Hello, im Brianna Keilar alongside Jim Sciutto whos in for John Berman this morning on this new day, and theres a troubling rise in coronavirus cases and deaths in the u. S. What dr. Fauci says is the key to finally getting out of this pandemic. Well, the rush to take an unproven Covid Treatment led to more disinformation. A Media Fact Check just ahead. A republican congressman who tried to travel to aversion and is accused of threatening Ambassador Staff says the biden administration is falsely claiming credit for getting an american family to safely. Hell join us live. Costars The Wire, remembering actor, michael k. Williams after his sudden death in new york. Welcome to our viewers here in the united states and around the world, it is tuesday, September 7th and covid cases are spiking at an alarming rate right now. Nearly 18 months to the day after a pandemic was officially declared. There are signs that we may have hit a plateau, at least for now. There are cases that are slightly down from their peak last week. Still, though, far from the all time high back in january, and the same true for hospitalizations. They have dropped back below 100,000. Salad sa sadly the number of deaths is rapidly rising, averaging 1,500 a day. Note this, the vast majority of patients in the hospital are unvaccinated. Simply put, these hospitalizations and deaths are entirely preventable. In the last hour, dr. Anthony fauci told us The Way Out of this pandemic is clear, and that is universal masking and vaccines. He also made it clear that Vaccine Boosters are coming soon as covid deaths surge. Cnns Tom Foreman is here with a closer look at those numbers. What are they telling us, tom. Well, jim, theyre saying exactly what you pointed out there. This is the result of people not getting vaccinated. Not wearing masks. The minute i finish, ill put a Mask Back on. Look at icus. More than 94 is the Dark Red, more than 70 is all of the other red. Icus are designed to not have a lot of empty beds if they can avoid it. They do not want to be in a situation like this. Thats because of covid. Look at the covid bed utilization, over 50 is the Dark Red states down here, mississippi, alabama, georgia, and up here in idaho. Idaho has got some pretty bad numbers for vaccination right now, and these states have been lagging behind all along. A lot of people just insisting, no, no, no, i dont want to do that. This is the price were paying. When they say its over 50 . It may be a little over 50 . In some cases a lot over 50 . And you see that when you start looking at the issue of actual open beds in the country. Florida down here, 468. Louisiana, 197. Georgia, 87, arkansas, 58, texas, 443. Idaho, 4, oregon 50. Out of all of these states, florida and oregon right now have the highest partial or full vaccination rates. These states right down here continue to lag. Theyre having a hard time, particularly if you look at arkansas, mississippi, georgia, alabama, not reporting right now. Bad numbers there. Idaho, bad numbers up there. Important to look at the overall picture here, too, though. This is all they have available. If you get sick in that state. If you have a heart problem. If you have an automobile accident, these are your only choices if you happen to be near one of these hospitals, and if you add all of these up, you get somewhere around 13, 1,400 hospital beds for all of these states, but more than the states, thats 13, 1,400 hospital beds, were somewhere around 75 Million people. This is the problem of covid, and why it affects all of us. The virus is affecting the people right now who have not been vaccinated. Some who have been vaccinated, but overwhelmingly people who have not been vaccinated, theyre the ones going into the hospitals. But theyre overwhelming, their swamping of the hospitals is affecting everyone out here, putting everybody at risk, everything that might take you to a hospital. Belies the idea about yourself, its about your family and community. Youre making a choice for everybody out there. Saying you can follow the Speed Limit but i dont want to. Or you can text and drive. Meanwhile, it endangers yourself and others. Thank you, Tom Foreman, good to go through the numbers. Dr. Anthony fauci emphasizing the science behind Vaccine Boosters to maintain protection against covid19. Heres what he said last hour if in an interview with jim here on new day. It isnt as if two doses of a vaccine are failing, its that the proper regimen will very likely as we look back on it months from now, will be that three doses is really what you should be getting of an mrna. That might be two doses for a j j, but for the mrna, we know from studies that are already ongoing in israel now that when the degree of protection against infection and even severe disease goes down to a certain precarious level, when you give the person that third boost, you dramatically increase their level of protection, even more so than before the boost. It goes Up To and beyond the level of protection. So i mean, i believe strongly that ultimately we are going to see that as the proper regimen. Three doses of an mrna. Gl. Lets talk about this now, cnn chief medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay gupta. What do you think about what you heard there from dr. Fauci . Im glad Hes Phrasing it that way. Its an important message. And obviously hes dr. Fauci, hes Sort Of, you know, relying on decades of judgment when it comes to something like this as