they were asked, cdc was asked, should somebody take a test and cdc ultimately said, well, that's up to you. but the truth is we have a testing shortage. we don't have enough tests in this country. and that's not dr. walensky's fault. that's the biden white house's fault. they promised that they were going to have tests everywhere for everyone whenever we needed them and we're not there. and you yourself have experienced the frustrations of that shortage. is it possible that part of this is also walensky taking blame for biden blunders? >> well, i think that if we were in a situation, jake, where there was an unlimited supply of tests, we probably would say, you know, reduce to five days and test coming out to make sure that someone is still isn't positive. but that's not the situation that we're in. and it's very important that you have tests to determine up front who truly has covid. and so without that, i think that this is the right outcome. the challenge is that when someone says, well, okay, but what if i do test, what do i do? and the guidance coming out was, well, then you sh

the cdc is clear about that. >> dr. walensky? >> i did not have much to add, except to say that the best way to protect children under five is put a mask on if they are over two and surround them with people who are vaccinated. take those precautions that you can as a parent -- wearing your masks, and all those mitigation strategies. >>

the cdc is clear about that. >> dr. walensky? >> i did not have much to add, except to say that the best way to protect children under five is put a mask on if they are over two and surround them with people who are vaccinated. take those precautions that you can as a parent -- wearing your masks, and all those mitigation strategies. >> >> the supreme court is considering challenges to the administration's vaccine mandate for private businesses that employ more than 100 workers. we will have live coverage of the oral argument friday starting at 10:00 a.m. eastern. you can also go to c-span.org or use our free c-span radio app, c-span now app. >> a new mobile video app, sees and now. download today♪ . ♪ joining us now is becky pringle, president of the national education association. thank you for giving us your time. caller: it is good -- guest: it is good to be with you again. host: to what level are you concerned about omicron and how it might impact those who go to school? guest: you know, we are coming up on two years, ar

with the cdc director, dr. with a helpsky. current and former senior pieden administration officials and the cdc scientists shared complaints with cnn about how the cdc is making some decisions and complaints about how cdc guidance is then communicated. the sources cite walensky's updated isolated guidance this week as a clear example of what they see as cdc messaging fumbles. kaitlan collins is here with us, part of the story reporting the story. what's the latest >> reporter: >> reporter: dr. walensky came in vowing to restore trust in the agency. the agency had been weakened by the trump administration, the accusations of politics driving the science there when donald trump was in interest as president, and that's something she wanted to fix, and now as we're approaching the one-year mark you see the american questioning the cdc and its guidance on this pandemic now more than ever, especially with the changes announced in recent days when it comes to what to do if you've tested positive and isolating at home

the cdc is clear about that. >> dr. walensky? >> i did not have much to add, except to say that the best way to protect children under five is put a mask on if they are over two and surround them with people who are vaccinated. take those precautions that you can as a parent -- wearing your masks, and all those mitigation strategies. >> thank you, everybody. talk to you soon. ♪ >> c-span is your altered -- unfiltered view of government. >> we take you to the justice department. waiting for the briefing to start, where attorney general merrick garland is going to be marking the first anniversary of the january 6 attack on the u.s. capitol. he is expected to discuss efforts to combat terrorism and domestic terrorism. watching live coverage when the attorney general's remarks begin here on c-span. [chatter] [chatter] [chatter] >> just waiting for the briefing to start at the justice department with attorney general eric garland. heat will be marking the anniversary of the attack on the capitol. he is expected to discuss the depart

the cdc was warned it was too soon. and only a few months later that guidance was once again reversed. and the rise of omicron has only led to more confusion and criticism. the cdc shortened its isolation period for those who test positive if they're asymptomatic or symptoms have improved. and no need for a negative test to exit quarantine. a change delta airlines had been lobbying the cdc for by the way. after facing backlash, including from the uk's health agency said the shortened isolation period would be counterproductive, the cdc edited that guidance, noting if people have access to a rapid test, they should test themselves after five days and continue to isolate if their test comes back positive. while the cdc and public continues to justify its chaotic and controversial decisions, in private, it's well aware it has a serious messaging problem. according to new reporting, its director dr. rochelle walensky has been receiving media coaching for months. i'm joined by former cdc director under president obama dr. to

cdc scientists and white house officials growing increasingly frustrated with the cdc director dr. walensky's handling of public health guidance and what they see as continued missteps. cnn's kaitlan collins helped to break the story. what is dr. walensky doing to fix what her critics perceive as a mess? >> she's committed to making communication at the cdc better. it's been something that has been an issue ever since she took this job in january. it was an issue long before she got there but she did come into the job vowing to restore trust in the cdc. that's been really the big issue here. so, in part, she has started doing media training. this is something we're told by sources she started last fall. a way to improve her own communication skills because she's often the face of the cdc. going out there and communicating the new guidance. as she did recently when they changed that isolation period. if you've tested positive for covid-19. that is something that generated a lot of criticism, not just from people who are confused by it, jake, but also from doctors who said, yes, it d

