1A

"A lot of the complication [in the tax code] comes from carve-outs and special rates for particular types of activity ... particularly for wealth," says economist Chye-Ching Huang.

Researcher Veronique de Rugy adds, "Every exemption in the tax code serves someone and some goal and if we use the tax code to achieve social goals, we make it more complex."

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"After learning the effect that an undercount has on my community, it just really opened my eyes. Everything about the resources that are available to my community is determined by census data," says Rosemary Soto, who leads the census committee in Monterey, California.

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What makes a boy band? Researcher Maria Sherman says generally, "they're young, they're cute, they don't have facial hair but their hair is a big deal."

But there's a lot more to boy bands than that.

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President Donald Trump raises questions about the 2020 election, while a grand jury ruling on the police officers that killed Breonna Taylor reignites protests. China commits to carbon-neutrality. The situation around Belarus remains contentious and Prince Harry ruffles feathers over statements about voting.

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We travel to Texas and Michigan to talk about two things that influence the way people vote and the power your ballot has: voter ID laws and gerrymandering.

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"I compare being a poll worker to being a fast food worker, except that there's not as much room for mistakes," says poll worker Evan Malbrough. "If you make a mistake with somebody's ballot you've suppressed their right to vote."

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"Women [in detention] are faced with this problem where they don't have [medical] choices and they don't have the liberty to go find those choices," says migrant rights advocate Michelle Brané.

She also remarks about how for-profit prisons fit into the picture. "I once went to a [immigration detention] facility where the stock prices were displayed in the lobby," Michelle says. "It's a hugely profitable practice."

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How are Republican senators handling accusations of hypocrisy? "There's nothing more shapeshifting than a senator considering judicial nominations. Consistency is not something we see very often," says reporter Robert Barnes.

"There are lots of Republicans who think, 'This is our chance to get a solid six-member conservative majority on the Supreme Court and we're gonna do it.'"

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We're sharing the first episode of a new show called "Driving The Green Book," produced by Macmillan Podcasts and hosted by journalist and educator Alvin Hall.

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Wildfires and hurricanes continue to affect large swaths of the US. COVID infections top 30 million globally, as the work on a vaccine continues. President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu celebrate a peace deal for Israel, and scientists search for life on Venus.

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