Author: Matt

Jerome Powell, the chair of the Federal Reserve, told NPR today that keeping people in their houses and ‘connected to the economy’ will cost money now, but pay dividends later.

But the White House and Congress have been unable to agree on a deal for additional economic relief, millions of people are still unemployed, and many states now have no eviction protection. The Trump administration issued an eviction ban through the CDC this week.

NPR’s Chris Arnold and Selena Simmons-Duffin reported on the CDC’s temporary halt on evictions and the legal issues that will likely follow.

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As the Northern Hemisphere prepares for a flu season with COVID-19, there are lessons to be learned from the south. Countries like Australia and Argentina made it through the middle of winter with very few cases of the flu. That could be thanks to social distancing measures in place to fight the coronavirus.

NPR’s Nell Greenfieldboyce reported on flu in the southern hemisphere and the possibility that it could mix with the coronavirus.

NPR’s Tamara Keith and Geoff Brumfiel take a look at President Trump’s new health advisor, Dr. Scott Atlas. He has no background in infectious diseases and his ideas are worrying scientists who do.

Mary Louise Kelly spoke with Moncef Slaoui, chief adviser for the coronavirus vaccine development program, Operation Warp Speed, about the status of vaccines in the U.S.

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President Trump has stoked tensions and repeatedly failed to condemn acts of violence from racially — and ethnically — motivated attackers, says Elizabeth Neumann, former assistant secretary in the Department of Homeland Security.

Neumann left her job in April and is now speaking publicly about her experience in the administration. She told NPR’s Steve Inskeep why she no longer supports the president — and how his rhetoric has fueled unrest in Kenosha, Wis., and elsewhere across the country.

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It’s September and millions of kids are going back to school this month. Millions more already have. And while some students are beginning the new year in physical classrooms, many are still learning in online classrooms that schools transitioned to when the pandemic began in March.

Remote learning isn’t easy for anyone, but it’s especially challenging for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and other learning disabilities. NPR’s Jon Hamilton reports on the challenges facing these students and their parents, who are often required to become educators to make it work.

Not all parents have the privilege of being able to help their children with remote learning though. Many students also face the challenge of logging on for school without reliable Internet. NPR’s Anya Kamenetz and WWNO’s Aubri Juhasz report on “learning hubs” that offer free child care and additional learning resources — but only for a lucky few.

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Chadwick Boseman had raw talent, world-class training and the will to defy Hollywood gatekeepers. As a college student at Howard University, he had a helping hand from Denzel Washington. Boseman often spoke about the impact of that contribution and how it helped him chart his own path.

Boseman died on Friday after battling colon cancer for four years. He was 43. Today, we look at what his success reveals about race in America — and in Hollywood.

Jamil Smith, a senior writer at Rolling Stone, profiled Boseman for Time Magazine in 2018. Smith says even before the premiere of Black Panther, Boseman seemed to know what the film would mean for pop culture and how its success could reshape Hollywood.

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From therapeutics to testing to vaccine development, public health experts are increasingly worried the Trump administration is letting politics guide public health decisions.

NPR’s Richard Harris reports on a quiet change to testing guidelines made by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week.

NPR’s Joe Palca explains what protections exist to insulate the vaccine development process from political influence.

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Professional athletes from several leagues said they would not play scheduled games Wednesday night in response to events in Kenosha, Wis.

Basketball, baseball, tennis and soccer players announced in the last 24 hours that they would not play scheduled games. These decisions come after Jacob Blake, a Black father was shot by police in Kenosha on Sunday.

NPR spoke to the lawyer representing Blake’s family, who said earlier this week that Blake is paralyzed from the waist down.

Ahead of the 57th anniversary of the March on Washington, NPR’s Cheryl Corley reports on an upcoming march for racial justice.

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Donald Trump told the Republican National Convention: “The crime and violence that today afflicts our nation will soon — and I mean very soon — come to an end.” That was in 2016.

Today the president and his party are reprising a similar pitch to voters, as police shootings and the protests that follow them continue. NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe reports on how the president’s ‘law and order’ message has changed over time.

And Evan Osnos of The New Yorker explains why some white voters are still sticking with the GOP. He wrote about that in his recent piece, “How Greenwich Republicans Learned To Love Trump.“

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The FBI has called it a potential domestic terror threat. The President says he doesn’t know much. Now, congressional candidates who’ve signaled support for the internet hoax ‘QAnon’ are on the ballot this November.

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Louis DeJoy testified in front of the House Oversight Committee today. He denied ordering the removal of mail sorting machines, but also said he would not put them back into operation.

NPR’s Kirk Siegler reports on how the recent slowdown in mail service is hurting Americans in rural areas — people who helped elect President Trump.

NPR’s Planet Money tells the story of how the USPS got so strapped for cash in the first place. Listen to their full episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

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