. >> and the cbs -- cdc is facing backlash tonight. the agency is updating its guidance on masking and letter and 95 masks versus cloth mask. and there under fire tonight for not releasing data. by if they are being caused by a covid or somebody who dies with covid. omicron surges. we will head to georgia to discuss voting rights. the filibuster in an effort to push through an overhaul. we begin tonight with the cdc taking heat from both sides of the political aisle. kevin corke has that story tonight. >> happy monday, my friend. this time there under fire for inadequate the -- isolation, quarantine and most recently on testing, it's availability and wind delivery might happen, who needs it and went and who ends up paying for the test when they are picked up by consumers. many of the barbs are coming from people inside and outside the administration, as well as on the political right and left. >> the white house says insurance companies will be required to cover eight over-the-counter test per person each month beginning saturday, expa

>> the cdc is absolutely led by data and science. and you know, again, if they hadn't change their recommendations, schooled would probably be closed. >> the cdc announced they have no plans to change the definition of fully vaccinationed to include a booster shot despite a campaign to promote that. the white house would not weigh-in on whether potential challenges on employer vaccine mandates and additional strains on a depleted work force factored into their decision. the cdc is recommending people stay up to date and dealing fully vaxed status as the primary round of two shots. meantime lawmakers on capitol hill are gauging the need and the willingness to pass another covid relief package. the white house says they're in constant communication with congressional leadership. >> neil: thanks, jacqui. what is confusing, the testing requirement and how long it goes and if you're diagnosed with omicron, just how long you should be quarantining or avoiding contact with other folks. the mixed signals are beginning to compound here. let's

the cdc recommends such and such and they make fun of the cdc. and these are not just vaccine skeptics making fun of them. it's basically all of twitter. >> yeah, you know, it's -- i do worry about this erosion of trust. i've been doing this long enough where i remember back in 2015, you know, during ebola, trust in governmental health agencies at that point was around 30%. 31st. so it's not unusual in the middle of a health catastrophe for there to be this erosion of trust. i think the biggest issue, though, is just the transparency. there's not enough tests. you just showed that clip saying that we were going to have enough tests. we were promised at least a half a billion tests by this point. there's not enough tests and it's because of the lack of tests we're getting this convoluted guidance. that's bad, but i think we should just be honest about the fact there's not enough tests instead of saying the tests really don't have value. you don't really need it. take it if you want it. that's ultimately what leads to the erosion of trust more than

cdc. it also affects trust in public health because normal people, everyday people, are not distinguishing between what's going on with the cdc versus what they are hearing from local and state health departments, and when the guidance from the cdc doesn't make sense, local and state health departments are having to come up with their own guidance which sometimes looks like it's contradicting the cdc which makes it look like all of public health that we don't know what we're doing so i really hope that the cdc fixes the way that they are doing things, that they have more transparency but also when they release guidelines, consider doing them in draft form first and then get stakeholder input and then come out with a final guidelines. i think that kind of process, change in process would make a huge difference in how everyday people and also public health officials are able to explain the guidance coming forward. >> how do you unring the bell though, if you will, with the -- with the latest

we will have to see what the cdc says. but mind you, this is not a get out of jail free card, as easy as it would sound. there are problems with testing, let me give you one. it turns out the highly sensitive pcr tests can be positive for only days, but weeks after you recover completely. that does not mean you have a life of virus in your body and are contagious. that test is so sensitive it picks up a viral debris, little fragments of the virus that remain in your system for a long period of time. if people had the positive pcr tests for weeks, we do not want them to stay home for the whole time. so every test result has to be carefully interpreted. let us see what the cdc says going forward. a lot of people would like to test out. the other thing we have to remember is tests are not widely , completely and freely widely available. we are going to have to worry about equity issues. there are going to be people who do not have access financially to the test. are they going to have to remain in quarantine longer than peopl

. >>> plus as omicron spreads like wild fire i'll ask the former cdc director what the cdc under joe biden could do to improve messaging. as the school closures escalate the president of the american federation of teachers will join me to talk about what steps she believes need to be taken to protect both educators and students from the virus. good evening. i'm mehdi hasan. we just marked one year since the horrible, deadly january 6th assault on the united states capitol. now as the insurrection rolls on we are getting ready for the next national election. not the 2024 presidential election. the midterm congressional elections that happen later this year. it is 2022 already. those elections could decide everything. like if republicans win the house, will they certify the presidential results? should a democrat win the white house in 2024? will they shoot down any further congressional investigation into donald trump and his allies? if you think there have been no meaningful voting reforms passed in the last year imagine what happens if republicans regain control of the house if not

