I have been reading the worse case scenario for H1N1 flu which is, basically, about half the population of the US will be infected with H1N1 flu and over 90,000 deaths by the time it has run it course.

Also, the people who won't be getting the vaccine will be those without health insurance or those who can't afford it.

So listen up all you member of Congress.  Millions of poor and uninsured citizens of the United States, the richest country in the world, will become ill with the H1N1 flu.  Some of those who become ill without health insurance will die.  Hundreds of thousands of those who will become ill will go to hospitals and rack up billions of dollars in medical bills which they can't pay off.

Are you, members of Congress, willing to let hundreds of hospitals and clinics around the country go into financial distress because you can't pass health insurance reform?  Are you, member of Congress, ready to back to your home states and tell the voters, as you stand in front of a hospital, and say you are willing to see this hospital close rather than change the current health insurance system?

This is a defining moment in the direction of the country.  H1N1 flu virus.  Health insurance reform.  Record high unemployment.  Record number of people without heath insurance.  It's all happening at the same time.  

Coincidence?

Who can you really trust ? I have small grandchildren and my husband and I are both in poor health ,so this is something i would want to avoid at all cost but in our small town the Dr's say it is not something they test for because the treatment is the same as other flu's and there is 3 known cases that were confirmed but they do not want them to tell anyone and most medical professionals will say there have been no known cases in our county .if you did not know the family yourself you would believe them .I don't see how they expect you to trust them to tell us what to do with our little ones when in school if they cannot even take a few cases that come in seriously ? We have already decided the lil ones will just stay home when we feel it is necessary no one else seems to want to tell the truth  ,after all it is just another flu according to the local Dr's office ?

Why do they think there will be a pandenic as in 1918? Over 90% of the homes and bussiness did not have indoor plumbing then, and we live a much healther life stylr now. Our water is a 100% better than in 1918. We just brought home over 1 million service men from WW1

My 10 year old son has allergies to egg and also has asthma.  Can you tell me if egg is involved in the manufacture of the swine flu shot (as with most other flu shots)?  

Why does Brian Williams insist on referring to H1N1 as Swine Flu?  Even the local stations have been able to shift to H1N1.  Seems arrogant when it has been publicized that the name swine flu has such negative effects on the pork industry.  

I have a child with diabetes and asthma and the swine flu is in his school.  As he has to be in the nurses office 5 times a day what can I do to protect him has a lower immune system than the normal child

Brian first let me say welcome back from vacation, I wish I could take one, but I am disabled and living now on SSD and worried from month to month about my bills, so my vacation is the sunshine out on the grass in front of my apartment house.


With Rent prices rising and food prices higher(milk is much higher) it is very sad that the Administration can find money for cars(clunkers), it can find money to give to banks and to corporations(financial corps) that need it. But when our elderly or our disabled need a a cost of living increase they say no, not for a couple of years. Who is going to take care of our parents, and our grandparents, our brothers and sisters, when they can't take care of themselves any more, when they worked all their lives, paid to SSI and looked forward to retirement, now the government says they are less important then car companies and banks and financial institutions. Well,its their money that these institutions have used up, its their money that the government plays with, so give them their increases let them live like humans. You are taking it from peoples mouths and there homes, while the money you give to these institutions goes for big bonuses and parties, Unfair President Obama, Unfair USA, Feed Our elderly, take care of our disabled!
Whats next, after 2010, will the Fed tell us that they cannot pay the Social Security payments and start reducing them, then all of a sudden maybe, just maybe without a blink of our eyes, just like all the predictions, Social Security will be gone. It will be gone for you, it will be gone for your children, all because of mishandling over the years, another story of mismanagement by people who maybe should never be managing our money in the first place.
Who are these people?
Who gets these appointments to handle our money?
Where are they now?
Where are the former heads of the Social Security Administration now, and how well are they living, how nice are their homes, how full are their refrigerators?

Dear MSNBC,
 I'm 73 and my only problem is high BP although I'm taking meds for it.  Should I get A Swine Flu shot?
Also, what about smokers in the family-- age 48?

