Senate Confirms Surgeon General, Despite NRA Push

A year after the president picked him, the U.S. Senate has confirmed Vivek Murthy as America's next surgeon general.

"The ayes are 51. The nays are 43, and the nomination is confirmed." (Video via C-SPAN)

The nation's new top doctor faced heavy opposition from conservative press and from the NRA, who labeled Murthy anti-gun. 

And it's true that Murthy sees weak gun regulations as a public health concern. That became especially obvious after a much-talked-about tweet in 2012 in which he said politicians were scared of the NRA.

But the Democratic-run Senate was able to pull together to push Murthy's nomination through — only barely, with 51 votes. It's part of a larger effort from Democrats to get things done in the Senate before they turn control over to Republicans in January.