at splenda stevia farms, our plants are sweetened by sunshine. experience how great splenda stevia can be. grown on our farm, enjoyed at your table. (♪♪) enamel and gums first. enjoyed at your table. but as a person who loves coffee, i want white teeth. after 30 years of practicing dentistry, i couldn't find a product that was clinically proven to deliver on health and whitening. so i made one. lumineux whitening strips and toothpaste can give you long lasting whitening results without the sensitivity, because they are proven to be enamel safe. you can find lumineux at walmart and target. lumineux is a healthier way to whiten.

a very good day to all of you from msnbc world headquarters in new york. welcome to alex whitney reports. we begin with the white house transition and 65 days until inauguration day. the trump team named 23 of its choices for key cabinet and administration roles. the team has yet for the names of treasury, commerce and labor secretaries. meanwhile, four of trumps pics are drawing the bulk of public commentary and criticism. tulsi gabbard, matt gaetz, p had and robert f kennedy jr.. new predictions following speaker mike johnson's to suppress an ethics report on sexual misconduct and drug use allegations against gaetz who denies all of it. one former trump white house insider says while these choices may shock experts she believes these are serious proposals from trump. >> i think it is hilarious all the discourse out there about donald trump is playing chess, he's putting up a crazy nominee knowing it will fail so he can

put up his second choice and the senate will have no choice but to confirm them. that is not what's happening. he knows he's drunk on power right now because he feels he was given a mandate by winning the popular vote, he has control of both chambers of commerce and doesn't have to worry about running for re- election. >> as democrats regroup and look to political policy battles ahead congresswoman says she is not ready to give up on progressive ideals. >> it's not just one election. i don't think we can just blame the candidate who had 104 days to get this done. i think we really have to be willing to look deeper at what has been happening over time. why didn't we raise minimum wage and we could? minimum wage is passing on the ballot in trump states. three states. >> breaking news, president

biden is meeting with the asian- pacific leaders in peru. he's expected to meet on the sidelines today with chinese leader. we will have a live report later on. we have reporters now in place covering all of these new developing story lines. we will go to allie raffa near mar-a-lago in florida for us. not surprisingly because it's been all the headlines of late donald trump's pick for attorney general still embroiled in controversy. give me the latest on the confirmation process for former congressman matt gaetz. >> yeah, there's growing controversy over this pick not just because of matt gaetz prior comments and stances while in congress and repeated loyalty to the former president and now president-elect, but given this recent reporting dashes sorry, this report from the house ethics committee of these allegations of sexual misconduct and illicit drug use that gaetz denies, there is a

growing controversy over whether senators and members of congress are ever going to see that final report, those documents involved in the house ethics committee investigation regarding gaetz. remember, gaetz resigned from congress shortly after this announcement by president-elect trump to nominate him for attorney general. we are seeing really outrage on both sides of the aisle. republicans call for that report to be made public, democrats alike. it's unclear whether that is going to happen. we heard from house speaker mike johnson yesterday who called for the report to remain under the rug. at this point it is still unclear but that is one of the pics from president-elect trump that is gaining more and more controversy. we talked about rfk jr. and his intention to nominate him as health and human services secretary. we are also hearing more nominations we got yesterday as

far as appointments to the presidents communications team and there is still unfilled spots in this cabinet, very critical roles like the secretaries of labor, agriculture, commerce and treasury. >> okay. thank you. can i ask about the comings and goings, have you been seeing a lot of going in and out of mar- a-lago? has it been a revolving door? >> we do know there were meetings yesterday at mar-a- lago. today is still unclear and at this point unclear whether we will see anymore announcements, over the course of this weekend. in the past we have seen the president-elect he physically at his mar-a-lago estate when these announcements do drop and we know that later today he will be heading to madison square garden for the ufc fight. at this point it is unclear whether at least tonight or tomorrow we get anymore announcement of his intentions

to pick officials and members of his administration. >> he will be here in new york. we believe he has at home in new york. thank you for that. we will go to julie joining us from capitol hill. i know you also had some exclusive reporting about matt gaetz and the gop concerns about him. tell us about the president- elect's other controversial pics and where they stand today. >> you can imagine matt gaetz dropped like a bombshell here on capitol hill. everyone was in complete shock and it came right after the president-elect intended to nominate tulsi gabbard as the head of national intelligence. the director in that coveted post, it came only moments before he actually named rfk jr. to be the head of the health and human services agency that is tasked with looking over the vaccinations americans receive, with the food process,