I received a swine flu shot when I was in the U.S.Navy in 1976. Do I need to get another one?

Why are people over 65 bottom of the list for getting Swine Flu vaccinations?  Older people don't fight infestions off as easily as young people and I am very concerned about this.

I Am 75 and i have empysema  will I be able to have the h1n1 vacine because i am old.I am at risk for lung
infection.

Why are seniors with health concerns (COPD, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, etc.) not listed for those to be given swine flu shots? It sounds like we're "expendable."

My three year old has chronic asthma if he receives the vaccination is he still at risk to get H1N1?

If you get the H1N1, does that now mean you are immune from getting it again? If so, do new and different strains make you again succeptable?

It looks like the reporting of the new health care system not looking out for the those over 64 is true. I have seen numerous posting of who is at risk and who should get the flu shots and they stop at the age of 64.There is no mention of those of us over 64. We used to be in the  group that needs the shot the most.

Are people with transplants at a higher risk for swine flu, and if so, will the vaccine coming out in the fall be a live or dead vaccine?

My son age 43, who has been a parapelic since the age of 20, however maintained a very active lifestyle, suddenly passed away after being ill with a cold, congestion and fever on August 4th, 2009.
He went to the hospital emergency room as his doctor was not available I believe 3 times, as I am in New York and my son lived in Florida, each visit they provided antibiotics, however advised he did not have the swine flu.
We are awaiting to hear from the Medical Examiner in Fla, as to the cause of death.
Are there any options we can check too determine the cause of death.  

How is the swine flu diagnoised? what are the symptons and how are they different from regular flu
flu?

I am a women in my 50's I found out in June I have Celiac disease(an autoimmune disease) how prone am I to the h1n1 disease or any of the disease's out there.
              Darlene

The last I heard, there was a company in Meridan, Connecticut that is already producing swine flu vaccine.  They are able to produce the vaccine more quickly because they use just a protein from the virus instead of growing the entire virus.  I heard that they started vaccine production in August.  I'm sure they must be testing the vaccine as I write.  Is this the same group that will have a product ready to go in October?

Question about swine flu:
My wife and I travel to New Zealand from December through March to be with our family there. I understand it is a different strain there. We plan to take a high immunity med, with high vitamins and minerals while traveling. Should we get a shot here or there?

Hello, I worked at a State Correctional Center in Louisiana and I wonder how quick Correctional Officers are going to get the H1N1 shots.

Can someone who is having kemo and radiation take the flu shot?

Good Evening Mr.Williams, Another fine broadcast this evening. Always wonderful to see Richard on the broadcast! PLEASE STAY EXTRA,EXTRA SAFE ALWAYS RICHARD! First of all Richard's report from Kabul on the terrible violence in the region which seems to be gettin worse. It is heartbreaking and tragic that 4 US soldiers were killed today in a roadside bomb attack and that 5 suicide car bombs went off killing around 41 and injuring 60 all innocent victims of the horrible attacks of violence caused by the taliban. The news of the massive fraud in the election is not surprising, but disturbing with the photos of children who voted and ballots that were pre-checked off looking exactly the same with votes for Hamid Karzai. Growing the concern with the area if massive fraud in the process probably the reason for the much closer gap in percentages of votes and forcing a runoff of the top two candidates. As Richard stated 2009 had been the deadliest year in the region and with the taliban having so many strongholds in the country it is difficult to be able to have a government that can control the violence. Again, as Richard stated the US troops deepen in the region, but it seems to be a war that cannot be won. Time will tell.
Excellent Reporting As Always Richard!
Stay Extra,Extra Safe Always!

On another note the report by Mr.Bazell about the swine flu outbreak was informative in that it answered some questions especially for people at high risk. Protecting children and young people is especially vital because they seem more be more at risk for contracting the swine flu. Hopefully, the vaccine will be safe and prevent people from becoming sick. Important in this years school season.

Great to see Julia Child's book number 1 on the bestseller list! My mother owns the book and saw the film! Both are Wonderful!

