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Dear reader,

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Political debates with family or friends can get heated. But what if there was a way to handle them better?

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You can learn how to have civil political conversations with our new e-book!

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Download our free e-book, Talking Sense: Have Hard Political Conversations, Better, and learn how to talk without the tension.

\n",DEAR_READER_CTA_TEXT="Get your free ebook »",DEAR_READER_CTA_LINK="https://cloud.connect.mpr.org/mprnews-cfw03-01-talking-sense?utm_campaign=cfw_talkingsense&utm_term=dearreader_co";!function(){const e=async function(r,t=100,n=1e4){t=Number.isInteger(t)&&t>0&&t<=100?t:parseInt(t);let a="Array";if("NaN"==t)return console.error("Invalid refresh interval:",t);Array.isArray(r)||"string"!=typeof r||(a="string",r=[r]);let o=e=>document.querySelector(e),i=e=>e.every(e=>!!o(e));return new Promise((l,s)=>{let c=(e,r=null)=>(r&&clearInterval(r),l("Array"==a||e.length>1?e.map(e=>o(e)):o(e[0]))),d=a=>{console.error(`${a.name}: ${a.message}`);return s(a,()=>e(r,t=100,n=1e4))};try{if(i(r))return c(r);let e=setInterval(()=>{if(i(r))return c(r,e)},1e3/t);setTimeout(()=>{try{if(!i(r)){clearInterval(e);let r=Error(`Failed to find matching elements within ${n}ms`);throw r.name="Timed Out",r}}catch(e){return d(e)}},n)}catch(e){return d(e)}})};e("article").then(e=>{e.insertAdjacentHTML("beforeend",`
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MPR News with Angela Davis

Dealing with the 'decide for yourself' phase of the pandemic

NIOSH-approved N95 masks
NIOSH-approved N95 masks are recommended to prevent the transmission of the COVID-19 omicron variant.
Jennifer Swanson | NPR

When it comes to guidance on the COVID-19 pandemic, you may feel like you are on your own. 

Mask mandates have been lifted. There’s little guidance from our elected leaders and public officials. And it’s hard to even get an idea of the spread of the virus, because states are reporting infection data less frequently

MPR News host Angela Davis spoke with The Atlantic magazine’s science writer Ed Yong about what he describes as the “figure it out for yourself” phase of the pandemic. We also heard from a community group in Minneapolis that is working to fill the gaps in information and aid.

Guests: 

  • Ed Yong is a staff writer at The Atlantic where he covers science and the pandemic. 

  • Elizabeth Wrigley-Field is an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Minnesota. She is also a member of Seward Vaccine Equity Project

  • Inari Mohammed is an epidemiology doctoral student at the University of Minnesota. She is also a member of Seward Vaccine Equity Project.

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