Laura’s Recent Stories
Nation Jul 29
Is socialism having its moment in U.S. elections?In other industrialized countries, movement towards a democratic form of socialism has been strong enough to win national elections. So why hasn’t socialism ever become a powerful force in American politics? There are lots of reasons, as well as younger…
Economy Jul 22
Limits on seasonal work visas hit Maryland’s crab industrySummertime is peak season for Maryland’s prized blue crabs, known for their saltiness and jumbo lumps of meat. But this year, the industry’s mostly migrant workforce was cut by 35 percent. As the Department of Homeland Security processes a record…
Nation Jun 09
Schools resolve conflicts by getting kids to talk things outSchools across the country are moving away from an era of zero-tolerance policies and shifting toward methods that involve restorative justice, encouraging students to resolve their differences by talking to each other rather than resorting to violence. In New York…
Arts May 05
In a world transformed by technology, these workers hold on to near-obsolete jobsFrom a book binder in Bulgaria to a key maker in Beijing to gas lamp lighters in London, people whose jobs have become increasingly rare in the digital age are the focus of “The Disappearing Jobs of Yesterday,” a series…
Arts Mar 25
New exhibit looks inside the building where three families gained a foothold in the U.S.At a time when questions are swirling around U.S. immigration policy, a new exhibit at New York City’s Tenement Museum looks at the effects of immigration on a personal level. The exhibit, “Under One Roof,” tells the stories of three…
Arts Mar 11
At giant NYC art fair, a look at what matters to artists todayThe massive Armory Show convened in New York City this week, bringing together nearly 200 art galleries from 31 countries and drawing art admirers from around the world. Hari Sreenivasan talks with Nicole Berry, the fair’s executive director, about some…
Health Dec 17
How an unregulated chemical entered a North Carolina community’s drinking waterOne of about 85,000 chemicals registered in the United States are not tested for in drinking water. One of them is GenX, a man-made compound that manufacturing facilities have discharged into North Carolina’s Cape Fear River for decades. In the…
Health Dec 16
Long Island residents worry their tap water is unsafeWhile most of the country’s tap water is tested for hundreds of pollutants, including volatile chemicals, pesticides, metals and bacteria, it is not always safe to drink. In the first of a two-part series, NewsHour Weekend’s Hari Sreenivasan reports from…
Politics Oct 01
Supreme Court to hear case testing the limits of partisan gerrymanderingIn the 2012 elections, Republicans in Wisconsin won 60 of the 99 Assembly seats, despite Democrats having a majority of the statewide vote. The disparity lead to the federal lawsuit Gill v. Whitford, in which plaintiffs alleged that voting districts…
Science Aug 19
Can students return a billion oysters to a New York harbor?Oysters were once abundant in New York City, but decades of over-harvesting and pollution led to their near-extinction there. Now, an education initiative called the Billion Oyster Project teaches public school students how to help bring them back to the…