well. I think one of the things is that we were told all along. Look at some point we might need boosters. Why would we need boosters, if we see the vaccines arent working as well. Pull up the graphic to show you what dr. Fauci was talking about, how well the vaccines do work. You can see its hard to make out. The top lines that are flat, those are younger age groups, and you can see theres no Drop Off in terms of jooverall effectiveness. Where you see the Drop Off, people who are older, 75 years or older. Boosters will be necessary for certain segments of the population, such as people who are older, based on that graphic. What were now hearing from dr. Fauci and lots of others, boosters are always going to be part of the equation, for most vaccines, you get a booster. Some vaccines have three, four shots longterm, i think the only thing thats been a little bit confusing for people is if that was likely the plan all along, that probably should have been conveyed. I think a lot of people do interpret this as some Sort Of indication that the vaccines are failing in some part. You can see in the graphics, for the vast majority of people, theyre working just fine. So this is being predictive, saying based on what were seeing in israel and other places, theres enough of a concern, lets just go ahead and be proactive here. Hospitals are filling up because of unvaccinated people. Half of the country is protected and the other half remains unprotected. Notable that he said the third dose doesnt help you tread water, it gives you greater protection, which i thought was notable. We also discussed, and im curious about this, the idea that at The End of the day, covid19 is not going away entirely, its become endemic as opposed to a pandemic or an outbreak that we live with, as one of many diseases and infections, and i wonder if you believe thats where its going and how soon, i suppose, is the next question. Yeah, well, look, you know, i have so many conversations with scientists all the time. I was doing it all weekend and invariably the conversation goes to this, are we in this endemic phase and many scientists believe we are probably there in the sense that this virus is here to stay. Dr. Redfield even said in the spring of last year, he said this is likely to become an endemic virus because it is so contagious. Let me show you something i think may make the point. Flu, we talk about flew all the time. Lets look at what flu does in any particular year. In any given year, it could cause 45 Million hospit hospitalizations, and you know, Up To 60,000 deaths, in any year. Were talking about flu. Some of the flu viruses from the 1918 flu pandemic, the great descendants of some of those strains circulate today. Clearly an endemic virus. The tough part of all of this, i think at some point, is going to be a conversation where we as a society certainly we as a country say what are we willing to accept. What are we willing to accept . Are we willing to accept numbers like that, willing to accept higher, lower, once we actually Sort Of Sit Back and think about it. We know its within our power to bring those numbers dramatically down with vaccines and masks and stuff like that. At some point as a country, we may say you know what, were willing to accept Tens Of Thousands of people dying every year like we do with flu. Less than half the country gets a Flu Shot every year, despite the fact that we have numbers like that. Thats going to be the most difficult part of the conversation. Its so hard to hear you say that. Its not saying what are we willing to accept, what we have to accept is such a smaller, smaller number. I wonder, you know, watching over the weekend, if you were watching college football, you know, maybe for a moment it seemed like things were kind of normal, you saw packed college stadiums, and quickly, it was d disorienting, look at these pictures were seeing in the age of covid. These are outside, sanjay, but i wonder what you think about these close quarters . I mean, it worries me. I mean, it just does. And i love college football, as you know, brianna, as much as anyone else, but it worries me. I mean, i think some of these, i have been talking to chief medical officers at some of these universities. Many of the universities have Vaccine Policies in place. That doesnt cover everyone whos there. People come from all over for these games. Its concerning, its also very hard to trace ultimately, to contact trace and say how many cases were a result of a game like that. Were in the middle of a pandemic. We have a contagious virus circulating, its so contagious that people who Sort Of got away with it over the last year are no longer getting away with it. Theyre getting infected and theyre surprised by it. I think that will certainly happen at big crowded events like that. Outside, much better than inside. How much better, some would say 18 fold. Youre in close quarters, and sitting next to each other for a long period of time. So if that person next to you does have covid, unmasked, even if youre vaccinated, theres a good chance youre getting exposed and infected. If you have unvaccinated people at home or in your community, thats how it happens. This should not sound magical or surprising to anybody at this point. You cant even make out the people. Its just like arms and team colors. Sanjay, thank you so much. Great to see you this morning. You too. Thank you. In a few hours, President Biden is heading to the northeast. Hes going to be witnessing the after math of the devastation of Hurricane Ida as the Death Toll still continues to rise. Plus, new comments this morning from the Secretary Of State on efforts to get americans out of afghanistan. And the sudden tragic death of emmy nominated actor, michael k. Williams. Two of his costars from The Wire, theyre going to share their memories. If youre 55 and up, T Mobile has plans built just for you. Whether you need a single line or lines for family members, youll get great value on americas most reliable 5g network. Like 2 lines of unlimited for just 27. 