Meet the MAHA influencer Trump wants as the “nation’s doctor”

Summary

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Apple News Today — Episode Summary

Episode: Meet the MAHA influencer Trump wants as the “nation’s doctor”
Date: February 26, 2026
Host: Cecilia
Key Guests: Aria Bendix (NBC News), Dave Lawler (Axios), David Nakamura (Washington Post), Casey Means (Surgeon General nominee)

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Overview

In this episode, Apple News Today explores the high-profile confirmation hearing of Casey Means, President Trump’s unconventional nominee for Surgeon General. The episode examines Means’ wellness influencer background, controversial views on vaccines, and the political tension her nomination has sparked. The episode also dives into disputes between the Pentagon and AI company Anthropic, a whistleblower’s testimony on ICE training practices, and provides updates on significant news stories from around the world.

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Main Segment: Trump’s Controversial Surgeon General Nominee

Background and Credentials

• Casey Means is nominated as Surgeon General, despite lacking an active medical license and not completing her surgical residency.
  • Quote: “She actually dropped out with just months left in the program and then went on to become somewhat of a wellness influencer.” — Aria Bendix [00:58]
• Known for promoting holistic remedies, dietary supplements, a popular newsletter advocating healthy eating, and a glucose monitoring startup.
• Helped architect the “Make America Healthy Again” (MAHA) agenda, closely collaborating with her brother Callie Means and Secretary Kennedy.

Wellness Industry and Political Ties

• Means’ emphasis on chronic disease prevention and anti-processed food policies garners bipartisan support.
• Her alignment with Secretary Kennedy, especially on skepticism around vaccines and processed foods, draws scrutiny.
  • Quote: “A lot of the ideas surrounding ultra processed foods… and some of the vaccine concerns that she expressed today have been long held and long shared between herself and Secretary Kennedy.” — Aria Bendix [01:45]

Senate Confirmation Hearing Highlights

• The hearing grew contentious, much of it focusing on Means’ views about vaccines and their safety.
• Senator Bill Cassidy (a physician) pressed Means directly:
  • Cassidy: “Do you believe that vaccines, whether individually or collectively, contribute to autism?” [02:10]
  • Means: “We have an autism crisis… and we do not know as a medical community what causes autism.” [02:16]
  • Cassidy pressed further about evidence clearing vaccines:
    • Means replied: “I do accept that evidence. I also think that science has never settled...” [02:41]
• Means was reticent to directly answer questions regarding Kennedy’s recent claims about the ineffectiveness of the flu vaccine:
  • Quote:
    • Senator Kaine: “Do you think the flu vaccine reduces the risk of hospitalization or serious injury?” [03:22]
    • Means: “I believe vaccines save lives. I believe the flu vaccine [is] a public health strategy… I certainly think that it does.” [03:28, 03:40]

Trust and Public Health Communications

• The Surgeon General’s role is central to communicating vital health guidance.
• Aria Bendix expressed concern over Means’ potential to sow further distrust:
  • Quote: “When you have a figure who is so polarizing, you wonder if it will further sow distrust among the public.” [04:04]
• Concerns are amplified as trust in public health agencies has declined while pro-Kennedy appointees fill technical posts.

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Pentagon–Anthropic AI Dispute

Summary of the Conflict

• The Pentagon (led by Defense Sec. Pete Hegseth) is integrating AI extensively with $200M contracts ("We must ensure…America's military AI dominance…to hold our national security interests." — Hegseth [04:51])
• Anthropic, the only company cleared for classified systems, restricts its AI’s use:
  • No mass surveillance of Americans
  • No use in autonomous weapons [05:33]
• Pentagon demands total control, threatening drastic consequences if Anthropic does not comply.