everything else you can imagine in that space. all of that overshadowed as i mentioned but it doesn't mean democrats and republicans alike don't have their thoughts about these pics. take a listen to what this democratic congresswoman from florida had to say yesterday about this. >> she's considered to be essentially, by most, a russian asset and would be the most -- yes. yes. there is no question. i consider her someone who is likely a russian asset. >> schultz is certainly not alone. senator mark warner who is the top democrat on the senate intelligence panel expressed very grave, serious concerns. the thing is with republicans having presumably 53 seats once the pennsylvania senate race is settled that gives a lot of buffer to confirm all these nominees without much problems except for matt gaetz.

i know we will talk later on, but more than half of the republican conference sources telling me they are not inclined to vote for him, not inclined to confirm him. as you heard, a lot can come out from the report or any background check they do on him. >> what about the recess appointments and that concept, how would that work and is it realistic? >> that's a great question because this is presumably the biggest test that senate republicans will face. the appointment or intention to nominate matt gaetz came a couple of hours after senator john bloom became the nearly named leader of republicans. this is a change they haven't seen in nearly 20 years with mitch mcconnell holding that previously. it's relevant because thune signed on to his ask having them bash something that hasn't been done in more than 10 years. essentially, it means trump can recess the senate chamber if there is agreement as well from

the house and push these pics through without any kind of confirmation process in the upper chamber. senators i spoke to told me it is the absolute last resort and gaetz is ringing some alarm bells. >> we will see you again soon, thank you. the washington post reports trump's transition team is now reviewing the selection of pete hegseth even though his lawyer says heck seth was long ago cleared of sexual assault allegations after police investigation and also no charges were filed on that. the trump transition team pushing back on the post report saying, quote, president trump is nominating high-caliber and extremely qualified candidates to serve in his administration adding mr. hegseth has vigorously denied any and all accusations and no charges were filed. we look forward to his confirmation as united states secretary of defense. joining me now, john hudson, washington post national security reporter and co-author on this new report. welcome.

you say trump's team was caught by surprise and they fear that more allegations my service. what is it they are concerned about? >> the concern is that there are going to be more allegations, more extramarital affairs. this all came together extremely quickly. it started with a phone call between trump and hegseth last week asking if he would be interested in being the pentagon chief. within a matter of days, hegseth was on a plane to mar- a-lago to have that meeting with which he would accept the position. they put the announcement out. a day after the announcement of the nomination came out a complaint was sent to the transition team with detailed allegations related to an alleged assault from a woman claiming that she was assaulted by hegseth in 2017 at a republican conference in

monterey, california. hegseth, through his lawyer, denies that any assault took place saying that this was a consensual engagement, but there is really a lot of concern, a lot of disappointment within the transition within people close to trump. the feeling was that, yes, there was -- he had failed marriages. there have been extramarital affairs but they thought maybe that had gotten beyond him and he had learned a lesson and the concern is there will be many more that come out. it is unclear. so far trump is standing behind hegseth. >> i want to play something that will prove that. let's take a listen to what laura trump said a short time ago on fox news. >> i want to make a comment quickly on your own pete hegseth who i think will do an

incredible job. not only is he qualified for this position, but i think something people don't talk about is how recruitment is down for the united states military. we want a strong military, we never want to have to use it. peace through strength is his motto. i think pete hegseth could be the person who is a recruiting tool for our u.s. military and i would love to see that, that's exactly the kind of person we need at the tip of the spear. >> does that suggest to you, john, that they are not backing off on pete hegseth? >> yes, they have given no public indication of backing off at this point. he's got further endorsement, vice president vance, vice president-elect vance gave his endorsement weighing into a controversy over some of the tattoos that hegseth has saying that this is largely a smear campaign against someone who is a professed christian. that's not anything we got into

on our piece related to these claims. >> did you get into the vetting process before he was announced as a potential nominee, do you know how extensive that was? >> my understanding is it was not extensive at all. there were conversations that were had, conversations including with president trump about some of his background, but he was not briefed on the extensive nature of some new allegations, that did catch people by surprise. it is my understanding that some thought it would've been a good idea to have a private firm do some vetting. that doesn't seem to be an indication that it did happen at this point. this is really a sort of lightning round of cabinet picks. some happening a lot faster than some more comfortable with. >> let me move to something you also co-authored, this article. it is on israel preparing

lebanon cease-fire plan as a gift to trump, what is behind that and what does that look like? >> yeah, this is an interesting development that happened in mar-a-lago. close aide to prime minister benjamin netanyahu had a meeting with trump and was making an interesting pitch that was a window into how the israelis want to work the trump relationship as the administration starts to become closer to taking power. the biden administration is involved in efforts to try to secure a cease-fire in lebanon where there are significant hostilities with israelis. what the israelis said, according to our sources, is that they could be serving up a big win for trump and having a cease-fire agreement that he would be able to take credit for coming into office.

