Author: Matt

Last Thursday morning, before dawn, U.S. special troops arrived at a house in Syria to capture the ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi al-Qurayshi alive. Two hours later, he was dead after detonating an explosive that also killed the lives of at least 13 others.

The U.S. opted for a ground attack in an effort to protect civilians but the mission didn’t go as planned. Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby explains some of the complications.

And Charles Lister, a senior fellow at the Middle East Institute, explains what might happen now that the leader of ISIS is dead.

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It was an abrupt move that not many could have foreseen. Despite an impressive three-year showing with the Miami Dolphins, Brian Flores was fired from his position as head coach last month in a surprising end to a contract that was supposed to last for two more years.

What’s followed could be described as a “reckoning” for the NFL: Flores filed a class-action lawsuit against the league citing racial discrimination, a move that’s prompted a closer look at the NFL’s hiring practices and the racial makeup of those in power.

Flores sat down with NPR’s Jay Williams, host of The Limits with Jay Williams, to talk about his experience.

Listen to more of The Limits with Jay Williams on NPR One, Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

Firearm-related injuries are among the 5 leading causes of death for people ages 1-64 in the United States, according to the CDC. In 2019, there were 39,707 firearm-related deaths in the United States. That’s an average of 109 deaths per day. Firearm-related injuries are harder to quantify, but the Gun Violence Archive reports that there were over 40,000 last year.

CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky has called gun violence a “serious public health threat.” She’s the first CDC Director to make strong public statements about gun violence since 1999. For decades, gun violence research received no federal funding. That’s in large part because of pressure from the NRA.

Once again, the United States is investing in a public health approach to stemming gun violence. Dr. Mark Rosenberg, founding director of CDC’s National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, explains what this means.

Additional reporting in this episode from NPR’s Eric Westervelt.

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User-generated content specific to TikTok has propelled songs old and new to viral success. Whether it’s someone lip-syncing to a song, or participating in a dance or trend using that song, it’s made music discovery more participatory.

Success on the app can lead to success on the charts, and record labels are looking to TikTok for their next stars.

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China has been detaining and arresting ethnic Uyghurs in the region of Xinjiang en masse while their children are often sent to state boarding schools.

China closely guards information about Xinjiang, including about these forced family separations. But NPR’s Beijing correspondent Emily Feng managed to talk to two children who made it out of one such school and are sharing their story for the first time.

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Masks and at-home COVID-19 test kits have become staples of pandemic life. The Biden Administration announced in January that it would distribute 400 million free N95 respirators to pharmacies and grocery stores around the country. The U.S. Postal Service has begun taking orders for free at-home test kits. Supply remains limited, so many are still purchasing masks and tests on their own, and the costs can easily add up.

Wendy Edelberg is a Senior Fellow of Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution who studies household spending and saving habits. She explains how time is one of the hidden costs associated with obtaining high-quality masks.

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The world is watching as Russia continues it’s threat of invasion with troops at the border of Ukraine. But close to that border, in the Donbas region, people look at you a little funny if you ask whether they’re worried about war with Russia, because they are already living through it.

Areas of Eastern Ukraine have been at war since 2014 when Russia-backed separatists moved in and declared breakaway republics. And that’s where NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly has been, talking with residents about what this new threat might mean for them.

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Before he took office, President Joe Biden said stopping domestic extremism would be a priority for him. His administration has now created the Center for Prevention Programs and Partnerships to stop radicalization before it starts. But critics say it’s a repackaging of failed strategies and inadequate.

NPR correspondent Odette Yousef has been reporting on the efforts of this new program built on old strategies.

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Minimalist lifestyles are in vogue. From books to blogs, to Instagram to YouTube, Marie Kondo and other influencers have popularized living with less.

But many of the dominant voices ignore the ways history and culture influence how and why we consume.

Enter Christine Platt, The Afrominimalist.

Platt is a lifestyle strategist and author of The Afrominimalist’s Guide To Living With Less. She examines how a history of oppression shapes a community’s views on ownership and consumption.

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Cases rates are dropping, but the number of people dying each day is not. Many hospitals are still overwhelmed. NPR’s Will Stone reports.

Deaths are a lagging indicator — meaning they, too, will soon fall as the omicron wave continues to recede. What does the next phase of the pandemic look like? NPR’s Allison Aubrey explains why some public health experts think the coronavirus may not disappear — but become easier to live with.

In the meantime, workplaces are still reeling from the surge as employees call out sick or must quarantine. NPR’s Andrea Hsu says it’s even worse than last winter’s pre-vaccine surge.

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