Tensions and Legal Threats

• Dave Lawler explains that the Pentagon might:
  • Declare Anthropic a supply chain risk, sever contracts, and blacklist them ([06:17])
  • Use the Defense Production Act to compel compliance ([06:39])
  • Quote: “It’s a tough case for Anthropic to win… on issues of national security, the courts often give the president pretty broad authority.” — Lawler [07:05]

Context and Stakes

• Anthropic’s tool played a role in the capture of Venezuelan President Maduro; the company objected to its use in that operation.
• Both sides remain at odds, with the Pentagon admitting that replacing Claude would be “painful,” as rivals lag behind.
  • Quote from defense official paraphrased by Lawler: “These guys are really good… their software is just that useful for us…” [08:20]

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ICE Whistleblower Reveals Troubling Training Practices

Testimony by Ryan Schwank

• Schwank, a former ICE lawyer and instructor, testified about dangerous cuts to training and secret instructions.
  • Quote: "On my first day I received secretive orders to teach new cadets to violate the Constitution by entering homes without a judicial warrant." — Schwank [09:16]
• ICE has been substituting administrative for judicial warrants, bypassing judge oversight.
• Schwank described slicing 240 hours from the 584-hour program, especially in constitutional law and use of force.
  • “Classes that teach the Constitution, our legal system, firearms training…the limits of officers [sic] authority. For example, they ceased all of the legal instructions regarding use of force.” — Schwank [09:41]

Agency Response and Broader Implications

• Acting ICE director Todd Lyons denied curriculum changes, insisting intensity and total hours remained ([10:51])
• David Nakamura explained rapid training stems from a Congressional push for over 10,000 new agents ([11:04])
• Democrats demand expanded training and stricter warrant policies as part of DHS funding talks ([11:38])

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Quick News Roundup

• Cuban Coast Guard incident: U.S. speedboat shootout near Cuba, linked to Trump’s ongoing oil blockade and island energy crisis.
• Epstein documents: DOJ reviewing potential withholding of key files related to allegations against Trump; fallout for Harvard’s Larry Summers and Bill Gates’ Epstein connections.
• Sneaker squeak science: Researchers finally explain why basketball shoes squeak—tiny rapid deformations in rubber soles ([12:04]).

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• "This public health crisis is touching every American family. It is robbing our children of possibility, our workforce of productivity, and our nation of security." — Casey Means [00:10]
• "Alongside her brother, Callie Means was really instrumental in elevating Secretary Kennedy to the position of power that he now holds within the federal government." — Aria Bendix [01:45]
• "The effort to look at comprehensive, cumulative exposures of our exposome into what is causing Autism is important..." — Casey Means [02:41]
• "If you don't agree to our terms by Friday, we have one of two options. We will either declare you a supply chain risk… or use the Defense Production Act." — Dave Lawler quoting Hegseth [06:17]

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Casey Means confirmation overview: 00:05 – 04:40
• Pentagon vs. Anthropic AI dispute: 04:40 – 08:41
• ICE whistleblower and training concerns: 08:41 – 12:04
• News roundup and science segment: 12:04 – end

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Apple News Today continues to chart the key stories shaping the U.S. political and public health landscape, spotlighting contentious nominees, government tech debates, and pressing civil liberties concerns—all with succinct, insightful reporting.

Transcript

[Cecilia]

Good morning. The wellness influencer Trump wants to be the nation's doctor faces Congress.

[Casey Means]

This public health crisis is touching every American family. It is robbing our children of possibility, our workforce of productivity, and our nation of security.

[Cecilia]

An ICE whistleblower pulls back the curtain on training and recruitment and why one AI company is pushing back at demands from the pentagon. It's Thursday, February 26th. I'm Cecilia and this is Apple News today. President Trump's nominee to become the next Surgeon General was in front of the Senate Health Committee yesterday for a confirmation hearing that became contentious. Casey Means would be an unconventional appointment. She would carry the informal title of the nation's doctor, but she doesn't actually have an active medical license, as Aria Bendix from NBC News explains.

[Aria Bendix]

Kasey Means went to Stanford Medical School and notably did not complete her surgical residency. She actually dropped out with just months left in the program and then went on to become somewhat of a wellness influencer. And that's probably how she's best known to the public.

