has america's support for ukraine peak ed? when russia invaded ukraine, america and politicians on both sides of the aisle here were pretty much united in their support of the besieged underdog. with congress having to prove $113 billion in aid in 2022, a are bellhouse wing of the gop decided it's time to draw a line in the sand and polls show the public support may be softening. consider this. when the invasion first occurred, josh hawley was all in

writing, russia's assault on ukraine and invasion of its territory must be met with strong american resolve. president biden must act now to hit vladimir putin where it hurts. but on the first anniversary just last week, he was singing a different tune. the republican party can be the party of ukraine and globalists or the party of east palestine and working americans. not both. hawley was immediately invited on to tucker carlson's show the same night. florida governor and likely presidential candidate ron desantis went on fox and friends to condemn our current support as an open-ended blank check, which he called not acceptable. georgia congresswoman marjorie taylor greene got the crowd to boo zelenskyy. >> i'm still committed to saying no money to ukraine, and that country needs to find peace, not war.

and while i will lock in a camera and directly tell s zelenskyy, you better leave your hands off our sons and daughters because they are not dying over there. >> president trump claimed because of president biden's policies america is teetering on the brink of world war iii. he would end the conflict in 24 hours. but there's also been strong pushback for many in their own party. the gop chair of the house foreign affairs committee told abc news that picking between the ohio derailment or supply is in ukraine was a false choice. both mitch mcconnell is and mike pence have reasserted their support for helping ukraine against putin. and presidential candidate nikki haley has been arguing for a more forceful u.s. role in the conflict. recent polls show a decline for

ukraine. according to the ap, public support for aid to ukraine which was 60 last may is down to 48%. according to pew, the share of americans who think the united states has done too much to ukraine has grown from 7% a year ago to 26% last month. and breaking down the numbers by party affiliation, pugh finds 40% of republicans think america has given too much kpaured with 15% of democrats. president biden has shrugged off concerns blaming what he calls maga republicans. this is what he told david moour. >> i'm not sure how many are asking. i know the maga crowd is. the right wing republicans are talking about we can't do this. we find ourselves in a situation where the cost of walking away could be considerably higher than the cost of helping ukraine maintain its independence.

>> if you drill down governor ron desantis seems unsure of his footing on the issue. in a recent interview, i say friendly because it's owned by rupert murdoch, the reporter asked how he would handle relations differently than biden. he replied that biden was weak on the world stage and at failing deterrence. the writer then pushes desantis to absentee the question. how would he hnd the relations differently. he responds as follows, perhaps you should cover some other ground. the gop that displays a willingness to the approach is new. it's a complete reversal for the party that used to be known for its hawkishness. joining me is a political science professor a at duke university. he studied between public opinion and military operations. he advised president bush during the iraq war and he's coed tort

of handoff, the foreign policy george w. bush passed to barack o'ball. thank you for being here. you advised w on how to hold public support, how would you advise joe biden relative to ukraine. i remind while public support has softened, it has softened over the year it hasn't reached a point where president biden has to abandon ukraine. you don't have to just leave the field when polls dip below 50%. what matters most is whether there's success on the battlefield for ukraine. and as long as there is, public support will hold regardless of the mounting financial cost. >> w had the events of 9/11 this his recent rear view mirror. did he have an easier job keeping the american people on the same page then does biden for that reason? >> you're right.

there are eerie echos to what president bush pays in the second term as the situation in iraq was getting more difficult and democrats were making partisan attacks on the policy. but i actually think that president biden has an easier run of it. first, biden has in the ukrainian army what the biden administration was trying to build in iraq. that is an aeffective partner willing to fight and die for the cause so meshes don't have to. we have financial resources in the game. but we don't have american lives at stake. >> leader mcconnell is very strong on ukraine. and president bush didn't have anyone on the democratic side of the aisle with the clout of

leader mcconnell ask with the support for the policy that leader mcconnell has. then the last reason is the arguments against ukraine, the arguments to abandon ukraine are just weak on the face of it. when you drill into it, they collapse. and indeed, they are choo these propaganda talking points. china wants us to abandon ukraine because that then would undermine america's standing and create a catastrophe in euro asia that would distract them from confronting east asia. there's a wing of the republican party. >> what accounts for the change as between the parties? uh-uh remember 1980. i remember '81. on ronald re agan east watch, they invaded in 179. i remember being this a room as

