Things have gone from bad to worse in the pandemic's global epicenter. India reported nearly 400,000 new COVID-19 cases on Friday — and the death count is likely higher than current estimates. Lauren Frayer, NPR's correspondent in Mumbai, explains why. Follow more of her work here or on Twitter @lfrayer . The surge in India may be due, in part, to new coronavirus variants circulating in the country. NPR's Michaeleen Doucleff reports on one that's been referred to as a "double mutant." In partici...
Apr 30, 2021•12 min
Any one of President Biden's multi-trillion-dollar spending packages would be among the largest ever enacted by Congress. He has passed one — the American Recuse Plan — and proposed two others in his first 100 days. NPR Congressional correspondent Susan Davis explains his latest proposal — the American Families Plan. Presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin tells NPR that in times of crisis, past Presidents have had success enacting ambitious agendas. In participating regions, you'll also hea...
Apr 29, 2021•14 min
Fully vaccinated people can ditch the mask outdoors, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said this week — unless they're at a crowded event. Dr. Anthony Fauci explains the new guidance to NPR and weighs in on how soon children under 16 might be eligible for vaccines. NPR's Joe Palca reports on the scientific effort to learn more about how long vaccines protect us. Additional reporting in this episode from NPR's Allison Aubrey . In participating regions, you'll also hear from local jou...
Apr 28, 2021•13 min
The first set of results from the 2020 census are in, and according to the count, the official population of the United States is 331,449,281. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy
Apr 27, 2021•12 min
Israel and the United Kingdom are among the most-vaccinated countries in the world. Their success is due in part to public health campaigns designed to fight vaccine disinformation in faith and minority communities. As part of NPR's series on fighting disinformation, London correspondent Frank Langfitt visited a mosque-turned-vaccination center on the frontline of that battle. In Israel, NPR's Daniel Estrin followed the man who helped lead the public health campaign for vaccines. In participatin...
Apr 26, 2021•14 min
Black Americans being victimized and killed by the police is an epidemic. As the trial of Derek Chauvin plays out, it's a truth and a trauma many people in the US and around the world are again witnessing first hand. But this tension between African American communities and the police has existed for centuries. This week, the origins of policing in the United States and how those origins put violent control of Black Americans at the heart of the system. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about ...
Apr 25, 2021•1 hr 6 min
Last year, hackers believed to be directed by the Russian intelligence service, the SVR, slipped a malicious code into a routine software update from a Texas- based company called SolarWinds. They then used it as a vehicle for a massive cyberattack against America and successfully infiltrated Microsoft, Intel, Cisco and other companies, and federal agencies including the Treasury Department, Justice Department, Energy Department and the Pentagon. The Biden administration recently announced a ros...
Apr 23, 2021•14 min
A little more than half of adults in the U.S. have had at least one shot of a COVID-19 vaccine. That means a growing number of Americans are figuring out how to navigate life in a hybrid society where some people are vaccinated and some are not. Two experts offer advice on how to do that: Dr. Leana Wen with George Washington University, and Dr. Monica Gandhi with the University Of California San Francisco. In participating regions, you'll also hear from local journalists about what's happening i...
Apr 22, 2021•12 min
As crowds gathered Tuesday evening after former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of murder in the death of George Floyd, two themes emerged. Many expressed joy and relief for the verdict delivered by the 12-person jury. But they also said the work isn't over, and the national debate over police violence and accountability can't end with a single criminal trial. That message was also shared by the White House and Vice President Harris. On Wednesday, Attorney General Merri...
Apr 21, 2021•14 min
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin has been convicted on three counts in the trial over George Floyd's killing. The jury announced their verdict on Tuesday and found Chauvin guilty of unintentional second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter. In participating regions, you'll also hear from local journalists about what's happening in your community. Email us at considerthis@npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of per...
Apr 20, 2021•12 min
Starting Monday, every person in America 16 and older is eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Nearly 40% already have. Now public health officials will begin to focus more on those who have not. WHYY's Nina Feldman reports on the effort in Philadelphia, which is focused on racial equity. Two groups of people who are most likely to say they won't get a shot are Republicans and white evangelical Christians. Blake Farmer of member station WPLN in Nashville reports on outreach to those groups. In...
