leana wen. author of the new book lifelines, a doctor's journey in the fight for public health. also, arthur kaplan. dr. wen, so we just obviously heard from the surgeon general addressing your op-ed. what do you make of what he said? >> well, i agree with dr. murthy. i actually think that his communication on this topic is really clear because there are two things that we are talking about that i think the cdc actually got tangled up with each other. the first is what about people who live at home with vulnerable family members, like us? who have unvaccinated children. or immunocompromised individuals. we should be masking up, not because we are at risk. but because we don't want to be transmitting covid back home to our vulnerable loved ones. that's not the reason, though, why we should now be having indoor-mask mandates in place for everyone. we are not the problem. the vaccinated are not the problem. the problem are the unvaccinated, who constitute, as dr. murthy said, the vast majority of the transmission. and so, i think the cdc should be really clear that, the reason why l

leana wen. author of a new book coming out, "lifelines: a doctor's journey in the fight for public health." good to have you, both. smerc, help me. he creates the vaccine. he said, look, operation warp speed was great. now, he doesn't want anybody to take it. they asked him to do a commercial. he said, what? who is -- republican? what? why? >> he is sacrificing one of the best arguments that he has because, by your own statistics, and anecdotally, i can bear that out because i have watched most of those appearances. he really doesn't assert himself and take full credit, to the extent you would expect. why is that the case? i think, to the extent there's any strategy involved here, and i don't know if there is, he's always been about motivation. and not persuasion. he's always been about doing what it takes to motivate the hardcore to get out there and be supportive, rather than to try and get people to meet him halfway and win hearts and minds. so in this case, i think, he believes he would appe

leana wen is with us now. she's an emergency physician.s you listen to laila and miguel, what goes through your mind? >> i'm extremely upset and frustrated, because we have been there before. listening to these reports is as if we are back in november or december of last year. the difference, though, is that we actually have life-saving vaccines. we have the ability to prevent these surges, but we're seeing this happening all over again. there are areas of the country with very low rates of vaccination. this is an extremely contagious variant, the most contagious variant yet. it is ripping throug h >> given the vaccine requirements, which i know you've been advocating for a while, tennessee is pulling the plug on adolescent vaccine out reach. what's your message to leaders in those states that are making those kinds of decisions? >> i want these leaders to think about what their values are. are our values of freedom for some so much so that it outweighs our values of protecting the most vulnerable? there are people i n people have said i d

leana wen, the former baltimore health commissioner.r, more than 2,000 people are still dying per week here in the u.s. from covid, and we know the new variant is in every corner of the country. talk to the unvaccinated people who have made the calculation that they are willing to risk getting covid versus the vaccine. what do people need to know about the delta variant? >> people need to know that if you are unvaccinated, you are at high risk for contracting covid-19, in particular the delta variant. this is more transmissible. it is already becoming dominant here in the u.s. the five states with the highest rate of covid-19 infections, the delta variant is more than 50% of the cases. it is 70% of all of the new cases, for example, in missouri, 60% of all the new cases in utah. people who are unvaccinated should know, yes, it is possible that you are not going to get severely ill. actually, most people do not become severely ill or hospitalized or died, but you could still be a long hauler. you could end up having long-term symptoms of

leana wen, really important perspective, i hope people are listening going forward.demonstrating what the fbi and other federal organizations are calling a rise in domestic terrorism, when "360" continues. oh! don't burn down the duplex. terminix. you need an ecolab scientific clean here. and here. which is why the scientific expertise that helps operating rooms stay clean now helps the places you go too. look for the ecolab science certified seal. another day, another chance. it could be the day you break the sales record, or the day there's appointments nonstop. with comcast business, you get the network that can deliver gig speeds to the most businesses, and you can get the advanced cybersecurity solutions you need with comcast business securityedge. every day in business is a big day. we'll keep you ready for what's next. get started with a great offer and ask how you can add comcast business securityedge. plus, for a limited time, ask how to get a $500 prepaid card when you upgrade. call today. >>> independence day weekend was an unfortunate reminder of the cont

