Rising seas are threatening coastal communities around the world, which will need billions of dollars to protect themselves. It's clear the water is coming. What's not clear is who pays. This tension is playing out on the shoreline of San Francisco Bay, where the wealthiest companies in the world have built their headquarters next to low-income communities of color. Both need protection, but as cities there plan massive levee projects, they're struggling to figure out what's fair. Will the cost fall on taxpayers or private landowners who benefit the most?NPR climate correspondent Lauren Sommer reports from San Francisco.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Food service workers in America have newfound bargaining power, and they're using it — quitting jobs for better ones at record rates. NPR's Alina Selyukh reports on why some are leaving the restaurant industry for good. Additional reporting this episode from NPR's Andrea Hsu, who examined the pros and cons of one-time hiring bonuses for workers. Follow more coverage from NPR's special series, Where Are The Workers? In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

One officer in Los Angeles used car inspections to hit on women. Three hundred miles away in the San Francisco Bay Area, another woman says an officer used police resources to harass and stalk her.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Starting over can be scary. But not for Rodrigo Amarante. After an established musical career in Brazil, he made the jump to the U.S., where his relative anonymity was a source of creative energy — and an opportunity to reinvent himself. Amarante's second solo album, Drama, is about rejecting traditional forms of masculinity and embracing imperfections — then releasing them as a beautiful symphony of chaos and, well, drama. Hear Rodrigo Amarante's live performance of the song "Tara" from his new album.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

It's still unclear who is responsible for planning and funding the assassination of Haiti's president Jovenel Moïse earlier this month. But violence and unrest in the country has been ramping up for months. The United Nations says that over the last six weeks nearly 15,000 people have been forced from their homes in Port-au-Prince. NPR's Jason Beaubien reported the story of one family who fled in early June. Moïse's death left a power vacuum that's been filled by Interim Prime Minister Ariel Henry, a 71-year-old neurosurgeon. NPR International Correspondent Carrie Kahn has been tracking his attempt to rebuild the Haitian government. And Jean Eddy Saint Paul, a professor at Brooklyn College, explains why the turmoil in Haiti has been decades in the making. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The delta variant now makes up an estimated 83% of coronavirus cases in the U.S., a sharp increase over recent weeks. Cases are rising more rapidly in places with low rates of vaccination. Arkansas is one of those places. The state's Republican governor, Asa Hutchinson, tells NPR what he's doing to try to convince more people to get a shot. Amid those localized surges and reports of breakthrough infections, NPR's Allison Aubrey explains how to think about your own risk. Find more NPR coverage of breakthrough infections here. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Tens of millions of American families are beginning to receive direct cash payments as part of the expanded child tax credit, which was part of the COVID relief bill passed back in March. Those payments top out at $3,600 a year per child — an amount experts say could lift tens of millions of children out of poverty. But the expanded credit is only scheduled to last one year. The question now is: will Democrats succeed in making it permanent? Here's a breakdown of what you need to know from NPR's Andrea Hsu.This episode contains excerpts from NPR's daily economics podcast The Indicator. Listen and subscribe via Apple, Spotify, Google, or Pocket Casts. Additional reporting this episode from NPR's Cory Turner and Mara Liasson.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Medical education must always keep up with the times. But the pandemic forcing medical students to learn virtually revealed new fault lines and opportunities to rethink the way medical professionals should learn. The medical field is grappling with which of those changes should become permanent and which ones could jeopardize the quality of healthcare. To get a better understanding of how technology has enabled new ways of approaching medical education, NPR's Jonaki Mehta visits Kaiser Permanente's Bernard J. Tyson School of Medicine, a school that was uniquely positioned to adapt to the conditions imposed by the pandemic since it opened during quarantine. Elisabeth Rosenthal, editor-in-chief of Kaiser Health News and a non-practicing physician, shares her concerns about the medical field leaning more heavily on telemedicine as a result of the pandemic. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

