Meet Barbara

Victoria Schmidt was scrolling through TikTok last July when the advertisement first appeared: a video of a woman promoting patches purporting to contain GLP-1 medication. The woman described herself as a busy working mom — just like Schmidt. She seemed relatable. “It was a great video. It just had a great hook to it,” Schmidt said. “It drew you in because it was like, ‘Have you been trying to lose weight? Are you low in energy?’” Schmidt had been struggling with her weight loss and energy.

The federal government is reducing the number of vaccines it formally recommends to all children in the United States, which public health experts say is an abrupt, potentially dangerous change that will sow confusion among families. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday that the agency now recommends vaccines against 11 diseases instead of the 17 previously suggested under America’s childhood vaccine schedule.