The Majority Report with Sam Seder

Episode 3553: Trump and RFK Jr's Assault on Your Health w/ Dr. Kristin Lyerly (January 6, 2026)

Episode Overview

This episode, hosted by Sam Seder and Emma Vigeland, features a wide-ranging conversation with Dr. Kristin Lyerly, OB-GYN and Chair of the Board for the Committee to Protect Health Care. The focus is on the Trump administration’s rollback of CDC childhood vaccination recommendations, RFK Jr.’s anti-vaccine ideology, and the broader right-wing assault on public health. Dr. Lyerly provides insight into the implications, context, and dangers of these policy changes during one of the worst flu seasons in decades.

Key Topics & Discussion Points

1. The Political Context: Trump and RFK Jr.’s Health Policies

Timestamps: 05:41–18:46

• Sam summarizes breaking news and political moves:

  • Trump pardons all January 6th rioters ("Some of them Nazis. I mean, just based upon their Heil Hitlers." — Sam, 05:39).
  • Trump’s erratic Venezuela policy: Threatens military intervention but appears hampered by personal feuds and a lack of coherent strategy (09:31–12:53).
  • Speculation over Trump administration’s focus on Venezuela being more about pleasing wealthy donors than coherent foreign policy (12:58).

• Sam & co-hosts’ take:

  • U.S. foreign interventions increasingly resemble mob-like carve-ups of the world ("It's like a mafia… it's that type of thing." — Sam, 09:41).
  • The policy incoherence is apparent, suspected to be driven more by neocon wishful thinking and Trump's personal grievances than strategy.
  • Humorous but biting critique of sycophantic Trump allies, excerpting a Sean Hannity interview and mocking the melodramatic fawning over Trump (15:03–18:46).

2. CDC’s Rollback of Childhood Vaccination Recommendations

Interview Segment: Dr. Kristin Lyerly
Timestamps: 26:52–55:54

A. Scope of the Crisis

• One of the worst U.S. flu seasons in 25 years (26:58).
• Increases in measles, whooping cough, and other vaccine-preventable diseases.

B. New CDC Guidelines & Process

• CDC reduces recommended childhood vaccines from 17 to 11.

• Spacing changes decrease vaccine effectiveness in young children.

• No transparent process—decisions apparently politically motivated.

  • “What happened yesterday was literally just, this is what we're doing. There were no resources or data. There was no evidence. It was just this change.” — Dr. Lyerly, 29:03

• Changes are justified using misleading international comparisons, ignoring the U.S.'s lack of universal healthcare and social supports.

C. Public Health vs. Individual Burden

• Shift from opt-out to de facto opt-in: burden is on parents, many of whom lack the resources or knowledge to make informed decisions.
  • “We have moved from a more or less opt-out type of situation... It seems like we've now flipped… it is now incumbent upon you to learn what you don't know, which... is very difficult.” — Sam, 37:22

D. Specific Vaccine Rollbacks

• CDC will no longer recommend:

  • Annual flu shots for children.
  • Hepatitis A vaccine for 12–23 months.
  • Routine meningococcal vaccines for adolescents (except high-risk groups).
  • Rotavirus vaccine reduced to parental discretion.

• Lyerly details the public health consequences:

  • "Get ready to see more brain infections in young people that are obviously devastating... People will die." — Dr. Lyerly, 41:03

• These diseases—meningitis, flu, hepatitis, rotavirus—disproportionately threaten children in communities with less healthcare access.

E. Systemic Inequities and Health Access

• Lack of universal healthcare and recent Medicaid/ACA cuts increase risk.
• Privileged families with concierge doctors can navigate nuance; most cannot.
• "Clean water equals vaccines in this scenario, we have to make sure that we've got the floor for everybody." — Dr. Lyerly, 45:19

F. Insurance & Legal Uncertainty

• Unclear which vaccines private or public insurers will continue to cover.
• Ongoing legal challenges—administration may have violated the Administrative Procedures Act.

G. Public Health vs. Personal Liberties

• Public health is about collective, not just individual, benefit:

  • "Vaccines are a victim of their own success, which gives us psychological freedom to think that it doesn't matter… But it does. Because if we're not all pitching in… it makes the most vulnerable amongst us more vulnerable." — Dr. Lyerly, 35:34

• Misinformation spreads in the vacuum, especially on social media.

H. Advice for Listeners

• Look to medical professional groups for guidance (AAP, ACOG, AMA).
• Political action is key:
  • "We can't trust what's happening on a federal level right now. We need to replace these leaders with people who actually have the best interest of Americans in mind." — Dr. Lyerly, 54:43

Notable Quotes and Memorable Moments

• On the CDC change process:

  • “They reduced the number of recommended childhood vaccines from 17 to 11... with very little thought, very clearly politically motivated.” — Dr. Kristin Lyerly [27:47]
  • "What happened yesterday was literally just, this is what we're doing... There was no evidence. It was just this change." — Dr. Kristin Lyerly [29:03]

• On cumulative impact:

  • "Millions of Americans are going to go without health care and then they turn around and say you have to talk to your doctor in order to get these, these preventive measures...It doesn't work that way." — Dr. Lyerly [31:29]

• On personal responsibility rhetoric:

  • “It is now incumbent upon you to learn what you don't know, which of course is very difficult.” — Sam Seder [37:27]

• On public health:

  • “Vaccines are a victim of their own success... if we’re not all pitching in... it makes the most vulnerable among us more vulnerable.” — Dr. Lyerly [35:34]

• On economic and political factors:

  • “Insurance companies and hospital systems are just thinking about making it to the end of the year... not actually investing in your health care in the future of American healthcare.” — Dr. Lyerly [52:29]

• Recommended action:

  • “Look to those professional organizations, the American Medical Association. They will have this information for you that you can trust. Because we are doctors and healthcare providers and we actually care.” — Dr. Lyerly [54:43]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 05:41 — Trump pardons January 6th rioters
• 09:31 — Trump’s Venezuela policy and motivations
• 12:58 — Neocons and billionaires influencing foreign policy
• 15:03 — Sean Hannity interview critique
• 26:52 — Dr. Kristin Lyerly joins: The vaccine rollback explained
• 31:29 — Policy impacts: health access, inequality
• 37:22 — Opt-in vs. opt-out vaccination model
• 40:25 — Details on vaccine removals and health impacts
• 46:16 — Rotavirus and RSV vaccine dangers
• 50:23 — Insurance uncertainties and legal context
• 54:43 — What listeners can do: professional guidance and political engagement
• 56:18 — Wrap-up and call for Medicare for All

Tone and Style

• The hosts blend irreverence and biting humor with serious, in-depth analysis.
• Dr. Lyerly speaks with both urgency and clarity, conveying professional and personal concern.
• The episode balances accessibility for lay listeners with specialist detail for engaged audiences.

Takeaway

This episode emphasizes that the Trump/RFK Jr. effort to reduce childhood vaccinations is a political move with dire public health consequences, exacerbated by systemic healthcare inequities and lack of universal access. Dr. Lyerly encourages both immediate reliance on trusted medical authorities outside the CDC and long-term political engagement to restore science-based health policy.

For listeners:

• Trust information from professional medical organizations, not the politicized CDC.
• Support and advocate for systemic political change to protect public health infrastructure.
• Be aware of how changes in vaccination policy can directly endanger vulnerable populations.