From police officer misconduct to deadly shootings, internal affairs investigations are how law enforcement agencies investigate their own and promise to hold themselves accountable. In California, those investigations were secret — that is, until a new police transparency law unsealed thousands of files.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Jodie Turner-Smith in Anne Boleyn. Mindy Kaling in Scooby Doo. Dev Patel in The Green Knight, and last year's David Copperfield.It seems like Hollywood gatekeepers are opening up more traditionally white parts to other performers. But as NPR film critic Bob Mondello explains, cross-cultural casting isn't new — and it's always raised eyebrows. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The protests that erupted in Cuba over the weekend are the biggest the country has seen in decades. Cubans are suffering through a summer of shortages, from food and electricity to medicine. All of which have been made worse by the pandemic. Officials in the authoritarian government are tying to stamp out the unrest quickly. These demonstrations present a political opportunity for President Biden. NPR's Franco Ordonez reports on how the White House's response could change future Florida votes. NPR international correspondent Carrie Kahn looks into internet blackouts enacted by the Cuban government in an attempt to stop organizing happening on social media platforms. And Miami-Herald editorial writer Luisa Yanez explains why a younger generation of Cubans may not buckle under pressure. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In a speech this week, President Biden said Democrats must 'vigorously challenge' what he described as the '21st Century Jim Crow assault' on voting rights, attacking Republican-led state efforts to pass new voting restrictions. Democrats, Vice President Kamala Harris told NPR, must respond on multiple levels: "It will be litigation, legislation, it will be activating the people." Harris spoke to NPR political correspondent Asma Khalid. Hear more on the NPR Politics Podcast via Apple, Google, or Spotify.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The U.S. military will be fully out of the country by August 31. The Taliban already control more than half of it. A U.S. intelligence assessment reportedly says the Afghan government could collapse in as little as six months. Some members of the Afghan military feel "abandoned and alone," Commanding General of the Afghan Army Sami Sadat tells NPR's Mary Louise Kelly. Additional reporting this episode from NPR's Diaa Hadid. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Biden administration is emphasizing vaccine outreach by 'trusted messengers' — community volunteers, faith leaders, and primary care providers — who are best-positioned to convince people to get vaccinated. NPR's Maria Godoy reports on that kind of outreach in Maryland, one of just a handful of states where at least half of the Latino population is vaccinated. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

'Cancelling' is a term that originated in young and progressive circles, where it was used to mean 'boycott,' University of Pennsylvania linguist Nicole Holliday tells NPR. Now the term 'cancel' has been co-opted and weaponized by some conservative media and politicians. Something similar happened in the 1990s with the term 'politically correct.' John K. Wilson wrote about that time in a book called The Myth Of Political Correctness. And — just like 'politically correct' — 'cancelling' and 'cancel culture' have been co-opted and weaponized to attack the left today. Social media has made that easier, says Jon Ronson, author of So You've Been Publicly Shamed. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

All over the east coast and Midwest, forests are getting hotter and drier. Many are also overgrown and overdue for wildfire. And increasingly, Americans are moving to areas where these forests and their homes tangle close together. The fastest such growth is in the Southeast, where few consider wildfire much of a threat. Molly Samuel with member station WABE reports from Tate City, Georgia.Additional reporting in this episode from Annie Ropeik of New Hampshire Public Radio and from NPR's Nathan Rott, who reported on fire risk in Wisconsin, home to the deadliest fire in American history.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