leana wen, thank you so much.rth weekend. >>> and this programming note, this july fourth will look very different from the last one. so it is time to celebrate, isn't it. join don lemon dana bash, victor blackwell and ana cabrera for a star-studded evening of music and fireworks and watch the fourth in america on july 4th at 7:00 p.m. only on cnn. >>> all right, up next officials in south florida right now are providing an update on the search at the site of the collapsed condo building. a live report from the scene next. ♪ ♪ i had the nightmare again maxine. the world was out of wonka bars... relax. you just need digital workflows. they help keep everyone supplied and happy, proactively. let's workflow it. then you can stop having those nightmares. no, i would miss them too much. whatever you business is facing... let's workflow it. servicenow. you've been taking mental health meds, and your mind is finally in a better place. except now you have uncontrollable body movements called tardive dyskinesia - td. and i

leana wen, really important perspective, i hope people are listening going forward.ncidents demonstrating what the fbi and other federal organizations are calling a rise in domestic terrorism, when "360" continues. what makes new salonpas arthritis gel so good for arthritis pain? salonpas contains the most prescribed topical pain relief ingredient. it's clinically proven, reduces inflammation and comes in original prescription strength. salonpas. it's good medicine. ♪ ♪ when technology is easier to use... ♪ barriers don't stand a chance. ♪ that's why we'll stop at nothing to deliver our technology as-a-service. ♪ ♪ limu emu & doug ♪ oh! are you using liberty mutual's coverage customizer tool? sorry? well, since you asked. it finds discounts and policy recommendations, so you only pay for what you need. limu, you're an animal! who's got the bird legs now? only pay for what you need. ♪ liberty. liberty. liberty. liberty. ♪ ah! my helicopter has better wifi than this. you thinking what i am? great time. don't worry i have the best internet people. hello xfinity. get me

leana wen, dr.nice to have you back. >> great to join you. >> so didn't reach 70% the goal, just above 67%, not bad, for adults 18 and above. given estimates of how many others in the country were exposed to this, though not vaccinated might have some immunity from exposure, do we have any sense of how close we are as a country to herd immunity? >> i don't think we're that close to herd immunity, and the reason i believe that is we're seeing surges in so many parts of the country. if we actually were at herd immunity due to, as you said, vaccination or recovery from coronavirus, then we wouldn't have these huge surgers we're seeing in missouri, arkansas, wyoming, nevada, so many parts of the country. i think at this point we need to acknowledge them. we're at a plateau when it comes to vaccinations. a lot of people who have wanted to be vaccinated, they're vaccinated. there are people who are hesitant for whatever reason. of course we need to work on the ground game of doctors, community health work

leana wen, appreciate it. thank you very much. >>> today missouri governor mike parson called the surge in his state, quote, totally misleading. miguel marquez is in one of those spots we referred to earlier in missouri and has details of the difficulties of the fight against the virus there. >> reporter: louis michael and patty bunch held off getting vaccinated. not anti-vaxxers. it just wasn't a priority. then they got sick. >> how sick did you two get? >> umm, i remember i was working, and then it felt like a bomb dropped on me. i just wasn't feeling good at all. and i thought, oh, no. >> reporter: you're still recovering. >> i'm still recovering. >> reporter: this is not your normal voice. >> no. this is a month later. it has totally devastated me. >> reporter: so sick, she thought she would never see her daughter ashley again. >> from the ambulance i could see my daughter ashley driving behind us. and i just thought i knew that once they took me there, i wouldn't see her, see my family. and you just have

leana wen is an emergency physician at george washington university and the former health commissioner for the city of baltimore. doctor wen, great for you to join us. let's start with the booster confusion. pfizer wants to get a booster shot approved and the cdc and fda and world health organization lining up against it at this point. looking at the data, what do you think? >> well, i think there was a lot of unnecessary confusion. and here is what we know. the most important thing is that people who got vaccinated, so got the two doses of pfizer or moderna with the one dose of johnson & johnson, they are extremely well protected against severe illness from covid-19. the second thing that i think it does make sense for fiez tore be submitted for a booster shot and f and when it is needed. we're not saying that it is needed. wearing the opposite. they are saying clearly you did not need a booster shot but if it is needed in the future it is good that pfizer is applying for emergency use authorization if and when immunity might wayne and there are new variants that develop, then we have