[Cecilia]

Bendix told us that Means made her name in the wellness industry by selling holistic remedies and other products like dietary supplements and teas. She also has a popular newsletter about healthy eating and founded a company that helps people monitor glucose levels. Her focus on chronic diseases and avoiding ultra processed foods would find support on both sides of the aisle. But Means was also a key advisor during Kennedy's failed presidential bid and she's credited with being one of the key architects of the Make America Healthy Again agenda.

[Aria Bendix]

Alongside her brother, Callie Means was really instrumental in elevating Secretary Kennedy to the position of power that he now holds within the federal government. So a lot of the ideas surrounding ultra processed foods and even some of the vaccine concerns that she expressed today have been long held and long shared between herself and Secretary Kennedy.

[Cecilia]

Vaccines were a major focus of the hearing. Here is Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, a doctor himself.

[Dave Lawler]

Do you believe that vaccines, whether individually or collectively, contribute to autism?

[Casey Means]

Senator Cassidy, you're a physician. I'm a physician. The reality is that we have an autism crisis that's increasing and this is devastating to many families and we do not know as a medical community what causes autism.

[Cecilia]

Pushing for a direct answer, Cassidy pressed her further on any links to vaccines.

[Dave Lawler]

There's been a lot of evidence showing that they're not implicated. Do you not accept that evidence?

[Casey Means]

I do accept that evidence. I also think that science has never settled and I think there is. I think that the effort to look at comprehensive, cumulative exposures of our exposome into what is causing Autism is important and I look forward to seeing those results and sharing the best public health information with the American people.

[Cecilia]

Bendix told us that means skirted questions at times or deferred to the cdc. In an exchange with Democratic Senator Tim Kaine, she appeared reluctant to take a view on Kennedy's recent unsubstantiated claims that the flu vaccine did nothing to prevent hospitalization or or death in children.

[Dave Lawler]

This is an Easy one, doctor. This is an easy one.

[Casey Means]

I support the CDC's guidance on the flu vaccine.

[Dave Lawler]

Do you think the flu vaccine reduces the risk of hospitalization or serious injury?

[Casey Means]

I've seen I believe vaccines save lives. I believe the flu vaccine a public health strategy.

[Dave Lawler]

The flu vaccine, does it reduce the risk of injury or hospital at the population level?

[Casey Means]

I certainly think that it does.

[Cecilia]

The position has been unfilled for more than a year as means confirmation was delayed after giving birth in that time. Polling suggests that trust in agencies like the FDA and the CDC have declined as Kennedy has placed his supporters into top technical posts. The surgeon general role, Bendix explained, is crucial for communicating health messages.

[Aria Bendix]

This is the figure that will put out health warnings and advisories for the entire country and people. Historically, the public has really trusted the advice of whoever is in this post. I think that's why means nomination has generated so much concern, particularly among Democrats, because when you have a figure who is so polarizing, you wonder if it will further sow distrust among the public.

[Cecilia]

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is pushing hard and fast to integrate AI across all aspects of the US Military, and he made that clear during a visit with SpaceX employees last month.

[Dave Lawler]

We must ensure that America's military AI dominance so that no adversary can exploit that same technology to hold our national security interests or our citizens at risk.

[Cecilia]

Several companies, including Google, OpenAI and Xai, won $200 million contracts last year to implement their tools the Pentagon. But only one of those companies has been approved for use in classified military systems after officials deemed it the most advanced and secure. Anthropic and its model Claude. Now a dispute has erupted over the application of Anthropic's tools at home and on the battlefield, and it's pitting company executives against Hegseth and the administration.

[Dave Lawler]

Anthropic has put some limitations on how CLAUDE can be used. They don't want it to be used, for example, for the mass surveillance of Americans. They also don't want it to be used to develop autonomous weapons, weapons that could fire without human involvement.

[Cecilia]

Dave Lawler is the national security editor for Axios.