NPR's Tom Dreisbach reports on the story of Alan Hostetter, a former police chief and yoga instructor from California who's now facing conspiracy charges for his alleged role in the U.S. Capitol riot. Hostetter is one of more than 500 people facing charges related to January 6th. Hear more about how prosecutors are proceeding from NPR's Ryan Lucas and the NPR Politics Podcast. Listen via Apple, Google, Spotify, or Pocket Casts.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Critical race theory is a legal framework developed decades ago at Harvard Law School. It posits that racism is not just the product of individual bias, but is embedded in legal systems and policies. Today, it's become the subject of heated debate on Fox News and in local school board meetings across the country. Adam Harris, staff writer at The Atlantic, explains why. Harris has traced the debate over critical race theory back decades. Gloria Ladson-Billings spoke to NPR about watching that debate morph in recent years. She's president of the National Academy of Education and one of the first academics to bring critical race theory to education research.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In 1969, during the same summer as Woodstock, another music festival took place 100 miles away. The Harlem Cultural Festival featured black musicians like Gladys Knight and Stevie Wonder — stars who we might not have glimpsed at this point in their careers. Footage of the festival had been locked in a basement for 50 years, because TV and film companies were not interested in it at the time. Questlove and his fellow filmmakers speak to Audie Cornish about bringing the concert festival to the big screen in their movie, Summer Of Soul, which is also out on Hulu. NPR's Eric Deggans also reviewed the film. Some descriptions of the film from his review are heard in this episode. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Star-Spangled Banner is the official anthem for the United States, but there are plenty of songs that have become informal American anthems for millions of people. On this episode of NPR's Throughline, we share three stories from NPR Music's American Anthem series, which explored the origins of songs that have become ingrained in American culture. Throughline is NPR's history podcast. Listen via Apple, Spotify, Google, or Pocket Casts.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Cases are surging in countries around the world as the more transmissible delta variant spreads rapidly. Also growing: pressure on vaccine-rich countries to help people in countries where vaccines are still scarce. NPR's Will Stone reports on the waiting game. And Harvard's Junaid Habi argues vaccine hesitancy in America is a peculiar privilege. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The former Secretary of Defense was a chief architect of the conflict that came to be known as America's 'forever war.' After his death this week at age 88, that conflict has now officially outlived him. NPR's Steve Inskeep reports on one group of people still living with the consequences: thousands of Afghans who worked with the U.S. military over the past 20 years. More from that story, which aired on Morning Edition, is here. Additional reporting in this episode from NPR's Greg Myre.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Los Angeles County — America's most populous county — recently recommended mask wearing even for vaccinated people, just two weeks after the state relaxed most COVID restrictions. County officials say masks will help protect unvaccinated people from the more transmissible delta variant, which is spreading rapidly across the country. CDC director Rochelle Walensky tells NPR the federal government may "encourage" states to return to more mitigation measures in places where vaccination is low and the delta variant is driving cases up. That describes the situation in Missouri. Rebecca Smith with member station KBIA reports from Columbia. Shalina Chatlani of the Gulf States Newsroom looks at the challenge of getting more people vaccinated in southern states.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Late last year the Senate passed a bill that required U.S. intelligence agencies to share what they know about "unidentified aerial phenomena," the technical term for UFOs. That report was released last week. Spoiler alert — it doesn't confirm the existence of alien spacecraft. But it doesn't rule them out either.Retired U.S. Navy Lieutenant Commander Alex Dietrich recounts her first-hand encounter with a UFO off the coast of Southern California. It's one of 144 sightings mentioned in the new unclassified report. Historian and University of Pennsylvania professor Kate Dorsch explains some of the possible reasons why Americans report more UFO sightings than any other county in the world.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Susana Alvarez, a survivor of the condo collapse in Surfside, Florida, explained to NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro on Weekend Edition Sunday that residents were told in a late 2018 meeting that the building was safe — despite evidence it wasn't. NPR confirmed Alvarez's account. An engineering report issued five weeks before that meeting warned of "major structural damage" to the building that would require "extremely expensive" repairs. Jenny Staletovich with member station WLRN reports on efforts by rescuers, which include Miami's own world-renowned search and rescue team. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Alicia Argelia met Army veteran Matt Lammers when he rolled into the store where she worked. Matt had lost both legs and one arm during a deployment to Iraq. Strangers often approached him to awkwardly thank him for his service or ask him what happened; his physical injuries made him a living reminder of the cost of war. But Alicia was different. She offered friendship without pity, and he was charmed by her from the start.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

