Mar 20 National Spelling Bee called off because of coronavirus By Ben Nuckols, Associated Press Scripps announced its decision Friday morning, citing recommendations against large gatherings by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the ongoing state of emergency in Maryland. Continue reading
Mar 19 Watch 7:39 ‘Roma’ star Yalitza Aparicio on balancing acting and activism By Jeffrey Brown, Sam Lane, Susana Seijas, Monica Wise Robles The 2018 film “Roma,” set in Mexico, won myriad awards and acclaim. But it also sparked a national debate about racial and social inequities. Now, its star, Yalitza Aparicio, has carved out a new offscreen role as an advocate for… Continue watching
Mar 19 Watch 3:51 A Brief But Spectacular take on being a rural area’s only doctor Dr. Karen Kinsell is the only physician in Fort Gaines, Georgia, a town of 3,000 people, where 40 percent of residents live below the poverty line. Some of her patients can’t afford to pay her, but she says her office… Continue watching
Mar 19 Met Opera cancels season, stops pay of orchestra, chorus By Ronald Blum, Associated Press The Metropolitan Opera is canceling the rest of its season and stopping the pay of the orchestra, chorus and other unionized employees at the end of March due to the new coronavirus. Continue reading
Mar 19 Places of worship try to keep the faith during the COVID-19 pandemic By Courtney Norris As churches, mosques and temples do their part in limiting human interaction, the faithful are trying to settle into new routines of observance and prayer, and places of worship are harnessing technology to connect. Continue reading
Mar 19 Celebrities get virus tests, raising concerns of inequality By Associated Press The concerns over preferential treatment underscore a fundamental truth about inequalities baked into the American health care system. Continue reading
Mar 18 Watch 7:03 Yo-Yo Ma on encouraging ‘Songs of Comfort’ amid global crisis Yo-Yo Ma, one of the world’s most renowned and beloved musicians, is trying to provide comfort in this time of crisis. Ma has been posting videos of himself performing short pieces and encouraging other musicians -- of all levels --… Continue watching
Mar 18 I toured this exhibit on epidemics before the coronavirus pandemic shut it down By Joshua Barajas On the second floor of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, a placard at the end of an exhibit asks a question we all may be thinking right now, in the middle of a global health emergency: What’s next?… Continue reading
Mar 18 Eurovision Song Contest canceled due to COVID-19 concerns By Associated Press The Eurovision Song Contest has been canceled, becoming the latest victim of the coronavirus epidemic. Continue reading
Mar 17 Watch 5:06 A look back at what Philip Roth said about ‘The Plot Against America,’ now an HBO series A new HBO series based on Philip Roth's novel “The Plot Against America" reimagines another period of national trauma, but with a fictive twist. In his world, Roth has national hero and aviator Charles Lindbergh winning the 1940 presidential election… Continue watching