50 a line. Only at tmobile. Ayy, ayy, ayy yeah, we fancy like applebees on a Date Night got that Bourbon Street Steak with the Oreo Shake get some whipped cream on the top too two straws, one check, girl, i got you bougie like natty in the Styrofoam Squeaksqueakin in the Truck Bed All The Way Home some alabamajamma, she my dixieland delight ayy, thats how we do, how we do, fancy like, oh President Biden is heading to new york and New Jersey this morning to tour the devastation from ida. The president has already approved Disaster Declarations ahead of his visit. At least 52 people in the northeast were killed by the storm. Many drowning in their cars, in their homes. Shimon prokupecz is in hardhit queens, where most of the damage in new york took place. Hes there this morning. Reporter thats right. Most of the damage has taken place here in queens, people drowning in their homes and basements of their homes. The mayor was here yesterday with other City Officials here out in queens visiting, touring some of the devastation. You can see some of the damage, some of the people still trying to dry out, clean up their homes in the neighborhood. They were not happy. Some of the residents not happy with the citys response, feeling that the city should have done more, that the government should have done more to protect them. The president coming to this area here today. He will No Doubt hear some of those complaints from some of the residents. One of the issues, of course, is infrastructure, and what is it that the government can do to try and help some of these neighborhoods which are now going to be seeing unprecedented flooding. Theyre also talking about climate change, and what effect that has on whats happening across places like this, which usually dont see this kind of flooding. This is not a coastal area. This is Inner City areas that should not see that kind of flooding. No doubt when the president visits today, he will hear that from residents. Hes expected to be in queens this afternoon, and in New Jersey the early part of the afternoon, and travel here to queens where he will meet with residents and first responders. What infrastructure is necessary to change lives in the nelks next storm. Well see. Power crews are making progress in louisiana, but Hundreds Of Thousands of customers will spend another day still without electricity. The federal government helping people with damaged homes and businesses, but Black Business owners want to make sure that they get a fair shake in this recovery. Cnns Adrienne Broaddus is in New Orleans this morning with this story. Reporter Troy Henry Hadnt seen these pictures in years. Images of his Family Home destroyed by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. See the mold on the floor. Reporter theyre reminders of how his life changed. I could have given up. I wanted to give up after katrina. Theyre going to be a distant memory. Reporter The Engineer turned entrepreneur owns eight Gas Stations. And this radio station. The baseline of black cultural life in New Orleans. He owns other businesses including an aviation company. Henry understands the challenges of running a business. Get some diesel to put in the generator. Reporter and how to pick up after a setback. Katrina destroyed his fathers pharmacy. They rebuilt it in four locations. Henry hopes the government provides resources for Black Businesses struggling to keep their doors open following ida and make sure they get contracts to rebuild. The experience we got from katrina is the Black Business owners didnt get a chance to participate nearly equitably enough in the recovery. So Thats Something that im very concerned about that africanamerican businesses not just be the subcontract of a Sub Contractor who gets squeezed at the bottom. Reporter President Biden spoke about the ongoing Recovery Efforts in the Gulf Coast as he prepared to travel to the region to survey the damage. We are here for you. And were making sure the Response And Recovery is equitable so that those hit hardest get the resources they need, and are not Left Behind. We have to use the resources that are home grown. Reporter Kalisha Garrett of the Louisiana Chamber of Commerce Foundation has worked with henry on community progress. She fears Hurricane Ida could be a setback for black industry workers, an industry rebounding from covid. One of the hardest hit areas, and most often one that is neglected because our gig industry, which we call it, consists of those talented individuals that participate in festivals and they are the Life Blood of what individuals come to visit and vacation in New Orleans for. Reporter days after Hurricane Ida slammed New Orleans, this happened. Guys in here protecting inventory must have fell asleep, and the candle fell over, and boom. Reporter one of the stations he owns burned. This engulfed the back. Reporter henry says