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The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) was designed to soften the financial impact of the pandemic for small businesses. It issued about $800 billion in potentially forgivable government loans to keep workers employed during COVID shutdowns.

Now, the overwhelming majority of those loans have been forgiven with very little scrutiny. That means many loans have been forgiven to businesses that flourished during the pandemic or to fraudsters who took advantage of the lax system.

Meanwhile, the majority of the loans that remain unforgiven belong to the smallest businesses, companies the program was most meant to help.

Sacha Pfeiffer and Austin Fast of NPR’s Investigations team looked into how the program failed to be as stringent as the government promised.

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In a party not known for ethnic diversity, 22 Black candidates are running for Republican House seats this year. And for the first time, we could see two Black Republican senators serving simultaneously. The historically diverse lineup also includes Latinos, Asians, and Native Americans on Republican tickets for the midterms.

While some Republican see a shift toward Ronald Regan’s vision of the party as an inclusive “Big Tent”. But others say that the party’s problematic record on race continues to keep Black voters away – even those who consider themselves conservative.

Host Michel Martin talks to Theodore Johnson, a researcher, and writer whose work focuses on how race plays out in politics and policy. Johnson writes a column for the center-right news and opinion site, The Bulwark.

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This episode was produced by Tyler Bartlam. It was edited by Jeanette Woods. Our executive producer is Natalie Winston.

Public health officials are warning of a possible surge in COVID cases this winter. How bad it could get depends on how many people take the right precautions, according to Dr. Ashish Jha. We talk to the White House COVID-19 Response Coordinator about bracing for the next potential wave.

Even if a COVID surge doesn’t happen, there are plenty of respiratory ailments making a comeback, especially in children. Dr. Ibukun Kalu of Duke Children’s Hospital in Durham, North Carolina explains why viruses like RSV are already swamping hospitals with sick kids.

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President Biden met with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman this summer — a man he had previously accused of ordering the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi. But at the meeting, he met the Crown Prince with a fist bump.

It all came as gas prices were rising globally, under pressure from Russia’s war in Ukraine. One of Biden’s goals was to convince Saudi Arabia’s leaders to increase oil production.

But this month, Saudi Arabia and the other oil producing countries of OPEC Plus decided to cut production by 2 million barrels a day. That move is expected to drive up gas prices, and put more money in Russia’s pockets. It has prompted Democrats in Congress to call for the U.S. to rethink or even walk away from its seven-decade partnership with Saudi Arabia.

NPR’s International Affairs Correspondent Jackie Northam reports on where the relationship may be headed.

And Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, explains why he plans to block future weapons sales to the Saudis.

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There are more than 16 million people in the U.S. that are caring for someone with Alzheimer’s and related dementias. More than two-thirds of them are women.

Caregiving can be emotionally and physically draining, as well as isolating. There are not a lot of resources available for caregivers and many are not paid.

For six years, Jacquleyn Revere took care of her mom who had dementia and posted about the highs and lows on her TikTok account.

Revere gained thousands of viewers and followers who could relate to her. Many of whom were also caregiving for a loved one with dementia.

Michigan Public Radio reporter Kate Wells shares Revere’s story and how a niche corner of TikTok became a place of community and support.

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In the span of one morning this week, Russian airstrikes hit cities across Ukraine—some hundreds of miles from the frontline. Throughout the war, even when Russian troops haven’t been able to reach Ukrainian cities, their missiles and rockets and artillery have.

More than 6,000 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia launched its campaign in February, according to the United Nations. NPR’s Jason Beaubien has the story of one of those deaths, 11-year-old Nasta Grycenko.

This episode also includes reporting from NPR’s Kat Lonsdorf.

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Last week, the Supreme Court heard opening arguments in Merrill v. Mulligan, a case that could gut the Voting Rights Act of 1965 for the third time this decade.

At the center of the debate is Alabama’s new congressional maps. Black voters make up the majority of only one out of seven districts. More than a quarter of the state’s population is Black.

A three-judge federal panel ruled that Alabama should create a second congressional district. The state appealed, arguing that congressional maps shouldn’t take race into consideration, and the case is now in front of the Supreme Court.

Eric Holder was the U.S. attorney general during the first case that weakened the Voting Rights Act: Shelby County v. Holder. He is now in the middle of this latest fight as the chair of the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, which supports the plaintiff in the Alabama case. He shares with us the potential impact of this case and where the fight for voting rights goes if the Voting Rights Act receives yet another body blow.

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Over the past few years, we’ve heard shocking allegations from women athletes about experiencing sexual harassment and abuse.

And earlier this week a report was released outlining a pervasive culture of abuse among coaches in the National Women’s Soccer League.

Elite women soccer players were subjected to a range of abuse – from belittling comments to sexual advances.

Sally Yates, former Acting Attorney General, led the investigation – which was a response to allegations made last year against coaches by a number of women players. Many of the charges had been reported in the past but never acted upon.

Host Michel Martin speaks with Steph Yang, staff writer for The Athletic who covers women’s soccer and Julie DiCaro author of the book “Sidelined: Sports, Culture and Being a Woman in America”.

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Cheating allegations have rocked many worlds over the last few weeks.

Chess, fishing, poker, and even Irish dancing.

These ‘sports’ cheating scandals have attracted a lot of attention lately.

Maurice Schweitzer is a professor at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.

He studies emotions, trust and ethical decision making and says that our reaction to cheating might tell us something deeper about human nature and why we care about people cheating to get ahead.

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As a US territory, Puerto Rico is perpetually stuck in limbo. The people there are subject to federal laws but don’t have a vote for president or Congress. Which is a major problem when it comes to responding to disasters like Hurricane Fiona, which hit the Island last month.

Many Puerto Ricans are deeply frustrated by what they claim has been a slow and inefficient response from a federal government that they have no say in.

Some want statehood, some want more autonomy. A small but growing group of people want independence.

That group incudes Jaquira Diaz. The author, who recently wrote the essay, “Let Puerto Rico Be Free”, for The Atlantic, spoke to NPR’s Ailsa Chang.