Dr. Casey Means, the popular wellness influencer and ally of Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.,

is the president's nominee for Surgeon General.

And she faced tough questions on Capitol Hill in a long-awaited confirmation hearing.

As a prominent voice in the so-called Maha movement, some of her ideas like prioritizing natural foods,

reducing pesticides, and exercising consistently are widely accepted. But she's also been criticized

for more controversial views from her statements on vaccines and the consumption of raw milk.

Our William Brangham has this report. We are now the most chronically ill, high-income nation in the world.

While celebrated as a potent fighter for the Maha movement, Dr. Casey Means was quickly

pressed by some from the president's own party.

Right off the bat, Republican Senator Bill Cassidy, who's also a doctor, grilled means on her past statements incorrectly linking vaccines to autism.

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

Until we have a clear understanding of why kids are developing this at higher rates, I think we should

not leave any stones unturned.

There's been a lot of evidence showing that they're not implicated.

Do you not accept that evidence?

I do accept that evidence.

I also think that science has never settled.

Dr. Means is a wellness influencer.

She went to Stanford Medical School but didn't finish

her residency and doesn't have an active medical license. Today, Dr. Means said she believes

vaccines save lives, but as the U.S. sees a dramatic rise in measles cases, she wouldn't

commit to recommending that vaccine. I'm supportive of a vaccination.

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