The piece by Mr.Taibbi about the glass hotel overlooking the park was quite amusing and disturbing. The park looks beautiful with all the flowers and walkways, but the people in the hotel need to watch what they are doing near the windows. The guests should use a little commone sense and decency. One needs to use discretion especially when near the windows. Certainly makes for interesting viewing from the park.
Thank You for the broadcast Mr.Williams. Always wonderful to see you Richard! Peace to You and to All!

Lots of Love to Laurel,Jackie,Stephanie,Claudia,Celine,Anna,Lori,Cary and Matt!
Be Well Always!
Stay Extra,Extra Safe and Well Richard! Enjoyed your excellent report on MSNBC News on the video!
XOXO

Hi Brian, I just want to comment on a couple of things here.

I think the public announcement about what harm text messaging can do is an eye opener. But adults do it as well. I also think they should do a follow-up with adults talking on the cell phones or twittering, etc. This has become such a technological world where everyone, including six yr. olds are supposed to be so tech savvy, that it's scary. I wonder if as adults the present day kids will be able to form relationships that are for the most part healthy.

I know that N.Y. was a little risque in the 70's, known for all the porn shops, etc. But from what I've seen of N.Y. in my lifetime (through TV), has been classy and upscale. I hope by the time that I get to actually visit N.Y., it will still be that way. It's really bad that families with kids are going right by the glass hotel. They could have built that kind of hotel in another place. You know this is going to bring out the exhibtionists and voyeuristics. Even though there's a little bit of that in a all of us, some things don't need to be acted out. And I think it will increase the crime in that area. I'm not a big fan of Mayor Bloomberg's because he doesn't want to seem to do anything until he has to. Another small plane crashed today in N.J. When are those very lax regulations going to change so that we don't have more deaths due to small aircraft and people begin to refer to the Manhattan skyline as "Dodge City?"

Brian, I don't like bringing this up, but if Nightly News wants more people to comment, when are those wonderful moderators going to post the comments and questions from the last two wks.? "When the cat's away..." I still like the thought of us commentators taking turns moderating the blog somehow. I'm going to ask you a question which isn't a trick question, not that you'll care to answer it or you won't go back and find the answer.
I changed the skit/sketch, Playboy story(whatever) that I was working on for you from "Secret Ties Mafia" to what?
It's in one of my comments that's been posted and several that haven't been posted, and not because it was obscene in anyway. Oh damn, I can't keep a secret...it's now called "Secret Ties Brigade" so people won't eroneously think that you have secret ties or any ties to the mafia. And I'm glad you had a nice time in Jersey and was able to join us again. But I'm working on someting for Lester now so yours has been put on the back burner.

Speaking of ties, here again, my favorite colors are lavender and purple, and your lavender/purple tie was great. But don't stop wearing those colors just because I like them.


Have a nice evening and I'll see you tomorrow night.

Vicki

I was listening to Joe Scarborough on the radio today and he had a doctor on that was recommending American Ginseng, Red apples and onions as supplements to help avoid swine flu, foods high in Quercetin in paraticular. He also recommended (believe it or not) chicken soup.

Is there any validity to this claim

I missed the solicitation last night for questions on the swine flu but I hoping that this questions can be answered.  My daughter attends Miss State Univ. where there is an outbreak of the swine flu, she suffers with asthma and currently suffering from an acute asthma attack.  She went to the health clinic last week where she was prescribed a 5 day dose of prenisone and she is during the albuterol jet nebulizer, as well as taking tylenol.  Since last week two of roommates have been quarantine for swine flu and another member on her soccer team has been quarantine for swine flu.  She however has not developed a fever, but I'm thinking because she is taking tylenol, she says she is still having trouble breathing - which we know is what asthma is all about.  My question is there a test that can be performed at this point to make sure she is not suffering with the flu and it is indeed just asthma?

Should we be concerned?  I know the H1N1 virus attacks the lungs according the CDC individual that was on tonight.  We live in Georgia and she is in Mississippi and I'm worried, scared you name it's I'm it.  A worried mother in Georgia

Could you tell me why teachers of young children (5-12) are not being considered candidates for the Swine Flu vaccination?

Thanks for the information but I didn't hear the reporter say; 1-When are we going to be able to get the vaccine? 2-Will it be a one shot or a combination cocktail?

