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Hi, everybody. Welcome to here's the scoop from NBC News. I'm Yasim Desugin. Today on the show, could a leading voice in the Maha movement become the next surgeon general? How Dr. Casey means defended her controversial medical views in today's Senate nomination hearing. Plus, Houston, we have a problem. Why NASA just put their moon mission on hold again. And drum roll, please. Who was on the Rock and Roll hall of Fame nominee set list? Up first, though, if you were watching the clock, President Trump spoke for a record 1 hour and 47 minutes for the longest State of the Union address in history on Tuesday night, where he claimed he had ushered in a golden age of America, saying the nation is, quote, back, bigger, better, richer and stronger than ever before. That was the president's take, but according to a wide range of polls, voters have lost trust in his handling of the economy for the first time in his political career. So did the president provide some economic hope in his address? And how could that ripple impact the upcoming midterm races? Joining me now to talk about this is NBC News business and data correspondent Brian Chung. Hi, Brian.
B
Hey.
A
So the president laid out some of his economic proposals last night. Right. Knowing that was priority number one for Americans heading into the midterms, including matching retirement contributions and quote, unquote, Trump accounts for children. Take us through some of these proposals from last night.
B
Yeah, well, the Trump accounts for children was something that had been announced prior to the State of the Union, but I think the news was this retirement account, and the details are still very thin on this. We did know going into the State of Union he was going to have these kind of new flashy policy proposals that I would argue was the biggest one. But the idea is that for people that don't have access to a 401k because for most people, having that retirement account is contingent on you being employed by a company that can do a match for your 401k.
A
And just, I mean, FYI, according to a 2025 Gallup poll, 40% of Americans, almost half of Americans, do not have retirement savings.
B
So it's a big deal. And the president is proposing that for that 40% of people, he would create some sort of federal program where for contributions that you make to your retirement account, the government would match up to $1,000 to Cede that account. So that is something that is obviously really great when you consider how the stock market has been going up during the course of his, you know, first year in this second term, up over 10%.
A
And can I just stop you for A second, you would set it up through which banking facility?
B
So we. This is where the details are very thin. Now, if it does kind of match the infrastructure that was laid out by these child accounts, the president would likely work with the private sector to create some sort of match, but there would need to be some sort of federal contribution as well. That's the reason why this. This is the President saying he wants to do something, but he needs Congress to approve this as well.
A
For those that don't know, though, can you lay out for us these Trump accounts for kids?
B
Yeah, so the Trump accounts for kids. The idea is that for kids that were born during the Trump years of this administration, they would be able to open up an account, and there would be money that would be seeded into that account, and then the government would match that, in addition to a lot of these private donors putting money in there as well. And so the idea is that these kids, once they get older, would then be able to tap that account when they're adults to get that money. And that money would be invested in the stock market so that whatever appreciation we've seen in stock prices, they would benefit from that as well. And so I think the idea. If we could just kind of zoom out here, the idea of wanting to get more people invested and have these savings that are actually locked up for a good amount of time is a noble one. I mean, there is a real savings crisis in the United States. There were some stats, I think that, you know, a good share of Americans do not have enough savings in their retirement to even cover $1,000 expense. And I think that this is a serious issue, especially in an aging economy. I think that if the issue is affordability today, this is money that's locked up for decades in some cases.
A
So let's get into that a little bit, because the two programs that we just talked about are tied to the stock market.
B
Right.
A
And the stock market has been doing pretty well. And the President talked about that last night. And this is a president that likes to tout the st. But when you are a regular American who is worried about paying for groceries and putting food on the table, did the President address the concerns of affordability appropriately last night?
B
Yeah. I mean, to your point, the fixation on the retirement accounts and the fixation on, you know, the child savings accounts, those are not going to be things that will address affordability today. What we are talking about in this economic moment, especially with regards to a midterm that's gonna be coming up in less than nine months, is prices at the grocery store, being able to buy a home, being able to afford car insurance. And the president did seem to acknowledge some of that. I think there was even a moment during the State of the Union where he seemed to acknowledge, I understand that being able to pay for things right now is a pain point for many Americans. Wallets. He was pinning it on the Democratic administration prior to him and the Biden administration. But the policy proposals that I think got the most attention last night, the splashier ones like these retirement accounts, they're not things that address affordability today. I think when you talk about tariffs, that's kind of when that type of conversation becomes a little bit more relevant.
