Consider This from NPR - Public School Teachers Weigh In On Vaccines, Masks And Returning To The Classroom

The Biden administration has set a goal: a majority of public schools open "at least one day a week" by the 100th day of his presidency. But it's possible the country is already there — and decisions about when to reopen largely fall to cities and school districts, where administrators and teachers sometimes don't see eye-to-eye.

Students are losing a lot of academic ground the longer their schooling is disrupted. Maine Public Radio's Robbie Feinberg reports on how one rural district is trying to reach students who haven't been showing up for online classes.

This week, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is expected to release new guidelines about how schools can reopen safely, three public school teachers weigh in: Mike Reinholdt of Davenport, Iowa; Maxie Hollingsworth of Houston, Texas; and Pam Gaddy of Baltimore, Md.

For more education coverage, follow NPR's Anya Kamentez on Twitter, and check out her recent story "Keep Schools Open All Summer, And Other Bold Ideas To Help Kids Catch Up."

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Short Wave - When Defending The Land Puts Your Own Life At Risk

Global Witness documented that 212 environmental and land activists were murdered in 2019. Over half of those documented murders took place in Colombia and the Philippines, countries where intensive mining and agribusiness has transformed the environment. NPR Short Wave reporter Emily Kwong speaks with three activists about the intersection between natural resource extraction and violence, and what keeps them going in their work.

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Consider This from NPR - What Donald Trump’s Impeachment Means The 2nd Time Around

In the weeks after Jan. 6. insurrection, even top Republicans like Mitch McConnell said Donald Trump provoked the mob that stormed the U.S. Capitol, leaving five people dead.

But it appears unlikely enough Republican Senators will find that he bears enough responsibility to warrant conviction in his second impeachment trial — which could prevent him from ever holding office again.

Charlie Sykes, founder and editor at large of the conservative site The Bulwark, argues that Republicans are failing to hold themselves accountable.

NPR's Melissa Block reports on the future of Trump's "big lie" about the results of the 2020 election.

For more impeachment coverage, listen to the NPR Politics Podcast via Apple or Spotify.

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Short Wave - Why 500,000 COVID-19 Deaths May Not Feel Any Different

Why is it so hard to feel the difference between 400,000 and 500,000 COVID-19 deaths—and how might that impact our decision making during the pandemic? Psychologist Paul Slovic explains the concept of psychic numbing and how humans can often use emotion, rather than statistics to make decisions about risk.

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Consider This from NPR - Who’s Getting Vaccinated And Who Isn’t: NPR Analysis Finds Stark Racial Divide

Using data from several states that have published their own maps and lists of where vaccination sites are located, NPR identified disparities in the locations of COVID-19 vaccination sites in major cities across the Southern U.S. — with most sites placed in whiter neighborhoods.

KUT's Ashley Lopez, Shalina Chatlani of NPR's Gulf States Newsroom, and NPR's Sean McMinn explain their findings. Read more here.

Also in this episode: how one county in Washington state is trying to make vaccine distribution more equitable. Will Stone reports.

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Short Wave - What’s In A Tattoo? Scientists Are Looking For Answers

Three in 10 people in America have a tattoo, and those in the 18 - 34 age bracket, it's almost 40 percent. But what's in those inks, exactly? NPR science correspondent Nell Greenfieldboyce talks about what researchers currently know about tattoo inks. It's not a lot, and researchers are trying to find out more.

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Consider This from NPR - BONUS: Biden Promises To Grapple With Environmental Racism

People of color experience more air and water pollution than white people and suffer the health impacts. The federal government helped create the problem, and has largely failed to fix it.

In this episode of Short Wave, NPR climate reporter Rebecca Hersher talks about the history of environmental racism in the United States, and what Biden's administration can do to avoid the mistakes of the past.

Read Rebecca's reporting on how Biden hopes to address the environmental impacts of systemic racism.

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Consider This from NPR - BONUS: The Lasting Power Of Whitney Houston’s National Anthem

Why does Whitney Houston's 1991 Super Bowl national anthem still resonate 30 years later? In this episode of NPR's It's Been A Minute, host Sam Sanders chats with author Danyel Smith about that moment of Black history and what it says about race, patriotism and pop culture.

Smith wrote about the significance of that national anthem performance back in 2016 for ESPN.

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Consider This from NPR - Live Performance, The Pandemic And The Domino Effect Of Dark Stages

The pandemic leveled live performance, and the industry is last in line for a return to normal.

Musician Zoe Keating and production designer Terry Morgan describe how their work has changed with live venues nationwide shuttered for nearly a year.

Venue owner Danya Frank of First Avenue and Jim Ritts of the Paramount Theatre explain why the gears of the performing arts economy are not designed for a slow return to normalcy.

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Short Wave - When Life Gives You Lemons…Make A Battery

We're going "Back To School" today, revisiting a classic at-home experiment that turns lemons into batteries — powerful enough to turn on a clock or a small lightbulb. But how does the science driving that process show up in household batteries we use daily? Emily Kwong and Maddie Sofia talk battery 101 with environmental engineer Jenelle Fortunato.

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