Melissa Block
Stories
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National
Pathmarking The Way: Ruth Bader Ginsburg's Lifelong Fight For Gender Equality
Early in her career, the Supreme Court justice argued cases that expanded rights for women and men.
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National
The Nudge And Tie Breaker That Took Women's Suffrage From Nay To Yea
Tennessee was the final state needed to ratify the amendment that secured women the right to vote. At the last moment, a young state legislator switched his vote to yes after his mom asked him to.
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National
Baseball Stadiums May Be Empty, But You Can Still Hear The Crowds
The fans can't come back because of the coronavirus pandemic, so Major League Baseball will pump crowd sounds into the empty ballparks when its season begins on July 23.
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Race & Identity
Push To Remove Confederate Monuments Opens Debate On Other Honored Historical Figures
Statues have been taken down. Names are being scrubbed from institutions. The national reckoning over race has led to closer scrutiny of which figures from history we honor, and how.
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National
Virologist Spends His Days 'Hunting The Thing That Wants To Hunt Us'
Christopher Mores is among those trying to unlock secrets of the novel coronavirus. He spends 14-hour days with his team throwing everything they have at this pathogen, looking for ways to defeat it.
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National
All Nerddoms Welcome: The Intergalactic Krewe Of Chewbacchus Parades In New Orleans
In New Orleans, arguably the most far-out pre-Mardi Gras parade is staged by the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus: home to "revelrous Star Wars freaks, Trekkies, Whovians... and all super-nerds."
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Politics
How Rick Perry Became A Key Figure In The Trump Impeachment Probe
Energy Secretary Rick Perry urged President Trump to make that now-infamous July phone call to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. But what's Perry's connection to Ukraine?
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Music
10 Years After Haiti's Earthquake, 'This Music School Will Never Stop'
Nearly 10 years ago, an earthquake devasted Haiti, destroying a legendary music school. A youth choir and orchestra have been touring the US and hope to rebuild their school in Port-au-Prince.
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National
In Vermont, A Case Of One Man Whose Gun Was Seized Under Red Flag Law
While the political focus may be on mass shootings, states are far more often using red flag laws to prevent cases of individual gun violence, including suicide.
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National
How Red Flag Laws Are Used In Vermont
Recent mass shootings have accelerated calls for more "red flag" or "extreme risk" laws. But they're far more likely to be used in cases of threatened suicide.