he expanded his business to help the hurting community, now 240 people across the state have a job. Adding to his portfolio, what he says will be the largest Gas Station in the city. We got a lot of growth plans. Were committed to New Orleans, and the growth of the city. Reporter and leaving a legacy for future generations. What am i going to do. You can retire. Reporter indeed what happens today will impact the future. Its not just Black Business owners. Its also other small Minority Business owners. Some weve heard from say it took them three years to rebuild following Hurricane Katrina and 2005, and for the last 18 months they have been struggling because of covid, and now this. And i want to underscore one more thing, even if they file claims with their insurance companies, it may be weeks or months before they can access those funds. Brianna. Yeah, no, its such a good point. I think thats one of the big challenges that so many people are facing in the after math of these storms, what do they get from their insurance companies, and how does that impact them longterm. Great story. Thank you so much. A republican congressman who tried unsuccessfully to get into afghanistan says his team that he has been working with, among them some veterans, is responsible for helping evacuate an american family that came out of afghanistan over land yesterday. Were going to speak live with Congressman Mark wean mullen about his secret trip, not so secret anymore, and his message to the biden administration. Plus, dubious information about a Horse Deworming Medication as well as a debunked story, what is the real story here. Were going to have a cnn Fact Check ahead. As someone who resembles Someone Else. I appreciate that Liberty Mutual knows everyones unique. Thats why they customize your car insurance, so you only pay for what you need. [ nautical Horn Blows ] i mean just because you look like Someone Else doesnt mean you eat off the floor, or yell at the vacuum, or need flea medication. Oh, yeah. Thats the spot. Only pay for what you need. Liberty, liberty, liberty, liberty new projects means new project managers. You need to hire. I need indeed. When you sponsor a job, you Immediely Get Ur Shortlist of quality candidates, whose resumes on indeed Match Yourob criteria. Visit indeed. Com hir and get started today. 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Citizens leave afghanistan via an Overland Route marking the first americans who have been able to leave the country by land. This is according to the sate department, but the role of the State Department and the biden administration now being disputed by my next guest, who says it was the work of him and a team of nonprofit funded americans that got an american woman and her three american children to safety and that the State Department is now trying to step in and take credit. Lets talk about this now with republican Congressman Markwayne mullin of oklahoma. He is a member of the house intelligence committee. Sir, thanks for being with us this morning. Thanks for having me on, and thanks for covering this story. First things first here, because i think theres going to be a lot of curiosity about who these folks are that came out over land, the first people we are aware who have done this. You have been working with a team of veterans and others. Tell us who these people are, and tell us about their journey, what it was like . Well, we started this group about two weeks ago. M miriam and her three kids are from emerald, texas, and we had got a request to see if we could help them in my office, along with the office of ronny jackson, and when we got the request, i reached out to Friends Of Mine who were contractors and asked if they had people still working in the area, which they did. Once we contacted them, they started putting an organization together working with the sitnel foundation, a nonprofit organization that is absolutely awesome. Theyre nonpolitical. They do this stuff all the time. It was our intentions of making no Press Statements at all about this. We were simply going to fly in, Get Miriam and her kids and a couple other american citizens and leave. But when we were trying to enter into afghanistan, things went really sideways. We started getting all types of pushback from the State Department, and so we found ourselves not being able to get her out through the kabul international airport. And even though we had her at the gate multiple times, multiple multiple we was on the phone with the State Department over the last two weeks trying to get her out, and they wouldnt even open a gate for us. On the night of the 29th through the day of the 30th, we were trying over and over again, actually on the 28th, 29th and 30th, we were at gates, i was on the phone with the Operations Center trying to Get Miriam and her kids out of kabul. So when the administration says that every american that wanted out could get out, thats an absolute lie. Were working with 27 american citizens right now that i assure you all of them wanted out, and we couldnt get them out. When that failed i was going to say, i do want to talk to you about that. Obviously youre aware, youre facing criticism for efforts to get in the country, first i want to ask you about this characterization of what happened by the u. S. State department. You said you didnt necessarily want to be talking about this in the press, but here you are, and youre taking very much issue with how the State