Health Jan 12 Hospitals near a breaking point with latest influx of COVID patients The Biden administration is pressing to ship more COVID test kits to schools amid growing criticism of shortages as infections pile up nationwide. But for hospitals dealing with the surge the worst is far from over. In the city of…
Health Jan 10 How the latest CDC guidance on COVID-19 is creating unnecessary confusion The latest guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on isolation and testing for COVID-19 has received intense pushback. Many health experts are now criticizing what the CDC has said and how its officials have said it. This…
Health Jan 05 Unvaccinated children among those driving COVID surge in Louisiana hospitals The omicron variant now accounts for 95 percent of COVID cases in the United States. Public health officials say its effects are milder than the delta variant, but omicron’s high transmissibility is still sending large numbers of people into the…
Nation Jan 03 Texans explain what animated their loved ones, neighbors to storm the Capitol This week marks one year since the insurrection at the United States Capitol on Jan. 6. William Brangham reports from one part of the country that produced an outsized number of people charged in the capitol riots, and heard from…
Nation Dec 24 Why a judge rejected a settlement with the Sackler family for their role in opioid crisis Experts link a record number of overdoses this year from black market opioids back to the original marketing and distribution of legal opioids made by Purdue Pharma, the company owned by the Sackler family that made OxyContin. Last week, a…
Health Dec 16 As the holiday season nears, concerns of a resurgent virus are growing From Broadway to Britain, COVID-19 is spreading new fears, forcing new shutdowns and prompting people to wonder when it will all end. And experts warn omicron is likely to become the dominant strain in the U.S. William Brangham reports on…
World Dec 15 Melting of the Thwaites Glacier could rewrite the global coastline A warming atmosphere is creating concern in the Arctic Circle and on the continent of Antarctica. The Arctic Report Card shows high temperatures, shrinking sea ice and extreme melting events are transforming the region. At the opposite pole, in Antarctica,…
Nation Dec 14 Tornado-hit communities brace for long-term mental health, financial impact of disaster Search teams, utility crews and property owners have spent another long day in the tornado wreckage that was strewn across five states last weekend. The confirmed death toll remains at 88 — most of them in western Kentucky. William Brangham…
Nation Dec 13 Rescue and recovery efforts underway in Kentucky, other states hit by tornadoes The death toll has reached 74 in Kentucky, three nights after a swarm of tornadoes struck. At least 14 people died in Arkansas, Illinois, Missouri and Tennessee, but the worst was in Mayfield, in far southwestern Kentucky. William Brangham reports.
Nation Dec 13 Do safe drug consumption sites save lives? Here's what we know about NYC's new venture Since last spring, more than 100,000 Americans have died of drug overdoses — many caused by the opioid, fentanyl. Officials are searching for solutions to try to save lives, including setting up authorized centers where people can use illegal drugs…