leana wen, great to see you as always. thanks again for those insights.gain real soon, appreciate it. >> thanks, jim. >>> after the collapse of that building in surfside, some residents nearby, where they were told they had just 15 minutes to pack up their lives and get out of their homes. we'll get the latest, next. you're live in "the cnn newsroom." but i wasted up to 20 gallons of water every time. now, we just scrape and load. finish quantum works without pre-rinsing, cleaning your dishes to a shine. join the millions of americans skipping the rinse to save our water. [♪] if you have diabetes, it's important to have confidence in the nutritional drink you choose. try boost glucose control. it's clinically shown to help manage blood sugar levels and contains high quality protein to help manage hunger and support muscle health. try boost today. this shot is our shot. the covid-19 vaccines are ready. and so is walgreens, with pharmacists who you know, who know you. so, when you're ready, they'll be ready to give it to you safely, for free. this is our sh

leana wen will be here to answer your questions. send them to me on twitter or instagram @pamela brown cnn. >>> the nfl is slapping hefty fines on players who flout medical protocols. we'll have a tv exclusive later in the hour. >>> also tonight i'll ask former fox correspondent carl cameron if he thinks his ex-employer is killing people with covid misinformation. >>> and then a top scientist tells me why climate change's impact on extreme weather is even worse than we thought. >>> before all of that, the tokyo olympics starts with a bang. but it's a bust for team usa after they failed to win a medal on day one of the games for the first time in nearly 50 years. our will ripley is live in tokyo for us tonight when we come back. ♪ when technology is easier to use... ♪ barriers don't stand a chance. ♪ that's why we'll stop at nothing to deliver our technology as-a-service. ♪ a lot of people think dealing with copd is a walk in the park. if i have something to help me breathe better, everything will be fun and nice. but i still have ba

leana wen, dr. jerome adams, appreciate your time. again, dr. ok "lifelines: a doctor's journey in the fight for public health." just out and available now. up next how today's testimony before the select committee on the january 6th capitol attack played on some of the president's most favored cable tv news outlets. or didn't play, for that matter. millions of vulnerable americans struggle to get reliable transportation to their medical appointments. that's why i started medhaul. citi launched the impact fund to invest in both women and entrepreneurs of color like me, so i can realize my vision and give everything i've got to my company, and my community. i got you. for the love of people. for the love of community. for the love of progress. citi. this past year has felt like a long, long norwegian winter. but eventually, with spring comes rebirth. everything begins anew. and many of us realize a fundamental human need to connect with other like-minded people. welcome back to the world. viking. exploring the world in comfort... once again. i've

leana wen, dr. jerome adams, appreciate your time. again, dr. "lifelines: a doctor's journey in the fight for public health." just out and available now. up next how today's testimony before the select committee on the january 6th capitol attack played on some of the president's most favored cable tv news outlets. or didn't play, for that matter. b scientific clean here. and here. which is why the scientific expertise that helps operating rooms stay clean now helps the places you go too. look for the ecolab science certified seal. abund >>> today's testimony before the select committee on the january 6th capitol attack warranted wall-to-wall coverage here on cnn and other cable news networks but for some of the most conservative networks the coverage was wrapped inside a bubble packed into an alternative universe. one of the former president's most favorite networks seemed to pretend the hearing didn't deserve coverage at all. cnn's chief media correspondent brian stelter reports. >> reporter: for a few short hours on tuesday, fox and news max vi

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leana wen, you are a gift.ning me, and i hope your family stays safe. >> thank you, you too, chris. >>> the house select committee investigating the january 6 attack, they now have evidence in their hands about the trump conversation a week and a half before the insurrection. look, i want to stay on covid as much as possible but as big things come out of this that help us understand exactly what led to that day, i'm going to give them to you. so we have new details on what trump was pressuring his do jcj do and how. you want to talk about deep state? you want to talk about abuse and why you wouldn't trust a government entity? listen to this, next. so we have new details on what i strip on public transit. we strip in the community garden. i strip with the guys. i've been stripping here for years. i strip all by myself. i'll strip just about anywhere! i strip in half moon. i strip before take-off. breathe right strips open your nose for relief you can feel right away, helping you take in air more easily wherever

