This week marks two years since George Floyd's murder at the hands of a white police officer and the subsequent racial justice protests and calls for police reform that spread from Minneapolis across the country. President Joe Biden has signed a new executive order meant to change how police use force among other measures, which experts say is a small — but important — step in preventing more tragedies like Floyd's death. But as Minnesota Public Radio's Matt Sepic reports, some Minneapolis resid...
May 27, 2022•16 min
This is a fragile moment for the U.S. economy. Many people are feeling the steep rise of the cost of gas and groceries, and some are having to decide whether to buy food or fill up their tanks. Food banks and local non-profits are seeing more people than ever. And experts worry that the Federal Reserve's efforts to combat inflation by raising interest rates could tip the economy into recession. NPR's Scott Horsley covers the big-picture economy, Chris Arnold covers housing and Brittany Cronin co...
May 26, 2022•9 min
At least 19 children were shot and killed by a man who investigators say was armed with assault rifles legally purchased after his 18th birthday. It was the deadliest school shooting since Sandy Hook in Newtown, Connecticut nearly 10 years ago. Connecticut Senator Chris Murphy tells NPR that lawmakers in Washington — including himself — bear responsibility for inaction on gun violence over the last decade. Also in this episode, gun control activist Sandy Phillips , who spoke to NPR's Steve Inske...
May 25, 2022•14 min
Dozens of states could soon take steps to ban or restrict abortion. But there are a lot of unanswered questions about how those laws would be enforced if they vary from state to state, Kim Mutcherson tells NPR. That patchwork of laws is the most likely outcome if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v Wade, leaving the U.S. without a federally-protected right to abortion. That's the reality in Poland, where abortion is almost entirely illegal. NPR's Ari Shapiro reports on an underground network of re...
May 24, 2022•15 min
It's 2022, but the 2020 election is on the ballot in Georgia, where several Trump-backed candidates are running in Republican primary races. WABE's Rahul Bali explains how the former President looms over Tuesday's elections, and WABE's Sam Gringlas looks at a race between two Democratic incumbents, forced to face off after their districts were redrawn by Republicans. For more political coverage from member station WABE, listen to Georgia Votes . In participating regions, you'll also hear a local...
May 23, 2022•16 min
Last year the remains of 215 children were found in unmarked graves on the site of a former residential school for Indigenous children in British Columbia. The news was shocking, but among Indigenous people of Canada and survivors of the country's boarding school system, it was not a surprise. For generations there had been stories of children taken away from their parents never to be heard from again. Those who did return told of neglect, abuse, and forced assimilation. It's a brutal history th...
May 21, 2022•14 min
Russian President Vladimir Putin has used possible NATO expansion to justify invading Ukraine. Now, that invasion might expand the alliance. Finland and Sweden, both formerly neutral Russian neighbors, are applying for membership. NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with Finland's ambassador to the U.S., Mikko Hautala, about the stakes of his country's bid to join. NPR's Emily Feng also talks to historian Mary Elise Sarotte about how we reached this impasse between NATO and Russia. You can also hear — an...
May 20, 2022•15 min
A Polish school in Warsaw has taken in Ukrainian refugee students and teachers. The school provides safety and a place of hope as the war between Russia and Ukraine continues. Poland's minister of education says the country has absorbed more than 75,000 Ukrainian students into Polish schools. NPR's Ari Shapiro visited schools in Poland and spoke to teachers and students about what their life is like right now. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense...
May 19, 2022•11 min
This week, the FDA announced new steps to ease a nationwide baby formula shortage prompted, in part, by a temporary shutdown of a facility that makes formula back in February. As millions of families who rely on formula wait for supplies to become more available, many are also looking for answers on the circumstances that gave rise to the shortage. NPR Chief Economics Correspondent Scott Horsley breaks down the tangle of supply chain issues and federal policies that are playing into the formula ...
May 18, 2022•14 min
As the U.S. marks one million people dead from COVID-19, scientists suggest that nearly one third of those deaths could have been prevented if more people had chosen to be vaccinated. NPR's Selena Simmons-Duffin reports . And even though the unvaccinated continue to make up a majority of COVID-19 cases and related hospitalizations, the number of Americans who say they won't get a COVID shot hasn't budged in a year. NPR's John Burnett spoke to a few of them. In participating regions, you'll also ...
