Takeaways from surgeon general nominee Casey Means' Senate confirmation hearing

Dr. Casey Means, the president's nominee for surgeon general, believes the US is a "nation with a broken heart" reckoning with unprecedented amounts of chronic illness and mental illness. But during a lengthy confirmation hearing on Wednesday, she said vaccine policy would not be her priority.

At one point, she sparred with a senator over the benefits of flu vaccination, dodging repeated questions on whether she thinks it's effective against hospitalization and death.

Means was interrogated by senators from both sides of the dais about her positions on vaccines, abortion and contraception and pesticides. She also fielded questions about her qualifications, conflicts and even her personal use of psychedelic mushrooms.