leana wen, you are a gift.book and thank you for joining me, and i hope your family stays safe. >> thank you, you too, chris. >>> the house select committee investigating the january 6 attack, they now have evidence in their hands about the trump conversation a week and a half before the insurrection. look, i want to stay on covid as much as possible but as big things come out of this that help us understand exactly what led to that day, i'm going to give them to you. so we have new details on what trump was pressuring his doj do and how. you want to talk about deep state? you want to talk about abuse and why you wouldn't trust a government entity? listen to this, next. it's dry. there's no dry time. makes us wonder why we booked fifteen second ad slots. your shipping manager left to “find themself.” leaving you lost. you need to hire. i need indeed. indeed you do. indeed instant match instantly delivers quality candidates matching your job description. visit indeed.com/hire ♪ born to be wild ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ born to be

leana wen, thanks so much for joining us on this holiday weekend. we really appreciate all of your expertise and insight, as always. >> thank you very much, pamela. >>> and tonight, 11 people are in custody following a nine-hour standoff between police and a group of heavily-armed men on one of the nation's busiest interstates. overnight, highway patrol found two vehicles in the breakdown lane on interstate 95. police say heavily-armed men wearing tactical gear were attempting to refuel one of the vehicles. after seeing the then were armed, the trooper called for backup. some of the men, then, fled into the nearby woods. and the standoff ensued. >> we were able to, successfully, resolve this situation through a combination of negotiation and some tactical maneuvers. >> the men in custody belong to the rise of the moores, which is a muddled ideology, apparently connected to the moorish sovereignty movement, which believes, among other things, that an 18th century treaty between the u.s. and morocco grants them special rights. >> they wanted to be hea

leana wen, cnn medical analyst. she's author of "lifelines, a doctor's journey in the fight for public health." dr. wen, with 24 states seeing cases up at least 10%, how concerned are you about this pfizer news? according to the cdc, more than 84 million americans have received both doses of the pfizer vaccine. >> i'm actually concerned about the pfizer news confusing people at this point. i think it's important to put it into perspective. as you mentioned, it's not as if they have new data. they're actually going off of what the israeli ministry of health reported earlier this week. the key take-home from that is that the vaccines that we have are still very effective against protecting against severe disease. so no one should be listening to this and saying i need to go out and get a booster shot right now. now, it does appear that immunity might wane or the vaccines are less effective against the delta variant. so i think that's something we need more information about when it comes to mild or asymptomatic illnes

leana wen, but we will wrap up there. thanks so much. >>> thank you. >>> coming up this hour the nsa says it found zero evidence supporting tucker carlson's rant about being spied on by the government saying he wasn't being targeted. >>> then the school district struggling with teacher shortages, made even worse by the pandemic. some are having to bring in applicant it from abroad. >>> but first, the skies over oregon filled with smoke and ash from a monster fire that has already scorched more than 400,000 acres. the latest on the fight to bring the blaze under control when we come back. age-related macular degeneration may lead to severe vision loss. so the national eye institute did 20 years of clinical studies on a formula only found in preservision. if it were my vision, i'd ask my doctor about preservision. it's the most studied eye vitamin brand. if it were my vision, i'd look into preservision. only preservision areds2 contains the exact nutrient formula recommended by the nei to help reduce the risk of moderate to

leana wen. phil mattingly was just talking about the white house did not want to do mandates. is the president right given the course of where we are right now to say if you're a federal worker or contractor you have to get a vaccinate or get tested a lot? >> absolutely. i fully support president biden in this anticipated vaccine mandate tomorrow for federal workers. this is exactly the right step at this point in the pandemic. we have hit a wall when it comes to vaccinations. we've now seen the consequence, which is that we have surges across the country. we can't keep doing more of the same. of course, we should keep doing education and outreach, but we have to do something dramatically different. vaccine mandates are important. i don't think people should be using this argument of individual choice when it comes to this public health matter. you can have a choice to stay unvaccinated but the administration is saying in that case if you still want to come back in person, you need to get tested because nobody should have the right to infect others with a potentially dangerous