I have two kids ages 10 and 12, i don't know how concerned I should be, are they underplaying what we should expect or should we really be worried, also if we get the vaccine, will it give us the swine flu like when you get the shot for seasonal flu? Are there any side-effects from the shot?

PLEASE!!! My 10 year old daughter has asthma, I very concerned about how the swine flu could effect her. Normal colds and flues are hard on her and I have heard that the swine is very heavy in the chest. Is that true and what can I do to protect her? In 2005  she was in intensive care for 5 days because of a cold triggering and asthma attach. I'm so scared for her.

Me and my wife are planing to travel to Cancun,Mx In October,what precaution Should we take? and it's save to travel to that area.  

Why does the media continue to harp on the phrase "Swine Flu"  instead of using the H1N1 flu?
Each time the word Swine is uttered it damages the economy of the pork production industry.

Hi Brian:

Another great broadcast tonight.

With the news on the economy so dismal today I hope that the appointment of Ben Bernake for another four years by the President is a wise decision.  I am not sure if making a change would have been wise.  He has done a lot of good so far.  I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

It is hard to understand the U.S. Postal system failing so badly.  I know they have some tough competition but the competition comes at a very high price to consumers.  The U.S. Mail is still the cheapest way to go but not always the fastest.  The buy out offer for some may be a good move but for most, with an economy hard pressed for jobs, it may be a disaster.

It was great to see Richard tonight even though his report was very sad.  The Taliban keeps progressing with their threats.  They succeeded with their threat to block the elections.  And now with sepculation that the elections were fraudulent and the possiblility of a run off in October looming, will the Taliban succeed again in stopping people from voting?  With five more troops being killed today along with so much strong violence, it was hard to hear Richard say that this could possibly be an unwinnable war for us.  

I am still struggling to understand and little unsure as to if the President is doing the right thing by pushing forward with the investigation into the torture tactics by the Bush Administration and the CIA.  There are so many questions about if the interrogations by the CIA really did help stop attacks or if, as Mohammed admitted, the stories he gave were lies to get them to stop the torture.  How can we believe the findings and will the results of the investigation really put the right people on the hot seat or just someone who is selected to take the fall?  Will this really benefit the position of the U.S. in the world?  I believe that the Administration is doing all they can to keep us secure but it is a little scary to invision what the results of the investigation will accomplish.

I was one of those kids who had the long summer break and at the beginning of each one it was fantastic but by the end most of us could not wait for school to start.  Year around school does have its good and bad points but the one thing it does do is keep kids motivated, and learning.  It keeps them off the streets and away from getting into trouble.  Some of the kids in our neighborhood go year round and they like it.  The small breaks come more often which they say is great because when it comes they need it, and then back to work.  They retain more and hopefully in the long run they will benefit more from it.

I can only say that it was a very hard way to get a point across about the horrible ramifications of texting while driving that our young kids are facing today.  I just hope they were watching and stop it immediately.      

Thanks for a great broadcast again tonight.  I hope the rest of your evening is a great one.  Will look for your blog and broadcast tomorrow.  Oh, also, very, very nice tie tonight.

Good (late) evening, Brian! I have a feeling I might be saying that a lot more often being in college now. Always get to your blog early and the broadcast live, but not always starting to write until much later.

I hate to hear how badly the postal service is doing in this recession. Though the internet has changed the way we send and receive messages, there are still those of us who still cherish a hand written letter, or even just the trip to the mailbox. The times...they are a changin'.

As usual, great reporting from Richard Engel in Kabul, Afghanistan. It's terrible to hear that the Afghanistan election has allegedly been a rigged one. Still wishing Iran could have been given a fair election, the alleged rigging in the Afghanistan election doesn't come to me as a surprise. Even so, as Richard Engel explained to me in his live Q & A  last Wednesday, because Iran is an organized state, and Afghanistan in many places has no government at all, the change of government in Afghanistan is not as significant as in Iran. Also, with the Taliban in much control, this couldn't have been an easy process. The record of US troops being killed in Afghanistan has been heartbreaking over this summer. I continue to pray for all of our troops, and for good news to come soon.