[Dave Lawler]

The Pentagon is not quibbling so much with those two stipulations, but they're just saying Anthropic doesn't get to set any guardrails whatsoever. If you do business with the Pentagon, we're going to use your tool however we see fit.

[Cecilia]

After a tense meeting between top Pentagon officials and Anthropic CEO Dario Mate, the company is now on a deadline line to comply with the military's demands or face some pretty serious consequences. Lawlor was the first to break the story.

[Dave Lawler]

Pegseth told him, if you don't agree to our terms by Friday, we have one of two options. We will either declare you a supply chain risk, which would mean not only do we sever our contract with you, but anyone who does business with the Pentagon will not be able to use your software. And then there's the other option, which is to use the Defense Production Act.

[Cecilia]

Under the Defense Production Act, President Trump could force Anthropic to build a Claude model that works the way the Pentagon wants it to. That law is meant to mobilize the private industry for national security and was used by Trump and President Biden during COVID to speed up the production of vaccines and ventilators. But Lawler says it's rarely been drawn upon in such an adversarial way. If it happens, Anthropic could sue, but it would be an uphill battle.

[Dave Lawler]

I spoke to somebody who's in this space who said actually that's probably a tough case for Anthropic to win if this did happen. And they tried to fight it in court because on issues of national security, the courts often give the president pretty broad authority to say we need this for national security, we need this model. We know we're using it for stuff, but we need full access, unfettered access.

[Cecilia]

Anthropic's apprehension over how the Pentagon wants to use AI stems from the recent capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. The military used Claude during that operation, though it's not exactly clear how. U.S. officials say anthropic raised concerns about that operation to its partner Palantir. Lawlor reports. The administration says it's unworkable for the military to litigate individual use cases with Anthropic before or after clot is applied. That's what's led the Pentagon to threaten to sever its contract with the company. All of this puts Anthropic in a pretty tough position. They say they're open to continuing good faith talks and it supports the US national security mission. As for the Pentagon Lawlor says they don't want to lose Claude and that it would be painful to pull it out of their systems since there is no ready replacement. Other companies like Google and OpenAI could take its place, but they are already some way behind Anthropic the problem and

[Dave Lawler]

this is a quote from a defense official I'm paraphrasing, but they told me the problem for Anthropic is these guys are really good. You know, we're putting so much pressure on them because their software is just that useful for us that, you know, we feel it's necessary to have these conversations.

[Cecilia]

A former ICE official broke ranks in a revealing congressional hearing this week which shed light on the training program for thousands of new recruits. On Monday, Ryan Schrank, a former ICE instructor, testified to Democrats that the agency had dramatically slashed training guidelines for new recruits and lied to Congress about it. Schwenk began working at ICE as a lawyer in 2021 and started volunteering last fall to train new, inexperienced recruits, some as young as 18, at an academy in Georgia. Last week, Schwank resigned from that job because he was troubled by what he encountered.

[Dave Lawler]

On my first day I received secretive orders to teach new cadets to violate the Constitution by entering homes without a judicial warrant.

[Cecilia]

ICE has been using administrative warrants to make arrests and enter people's homes instead of judicial warrants which require sign off from a federal judge. Schwank told lawmakers he was asked not to discuss the change publicly. He also described major reductions in the training program.

[Dave Lawler]

For the last five months. I watched ICE dismantle the training program, cutting 240 hours of vital classes from a 584 hour program. Classes that teach the Constitution, our legal system, firearms training, the use of force, lawful arrests, proper detention and the limits of officers authority. For example, they ceased all of the legal instructions regarding use of force.

[Cecilia]

Schwank submitted several dozen pages of internal ICE documents that he said shows the extent of the cuts. He's describing records that suggest that the Trump administration has significantly reduced the agency's basic mandate mandatory training like a two hour training on the rights of protesters that was cut down to 10 minutes and lumped into another lesson. Schwank went on to tell Congress that insufficient training could and would result in people being killed. His testimony stood in stark contrast to the one from acting ICE director Todd Lyons two weeks ago, which took place amid public outrage over ICE's aggressive tactics. Lyons denied that the curriculum had changed.