leana wen, an emergency room physician, former city health commissioner of baltimore. dr. us out with this story. so this delta variant is now in all 50 states. and everyone wants to know about, what about kids, kids under 12, can't get the vaccine yet. the delta variant is really contagious. are kids in more danger now than they have been in the past? >> yes, because we have this variant here that's more contagious. what that means is that the activities that we thought were previously lower risk are now going to be higher risk. things that we got away from before and just did not get affected because of those activities now there is a higher chance of getting infected because of it. and so i do think we need to change this narrative. there is this narrative floating around that somehow kids are immune from getting coronavirus. that's just not true. more than 4 million children have already been affected during this pandemic, and if we have something that's even more contagious around, schools should not be dropping their mask mandates. if you have lots of unvaccinated ch

leana wen and the former health commissioner for the city of baltimore. dr. marty, i want to start with you. before i do, i want to plug your book, sorry about that. you are the author of life lines a doctor's journey in the fight for public health. want to be sure to get that in. first, dr. marty, on what layla was just reporting and that is major florida papers have editorials accusing governor desantis of not taking the pandemic seriously enough. you are in florida. you are a working medical professional there. what is your sense? >> my sense is that there is a lot of frustration among the health care workers that once again facing these enormous rises in hospitalizations. and it is absolutely heart-wrenching when so many of the patients are in their 20s. in fact, the bulk of the our cases are people from 20 to 39 years of age with the vast majority being people in their 20s that we have to hospitalize because these young people can't breathe. >> absolutely horrible. and doctor wen, we also talked at the beginning of the program about alabama. the least va

leana wen and the author of the new book "life lines, a doctor's journey in the fight for public health." . thanks for being here. what is coming out in the documents. delta variant is more transmissible than the virus that caused mers, sars, ebola and smallpox and as contagious as chicken pox and they believe it causes more serious illness. what does that mean? >> well it is certainly more contagious than the first two viruss that came into this country. chicken pox has a so-called reproduce ability index of ten. if i'm infected, i'll infect ten people. i haven't seen data to see that sars cov 2 is contagious. and a couple of point made with the previous reporter, if you've gotten a dose of the mrfa or a dose of the johnson & johnson vaccine you're likely prevented from severe disease, going to the hospital or the morgue. that is good. i think that while it is true that if you have been vaccinated that you still might have an asymptomatic infection or mildly asymptomatic infection and you're less likely to have that if you're vaccinated. so i think people should be encouraged by the va

leana wen is a medical analyst. dr. andy shane from emory university school of medicine. dr.u have the former surgeon general saying i was wrong, i revised my advice on masks, it is time for the cdc to do the same. number one, what are the chances you think that will happen? and number two, is it too late? >> i really hope the cdc will change their guidance as well. the bedrock of good public health is you're constantly reevaluating depending on the circumstances on the ground. the situation has changed dramatically since may. we're now seeing a rise in covid cases in all 50 states. we now also have the delta variant that we know is a lot more contagious. we don't yet know if you're fully vaccinated and you get the delta variant, are you able to transmit it to others. out of abundance of caution, the cdc needs to change their guidance immediately so that it takes into account protection for everyone. we have a pandemic among the unvaccinated. the problem is it's spilling over to those who are vaccinated. i wish the cdc would say in places where unvaccinated and vaccinated peo

leana wen. good to have you. let's start with john left off. masks, at this point medically, would it be your advice that vaccinated people should wear masks inside? >> well, i am really relieved that the white house is considering to revise their guidance because the circumstances on the ground have changed. the realities have changed. the science has changed. you would expect that the policy changes accordingly. initially in may when the cdc came out with their guidance saying if you're vaccinated you don't need to wear a mask, first of all, they didn't take into account the honor system was not going to wear and unvaccinated people were taking off their mask as well. but also we are now seeing that we have 40,000 new daily infections per day compared to 11,000 a month ago. we have the delta variant that's surging and actually we don't know at this point whether if you are fully vaccinated, whether you're able to transmit the virus to others if you're carrying the delta variant which is the dominant variant here. so i think it makes a lot of

leana wen is, also, joining us. dr. wen, that's something you -- you picked up on, clearly. >> right. i mean, i'm -- i was actually disappointed by president biden's speech tonight or his answers tonight because i actually thought that he was answering questions, as if it were a month ago. he's not really meeting the realities. what that's -- of what's happening on the ground. we now have triple the number of infections in the u.s., versus a month ago. we have escalation in cases, all over the country, because of the delta variant. and we actually don't know the answers to a lot of questions. he was talking about how if you get the vaccine, you're well protected from having severe disease. that's true. but we actually don't know how well you're protected from mild illness. and whether, with the delta variant, if you're vaccinated, could you still be contagious to other people? we don't have the answer to that. >> we don't know the answer to that. because i mean, that's a crucial question. >> that's right. >> can you pas

