Consider This from NPR

Within Biden's Infrastructure Plan Lies An Agenda To Address Climate Change

08 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 electr...

Amid Record Pandemic Travel, What's Safe? And The Debate Over Vaccine Passports

07 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's mixed messaging on travel reveals the uncertain future of the pandemic, Dr. Monica Gandhi tells NPR. ...

The Housing Market Is Wild Right Now — And It's Making Inequality Worse

06 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

How The Pandemic Has Changed Worship In America And The Debate Over Religious Freedom

05 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

'It Hurts People': How Trans Youth Are Being Targeted By State Legislation

02 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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...

High School Seniors Ask, 'What Will College Look Like Next Fall?'

01 Apr 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Race To Immunize Tightens As Cases Rise; Promising Vaccine News Released

31 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

Inside The Opening Days Of The Derek Chauvin Trial — And The Trauma It's Resurfacing

30 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin's trial began this week. He's accused of murdering Minneapolis resident George Floyd in May of 2020, w...

4 Countries Dominate Doses As Pressure Grows For Global Vaccine Solutions

29 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

First-In-The-Nation Effort Advances Debate Over What Form Reparations Should Take

26 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 ...

One's Antifa. One's In A Militia. How An Ancestry Match Led To An Unlikely Bond

25 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

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 compl...

Colorado Shooting Reveals Limits Of State Gun Control — And Steels Activists For More

24 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Colorado has universal background checks, a red flag law and the city of Boulder recently passed an assault weapons ban. None of it was enough to stop...

President Biden's Next Big-Ticket Item: A Transformational Infrastructure Plan

23 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

America's infrastructure GPA is a C-minus, according to the American Society Of Civil Engineers, which this month called for massive investment in the...

Coronavirus Cases Are Surging In Europe. Why The U.S. Is In Better Shape — For Now

22 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In Europe, the COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been slow. The U.S. is doing better — vaccinating as many as 3 million people per day this past weekend....

BONUS: Sohla El-Waylly on Race, Food and 'Bon Appétit'

21 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Sohla El-Waylly was one of the most vocal critics of her previous employer, Bon Appétit, and eventually resigned after the magazine's racial reckonin...

Are We Ready For The Next One? The Striking Pandemic Warnings That Were Ignored

19 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Dante Disparte, founder and chairman of Risk Cooperative and member of FEMA's National Advisory Council, explains how lessons from last year can help ...

Georgia Shooting: The Latest In A Year Of Trauma And Terror For Asian Americans

18 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Reports of hate incidents against Asian American and Pacific Islanders have skyrocketed in the past year, coinciding with former President Trump's rac...

Pregnant In A Pandemic: 'COVID Couldn't Rob Us Of Everything'

17 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Three women come together to talk about the isolation and sacrifice that comes with being pregnant during the pandemic. Those women: Irène Mathieu, a...

What's Behind The Increase In Migrant Children At The Southern Border

16 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Thousands of unaccompanied migrant children have shown up at the southern border in recent weeks, overwhelming the government's ability to process and...

Young And Radicalized Online: A Familiar Pattern In Capitol Siege Suspects

15 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

People who stormed the Capitol were radicalized by what they consumed online and in social media. That should sound familiar: Ten years ago, ISIS used...

BONUS: Rapper Mac Phipps, After 20 Years In Prison, Is One Step Closer To Freedom

15 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode from NPR's Louder Than A Riot, New Orleans rapper Mac Phipps speaks exclusively to NPR about the power dynamics at play throughout his...

Breonna Taylor Was Killed By Police 1 Year Ago. What's Changed Since Then?

12 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's been one year since Breonna Taylor was shot and killed by police in her own apartment. In that year, Taylor's name has become a national symbol i...

The Pandemic Is Still Global. Here's How Vaccination Is Going In Other Countries

11 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Less than 4% of Brazil's population has been vaccinated, and now a dangerous new variant has overwhelmed parts of the country's health care system. Du...