officials i've talked to say this is been negotiated by the biden administration. if we get a cease-fire we get credit for it. long story short, there is no cease-fire, there's a lot of violence happening in the middle east but the israelis are really catering to trump's interest in being able to claim an early win. >> john hudson, thank you so much for weighing in on both stories. rfk jr. crashed a live interview with my next guest, a member of congress, she also served on the judiciary committee with matt gaetz so we will hear all about that next. back in 90 seconds. and grime in half the time. yeah, it absorbs grease five times faster. even replaces multiple cleaning products. ooh, those suds got game. dawn powerwash. the better grease getter.

our right to reproductive health care is being stolen from us. i can't believe this is the world we live in, where we're losing the freedom to control our own bodies. we need your support now more than ever. go online, call, or scan this code, with your $19 monthly gift. and we'll send you this "care. no matter what" t-shirt. it is your right to have safe health care. that's it. go online, call, or scan right now.

donald trump ran on a promise to shake up washington, d.c. he's doing exactly that. matt gaetz is one example. i think he's the perfect pick for this job because you can't fix what's broken by taking people from inside what they broke. >> what was your reaction when you heard it was matt gaetz? are you going to support him? >> he would have to get past the judiciary committee. i want to hear the case. i would be open to it, but he's got a steep hill to climb to get lots of votes including mine. >> the reaction from a public and members of congress on donald trump's pick. nbc news is reporting more than

half of senate republicans including some in senior leadership positions privately saying they don't see a path for the former florida congressman to be confirmed. joining me now, madeleine dean, she serves on the house of foreign affairs and judiciary committees. welcome, it is good to see you. first question, you served with matt gaetz on the judiciary committee before he resigned on wednesday. can he get confirmed by the senate as attorney general of the united states? >> good to be with you this saturday morning. you are right, i have served with matt gaetz for years now on the judiciary committee. what i think and what i see most people think is that for this important pick the two criteria i believe are integrity and independence. i have seen, sadly up close and personally just how mr. gaetz lacks both of those things. he has spent the past few years doing everything in his power to tear down our faith in institutions to make sure he

lies and spreads disinformation and conspiracy theories and guess what? my two criteria were not donald trump's criteria. his criteria is loyalty and a love of chaos. smash the furniture on my behalf. >> house speaker mike johnson says he will strongly request the house ethics committee withhold its report about its investigation into matt gaetz. they had zeroed in on not only alleged sexual misconduct but illicit drug use, accepting improper gifts, obstruction and other allegations. is it a breach of protocol to share the details as speaker johnson claims, and if so, should protocol be set aside and allow the content of the report to be included when considering gaetz for the top law enforcement job in the country? >> i'm thinking back to the judiciary committee and what have republicans been saying for session after session,

transparency. there is president this ethics report, which is months in the making, was supposed to be delivered this week. there is precedent it should be released and it must be released. i call these two actions both mr. gaetz resigning after the notice of this appointment in order to try to avoid liability under the ethics report, as well as the speaker's actions, you saw on the first day he said it'll be up to the ethics committee and then the very next day he turned around and said this should never see the light of day. this is what i call the texas two-step. it's not just a dance. that is a legal strategy to avoid liability. each one of these people, each character is not doing his job. he's doing the bidding of donald trump. >> i know you also served alongside former hawaii

congressman tulsi gabbard who trump picked to be director of national intelligence. does she have the credentials for such an important position? >> clearly not. with all of these appointments, or at least most, we are finding they are not serious pics. this is not a serious person, this is somebody i served alongside in the first congress i was here three congress is a go when she was on financial services alongside me literally in my row. she was seldom there because she was moving on to either visit and use mouthing of the talking points of vladimir putin or visiting syrian president. she also just wasn't there. she wasn't present. she's a democrat who flip- flopped. she cozies up to these dictators, those who really

