1A

The Freedom to Vote Act failed in the Senate this week. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell said the bill was an overreach by Democrats in an attempt to federalize elections.

Members of the Trump administration clashed with the congressional committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. The committee recommended that former White House advisor Steve Bannon be held in contempt after he ignored their requests for cooperation.

Vaccine mandates are being extended. New York City will now require all city employees to be vaccinated. General Electric will also soon require all its U.S. workers to be vaccinated.

Meanwhile, a gang that kidnapped a group of American and Canadian missionaries has asked for a ransom of $17 million for their safe return. The White House said that the FBI is working on a solution.

The international community is struggling to address climate change. A U.N. report found that governments are on track to produce twice as much fossil fuel pollution as is necessary to keep global temperatures down by 2030.

We cover all this and more during the News Roundup.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

As the power of Silicon Valley's tech companies has grown, so too has the number of people willing to air their dirty laundry.

Facebook is the latest in the line of fire after whistleblower Francis Haugen's congressional testimony in early October.

Apple is also reeling from an internal crisis. One of the organizers of the #AppleToo movement was fired last week. But even though these organizations seem to be on the back foot, blowing the whistle is complicated and risky.

What does it take to be a whistleblower? And is it enough to actually implement change in Silicon Valley?

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

Since the the Child Tax Credit went into effect in July, millions of children have been lifted out of poverty according to one study done by Columbia University. The program is set to end in a few weeks if Congress doesn't vote to make it permanent.

But there's a fight unfolding around what a permanent Child Tax Credit should look like—and who should get it.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

Non-unanimous jury convictions are no longer constitutional according to a 2020 Supreme Court ruling. But earlier this year, the court decided the decision does not automatically apply retroactively to old cases.

That's why more than 1,500 people in Louisiana are still imprisoned on non-unanimous verdicts — a law that originated in the Jim Crow era to "reestablish the supremacy of the white race." This includes the case of Brandon Jackson.

We talk about Jackson's case and the lasting impact of Jim Crow laws in Louisiana.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

A new investigation by The Atlantic looks into Alden Global Capital, the secretive hedge fund that's gutted newsroom staff and owns more than 200 papers across the country including The Chicago Tribune, The Baltimore Sun, and the New York Daily News.

We speak to the reporter behind that investigation about what is lost when local newspapers are shut down.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

Dave Grohl's shadow looms large over the music industry. He's the founder of the Grammy-winning rock group Foo Fighters. And he was the drummer for the groundbreaking grunge band Nirvana.

His musical footprint is matched only by the life he's led. In his new book "The Storyteller: Tales of Life and Music," Grohl recounts some of his life-changing musical moments.

We talk to Grohl about his new book and some of his most memorable moments.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

The Biden Administration's investigation into the Jan. 6 insurrection is heating up. Former acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen appeared before the committee to give testimony. Four other persons of interest have been subpoenaed this week and all have yet to appear.

Approximately 78 percent of the country is now some degree of vaccinated. Reporting indicates the racial disparities in whose received the jab has narrowed significantly. But, 1,900 people are dying per day due to COVID-19.

Meanwhile, China announced it had imported 20 percent more coal in September than it did the prior month, that's despite claims that it would cease funding coal mining operations abroad.

The European Union announces it would finance a $1 billion aid package for Afghanistan, raising questions over who exactly will be in control of the aid money.

Polish authorities are concerned with an uptick in human trafficking in Belarus, citing an increase in flights to Minsk from Iraq.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

A major investigation by The Athletic has brought accusations of sexual and verbal harassment by coaches in the National Women's Soccer League to light.

It prompted a weekend of game cancellations and calls for change. And when players returned to the field again last week, it was not to play as usual.

How was this allowed to happen? And where does the league go from here?

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

The CDC is amping up its plea for pregnant people to get vaccinated.

Vaccination rates for pregnant people are far lower than those of the general public – fewer than one-third were vaccinated before or during their pregnancy despite pregnancy being on the CDC's list of conditions that increase the risk of contracting a severe case of COVID-19.

Clinical vaccine trials have historically excluded pregnant people and COVID-19 vaccines were no different. But studies conducted after the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines were authorized showed that they have no adverse effects on those who were pregnant.

We'll talk about the factors contributing to those low vaccination rates among pregnant and breastfeeding people, including vaccine fertility misinformation.

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.

In the newest James Bond movie, "No Time to Die", the main villain in the film, Safin, has scars covering his face. This has been the case for many past Bond villains.

But the trope isn't just limited to the Bond films. In Disney's "Black Widow," the main villain is revealed to have facial scarring covering her face. The same is true of the villain in "Wonder Woman," and even "The Lion King".

People with facial differences are speaking up about the harmful impact of being vilified on screen.

Changing Faces is an organization in the U.K. pushing the film industry to change the way it represents facial differences on-screen through the campaign "I Am Not Your Villain."

Why does the trope persist? And what does it mean for people with facial differences?

Want to support 1A? Give to your local public radio station and subscribe to this podcast. Have questions? Find us on Twitter @1A.