The Day Everything Changed: Fauci, Collins Reflect On 1 Year Of The Pandemic

10 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

March 11 will mark one year since the World Health Organization officially declared the coronavirus outbreak a global pandemic — when schools, busin...

George Floyd Case: Trial Of Former Police Officer Derek Chauvin Underway

09 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Jury selection in the highly anticipated trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin began Tuesday after being delayed amid an effort to ...

COVID-19 Relief And Cash Payments Near; CDC Says Vaccinated Can Gather Without Masks

08 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Over the weekend, the Senate approved a version of President Biden's $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, setting up a vote in the House that could sen...

BONUS: 'It's OK That We're Alive'

07 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

What do you do after you've survived a mass shooting? In this episode of NPR's Embedded podcast, we hear the staff at the Capital Gazette newspaper re...

Colombia Welcomes Venezuelan Refugees With Open Arms: Will The U.S. Do The Same?

05 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Colombian President Iván Duque won praise from the United Nations, Pope Francis and the Biden administration with his recent announcement that Colomb...

Pandemic Inflection Point: Drop In Cases Stalls, States Loosen Public Health Measures

04 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the U.S., the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines is improving every day, but hundreds of millions of people are still vulnerable. And now, with some stat...

Stacey Abrams On The Continuing Fight For Voter Access

03 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Supreme Court heard arguments this week about voting laws in Arizona that would make ballot access harder for people living in rural areas like th...

The Growing Threat Of Disinformation And How To 'Deprogram' People Who Believe It

02 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Disinformation isn't new. But in the last decade, the growth of social media has made it easier than ever to spread. That coincided with the political...

Post-Trump, New U.S. Intel Chief Seeks To Rebuild Trust — And Fight Domestic Terror

01 Mar 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines has taken over after a turbulent time. Former President Donald Trump was frequently at odds with the Am...

BONUS: The Man Behind the March on Washington

28 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Bayard Rustin, the man behind the March on Washington, was one of the most consequential architects of the civil rights movement you may never have he...

America's Next Generation Of Legal Marijuana: New State Laws Focus On Racial Equity

26 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

It's been almost a decade since Washington and Colorado became the first states in America to legalize recreational marijuana. Now a new generation of...

The Challenge To Stop The Next Outbreak Of Homegrown, Extremist Violence In The U.S.

25 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Just because the second impeachment trial of former President Donald Trump is done, it doesn't mean the story of what happened on Jan. 6 at the U.S. C...

America's Energy Future: How Gas Companies Are Fighting To Block Climate Rules

24 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Natural gas utilities face a bleak future in a world increasingly concerned about climate change. An NPR investigation shows how they work to block lo...

Optimism About Case Rates, Vaccines, And Future Of The Pandemic

23 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After more than 500,000 deaths and nearly a full year, experts say there are a growing number of reasons to be optimistic about the direction of the p...

Update On A Movement: How 'Defunding Police' Is Playing Out In Austin, Texas

22 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Last summer, the city of Austin, Texas, slashed the budget for its police department. More recently, the city council voted on a new way to spend some...

BONUS: Why 500,000 COVID-19 Deaths May Not Feel Any Different

21 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Why is it so hard to feel the difference between 400,000 and 500,000 COVID-19 deaths — and how might that impact our decision making during the pand...

Memorializing The Deaths Of More Than 500,000 Americans Lost To COVID-19

19 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. death toll from COVID-19 is on track to pass a number next week that once seemed unthinkable: Half a million people in this country dead from...

Texas Is Defined By Energy. How Did The State's Power Grid Fail So Massively?

18 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Millions of people in Texas have gone three or more days without power, water or both. Texas has had winter weather before, so what went so wrong this...

Impeachment Fallout At Home And Abroad: GOP Fractured, America 'Tarnished'

17 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

After the Senate vote failed to convict former President Donald Trump, a clearer picture of the political consequences is emerging — both for the Re...