the cdc is not in charge of testing. that is the administration and the testing shortages and issues that is a challenge that they're working on back at the white house, not at the cdc. >> and jeff, another top priority, of course, for the biden administration is the u.s. economy. but today's monthly jobs report was largely disappointing, right? >> wolf, it certainly was a mixed report. about 199,000 new jobs were added in december. which means 6 million were added this year. but this was the weakest report of any month of 2021. the good news is the unemployment rate now is down to 3.9%. that certainly is historic given the nature of the pandemic. it was a disappointing jobs number. so there certainly are implication complications on the economy, no question about it. but the president right now is visiting the wildfire damages in colorado as he makes his way out west. that's just one example of many of the economic and other challenges, the climate challenges facing this administration and indeed the country. so the pre

what a read doing at cdc? we have accessible materials available in braille and american sign language so people withe disabilities and easy-to-read easy to read and understand language the people at disabilities can access our materials. we have a pre- data collection systems on our covid data tracking and the contract by disability and we work with states to make sure those are reported and werest funding partners and public health partners with patients with disabilities. the issue on friday has redouble their commitment to continue to make sure we have taxes for people with disabilities and thank you for allowing me to clarify. >> appreciate that and i appreciate the time it took to respond. i would also suggest and maybe even ask you to meet with leaders from the disability and aging communities to walk through it just walked through. thanks very much. i want to turn to vaccine developmenthr for children. the recent set back so vaccine trials for children under five are great concern. so many parents are

the white house insists cdc is following the science. >> is the cdc still led by science and not by other factors in determining its policies? >> jackie, the cdc is absolutely led by data and science. and again if they hadn't changed their recommendations over the course of time, schools would probably be closed across the country. >> even walensky admitted in a time interview published yesterday the cdc formed its policies by taking into account issues like keeping the workforce operational writing it was becoming clear from the healthcare system we would have people positive by asymptomatic and not able to work. a harbinger of what would come in all other essential functions of society. that followed her earlier comments that reducing the quarantine time from 10 days to five was based partly on quote what people would tolerate. the latest developments from the cdc there are no plans to change the definition of fully vaccinated to include a booster shot. that despite a month's long campaign to promote them and data showing the omicron variant evades the primary series of two shots, harri

it is determined by scientists at the cdc. >> the cdc and dr. fauci, dr. walensky said part of that was what people will tolerate. we know it is important to keep schools open. isn't it time to incorporate other messaging points into this administration's discussion about how we emerge from this pandemic. we talk about how we are following science. it seems like we are also following economic needs and political needs and logistical needs. >> here is a difference from the last administration. we are not driving our decision-maker on on how we are addressing the pandemic through messaging or through political concerns. we are driving in bywater ecdc -- by what the cdc and the medical doctors and experts there convey. they update their guidance. they change their guidance. certainly, i am sure they have disagreements internally about what guidance they should put out. that is a healthy part of a discussion of a policy process. that is what we are driven by. that is why we do covid briefing so you can ask those questions. -- briefings so you can ask those que

i know there's been a lot of confusion on the cdc guidance. the cdc shortening the isolation period from ten days to five, but at first not suggesting a test to make sure before you leave isolation. so, i want to bring in dr. ashish jha, the dean of brown university school of public health and our friend. dr. jha, great to have you back tonight. late today, the cdc clarifying their guidance, stating that if and individual has access to a test and wants to test, the best approach is to use an antigen test toward the end of the five-day isolation period. so, this still doesn't say they're saying you should test, perhaps they're aware of the testing problem in this country, the fact that we can't get kits everywhere in every part of this country. you have said folks should test and, again, help clear up confusion here. what kind of test is best to know if you're still contagious after that five-day period? >> good evening, david. thanks for having me back. the first five days after you test positive is the most important to isolate. that's when p

>> reporter: well, wolf, criticism of the cdc and the -- and dr. rochelle walensky has grown to a fevered pitch after the new isolation and quarantine guidelines were released in recent week and amid the public messaging confusions around the guidelines in the last couple of weeks. this is frustration that dr. walensky is feeling not only from here at the white house, but also from outside public health experts as well as from within the cdc. and we know that messaging has been an issue for walensky and the cdc for months now. and that's why back in the fall, cnn is now learning that dr. walensky sought out media training from a prominent democratic media consultant, mandy grunwald, she's been doing that media training for several months now. we know dr. walensky is set to do her first solo press briefing since the summer to address some of the questions that she has been facing. but, really, it is not just about the messaging. it is also about the public health guidelines themselves and the way in which they have been crafted. i spoke with one cdc

it is not what we're hearing out of the cdc. a lot of criticism as kaitlan collins talked about specifically of the cdc director. i wonder your view of the messages coming out. we know dr. walensky is going through media training and the impact of confusing and sometimes couldn't raw diktory guidance from the cdc. >> the country is lucky to have rochelle walensky, and i think the good thing that will come out of this is that the cdc will step out from the shadows of the national institutes of health or the shadows of the white house. most of these recommendations, if not all of the recommendations, are coming out of the cdc. so what i would love to see happen is that for example when you hear the booster dose recommendation, you have millions of people in this country who have received say two doses of an mrna vaccine and millions who have received three doses. this is a premier organization of doing the kind of studies where you look at those two groups and compare them and show that a third dose significantly decreased your ri