a conservative republican gathering where there were so-called afghan freedom fighters. these men in turbans were being championed by the republican party. now it's russia invading ukraine in 2022 and it seems like there's been a shift. it's the democrat you can party more supportive of ukraine. >> exactly. i think president reagan is spinning in his grave if he's able to hear some of the arguments. indeed former president trump is k criticizing people for sounding like republicans. so reagan and the approach of the strong muscular american foreign policy strong abroad so we can be strong at home to be strong abroad. that reagan approach would lead you sto sport the ukrainian people. that's why mcconnell, you

mentioned pence, nikki haley, there are strong republican voices who walk in that mainstream. but if you ask one of the isolationists say ing what woul you do, they don't have a good answer for the and then what question. we abandon ukraine, then what do you do? they don't have a good answer for that. >> quick final question, if if i might. is the key here for president biden to sell the american people on this being or involving a vital u.s. interest? >> yes, he has to remind the american people why it matters. he has to although reassure the american people that there is a strategy that will lead to success, so it can't really be this is important. he also has to make the case. the ukrainian army can prevail. that second one is where he has

the most work to do. >> i'm sure that vladimir putin is studying the numbers that i used as you say in the topper about that decline in american support. thank you so much. i really appreciate your expertise. >> thank you for having me. >> what are your thoughts? hit me up on social media. i'll share some responses and lee re ply to them during the course of the program. if we don't support ukraine now, the u.s. and allies will have to fight the war themselves later. thomas, i wonder if this issue -- the reason uh-uh theed to bring it up today, the starting gub has fired for 202 4. >> it's a serious one. the poll question this week. it's a bit unusual. it's related to what i'm asking.

go to my website at smerconish county. we have a qr code again. you can hold up your phone during the course of the program. i want to know who will be the last to leave office. president biden, putin, zelenskyy? go vote at smerconish.com. i'll give you the result later in the hour. up ahead, so did covid originate with a lab after all? but there's some confusion. three years this as with so much about the pandemic, what do we know today that we wish we'd known then. and after a drawn out trial, alex murdaugh convicted of murdering his wife and son and sentenced to life in prison. we'll hear the inside scoop from a reporter not only in the courtroom every day, but the pool reporter assigned to visit the crime scene with the jury. there she is in that image.

and effortlessly responds to both of you. our smart sleepers get 28 minututes more restful sleep per night. provenen quality sleep. only from sleep number. there's always a fresh deal on the subway app. like this one! 50% off?! that deal's so good we don't even need an eight-time all-star to tell you about . wait what? get it before it's gone on the subway app! ♪hit it!♪ ♪it takes two to make a thing go right♪ ♪ ♪it takes two to make it outta sight♪ ♪one, two, get loose now! it takes two to make a-♪ stay two nights and get 8,000 bonus points. book now at bestwestern.com works hard at hour one and twice as hard when you take it again the next day. so betty can be the... barcode beat conductor. ♪ go betty! ♪ let's be more than our allergies! zeize the day. with zyrtec.

i was always the competitive one in our family... 'til my sister signed up for united healthcare medicare advantage. ♪wow, uh-huh♪ now she's got a whole team to help her get the most out of her plan. ♪wow, uh-huh♪ with coverage that's better than ever for dental... ...vision... ...prescription drugs and more. advantage: me! can't wait 'til i turn 65! aarp medicare advantage plans, only from unitedhealthcare. take advantage now at uhc.com/medicare

what if we live to 100. i don't want to outlive our money. i keep eating all these chia seeds. i could live to be 100. we work with empower, even if we do live to 100 we don't have to worry. eh, not worried. take control of your financial future to empower what's next. introducing new sweet and savory crepes. whether you like the flavor of cinnamon bun after sunset. or prefer to wake up to a little eggs and bacon. day or night, it's always time for crepes. for a limited time, buy one, get one free with five flavors that are delicious any time of day. only from ihop. download the app and earn free food with every order. ♪ ♪