harmed their own citizens. that is appealing to donald trump. she's not a serious pick for this extraordinarily important position of national intelligence overseeing 18 different national intelligence agencies, knowing every single one of the most important secrets that our country has to be able to hold closely. it's a very unserious pick and a dangerous one. >> i have another one for you. as a member of the foreign affairs committee what is your thoughts on trump's pick for defense secretary, pete hegseth, was he on your radar before the announcement? >> he was not. i don't know him personally just as i did know tulsi gabbard and i know matt gaetz. i'm concerned, very concerned. you see the allegations just like mr. gaetz has similar allegations of sexual impropriety and what we see here with these allegations. they are just allegations, but doesn't it also ring incredibly

true that mr. trump would see past any of those kinds of allegations of sexual misconduct because, of course, he saw past it in his own behavior even though he was held to account? >> how about one more controversial pick for the cabinet, robert f. kennedy jr., secretary of health and human services. i understand you met him recently and asked him about his vision of the future for the environment for woman's reproductive freedom and protecting us against the next pandemic. let's take a listen to this. >> mr. kennedy, what you see for the future of my grandchildren? >> i am grateful for you. for your commitment to any conversation and dialogue with people. my main concern in public life has been ending chronic disease. it is the biggest threat to our children.

>> he has read conspiracy theories about vaccines, fluoride in the water among others. did he sell you on his vision for the future health of america? >> no. not at all. i'm very concerned about him as the choice here. what i also said to him was i carry with me every day this pin that was 1968 when bobby kennedy ran for president. i carry it with me as a model of public service that the kennedy family has revealed and shown for decades. i don't see that same sense of public service in bobby kennedy jr., sadly. he, too, is about conspiracy theories and a loyalist to donald trump. he likes the chaos. he disavows science. i think, again, this is an unserious pick. his own family, although they love him and they have said that, i was with patrick kennedy yesterday, they don't think this is a good pick for the future health of our country.

he did not satisfy me when he crashed that interview and i asked about my grandchildren because i am clear in the work i do that we all must do together is that our children and grandchildren and i have to tell you i am clear eyed and getting over some disappointment because, just this last week, the day after the election i had my fifth grandchild. we have a new baby girl in the family. >> that is great news. a very happy note to end the interview. like you so much and congratulations to you and your loved ones. a sad first day of trial in a murder case that sparked a national debate. r-o-l-a-i-d-s rolaids' dual-active formula begins to neutralize acid on contact. r-o-l-a-i-d-s spells relief.

we all need fiber for our digestive health, but less than 10% of us get enough each day. good thing metamucil gummies are an easy way to get prebiotic, plant-based fiber. with the same amount of fiber as 2 cups of broccoli. metamucil gummies. the easy way to get your daily fiber.

drop everything and get some magic of your own metamucil gummies. during the xfinity black friday sale. xfinity internet customers, our best deals of the year are back! switch to xfinity mobile and get your choice of a free 5g phone, plus your next unlimited line free for a year. get amazing savings and connect to wifi speeds up to a gig on the go with xfinity mobile. fly don't walk to get our best deals of the year. connect to the world of wicked this holiday,

only in theaters november 22nd. the trial of an undocumented migrant accused of killing a georgia nursing student is set to resume monday after emotional opening statements. chilling details emerged in the murder of laken riley, a case that sparked a national debate over immigration. we are joined in atlanta. welcome. what was it like in court? >> that's right. 30 of laken riley's family members were inside the courtroom on day one and they were incredibly emotional while listening to the testimony. some having to step outside of the courtroom when some of the more graphic pieces of evidence were being presented to the judge. day one of the highly anticipated trial prosecutors revealed chilling details about how they believe jose ibarra

murdered 22-year-old nursing student laken riley while she was out for a run in february. >> he went hunting for females on the university of georgia campus. when laken riley refused to be his victim he bashed her skull in with a rock. >> 26-year-old ibarra is from venezuela , the case became a flashpoint for the national debate over immigration that the prosecution also revealed testimony and body camera video from the police officer who discovered riley's body. only the audio was publicly shared. >> i found her. ma'am. >> prosecutors played a 911 call they say riley tried to make. they pointed to an array of digital evidence including riley's smart watch that tracked her until the moment her heartbeat was no longer

detected. they say ibarra's dna was found under her fingernails and his fingerprint on her phone. the defense attacking the evidence in calling allegations of sexual assault speculation. >> evidence that jose ibarra killed laken riley is circumstantial. >> and taking issue with how the case has become political. >> people have used this case for their own personal gain, financial gain, political gain. >> earlier, riley's dad told nbc news he's also frustrated his daughter's death became intertwined with politics. >> it makes me angry. i feel like they're using my daughter's name for that. she was an angel. >> there was no jury inside the courtroom because earlier this week jose ibarra actually waived his right to a jury trial which means both his fate and any sentencing will be in the hands of the judge. >> thank you so much.

