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The White House is set to launch a $1.5 billion ad campaign to win over vaccine skeptics, report says

The White House will soon launch a major $1.5 billion public relations campaign to promote COVID-19 vaccination and ease the concerns of Americans who are skeptical or hesitant to get their shots, STAT News reports. 

The effort, which will kick of “within weeks,” will use TV, radio, and digital means to target young Americans, people of color, and Republicans who may be more likely to be hesitant or ambivalent about getting vaccinated, the outlet said. 

The campaign will also educate Americans on where and how they can get vaccinated, and is expected to deploy celebrities and “trusted local officials” who some Americans may trust more than messengers from the Biden administration. 

The White House declined to specify any further when the effort will be launched in response to an inquiry from Insider. 

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Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer Expands Mask Mandate to 2-Year-Olds

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer (D) doubled down on her restrictive coronavirus strategy by requiring young children to wear masks.

Michigan Capitol Confidential reported the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), headed by Elizabeth Hertel, who just returned from an Alabama beach vacation, issued the order.

Children under the age of 5 had previously been exempt. But now, kids at camps and child care must be covered.

“A good faith effort is made to ensure that children aged 2 to 4 years wear a mask when participating in gatherings,” the order said.

The mandate noted at this point, children under 2 are exempt. It expires May 25.

The order came days after Hertel arrived back from a spring break vacation to Gulf Shores, Alabama and another top Whitmer aide, Tricia Foster, was found to have vacationed in Siesta Key, Florida.

Critics questioned whether there were different rules for top officials. Whitmer responded, “What directors do on their personal time is their business, so long as they are safe.”

On Thursday, the governor appeared on MSNBC and blamed the Republican-controlled legislature and even former President Donald Trump himself for the situation.

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California Weighs ‘Equitable Math’: Goal of Obtaining Correct Answer Is Racist

The California education department is considering implementing a statewide math framework that promotes the concept that working to figure out a correct answer in math is an example of racism and white supremacy invading the classroom.

The framework, titled “A Pathway to Equitable Math Instruction: Dismantling Racism in Mathematics Instruction,” is intended to be “exercises for educators to reflect on their own biases to transform their instructional practice.”

The “Equitable Math” website states its training manual was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the primary private source of funding for the Common Core State Standards.

“White supremacy culture infiltrates math classrooms in everyday teacher actions,” the document states. “Coupled with the beliefs that underlie these actions, they perpetuate educational harm on Black, Latinx, and multilingual students, denying them full access to the world of mathematics.”

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Medical student, 21, died a day after getting J&J vaccine leaving family devastated as officials open an investigation into his death

Officials are investigating the death of a University of Cincinnati student one day after he received Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose COVID-19 vaccine. 

John Foley, 21, a pre-med junior, passed away on Sunday. His body was discovered shortly afterwards by his college roommates, reported FOX 19.

The Ohio Department of Health and the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office are awaiting medical records and test results before determining the cause of death.

It comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced on Tuesday they were recommending a pause of the shot after six women developed rare, but serious, blood clots out of 7.2 million vaccinations. 

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