate. and tonight, medical groups emphasize the science and benefit of these vaccines hasn't changed but worry the shifting messages from federal officials could leave some confused. >> thank you. >>> now to the urgent search for suspects after seven teenagers were injured in what police are calling a drive by shooting overnight in chicago. authorities say police were trying to disperse a large group of people when someone fired shots into the crowd. >> reporter: tonight, a drive by shooting in chicago has left seven teenagers injured. authorities are now investigating. >> several people shot over there. there's a crowd now. >> reporter: officers were trying to disperse a large group of people in front of st. siban, church around 1:55 a.m. according to police. authorities say a vehicle driving by opened fire into the crowd. that car immediately fleeing the scene. police say an 18-year-old was critically injured with gun s

there is a lot of work that goes on between fda and cdc will that. my career in cdc is a foodborne disease investigator and my first outbreak was one of this very same strain of deadly e. coli. you want people to know about it so they can understand where risks come from and how to protect themselves. by not sharing that information, you miss the opportunity to tell people about safe food practices, what things to avoid and how to stay safe. i worry that those massive cuts and layoffs at the fda and cdc have undermined the system. one of the groups that is critical in munich. my understanding is that both agencies, the public health communicators have been let go. without them, public health is not going to be able to do its job the way it is supposed to be. >> thank you so much. >> thank you. ♪ mna: president trump signed executive orders last week to boost production of nuclear power. an energy source with a complicated history in the u.s. after world war ii, nuclear was heralded as the future of american energy, than the partial meltdown at three

chairman, and we have a legal obligation, cdc has a legal obligation to do national pandemic response and we will meet that obligation and in fact we are going to improve, if we get support from this body to reappropriate which is critical for pandemic response but there are some functions that are local in nature and in those cases we will be supporting local infrastructure to respond, they know better than we know and we saw this during some of the hurricane response, governor desantis's response which was florida localized, no deaths and very little destruction, a hurricane but was as bad as the one that followed that relied on federal response and was really a catastrophe. i think experience shows localities can often do better with some functions particularly with the hospitals and infrastructure but we are not relinquishing our responsibility at cdc to manage national emergencies. >> senator sanders. >> thank you, mr. chairman. back to prescription drugs. did i hear you correctly to state your goal is to have americans pay the lowest prices with other major countries, that is my

when the city of milwaukee asked cdc for help addressing a lead crisis in schools, , cdc shoulde ableprovide support and assistance because congress appropriated $51 million for cdc to do its job, to address lead poisoning. despite what you told me last week that you have no intention of eliminating this program, you have fired the entire office responsible for carrying it out. so cdc told milwaukee public schools that they simply couldn't help. your decision to fire staff and eliminate offices is endangering children, , including thousandsf children in milwaukee. if you have a proposal to make these programs work better, present it and justify it. mr. secretary, he will say that you have two fire thousands of employees and eliminate programs like liheap because our deficit is too large. but you won't mention that at the same time this administration is proposing these cuts, is proposing tax cuts for billionaires. it will add trillions to our debt. you're cutting programs and firing staff with no plan and no understanding of what the department you are leading even does for the americ

take a look. >> the cdc program that monitors lead surveillance for kids was cut.an you explain the rationale for cutting a program like that and why that's not an essential service? >> he there were some programs that were cuts that are being reinstated. and i believe that that's something interesting. >> do you know why it was cut to begin with? >> part of the doge. we talked about this from the beginning is we're going to do 80% cuts, but 20% of those are going to have to be reinstalled because we'll make mistakes. one of the things that president trump has said is that if we if we make mistakes, we're going to admit it and we're going to remedy it. and that's one of the mistakes. >> that's one of the mistakes, he said. again, that was six weeks ago, and the crisis in milwaukee has continued. what's been done ever since to get those experts back on the job and on the ground where they're needed most. well, we contacted the former director of the division that oversaw the lead program, the cdc, until it was cut back on april 1st. >> none of our. >> lead staff hav

we spoke with the former acting director of the cdc. he says a simple vaccination can make all the difference, but false information is driving the narrative. unfortunately, what we've seen over the past several years, it started with covid, but it's only continued is that there are people spreading inaccurate information about vaccines, and that includes leaders in washington, people whose duty it is to care for the health and well-being of americans. but unfortunately, inaccurate information is being spread and it's causing confusion, chaos and fear among parents and families. experts recommend two measles vaccines for children, one between 12 and 15 months, the next one between 4 and 6 years old. the vaccine is 97% effective. may is american stroke month and a reminder there's one word you should know to see if you or someone you know may be suffering a stroke. here's our marcus washington with more. well, may is stroke awareness month. it remains one of the leading causes of deaths here in the u.s. medical experts are stressing the