What's behind the 20-year success of the Fast & Furious franchise? Casting, storytelling and reinvention. NPR's Linda Holmes — who wrote an owner's manual to the franchise — explains. Linda is one of the hosts of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour. Find their episode about F9 on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or Pocket Casts. F9 premiered overseas last month while waiting for pandemic-shuttered cinemas to open in the U.S., where it's supposed to restart the Hollywood blockbuster. NPR's Bob Mondello has more in his review of the film. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

For the second weekend in a row, parts of the American West will be gripped by historic heat, coming in the second decade of megadrought that has gripped the region for 22 years.Wildfire is an obvious threat — but there are other consequences of extreme heat and drought, as smaller snowmelts and lower reservoirs lead to water cutbacks and more expensive electricity. And climate change is making it all worse. Colorado Public Radio's Michael Elizabeth Sakas reports on another consequence: what happens when there isn't enough water to build new homes. Kristina Dahl, senior climate scientist with the Union of Concerned Scientists, explains how extreme heat can affect the human body, Additional reporting in this episode: • Jordan Kern spoke to NPR's Scott Detrow about hydropower in the West. • Michael Elizabeth Sakas reported on western snowmelt. • NPR's Kirk Siegler reported on record high temperatures. • NPR's Lauren Sommer reported on dwindling water supplies. • NPR's Nathan Rott, Luke Runyon of KUNC in Colorado and Annie Ropeik of New Hampshire Public Radio discussed the growing consequences of heat and drought.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Back in March, Congress approved nearly $50 billion in aid for people who need rental assistance to avoid eviction. At the same time a federal moratorium on evictions is expected to be extended till the end of the July.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

From the beginning of the pandemic, the debate about the origins of the coronavirus was immediately politicized by former President Donald Trump. But now international efforts to investigate and find answers have stalled. NPR's Will Stone explains why.Despite a new focus on the lab leak theory, many scientists still believe the virus emerged naturally, reports NPR's Geoff Brumfiel. NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik has also reported on the media's coverage of the lab leak theory. Listen to Fresh Air's interview with Vanity Fair's Katherine Eban on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or Pocket Casts. Read Eban's article about the lab leak theory here: The Lab-Leak Theory: Inside the Fight to Uncover COVID-19's Origins.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

In June 1971, then-President Richard Nixon said the U.S. had a new public enemy number one: addiction. It was the beginning of America's long war on drugs. Fifty years later, during months of interviews, NPR found a growing consensus across the political spectrum — including among some in law enforcement — that the drug war simply didn't work. The stories in this episode are from NPR's Brian Mann and Eric Westervelt as part of a special series: The War On Drugs: 50 Years Later.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