The Intensifying Race Between Coronavirus Variants And Vaccines

16 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There's evidence of at least seven U.S. variants of the coronavirus, while another that emerged from the U.K. is poised to become the dominant strain ...

Asylum-Seekers Are Being Unlawfully Shut Out During The Pandemic

15 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR, says more than 60 countries around the world are using COVID-19 as an excuse to skirt international law by c...

Q & A: Expert Advice On Love, Dating, And Pandemic Relationships

12 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

We asked for your questions on navigating love and dating during the pandemic. Therapist and sexologist Lexx Brown-James has answers. She's joined by ...

Scenes From A Pandemic Economy: 4 American Indicators

11 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The pandemic economy has left different people in vastly different situations. Today, we introduce four American indicators — people whose paths wil...

Public School Teachers Weigh In On Vaccines, Masks And Returning To The Classroom

10 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The Biden administration has set a goal: a majority of public schools open "at least one day a week" by the 100th day of his presidency. But it's poss...

What Donald Trump's Impeachment Means The 2nd Time Around

09 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In the weeks after Jan. 6. insurrection, even top Republicans like Mitch McConnell said Donald Trump provoked the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol, l...

Who's Getting Vaccinated And Who Isn't: NPR Analysis Finds Stark Racial Divide

08 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Using data from several states that have published their own maps and lists of where vaccination sites are located, NPR identified disparities in the ...

BONUS: Biden Promises To Grapple With Environmental Racism

07 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

People of color experience more air and water pollution than white people and suffer the health impacts. The federal government helped create the prob...

BONUS: The Lasting Power Of Whitney Houston's National Anthem

06 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Why does Whitney Houston's 1991 Super Bowl national anthem still resonate 30 years later? In this episode of NPR's It's Been A Minute, host Sam Sander...

Live Performance, The Pandemic And The Domino Effect Of Dark Stages

05 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The pandemic leveled live performance, and the industry is last in line for a return to normal. Musician Zoe Keating and production designer Terry Mor...

Life On Minimum Wage: Why The Federal Debate Continues

04 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour is one of President Biden's priorities with the newest COVID-19 relief package. But Republicans say it will hu...

Third Vaccine On The Way, Fauci Hails 'Spectacular Results'

03 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A third COVID-19 vaccine could receive emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration this month. The vaccine made by Johnson & Joh...

Myanmar Explained: How A Coup Followed Unproven Allegations Of Voter Fraud

02 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

For months, Myanmar's military party has claimed — without evidence — that its poor performance in the country's November parliamentary elections ...

After Biden's First Actions On Climate Change, How Much More Can He Do Alone?

01 Feb 2021

Contributed by Lukas

This past week, President Biden signed executive orders that represent his administration's first actions in the fight against climate change. Some ch...

BONUS: Can't Stop GameStop

30 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In 2019, GameStop seemed to be just another failing brick-and-mortar business. But a couple of internet dwellers at Wall Street Bets, in a strange cor...

What Lessons Should News Organizations Learn From Trump's Presidency?

29 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

There's is a reckoning happening across the media. Major news organizations are reconsidering what they cover and how. The Trump presidency is one big...

How Trumpism Led To An Ideological War Over Voice Of America

28 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In its very first broadcast, the U.S.-government-run service called Voice of America pledged honesty."The news may be good and it may be bad. We shall...

Biden Administration: 'It Will Be Months' Before Widespread Vaccine Availability

27 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden said Tuesday that the federal government's vaccine distribution program is "in worse shape than we anticipated." His administration's ...

Deplatforming: Not A First Amendment Issue, But Still A Tough Call For Big Tech

26 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Removing disinformation — and users who spread it — can come at a cost for web hosts and social media platforms. But studies indicate "deplatformi...

'We Have To Stop Rewarding Obstruction:' Will Democrats Nuke The Filibuster?

25 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Adam Jentleson knows firsthand how powerful a tool the filibuster can be — and what's possible without it. He was deputy chief of staff to former Ne...

