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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 these arguments is a much larger issue - whether or not the country can face the truth about its painful legacy of systemic racism.
In Montgomery, Alabama the National Memorial for Peace and Justice is dedicated to acknowledging America's history of racial terrorism factually, honestly, and completely. Civil rights attorney and memorial founder, Bryan Stevenson, believes that embracing this truth is the only path to healing.
We tour the memorial with Stevenson, hear some of the stories immortalized there and discuss the ongoing battle over how students should be taught about race.
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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 his first day in office, President Biden reversed the ban. But five years later, hundreds of families that were separated by it are still waiting to be united.
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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 has been such an effective communicator and what challenges lie ahead.
And Angela Stent of the Brookings Institution discusses what the world is learning about the other leader in this war, Russia's president Vladimir Putin.
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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.
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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 Indigenous journalist and public speaker; Charis Hill is a disability activist; and Cass Condray is a university student. The three explain what it's like to be immunocompromised and chronically ill during the pandemic, and what can be done to allow them to better live their lives.
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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.
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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, currently facing roadblocks. But also because the pandemic highlighted how broken the system is.
Brenda Hawkins operates a small home-based daycare in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. She's been taking care of kids for 24 years, but the pandemic brought new uncertainty and stress. She was able to keep her doors open, but works longer hours, without increased pay, to keep her kids healthy and safe. She has never considered leaving the business, but understands why child care workers are quitting in droves.
Elliot Haspel, author of Crawling Behind: America's Childcare Crisis and How to Fix It, outlines how the system broke down these past few years and the ways the US could fix it.
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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 Institute, wrote a book about the first Black woman to ever become a federal judge, Constance Baker Motley. She explains how that, and much more, paved the way for this nomination.
And NPR correspondent Nina Totenberg reports on Jackson's career and her path to the president's top pick.
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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 Correspondent Eleanor Beardsley is covering the invasion from within Ukraine. And Democratic Senator from Virginia and Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee Mark Warner tells NPR's Ayesha Rascoe about what the the U.S. and its allies might do next.
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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 countries and it's showing up in the U.S. too.
And NPR correspondent Michaeleen Doucleff discusses whether a fourth booster dose of vaccine may be in our future.
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