Up First from NPR - CDC Vaccine Vote; Netflix Buys Warner Bros; Economic Outlook

Episode Date: December 6, 2025

A CDC advisory panel has voted to roll back Hepatitis B vaccines for newborns. If approved, it could reverse 30 years of gains in fighting the liver disease. We also look how Hollywood is responding Netflix purchasing Warner Bros. And we look at a series of economic indicators and how the Federal Reserve might respond to in their meeting next week.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

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If approved, it could undo decades of progress in disease prevention. I'm Adir-Pralta. And I'm Ayesha Roscoe. This is up first from NPR News. A CDC committee has recommended delaying the hepatitis B vaccine for newborns. And some experts are alarmed about reversing that highly effective policy. Plus, a look at how Hollywood's responding to Netflix purchasing Warner Brothers for meg billions. And how are you feeling about the economy these days? We'll look at some key indicators.

And look ahead to next week's Federal Reserve meeting. So stay with us. We have the news you need to start your weekend. The Trump administration took a major step in its efforts to overhaul how children in the U.S. get vaccinated. A key advisory committee for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention yesterday voted to hold off on giving babies the hepatitis B vaccine, which has been standard practice for decades. NPR health correspondent Rob Stein joins us now with more on this. Hey, Rob. Hey, there, Ader.

So let's start with an explanation of what exactly happened yesterday. Sure. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices voted to abandon one of the nation's most effective vaccination policies, a recommendation that all children get vaccinated against hepatitis B within the first 24 hours of life. This has been U.S. policy for more than 30 years and is responsible for a dramatic plunge in hepatitis B infections in this country. That's protected countless babies from getting a chronic liver infection that can lead to liver failure, liver cancer, and premature death.

I can't help but ask why. I mean, why would the CDC committee endorse this? Well, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has long campaigned against vaccines, essentially stack this committee with like-minded members. And many of them question whether vaccinating children against hepatitis be when they're so young, is really necessary. They also question whether it's safe to give newborn babies this shot so early in life. Here's how new committee member Retzf Levy, a professor of operations management at MIT, put it. You would never agree to fly on a plane that the aircraft vendor tells you that it's safe. Apply the same level of scrutiny to the safety of your child as much as you will apply to the safety of a plane.

And I don't believe that we currently do that. The committee recommended that only babies born to mothers who test positive for the virus or whose status is unknown routinely get vaccinated at birth. Those who test negative should talk to their doctor. And what's been the reaction to this change? Most public health experts are horrified, frankly. They say there's overwhelming evidence that the vaccine is safe for newborns and babies can catch the virus even if their mothers aren't infected.

Here's Dr. Joseph Hiblin, another member of the committee, who voted against the change. The hepatitis B vaccine program is one of the world's greatest achievements in medical health in the protection of children. And for that reason, we have a very high bar before we make any changes to the current program. And he and other members are word that other changes may be in the works. So let's talk about that. This isn't the first change this administration has made in vaccine policies. remind us what else has happened and what may be coming. Yeah, the Trump administration has already made it harder for many people to get the COVID-19 vaccines,

made it more complicated to vaccinate babies against chicken pox, and change the CDC stance on a possible link between vaccines and autism, even though that's long been debunked. The CDC committee is now scrutinizing the entire childhood vaccine schedule, which for decades has protected children against more than a dozen dangerous diseases, including measles, mumps, tetanus, and, you know, polio. Here's Dr. Rochelle Walensky, a former CDC director. We rely on an infrastructure of vaccines not only to protect ourselves and our children,

but to protect our communities and one another. Today's meeting was just another one of those chisels in the infrastructure that we are really, really relying on to keep our children, ourselves, and our communities safe. And the committee laid the groundwork during the meeting to consider other controversial changes in U.S. vaccine policies in the future. That's NPR's health correspondent, Rob Stein. Rob, thank you. You bet later. Big news out of Hollywood yesterday, Netflix put in a winning bid to purchase the storied Warner Bros. Studios. The deal is valued at nearly $83 billion.

