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Michael back to you and the issue at hand. I’m going to play for you part of a school board meeting in Tennessee. That just dissolved, over the subject of mask-wearing.

Keep that little slug. We know, we know, we know, we know.

We always find you and we know, we’ll never be allowed to be. You will never be on time. You never know.

Michael you and I are close in age and we have the vaccine scars to prove it. I don’t recall through the measles mumps. Rubella polio vaccines are parents being Guided by either their political party or the votes and wishes of politicians. How scary is that atmosphere to you as someone in public health in this fight every day?

Well, first of all, it causes anger, it causes sadness and it surely causes a question about how can we move forward with many of these very critical Public Health activities. We needed to take on to control this disease. You know, I’m the grandfather of five wonderful children, all of them unfortunately are under the age of 12, so they can’t be vaccinated. And I look at how can we protect him in our schools today? Because we want them to go to school.

And that’s not easy. It’s complicated. You know, what kind of Master you wear? What kind of ventilation system do you use? And when it boils down to what we just saw, you don’t have any discussions about those things, but you have our discussions about selfish people who are more concerned about personal views for themselves, and they are about the safety of their kids and I don’t know how else to describe it than that, but at some point when we wake up, how many kids are going to have to get sick, how many will die before people realize that all this rhetoric is,

Is going to do nothing to protect the lives of these children.

Florida continues to lead the country in new covid infections averaging. Roughly 20,000 new cases every day data from the Federal Department of Health and Human Services reveals. Florida’s hospitalizations have broken Daily records for 11 days in a row. Now First Responders and one Florida county pleading with the people there to think twice before they call 911 because they’re struggling to contain the surge again.

Just like the battle days of the pandemic. The Miami Herald reports quote. This new wave is increasingly affecting younger populations in terms of the number of children hospitalized with covid-19. Florida has ranked among the two worst states and the nation and hospitals. Have been sounding alarms. Despite the urgency to protect protect children, with things like School, mask mandates, the governor remains opposed.

We believe this is a decision for the parent to make what we found. Fortunately is. There’s actually was higher infection rates. When you’re just in the community versus whether you when you’re in the classroom, particularly for the younger kids, you know, these kindergarteners and first graders, they’re not people that are really transmitting, this insignificant levels here to help us make sense of all of it. Dr. Eileen Marty. She’s a professor of infectious diseases at Florida, International.

University in Miami, she’s a veteran of global medicine with the World Health Organization and is. Now part of a task force at Vive, advising public schools in Miami on the pandemic and Doctor. Let’s start with a situation report from you about how bad things are in your area, please?

Very bad.

Cassidy. And I’m talking about the major medical centers that we have, like, Jackson and Baptists, and so forth. Are Urgent. Cares are backed up. People are waiting ridiculously long hours to get attention because each covid person requires a lot of care requires a lot of resources, and that takes away resources, from every other type of medical care that we, that we need to give to members of our community. And that’s

It’s really very dramatically stressing. Our system. Especially our healthcare workers. Our nurses, our physicians. Our technicians. Everyone is under a tremendous amount of stress, and we’re running down on some resources as well.

Doctor, I try to avoid dragging you into politics. But in this case tonight, I find it all but inevitable and I want to ask you what, it’s like to be in your line of work in a state where the governor is anti-mask especially and including where it applies to children.

I know that is that is the million-dollar question because from my perspective, I am only looking at what is the risk benefit ratio of each Public Health measure that we do or don’t use, right? And if you look at the risks, which are trivial from the use of a mass compared to the benefits, what you’re preventing. There’s no question that it’s going to reduce transmission. We know, masks were

Very, very well in clinical settings. We have many studies and we’ve known that for decades. That’s why you don’t want your dentist, not wearing a mask when he’s in your mouth. These things are fundamentally and we know they’re true and now there’s plenty of studies that show the value of mass in Social settings. What we don’t know, is exactly what the best policy is for the use of masks. But because we know that masks help and that and and will reduce transmission and they only

Only really work when everyone around you is doing it. Because once there are people without masks who are shedding virus, the amount of virus in the atmosphere in an, in an unventilated room becomes so high, that it can overwhelm the protection, you have from your mask. And it may also overwhelm the protection, you have from a vaccine. So you want to layer as many protections as you can and you need other people to be wearing their masks as well. And this is a fundamental.

Thing that we have to recognize is that? Yes, we want Liberties and freedoms, but my freedom ends, when I’m endangering your health, there’s a, there’s a limit in society. We can’t be, we can’t be irresponsible. We must be responsible, not just for ourselves, but for those around us, we mustn’t. Put other people in danger and we have many laws about this. For example, we have laws about secondhand smoke. You can’t smoke in a restaurant these days because

Cuz you’re putting other people’s lives at risk. So there are freedoms that we voluntarily give up in order to protect others. And I think it’s important that we recognize that there’s also freedoms on that. We give up as parents. You’re not allowed to leave a minor at home alone before. Very, very good sound reasons. So we when we impose Public Health mandates for one reason, or another, it’s to the benefit of society at that time.