the cdc under fire for confusion over testing and isolation guidelines what the agency's director said today. and omicron now impacting music's biggest night, the grammy's. >>> also this evening the deadly fire ripping through a philadelphia row house. at least 13 killed including 7 children what officials said about the smoke detectors. >>> the double winter storm threat blizzard conditions in the midwest. the the east coast a risk after that highway nightmare. al roker tracking it all. >>> the eve of a one-year anniversary of the capital riot. our exclusive inside the investigation. the rioters the fbi is still searching for. >>> the world's top tennis star turned away from australia. his visa canceled. the battle over his vaccination status. >>> and inside the super bowl of gadgets. how the pandemic is ushering in a new era of personalized tech. >>> this is nbc "nightly news" with lester holt, reporting tonight from washington, d.c. >>> good evening, everyone we're here ahead of tomorrow's solemn observances of the one-year anniversary of the attack on the capital. tonight we'll tak

the cdc is about to announce new mask guidelines. at least an update to reflect the omicron reality. it comes as the white house promises more test kits to keep schools open. and one bay area county going to bring back banisters on large gatherings and recommend sheltering at home when possible. joining us to discuss these issues and answer your questions , infectious disease specialist dr. monica gandhi of ucsf. thank you for joining us. let's talk big picture. the omicron surge, record case numbers in california. any signs we are peaking? >> yes, there are signs we are peaking. new york was ahead of us. it has already peaked. boston is going down. our cases are starting to peak. it is called a nessie curve, it is coming down. hopefully not much longer. >> how long do you think before this wave is over? >> the models, at least in california, have shown peaking by mid-january. we are getting there. then it comes down fast. looking at south africa and the u.k.. it is going to take a while to come down. let's think of mid february bett

veamos las recomendaciones de los cdc. reportera: dos temas que confunden a los que esperan las colas preocupados por saber si estÁn contagiados. la duraciÓn de la cuarentena, y prueba o no prueba ante covid despuÉs de dar positivo. >> a mÍ me dio el comitÉ en octubre de 2020. reportera: ahora vino a hacerse una prueba porque una compaÑera de trabajo dio positivo. >> de lo que dicen que hay que hacerse esto y hay que hacerse lo otro. es un poquito confundido. >> el regreso de la cuarentena es un poquito confuso, porque uno no sabe cuÁl es el efecto de realidad. reportera: los cdc dejaron abierto a las personas que tienen acceso y desean hacerse la prueba. si es positivo en el quinto dÍa, recomiendan aislarse por cinco dÍas mÁs. si es negativo, salir con mascarillas y evitar contacto con personas de alto riesgo. >> no lo hacemos porque hay escasez de pruebas. reportera: dice la directora de los cdc y dice que sÍ recomiendan pero no ordena una prueba a los que dieron positivo. algunos mÉdicos estÁn en desacuerdo

>> well, this isn't the ama versus the cdc issue. from what you heard to dr. gupta's point, what we're after is if you have a covid infection we want to make sure before you resume your day-to-day activities and spread this virus, and it is a highly transmissible virus with consequences, it would be nice to have a validating test to know you are safe and you have a substantially lowered risk of spreading the virus. if you put these folks back in the workplace, and i understand the forces driving this. we want folks to get back to a sense of normalcy, we want them to be in the health care workforce, we have enough shortages across the spectrum but when they go back we don't want them to spread the virus. >> to both doctors, thank you very, very much for all you are doing. thank you for joining us. >> thank you. >>> coming up, how the capitol police are still struggling a year after the insurrection up on capitol hill. i'll speak with a former police officer who was beaten by the rioters on january 6th. he says there's a crisis of leadership. >>> and what happen

cdc there's frustration with how dr. walensky has issued the guidelines. we've learned that dr. walensky has undergone media train ---ing and here's how she defended her job today. >> we near an unprecedented time with the omicron cases rising, and we're working really hard to get information to the american public and balancing that with the realities we're all living with. this is hard, and i am committed to continue to improve as we learn more about the science and to communicate that with all of you. >> reporter: but frankly, it's not just a messaging problem. one cdc scientist i spoke with says the frustration stems from the way in which dr. walensky and her small circle of aides crafted these guidelines without undergoing some of the rigorous vetting processes that the cdc typically has. the white house for now for its part, they are staying hands off with this but as one former administration official told me it's also no secret that frustration from the white house directed at the cdc isn't a new issue. it's an a

