EPA to ban neurotoxic pesticide sprayed on NW apples and Christmas trees The Environmental Protection Agency is partially banning a pesticide that’s been linked to neurological damage in children and fetuses. For decades, chlorpyrifos has been widely sprayed on apples, pears, Christmas trees and other crops in the Pacific Northwest. Eilís O'Neill
Covid makes a rebound, Washington begins planning for refugees, and mosquito anxiety, this week Bill Radke discusses this week's news with Crosscut Science and Environment Reporter Hannah Weinberger; South Seattle Emerald reporter and co-host of Clap Back Culture on Converge Media, Mike Davis; and Kitsap Sun Military Reporter Josh Farley. Alec Cowan
Moms Describe Preparing For Another Pandemic School Year NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with moms from across the country about the impacts the COVID-19 pandemic has had on their children's educations.
They're Asking Biden To Vaccinate The World. It's Not Fair. But It's Not Impossible An open letter from 175 experts to President Biden made the ask. "We're not trying to be unreasonable," explains Dr. Paul Farmer, one of the signers. "We're trying to be optimistic and audacious." Joanne Lu
Highly Vaccinated Israel Is Seeing A Dramatic Surge In New COVID Cases. Here's Why What happened? Here are six lessons learned from Israel's experience — and one looming question for the future of the pandemic. Daniel Estrin
Elise Hu: The Beauty Ideal Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But it's also shaped by global norms. This hour, journalist Elise Hu reflects on what's considered beautiful now, and how we'll think about beauty in the future. Sanaz Meshkinpour
A Texas Lab Performs Crucial Testing For Pfizer's COVID Vaccine The lab has access to a high-security facility that Pfizer needed to prove its COVID-19 vaccine was working. Now the scientists there are testing the vaccine's effectiveness against viral variants. Joe Palca
Afghanistan's Health Care Is In 'Limbo' Following Taliban Takeover, Says MSF Rep Filipe Ribeiro of Doctors Without Borders Afghanistan talks to NPR about the future of the country's health care system under Taliban rule. Mary Louise Kelly
Is The Need For COVID Boosters Actually Urgent? U.S. Surgeon General Weighs In NPR's Ailsa Chang talks with U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy about how urgent the need for COVID boosters is, how the rollout will work and whether we should even be giving boosters in this country.
The Phone Call That Made An Afghan Woman Doctor Flee She practiced medicine in Mazar-e-Sharif. She wanted to serve her country. Her story offers a window into what the Taliban takeover may hold for Afghanistan's women. Nurith Aizenman