the author of this washington post article would join me next. 10 rfk jr. conspiracy theories and false claims in his own words. wear it again! i added the unstopables now with odor blocker and it keeps our clothes fresh all day! [sniff] ooo imma be feelin it at work today. she smells so good i'm actually paying attention! smell unstopable. chase knows how to put the hart in your local community. evan! you're helping them with savings, right? (♪♪) somebody just got their first debit card! ice cream on you? your money is a part of your community, so your bank should be too. like, chase! (♪♪) (♪♪) voltaren... for long lasting arthritis pain relief. (♪♪) ♪ i'm gonna hold you forever... ♪

♪ i'll be there... ♪ ♪ you don't... ♪ ♪ you don't have to worry... ♪

sounds like you need to vaporize that cold. dayquil vapocool? it's dayquil plus a rush of vicks vapors. ♪ vapocooooool ♪ woah. dayquil vapocool. the vaporizing daytime, coughing, aching, stuffy head, power through your day, medicine.

breaking news right now, president biden is meeting foreign leaders at the asian- pacific economic summit in peru. in just hours he will be

sitting down with chinese president xi jinping. nbc's mike, a.k.a. president biden's shadow, is with the president. with the big smile on your face i welcome you and i know this will likely be the last time they will meet before trump takes office. what will they discuss? >> even as president biden does prepare to handle power to president-elect donald trump this is a critical conversation with his chinese counterpart. having these direct conversations are critical to avoid miscalculation as the u.s. officials would like to call the strategic competition with china. you will hear these two men talking about a traditional range of bilateral issues and concerns, the issue of taiwan, navigating the south china sea, the range of issues on the economy. china very concerned of what donald trump may propose in tariffs but what is top of mind for president biden has to do with the war in ukraine. china providing some material support for russia as they wage

that were against ukraine that they want china to exert over north korea as they are providing some boots on the ground for russia potentially in continuing that work, something officials have called a dangerous escalation. it is not an accident that as we prepare for that meeting today between biden and xi jinping he had a meeting with his counterparts from south korea and japan. this is a new arrangement president biden is taking pride in elevating because it's a way to counter the influence of china in the region. listen to how president biden described the relationship yesterday. >> this is likely to be my last trilateral meeting with this important group. i am proud to have helped with parts of building this partnership. i think it's built to last. that is my hope and expectation. i truly believe cooperation of our countries will be a foundation to peace and

stability in the indo pacific for many years to come. >> even as president biden is attending the summit and most of his counterparts here are thinking about what comes next with donald trump a u.s. official insisted last night that donald trump has not come up in any conversations, but we did hear from one of the closest allies both literally and figuratively, he said at a session yesterday nothing is going to be easy as it relates to potentially working with the trump administration but he took some stock in the fact that when trump was last president they could negotiate things like the usmc trade agreement. the u.s. stands for its interest in canadian prime minister trudeau says he's prepared to deal with what's next. >> thank you so much. we look forward to seeing you again. let's go to a new report on many of president biden's executive actions that could be

undone during a second trump term, but not every part of his legacy can be dismantled by the incoming administration. we have victoria difrancesco soto, dean of the clinton school of public service and university of arkansas. welcome. we will start with president biden spending tax policies. which ones will trump try to eliminate and which do you think might be safe? >> i think he is going to have to speak to his base and promise being both the vote for the millionaires, billionaires, corporate taxes, cutting taxes and he never said it this way, but it is essentially a trickle- down politicking is putting forward. to the base that is not making those seven figures and above. it's about if everybody is better off you will be better off. i think that's a very long- winded answer to cutting taxes all around.

i think that is going to be number one of what we are seeing . because of the congressional makeup this is going to be, in theory, rather easy. he has power across the board even though the majority in the republican party, in congress isn't as wide as we have deemed in other episodes, it is likely going to hold. i do think we are going to see a lot more cuts at the very top with the hope it will trickle down in theory. >> executive action would be something that would be easy to cut, but bipartisan bills, those are believed to be somewhat safe. they include the safer communities act gun law and respect for marriage act. what are your thoughts? >> in terms of the executive orders let me say something briefly because it is just so frustrating to see governing via executive orders.