leana wen.hances are you're not going to get that sick however those with illness could have long lasting symptoms. there are people who have lost hair. people who continue to have the loss of taste and smell. memory lapses, nerve and muscle pain. >> reporter: a new cdc report published on monday shows the rate of newly vaccinated adults has closed from 3.6% to 2%, and brit lives in georgia, a state with some of the lowest vaccination rates in the country and where covid-19 deaths were among the highest just last week. as the white house partners with organizations to incentivize adults to get vaccinated, some corporations like axe, a men's grooming products company are holding events like this one at an atlanta brewery to lure younger people. >> and more it's a push for me to get vaccinated, it makes me not want it even more. >> reporter: when brit's not at work, she's volunteering her time at uprising a nonprofit for the black community. >> it's a main that almost every black person felt equal

leana wen. is andy slaft, former senior adviser to the white house for the covid response. mr. slaft, you helped to lead the white house not long ago. shoulder this push against the spread of misinformation, should the have started long ago about things got this far? >> well, it did. today is the day that it reached anew level with the surgery putting out a report effectively saying that we have to call this out by name. we can't just accept the fact that this is part of our society. but the surgery and i both spoke very frequently to the social media platforms, in it was an ongoing battle, frankly. today is the day when vivek, the sur . >> aren't minds already made up? it's now been -- we've been stewing in this kind of misinformation for quite some time now. it seems like the lines are drawn. either there's people who believe in medicine and science and get a vaccine, and there's those who don't for a whole slew of reasons. >> there's about 10% of the public that still describes themselves as

leana wen, always good to have you here, thank you. >>> now, imagine it's time for your long-awaitedur flight gets delayed until the next day, all because a group of passengers didn't want to wear masks. well, this happened. on a flight to the bahamas. pete joins us with this story. pete, if i were on that flight, i think i would have smoke coming out of my head. what happened? >> it's such an interesting case because typically these maskless passenger incidents have to do with one or two people, not 30 teenagers like in this case. american airlines says this all happened on a flight from charlotte to nassau in the bahamas when these teenagers caused a scene. they refused to wear a mask, wouldn't follow crew member instructions and then were kicked off the plane. the worst part is for everybody else onboard. this was scheduled to leave on monday evening. instead got delayed into tuesday, so a big headache and a big inconvenience for all the other passengers. here's what they said. >> some people's vacations were ruined. they were only going for a couple of nights. >> it was bad. firs

le leana wen emphasizes the vaccines work in preventing severe illness. and in a sign the debate over masks is likely to ramp up yet again, missouri's attorney general threatened to sue in order to try to prevent the mask mandate from getting into place here. he tweeted the citizens of st. louis and st. louis county are not subjects, they are free people. as their attorney general, i'll be filing suit monday to stop this insanity. again, that tweet directly from missouri's attorney general. meanwhile, when you hear from the cdc, they still believe, fred fred, that ultimately it should be up to people,unicipalities t whether they want to bring the masks back. when you see those numbers continue to rise, you can see why some places are considering doing just that. >> yeah. a lot at stake still. incredibly tenuous. all life-threatening, bottom line. thank you very much. joining me is dr. davidson, an emergency r emergency room physician in west michigan. you heard about the state attorney general who is pushing back on a local mask mandate issued in st. loui

leana wen says the rise in cases can be traced back to the cdc's abrupt decision to lift mask mandates for vaccinated individuals. your predecessor, jerome davis -- excuse me, jerome adams, called that action premature and should hit the reset button on that guidance. should you? was ending the mask guidance a mistake? >> well, dana, what's driving the rise of infections is actually the delta variant. this is the most highly transmissible virus that we -- variant of covid-19 we've seen to date. it is spreading quickly in the united states, as it did in the united kingdom and other countries as well, including india. that is what is driving the situation we're seeing on the ground right now. with that said, i think the cdc's guidance around mask was intended actually to give flexibility to individuals and to localities, recognizing that in this next phase of the pandemic, as we move into more of a local and regional response based on people's vaccination rates and communities that that guidance around what to do with mitigation measures like masks could also be tailored locally. so when

leana wen, former health commissioner for baltimore. so dr.rms that senator paul is making? >> i first want to distinguish between gain of function and what is being discussed here. gain of function actually is a type of research that commonly occurs because if we're talking about, for example, if you have bacteria that you're trying to make to digest plastics better, that's also gaining a new property, gaining a new function. in this case, when we're referring to covid-19, the allegation here is senator paul is saying that somehow the nih provided funding to this lab in wuhan, which is true, that the funding was provided, but he's specifically alleging that the funding was to create a virus that is going to be more transmissible and more lethal and actually led to covid-19, that somehow also leaked from the lab, whether intentional or not, that then led to a global pandemic that's killed millions of people. and so the implication actually by senator paul is something really nefarious and incredibly insulting to dr. fauci because it's saying,

leana wen, says vaccines are the monst effective way to make sure schools can re-open safely. >> i thinko take a step back, and talk about why it is that we get vaccinations, in the first place. because i think, somehow, there has been this understanding that vaccination is just about you. and yes, it's true. vaccination, of course, protects the individual, very well, against getting -- getting covid-19 and getting severely ill. but we, also, get vaccinated to protect people around us. so, because we know that there is a -- a risk of breakthrough infection. so even if you are vaccinated, you could still get infected. it's the safest thing that's there is for everyone around you, even if you are vaccinated, to also be vaccinated, as well. >> the delta variant is, also, causing problems in other parts of the world, especially the asia pacific region. new cases are on the rise in several countries. and russia just hit a new record-number of deaths in a day. governments are instituting tighter restrictions and struggling to get enough people vaccinated. michael holmes takes a look. >>> linin

leana wen, thank you both. have good weekends. be well. >>> look, from the beginning i really thought, boy, was i wrong that the pandemic would be the great uniter, right? collective will out of common concern. what else was it? should it have bever been about red and blue, just life and death. but the vaccine political divide and just as real as the pandemic itself. i don't believe you, too good-looking. okay, let the wizard of odds show us the proof. the numbers next. i'm good-looking. it wasn't about you. ♪ ♪ ♪ easy tools on the chase mobile app. simplicity feels good. chase. make more of what's yours. only 6% of us retail businesses have a black owner. that needs to change. so, i did something. i created a black business accelerator at amazon. and now we have a program that's dedicated to making tomorrow a better day for black businesses. ♪ ♪ i am tiffany. and this is just the beginning. ♪ ♪ ahhh! get out of here mouse. ahhh! ♪ don't flex your pecs. terminix. age-related macular degeneration may lead to severe vision loss. so

leana wen wrote in the washington post, that's not nearly enough.iden needs to get behind proof of vaccination starting with his own white house events. in retrospect, was that a missed opportunity not to mandate vaccines for people that wanted to go? >> so, i think the president has been very clear on this. he has relied on the experts, the science to drive his decisions. we have provided that science and information, in fact, through guidance. and as a result of that guidance, everyone has a chance to make a decision, including those in our states, our governors, our mayors, our county supervisors to decide how to best protect their people. >> it's not working. >> the decision should be made on facts. >> i hear you, mr. secretary. look at where we are this morning. increasing covid cases in all 50 states. i mean, u., for example, the minneapolis federal reserve cash kari who worked in the government, mandating vaccines for anyone who wants to continue working there. is it time for the biden administration to at least show more mandatory vaccinatio

leana wen, the former health commissioner for the city of baltimore and also doctor eye lien marty fromrsity. dr. wen, what do you think of this move, first just looking at the new move in l.a. county. i remember a lot of people saying once you lift these restrictions, you're not going to be able to put them back on. >> think it is hard to put the jeanne back in the bottle. they're going to be a lot of people who will resist that but i think l.a. is doing the responsible thing. we have been saying all along this is not an on and off switch. we have to use indoor masks again if we see surges. i wish the participants of the country seeing high surges, that they would follow the lead of l.a. county. the problem is not with the vaccinated individuals. if you're vaccinated and you're around other people who are also fully vaccinated, there is virtually to risk to you. the problem is the unvaccinated are behaving as if they're vaccinated. they are a risk to other unvaccinated people, including young children. but they're also a potential risk to vaccinated people. because of the risk of break