A
He did talk about addressing electoral costs by charging AI companies for their data centers.
B
And that is something that, I mean, electricity costs and utilities, we all see it on our bills on a monthly basis. It's astronomical for a lot of Americans. The president trying to address that to your point, by proposing some sort of federal cap, I guess, if you will, on electricity costs and making the companies that are standing up these massive data centers around the country foot the bill for any increase in these utility costs that could get around the issue of affordability. But there's so many questions about how that would be done. I imagine that's also, it also feels
A
far reaching to a certain extent. So as we look ahead towards the midterms. Right. The purpose of the State of the Union is to a lay out what your plan is for the year. If you are a Republican lawmaker and you're listening to the president last night. Right. What do you have to hold onto and run with when it comes to campaigning on the economy and the plans of the Trump administration? And what are you hearing from lawmakers in general with regards to their reaction and the president's plan?
B
The Republicans are also trying to get around a messaging issue. And you know, the president has suggested this in many forms the past where he is looking at the stock market, which is hitting all time highs. That is a fact. And he's looking at the inflation numbers, which are good, but people still don't feel that. And we've been talking about this on this podcast so many times because people's understanding of the economy does not come from the consumer price index that we're reading. It comes from what they see on the receipt when they're checking out at the grocery store. You know, you ask about the midterms, you ask about the Republicans. A lot of this is going to be about messaging. People who go to the store, they say, I am paying more than I did a year or two or three ago. I am going to blame that on the current administration. That has happened under Democratic administrations. That has happened under Republican administrations. So how do you get around that? Through messaging. By constantly pointing to how good the stock market is doing by putting out, in some cases these dubious numbers that seem to show that inflation is lower than it actually is. But either way, it's all about messaging. I think the Republicans are gonna try to lean into that. Look, the affordability crisis is something that even the Republicans are now acknowledging is part of the electoral challenge for November this year. Can they get around that once we get to that point in time? That's the big question.
A
Brian Chung, thank you.
B
Absolutely.
A
All right. We're going to take a very quick break. And when we are back, a wellness influencer is vying to become the nation's top doctor. What President Trump's surgeon general pick said about vaccines and birth control in her nomination hearing, that's next.
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and we are back with here's the scoop from NBC News. The wellness influencer Casey Means, President Trump's pick for surgeon general, testified to the Senate in a long awaited nomination hearing this morning. For America's top doctor, Means is an unusual choice. She is a doctor, but she didn't actually complete her medical residency nor does she hold an active medical license. And that wasn't all. Senators raised concerns about our health. Reporter Aria Bendix was watching. Hey, Aria. Hi there. Introduce us to Dr. Means. Who is she?
C
She is a Stanford medicine graduate who instead of going on to complete her surgical residency, actually dropped out and got into the wellness space. She's probably most well known for, for her presence on Instagram, promoting a lot of dietary supplements and products and also for her company Levels, which charges people to help them monitor their glucose via an app and a wearable monitor. So she's really taken off in that
A
space as an influencer. Is it fair to say that she has been a major architect of the Make America Healthy Again movement as an
C
influencer and just as a close ally of Kennedy? Her brother Kali Means is also a special advisor to hhs, works closely with Secretary Kennedy. He's been actively involved in the mop. So together there's sort of this power duo that has really helped Kennedy rise to power and influence into his current role.
A
I want to talk a little bit about some of the controversy surrounding her and that is some of the stances she has on certain topics that certainly align with The HHS Secretary RFK Jr. One of them being vaccines. The medical community has voiced concerns about her views on hormonal birth control along with vaccines or what are some of the beliefs that she has in those particular areas? And what did senators press her on today?
C
Yeah, so we have seen in comments, particularly on her online newsletter, concerns about the totality of the childhood vaccine schedule having negative health effects for vulnerable children. We've also seen comments about birth control pills having horrifying side effects. Those comments are at a minimum misleading but also need a lot more context. And she tried to clarify some of them at the hearing today when she was pressed particularly by Democratic senators. She said the side effects from birth control she was talking about for vulnerable populations, like people who smoked or were obese or had a risk of clotting for birth control.