♪ voltaren. the joy of movement. ♪ alex murdaugh sentenced to life in prison for the killings of his wife and son in june of 2021. given the opportunity by the judge to come clean after he was

convicted, he maintained his innocence. >> you're not compelled to say anything? you have an opportunity to do so. >> i'll tell you again. i respect this court, but i'm innocent. i would never under any circumstances hurt my wife maggie, and i would never under any circumstances hurt my son. >> a juror told abc news about the jury's swift three-hour deliberation. >> when you first got in the room, you took a vote. >> it was 2 not guilty, 1 not sure, 9 guilty. >> what was your vote? >> guilty. >> we started deliberating going through the evidence.

everybody was pretty much talking. about 45 minutes later, after all our deliberating, we figured it out. >> so really it was a 45-minute deliberation. earlier in the week when the jury visited the crime scene at the family's homestead, our frequent guest valerie boreline was selected to cover it and report back for the pool. shees been covering the case from early on, has been in the courtroom every single day. she's a key voice in the new documentary series "murdaugh murders." valerie is back with me now. i'm so glad she is. valerie, you were the pool reporter when they went to the home. what was that like? >> honestly, it was an eerie experience to go to the home and get a glance at the jury as they toured and the judge.

and also just to walk the property ourselves, me as the print reporter, and it is truly a haunted place. i spoke with a different juror than the one whose audio you played, i spoke with him last night. he said that visit did not work out the way the defense had hoped it would. he said if anything, it made the jury more convinced of guilt. >> the purpose, according to the defense team, was to try and convince the jury that he could have been taking a nap and not heard the gunshots down at the dog kennels. >> that's right. so the purpose of the visit in the eyes of the defense was to show that the kennels and the shed where they were killed were quite a distance from the main house where alex said he was. it's true that it is. it's a good minute or two-minute ride up a winding dirt road.

there's some trees that separate the kennels and the house. so you really can't see well from the house to the kennels. that was the purpose. but i think that the heaviness in the air, the fact that it's pretty much since 2021 and the grass is overgrownyon really feel the weight of what happened there. . i don't think it way the defense had hoped based on my discussion with the juror. >> i'm holding your most recent reporting for the "wall street journal." the headline says the murdaugh trial lasted six weeks, two days matter ed most. i'm sure those are the two days. what's the short version of why those two days mattered most? >> i think the two days that alex murdaugh took the stand in his own defense really were the turning point in a case which frankly has had a lot of turning points it was a major moment. alex murdaugh really wanted to get on the stand. he told the jurors, i want you

to hear it from me why his alibi had fallen through, why he told lies to the investigators in the early hours after the shooting. he really wanted them to hear from him what happened there. but the flip side of that is if you're a criminal defendant, you take the stand and waive your right to the fifth amendment. you have to answer the questions. the cross-examination by the lead prosecutor was pretty brutal at times. >> jum griffin saud he didn't have a choice. i want you to watch this clip and comment on their explanation for alex taking the stand. >> the thinking at that point in time is what is there to lose. they have heard about all of the financial crimes. they really hadn't heard why he committed financial crimes and knew about his drug addiction. putting him on the stand, the jury got to see his emotions about maggie and paul, which

were very raw and real. and they were move ing. think the jurors were moved by the testimony. but then the next day in cross-examination, you have to give credit where credit is due. they clearly painted alex as a liar who can just look you in the face and lie to you. >> did they counsel him not to take the stand? >> early on asked in the hallway. is your client going to take the stand. he said it's an audible. i'll know when i get to the live scrimmage. but i'm the told by many people they did counsel him originally not to take the stand. but as the case progressed over weeks and weeks and weeks, the jury heard so much testimony about this long running financial fraud that alex has now eadmitted to on the stand, that he saud to me that in the end they felt like alex wanted to take the stand, what was there to lose, is it convincing

the lawyer in his past work and maybe he could tell them this his own words and convince some jurors. >> valerie, we played the clip at the outset where juthe judge invites alex to come clean after he's been convicted and before the hammer comes down of sentencing. had he come clean and said, yes, i did it and here's why, there would be no appeal. that would be over how did you read that moment. >> i was sitting there and i gasped. it was one of the heaviest and most fascinating moments of my career. and the judge really put a lot of thought in what he had to say. he's very experienced. he will be 72 in november and will retire. he's done this for 20 years. he knew the murdaughs. he knew alex as a trial lawyer. he took this very personally.