Apr 19, 2021•14 min
Flexible hours for working parents, daycare centers at the office, equal pay. Between the 1960s and 1980s, there was a real sense that big workplace changes were just beyond the horizon.At the time a very common job for women was clerical work. And in 1973, a group of secretaries in Boston formed a women's labor organization. They called themselves the "9to5."Actress Jane Fonda then decided to turn the real life struggles of working women into a hit Hollywood movie. Starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tom...
Apr 18, 2021•24 min
A movement to unionize workers at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Ala., was seen as a potential turning point for the American labor movement. But the effort failed resoundingly. Stephan Bisaha of member station WBHM in Birmingham examines why. Mohamed Younis , editor-in-chief of Gallup, tells NPR that public opinion of labor unions is generally lower in the South. Additional reporting this episode from NPR's Alina Selyukh . In participating regions, you'll also hear from local journalists abou...
Apr 16, 2021•12 min
President Biden announced this week that all U.S. troops if Afghanistan will be withdrawn by Sept. 11, marking the end of America's 20-year war there. Former U.S. Army Col. Christopher Kolenda tells NPR there is "no easy ending" to American involvement in Afghanistan. Roya Rahmani, Afghanistan's ambassador to the U.S., tells NPR Afghan civilians will continue to face daily threats of violence. In participating regions, you'll also hear from local journalists about what's happening in your commun...
Apr 15, 2021•14 min
There have been nightly protests in Brooklyn Center, Minn., following Sunday's killing of 20-year-old Daunte Wright, who was shot by former police officer Kim Potter. Police officials have said Wright's death resulted from an "accidental discharge," saying Potter mistook her handgun for her Taser. State Rep. Esther Agbaje tells NPR the city has been living in "a continuous state of trauma." NPR's Adrian Florido has been covering the trial of former Minneapolis police Derek Chauvin, which is taki...
Apr 14, 2021•12 min
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration announced a recommended pause in use of Johnson & Johnson's single-use COVID-19 vaccine, while the agencies investigate reports of a rare but serious blood clot in six people. The pause comes at a time when public health officials face the growing challenge of vaccine hesitancy, as NPR's Geoff Brumfiel reports . NPR's Tamara Keith and Pien Huang explain the science behind the pause, and how it's occurring at ...
Apr 13, 2021•13 min
President Biden wants to make a massive investment in infrastructure, and not just in roads and bridges. His administration is proposing big investments in "care infrastructure" — investments designed to help women succeed in the workforce. Three women leading the administration's effort speak to NPR: Janelle Jones , the chief economist at the Department of Labor; Heather Boushey , a member of the White House Council of Economic Advisers; and Jennifer Klein, co-chair of the White House Gender Po...
Apr 12, 2021•15 min
" To Asian women, not for—there's no speaking for us, splendidly vast and manifold as our people are." So writes Korean-American novelist R.O. Kwon in an essay in Vanity Fair . The essay explores the reasons that R.O. was unable to talk openly with her own mother about rising anti-Asian rhetoric and violence in the past year, and how she finally broke that silence. In this episode, Rough Translation producer Justine Yan talks with R.O. about what the essay meant to her, and how to break familiar...
Apr 11, 2021•27 min
This week Arkansas became the first state to outlaw gender-affirming health care for transgender youth, as the state legislature overrode a veto by Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson. Hutchinson tells NPR why he opposed the bill, which will become law later this summer. Dr. Joshua Safer, the executive director at Mount Sinai's Center for Transgender Medicine and Surgery, explains why gender-affirming therapies — such as puberty blockers or hormone treatment — are safe and healthy for trans youth. Mi...
Apr 09, 2021•14 min
The details in President Biden's proposed $2 trillion infrastructure plan have a lot to do with protecting the environment. There's a new clean electricity standard and a focus on low-income communities hit hardest by climate change. But will it be enough? NPR's Danielle Kurtzleben reports on how some progressives in congress wished Biden's plan was more ambitious. While many republicans, like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, see it as an overreach and have vowed to fight it. Dr. Leah Sto...