This all started with a guest essay by Tom Hanks for The New York Times called "You Should Learn the Truth About the Tulsa Race Massacre," in which Hanks made the case for a more widespread teaching of American history involving Black Americans, especially of events like the Tulsa Race Massacre. He wrote: "History was mostly written by white people about white people like me, while the history of Black people — including the horrors of Tulsa — was too often left out. Until relatively recently, the entertainment industry, which helps shape what is history and what is forgotten, did the same. That includes projects of mine."NPR TV and film critic Eric Deggans appreciated those words, but wrote in a column of his own that Hanks could do more from his powerful perch in Hollywood. Eric speaks to host Audie Cornish about the reaction to his column, and how Hollywood reckons with its own power. (And no, he is not trying to cancel Tom Hanks.) In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Juneteenth, the celebration to commemorate the end of chattel slavery in the United States, is the newest federal holiday after President Biden signed it into law on Thursday. It's another example of how the racial reckoning following the murder of George Floyd has been reshaping the way Americans think and talk about race. That shift is also evident in reparation programs for Black descendants of slaves that are being enacted by groups around the country. The Virginia Theological Seminary, for example, has started cutting checks to descendants of the forced labor the campus long relied on. The city of Evanston, Ill., has started to offer housing grants to its Black residents, and other progressive local governments are considering similar approaches. Despite increasing interest in reparations, there is not yet widespread acceptance among Americans. A recent poll from the University of Massachusetts Amherst shows that two-thirds of the U.S. does not agree with cash reparations on a federal scale.Professor Tatishe Nteta ran the poll. He explains what the findings say about the political future of reparations in the U.S. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Last month, President Biden laid out an ambitious goal: to get 70% of adults in the U.S. at least one vaccine dose by July 4. With less than three weeks to go, that goal may too ambitious, Harvard epidemiologist Bill Hanage tells NPR, and some states may see localized outbreaks this year. Still — nearly two dozen states have already exceeded the 70% threshold. Many are clustered in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, while states with the lowest rates are largely in the South and Southwest. But there is one exception: New Mexico — where some counties report vaccination rates as high as 90%. NPR's Kirk Siegler explains why. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected]. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Remote learning simply didn't work for many children with disabilities. Without the usual access to educators, therapists and in-person aides, the families of these children, and many like them, say they watched their children slide backward, losing academic, social and physical skills. Now they're demanding help, arguing to judges, state departments of education and even to the U.S. Department of Education that schools are legally required to do better by their students with disabilities. NPR education correspondent Cory Turner and reporter Rebecca Klein have spent months reporting on complaints filed across the country from families who say schools need to act now to make up for the vital services kids missed.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Wednesday will be President Biden's first meeting with one of America's greatest adversaries. Drawing a contrast with his predecessor is the least of what the commander-in-chief hopes to accomplish when he sits down with Russian President Vladimir Putin. NPR's Mary Louise Kelly is covering the summit in Geneva, where she spoke to former U.S. Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul about what the U.S. could expect to gain from negotiations.For more coverage of the negotiations, follow Mary Louise Kelly on Twitter and tune into NPR's Up First on Wednesday morning. Listen via Apple, Spotify or Pocket Casts. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

From computer chips to rental cars to chicken breasts, a complex global supply chain is straining under pent-up post-vaccine demand. NPR's Scott Horsley explains what's going on — and why Biden administration officials think price hikes will eventually level out.Additional reporting this episode from NPR's Camila Domonoske — who reported on computer chips in car manufacturing — and NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday, which reported on slowdowns in food processing and manufacturing. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

About two months after the coronavirus began spreading in the United States, groups of Americans began to protest the quarantine lockdown measures in their states. At some of these anti-lockdown rallies reporters Lisa Hagen of WABE and Chris Haxel of KCUR discovered they weren't the spontaneous grassroots uprisings they purported to be. Rather, they were being organized by a group of three brothers: Aaron, Ben and Chris Dorr.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The story made waves in Washington, D.C., this week: The Secret IRS Files: Trove of Never-Before-Seen Records Reveal How the Wealthiest Avoid Income Tax. ProPublica obtained private tax data from America's 25 wealthiest individuals, which revealed exactly how those people manage, through legal means, to pay far less income tax than most Americans — and sometimes, none at all. ProPublica senior editor and reporter Jesse Eisinger explains how it works to NPR's Rachel Martin. After the story's publication, some lawmakers reacted with concern about the fairness of the tax code. Oregon Democrat Ron Wyden, who chairs the Senate Finance Committee, explains a proposal to make it more equitable. He spoke to NPR's Ailsa Chang. Additional reporting on the history of the income tax from NPR's daily economics podcast The Indicator and Steven Weisman's 2010 appearance on All Things Considered. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

For Americans who were able to work from home at the start of the pandemic, what felt like an extended snow day at first has now turned into 15 months and counting of Zoom calls and logging onto work in sweatpants. But now that about half of Americans are fully vaccinated, some are trickling back into the office. We asked you to tell us how your work has been for the last year and how you feel about returning to the office. The responses were mixed. Susan Lund, a partner at McKinsey & Company, says that after the pandemic it's unlikely that people will go back to the same pattern of working.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