well, what the cdc is now saying tonight about a test five days later, and dr. jha is standing by. we ask him, what kind of test is actually best to know whether you might still be contagious? >>> the major headline involving former new york governor andrew cuomo tonight. what the albany d.a. has now decided on whether to prosecute the case. >>> the court battle involving prince andrew unfolding here in new york. the continuing fallout involving jeffrey epstein and what the judge has now signaled today. >>> tonight, the house committee investigating the attack on the capitol now asking to speak with fox news host sean hannity about text messages he sent to former president trump's former chief of staff mark meadows in the days leading up to january 6th. jon karl tonight with the text messages. one alleged text from hannity before january 6th saying, "i'm very worried about the next 48 hours." >>> the horrific and deadly crash involving two north carolina state troopers. two brothers. one trooper answering the call to help his brother when it turns tragic. >>> tonight, the deadly fa

so cdc is the compiler of the data and we rely on the state immunization services to provide cdc the data at the state level. now, among the challenges with these accuracies is that if people don't bring in their card, they are counted as a first dose when in fact their card would have been a third dose, and we rely on the states to work to reconcile any differences if a person put in a middle initial on one card but not on another. and we're working closely with every single state to increase the accuracy, we're encouraging people to bring their cards because that also increases the accuracy. we recognize this challenge and we are working state by state, including in new hampshire, to reconcile these inaccuracies to get them more accurate in our comprehensive reporting of every state. >> i appreciate that very much. thank you, madam chair. i'll just say that what i'm hearing you say to the general public is it's really important to help with the accuracy of data by keeping your card, taking a photo of your card, making sure you're sharing all your information at the site where you'r

with the cdc. they track and trace disease. she needs to be front and center. we also need to urge people to get a flu vaccine for heavens sakes. we have been dealing with that for years where 50,000 americans a year, approximately, die from the flu. the combination of coronavirus and the flu is really difficult for lot of already compromised individuals. as we're promoting vavaccines, need to throw in the flu along with it. i do think while i have great admiration for the advice that we need upgradegraded vak d vac have to look at new variants. it's rapidly spreading and focus on folk who is can really arm themselves up to children down to the age of 5 can be vaccinated. children over 12 can be boosted. let's get people fully armored against what we know is spreading right now and get information to people on a daily basis about what they can do, how they can take care of thems and their family. hold up they can continue to work and be in school. if we didn't learn anything else, what we know abou

the cdc or suggest which mask to wear in different situations. dr. patel: it is not, and i think that would be a little cumbersome for people to try to weed through that. giving people baseline information saying filtration is the most important is really key because people are getting confused. i wish the cdc had done this earlier with their exposure and isolation guidelines and say you want to make sure you are wearing a mask after you, you know, have five days of symptoms, but make sure it is a high-quality mask. we do know that even if people do not have symptoms, they can still shed some virus, so making sure you have that optimal fitting mask is key, especially since people cannot go out there and get tested. >> quickly, how long can you lo wear and n95? i read somewhere 40 hours. dr. patel: i don't know if there is any scientific study. if your mask gets damaged in any way or the straps are not supportive or it gets loose, you are starting to lose activity of that mask. if it gets wet or dirty, that is also a time to say i should probably repl

. >> as we have articulated before cdc is working on updated guidance. >> reporter: the cdc director facing renewed criticism from within the white house and her own agency after yet another guidance gaffe. a source telling cnn that cdc scientists are increasingly frustrated with walensky's handling of guidance and between her circumventing their vetting process for guidelines and the public criticism morale at the agency is sinking. >> it really had a lot to do with what we thought people would be able to tolerate. >> reporter: it comes after the cdc cut the covid isolation period from ten days to five, making no mention of a negative test, drawing push back from health experts and contradiction from the surgeon general. >> they have certainly received feedback and questions about the role of testing. >> reporter: as well as dr. anthony fauci. >> i'm saying it's something that absolutely should be considered and i believe the cdc is going to clarify that. >> reporter: they did, saying people can test if they want to, but if they tests positive they should isolate for five more days.

this is the cdc. they've stuck with their recommendations of post symptoms to stay in-house, to quarantine for five days. no need for additional testing. you can go back to work, but wear a mask. now, this is intended to alleviate scientifically an em deem logically, some of the shortages we have of police, ems, schoolteachers, et cetera. if we make it two weeks or ten days of quarantine, that's going to impact the employment of our nation's vital workers. and the epidemiology data suggests that's not necessary. >> dr. fauci said the data show that this new variant, omicron, less severe than delta. but we continue to see larger numbers of children hospitalized. knowing that so many younger kids can't get vaccinated yet, what advice do you have for parents here? >> well, with parents, well, you know, kids are -- they're only low risk. especially from the omicron. children by and large are not vaccinated in large numbers. and that is a concern. and dr. fauci mentioned that they're talking about six mont