BONUS: Breathe

24 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Breathing is essential to life. And lately, the safety of the air we inhale, or the need to pause and take a deep breath, is on our minds a lot. In th...

'Battlefield Medicine' In Los Angeles ICU As Biden Launches 'Wartime Effort'

22 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

More than 400,000 Americans have been killed by the coronavirus. That's more Americans than were killed in all of World War II, President Biden pointe...

How President Biden's Immigration Plan Would Undo Trump's Signature Policies

21 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President Biden followed through on a day-one promise to send a massive immigration reform bill to Congress. Now the hard part: passing that bill into...

President Biden Hails 'Democracy's Day' In Unprecedented Transfer Of Power

20 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

"Through a crucible for the ages, America has been tested anew," President Biden said in his inaugural address on Wednesday. "And America has risen to...

The 46th President: How Tragedy And Resilience Prepared Joe Biden To Meet A Moment

19 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

When Joe Biden takes the oath of office at noon ET on Wednesday, he will become the oldest president to ever hold the office. His journey to the White...

1 Year, 400,000 Dead: What Could Change This Week About America's Pandemic Response

18 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

President-elect Joe Biden has outlined a plan to administer 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine in his administration's first 100 days. But before t...

BONUS: Inside The Capitol Siege

16 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In this episode from the team at NPR's Embedded, hear the stories of two NPR teams that spent January 6th on the grounds of the Capitol — and storie...

Their Family Members Are QAnon Followers — And They're At A Loss What To Do About It

15 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

The QAnon conspiracy theory originated in 2017, when an anonymous online figure, "Q" started posting on right-wing message boards. Q claims to have to...

House Votes To Impeach, All Eyes On McConnell Amid Concerns About More Violence

13 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

House Democrats — joined by 10 Republicans — voted to impeach President Trump on Wednesday. Now the process moves to the Senate, where Majority Le...

Extremists Face Charges As House Moves Toward Impeachment

12 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

California Rep. Adam Schiff, who led House Democrats in their first effort to impeach President Trump, tells NPR what they are hoping to achieve in do...

America's Vaccine Plan: What's Working — And What Isn't

11 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

More than 25 million vaccines have been distributed by the federal government, but only slightly more than one-third of those have made it into people...

Race And The Capitol Riot: An American Story We've Heard Before

08 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

In 1898, white supremacists in Wilmington, N.C., led what is known as the only successful coup ever to take place on American soil. They overthrew the...

GOP Faces Trump Reckoning: 'If You Play With Matches, You Will Get Burned'

07 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

On Wednesday, in the nation's capital, a mob was incited to violence by the president of the United States. In the years that led up to that moment, m...

Trump Supporters Storm U.S. Capitol, Halting Final Count Of Biden Votes

06 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

A joint session of Congress to formally affirm the results of the 2020 presidential election was just getting started on Wednesday when a group of Rep...

Why U.S. Vaccinations Started Slow And What We Know About The New Coronavirus Variant

05 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Initially, U.S. officials predicted that as many as 20 million Americans would be fully vaccinated before the end of 2020. And while that many vaccin...

All Eyes On Georgia: Senate Hangs In The Balance As Trump Tries To Steal Votes

04 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Georgia was already going to be the center of the political universe this week. Now, leaked audio of a phone call between President Trump and Georgia ...

Advice For Making (And Succeeding At) Your New Year's Resolution

01 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Back in November, comedian Robyn Schall found an old list of her goals for 2020. She shared the list in a video that went viral — because it turned ...

The Long Awaited Brexit Deal Is Finally Here

31 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

After four and a half tumultuous years in British politics, Brexit is now becoming a reality. NPR's London correspondent Frank Langfitt reports on mix...

Congress Is Sending Relief But Many Cities And States Didn't Get What They Wanted

30 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

While it took time for congress and President Trump to agree on the $900 billion pandemic relief bill, one thing has been certain for a while. Many ma...