Thanks to Robert Bazell for answering the questions and explaining what we need to know about the H1N1, or “Swine Flu”. I bet your own children are concerned about it, or at least informed, being young adults just as I am. It's something I take seriously, because you take it seriously...but I only wish more people would. I hope your children won't have anything to worry about.

The commercial on texting while driving is disturbing, but if anything will get the attention of young (or even older) people about the dangers of texting while driving that dramatization will do it. It's very difficult to persuade some people, especially young adults, of the dangers of this – I know from experience with others – and it scares me to death.

Mike Taibbi's report on the glass hotel in New York city was very interesting, and I have to say...kind of hilarious. Only in New York...at least I think. Ha, ha. I also have to add, I really dig the new layout behind the desk that's been used lately.

Great broadcast as usual tonight! I hope while in college, I'll still have the time to write to your blog. I will say that it has kind of prepared me for writing, and especially for forming opinions.

Have a great Wednesday, and take good care.
-Cary

I had a swine flu shot in 1976.  Does that provide any protection today against H1N1?

Thanks,

Jane

I have to admit, I am terrified of the H1N1 flu.  I have three small boys; ages five, three and two.  I am terrified they will contract this virus and there is nothing I can do about it.  I read the virus "may" kill up to 90,000 people, and young children and adults are most at risk.  I am so confused as to if I should risk the vaccination on my children or risk swine flu?  I just don't know.  I am sick to my stomach with worry after seeing and hearing news reports.

I almost forgot after all of my ramblings -- thanks for the link to FAILblog, and a second thanks for linking us to the "G-Rated Pics and Movies Only". I loved the "Hockey Jersey Fail", and of course the "Loldogs".

I'd also like to note that ever since you uttered the words "Just sayin'" at the end of the segment on temperatures a little while ago, it's become an inside joke between a few of us...just sayin'! I don't know why, but I find some of the smallest things to be so funny.

Goodnight!
-Cary

What if you have a special needs child (16yr) that has seizures and a challenged immune system, a 36yr old that is a diabetic, and a 14 yr old that is anemic? All within the same household. My husband is healthy but is a US Marine and I am pretty sure he will be getting one too.

Very funny stuff Mr. Williams, great find. If you're ever in need of interesting albeit humorous photos, be certain to check out Myconfinedspace.com.

Well,it seemed that you were taking EVERY Friday off, maybe your like Carson? Dont mind Anne or Lester, just feel like I'm paying for you, and by the way
not everyone has the weekend off, some of us WORK so that you can enjoy weekends, so say, have a good Saturday and Sunday, not a good weekend

Now that Brian is back from his vacation, perhaps he could explain why the Aug. 17 Nightly News aired a story all about Sasha & Malia's Totally Awesome And Excellent Summer Vacation.  On Jan. 5, Brian solemnly pledged not to air stories about the Obama daughters unless there was a compelling reason to do so.  Why did Brian break his promise?  Nightly News viewers deserve an explanation.

On Monday, Nightly News began a "special series of reports on education" called "Making The Grade".  Apparently, the purpose of these reports is to evaluate the state of education in the U.S.  Meanwhile, ten minutes earlier, during a story about CIA torture techniques, the phrase "sexual humilation" (sic) was put up on the screen.  (The correct spelling is "humiliation".)  Does anyone else see the irony in misspelling a word on the same broadcast as a report on education?  Clearly, the Nightly news editors and producers are not making the grade.