he took it as an assault on the judicial system, an assault on law enforcement. these various lies that he said alex had told. and he really gave him the opportunity. he said it's rare for a defendant to tell me what happened, but i know you though in your heart what happened. when you fall asleep, you see your son paul, who i'm sure you loved. you see him in his last moments and what you do to him. and alex said, he sees paul all day every day. it was an incredible moment. >> i ladmired watching this evey of day the way in which the judge handled this case. and the way it was lawyered. as an attorney, it was really something to watch. although i have to say, i believe the admission of all that financial crime information is going to be a very interesting issue on appeal. so we'll see where it all ends up. thank you so much for your willingness to come on weekend after weekend, and i'm looking forward to the book that i know you're writing on this subject. you'll come back when you write the book.

>> i'd love to. thank you. so social media reaction. what do we have? from the world of youtube. we have not heard the last about murdaugh. hoping for closure on steven smith. where did all of alex's money go? are opioids that expensive? i can speak so long about everything you have just said. but on that issue of the opioids. i was waiting for the medical testimony. all we really had in the trial record of the case was what alex said his intake was. i would have liked to have heard from a physician, naumly a treating physician of his, somebody who treated him when he was in detox to say on the e admissions papers, here's what he told us he was taking. and for a patient who take this is amount, this is what it would do to them cognitively. but in the end, it was the dog video. placing him at the murder location within minutes of the murders taking place.

although final thing if i can say this. t"the new york times" today, really interesting insight wondering if maybe the jury was just too accepting of the case that technology made. go read that. i want to remind you. go to smerconish.com. who will be the last to leave office? biden, putin or zelenskyy? that is the poll question. a little bit off beat. i thought of it yesterday. i was just wondering who will be the last man standing in office. ahead, a "washington post" editorial stated china should answer how covid-19 began propaganda. it's just one of many questions still out there. why we need answers to restore confidence and trust. and my next guest asked for life advice for a thousand strangers in all of the lower 48 states taking their portraits while it was living out of his car for 12 weeks.

what did he learn about america? we're about to find out. for gl. two pairs and a free, quality eye exam starting at just $79.95? the exam alone is worth.h... 59 bucks. i mean, people deserveve breaks, right? yeah, brakes...! [out of control] book an exam today at americasbesest.com. after advil. feeling better? on top of the worlddddd!!! before advil. advil targets pain at the source of inflammation. when pain comes for you, come back fast with advil liqui-gels. plates. plates. plates. there's somehow no better way to travel this place, than on a plate. and when you add price drop protection, expedia pays you back if your flight becomes cheaper. so you can taste your way, through every single plate and never wonder if you found a good deal. because the good deal found you. ♪

think he's posting about all that ancient roman coinage? no. he's making real-time money moves with merrill. so no matter what the market's doing, he's ready. and that's... how you collect coins. your money never stops working for you with merrill, a bank of america company. ♪ma ma ma ma♪ [clears throut] for fast sore throat relief, try vicks vapocool drops with two times more menthol per drop*, and the powerful rush of vicks vapors for fast-acting relief you can feel. vicks vapocool drops. fast relief you can feel.

