With several Republican-run states introducing controversial legislation dealing with voting access, Democrats are trying to push back at the federal level. Politico looks at the challenges they face in moving forward with a voting-rights bill. Bloomberg reports on President Biden’s decision to allow more refugees into America, along with the political impact. While landlords are often cast as villains, many property owners rely on rent payments to feed their families. For the Washington Post, Eli Saslow talks to one “small landlord” who risks falling into bankruptcy because of the pandemic housing crisis. The Tulsa Race Massacre took place 100 years ago this month. Essence says many of the Black-owned businesses that were destroyed in the atrocity were subsequently rebuilt, and details the ongoing work to preserve the history of Black Wall Street. The Wall Street Journal visits a Japanese city that takes New York–style cheesecake so seriously it has a rigorous government-certification process to make sure restaurants are making it right.

Ask this episode

“What did the council decide on item 42?” — answered with the speaker and the moment.