Post Reports

The infrastructure bill making its way through the Senate doesn’t include money for caregivers. Today, we dive into what it’s like to take care of a partner who has a disability and to often not get compensated for that labor.
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Earlier this week, the much anticipated infrastructure bill started moving through the Senate with bipartisan support. What’s left out of the bill, though, is what’s being called “human infrastructure” — money for things like quality child care and care for elderly people and those with disabilities.
Today, we’re diving into one of these groups that’s being left out of the bill: people who care for their partners who have disabilities. 
Video editor Amber Ferguson learned that in most states, if you’re giving care to a partner with a disability, you cannot be compensated if you’re married. And those people who aren’t getting compensated for their labor are usually women.
 “It's just not sustainable for me to do this every single day in the way that I have been,” said Jane Morgan, who has been caring for her boyfriend largely by herself since he became quadriplegic in 2019.

Florida school districts defy the governor’s ban on mask mandates. An elementary school that welcomed its students back in the spring is still struggling to make a full return to normal. Plus, why you should rid your vocabulary of “corporate-isms.”
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At least four school districts in Florida have announced that they will either keep or issue new mask mandates in light of the coronavirus outbreak ravaging the state. Their announcements directly challenge an order by Gov. Ron DeSantis (R), who has threatened to withhold funds from schools that mandate face coverings for students. 
The debate over mask mandates is just one part of the conversation about how to safely reopen schools for in-person learning, as the coronavirus, aided by the delta variant, threatens to disrupt children’s educations for the third straight school year. Perry Stein reports on the stakes of such a prolonged disruption, and on whether schools can make up for that lost time. 
“Nice to e-meet you.” “Let’s touch base.” “I’m out of pocket.” Remote, virtual work is making us talk like robots. Tatum Hunter teaches us how to “circle back” to being human. 

As New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo faces an impeachment effort and calls for his resignation, his brother, CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, avoids mentioning the scandal on his show. Plus, your questions on the delta variant — and is NBC ruining the Olympics?
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Will New York Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo resign? The pressure continues to mount after a damning report was released yesterday by the state’s attorney general. It concludes that Cuomo sexually harassed 11 women. That report also included the name of the governor’s brother, Chris Cuomo, a host on CNN. But when his show went on the air last night, he didn’t mention any of it. Media reporter Elahe Izadi explains the governor’s response so far, as well as CNN’s handling of the scandal and Chris Cuomo’s involvement.
Earlier this week, we asked you to send us your questions about the current coronavirus surge and the delta variant. We tackle a few of them today with science reporter Ben Guarino. 
Like many people, host Martine Powers has been watching the Olympics — or trying to. She asks reporter Ben Strauss — is NBC ruining the Olympics?

The Biden administration is expected to announce a new action to limit evictions as a federal eviction moratorium expires. But it’s unclear how many people that will help. And, why the expanded child tax credit may not be a silver bullet against poverty.
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Nearly a year and a half into the pandemic, 28 percent of households are struggling to cover basic expenses. More than 11 million renters are behind on payments. One in seven parents are struggling to feed their families. This is all despite a raft of government interventions, including an expanded child tax credit approved in March. 
The White House said the expanded child tax credit would cut child poverty by more than 40 percent. But that lofty expectation is crashing into the reality of debt for many people behind on rent and utility bills. Kyle Swenson reports on the potentially blunted impact of those payments for families living with debt, including moms such as Brittany Baker in Ohio.

Republicans and Democrats in the Senate have come to rare agreement, crafting a trillion dollar-plan to fix infrastructure across the country.
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After weeks of negotiation, a bipartisan group of senators have put forth a plan to restore America’s infrastructure. The more than $1 trillion plan to improve roads, bridges, pipes, ports and lines of communication could be a centerpiece of Joe Biden’s presidency — unless he has his own deal in the works. Congressional reporter Tony Romm breaks down the far-reaching proposal.