what crucial piece of life advice do you wish you'd been able to share with your younger self? that's the question my next guest asked a thousand americans all across the country while also taking their probation report portrait. the son of two indian immigrants quit his job at the nonprofit he founded and embarked in a j journey across his america. he lived in his car for 12 weeks. he slept in rest areas, parking lots, walmarts, on friend's couches. he approached a diverse swath of strangers asking them to impart life advice and could he take

their picture. he chronicled all of it on his instagram and youtube pages. here's some snippets of lessons he's been collecting. >> you can't get back time. i spent most of my life chasing it down. my daughter is grown. i could tell myself not to worry about what people think is and trust my gut to do what i felt was right. if you look the at the sky, it's blue, but someone else will say it's purple. that's their problem, not yours. save money. i did a lot of traveling, following fish, you think the money will always be there, but that's not always true. don't get married. that's it. just don't get married. >> a an artist and story teller joins me now. you put some miles on that car of yours. what made you do this? >> thank you for having me. there were two major reasons for

me doing had. the first being i wanted to push myself as far out of my comfort zone as i possibly could in the most extreme fashion. i'm sure you understand the greatest strides in personal development, personal growth happened when we push ourselves out of our comfort zone. i wanted to figure out the meaning of life. i wanted to figure out what it meant to make the most of life and figure that out. according to complete strangers. people like you and me. and i ended up photographing them so i could share this advice with eem. i photographed them on my camera, which i'm sure your viewers will enjoy seeing. i feel like the life advice i got showed me key themes about what it means to make the most of life. >> what is the common de denominator? you were asking each person the same question. what's the a advice you wish you could have given to your younger self. what was the take away? >> i'll give you a specific example. one of my favorite interactions

and somebody who mentioned something that was a common theme, something a that everybody else will understand more is this was number 549, a man who was from ohio. we met during my one hour in colorado springs, which speaks to the certain pep ty of this process. he got diagnosed with stage four cancer a few years ago and decided while he couldn't take anything with him, he could make memories. so he chose to make as many memories as he possibly could with his remaining time by getting matching tattoos with complete strangers. and unfortunately, he he passed away a couple weeks ago. i got my first tattoo with him before he passed, he gave me advice which was a huge theme. i wish i wouldn't have spent so much time working because i really missed out on a lot of things. when i look back and lost everything when i got the diagnosis, that's when i got more than i ever had in my life. i got human connection that i

never had before. what he said was one of the most important things in life is to have that human connection. >> how approachable were people? you show up, you're a young guy with this odd-looking camera. i want to ask you about the meaning of life. did people blow you off? >> no, i think the camera added to the friendliness of it. i was very careful to make sure that i looked as approachable as possible. i always kept a clean shaven face and wore brought yellow lk to, 99% of people were willing to at least chat with me. 90% were willing to be a part of that final series and have their photo taken of the thousands. >> you know the media, i'll say in my opinion, the media and the politicians keep telling us howdy provided we are in this country. are we as divided as they make us out to be.

>> my answer is a resounding no, we are the not. it really looks that way when you're just paying attention to the news, when you're just paying attention to social media. it's important for people to take a step back and are mind themselves what you seen opt social media is the worst of the worst of the worst things happening at any given moment on any day. the vast majority of in interactions are positive or at least neutral. >> i smell coffee table book. >> absolutely. 100%. i'm hoping to launch a book later this year. people can get notified when it's ready on my website. >> thank you so much for that. that's really cool. i love the project. i love the conclusion. you want to remind everybody. answer this week's poll question at smerconish.com. a little out of the box, but fun. who will be the last to leave office? biden, putin or zelenskyy? use the qr code, hold up your phone and it will go right to

the polling page. while you're there, register for the free newsletter, which is worthy. still toment co, three years into the covid-19 pandemic. three years ago this month when everything hit the fan. there are still debates over everything from the origin, the effectiveness of the vaccines, what's the latest? dr. lenah went is here to talk. my retirement funds allow me to enjoy what i love to do. i volunteer with the medicacal reserve corp. as long as you can make an impact, why stop? i think i changed my mind about these glasses. yeah, it happens. that's why visionworks gives you 100 days to change yo mind. it's simple. anything else i can help you with?

like what? visionworks. see the difference. my moderate to severe plaque psoriasis... the burning, itching. the pain. emerge tremfyant®. with tremfya®, most people saw 90% clearer skin at 16 weeks. the majority of people saw 90% clearer skin even at 5 years. serious allergic reactions may occur. tremfya® may increase your risk of infections and lower your ability to fight them. tell your doctor if you have an infection or symptoms or if you had a vaccine or plan to. emerge tremfyant®. with tremfya®. ask your doctor about tremfya® today.