ignoring his. >> own cdc's data. in april, the cdc presented to the advisory committee for immunization. >> practices. what's going on with covid? >> so what you learned was that over the. >> past year. >> 6700 children have been. >> admitted to the hospital with. >> covid. >> most less than. >> four years of age. 152 children have died from covid. again, most less than four years of age, about half were previously healthy. virtually none were vaccinated. so do children benefit from a primary series with the covid vaccine? of course they do. what he did when he said that, you know, we don't recommend this vaccine at all. he made it such that even if people wanted that vaccine for their child, it would be unlikely. >> that insurance. >> companies would pay for it, or that the vaccine for children's. program would pay for it. what the cdc did in pushing back was they said, okay, let's find a middle ground, let's say shared clinical decision making between you and your doctor. that made it so that the vaccine for childr

the cdc having any independent sign. >> congress ordered cdc to open it so that they are the only scientists who have ever been in there. >> not a scientist. the time has expired. did you have unanimous consent? >> senator holly, i did. a printout of the website is mr. the finding from the board of licensing and maryland. before we get to my time. if you'd like to finish a response go ahead. the only living independent scientists. who seem to be as the inside. the allegations of fraud. he was hired by an independent contractor. not as an hhs but by an independent contractor to look at the documents to see if they conformed with what he saw between 2002 and 2006 there has been a major study by the ethics and public policy center. 865,720 chemical abortions between 2017 and 2023. have you seen this study, are you familiar with it? you will remember that the data shows the biggest study done, i think ever, it showed 11% of women experience very serious adverse health effects that include sepsis, hemorrhaging, infection, of course, emergency room visits. by the way, that is 22 times higher. twen

no cdc official was present during that announcement. now, the new policy follows a prior decision by the fda to require new data before approving covid shots for anyone under the age of 65 or anyone without a preexisting medical condition. now joining me now is doctor melissa puni. she's an ob gyn practicing in los gatos. and, doctor, thank you for being with us. this is a major reversal. so what is your initial reaction when you hear something like this about not giving it to pregnant women? and are your patients concerned about not being able to receive this shot? well, first of all, thank you so much for having me. i think this decision unfortunately sets a really troubling precedent for us. and to your point about what our patients are, are saying and what they're asking about, you know, obviously, this decision just came out today. so, you know, i haven't really been able to start to gauge what the fallout is quite yet, but i imagine it will it will be troublesome moving forward. so the cdc list has a list of conditions, right, tha

subscribe to cdc's health alert network.march, and now hhs actually controls all of the cdc social media accounts. >> so to. illustrate this point, let's imagine that you are pregnant and there is a listeria outbreak. that's one of the things you have to worry about bacteria that spreads easily. you want the cdc to be able to warn you that there is a spread, so that you, as a pregnant woman, can keep yourself safe if you do not have good information that is circulating, you know what happens. either you don't get any information at all, or you have a void that is filled by misinformation and disinformation, and that is incredibly scary. >> and well. >> here we are. make america wealthy again. this is what we're trying to do. as i said in the break, y'all are going to start waking up with balls in your butt, and you're going to be wondering where it came from. i'm just that's it. bottom line, right? because you don't know. you don't know with your health environment is anymore. you don't know if the kid that's your kid is goi

this reverses the previous cdc stance which urged annual vaccination for anyone 6 months and older. and it means now the cdc will not recommend routine covid vaccines for healthy children or pregnant women. it's common sense. that's good science. this change will likely limit access to the vaccine for those groups because insurance will no longer have to cover the cost of the shot and people one, it may have to go out of their way instead of getting it at a clinic or local pharmacy. it's not based on. >> science and it's actually harmful. infectious disease. doctor amish adagio has major concerns about the changes. he says there is scientific evidence that pregnant women are at high risk for complications if they catch covid and newborn babies are high risk to and can be protected if their mothers get vaccinated, pregnant women should be getting vaccinated with each of their pregnancies for for multiple reasons with healthy children. adalja says it is unclear if they need multiple rounds of covid vaccination but it is clear that children. >> do benefit from the initial series of vac