In 1983, the U.S. invaded the small Caribbean nation of Grenada. Forty years later, many Americans have no idea why — or that it happened at all. Today, in collaboration with “Throughline,” we tell a story of revolution, conquest, and dreams of a Black utopia.
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For host Martine Powers, this historical deep-dive has a personal connection. Growing up in a Caribbean American family offered a different perspective on the 1983 invasion — a moment that isn’t just about President Ronald Reagan or Cold War machinations. Instead, this era in Grenada’s history is also the story of people and ideas that became symbols of Black freedom around the world — and a direct inspiration for Black Americans.
“This was a Black country with people making their own success and failure,” says Dessima Williams, Grenada’s former ambassador to the U.S. “We didn't have White people over us. And I think that itself was revolutionary at the psychic level.”
This story was produced in collaboration with “Throughline,” a podcast about history from National Public Radio. Here are a few other episodes that you’ll want to check out: “Palestine,” about the region’s history of settlements and displacement; “Five Fingers Crush The Land,” on the history and culture of China’s Uyghur people; and the unexpectedly dark story of American imperialism, in “Reframing History: Bananas.”

Debates over critical race theory take over a town in Michigan. Plus, why breakthrough coronavirus infections do not mean that our vaccines aren’t working.
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Traverse City, Mich., is a microcosm of the critical race theory debates taking over school systems across the country. The debates in the town came after the school board decided to fast-track an equity resolution, after students held a fake slave auction over Snapchat. Reporter Hannah Natanson went to Traverse City to understand what White parents think of the resolution and racism in the town, as well as how students feel.
Within the past few weeks, positive coronavirus test results have been delivered to some high-profile fully vaccinated people: New York Yankees players, Olympic gymnast alternates and state lawmakers from Texas. Ben Guarino reports on why such breakthrough infections are to be expected — and why they don’t imply that vaccines are widely failing.

Why employers are getting bolder with vaccine mandates. How the pandemic worsened the opioid crisis. And the aftermath of the floods in Germany.
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On Tuesday the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended that vaccinated Americans wear masks indoors in certain circumstances because of the highly transmissible delta variant. At the same time, many employers — including the federal government — are considering coronavirus vaccine mandates. Dan Diamond reports on the changing guidance around masks and vaccines.
Last week, the three major drug distributors and Johnson & Johnson reached a settlement in court after being sued for the damages of the opioid crisis. Lenny Bernstein on how the pandemic has affected the continuing opioid epidemic. You can find our related story from 2018 about the Trump administration’s handling of the fentanyl crisis here.
This past month, floods in Germany and Belgium killed nearly 200 people. Loveday Morris reports on the clean-up and recovery in Western Europe.

Why the U.S. women’s gymnastics team settled for a silver medal. And, the search for separated parents in rural Guatemala. 
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The U.S. women’s gymnastics team took home a silver medal in Tuesday’s team final, after star gymnast Simone Biles withdrew from the event. Sports reporter Liz Clarke discusses the unexpected upset, and the course of the Russian Olympic team’s winning trajectory. 
The United States lost track of parents after separating them from their children at the border. In rural Guatemala, it’s up to Eriberto Pop — a motorcycle-riding human rights lawyer — to find them. Central America bureau chief Kevin Sieff reports on his journey with Pop into the western highlands of Guatemala.

The political debate — and theater — surrounding a new House committee tasked with investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. And, why wildland firefighters in the West are burning out.  
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A bipartisan select House committee begins its probe of the Jan. 6 insurrection this week. But as national security reporter Karoun Demirjian explains, the investigation kicks off under a cloud of political debate and theater. 
On the heels of one of the worst wildfire years on record, the federal government is struggling to recruit and retain staffers as firefighters grapple with low wages, trauma and burnout from increasingly long and intense fire seasons. Sarah Kaplan reports on the Biden administration’s promise to the federal firefighting force –– and what the United States has to understand about climate change and wildfires.