About Laura
Laura Fong shoots and produces stories for PBS NewsHour Weekend on a wide range of topics, including U.S. politics, education, the arts and urban transit. She also covers breaking news for the Saturday and Sunday broadcasts. Before joining NewsHour Weekend, Laura worked on the first three seasons of the CNN documentary series "Inside Man" with Morgan Spurlock. Through Teach for America, Laura taught first grade for two years in Houston. She has a B.A. in electronic media from the University of Oregon.
Laura’s Recent Stories
Arts Aug 01
Exhibition sheds light on Kalief Browder’s years in solitary confinementSixteen-year-old Kalief Browder spent three years inside New York City's Rikers Island without being convicted of a crime, enduring two of those years in solitary confinement. He subsequently struggled with his mental health and eventually took his own life. A…
Nation May 30
Asian business districts hope for recovery after shutdown, racist attacksEven before COVID-19 forced non-essential businesses across America to shut down, Asian business districts like Chinatown in NYC, were already seeing a decline in revenue because of anti-Asian sentiment. More than a year later, as shops and restaurants begin to…
Nation Apr 25
Does a president’s first 100 days reveal anything about the next four years?President Biden is nearing a milestone his predecessors have been judged by for decades -- his first 100 days in office. But what does this benchmark reveal about the next four years? Special Correspondent Jeff Greenfield walks us through some…
Nation Apr 03
After eight months of waiting, American Samoa family reunited at homeAfter nearly a year of shutting down to flights due to the pandemic, American Samoa is beginning to repatriate its residents on flights back home under a strict quarantine protocol. NewsHour Weekend’s Laura Fong spoke to one of the hundreds…
Nation Mar 20
After Atlanta shooting, protesters call for action, protection for Asian AmericansHundreds of people turned out for a vigil in New York City’s Union Square on Friday in the wake of Tuesday evening’s deadly shooting at three Atlanta-area spas. Eight people were killed; six of the victims were Asian women. A…
Economy Feb 13
An unexpected pitfall for some cities’ mandatory hazard pay for essential workersDespite the rollout of COVID-19 vaccinations, hazards for frontline workers continue. Early in the pandemic, many large companies increased pay for essential workers, but many of those raises have now expired. Seattle and several cities across California have passed mandatory…
Politics Jan 16
An Olympian, a therapist, professionals: A look at the rioters stoked by extremismDozens have been charged for their role in the Capitol Hill riots and the FBI has identified at least 270 more people for the siege. While some of them have had ruins with the authorities in the past, the rioters,…
Nation Nov 28
Stranded in the U.S., American Samoans are unable to go homeAmerican Samoa is one of the few places in the world with zero reported COVID-19 cases. The U.S. territory, 2,600 miles from Hawaii, shut down its borders in March to commercial flights to prevent the spread of the virus to…
Politics Oct 31
Unprecedented spending for 2020 political adsThe 2020 election cycle is by far the most expensive campaign year in U.S. history. Advertising spending for candidates running for federal office has reached unprecedented amounts, totaling at least $2.5 billion on TV ads so far. Erika Franklin Fowler,…
Nation Oct 17
Economy, racial injustice: Young Ohioans are turning out the voteFor the first time, young people, all born after 1980, make up more than half the U.S. population, according to a Brookings Institute analysis of the U.S. census -- making them a significant share of eligible voters. Ivette Feliciano spoke…