[David Nakamura]

The meat of the training was never removed. The timeline was we took training from five days a week, eight hours a day to six days a week, 12 hours a day.

[Cecilia]

David Nakamura is a reporter with the Washington Post and covered both hearings.

[David Nakamura]

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement got a lot of money from Congress last year to really expand quickly the number of agents by more than 10,000 agents, and they're trying to sort of get them trained into the field as quickly as possible.

[Cecilia]

He told us that Democratic lawmakers expressed repeated concerns about the speed in which agents were being put into the field. The testimony could play into ongoing negotiations over the continued shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security. Included in Democrats demands for funding. The department is expanded training and a stricter policy on judicial warrants.

[David Nakamura]

There's continued fighting over what level of new safeguards could be put in place to oversee the conduct of these federal immigration officers that could free up enough boats to sort of pass a DHS funding bill, which is very important because of course DHS is beyond simply immigration enforcement, but it goes over to TSA flights and airports and so on. So it's a very important agency. And Democrats are basically saying we want different rules.

[Cecilia]

In a statement, DHS said that recruits are receiving the same total hours of training as they always have and that they are given extensive firearm training and instruction on how to observe Fourth and Fifth Amendment rights. Before we let you go, a few other stories we're following. The Cuban Coast Guard killed four people and injured six during a shootout with an American speedboat yesterday. According to the country's Interior Ministry, the Florida registered boat was within a nautical mile of Cuba's northern coast when the boat's passengers were approached and asked for identification by Border Guard troops. The crew on board allegedly began shooting and Cuban forces returned fire. News sources were not able to independently confirm Cuba's version of the incident, and it wasn't clear why the boat would have been traveling so close to Cuba. Secretary of State Marco Rubio told reporters that the DHS Coast Guard and others are looking into the incident and described it as highly unusual. The shooting comes amid Trump's ongoing oil blockade, which has caused an acute energy crisis on the island. On Wednesday, the U.S. treasury said it would authorize companies to resell Venezuelan oil again, which could ease the fuel scarcity. On Wednesday, the Justice Department said it was reviewing whether any Jeffrey Epstein documents were improperly withheld. The announcement follows reports from several news organizations that the files released so far are missing a series of FBI interviews with a woman who made an allegation against Trump in 2019. Meanwhile, the fallout continues for people connected to Epstein. Yesterday, former treasury secretary and economist Larry Summers announced his plans to resign as a tenured professor at Harvard University over his communications with Epstein. And at a town hall on Tuesday, philanthropist Bill Gates admitted to his foundation staff members that he had two affairs with Russian women, but that they didn't involve Epstein's victims. Gates said it was, quote, a huge mistake to have spent time with Epstein. Neither Gates nor Summers have been accused of engaging in any illegal activity. And finally, it's a sound that can invoke a gym class as a kid or the NBA Finals. As AP reports, scientists have been studying the symphony of squeaking that occurs when rubber soles hit the hardwood floor inspired by a Boston Celtics game. One researcher wanted to know how exactly it happens. In a study published in Nature. They concluded that as the shoe tries to keep its grip, tiny sections of the sole change shape as they momentarily lose, then regain contact with the floor thousands of times per second at a frequency that matches the pitch of the loud squeak we hear. The lead author described it as your shoe creaking wrinkles that travel fast at high frequency. Other researchers have studied these kinds of bursts before, but this examined friction at much faster speeds, and for the first time, it links the speedy pulses with the squeaking sound they produce. What the research doesn't offer is a fix, but AP notes that the insights here may pave the way for a squeakless shoe. That is, if we can imagine a basketball game without it. You can find all these stories and more in the Apple News app. And if you're already listening in the News app right now, we've got a narrated article coming up next. Scientific American explores polyamorous relationships and how one anthropologist's work revealed what truly drives the people who practice them. If you're listening in the podcast app, follow Apple News Narrated to find that story. And I'll be back with the news tomorrow.