we have had executive orders for a very long time. george washington put forward executive orders, but in our hyper partisan context we have seen presidents, especially obama and trump and biting, rely on them more and more and it is frustrating because it is something so transitory. likely we are going to see a number of these executive orders are appealed. one here in terms of president biden and his executive quarters is that he came in guns blazing. he came in and put forward the most executive orders in the shortest amount of time we had ever seen, within the first two weeks he offered well over a dozen within the first month. we saw a lot of executive orders because there was a lack of political will. there wasn't that unity we have seen in other eras. in terms of being able to govern with regards to statute, the passing bills in our

congress, if you are able to pass a bill that is going to be so much stickier. in terms of what the will of congress and the new president is going to be, in theory they could backtrack and undo bipartisan bills that were passed. the? is there. we know there are new members in congress. if i were a betting woman the bipartisan ones are going to be safer. >> there's a lot to digest, we will have you back because there's a lot to go through. thank you. what to make of the matt gaetz nod to head the doj and why there's a big effort to keep the house ethics report on him a secret. is the best in it's class. the ultra-low easy step helps keep you safe from having to climb over those high walled tubs, allowing you to age gracefully in the home you love. and now, back by popular demand,

for a limited time, when you purchase your brand-new safe step walk-in tub, you'll receive a free shower package! yes! a free shower package, and if you call today, you'll also receive $1600 off. now you can enjoy the best of both worlds. the therapeutic benefits of a warm, soothing bath, that can help increase mobility, relieve pain, boost energy, and even improve sleep. or, if you prefer, you can take a refreshing shower all in one product! call now!

speaker: who's coming in the driveway? speaker: dad. dad, we missed you. daddy, hi. speaker: goodness. my daughter is being treated for leukemia. [music playing] i hope that she lives a long, great, happy life and that she will never forget how mom and daddy love her.

saint jude-- maybe this is what's keeping my baby girl alive. [music playing] narrator: you can join the battle to save lives by supporting st. jude children's research hospital. for just $19 a month, you'll help us continue the life-saving research and treatment these kids need now and in the future. speaker: cancer makes me feel angry, like not in the feel on the outside, just the inside. i'm angry at it. speaker: when your kid is hurting and there's nothing you can do about it, that's the worst feeling in the world. [music playing] narrator: 1 in 5 children diagnosed with cancer in the us will not survive. speaker: those that donate to st. jude, i hope that you will continue to give. they have done so much for me and my family. [music playing]

narrator: join with your credit or debit card for only $19 a month, and we'll send you this st. jude t-shirt, or, for a limited time only, join for $39 a month to receive this exclusive st. jude jacket you can proudly wear to show your support. speaker: are you ready to go have some fun? speaker: yeah. speaker: when we came here, we didn't know what tomorrow would hold. st. jude showed us that tomorrow, there's hope for our little girl to survive. narrator: let's cure childhood cancer together. please donate now. [music playing] there are some feelings you can get with any sportsbook. ohhh! the highs! no, no, no. the no, no, noooos - oooooooo! the oh, oh, ohhhhs! now whatcha wanna do with this? but the feeling that, no matter what, you're taken care of. ohhh, i just earned a hotel suite! hee! you only get that here. at the sportsbook born in vegas,

where they know how to treat you right. who you talking to jamie foxx? bonus bets. exclusive offers. real world rewards. betmgm. download and bet today. there's no vaccine that is safe and effective. i do believe it does come from vaccines. they will have a right to compel unwanted medical interventions on us. they did that in the camps. covid-19 is targeted to attack caucasians and black people. they are putting in 5g to harvest our data and controller behavior. >> that is some of several things trump hhs secretary peg robert f. kennedy jr. has said which are sounding alarm bells

in the medical community and elsewhere. joining us to examine the impacts of his beliefs are washington post and signs accountability reporter lauren weber. welcome. in your latest article you layout 10 of kennedy's opinions which have medical experts worried. which one is most concerning or could be most damaging that typically goes under the radar? >> i think ones have gone under the radar -- i mean, the one he's most well-known for his his claim that vaccines are linked to autism. it has been thoroughly debunked and experts are very clear to point out is not true. he found in an anti-vaccine group that pushed that but things that have gone under the radar, rfk suggested at times hiv does not cause a.i.d.s.. he has called the vaccine the deadliest vaccine ever made which is also false. there's just many different instances he's thrown in the face of medical consensus.