And if that deal goes through, it has the potential total. alter which movies make it to the big screen in theatrical releases. NPR culture correspondent, Mandalay-Ber Barco, joins us from Los Angeles to tell us more. Buenos Aires, Mandelaide. So tell us which companies did Netflix have to beat for its winning bid for Warner Brothers Discovery? Yeah, so Netflix beat out its deep-pocketed competitors, Paramount Skydance, and Comcast, the cable company that also owns Universal Pictures.

and Eater, Tuesday night, my editor and I were at the Netflix holiday party. Lucky you. We saw co-CEO-CEOs, Ted Sarandis, looking especially happy. And by Friday morning, he broke the news to investors. I know some of your surprise that we're making this acquisition. And I certainly understand why. Over the years, we have been known to be builders, not buyers. But this is a rare opportunity.

It's going to help us achieve our mission to entertain the world and to bring people together, great stories. And you know, Ted Sarando said the merger made sense that Netflix and Warner Brothers compliment each other. Okay, compliment each other. What do you think he means by that? Well, you know, if this deal is finalized and approved, Netflix is getting a lot. Basically, the crown jewels of a century-old Hollywood studio and its intellectual properties. I mean, Warner Brothers is known for its classic films like Casablanca, its Looney Tunes cartoons, the Harry Potter films, and even its TV shows like Game of Thrones,

and all of that will belong to Netflix now, along with a library that includes The Wizard of Oz and DC comics with superheroes, Batman and Superman. But one note here is that some of Warner Brothers cable channels like CNN are not part of this deal. I imagine that Netflix is feeling pretty great at the moment, but what about everyone else in the industry? How are they feeling?

Well, theater owners are very worried about this mega deal. In fact, Cinema United, the trade organization representing thousands of theaters around the world, it says it opposes the deal. And they say that 25% of the annual domestic box office could disappear if Warner Brothers movies go straight to the streaming platform. That's been Netflix's business model. James Cameron, the director, he's always urging people to watch movies in the theaters. Well, last week before the deal was made, he speculated about what would happen. Here he is on the podcast, The Town.

Netflix would be a disaster. Sorry, Ted, but, geez, Sarandos has gone on record saying theatrical films are dead. Outmoded, yeah. No, theatrical is dead, quote, unquote. Theatrical is dead. So Ted Sarandis says he'll continue to open movies and theaters. But for how long before they're streamed on Netflix, a lot of people are skeptical. Are Hollywood's major unions among those skeptics?

Yes, the Producers Guild, the Actors Union, they say they're very concerned, and the Writers Guild wants the merger blocked. They warn in a statement that the deal will eliminate jobs, push down wages, and raise prices for consumers. The Directors Guild of America, that's headed by filmmaker Christopher Nolan. They say it will be meeting with Netflix to understand more of what all of this means. Actress Jane Fonda calls this a catastrophic business deal that could destroy Hollywood and the entire entertainment industry. She spoke on behalf of the Committee for the First Amendment, which her father, Henry Fonda, helped create during the McCarthy era. we should note that the Actors Union sag after also represents many of us at NPR.

So this is a huge business deal. Will regulators okay it? Well, we'll have to see, but there is bipartisan concern about the deal. Utah Senator Mike Lee, he tweeted that there's sure to be an antitrust hearing. Another Republican, Kansas Senator Roger Marshall, he suggests the deal could hurts consumers and even Western society. Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, a Democrat tweeted that that Netflix deal looks like an anti-monopoly nightmare. She said it'll create a massive media giant that would force consumers into higher prices and fewer choices.

California Congressman Roe Kana, a member of the Progressive Caucus, he told NPR the deal should be scrutinized by regulators. These kind of mergers are anti-worker, they're anti-rider, they're anti-consumer, they're four corporate billionaires. And it's really a question of whose side the Trump administration is going to be on, the side of workers or the side of big corporations. You know, we reached out to the White House for comment and haven't heard back yet. But Ted Sarandis told investors and reporters that he's confident of the regulatory process,

and he says Netflix is going full steam ahead. And if the deal is approved by investors and regulators, Netflix Warner Brothers or whatever they'll call it, could be in business later next year. That's NPR's culture correspondent Mandalay-Tel Barco. Thank you for your reporting, Mandalay. Thank you. You've probably been hearing a lot of mixed news on the economy, or maybe you yourself might be feeling anxious about where things are going with rising prices.