. >> the cdc director, dr. walensky, also admits in this interview with "the wall street journal" that she hasn't adequately conveyed the uncertainty. a lot of the situations surrounding this covid-19 pandemic. you served as the cdc director. if the message isn't getting relayed correctly, at what point do they need to find, this is a blunt question, a new messenger? >> well, i think they need to start messaging regularly from atlanta. week and a half ago for the first time drrks walensky and two of the doctors briefed the media. that needs to be happening at least once a week. so much is changing. the virus is adapting to people. we need to adapt to the virus. that means learn how it's changing. omicron is not a wave, wolf. it's a tsunami. there are huge numbers. but the more we learn, the more it's clear that it's not causing anything like the kind of severe illness that prior waves did. that means nothing about what the next wave may be. maybe delta will come back. maybe another variant will come. maybe no o

cdc should be concerned about that as well. let me move to the supreme court arguments there before ken gets blown away. i know you are out there. my apoloies on these gusts of wind. i'm sorry there isn't a better situation there. so these arguments have gone on a little bit longer. based on what you've been able to hear, is this a court that is giving the benefit of the doubt to the federal government as history says it will, or are the challengers being -- have a chance here to stop this? >> it's a little bit hard to read, chuck, but there has been some skepticism addressed by some of the conservative justices. particularly justice roberts who you would expect to be a compromiser, a swing vote, very sympathetic to executive authority. he was pointed in his questioning of the government's lawyers about why this approach? why this piece meal approach, a rule from the occupational health and safety administration. a separate rule for health care workers. a separate rule for the military. he asks why can't congress just impose a

it's pretty clear dra test, it is not policy for the cdc but he sees that as something the cdc will recommend in the future. i believe that's what he saying. the sounds reasonable. gillian: it sounds reasonable for dr. fauci to get ahead of the cdc on one of the most important issues were facing right now, mind you there is a nationwide testing shortage crisis, no guidance on how americans could overcome that should they want to follow his recommendation that is not the cdc's recommendation. >> we don't want americans to die from covid we want to minimize the number of deaths. one way to test people to make sure they don't have it, this is common sense. >> this is not about whether common sense is correct or incorrect this is about what our nation's top medical officials are telling us to do, if it is common sense then why is the cdc not advocating it. >> this is an evolving situation once in a hundred year pandemic we are learning as we go in dr. fauci's and others in the u.s. government are doing their best to keep americans from dying. as the situation evolves their recommendatio

yesterday on the "today" show cdc director rochelle walensky tried to clarify. listen here. >> in this moment, where we're evaluating the science and looking at the epidemiology of the disease, we said five days of isolation, and then are you feeling better, is your cough gone? if your symptoms are gone, we say come out of that -- you're okay to come out of that isolation, but you really do need to wear a mask, all of the time. >> all right, your response to this, do you stand by your initial statement? >> well, thanks for having us. the ama, we continue to stand by the need for a negative test before a person who has tested positive for covid-19 returns from isolation. these tests are important. we use them for diagnosing the positivity of the disease when people come in with symptoms, we're suspicious. we rely on a positive test, it's reasonable to rely on a negative test before leaving isolation after a very short period of time, as short as five days. >> especially after more than a year of us being used to that guideline. now, president biden said friday th

going to get omicron and we have no one to blame but a timid government the bureaucrats at the fda, cdc and nih good deal doers who have crushed us i like to say this, there is always a good market somewhere i'm jim cramer see yo >>> the boston marathon bomber got covid relief money on death row. >>> and a raging fire disaster i'm shepard smith, this is the news on cnbc flames raced through a converted apartment building in philadelphia, at least 13 people dead including several children. >> losing so many kids is just devastating. >> the challenges that prevented more people from making an escape >>> closed for covid, chicago now ground zero in the battle to keep schools open. parents and students scrambling, the city wants kids back. >> the schools are safe. >> the teachers union wants more safeguards. >> please don't have the parents out here thinking that we are against their children >> the battle ahead. >>> investigating the january 6th insurrection, attorney general merrick garland promising justice. >> we will protect the corner stone of our democracy. >> now congress considers

i would say the cdc director and cdc team defined the guidelines as a large study published in the general journal medicine before -- from taiwan was before omicron, but it was in unvaccinated people. second is there was a study yesterday from the american society of microbiology that you are testing positive until no longer infectious. the test being positive does not mean you are infectious. at the third reason was there was a delta breakthrough study from italy that showed that people who are a symptomatically and vaccinated tested positive one day and they tested the next day and the next day and were negative the second and third day, so they are on new data saying if you are asymptomatic, you're likely not infectious if you are vaccinated. right now, i would that are still doing a symptomatic testing. dr. gandhi: harvard this spring semester will be doing no a symptomatically -- no paysymptomatic -- no pay no asymptomatic testing.ng.ng. kristen: you have mentioned we should provide passionate care for the unvaccinated. i have heard people say they have run out of compassion for patie