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ start your day with nature made. the #1 pharmacist recommended vitamin and supplement brand.

(psst psst) ahhhh... with flonase, allergies don't have to be scary. spray flonase sensimist daily for non-drowsy, long lasting relief in a scent-free, gentle mist. (psst psst) flonase. all good.

there's always a fresh deal on the subway app. like this one! 50% off?! that deal's so good we don't even need an eight-time all-star to tell you about it. wait what? get it before it's gone on the subway app! this month marks the anniversary since the world health organization declared the coronavirus ab a pandemic. what do we need to understand? mf government officials have been saying it's like ly that te origin of the disease was a lab leak and not the wet market. opinions are still sit di provide. there's discussions of what role

vaccines will play moving trd. joining me is dr. leana wen. he's a public health professor at george washington university and emergency room physician. dr. wen, thank you for coming become. confidence in medical scientists and the cdc has declined since covid. could that have been avoided? >> well, i have to say first of all that there has been a the lot of misinformation. there are people who perpetuated t that. it's not from reputable scientists and public health officials. but at the psalm time, i also think that the public health establishment has made some unforced errors, including not acknowledging a as much as we should have that science ev evolves. when science changes and new data come out, our recommendations also have to change. i think the cdc could have done a better job of explaining the rational behind their changes and i also think we shouldn't have been so quick to dismiss certain hypotheses that turn out

to be valid. natural immunity is actually a thing. but i think there was fear initially if we talked about natural immunity, it might desuede people from getting vax vat nated. in not being truthful, it was to try to get people vaccinated, i think that ended up breeding dus trust. it you're not being honest about this one thing, why should i trust you on others? >> i can remember putting scott atlas on cnn, both from stanford, and the blowback about how in the world could you allow them to talk about natural or herd immunity was unbelievable. but in your case speaking to the contentiousness of this, somebody sitting in prison today because of threats they made about you for expressing your own opinions. >> that's right. unfortunately, i and many other public health experts have received threats to our lives,

even to our families because of what we're trying to do, which is to explain this evolving science to people in a frightening time. everybody theed the same thing. especially early in the pa pandemic. there was so much we didn't know about covid. people. ed to know how to protect themselves and their families. we're trying our best to explain that. but over time, i have also seen initial ly the threats came fro anti-vaxxers. but over time, i have seen it's the other side, if you will, that also became really incensed because they probably thought that i was on, quote, their side, and when my views evolved, i initially supported vaccine mandates and mask mandates. then the data changed about the evident fa ka sit of vaccines. they are still against severe disease, but they are not that effective at protecting you from any infection. therefore, they are not so good as protecting against transmission, so my views changed.

then it became the other side that became incensed. so there's been a major problem when people are latching on to a belief in certain public health ideology and that becomes their identity, we are now having the forever maskers who are not willing to change their views either. people who still deny the effectiveness of the vaccines a at all, it's really become a problem. i fear for the future of public health because if public health is now in the political cross hairs, then how are we going to get people together if we have a next pandemic? >> i share your concern, and i would just say that from my perspective, it all took on a red state/blue state mentality, when it seems like we were arguing for the science that we thought was going to make our side look better or worse. the lab leak is a great example. i can can tell you i was treated

as if it was heresy on radio or television if i paid attention to the idea that it came from the virology lab instead of the wet market. look where we are today. this week in an interview it was saud he believes it came from a lab leak. >> i think part of the problem is that some of the people initially, not you, but some of the other people speaking in favor of a lab leak were talking about it as a bioweapon. they were suggesting that this was somehow intentional on the part of china or scientists or something ask creating this pathogen. that was wrong. in fact, all the intelligence agencies, including the fbi and energy department have said they do not believe there was intentionality behind it. that's part of the problem. lab leak, now we are saying it could be an accidental lab leak versus it could be animal spillover. and i also think part of the issue is china has been totally wrong in not allowing independent investigations, but