Department is characterizing this, so i just want to get to the bottom of what youre taking issue with because the State Department said the u. S. Has facilitated the safe departure by Overland Route. Amba just to be clear, are you saying they did not facilitate the overland departure of these four or Embassy Staff were not present at the exit . They got present on the second day. We traveled over 300 miles with miriam, not we personally, not me me personally, i was in the united states, over 300 miles from kabul. Im going to leave where we brought her across out of it because we hopefully will get more people through. We had her there for 24 hours before the State Department realized she was there. They showed up a few hours after she got across. For them to say they facilitated, thats a lie. We had to go through 20 Check Points. Each check point, you have to pay money to get through. On the day that she was actually able to come across, she was actually told because i was on the phone with her 3 00 Central Standard Time in the morning, and they said if you come back, well kill you, and so we were negotiating, we, we were negotiating back and forth. The State Department was actually told at one time, actually told the embassy and the country not to assist us in any way. Quote, that came from the ambassador said washington, d. C. , representative mullin, im not to assist you in any way. It was until the second day that we almost had her out that the State Department came in, and when they came in, they did come in to help, ill give you that. For them to take credit and say they negotiated with the taliban, our guys with the Sentinel Foundation walked across the bridge and was trying to negotiate with the taliban. Not the State Department, our guys. Sentinel foundation, they are nonpolitical, they dont want to be in the picture. They do this all over the country, all over the world, they were taking on the negotiation. When i seen the State Department come out and take credit for this, it is absolutely a lie. So it sounds like what youre saying is they didnt it was the group youre involved with that shepherded this woman and her three kids through the Overland Route, the State Department obviously did come in at The End and they helped get this person through this border passing. But i want to ask you because, i mean, theres a lot of conflict in the way this story is being told obviously, and youre facing a lot of criticism from the biden administration because you tried to get into afghanistan multiple times. They allege that you threatened Embassy Staff in tajikistan. You say its not true. Tell us about that. They say you were trying to bring a large amount of cash in with this group of people that you were with. What do you say to that . Were you trying to do that, and tell us about your response to them saying that you threatened the ambassador. Well, first of all, the ambassador and i in tajikistan get along, and it was his group that really tried to help us as much as they could. Thats a misnarrative. Him and i spoke about this yesterday and he actually apologized about it, and his guys are the ones that were actually there trying to volunteer their time and help towards The End of this, not going Up To it. As far as the large sum of cash, anybody thats worked in that region knows they dont take credit cards, and as i said, you got to go through 20 Check Points, over 20 Check Points before you could get to the area were at, and at each one of the Check Points, they will charge 500 to 4,000 per person. They dont take credit cards, they only take cash. If were going to get people out, we have to continue to fund the operation, and you can only do that through cash. And cnn, you guys have been there before. You guys understand how this works. You know that you have to have cash on you to operate in those parts of the region, and any other organizations that have worked there knows that, and so it was really a misnarrative that the State Department tried to spin, and now theyre trying to take credit for the four. The fact of the matter is i wouldnt have been there if the biden administration would have done their job in the first place. I didnt look for a reason to go. I didnt even want to go, but how do you say no when you have americans wanting to get out, and you have our own government, the President Biden up there and Secretary Blinken out there saying i want to ask you because you know there is this tension between members of congress, you were trying to get in a day after two other congressmen tried to get in, seth moulton, do you understand reticence, Yo Get In by air, and they feel thats creating a problem in the evacuations. We had filed our paperwork days prior to seth trying to go in, and i dont know seths motives, im not saying one way or the next with him. I know for us, we wasnt doing any publicity whatsoever with it. We filed all the proper paperwork, our ppr, and filed our humanitarian faa flight plan, and so we were trying to stay away from this. I was going in with my team. My team, our tier one operators, we werent taking resources whatsoever, away from them. We were flying on our own dime, and we were going to fly them out on our own plane. There was no resources whatsoever, for that to happen. At The End of the day, the State Department and the president started playing politics with it. And in the long run, it probably worked out better for them not land us at that time because whats