a "new york times" column claims the cdc is hoping you'll figure out covid on your own. polling data from gallop suggests more americans agree the cdc has communicated a clear plan of action on covid than disagree, at least as of early december confidence is much higher than in low points of september 2020, and january 2021, although not as high as it's been, and communications during pandemics are never easy >> the cdc's been doing kind of a mostly good job. >> director of media relations for the cdc until 2011, a tenure that included the 2009 h1n1 flu pandemic >> there are a lot of organizations involved and a lot of federal government organizations involved skand evr one of them wants to be at a forefront, and it's all complicated by the fact that the situation keeps changing. >> u nowak says two years into this pandemic people are tired and he acknowledges the comedy shows may have a point about how this information is reaching people his advice, keep it simple we also reached out to the cdc about the criticisms, it declined to comment. shep >> meg, thanks very much.

gounder, i want to talk about the cdc messaging issues and how much of this is on the cdc or how much of this is on the white house. look, we've seen just in the month of december, i want to put up here, on december 20th, we were told to stay home until after ten days have passed since your positive viral test. a week later people with covid-19 should isolate for five days, no mention of whether you should test negative before getting out of that. on tuesday, the best approach is to use an antigen test towards the end of a five-day isolation period, says the cdc, although, the cdc director two weeks ago dismissed whether antigen tests are worthwhile there. how much of this is on the cdc, and how much of this is on washington, if you will? >> chuck, this is a great question. i think all of us could have done a much better job from the beginning of saying, look, the one and only thing you can count on is that the recommendations and guidelines are going to change over time. that is the one thing you can count on. but let's take this example of isolation policy. yes, the cdc came out wit

. >>> tonight, the cdc sounding the alarm on the number of children being hospitalized across the u.s. what authorities are now saying to parents who have not vaccinated their children. and tonight, what the cdc director is now saying after so much criticism after recommending you should isolate for five days instead of ten. >>> overseas tonight, the president of kazakhstan now delivering shoot-to-kill orders with anti-government protesters, and what the u.s. is now saying tonight. >>> and this evening here, we celebrate the trailblazing actor and civil rights activist sidney poitier. the first black man to win the oscar for best actor. tonight, that moment with denzel washington. what oprah winfrey said just today. and sidney poitier in his own words tonight. what his mother always told him. >>> good evening. and it's great to have you with us as we near the end of another week together, and we begin with that powerful moment in court today, the judge in the ahmaud arbery case. today he sentenced the three men in the killing of arbery in brunswick, georgia. all of them facing life in

cnn's gabe cohen explains. >> and we were to go and work on updating -- >> reporter: cdc director dr. rochelle walensky facing renewed criticism from within the white house and her own agency after yet another guidance gaffe. sources telling cnn that cdc are frustrated with walensky's guidance, and between her circumventing guide ince and public criticism, morale at the agency is sinking. >> it really had a lot to do with what we thought people would be able to tolerate. >> reporter: it comes after the cdc cut the covid isolation period from ten days to five making no mention of a negative test. drawing pushback from health experts and contradiction from the surgeon general. >> they have certainly received feedback in question about the role of testing. >> reporter: as well as dr. anthony fauci. >> it's something that absolutely should be considered and i believe the cdc is going to clarify that. >> reporter: they did saying people can test if they want to, but if they test positive they should isolate for five more days. the head of the american medical association says all of this i

at the same time, the cdc finds itself facing backlash over some of its other recommendations. concerning how long those who have tested positive for covid should isolate and whether a negative test should be required to end that isolation. some wondering whether some of the decisions at the agency are being driven by science or by the shortage of rapid test kits tom costello is covering it all. >> reporter: breaking tonight, a cdc panel now recommending a single pfizer booster shot for 12 to 15-year-olds five months after their second dose. it comes after the fda approved the shot on monday full cdc approval is imminent meanwhile, with new covid cases up 98% in just one week, the omicron surge forced another major event, this time the grammys, to postpone. the january 31st show now on indefinite hold as hospitalizations are up 63%, deaths up 5% to 1,200 each day most of those patients never vaxxed. >> without a doubt, unequivocally, we are dealing with a highly highly transmissible variant that spreads rapidly. >> reporter: the good news is that research shows that vaccines an

the cdc is concerned with the number of children being hospitalized across the u.s. the numbers spiking and what some authorities are saying to parents who have not vaccinated children 5 and older who are eligible. tonight what the cdc director is now say after so much criticism after recommending that you should isolate for five days instead of ten. here's our chief national correspondent matt gutman tonight. >> reporter: tonight, the cdc is reporting that children under 5 who are too young to get the vaccine are being hospitalized at double the rate than a month ago. in new york, hospital admissions for that age group rising eight fold in the last month. and many of the children in the hospital are also older, eligible for the vaccine, but still have yet to get the shot. >> those children who are hospitalized do not have to be scared, frightened, lying in a hospital bed. they do not have to be there. thousands of children have been vaccinated safely. >> reporter: in massachusetts, 15-year-old kurt ryan passing away tuesday of covid complications after getting sick

