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The movement to ban books from public school reading lists is not new, but lately it's been gaining momentum throughout the country. In part, because fights over children and schools is a tried and true political tool. Revida Rahman, with One WillCo , discusses efforts to ban books in her children's school district in Williamson County, Tennessee and how this just the newest iteration of parental...

Governor Greg Abbot has directed the state's Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate certain gender-affirming care as possible child abuse, leaving parents of transgender youth feeling caught between two choices: support their children or face a possible CPS investigation. Annaliese and Rachel are mothers living in Texas, both have transgender children. They speak to NPR about...

More than two million people have fled Ukraine since Russia attacked two weeks ago - at least half of them children. It's a dangerous journey for anyone, let alone premature babies who were already fighting for their lives. This is the harrowing story of some of the youngest evacuees - babies less than two weeks old who were born prematurely. Each day, they've been growing stronger as Kyiv grows w...

Throughout the pandemic, the The Federal Bureau of Prisons has maintained that they have a plan to keep the pandemic under control. But federal prison records tell a different story. NPR's Meg Anderson dug into those those records. Many high risk inmates applied for compassionate release, or Home Confinement, where they could live at home while being monitored by the prison. But since the beginnin...

In what the U.N. refugee agency calls the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II, more than a million Ukrainians have fled their country since Russia invaded less than two weeks ago. The bulk of them have traveled through Poland and many are staying there. That's where Ari Shapiro spoke with acting United States ambassador to Ukraine Kristina Kvien. She and her staff relocated...

President Richard Nixon has a plan: He wants to go to China. The only problem? The U.S. and China have had zero contact since the Communist Party took over China two decades before. In this episode of The Great Wager from NPR and WBUR's Here & Now , host Jane Perlez digs into the beginning of Nixon's improbable diplomatic mission. Listen to the rest of The Great Wager here. See pcm.adswizz.com for...

There's a battle raging over the telling and teaching of Black history in the United States. Much of that fight has been playing out in schools. School board meetings erupt into fights as critics attack the teaching of what they call critical race theory or charge that teaching about racism is too upsetting to white children or casts students either as oppressors or the oppressed. At the heart of...

Just one week into his presidency, Donald Trump announced an executive order banning people from several Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S., the so-called "Muslim Ban". This ban shut out travelers who were already on their way to the U.S. Visas were canceled, people were detained and sent back home, and protests ensued. Lawsuits were filed, but the Supreme Court upheld the policy. On...

It's been exactly one week since Russia invaded Ukraine, which means one week since Ukraine's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, became a wartime president. So far, he has mastered his message and has garnered praised from around the world, but there's a lot more to winning a war than videos and viral tweets. Emily Harding with the Center for Strategic and International Studies explains why Zelenskyy...

Doctors in Texas have been warning that the state's abortion law known as SB 8 would make it harder for them to treat medical crises and would endanger their patients. Six months in, those predictions appear to be coming true. NPR correspondent Sarah McCammon reports from central Texas where some women have faced medical issues made more dangerous by SB 8. In participating regions, you'll also hea...

The latest CDC guidance puts nearly 70% of the U.S. population in low or medium risk areas, and residents are no longer expected to wear a mask. In response, the vast majority of states in the U.S. have lifted or plan to lift mask mandates. While many Americans welcome the loosening of pandemic-era safety rules, people who are higher risk feel forgotten and left behind. Johnnie Jae is an Indigenou...

Russia's war against Ukraine rages on, but for now Russian troops appear to have been met with a level of resistance they were not prepared for. While the U.S. and its allies have pulled together in an attempt to cripple Russia's economy. NPR's Chief Economic Correspondent Scott Horsley reports on sanctions have led to Russia's currency falling, which will mean higher prices for Russians. In parti...

America's child care system is in crisis. Experts say it's a failed business model. Parents can't afford it, and yet, daycare providers are some of the lowest paid workers in the country. The problem is an old one - but there's new energy in the debate over solutions. In part, because of the proposed funding for childcare outlined in President Biden's signature Build Back Better legislation, curre...