happened is we started a whole Ground Operation to be able to start getting people that the administration Left Behind because they left them behind. Now were working all around the region, and because they didnt let us land, this is what we had to do, which is fine. We had to work all around the region running what we call rat lines, getting americans and sivs out of the country. That this administration, as i said, Left Behind, and is lying about it, saying anyone who wanted out has got out. It literally breaks my heart. Theres multiple organizations. Were not the only organization in there working, in there working as hard as we can, most of them are veterans to get americans out, to keep the promise that we dont leave any american behind. This president broke his promise about this. This is a story thats going to continue. Theres a lot of tension. We can see obviously your characterization is different from what we are hearing from the State Department, and there are still americans in afghanistan. Well keep following this story. Congressman, thank you. Thank you for having me on. This morning, hollywood shocked, really, the country shocked, by the death of michael k. Williams, best known for his work on The Wire where he played an iconic role. What police are saying, as we hear from fellow actors who knew him well. One week to go in californias recall election. Caitlyn jenner, One Of The Best known challengers, what her plan is as governor. More community. But with my Hiv Treatment, theres not more medicines in my pill. 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Williams who portrayed the iconic role of Omar Little in hbos The Wire, many other movie roles as well. He was found dead Yesterday Afternoon in his apartment in new york from a possible drug overdose. Joining us now, his costars from The Wire, Andre Royal and sanya stone. Thank you so much for joining us. The link between williams pain, his past, previous drug use, and his performances, you could see it throughout his career, right, you could see it coming across the screen both in movies and series. And i wonder if you could share with us what it was like working with him, how he brought that to life. Ill go with you first, andre. You know, working with mike, he was always appreciative of the opportunity. For him it was always about the opportunity. He knew that a lot of people didnt get this opportunity to have a chance to shine bright and delve into his craft, and share his craft. And you know, for him, it just spoke to how he was as a person. He he wanted to make sure he showed people that, you know, he can shine bright and be a good actor, and also a good person, and take this Opportunity And Help other people. So for him it was always about the opportunity to help. I see you nodding there, sonya. Yes, you know, michael took his role in this business very seriously. He understood it to be a mission, a purpose, a path that god chose for him. You know, he utilized this Art Form for something so much greater than his own benefit. This arena was a place where he could take the brutality that life sometimes bestowed upon him, and Al Chamize that into something through this craft that brought Beauty And Healing to other folks. I just want to offer something from our brother wendell pierce. He reminded me, you know, that michael portrayed two very iconic characters for us in africanamerican television, and that is omar, and chalky white. We believe there are very few actors, if any, who could have brought the level of humanity that he did to those characters, and the only way that i believe he could have done that was to really inject his own spirit into that. And yeah, he utilized this Arm Form for something so much greater than his own benefit, and, you know, we wont look at lgbtq folks in the same way again. There is no one that has brought Light And Awareness and nuanced perspectives to the lgbtq image. And, yeah, were just, were going to miss him dearly, yeah. He had enormous advocacy off screen as well, right, using his fame to draw attention to issues, criminal Justice Reform was a Big One for him, and New York Times quotes a Childhood Friend of his, who called him a prophet of the projects in his advocacy, and i wonder if that resonates with either of you . Yeah, i mean, it resonates with me because, you know, i met Michael In 97, you know, in brooklyn. You know, he always spoke of, you know, how excited he was to get a chance to maybe, you know, with this, you know, platform as far as acting is concerned that he would be able to, you know, Show A Path for his brothers and sisters out there in brooklyn, that they can, you know, have a way out, and have a way to be heard and be seen through the arts or through speaking out and stepping in front to speak about political issues. And not to be afraid. Not to be afraid to step in front and speak on it, a lot of people would have shied away from being in front of the camera. Not him. He saw it as a badge of courage that the scar didnt stop him. And i think he knew that him every time he was in front of the camera or any time he had an opportunity to speak that he was not speaking just for himself. He was speaking for a lot of people behind him that, you know, that didnt get a chance to speak or dont have a chance to be heard. So he took that very seriously. And hopefully, you know, well continue to remember him for that and know that he definitely, definitely wore it as a badge of courage that