Author: Matt

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 hurt small businesses too much and some swing voting Democrats are hesitant too.

The history of the minimum wage in the U.S. is tied closely to civil rights. Ellora Derenoncourt, an economist at the University of California, Berkeley, says one theme of the 1963 March on Washington was a call for a higher minimum wage.

Many states have a higher minimum wage than the federally mandated $7.25. Arindrajit Dube from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst discusses how those states have fared.

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A third COVID-19 vaccine could receive emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration this month. The vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson is 66% effective in preventing moderate to severe disease, according to a global study.

Combined with the two vaccines currently in circulation, the U.S. could have three vaccines that are all highly effective at preventing death or hospitalization due to COVID-19.

Despite that promising news, NPR’s Richard Harris reports on why the journey to herd immunity still won’t be easy.

And Rae Ellen Bichelle goes inside a Colorado long-term care facility that has vaccinated nearly all of its residents. They say the initial steps to a return to normalcy feel great.

Additional reporting in this episode on the spread of coronavirus variants from NPR’s Allison Aubrey.

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For months, Myanmar’s military party has claimed — without evidence — that its poor performance in the country’s November parliamentary elections was the result of voter fraud. This week, when the new Parliament was scheduled to convene, the military launched a coup, detaining top civilian officials including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.

Michael Sullivan reports from Thailand on the uncertainty over what happens next. Washington Post columnist Fareed Zakaria explains why the coup represents a test for the Biden administration. Zakaria is the author of Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World.

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This past week, President Biden signed executive orders that represent his administration’s first actions in the fight against climate change. Some changes will take longer than others — and many more will not be possible without help from Congress.

Correspondent Lauren Sommer of NPR’s climate team explains the likelihood of that happening — and what Biden could do if it doesn’t.

NPR’s Kirk Siegler reports from Wyoming on Biden’s ban on federal oil and gas leasing. Most of the oil and gas drilled in Wyoming comes from federal land and communities there are bracing for job losses and school funding cuts.

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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 corner of the giant forum, reddit, thought the hedge funds were making a mistake.

On this episode of NPR’s Planet Money: how a standoff between big market movers and an irreverent community of anonymous traders erupted into an epic showdown that is changing the way people think about power on Wall Street.

Listen to Planet Money wherever you get your podcasts, including NPR One, Apple Podcasts and Spotify.

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 reason for the self-examination. But this new scrutiny goes beyond politics — beyond Washington, D.C.

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 tell you the truth.”

The idea was to model a free press, especially for audiences in places that might not have one. Places where political parties and governments might pressure or intimidate journalists.

But over the past seven months, Voice of America and its federal parent organization, U.S. Agency for Global Media, have been caught in an ideological war. Employees say agency CEO Michael Pack, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, obsessed over staff loyalty and embraced conspiracy theories.

NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik talked to more than 60 current and former staffers. He’s put together a comprehensive picture of Pack’s radical tenure.

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President Biden said Tuesday that the federal government’s vaccine distribution program is “in worse shape than we anticipated.” His administration’s coronavirus response team held its first public briefing on Wednesday where officials detailed plans to increase vaccine supply and capacity, but also said it will be months before anyone who wants a vaccine can get one.

The lack of supply has led to different challenges in different areas of the country. NPR gathered three reporters to learn more: Blake Farmer with Nashville Public Radio, Amelia Templeton with Oregon Public Broadcasting, and Veronica Zaragovia with WLRN in Miami.

Additional reporting this episode from Georgia Public Broadcasting‘s Grant Blankenskip, who reported on efforts by Georgia residents to get a vaccine.

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Removing disinformation — and users who spread it — can come at a cost for web hosts and social media platforms. But studies indicate “deplatforming” does stem the flow of disinformation.

Kate Starbird with the University of Washington explains why it’s easier to see the effects of deplatforming in the short-term. And NPR’s Shannon Bond looks at how one growing social media site is dealing with new attention and new challenges.

Additional reporting in this episode from NPR’s Bobby Allyn, who’s reported on the removal of Parler by Amazon Web Services.

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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 Nevada Sen. Harry Reid, who was majority leader in 2013 when Democrats exercised “the nuclear option,” eliminating the filibuster for presidential appointees.

Now, Jentleson and a growing number of Democrats argue Senate leaders should eliminate the filibuster for legislation, which would enable Democrats to pass major legislation with a simple Senate majority, instead of the current 60-vote threshold. Jentleson lays out his argument in a recent book, Kill Switch: The Rise of the Modern Senate and the Crippling of American Democracy.

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