May 17, 2022•13 min
A man accused of killing 10 people in Buffalo, New York was allegedly motivated by a racist doctrine known as 'replacement theory.' It's just a new name for an old set of racial hatreds, Kathleen Belew told NPR . Belew is an assistant professor of history at the University of Chicago and the author of Bring The War Home: The White Power Movement And Paramilitary America . NPR's Quil Lawrence reports from Buffalo on the aftermath of the shooting, and NPR's Adrian Florido takes a closer look at th...
May 16, 2022•14 min
The United States is experiencing an adolescent mental health crisis. Experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to the Surgeon General are stressing the urgent need to address the mental health needs of children and teens. The pandemic focused attention on this issue as young people dealt with isolation, the uncertainty of lockdown and grief over the death of loved ones. But while the pandemic exacerbated the problem, it has been building for years. We speak with Judith Warner,...
May 14, 2022•12 min
Sasa Woodruff loves food—she's been accused of having far too many cookbooks. But in 2019, a phone call from an unknown caller changed her relationship to eating. A genetic counselor called to tell her that she had a rare genetic mutation which could lead to a lethal form of stomach cancer. The only way to prevent that cancer was to get her stomach surgically removed. While she's now grateful for the information that genetic testing gave her, Woodruff's story raises questions about what kind of ...
May 13, 2022•16 min
Inflation dipped slightly in April, but it's still at a historically-high 8.3 percent. Research suggests lower-income families suffer the most when prices rise. NPR's Scott Horsley explains how people around the country are coping with inflation, and what the Federal Reserve is doing to try to bring it under control. This episode also includes reporting from NPR's Jennifer Ludden , on eviction rates rising in the face of increased rent and the end of pandemic rent aid in some places. And it feat...
May 12, 2022•10 min
Some countries in Latin America are expanding abortion rights. Other countries, like Poland, have all but outlawed the procedure. Meanwhile, health officials in Canada have signaled Americans would be welcome to seek abortion services across the border if they cannot access care at home. All of that speaks to the reality that America's abortion debate is not happening in vacuum, and is being watched closely around the world. Mary Louise Kelly spoke about how abortion laws around the world compar...
May 11, 2022•11 min
The Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia is gaining followers in the U.S. — not Russian immigrants, but American converts drawn to its emphasis on "traditional values." NPR's Odette Yousef reports some new converts are using the religion to spread white nationalist views. More from her story here. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment to help you make sense of what's going on in your community. Email us at considerthis@npr.org . See pcm.adswizz.com for information ...
May 10, 2022•11 min
Debates about the status of Roe v. Wade continue after the Supreme Court's draft opinion was leaked last week. This week, the Senate is planning to vote on legislation that would codify abortion rights into a federal law, but it's likely to fail given the 50-50 split between Democrats and Republicans. That means abortion access will be left up to states — and some already have restrictive abortion laws. Reproductive justice advocates are concerned about the disproportionate impact those laws wil...
May 09, 2022•12 min
Earlier this week, a leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court suggested that after nearly 50 years, the court intends to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that legalized abortion nationwide. Almost as soon as abortions became legal, opponents began organizing efforts to repeal the law. Eighteen states now have so-called "trigger laws" that will ban abortions the moment that Roe v. Wade is overturned or pre-"Roe" era bans that remain on the books, ready once again, to fall into place. We...
May 07, 2022•17 min
For a few months, it looked like COVID-19 was retreating in the United States. But cases are rising across the country again. Still, public health leaders are signaling that the U.S. is turning another corner in this pandemic, and that continued COVID surges might just be part of the new normal. NPR Science correspondent Michaeleen Doucleff reports on what the new Omicron variant could have in store for the U.S. in coming weeks and months, and what scientists know about Americans' COVID immunity...
May 06, 2022•11 min
Twin babies Lenny and Moishe were born via surrogate in Ukraine, just as Russia invaded the country. Their parents live in Chicago and had been anxiously awaiting the arrival of their new sons. Rescuers exfiltrated the babies, dodging Russian artillery fire and driving through a snowstorm before finally arriving at a Polish hospital, where new father Alex "Sasha" Spektor met the boys for the first time. But a more difficult journey for the family was just beginning. NPR's Ari Shapiro followed up...