he was speaking to so many people. Im sorry. No, go on, sonja. Michael really understood the value of showing up in these places. You know, michael came from the projects. He came from the hood, and he went through certain experiences. He lived certain experiences that never let him forget the pain of coming from those places. And he understood that it was he was put in a position of power. And he held it with such humility and such grace, but always understood that he had to physically be in front of the people that he was representing, that he was trying to lift up, that he was trying to inspire. He knew that he could not stay in harlem. Thats why he lived in brooklyn. Thats why he always made sure he came back to baltimore. The people that held him down when he was in his darkest days before folks out here really knew him. He was loyal. He was loyal and he was, he was just the biggest heart that folks you just, you know, he was nothing like the characters he played in some ways, okay is what i want to say. He was iconic. He was kind. He was iconic in front of the camera, iconic behind the camera. I think that will be his legacy. He is gone way too soon. Andre and sonja, i want to thank you both for being with us. For sure. Okay, thank you so much. Ivermectin is a drug commonly used to treat worms in livestock. It is not a drug to treat covid19, so why are prominent voices pushing that treatment and confusing people in the process . Its not the first time. Also a remarkable story of survival. A 3yearold boy found safe, there he is, after spending days alone in the woods. Its a remarkable survival story. What happens when we Welcome Change . We can transform our workforce overnight out of convenience, or necessity. 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This is an important one. Whats the deal . It is an important one. The story that viral was pretty bad, significantly exaggerated. The criticism of this fraught story was fraught. This was a comprehensive mess. Lets walk through this stepbystep. Last week an Oklahoma Tv Station ran a headline saying patients overdosing ivermectin. A story claimed a local doctor said people taking ivermectin was causing Emergency Room and ambulance back ups. It suggested ivermectin was the reason this doctor said gunshot victims were having a hard time finding a hospital spot. The story was copied with little to no additional research by some bigger name national and international outlets, notably including rolling stone magazine. It was promoted by Msnbc Host Rachel maddow. The story had a major flaw. Contrary to the strong suggestion of this story, there is no evidence that ivermectin was the key cause or even a primary cause of hospital backups in oklahoma. And if you go through the doctors quotes in the clips the local stationery leased, there is no evidence even that the doctor claimed that himself. So far all i can tell is that the doctor said, Ivermectin Misuse was one of the reasons local hospitals are congested. So the local News Story was flawed, then as a result the aggregated national stories were flawed and the tweets were flawed. This is another cautionary media fail tale. One interview, one Story Shouldnt be sufficient to make dramatic claims like this. Media outlets need to do a lot more corroborating research. But also i need to add some of the critics. Story also jumped to conclusions. After one of the hospital systems, this doctor works with issued a statement, saying they hadnt seen anyone come in with ivermectin complications. This statement was treated by some on the right as definitive proof the story was made up, even the doctor was a liar. There were online reviews. It is unclear the doctor said anything false. These aggressive critics didnt pay any attention to the fact that the doctor is affiliated with more than one oklahoma hospital. On monday, a different hospital he works with said in a statement that they had seen a, quote, handful of patients with ivermectin complications, and they said these patients werent adding to the existing Pandemic Problem of hospital congestion. That hospital told me last night they had zero beds available at the time. So i think the broader lesson here is as usual, do not, please, jump to immediate conclusions based on little kernels of information. Its a cautionary tale how something that isnt true gets amplified. The truth, though, when it comes to the ivermectin is dont take it. Dont be taking it. It doesnt work for covid. And, look, even a few people who have taken it, they end up in the hospital, those are beds that arent available for others. Absolutely. The if, da has basically begged people in quite dramatic Language Online to avoid taking this for covid19. Yeah. Daniel, thank you so much as always. Thank you. Well, with infections from covid19 surging across the country, and i. C. U. Beds in dangerous low supply, Health Care workers are thrust in the unenviable position of who gets a bed and who does not. In an oped for the washington post, one writer addresses that problem by asking, do the unvaccinated deserve scarce i. C. U. Beds . Joining us now the author of that oped, the professor of politics at harvards school, also editor at large at time magazine. Nancy, thanks so much for joining us this morning. Reading your oped here, you note that because of Patients Prognosis is part of the equation for triage decisions, vaccination reduces the chances of severe infection, that this can this is rso