Feb 04 Pressure builds on schools to reopen during pandemic By Michael Kunzelman, Holly Ramer, Associated Press The debate is pitting politicians against teachers who have yet to be vaccinated against COVID-19. In Chicago, there's so much rancor that teachers are on the brink of striking. Continue reading
Feb 04 U.S. unemployment claims fall to 779,000 but job cuts grind on By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits declined to 779,000 last week, a still-historically high total that shows that a sizable number of people keep losing jobs to the viral pandemic. Continue reading
Feb 03 Watch 4:00 News Wrap: Myanmar's ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi charged after military coup In our news wrap Wednesday, police in Myanmar charged ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi with possessing illegally imported "walkie-talkies, the U.S. passed 450,000 deaths from COVID-19, President Biden voiced openness to lowering the price of his $1.9 trillion aid… Continue watching
Feb 03 Watch 5:55 What impact is 'the COVID slide' having on students? By Stephanie Sy, Courtney Norris The questions around when to re-open more schools for in-person classes remains front and center for millions of Americans. Data show about 42 percent of all students between kindergarten and high school are in virtual-only schooling right now. Christopher Morphew,… Continue watching
Feb 03 Why U.S. hiring could rebound faster than expected By Christopher Rugaber, Associated Press A hopeful view is gaining steam that as vaccinations reach a critical mass in the United States, perhaps around midyear, the economy and the job market will strengthen much faster. Continue reading
Feb 02 Watch 5:00 News Wrap: Senate confirms Pete Buttigieg as transportation secretary In our news wrap Tuesday, President Biden’s nominee for transportation secretary Pete Buttigieg easily won Senate confirmation, the White House plans to ship a million doses of coronavirus vaccines nationwide, Russia's opposition leader is sentenced to prison, two FBI agents… Continue watching
Feb 02 Watch 5:18 With new variants spreading, how effective will vaccines be in the months to come? As concerns continue to grow about coronavirus variants in the U.S. and globally, the British authorities on Tuesday said they believe a version of the U.K. variant may stunt the effect of some vaccines. Paul Turner, a professor of ecology… Continue watching
Feb 02 Watch 7:43 Reopening schools during the pandemic is proving to be a complex assignment By Stephanie Sy As the pandemic drags on, the toll taken on students and teachers, while trying to protect them from infection, has become one of the outbreak's most vexing and intractable challenges. Becky Pringle, president of the National Education Association, the nation's… Continue watching
Feb 01 Watch 7:38 Biden looks to ramp up pandemic relief as Republicans press for smaller aid package By Yamiche Alcindor Negotiations over new action to stimulate the economy are moving into higher gear Monday. After releasing a $1.9 trillion aid plan last month, President Biden held a first meeting with Senate Republicans who are pushing an alternative plan. White House… Continue watching
Feb 01 Watch 6:34 Maestro Michael Tilson Thomas on music and mentoring amid a pandemic By Jeffrey Brown, James Blue, Tommy Walters A symphony requires all musicians playing their parts in harmony, but the pandemic makes that delicate choreography all the more challenging. Jeffrey Brown talks to maestro Michael Tilson Thomas about that and passing the baton to a younger generation as… Continue watching