Apr 08, 2021•13 min
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's mixed messaging on travel reveals the uncertain future of the pandemic, Dr. Monica Gandhi tells NPR. Gandhi is an infectious disease expert at the University of California San Francisco. In the future, some travelers may be required to verify their vaccine status to enter a stadium or attend a wedding. Dr. Zeke Emanuel , a professor of medical ethics at the University of Pennsylvania and former member of President Biden's Transition COVID-19 Advis...
Apr 07, 2021•13 min
Home prices are soaring around the U.S. Amid low inventory and historically low interest rates, some buyers are hitting the market to find they can't compete with all-cash offers, or bidding wars that escalate well out of their price range. Sean Hawksford in Bozeman, Mont., is one of those buyers. He told his story to NPR's daily economic podcast, The Indicator . NPR's Chris Arnold explains why the market is so wild right now. And while homebuying is a big financial decision, it's also an emotio...
Apr 06, 2021•14 min
Two Easters have now come and gone since the pandemic began, and the need for restrictions has not gone away. It has faith communities wondering when things will get back to normal. NPR's Lee Hale reports on how faith leaders have approached worship differently since the pandemic began. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy...
Apr 05, 2021•14 min
Bills under consideration in dozens of states target trans youth by focusing on two things: health care and sports. Some bills have already become law in states including South Dakota, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas and Alabama. One of the harshest measures is an Alabama, where a bill would make it a felony to provide gender-affirming therapy to anyone under the age of 19. NPR's Melissa Block reports on what that would mean for one trans teenager and his family. University of Pittsburgh profes...
Apr 02, 2021•14 min
The COVID-19 vaccine rollout is giving us all hope that we'll be back to some sense of normal soon, but the pandemic will likely still play a role in what college life looks like next fall. We asked some high school seniors what questions they have about deciding where to go to school and what college life is like during a pandemic. To help with answering those questions and sharing some advice, we hear from two current college freshmen, Ayiana Davis Polen at Spelman College in Atlanta and Adam ...
Apr 01, 2021•14 min
Scientists are growing concerned the U.S. may be headed for a fourth wave. COVID-19 cases are rising rapidly, mirroring an increase in many countries around the world. Harvard epidemiologist Bill Hanage tells NPR he's worried another surge in the U.S. will fuel the spread of the variant known as B.1.1.7. In the meantime, there's new evidence that vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are effective at preventing viral spread — and that they produce "robust" antibody response in children ages 12-15. NP...
Mar 31, 2021•13 min
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin's trial began this week. He's accused of murdering Minneapolis resident George Floyd in May of 2020, when Chauvin was recorded kneeling on Floyd's neck for nearly 10 minutes. NPR's Adrian Florido has been covering the trial and reports from Minneapolis. In participating regions, you'll also hear from local journalists about what's happening in your community. Email us at considerthis@npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collectio...
Mar 30, 2021•11 min
More than half of worldwide vaccine doses have been administered in just four countries — India, China, the U.K. and the U.S. That kind of inequity will "extend the pandemic, globally," says Tom Bollyky , director of the Global Health program at the Council on Foreign Relations. NPR's Tamara Keith reports on the growing pressure for the Biden administration to step up its vaccine diplomacy . NPR's Lauren Frayer tours the largest vaccine factory in the world's top vaccine producing-country, India...
Mar 29, 2021•14 min
The city of Evanston, Ill., authorized spending on a reparation program this week — believed to be the first of its kind in the country. Here's the report on Evanston's racial history we mention in this episode . Alderwoman Cecily Fleming — an African American resident of Evanston — tells NPR why she voted against the plan. And Dreisen Heath , researcher at the Human Rights Watch, argues that reparations can take many forms. In participating regions, you'll also hear from local journalists about...
Mar 26, 2021•14 min
Two distant cousins connect online, only to learn that one is a militant leftist and the other is in a right-wing militia. Their story shows the complexities of a timely question: Who's an extremist? NPR's Hannah Allam followed both men for weeks, charting the growth of their relationship and revealing the moment they met in-person for the first time. NPR is withholding their last name, which the two men share, for security reasons. In participating regions, you'll also hear from local journalis...
Mar 25, 2021•14 min