In that moment and in order to do the best thing and that’s what these these issues are about, when it comes to, our current situation in Florida, which is very, very dire and are incredibly High viral loads. We’re up to 617 cases per 100,000 in Miami. Right? Right now, excuse me in Florida right now and that is just not a place where we can sustain not using additional.

Sections, even the vaccines can be overwhelmed. Everything can be overwhelmed. If the dose is really high.

Final question, this report about ventilators from the national stockpile heading, your way. However, much the governor says he was not aware of this. Didn’t request it. It sounds like God forbid. You may need them.

I’m so sorry.

having to put,

Percent of our population in icus, now has gone up and our need for ventilators has gone up. So we’re grateful that more coming. Our way. We’re also going to need more staff. Our staff is really overworked and good evening. Once again, day 204 of the by De ministration. Millions of Americans May soon be eligible for a third shot to boost their immunity and BC News among those reporting the

Is expected to green-light booster shots for immunocompromised people at first. As soon as the next 48 hours today, the CDC took a step to endorse vaccines for pregnant women, citing new data, finding no increased risk of miscarriage. This comes amid, more vaccine mandates employees of Amtrak for one where the latest to learn today. They’ve got to get the shot or submit to weekly testing on the job. Same, now goes for all staff, working in, California.

A for Nia’s schools. Governor. Gavin. Newsom is the first state leader to put such a requirement into place. We think this is the right thing to do, and we think this is a sustainable way to keeping our schools open and to address the number one anxiety that parents like myself. Have I for young children and that is knowing that the schools are doing everything in their power to keep our kids safe, Michael indeed. Because of the

Just tonight. I’d like to begin with you during the simpler Days of our single strain uncontrolled. Pandemic. We made it a habit on this broadcast of asking, you what inning we were in in the fight. Those were the days before vaccines and I’m tempted to ask tonight. Have they added on innings in the game or do we find ourselves perhaps in game one of a doubleheader?

Well, I guess I would take it even a slightly different direction that. Brian, I gave up on Innings and I’m now in 2/4, which which minute of the quarter. It is because we really had game-changers when these new variants arrived and they have fundamentally changed the game that we’re playing. So, from my perspective right now, it’s all about the variant. It’s about what Delta is doing, what it’s going to continue to do and what we can do about it.

I know of your concerns to get the rest of the world vaccinated and I think all good-hearted Americans agree with you, but are all Americans headed for a third shot sooner rather than later. Not just the immunocompromised.

Well, if one of the things we have to remember here is we talk about these vaccines because I hear many people say, oh my, we didn’t know that about the vaccines we knew from the very beginning, we would live in a world of we call corrected science, you know, scientists make discoveries. We then change what we’re doing based on that Discovery. We then have more discoveries. We can make changes. And in this case, what you’re hearing about tonight from the FDA is not really a booster shot. Although it’s being characterized as that remember, for many childhood.

Vaccines, we have three to four doses of the vaccine to be given before we consider them fully vaccinated and we now know with immune-compromised people that it’s going to take three doses to get them to a point that we want them to be at. But then as we move forward, I think you’re going to find that over the course of the next several weeks. You’re going to hear a lot more about waning immunity that in fact, that people who have Beyond six months of after their vaccinations end up looking like they may need of another booster shot and that’s got to be balanced against the

Fact that right now among the six point four billion, people living in low and middle income countries, less than 2% of those people have that access to vaccine if we are want to approach this from a humanitarian standpoint, which I think we should. Obviously we need to do a lot more but even more importantly we need to approach it from a strategic standpoint. And what I mean by that is that this is where the very new variants are going to come spinning. Out of all those 6.4 billion people who are getting infected and getting infected frequently now, and so I think we’re going to have to balance somehow.

Do we look at three doses to a person in a high-income country, like the United States and no doses, to the vast majority of the world.

As for the current president, his agenda moved a little closer to reality this morning when the Senate approved a framework for that, three and a half trillion dollar plan to expand the social safety net.

On this vote, the yeas are 50. The Nays are 49 and the concurrent resolution as amended is agreed to

What? You just saw there was a party line vote of all Democrats. No Republicans, and it came just before 4, a.m. In the exhausted chamber. This afternoon, the president took something of a Victory lap.

And the past 24 hours, we’ve seen the Senate advance to keep pieces of my economic agenda. Historic Investments are on the way as well. This is an accidental. They’ll make a huge difference for families and they’re going to be fully paid for.