More than half of U.S. adults have been fully vaccinated, and case rates are at their lowest point since the pandemic began. But there are still a lot of unanswered questions about the future of the pandemic. Questions about variants, vaccine booster shots and the idea of vaccine mandates in schools or publicly-funded universities. We had a chance to put some of the questions — including ones from you — to the nation's top doctor, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, in an interview conducted on Twitter Spaces, a new platform for live audio conversations on Twitter. To participate in future Twitter Spaces conversations, follow us on Twitter @nprAudie and @npratc. You can find our episodes on Twitter and Facebook using the hashtag #NPRConsiderThis.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Democratic proposals for immigration reform, gun control, infrastructure and voting rights are stalled in Congress. Standing in between Democrats and much of their progressive wish list is one of their own, West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, who has signaled his opposition to eliminating the filibuster or passing an infrastructure plan without Republican support. He's not the only West Virginian with an outsized influence in Washington right now. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito is representing Senate Republicans in negotiations with the White House over infrastructure. Despite meeting with President Biden repeatedly in recent days, the two sides appear to be far apart. For more on the two Senators' role in national politics and what their mandate is from voters back home, congressional correspondent Sue Davis and Dave Mistich of West Virginia Public Broadcasting speak to NPR's Mary Louise Kelly. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Cyberattackers have recently targeted a crucial fuel pipeline, a global meat distributor and a water treatment plant. The Biden administration likens the surge in cyberattacks to terrorism — and says they plan to treat it like a national security threat. NPR National Security Correspondent Greg Myre details the administration's plans. When businesses are targeted by ransomware, someone like Bill Siegel steps in to help companies figure out if they have any options but to pay up. Siegel runs Coveware, a company that responds to ransomware attacks and often negotiates with hackers. He spoke to NPR's Rachel Martin. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Stockton, Calif., may represent the future of American news. The city's longtime newspaper, The Record, has lost reporters, subscribers and, therefore, power. Meanwhile a non-traditional news source, a controversial online outlet called 209 Times, has quickly become one of the most popular sources of news in town. It proudly doesn't follow most journalistic norms and brags about tanking the previous mayor's campaign. Critics say the 209 Times is filling Stockton with misinformation. Yowei Shaw, host of NPR's Invisibilia, investigates.Find all three parts of "The Chaos Machine," Invisibilia's series about 209 Times here.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Freedom of the press is enshrined in the Constitution as crucial to a functioning democracy. But what role does the press serve when it feels like the country can't agree on basic facts? NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with a handful of journalists to hear how they're navigating this divide.This episode feature's CBS's Leslie Stahl, CNN's Jake Tapper, NPR's Ayesha Rascoe, Dawn Rhodes of Block Club Chicago and Sherry Liang of the University of Georgia's Red & Black newspaper. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

Corporations had a lot to say about racial justice last summer. They made statements. They donated millions to civil rights organizations. They promised to address their own problems with diversity and representation. A year later, NPR's David Gura reports on Wall Street's mixed progress.Kim Tran tells NPR's Sam Sanders that the diversity, equity and inclusion industry has lost its way.And DEI consultant Lily Zheng talks about their front row seat to corporations varied efforts to change culture and practices.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

The Atlantic hurricane season began Tuesday and another "above average" number of storms is expected. And it's not just hurricanes — overall, scientists are predicting more extreme weather events amplified by climate change this summer.While there's little to do in the short term to change this trajectory, recent actions by a Dutch court, the Biden administration and an activist hedge fund all suggest new pressure on large oil and gas companies could help in the long term. Pressure from these outside forces could signal a shift in how the companies operate.Nell Minow, an Exxon shareholder, explains the direction she wants to see the company move in.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

From dating apps, to airline travel, to in-person high school classes, the U.S. is seeing evidence of a return to close-to-normal life.KUOW's Clare McGrane reports on how that transition has been especially complicated for a choir in Washington state. Members were at the center of one of the earliest super-spreader events in the U.S. last year. Saskia Popescu, infectious disease expert and assistant professor at George Mason University, says for as much progress as the U.S. has made against the coronavirus, many countries are still dealing with outbreaks and struggling to get vaccines.Listen to GBH reporter Tori Bedford's story on easing back into socializing here.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at [email protected] more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy