Short Wave

U.S. officials have accused Belarusian strongman Alexander Lukashenko of being the latest to take advantage of desperate migrants. They say he helped bring migrants from war-torn nations to the Belarus border in order to create a humanitarian crisis and put political pressure on his European neighbors. Officials worry this type of strategy might be used again.

This episode: White House correspondent Tamara Keith, White House correspondent Franco Ordoñez, and reporter Charles Maynes.

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Headaches, nausea, dizziness, and confusion are among the most common symptoms of a concussion. But researchers say a blow to the head can also make it hard to understand speech in a noisy room. Emily Kwong chats with science correspondent Jon Hamilton about concussions and how understanding its effects on our perception of sound might help improve treatment.

For more of Jon's reporting, check out "After a concussion, the brain may no longer make sense of sounds."

You can follow Emilly on Twitter @EmilyKwong1234 and Jon @NPRJonHamilton. Email Short Wave at [email protected].

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The Supreme Court is allowing a lawsuit challenging Texas's 6-week abortion ban to go forward, but keeping the law in place while the suit moves through the courts. The move will maintain the status quo for abortion access in the state, while the court considers another case that could redefine Roe v. Wade.

Also, a new NPR/Marist poll out this week found some major warning signs for President Biden and Congressional Democrats. Namely, many Americans aren't feeling the benefits of recent measures meant to offset the economic pains of COVID.

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On a rapidly changing planet, there are many ways to measure the health of an ecosystem. Can sound be one of them?

Researcher Sarab Sethi explains how machine learning and soundscape recordings could be used to predict ecosystem health around the world.

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Joe Biden pledged ambitious criminal justice reforms as a candidate, but has taken few steps during his time in office to deliver them. And the FBI says diversifying its special agent ranks is a top priority, but its history of abuses during the civil rights era is a major recruitment hurdle.

This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, national justice correspondent Carrie Johnson, and justice correspondent Ryan Lucas.

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An NPR analysis shows that since the vaccine rollout, counties that voted heavily for Donald Trump have had nearly three times the COVID mortality rates of those that voted for Joe Biden. That difference appears to be driven by a partisan divide in vaccination rates. As NPR correspondent Geoff Brumfield reports, political polarization and misinformation are driving a significant share of the deaths in the pandemic.

Read more of Geoff's reporting on vaccine misinformation:
- Inside the growing alliance between anti-vaccine activists and pro-Trump Republicans: https://n.pr/31ylGNK
- Pro-Trump counties now have far higher COVID death rates. Misinformation is to blame: https://n.pr/3dzPzzy

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In response to China's human rights abuses, the United States will not send any government representatives to the 2022 Winter Olympics in the country. U.S. athletes will still compete. The move is expected to increase tensions between the two world powers.

This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, national political correspondent Mara Liasson, and international correspondent John Ruwitch.

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An underground lab is opening early next year in Australia. Its quest: to help detect dark matter and thereby also help answer some of physics' biggest questions about this mysterious force. It is the only detector of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere. Swinburne University astronomer Alan Duffy takes us on a journey to the bottom of this active gold mine, where researchers will try to detect a ghost-like particle.

E-mail us with your deep questions at [email protected].

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The Supreme Court could allow Mississippi's ban on abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy to take effect. In the United States, many women end up getting abortions after that point because of clinic backlogs and cost issues.

This episode: White House correspondent Asma Khalid, national correspondent Sarah McCammon, and legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg.

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An advisory panel to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration advisory panel has voted to recommend that the FDA approve a new antiviral drug to treat COVID-19. The FDA decision is expected soon. Host Emily Kwong chats with health reporter Pien Huang on the state of treatments and how this drug and other treatment options may change the pandemic.

For more of Pien's reporting, check out "New antiviral drugs are coming for COVID. Here's what you need to know." <>

You can follow Emily on Twitter @EmilyKwong1234 and Pien @Pien_Huang. Email Short Wave at [email protected].

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