This isn’t going to be anything. Like my predecessor was unpaid tax cuts and other spending added nearly eight trillion dollars in his four years to the national debt 8 trillion dollars.

Two Democrats in the Senate and to use plain English. They are The Usual Suspects. Joe manchin, Kristen Cinema have already started. Expressing concerns about the plans. Price tag, some of their colleagues over in the house are also worried about the cost While others. We should point out. Don’t think it goes far enough. Peter breaker final word goes to you. I don’t know much but three and a half trillion dollars seems like a whole lot of money out. Talk about how the White House is feeling about

The coming fight, not only Friendly Fire Blue on Blue, which they have to face, and try to put down, but what they’re looking at to try to advance with anything. They can label as bipartisan.

Yeah, I don’t think the White House, has any illusions that they’re going to get anything that looks bipartisan on. This second spending package. They’re very happy. They got through the Senate. First hard infrastructure bill that was passed yesterday with 19 Republican votes, including Mitch McConnell, the Republican leader. They have no Illusions, that’s going to happen, anything like that on this second bill, which is what they’re calling, human infrastructure, meaning things like, you know, Universal Pre-K two years of Community College, expanded Medicare climate.

Change pass measures that kind of thing. They’re going to have to do this entirely on their own boats. And remember the Democrats have a 50-50 Senate with the vice president breaking a tie and a basically, a three vote. I think margin in the house. There’s no room for error and we heard already today. Even after the Senate voted to advance beginning in effect of the debate over this budget blueprint, to Democratic senators manchin and Cinema as you mentioned earlier Express their doubts about it. So the president is really focused. Now, having spent a lot of time on the bipartisan

And, you know, approach is now focused on the partisan approach. How does he get his own team behind him? How does he marry? The progressives who want more with the moderates, who are concerned about going too far?

At this point in time. We are handing the Baton off. I don’t know what else. Texas Democrats can do to get this thing passed the finish line, but I do feel confident that we have given it, our all, and I’m going to my district. I’m not going to the floor. I’m going to hopefully Stave off some of the issues that we’re having because our governor fails to lead as it relates to covid-19, the Texas Democrats who spent the last month.

Breaking Quorum in Washington, are taking the Voting Rights fight back home, under the threat of arrest, the US Senate adjourned, without taking up federal legislation, putting it off until at least September because they, of course, need their summer break in the Texas Capitol, the house Sergeant at Arms. There went door-to-door earlier today. Armed with civil arrests. Warrants not criminal for any Democratic lawmakers who might have shown up part of governor.

That’s political performance art and they should’ve. And now on the Senate side right now, Senator, Carol Alvarado is about to enter her fifth hour of a filibuster little mr. Smith action to draw attention to voter suppression efforts. Still with us are our friends, Eugene Robinson and Mike Murphy Mike to you first. Are you surprised at the drive at the passion and stick-to-itiveness of these Texas Democrats and what?

What do we look to thus far to say has been a result?

Well, Brian, first I got to say, I generally route for the Taylor machine to do one more. Mr. Smith reference here. But it is you have to admire their passion But ultimately, this is Kabuki theater. I’m with them on the issue. I don’t like the bill but you get elected. This has happened before in Texas where they do the corn thing. It boils on for a while, but eventually you got to show up and vote. So with the Supreme Court acting I think The Jig Is up and they’re going to have to go participate now or risk.

Arrest which, you know, we don’t need any more process, Kabuki theater. If they don’t know the votes, they don’t have the votes as big as the issue is.

And Eugene. I know you’ve thought a lot about this and you’ve written about this, what happens if voting rights fail in the US Senate.

Well, look if you know I talked about Democrats, love the worry and think the sky is falling. If they want something to worry about voting rights is what they ought to worry about because this is such an important issue. Many Democrats, see it as an exodus existential issue for our democracy. Not just for the party that said, I, you know, and I’m not ready to

It all of write off the possibility that something actually gets through somehow hard to imagine exactly how that happens. But he is maybe how it starts Senator Schumer and along with Senator Warnock Senator manchin, I think Senator Angus King and and, and one other, or they’re already meeting crying to to craft a Voting Rights, bill Federal Voting Rights, bill that is

Broadly acceptable to the entire Democratic caucus in the Senate. Now. The question is even if you get all the Democrats on board, how do you get over the filibuster? And it may come down to crunch time? I mean, it may come down to two bringing that legislation up and getting it to the floor. And, and then seeing finally in the end. What?

Your mansion and Kristen Cinema are willing to do and support of an existential, you know, piece of legislation that they support and that they helped craft. And so we may get to that point. We may see, because I don’t see Republicans, any of them jumping in to support this effort. However, reasonable however, necessary, they’re just not going to, they’re not going to budge on this.