Data points on things like inflation and consumer spending are telling us that this is top of mind for American households as the holidays approach. And these are things the Federal Reserve will take into consideration as they hold their final meeting next week. and decide if they will cut interest rates further. We're joined now by NPR Scott the Horsley. Hey, Scott. Hi, I, Eater. So, Scott, with 19 shopping days till Christmas, it sounds like people are feeling a little grinchy.

What's going on? Yeah, we just got some fresh data from the University of Michigan, which conducts regular monthly surveys on how people are feeling about the economy. And the early readout for December shows a little improvement from the previous month. But Joanne Schu, who oversees the survey, says, economic sentiment is still pretty downbeat compared to where it was this time last year.

Overall, consumers are not feeling that confident about the economy. They don't feel like they're thriving. And that's backed up by some numbers we just got from the Commerce Department. These are not as timely as the Michigan Survey. They're from September, but we're just getting them now because they were held up by the government shutdown. They show that inflation in September was still pretty high. Prices were up 2.8% from a year ago. on the plus side, inflation doesn't seem to be getting a lot worse, but unfortunately it's not

getting much better either. Is that what's making people so anxious about the economy? High prices are certainly part of the story. The Commerce Department says personal spending increased in September, but just barely enough to keep pace with those rising prices. So people feel like they're spending more, but they're not getting any more to show for it. They're just kind of treading water, which is frustrating. Spending on big-ticket, durable goods. goods was actually down in September. And Joanne Schu says, that suggests people are feeling anxious and keeping a tight grip on their money.

When they feel confident, they tend to spend more. When they feel less confident, they tend to spend less. Right now, consumers are feeling pressures on both sides of their budget. They remain very frustrated by the persistence of high prices, but they're also seeing some weakening prospects for their incomes. Now, wages are still climbing on average, but not as fast as they had been. And there's concern that the job market is losing steam. You know, unemployment's climb from 4% at the beginning of this year to 4.4% in September.

That's still low by historical standards, but people feel like, gosh, if I'm struggling to pay the bills now, what happens if the job market really turns south and a lot of people get laid off? So next week, the Federal Reserve will hold its last policy meeting of the year. How are Fed officials approaching this? Yeah, they're really in a tough spot, you know, because inflation is still well above their target. And ordinarily, the central bank would try to curb inflation by keeping interest rates high. But the Fed's also worried about that softening job market. And the way it usually deals with that is by lowering interest rates.

So there's a real tug of war here. The Fed did cut rates at its last two meetings, but minutes show there were strongly differing views about whether a third cut would be warranted this month. Members of the committee who are most worried about unemployment say yes, those who are more worried about inflation. say no. So we could see a real split vote next week. And what does that mean for workers and shoppers? Well, right now, markets think it's likely the Fed will cut its benchmark interest rate by another quarter point. It's not a slam dunk, and there could be more dissents than usual. But if those forecasts are right, that would make it a little cheaper to borrow money to buy a car or get a new refrigerator or whatever. And the idea is that increased demand would perk up the

economy a little bit and prompt employers to keep more people on the payroll. In that University of Michigan survey, people do say they feel a little more confident about where the economy is going to be in the future than where it is right now, although even that future outlooks not all that optimistic. And here's Scott Horsley. Scott, thank you. You're welcome. And that's up first for Saturday, December 6, 2025. I'm Adir Pralta. And I'm I, Shara. Mistage produced today's podcast along with Ryan Bank, and the multi-talented Andy Craig, who also directed. Our editor was DiParvaz, with help from Diana Douglas, Martin Patience, Scott Hensley, and Rafael Nal.

Our technical director was David Greenberg, with engineering support from Nisha Hines, Zovanghenhoven, and Damian Herring. Our senior supervising editor is Shannon Rhodes, E.B. Stone is our executive producer, and Jim Kane is our deputy managing editor. Tomorrow on the Sunday story, with increased immigration enforcement under President Trump, many families with undocumented members are living in fear of U.S. immigration and customs enforcement or ICE. We'll hear reporting from the Code Switch podcast, taking us into the lives of immigrant families who are facing immense pressures in the United States.

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