May 05, 2022•10 min
Bipartisan members who serve on state and county boards of canvassers in Michigan have an important job: certifying the results of elections, making them official. In 2020, Former President Trump and his allies urged them not to certify as part of his campaign to undermine and overturn the presidential election, even though Joe Biden won Michigan by more than 154,000 votes. Since then, local GOP leaders have replaced many of the Republican canvassers who upheld their oaths and voted to certify t...
May 04, 2022•13 min
The right to an abortion in the United States appears closer than ever to being eliminated, after a draft of a majority opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade was leaked. Should it stand, the court's ruling wouldn't ban abortion nationwide, but would leave the decision up to individual states. Many Republican-led states are ready to enact their own bans, should Roe v. Wade be overturned, which could leave tens of millions of people without access to abortions. NPR congressional correspondent Ke...
May 03, 2022•12 min
Cases of COVID-19 have been surging throughout China. The country has implemented a stringent "zero-COVID" strategy that includes mass testing, limited travel and large-scale lockdowns. In Shanghai, many residents haven't been able to leave their homes. It's an eerie reminder of the lockdowns in Wuhan during the first year of the pandemic. NPR's international correspondent Rob Schmitz spoke with two residents of a housing complex in Shanghai about their experiences with the city's lockdown. Ther...
May 02, 2022•15 min
Communities of color are the most harshly affected by climate change in the United States. While the importance of environmental justice is becoming more mainstream, too often people in this movement who are Black, Indigenous and people of color are overlooked and left out of conversations about how to solve the crisis. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, a marine biologist, policy expert and writer, wants the broader environmental movement to understand the crucial link between the fight to save the plane...
Apr 30, 2022•15 min
Over the past two years, about 200 journalists across the country have been detained or arrested while on the job. Many were covering the social and racial justice protests that began after the murder of George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis. NPR Media Correspondent David Folkenflik and NPR producer Marc Rivers look at the growing tension between police and the press through the lens of one March 2021 night at Echo Park Lake, when police detained at least 16 journalists. In...
Apr 29, 2022•9 min
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's mask mandate on planes, trains and buses ended earlier this month, and it came down, in part, to a judge's interpretation of the word "sanitation." U.S. District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle voided the mask requirement, citing a 1944 law that gives the CDC power to stop the spread of communicable diseases through measures like inspection, fumigation, disinfection and sanitation. Lawrence Gostin is a professor of public health law at Georgetown Un...
Apr 28, 2022•8 min
One Palestinian man's struggle to get life-saving medical care while living in the Gaza Strip highlights many lesser-seen victims of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict: Since the militant group Hamas took over Gaza 15 years ago, Israel's travel restrictions have resulted in many barriers for Palestinians seeking critical health care. Palestinians can try to get medical treatment both in and outside of Gaza, but need a travel permit to choose the latter. And while Israel grants thousands of travel ...
Apr 27, 2022•25 min
Stephanie is one of nearly one million Americans who have died of COVID-19. Her family says Stephanie's death was avoidable, but in recent years, she had been drawn into conspiracy theories. She believed that the coronavirus was a hoax and refused to get vaccinated. When she got COVID-19 last winter, Stephanie refused treatments and eventually died just a few days after Christmas. While there is no way to know exactly how many people like Stephanie have died because they believed conspiracy theo...
Apr 26, 2022•13 min
Between the 1990s and late 2000s, people in Chechnya described Russia's wars there as a nightmare. Its former leader, Akhmad Kadyrov, resisted Russian forces. But today, the Muslim-majority Chechen Republic is ruled by Kadyrov's son, Ramzan. He's a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is accused of numerous human rights abuses and is also leading his own forces against Ukraine to aid the Kremlin. Rachel Denber , Deputy Director of Human Rights Watch's Europe and Central Asia Divis...
Apr 25, 2022•13 min
You introduce yourself and then someone mispronounces your name. At that point you have to decide if you correct them or let it slide. For many people from immigrant communities, this has been a lifelong experience. And sometimes, it's about more than mispronunciation, it can signal exclusion and disrespect. Some people even change their names in order to fit in more easily and not be "othered." For years, LA Times columnist, Jean Guerrero, let people say her name without rolling their r's, the ...
Apr 23, 2022•12 min
