1A

Moderna has asked U.S. regulators to authorize low doses of its COVID-19 vaccine for children under six. When can we expect a decision from the F.D.A.?

The top infectious disease expert in the U.S., Dr. Anthony Fauci, was forced to clarify remarks he made earlier in the week about the pandemic. On Tuesday, Fauci told the PBS NewsHour "we are out of the pandemic phase". On Wednesday, he told 1A he misspoke and that "the pandemic is not over."

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called war in Ukraine both "evil" and "unacceptable" after seeing for himself the damage done by Russia on the outskirts of Kviv.

Also this week, Russia Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov warned the West not to underestimate the possibility of a nuclear confrontation.

And President Biden requested another $33 billion in emergency aid for Ukraine during a speech on Thursday.

We cover all this and more during the News Roundup.

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This week, Twitter accepted a $44 billion buyout offer from Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk.

As part of the purchase, Musk, who calls himself a "free speech absolutist," will gain total control of the company. And it's raising questions about how his leadership will affect open speech on the platform.

We discuss the impact Elon Musk will have on Twitter, and what social media moderation will look like in the future.

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If you've been on a flight or taken public transit recently, you might've seen fewer masks on fewer faces. This is because a Florida judge struck down the federal travel mask mandate last Monday.

While companies aren't being forced to drop their mandates many have. All of this while the Omicron subvariant BA.2 accounts for 75 percent of new COVID cases in the U.S.

To mask or not to mask continues to be a divisive question. We get into the psychology of why.

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The pandemic has prompted a lot of change.

One considerable shift? Workers telling bosses they're not gonna take it anymore. The so-called Great Resignation hasn't slowed so far in 2022. In February, over 4 million people quit their jobs. About 74,000 of those who left worked in retail.

In addition to quitting, workers are also taking back control via unions. In two recent high-profile moves, employees at Starbucks and Amazon voted to organize despite their respective employers' best efforts.

We discuss the movement and what's next.

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The shadow docket sounds like a bad movie from the 1940s. In real life, the phrase denotes the Supreme Court's emergency decisions that are usually procedural and come with little explanation.

But there's growing concern that the docket is being used more often to make major rulings in private with wide-reaching consequences.

We discuss how Justices justify the shadow docket and what a lack of transparency and Americans' waning trust in the court mean for our democracy.

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If you've ever watched Netflix's wildly popular show "Queer Eye," you definitely know Jonathan Van Ness.

The show's reboot was a smash hit, catapulting its stars into the spotlight. Recognizable for his hair and effervescent skincare advice, Van Ness became known for his infectiously positive outlook, heartwarming vulnerability, and humor.

Since the "Queer Eye" release in 2018, Van Ness hasn't stopped moving.

We sit down with Van Ness to talk about his latest book, "Love That Story: Observations from a Gorgeously Queer Life" and more.

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The federal government's mandate concerning masks on transportation was dropped this week after a judge in Florida overturned it. Airlines announced the change abruptly on social media, in terminals, and in some cases mid-flight. The Justice Department has announced it will appeal the decision.

Meanwhile, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced this week a new phase of his country's war in Russia is beginning as fighting continues to rage in Ukraine's Donbas region.

Bloomberg is reporting Kremlin insiders are quietly labeling Russia's invasion of Ukraine as a colossal mistake given the toll the conflict and resulting sanctions are taking on the country. They also say that Russian President Vladimir Putin is in no danger of losing power.

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Texas is one of 18 states that passed restrictive voting measures after the 2020 election.

Last year, the state passed Senate Bill 1, a sweeping set of voting reforms that restricted voting hours, banned drive-thru voting, and set new photo ID requirements for voting by mail.

Since then, Texas has held its March primary elections, revealing the results of the overhaul of the state's election laws. About 12 percent of mail-in ballots were rejected statewide according to the office of the secretary of state.

We talk about how these changes are shaping up and what that could mean for voters nationwide.

This conversation is part of our Remaking America collaboration with six public radio stations around the country, including KUT in Austin, Texas. Remaking America is funded in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Airports and planes went maskless for the first time in two years the same day that Philadelphia reinstated its indoor mask mandate.

A federal judge in Florida struck down a request to extend the deadline for the mandate by two weeks, calling it "unlawful."

All of this is happening as more than 30 states report a rise in cases. The Centers for Disease and Control estimates that the omicron subvariant, BA.2, makes up 86 percent of all U.S. COVID cases.

So how prepared is the U.S. for another potential wave? And how should we navigate a new maskless world of transportation?

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When it comes to women succeeding in the workforce, there's a lot to talk about.

The "She-cession," burnout, and, of course, wages.

Despite all of that, there is some progress in the way of gender pay parity. New analysis from Pew Research Center found that the wage gap is closing in 22 metropolitan areas.

In fact, in some cities, women are out-earning their male counterparts.

What's the state of the gender wage gap? And who is it closing for?

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