announcer: cdc director dr. walensky, dr. fauci and others testify on responses to covid-19 variants. they spoke in front of the senate health committee for about four hours. . >>> good morning. the senate health education, labor and pensions committee will please come to order. today we are holding a hearing with members of the president's covid-19 response team on the pandemic and efforts to identify new variant likes omicron. while we were unable to have this hearing fully open to the public or media for inperson attendance, live video is available on our committee website at help.senate.gov. if you are in need of accommodations, including closed captioning, you can reach out to the committee or the office of congressional accessibility services. i want to start this morning by recognizing the difficult moment we are in with this pandemic. the omicron variant has caused unprecedented number of infections over the past month across the country. thanks to the hard work of so many we have new tools to address the threat cause

as you know, there's a lot of confusion about what we're hearing out of the cdc, the cdc updating its isolation guidance. it does not include a testing requirement, but it does say that people can test after five days if they would like. dr. mina, as you just said, you're a proponent of rapid tests. how big of a difference do you think it would make for the trajectory of the surge if the cdc would require a rapid test to get out of isolation after those five days? >> if we look at all sectors of soes so it, there's one population which is clearly the highest risk for spreading the virus, and those are people who are known to be infected. a large fraction of them are still infectious after five days of onset, especially with this variant. if we know people are already infectious, have at the very least, try to do everything we can to stop those individuals who are extremely high risk of spreading to others from doing so. i think we should have testing as a part of that. unfortunately the cdc is painted a bit into a corner because they have trouble creating guidance around tools that un

i think the cdc needs to have a hard reset, led by dr. walensky but ultimately sported and driven by the white house as well about what is the cdc's role, and how they get better at formulating policies in a transparent and accountable way? >> and dr. nguyen, i wonder if it's a messaging issue or people not getting the message. i want to talk about schools. because under a new state order georgia public school teachers testing positive for covid-19 but remain asymptomatic may return to school if they wear a mask. that sounds pretty risky to me and stands in stark contrast with policies in place in other parts of the country, for example in chicago where the teachers don't want to go to the classroom right now. and you have all the kids who are in limo because the teachers union, they want more testing, want more contact tracing. we're all over the place in this country. so, my question is is how is the white house supposed to get the message right if everybody is just all over the place? >> well, the role of the cdc appear white house is

so cdc is the compiler of the data and we rely on the state immunization services to provide cdc the data at the state level. now, among the challenges with these accuracies is that if people don't bring in their card, they are counted as a first dose when in fact their card would have been a third dose, and we rely on the states to work to reconcile any differences if a person put in a middle initial on one card but not on another. and we're working closely with every single state to increase the accuracy, we're encouraging people to bring their cards because that also increases the accuracy. we recognize this challenge and we are working state by state, including in new hampshire, to reconcile these inaccuracies to get them more accurate in our comprehensive reporting of every state. >> i appreciate that very much. thank you, madam chair. i'll just say that what i'm hearing you say to the general public is it's really important to help with the accuracy of data by keeping your card, taking a photo of your card, making sure you're sharing all your information at the site where you'r

do we expect the same from the cdc? >> the fda has given a green light for booster shots to 12 to 15-year-olds, and yes, we are expecting the same thing from cdc advisors who are meeting as we speak, and later from rochelle walensky who is the head of the cdc. we are expecting all those folks to greenlight it. let's take a look at what will happen. the cdc is expected to greenlight pfizer booster shots because pfizer is the only vaccine kids that age can get, for 12 to 15-year-olds. we're expecting they'll say five months after the second shot, and that is millions of children who would be eligible, and we hear boosters could begin immediately. that's the way this has worked in other vaccine and booster situations, and those shots are there. they're in pharmacies and other places. it's very easy to do. now, while this is important, these children need to get boosted. it can help them against omicron. there is another number, i think, that's even more important, and that is actually a really bad news number. 39% of child

-- cdc officials have said it. >> that's right. the cdc said if you get covid you don't have to isolate r ten days like before- you can cut that down to five. but it also said people don't need a negative test to resume regular life. joining a chorus of criticism, the american medical association issued a rare but strong rebuke, saying the cdc's new recommendations were quote: "not only confusing, but are risking further spread of the virus. the man who wrote those words is dr. gerald harmon. he's the president of the ama. great to have you on the newshour. i'd like to have a better sense of what it is that is bothering you about what the cdc did. am i right that you are ok that people might leave covid isolation after five days, but only if they have a negative test. is that your issue? >> thanks for having me and you have nailed it. my issue as a frontline provider, we have a lot of evidence that shows the viral shedding might stop after five days we do not know much about the omicron variant in five days seems little qui to let