A
But those are already things that are identified within the medical community. That's nothing new.
C
Correct. And so it's a strange emphasis, and we see this a lot. She made a point to say that she does not subscribe to anti vaccine rhetoric, but a classic playbook of anti vaccine activists is to say, you know, they're looking for more data or to really highlight harms that are a minimal risk in the totality of the risk benefit portfolio of a vaccine or medication.
A
What has she said in the past about vaccines?
C
She has expressed concern about the hepatitis B vaccine in particular being given to all newborns. We actually saw that recommendation, walked back under Secretary Kennedy and she says that frankly, it shouldn't be given to people at birth if the parent has tested negative for hepatitis B. So that was a concern that came up at the hearing. She also shied away from saying at the hearing today that vaccines are not linked to autism. She said that, you know, we should leave no stone unturned in uncovering that question. That's something we've heard very often from Secretary Kennedy himself, which we know based
A
on scientific research that in fact vaccines are not linked to autism.
C
Exactly. Decades of scientific evidence. And I think that was a particular concern for actually Bill Cassidy at the hearing because he is a liver doctor and is really emphasized the importance of stressing vaccine safety. This is a long time vaccine given to children at birth with very minimal health concerns there.
A
How did she address the fact that her medical license has lapsed? I mean, she is a doctor, she went to med school, as you said, but she's not licensed to practice.
C
Right. So she underscored that she is not seeing patients right now. But of course she's not seeing patients because you couldn't if you had an inactive license.
A
Yeah.
C
She's also said that the role of Surgeon General is not to see patients. And so she didn't see the need to reinstate her license or make it active, which I find interesting because, you know, for the past century, we've seen surgeon Generals have that active medical license and complete their residencies. So she seemed to say it wouldn't impede her ability to hold the job. But I think many senators felt differently.
A
So if means is confirmed and she is expected to be, she's going to become part of an administration that is fully in the swing of the MAHA movement. In RFK Jr. S first year in office as HHS secretary, he fired top health officials. He slashed funding for critical research in areas like MRNA shots, overhauled the childhood vaccine schedule. Several states are now suing over that, by the way. And he has downplayed the role of vaccination at the same time, as we've seen unprecedented measles outbreak. Are we healthier and are we safer today under this administration and the Maha movement?
C
The broad answer is no. And that's not my opinion. That's the general medical consensus because of the policies you just listed. The most acute example, of course, is the measles outbreak where RFK actually went into the epicenter in West Texas and promoted unproven treatments. Those type of policies can actually cost lives. And I suspect that we've seen many lives lost from parents who frankly, are not vaccinating their children because they're subscribing to RFK's policies. On the other hand, we do have a chronic disease epidemic in our country. Kennedy is not wrong about that. We're seeing rising rates of diabetes and obesity and autism. We. But the issues that Kennedy has pinpointed as the root causes are not the ones that scientists say we should actually be looking at. And so that's the major concern there. The other thing RFK has been commended for is its focus on ultra processed foods. Of course, those are not good for us, and they do contribute to diabetes and obesity. But we have to understand also that access to food and income is a problem here as well, not just personal responsibility.
A
You mentioned that she would potentially be just a continuation of the Maha movement and what they have instituted so far in their first year. There are limits, though, to the job of the Surgeon General. They are essentially, it seems, kind of the mouthpiece, the PR for health policy. Right. But they're not actually instituting health policy across the country. What do you think her influence can be?
C
It's an interesting question. I think there's a lot of distrust in federal health officials right now. So it will depend on whether she holds authority in that role and whether the public is able to trust what she says. I think there will be a faction of the American public that really does look to her for guidance and advice. She will make health advisories, warnings, recommendations for the entire country, and some people will believe that. On the other hand, I think there are many people in the public who follow the guidance of traditional medical professionals who sort of ignore her guidance or look to organizations like the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics instead.
A
Aria Bendix, thank you.
