Nation Jul 13 Oregon Bootleg Fire, nation’s largest, keeps doubling in size National Interagency Fire Center reports more than 65 major fires in Western U.S. states that have burned close to a million acres so far. Thousands have fled their homes. The largest fire in the country is in Southern Oregon, and…
Health Jul 12 Is the Pfizer booster shot necessary to beat the delta variant? An expert weighs in Pfizer's recent push to add a booster shot to its COVID-19 vaccination protocol seems to be at odds with what many people understood about the drug's effectiveness. And, as William Brangham reports, it has also prompted real concern among healthcare…
Nation Jul 09 Heatwaves are becoming more common. Here’s how the U.S. must plan for them Extreme heat and drought are baking the Western U.S. and Canada again this week, following hundreds of heat-related deaths in the Pacific Northwest last week. Record-breaking temperatures are expected to return to California over the weekend, including in the San…
Nation Jul 06 Surfside investigator on uncovering the collapse’s ‘trigger’ and what earlier reports mean There are still many questions about what happened at the Champlain Towers in Surfside, Florida. Earlier warnings regarding needed repair work are prompting questions about the original design and construction, and whether cost concerns eclipsed risk concerns. William Brangham discusses…
Nation Jun 29 Highly contagious delta variant on path to become dominant strain in the U.S. The U.S. is in a far better place this summer than many other countries witnessing new COVID cases. But the delta variant of the virus — now expected to become the dominant strain in the U.S. — is posing serious…
Nation Jun 25 What Chauvin’s 22.5 year sentence could mean for changing police behavior More than a year after George Floyd's murder set off national protests and a racial reckoning, former police officer Derek Chauvin was sentenced to 22.5 years in prison by a Minnesota judge Friday. Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro begins…
Health Jun 24 U.S. life expectancy sees ‘massive’ decline, especially in Black and brown communities A new study found that between 2018 and 2020, U.S. life expectancy decreased by the biggest margin since World War II. The pandemic took an outsized toll in America compared to other countries, with life expectancy as a whole dropping…
Nation Jun 23 A leaked UN report warns ‘worst is yet to come’ on climate change. Here’s how you can help A leaked draft report from the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change paints the starkest picture yet of the accelerating danger caused by human use of coal, oil, and gas. It warns of coming unlivable heat waves, widespread hunger…
Nation Jun 18 Despite improving conditions, COVID will ‘scar’ a generation of health care workers On Thursday night, we looked at problems in Louisiana, where COVID-19 vaccination rates are lagging behind the rest of the country. William Brangham now turns focus to how vaccines have improved life dramatically in New York, but the toll on…
Health Jun 17 In Louisiana, government skepticism is hurting vaccination rates. Will incentives help? While COVID-19 vaccination rates in some parts of the country are approaching nearly 70%, other areas are seeing rates flatten or even decline. As William Brangham reports, vaccinations in the southern U.S. have been especially slow, with no southern state…