>> do you think there is a certain first item on his agenda if confirmed by the senate next year? >> what he's said publicly is he feels strongly about food. he has veered into the food category, he wants to get rid of ultra processed food and said he wants to fire a lot of federal employees. he wants to clean house, he's told some employees to pack their bags, he feels there is too much industry influence in washington and he even argued some federal employees have an interest" mass poisoning the american public because of that industry influence. top of mind for him seems to be the food issue but he's clearly interested in vaccine safety and a variety of other health problems. >> on the food issue, if he is in charge he could help right the 2025 dietary guidelines for americans, that's a foundation of nutrition policy. how much of the current guidelines could change under his leadership? >> a fair amount.

what's interesting to note about kennedy's stance on food is they are quite popular. some advocates on the left are excited, albeit nervously, to hear him say some things. about 75% of americans are overweight or 40% are obese. the u.s. has a health problem that is contributing to chronic disease as kennedy laid out. if there's one place advocates really would like to see some change, their concern is that by firing swaths of the fda or seeking they are worried he may not accomplish that. also, to be honest, it's interesting to hear this amount of regulation of food coming from someone that could be in a republican administration. many experts i've spoken to say they were a bit shocked this is not something they would expect to see. >> let me take it a step further. ultra processed food. he wants to remove that from

school lunches. as you said, that's a great goal that will get a lot of support, but given the next trump administration's content to eliminate the department of education and tightened budgets of school districts, is this even possible since processed foods are typically cheaper? >> that's a great question. that's some contradiction we see between rfk and trump. rfk called some of the food on trump's campaign poison. trump is known for bringing mcdonald's to the white house and having it on his campaign plan. bobby kennedy wants to see that gone. it's very curious to see how that the differences in ideology could play out. >> was there any conflict at all between these two on their health choices before trump selected him? are there any now? >> i think it remains to be seen. trump did make a joke about you can't get too much more popular. we will see what happens between the two of them.

at the end of the day, kennedy tapped into something with his make america healthy against logan, especially around food. he does have some popularity on that front. medical experts are concerned his anti-vaccine background and look at science is concerning for someone in charge that could be in charge. >> thank you so much. a threat in the northeast of this hour that seems to just keep getting worse is next. nex no. i can do some research. ya know, that's backed by j.p. morgan's leading strategists like us. when you want to invest with more confidence... the answer is j.p. morgan wealth management shopify's point of sale system helps you sell at every stage of your business. with fast and secure payment. card readers you can rely on. and one place to manage it all. whatever the stage, businesses that grow grow with shopify.

(♪♪) behind every splenda product is a mission.

helping millions of people reduce sugar from their diets. now try a sweetener grown by u.s. farmers. introducing zero-calorie splenda stevia. at splenda stevia farms, our plants are sweetened by sunshine. experience how great splenda stevia can be. grown on our farm, enjoyed at your table. (♪♪)

new today, 42 million people under red flag warnings across the northeast as rush fires played major cities like philadelphia, new york, and boston. firefighters are warning of increased fire danger the next few days under windy conditions and a historic drought. george is in new york for us. how is it looking where you are and how much longer until we could see some relief? >> reporter: the bad news is the winds could hinder some firefighter progress. 20 to 30 mile per hour gusts. the green like fire that we have been covering, that is mostly contained at this point. still about 5000 acres or so have been scorched. there are still some hotspots we can see from some of the controlled burns they are doing at the mountain ridge. there is still some smoke blanketing these communities, but the good news is most of

the fire is under control. the other big factor is how dry it has been. it has been so dry. all of this like a tinderbox. the drought conditions really concerning making sure the reservoirs have water. you can see lots of water here. this is some of the helicopters picking up some of the water for those water drops to put over the ridge to make sure the fire does not spread. these firefighters, i have to tell you they are exhausted. there have been a number of fires through the northeast that they have been fighting for weeks if not months. fortunately, fema says they will pledge some dollars to help with the cost as they continue to try to put some relief here to at least keep them going for a little while longer until some rain in the forecast appears. take a listen to what they are telling us about the conditions. >> we are stretching our resources to the limit with all the fires we've had, not one at a time but they all seem to be