at this point, don't see what level of of evidence to be prod produced in order to convince both suds that they are wrong. i don't know if we're ever going to come to a definitive answer, because people are so dug in in how they think about the origin of covid. so what i'm proposing about this is that we can think both are possible. i'm not saying stop investigating, but we need to move trd. we need to prevent the next pandemic. that's exactly right. is. >> stay with me. you know i love to respond to social media in realtime. i'm ill equipped on covid. i have the expert in you. so katherine, give me something. i can involve dr. wen in responding we need to embrace where the experts got it wrong. our children were never at risk compared to elderly or those with preconditions. a one-size fits all approach did harm. experts need to embrace this,

not deny and defend. that's not necessarily directed at you. but what thought do you have about that? >> i think the issue is that we keep on saying follow the science. of course, i agree with following the science and being evidence-based in our decisions. the problem is that science alone is usually not going to give us the answers. for example, even it we knew a the very beginning that school closures would result in this much harm in children, but also additionally before we reached such levels of high immunity, before it is true that closing schools probably reduced a level of transmission and may have saved lives. if you have those same data, different people are going to come to different conclusions. and i actually think that so much of what's gone wrong in people's trust of public health officials is that we keep on saying follow the science as if there's one right answer. there isn't. it's all about tradeoffs. public health is extremely complex. it's really knuanced. the more we can lean into that

nuance and talk about tradeoffs, the more we're able to convey the actually how accocomplicatee situation is. >> do you think in retrospect we should have given more consideration to isolating those who were most at risk, the elderly people with comorbidities and allowing people to lead their lives knowing they would get it and embracing more herd immunity. >> i think we could have started doing that once the vaccine became widely available. before the vaccines were widely available, we had such little population immunity that kind of strategy would have resulted in a lot more death. as it turns out, after the omicron variant came out in december of 2021, at that point, we really understood that this is so contagious that we're all going to get it. i think that is the point at which we could have said, let's stop with the keeping schools

closed and other mitigation measures that are causing harm and instead embrace that the science has changed. is and also we have a new variant that both a lot more contagious and causes less severe disease. >> cut say that i find your reflection to be healthy, necessary and in the public's best interest. thank you for being here as always. >> thank you, michael. still to colt, more of your best and worst comments. and the final result of the off the wall poll question from smerconish.com. who will be the last to leave office? biden, putin or zelenskyy? re ou. wait. can i still play? since we work with e emower, we don't have to worry about planning for a third kid. you can still play golf... sometimes. take control of your financial future to empower what's next. works hard at hour one and twice as hard when you take it again the next day. so betty can be the... barcode beat conductor. ♪ go betty! ♪ let's be mor than our allergies!

zeize the day. with zyrtec. introducing new sweet and savory crepes. whether you like the flavor of cinnamon bun after sunset. or prefer to wake up to a little eggs and bacon.

day or night, it's always time for crepes. for a limited time, buy one, get one free with five flavors that are delicious any time of day. only from ihop. download the app and earn free food with every order. if your moderate to severe crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis symptoms are stopping you in your tracks... choose stelara® from the start... and move toward relief after the first dose... with injections every two months. stelara® may increase your risk of infections, some serious, and cancer. before treatment, get tested for tb. tell your doctor if you have an infection, flu-like symptoms, sores, new skin growths, have had cancer, or if you need a vaccine. pres, a rare, potentially fatal brain condition, may be possible. some serious allergic reactions and lung inflammation can occur. feel unstoppable. ask your doctor how lasting remission can start with stelara®.

janssen can help you explore cost support options. i was always the competitive one in our family... 'til my sister signed up for united healthcare medicare advantage. ♪wow, uh-huh♪ now she's got a whole team to help her get the most out of her plan. ♪wow, uh-huh♪ with coverage that's better than ever for dental... ...vision... ...prescription drugs and more. advantage: me! can't wait 'til i turn 65! aarp medicare advantage plans, only from unitedhealthcare. take advantage now at uhc.com/medicare

of this week's poll question. isn't that interesting? 30,000 have voted, who will be the last to leave office? president zelenskyy wins, with 49% of the vote. and i don't know what the right answer is, obviously, a guy like putin doesn't go voluntarily into that night. right? so in his case, he either leaves in a box or because there's a coup. biden's term is defined. one term, maybe it's two terms but people think that zelenskyy, keep voting, i'll leave it up for the rest of the day at smerconish.com. more social media reaction. what do we have?