instead, the cdc put notice on its website.ing, most of us don't visit the cdc website very often. labels on the moderna vaccines to note the potential publications. joining us to discuss fox news medical contributor doctor nicole saphier. welcome. it is good to see you. most of us don't take medical advice for politicians but we do rely on our doctors. the doctors have the relevant information about the vaccines when advising patients? >> good evening, thanks for having me on. it's an important report. we spoke a lot during covid from march of 2020 on and forth to five years after that. at the end of the day, we are not given the information and we want able to make decisions when it came to the doctor-patient relationship, they were mandates after mandates whether it was recommendations from the cdc put on by hospitals and politician and universities whatever it was no longer close the conversation between physician and patient when it came to recommendations with the covid vaccines and subsequent boosters. based on reporting

why the cdc is no longer recommending shots for healthy kids and expectant mothers. will insurance cover vaccines if you want one? >>> what a judge ruled as new york fights the trump administration over congestion pricing tolls in manhattan. could the fee spread to other u.s. cities

the cdc reporting 216 children have died of flu so far, and the season is still under way. that's the most since the swine flu pandemic in 2009. flu vaccination rates in children have fallen to 49% from 62% five years ago. the reassuring news tonight is the flu activity in this country is now slowing down. >>> we turn to the u.s. economy tonight. stocks surging on a stronger-than-expected jobs report, employers adding 177,000 new jobs in april. the unemployment rate unchanged at 4.2%. president trump on social media saying, just like i said, we're only in a transition stage, just getting started. the markets rallying. the dow up 564 points, reversing the losses since the president announced sweeping tariffs on april 2nd. investigators also encouraged by a potential softening in the tariff standoff between the u.s. and china. china now saying it is, quote, evaluating ways to start negotiations, claiming u.s. officials have now reached out to them. >>> when we come back on this friday night, the bodies found at bryce canyon, falling 380 feet. what authorities are saying about

but we are not relinquishing our responsibility at cdc to manage national emergencies. chair cassidy: thank you. senator sanders. sen. sanders: thank you, mr. chairman. let me start going to prescription drugs. mr. secretary, did i hear you correctly to state that your goal is to have americans pay the lowest prices in the world, or equivalent what is paid in other countries? that is my goal. that you are prepared to work with us on legislation to achieve that goal? sec. kennedy: absolutely. sen. sanders: and i believe there is bipartisan support for it and if the leadership prior addresses that, we can do that in a short period of time. let me ask you this, s secretary of hhs -- we have in america some 85 million americans were uninsured or underinsured. we spend more per capita, as indicated, than any other country. his health care human right? are we making america healthy when so many people cannot afford to go to a doctor and 60,000 people a year die because they cannot get to a doctor? his health care human right and will you work with us to guarantee health care

the cdc reports that 216 children have died from the flu in the u.s. this season. the highest number in 15 years, experts link the increase to falling vaccination rates among kids, down from 64% five years ago to 49% this season. and with flu season still ongoing, that number could climb. >>> ruth buzzi, the beloved comedian who brought laughter to millions as the handbag swinging gladys on "rowan & martin's laugh-in," has died at 88. a golden globe winner, her career spanned film, cartoons, and over 200 television appearances including "sesame street" and "that girl." she died following complications from alzheimer's disease. >>> when we come back, in-flight entertainment. the flight attendant who takes some of his passengers with him wherever he goes. >>> finally, jesse kirsch on how one flight attendant is lifting his passengers' spirits. >> thanks, ladies. >> reporter: when flight attendant john mckay boards a plane -- >> hey, guys. >> reporter: -- he packs more than a carry-on. >> this is a journal that i take around with me when i'm traveling. >> reporter: a

although the cdc reports that thousand cases, if you talk to people at the cdc or talk to people on the ground, it's probably closer to 3000 cases. we've had three deaths from measles. that's the same number of deaths we had for measles over the last 25 years. we've had two children die from measles. two healthy little girls die from measles. those are the first measles deaths in children in more than 20 years. this is a crisis. and he has been unwilling to stand up and unequivocally say, get a measles vaccine. and more importantly, we don't have the cdc personnel right now to do the proper surveillance. we don't have money to the cdc to let them go into high risk areas and immunize. so we're doing nothing to really stop this, this outbreak. so what he thinks about the measles vaccine matters. >> and he did respond to some criticism. he said, we meaning the u.s., are doing a better job at cdc today than any nation in the world at controlling this measles outbreak. what do you think of that? >> so he was comparing himself to eastern europe, and he said, in eastern europe, they've had 127