Contact Tracers Struggle to Keep Up As Coronavirus Cases Surge From Holiday Travel

29 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

One in every thousand people has died of COVID-19 in the U.S. And California just passed 2 million confirmed coronavirus cases. This surge, likely fro...

'Where Are We Going?' Inside The Deadly Decision to Evacuate An Entire Nursing Home

28 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

On a crisp morning in late March, health care workers in yellow hazmat suits arrived at St. Joseph's Senior Home in Woodbridge, New Jersey. They were ...

BONUS: 12 Memorable Pop Culture Moments From 2020

27 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

At the end of every year, the hosts of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour like to look back on some of their favorite things from the last 12 months. In thi...

How The Pandemic Is Reshaping Our Holiday Traditions

25 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Nothing could stop Christmas from coming. Not even a pandemic. But this year many of our holiday traditions look a bit different. NPR business corresp...

Our Favorite Reads Of 2020 (And Hundreds More)

24 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Every Fall NPR asks our critics and staff to pick their favorite books from the past year. Those nominations - there's hundreds of them - are then sor...

U.S. Secures More Vaccine Doses As Distribution Continues For Essential Workers

23 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Americans got some good news on Wednesday morning when the White House announced that it had secured another 100 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech'...

Congress Passes Relief Bill, But For Many Americans It Comes Too Late

22 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

After seven months since the last coronavirus relief bill, Congress finally passed a new one on Monday. Neither Democrats or Republicans are completel...

The Election Was Secure, But Russia Found Other Ways To Interfere In The U.S.

21 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo acknowledged who was behind the cyber attack on Friday, saying Russia used third-party software to get inside the syste...

BONUS: We Buy A Lot Of Christmas Trees

20 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Every year, Americans buy tens of millions of Christmas trees. But decorative evergreens don't just magically show up on corner lots, waiting to find ...

Vaccinating Inmates Is Good For Public Health. Why Aren't More States Doing It?

18 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Prisons and jails are hotbeds for COVID-19. Public health experts say they should be given early access to a coronavirus vaccine. But only six states ...

With 100,000 Restaurants Already Closed, Owners Left Wondering If Help Is Coming

17 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

An emerging coronavirus relief package may not do enough to help restaurants hobbled by the pandemic, many of which have struggled to make ends meet a...

When Hospitals Decide Who Deserves Treatment: NPR Investigates 'Denial Of Care'

16 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In an Oregon hospital, a disabled woman fought for her life as her friends and advocates pleaded for proper care. Her case raises the question: Are di...

Electors Seal Biden's Win, Sanders Pushes For Direct Cash Payments

15 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Electors in every state officially sealed Joe Biden's presidential victory this week, and Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., congratulated the president-ele...

Your Questions Answered: How To Navigate Changing Relationships In The Pandemic

14 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The U.S. officially began vaccinating people against COVID-19 on Monday, starting with Sandra Lindsay, a critical care nurse in New York City. The fir...

BONUS: How Effective Are Antibody Treatments For COVID-19?

13 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Food and Drug Administration has issued emergency use authorizations for two monoclonal antibody treatments for COVID-19 – one produced by Eli L...

White House Reporters Reflect On 4 Years As 'Enemies Of The People'

11 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

President Trump once told veteran CBS journalist Lesley Stahl why he attacks the press. "I do it to discredit you all and demean you all," he admitted...

John Kerry: Restoring American Credibility On Climate Change 'Not So Simple'

10 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In his first round of interviews since President-elect Joe Biden announced John Kerry would be his special envoy for climate, the former Secretary of ...

Vaccine Approval Looks Imminent, But Distrust, Misinformation Have Experts Worried

09 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Food and Drug Administration could vote as soon as Thursday to approve a COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer for emergency use authorization in t...

Life After ISIS: A Portrait Of Human Resilience In The Middle East

08 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

2020 has been a year of resilience in the face of tragedy. But for much longer, resilience in the face of tragedy has been a defining story of the Mid...