this came in during the course of the program. your ruts will be skewed toward zelenskyy because of the advanced advantage, poor health of the other two. perhaps. that doesn't make it the wrong answer. but i'm sure that was a factor. here's more social media reaction from today's program. if we don't stand with ukraine and assist them in victory we will pay the price with our own sons and daughters. yeah, and if we don't continue to stand with ukraine, i would argue that in the end, god forbid it takes a different turn, then, you know, the ukrainians also will have an tip this for us, and for the right reasons if we didn't continue to stand with them. one more, i think i've got time. maybe two. should people fired for not taking the vaccine be able to sue for restitution. i think everybody, captain gravy, everybody should have taken the vaccine. the right call then was for everyone to get vaccinated. if the implication is that we've learned something now about the vaccines, that caused us to make

the wrong choice in getting everyone vaccinated, i can't agree with that. go to smerconish.com if you didn't already vote, cast a ballot, register for the newsletter, i'll see you next week. ♪ my relatioionship with my credit cards wasn't good.. i got into debt in college and, no matter how much i paid, it followed me everywhere. between the high intest, the fees... debt, debt, debt. so i broke up with my credit card debt and considated it the fees... into a low-rate personal loafrom sofi. i finally feel like a grown-up. break up with bad credit card debt. get a personal loan with no fees, low fixed rates, and borrow up to $100k. go to sofi.com to view your rate. sofi. get your money right. ♪ hi, i'm michael, i've lost 62 pounds on golo and i have kept it off. most of the weight that i gained was strictly in my belly which is a sign of insulin resistance. but since golo, that weight has completely gone away, as you can tell. thanks to golo and release,

i've got my life and my health back. nothing. nothing. absolutely, nothing. it really is something. as an expedia member, you can save up to 30% when you add a hotel to your flight. so you can have a bit more money, to do even less. because you've got a whole lot of nothing to do and absolutely nowhere to be. ugh covid-19? and being overweight makes it more risky. i'm calling my doctor. if it's covid, paxlovid. authorized for emergency use, paxlovid is an oral treatment for people 12 and up... who have mild-to-moderate covid-19 and have a high-risk factor for it becoming severe. my symptoms are mild now, but i'm not waiting. if it's covid, paxlovid. having even one risk factor, like being over 50, diabetes, or smoking

increases your chances of severe covid. taken within five days of symptoms, paxlovid reduced the risk of developing severe covid-19 by 86%. paxlovid may strengthen or weaken other medicines. taking it with certain medicines may cause life threatening side effects or affect how paxlovid works. so it's critical to tell your doctor about all medicines you take including herbal supplements, because lab tests or changing the dose of your medicines may be needed. tell your doctor if you have any serious illnesses, allergies, liver or kidney disease, are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, are breastfeeding, or use birth control. paxlovid may affect how your birth control works. don't take paxlovid if you're allergic to nirmatrelvir, ritonavir, or any of its ingredients. serious side effects can include allergic reactions, liver problems, and issues with hiv medicines. other side effects include altered taste, diarrhea, high blood pressure, muscle aches, abdominal pain, nausea, and feeling unwell. with my asthma, i knew it could be riskier. if it's covid, paxlovid. ask your doctor or pharmacist if paxlovid is right for you.

that performance was legendary. they just piled it on. roast beef, ham, oven roasted turkey. all on the subway club. three peat - that's great. three meat - that's epic. the subway series. the greatest menu of all time. i screwed up. mhm. i got us t-mobile home internet. now cell phone users have priority over us. and your marriage survived that? you can almost feel the drag when people walk by with their phones. oh i can't hear you... you're froze-- ladies, please! you put it on airplane mode when you pass our house. i was trying to work. we're workin' it too. yeah! work it girl! woo! i want to hear you say it out loud. well, i could switch us to xfinity. those smiles. that's why i do what i do.

that and the paycheck. good morning, everyone. it is saturday, march