Hello, Brian
I thought that you would like to know that here in Miami our Mayor, Carlos Alvarez is proposing budget cuts, layoffs, increasing the taxes on our properties but he recently attempted to defend himself on the miamidade.gov website why he gave several members of his staff raises when we are a struggling county with foreclosures, unemployment,cutbacks in the school system. We are also building a stadium for a team that does not fill the seats season after season(Marlins).A decision that was not placed for the people of the county or city to vote on.the mayor claims that because those employees now have taken on more with less they deserve this raise.I emailed  the mayor and let him that this is the situation EVERYWHERE.Why are his employees an exception? Thanks for the time Brian, Martha Alvarado

Yet again, NBC has determined that golf is more important than news.  Last Sunday, east coast viewers did not see Nightly News because golf was on.  But here's the catch:  the golf tournament actually ended before 6:00 PM.  At that time, NBC decided to air an extra half-hour of gratuitous golf interviews and highlights.  At 6:30, New York's local NBC affiliate naturally opted to air their local news (because they keep most of the ad revenue from that broadcast), so Nightly News got squeezed out.  The reason for NBC's decision is obvious:  The golf audience is larger and younger than the news audience, so for NBC this was a no-brainer.  They earn more ad revenue from a half-hour of golf than they do from a half-hour of Nightly News.  I'm sure the NBC execs had already decided beforehand that even if the tournament ended on time, they would add on 30 extra minutes of gratuitous golf programming.  Although local news was scheduled to air at 6:00 and Nightly News was scheduled to air at 6:30, NBC had no intention of sticking to their schedule.  For NBC, it's all about the greens.  And the green.

I wonder why NBC even bothers to air a weekend newscast, anyway.  Their weekend broadcasts are comprised largely of re-run stories and additional footage taken from interviews that already aired the previous week.  Look--there's Diane Swonk again.  And Dana Telsey.  And they're always wearing the same clothes as they were on Thursday or Friday.  Maybe these women need to do laundry more often, but it's more likely that Nightly News is recycling their interviews.  (I guess recycling interviews is part of NBC's mandate to go green.)  This past Saturday, Nightly News recycled almost all of Anne Thompson's Friday story about the upcoming Presidential vacation on Martha's Vineyard.  On Friday, Thompson said, "Even the Island's famous black dog knows there's a new dog in town."  (Cut to a picture of Bo.)  On Saturday, she said, "Though the black dog rules this island, even Bo has his own t-shirt."  (Cut to a Bo t-shirt.)  Interviews with Sam Bungey of the Vineyard Gazette and Phil McAndrews of the Offshore Ale Company were used on both days.  But amid all the repetition, Thompson nevertheless managed to fulfill one of NBC's primary mandates--major name dropping.  "And the streets are rife with rumors about celebrities who may join the first family.  Will Oprah show up?  How about Tiger?"  On both nights, we saw plenty of videos and photos of Oprah, Tiger, James Taylor, Spike Lee, Bill & Hillary, Carly Simon, Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen.  (Too bad the producers couldn't figure out a way to start a rumor that Sarah Palin was going to visit the Obamas--she's a hot property right now.)  This was a story that didn't deserve to air once, but Nightly News stretched it to five minutes over two nights.  And I'll bet that if Nightly News had actually aired on Sunday, we would have seen a third night of "Anne Thompson's Martha's Vineyard's Name Dropping Celebrity Obamathon" (also known as "The Vineyard's Got Talent").  Well done, NBC.  They just keep making Nightly News more and more indistinguishable from Extra and Access Hollywood, the shows that follow Nightly News in New York.  Maybe those three shows should just combine for one big 90-minute celebrity lovefest.  I only hope that Miley and Britney and Lindsay bring a change of clothes to their Nightly News interviews so that they don't appear to be wearing the same outfit on two consecutive nights.

Art is such a beautiful thing.  Pieces from Manet, Degas, Jean-Michel Basquiat intrigue and music ranging from Classical to Madonna are sounds to get lost in.
Art shapes our lives.
Thank you for including slices of Art within the "Nightly News".  

How many confirmed cases of the swine flu are there in the U.S?

I love the FAILblog Thanks Brian..

When Brian Williams recommends the fail, you know its all good

Dear Mr. Williams,

Thank you for the intresting answers on the Swine flu issue. I hope Nightly News will continue it's information about the issue.

I try to watch your newscast as much as I can. And I was wondering how I could obtain your Autograph? As an aspiring, would-be-journalist it would be an encouragement and an inspiration.
Is there an address I could write to? I can't find any information on the web.

Thanks to NBC News for it's world leading newscast.

Message (please, no HTML tags. Web addresses will be hyperlinked):