National News

National News

People wait in line for the COVID-19 vaccine in Paterson, N.J., Thursday, Jan. 21, 2021. Some hospitals around the U.S. are facing complaints about favoritism and line-jumping after their board members and donors received COVID-19 vaccinations or offers for inoculations. CREDIT: Seth Wenig/AP

How Inequity Gets Built Into America’s Vaccination System

It’s a fact that simply being eligible for a vaccine in America doesn’t mean that you can instantly get one. Yet the ability to get to the front of the line isn’t the same for everyone. ProPublica has found that, whether intentionally or not, some vaccine programs have been designed with inherent barriers that disadvantage many people who are most at risk of dying from the disease, exacerbating inequities in access to health care. Continue Reading How Inequity Gets Built Into America’s Vaccination System

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New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo speaks during the daily media briefing on July 23, 2020 in New York City. A second former aide from his administration has come forward with allegations of sexual harassment from Cuomo. Jeenah Moon/Getty Images

N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo Faces Sexual Harassment Allegations From 2nd Former Aide

A second former aide to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has come forward with allegations of sexual harassment that took place last spring as the state was facing a surge in cases and deaths in its fight against the coronavirus. Cuomo says he will now ask New York’s attorney general and the state’s chief judge to pick an independent investigator to review the accusations against him. Continue Reading N.Y. Gov. Andrew Cuomo Faces Sexual Harassment Allegations From 2nd Former Aide

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Electrical grid transmission towers in Pasadena, Calif. Major power outages from extreme weather have risen dramatically in the past two decades. CREDIT: John Antczak/AP

It’s Not Just Texas. The Energy Grid Needs An Upgrade – Including In The Northwest

The Texas blackout is another reminder that more frequent, climate-driven extreme weather puts stress on the country’s electricity grid. It came just months after outages in California aimed at preventing wildfires. Compounding this, electricity likely will be even more important in coming years amid a push to electrify cars and homes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. That has many grid experts saying it’s time to upgrade the country’s electricity infrastructure. Continue Reading It’s Not Just Texas. The Energy Grid Needs An Upgrade – Including In The Northwest

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pedestrians walk pas an outdoor dining outside patio

U.S. Coronavirus Cases Dropped Dramatically Since January, But Can We Keep Them Down?

With coronavirus infections on a steady, six weeks long descent in the U.S., it’s clear the worst days of the brutal winter surge have waned. Yet researchers are still not sure how sustainable the decline is. And a small but concerning uptick in cases in the last three days has health officials on edge. Continue Reading U.S. Coronavirus Cases Dropped Dramatically Since January, But Can We Keep Them Down?

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Jennifer Granholm is sworn in as energy secretary Thursday. Granholm told NPR that pivoting to a clean energy economy could ensure a dependable grid and help create jobs. Andrew Harnik/AP

Energy Secretary Granholm: Texas Outages Show Need For Changes To U.S. Power Systems

Newly confirmed Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm seized on the bruising winter weather that left millions of Texans without heat and electricity last week to press for reform of the state’s power systems, arguing that pivoting to a clean energy economy can ensure a dependable grid and help create jobs. Continue Reading Energy Secretary Granholm: Texas Outages Show Need For Changes To U.S. Power Systems

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Rena Logan, a member of a Cherokee Freedmen family, shows her identification card as a member of the Cherokee tribe at her home in Muskogee, Okla., in this photo from October 2011. She is among the some 8,500 people whose ancestors were enslaved by the Cherokee Nation in the 1800s. CREDIT: David Crenshaw/AP

Cherokee Nation Strikes Down Language That Limits Citizenship Rights ‘By Blood’

The Cherokee Nation’s Supreme Court ruled this week to remove the words “by blood” from its constitution and other legal doctrines. The words, added to the constitution in 2007, have been used to exclude Black people whose ancestors were enslaved by the tribe from obtaining full Cherokee Nation citizenship rights. Continue Reading Cherokee Nation Strikes Down Language That Limits Citizenship Rights ‘By Blood’

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