leana wen. >> chances are you're not going to get that sick.llness could have long-lasting symptoms. there are people who have lost their hair and people who continue to have loss of the sense of taste or smell, individuals who have difficulty concentrating, memory lapses, nerve and muscle pain. >> reporter: a new cdc report published on monday shows the weekly rate of newly vaccinated adults 18 to 29 years old has slowed from 3.6% to 2% between april 19 and may 22nd. and britt lives in georgia, a state with some of the lowest vaccination rates in the country and where covid-19 deaths were among the highest just last week. as the white house partners with organizations and private companies to incentivize adults under 30 to be vaccinated, some corporations like axe, a men's grooming products company is holding events like this one to lure younger people. >> the more that it's pushed for me to go get vaccinated, it makes me not want it even more. >> reporter: when britt is not at work, she's volunteering with the people's uprising, a nonprofit f

leana wen, emergency physician, previously served as baltimore's health commissioner, and author of aook. this is democracy now! the senate has voted to open debate on a $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that includes some new spending on climate and environment measures, but critics say it falls short of what is needed in this time of climate catastrophe. stay with us. [♪♪] [music break] amy: "nibari" by umalali and the garifuna collective. this is democracy now, democracynow.org, the war and peace report. i'm amy goodman. text democracynow to 66866. descendant open debate on a $1.2 trillion spending package. critics say it falls short of what is needed. senate majority leader chuck schumer tried to reassure progressives during news conference outside the capitol. sen. schumer: as majority leader, i will not pass an infrastructure package that does not reduce carbon pollution on a scale commensurate with the urgency of the climate crisis we face, plain and simple, and that is what democrats intend to do. amy: schumer was standing inside of a sign that said "climate action now" with n

leana wen. sanjay, as you wrote just last week, we got very close, tantalizingly close in the race against covid. now, i mention we find ourselves in this unsettling, confusing time. from a medical perspective, where are we in the course of the pandemic, now? >> well, it -- you know, if the -- if the country came in for a checkup right now, anderson, i think the doctors and nurses would tell them that they are concerned. i mean, you got about a third of the country, now, that has high levels of viral transmission. we're in july. this is supposed to be the best time of the year, as far as viral transmission being low. people are primarily outside. the virus doesn't like to be outside. so, this could be as good as it gets, at least for a period of time. and yet, a third of the country can take a look at the map. viral transmission is -- is high. at the same time that the viral transmission is high, vaccination rates are low. i mean, they -- they're really, remarkably low. i just got to tell you i'

let's talk to cnn medical analyst and former baltimore health commissioner, leana wen.eat new book i have in my hands, lifeline, a doctor's fight for the journey in public health. this is more than covid. it's an incredible story of her personal experience. congratulations on the book, doctor. also with me, elliott williams, former federal prosecutor and cnn legal analyst. good morning to you both. dr. wen, what do you think? how much does this move the needle? big companies saying you have to get vaccinated and president biden saying federal employees, you've got to get vaccinated or we're going to make your life pretty annoying with a bunch of testing and mitigation measures? >> this is huge, and i think we need to talk about why it's being done. i mean, imagine if you're being asked to go back to work in-person, and you know that you're going to be surrounded by potentially unvaccinated people who could infect you. and even if you're vaccinated and then you know that you're not going to get very sick yourself, what if you live at home with young children who are too

leana wen. quick reaction to the news out of new york. >> i think this is exactly right. i think we should be doing this all across the country because what the mayor is saying is, you've got two choices. you can get vaccinated, that's the easy choice, or there's another way to make sure that other people around you at work are safe as well, so you don't have to get vaccinated. you can still go for weekly testing as an opt-out. i really wish that more businesses would be doing this because otherwise, it's hard for those of us, for example, who are parents of unvaccinated children if we're told that we have to come back to work in-person and be sitting shoulder to shoulder with other people who are unvaccinated and we don't know whether they're carrying covid? that's really dangerous for us, so this is really about protecting people's health and safety. >> dr. wen, i want to get your take on another suggestion for how to get more people vaccinated. this came from the former surgeon general, jerome adams, yesterday on cbs. here's his suggestion. >> the quickest way to get p