Ketanji Brown Jackson's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court fulfills a promise President Biden made while running for office: to nominate the first Black woman for the highest court. Critics said he was prioritizing identity over qualifications, but many have praised Jackson for being well equipped for what could be a historic appointment. Tomiko Brown-Nagin, dean of the Harvard Radcliffe Institu...

Russia has launched an all-out, unprovoked invasion into Ukraine, the largest attack by one state against another in Europe since World War II. There have been missile strikes throughout the country, including in the capital city, Kyiv. President Biden said this escalation means even more economic sanctions against Russia, but reiterated that U.S. forces won't fight the battle in Ukraine. NPR Corr...

As winter begins to fade, COVID-19 maps are changing colors from those ominous dark shades to a more hopeful outlook. Infections are down dramatically in the past few weeks and death and hospitalization rates are dropping too. But there's also reason for caution. NPR correspondent Rob Stein reports on a new version of the Omicron variant referred to as BA.2. It's been the dominant strain in some c...

On Monday, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognizing two breakaway republics in Eastern Ukraine and sent troops to the region. On Tuesday, President Biden called the move "the beginning of a Russian invasion" and announced a new set of sanctions. While Russia's actions reverberate throughout the world, no area has more at stake than Eastern Ukraine. That's where NPR corresponden...

The U.S. is becoming more geographically polarized. Red zip codes are getting redder and blue zip codes are getting bluer. And this is because people are purposefully moving to places that reflect their views. Which is a trend that comes with consequences. NPR correspondent John Burnett spoke with some Texan transplants about how their politics impacted their choice of community. In participating...

During the Super Bowl, clever ads from cryptocurrency companies urged a mainstream audience of 101 million viewers to buy now or regret it later. But besides high-minded rhetoric, what exactly were these ads selling? And why are some critics warning against investing? To understand the arguments for and against investing in cryptocurrency, you have to get a bit technical. YouTuber, Dan Olson helps...

Three weeks ago, semi trucks flooded the streets of Canada's capital city. Drivers were protesting a vaccine mandate at the U.S. border. But since then, the demonstration in Ottawa has evolved to be about much more and is spreading to other cities throughout the world. NPR correspondents Shannon Bond and Odette Youseff have been following this story and explain how the movement began and what has...

Just under three dozen of China's athletes competing at the Olympics this year were born in other countries. Most famously, ski prodigy Eileen Gu, who has dozens of brand sponsorships and is praised on Chinese social media. That's in contrast to skater Zhu Yi, who has been called a "disgrace" after she fell during her short program. And the rhetoric appears on both sides. Some U.S. commentators ha...

Despite reports that Russia may have withdrawn some troops from the Ukraine border, NATO says there's no evidence of de-escalation and forces remain ready to attack. But it's not just the border that is at risk. NPR correspondent Frank Langfitt reports on hybrid war tactics like cyberattacks that Russia can, and may already be using to spark unrest in Ukraine. And Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Rus...

More and more states are loosening their mask mandates as COVID-19 cases fall throughout the country. But the CDC says there isn't enough of a drop with deaths and hospitalizations to warrant this change. This muddled messaging can make it difficult to navigate this current phase of the pandemic. NPR correspondent Mara Liasson explains that while politics have played a role in public health decisi...

Fans of the Cincinnati Bengals may be licking their wounds after Sunday's Super Bowl loss, but every sports fan can relate to the pain that follows a big game not going their way. And while it's normal to be upset, those feelings of disappointment can occasionally turn into grief and even depression. Dr. Eric Zillmer , a professor of Neuropsychology at Drexel University, explains how the pandemic...

We're still learning how the coronavirus pandemic is affecting us emotionally and socially. Experts believe we will be seeing and analyzing its effects for years to come. But, thanks to popular online platforms, we do have some data on single people, their dating preferences and how those preferences changed during the pandemic. Helen Fisher , a biological anthropologist and chief science advisor...