C
Thanks so much.
A
Coming up, Spirit Airlines is coming back from the brink of death. And NASA's moon mission is on ice for the moment. We'll be right back with the headlines. Oh, Ozempic.
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And we are back with here's the scoop from NBC News. Let's get to some headlines. Former Treasury Secretary Larry Summers says he'll resign from his tenure post at Harvard. He is just the latest academic to step down amidst growing scrutiny over ties to the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Emails released by the Justice Department last year showed that Sommer and Epstein were former far closer than previously known, corresponding up to the day before Epstein was arrested on sex trafficking charges back in 2019. Summers is president emeritus at Harvard, but went on leave in November while the university investigated faculty ties to Epstein. In a prior statement, Summers said he was, quote, deeply ashamed of his actions. He has not been accused of participating in Epstein's criminal enterprise. Four people aboard a U.S. registered speedboat were killed today after Cuban Border Guard troops opened fire. Cuban officials say the boat violated territorial waters, according to a statement from the Cuban embassy in the United States. The speedboat's crew fired on a Cuban patrol unit that had approached for identification, injuring the patrol commander. Six others on the American vessel were also wounded. US Officials have not responded to requests for comment. Spirit Airlines says it will be smaller and leaner by the time it emerges from its second bankruptcy in the late spring or early summer. After reaching a preliminary deal with lenders, the budget carrier says it'll make changes to its fleet and network but will keep ultra low fares and add new premium options for passengers. Last year, Spirit cut services to a dozen cities and furloughed nearly 2,000 workers in an initial restructuring. Since 2020, the airline has lost more than two and a half billion. NASA's moon mission is now on hold again. Engineers have found a blockage in the 11 million pound, 322 foot moon rocket and they are now inching it back to its hangar at Kennedy Space Center. The issue has wiped out any shot at a March 6 launch for the Artemis 2 mission, which would have sent four astronauts on a 10 day loop around the moon. NASA is now eyeing April for a potential launch window. And finally, you can feel it coming in the air tonight. No. Okay, I won't sing. Phil Collins just landed his long awaited Rock and Roll hall of Fame nomination, and the rest of the Hall's 2026 class is a Gen X fever dream. Mariah Carey, Lauryn Hill In Excess, Iron Maiden, Luther Vandross, Shakira, Pink Sade. The ballad also features two sets of famously feuding brothers who couldn't stay broken up, the Black Crows and Oasis. With the Gallaghers fresh off their blockbuster reunion world Tour. There are 17 nominees in all, but only a handful are actually gonna get in to that. I say don't look back in anger, but don't look back in anger.
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I heard you say.
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Inductees will be announcing in April. All right, that is going to do it for us at here's the Scoop from NBC News. I'm Yasm Dasugin. We'll be back tomorrow with whatever the day may bring. And if you like what you heard, subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. And you can also subscribe to our daily newsletter, the Inside Scoop. It is a deeper dive on the main stories of the day that comes out every weeknight straight to your inbox. You can sign up for the Inside Scoop as part of our paid subscription@nbcnews.com we'll see you tomorrow. Hi, I'm Maria, salon owner. You know the jingle now discover the facts about Ozempic, a GLP one. There's only one FDA approved Ozempic made by Novo Nordisk Risk. Learn about the real thing.
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Episode: The State Of Our Economic Union and Surgeon General Nominee’s MAHA Messaging
Date: February 25, 2026
Host: Yasmin Vossoughian
This episode covers two major themes:
Additional headlines include updates on Spirit Airlines, NASA's moon mission, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nominees.
Guest: Brian Chung, NBC News Business and Data Correspondent
Guest: Aria Bendix, NBC News Health Reporter
This episode provided a clear snapshot of current events at the intersection of politics, economics, and public health. President Trump’s economic proposals seek to address savings but are criticized for failing to tackle immediate affordability concerns. The Surgeon General nomination of Casey Means raises major questions about the influence of wellness movements on national health guidance, particularly regarding vaccines and chronic disease, as the MAHA movement shapes federal health policy messaging.
The episode maintains a balanced, journalistic tone, offering both the administration's messaging and critical analysis from correspondents and experts.