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 things will get back to normal. NPR’s Lee Hale reports on how faith leaders have approached worship differently since the pandemic began.
‘It Hurts People’: How Trans Youth Are Being Targeted By State Legislation
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 in states including South Dakota, Mississippi, Tennessee, Arkansas and Alabama.
One of the harshest measures is an Alabama, where a bill would make it a felony to provide gender-affirming therapy to anyone under the age of 19. NPR’s Melissa Block reports on what that would mean for one trans teenager and his family.
University of Pittsburgh professor Jules Gill-Peterson explains what she’s uncovered about the history of trans youth in America. She is the author of Histories of the Transgender Child.
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High School Seniors Ask, ‘What Will College Look Like Next Fall?’
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 what college life looks like next fall.
We asked some high school seniors what questions they have about deciding where to go to school and what college life is like during a pandemic.
To help with answering those questions and sharing some advice, we hear from two current college freshmen, Ayiana Davis Polen at Spelman College in Atlanta and Adam Ahmad at the University of California, Berkeley, and NPR reporter Elissa Nadworny.
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Race To Immunize Tightens As Cases Rise; Promising Vaccine News Released
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 around the world.
Harvard epidemiologist Bill Hanage tells NPR he’s worried another surge in the U.S. will fuel the spread of the variant known as B.1.1.7.
In the meantime, there’s new evidence that vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna are effective at preventing viral spread — and that they produce “robust” antibody response in children ages 12-15. NPR’s Joe Palca has more.
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Inside The Opening Days Of The Derek Chauvin Trial — And The Trauma It’s Resurfacing
Former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin’s trial began this week. He’s accused of murdering Minneapolis resident George Floyd in May of 2020, when Chauvin was recorded kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nearly 10 minutes.
NPR’s Adrian Florido has been covering the trial and reports from Minneapolis.
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4 Countries Dominate Doses As Pressure Grows For Global Vaccine Solutions
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 will “extend the pandemic, globally,” says Tom Bollyky, director of the Global Health program at the Council on Foreign Relations.
NPR’s Tamara Keith reports on the growing pressure for the Biden administration to step up its vaccine diplomacy.
NPR’s Lauren Frayer tours the largest vaccine factory in the world’s top vaccine producing-country, India — a country poised for an even bigger role in global vaccine distribution. You can see photos and more from her report on the Serum Institute of India here.
Additional reporting in this episode from NPR’s Jason Beaubien.
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First-In-The-Nation Effort Advances Debate Over What Form Reparations Should Take
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 report on Evanston’s racial history we mention in this episode.
Alderwoman Cecily Fleming — an African American resident of Evanston — tells NPR why she voted against the plan.
And Dreisen Heath, researcher at the Human Rights Watch, argues that reparations can take many forms.
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One’s Antifa. One’s In A Militia. How An Ancestry Match Led To An Unlikely Bond
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 complexities of a timely question: Who’s an extremist?
NPR’s Hannah Allam followed both men for weeks, charting the growth of their relationship and revealing the moment they met in-person for the first time. NPR is withholding their last name, which the two men share, for security reasons.
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Colorado Shooting Reveals Limits Of State Gun Control — And Steels Activists For More
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 a man from shooting and killing 10 people at a Boulder grocery store this week.
State Rep. Tom Sullivan, whose son was killed in the 2012 Aurora movie theatre shooting, reacts to the events of this week — and tells NPR why he still believes incremental action at the state level can help prevent gun violence.
Additional editing help in this episode from Bente Birkeland of Colorado Public Radio.
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President Biden’s Next Big-Ticket Item: A Transformational Infrastructure Plan
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 nation’s roads, bridges and transit system.
The Biden administration is preparing to propose that kind of investment — along with green energy policies and progressive programs that would total more than $3 trillion. NPR’s Mara Liasson reports on the plan, which Biden has signaled he wants to pass with Republican support.
That’s just one political balancing act Biden will have to negotiate. Another is with a key part of his political coalition: labor unions. NPR’s Don Gonyea explains.
Additional reporting in this episode from NPR’s David Schaper.
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