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The Issue Is: Nicole Shanahan
Elex Michaelson goes one-on-one with Nicole Shanahan for her first TV sit-down since being named Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s running mate.
null - This week on "The Issue Is," Elex Michaelson goes one-on-one with attorney, entrepreneur, and philanthropist Nicole Shanahan, for her first TV sit-down since being named Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s running mate.
The two sit down at Shanahan's Malibu home for a wide-ranging discussion, talking the state of the Presidential race, addressing hot-button issues like vaccines, abortion, IVF, and the war in the Middle East, and getting personal, as Shanahan opens up about her career, her difficult childhood, being a mom, and the behind-the-scenes events that led her to join Kennedy's Independent ticket.
THE ISSUE IS: SHANAHAN ON VACCINES AND VACCINE MANDATES
"I don't think mandates should exist for any healthcare decisions related to children... Historically, I have always, complied with the CDC recommendations... what I have noticed is that there has been less and less informed consent over time, and there has been, since the 1986 Vaccine Act, a lack of liability for when a vaccine is either not effective or causes more injury than we would accept..."
THE ISSUE IS: ARE THERE VACCINES SHANAHAN BELIEVES ARE SAFE AND EFFECTIVE?
"If you separate the vaccines schedule apart and you consider whether or not there is a polio outbreak or likely a polio outbreak, that is one that I would consider as being one that I would say, let's take it to prevent further transmission.... I'm completely updated on all of my vaccines. I have three Moderna shots. My daughter has received all of her childhood vaccines. And I will say that both her and I have had adverse reactions. It then begs the question, you know, would I have done it if, knowing what I know now? And my answer is resoundingly, I would have spread them out more. I would have done further research. I would have studied Merck's MMR vaccine much more closely as to why it was combined with, mumps, and then I would understand the commercial incentives... so, you know, my answer to that is let's have real informed consent and then ask that question..."
THE ISSUE IS: SHOULD ABORTION ACCESS BE DETERMINED BY INDIVIDUAL STATES?
"Personally, I was saddened [by the Dobbs decision]. I think that anytime you take something as historic, as Roe v Wade, and the headline is, it's been reversed, it startles you. However, that being said, when you look at it, it was an issue of constitutional law..."
"It's what we have right now. And I can see a benefit, we have to look at it in the positive, because it's what we have, and we have to make the best with what we have. The Supreme Court is our highest court. We have to respect its decision. It is what we have. And whether or not I'm happy with that or not is irrelevant..."
THE ISSUE IS: WHY NICOLE SHANAHAN WANTS TO BE THE VICE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES
"I want to be Vice President, because I want to take my learnings of being a mother in today's America, being somebody who has really looked at our health care issues, who understands deeply our AI challenges and the technology landscape of this country, and I want to bring it to the White House. I think that there's a great need right now to bring a youthful, capable, mindset and framing to the biggest issues that are challenging this country today. And, of course, I'm a very, very enthusiastic, Bobby Kennedy supporter, I want to see him in the White House, and I was already working behind the scenes before I joined the ticket..."
THE ISSUE IS: INCENTIVIZING FRESH FOOD IN THE FARM BILL
"As Vice President, I'll be spending an enormous amount of time helping members of Congress recognize the incredible cognitive dissonance and the fact that they are gutting the American, family through gutting their metabolic health with these programs... we're seeing excess, childhood illnesses, cancer rates, allergies and death amongst young children. This is absurd. And we know it's due to food, and lifestyle and it would be incredibly solvable..."
THE ISSUE IS: WHAT PREPARES NICOLE SHANAHAN TO BE COMMANDER-IN-CHIEF?
"My background is one in which I've spent most of my spiritual life studying world religions, and I think it's really important right now for us to understand and respect each other's religious alignment, and understand the depths and the nuances of it. I think that also I have a great deal of understanding, compassion, strength, and will to put America first..."
THE ISSUE IS: WHAT TO DO IN ISRAEL?
"The United States has failed miserably over the last few administrations and its involvement in the Middle East. Our occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan, it was incredibly problematic, and you can trace where we are today due to the mishandling of our involvement after 9/11. I believe that we are at a time in which we need to expedite a Marshall Plan in the region, we need to work on going back to normalization efforts, especially with our allies. We need a strong America that can parallel the strength of BRICs, that's something that no one's talking about, that we really need to be having a conversation around..."
THE ISSUE IS: THE KENNEDY-SHANAHAN TICKET'S PATH TO ELECTORAL VICTORY
"Well, we're not going to give away our full path to victory strategy, but we do have we have a five-inch-thick strategy document that we're following... So we can definitely win. We have a very thorough strategy and a path towards victory. We will be on 50 ballots. We have a very strong legal team, one of the most motivated legal teams to defend every ballot petition lawsuit we're receiving from the DNC, its PACs aligned with the DNC that are undermining democracy, in my opinion, to try to keep us off the ballot. I've never met a party, that hates democracy more than the current leadership, within the Democratic Party, but regardless, we love democracy and we're fighting tooth and nail for it, and we will have success..."
THE ISSUE IS: IS TRUMP A BIGGER THREAT TO DEMOCRACY THAN BIDEN?
"Trump is a different kind of threat, I believe, than Biden is, but both represent corporate corruption to me. If you look at Trump's first term in office, he never drained the swamp, he just filled it with his corporate loyalists.... they're representative of two different corporate groups, and it's not very hard to see that..."
"The Issue Is" is California's only statewide political show. Watch FOX 11 Los Angeles Fridays at 10:30 p.m. For more showtimes and information, go to TheIssueIsShow.com.