South Carolina Lede

September 18, 2021 — Concerns from families of disabled children and about an ACLU lawsuit against the state's mask mandate prohibition; a view from the medical frontlines of the COVID-19 pandemic; updates about the monoclonal antibody shortage in the state; and more.

We want to hear from you! Leave us a 1-minute long voicemail at 803-563-7169 to tell us what your life has been like over the past year.

September 14, 2021 — We speak with State Superintendent of Education Molly Spearman about school safety amid rising closings, quarantines, infections, and deaths from COVID-19. Plus friend of the pod Associated Press reporter Meg Kinnard joins us with updates on her fight against breast cancer.

September 11, 2021 — We look at the continued debate between state leaders and the Biden administration over vaccination and mask mandates, hear about the struggles faced by frontline medical workers in the surge of the COVID-19 Delta variant, and reflect on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

September 7, 2021 — We speak with Dr. Melissa Nolan, professor of epidemiology at the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health and co-lead for the Sampling and Testing Representative Outreach for Novel Coronavirus Guidance (STRONG).

September 4, 2021 — We break down the SC Supreme Court's decision this week that found Columbia's mask mandate for schools to be illegal. Also on this episode: new analysis of CDC data by The New York Times finds that the Palmetto State has the highest per capita COVID-19 case rate in the country; HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge visits the state to promote vaccinations; and much more.

August 31, 2021 — We look at the latest on lawsuits against mask mandates in the state as well as a civil rights investigation by the US Department of Education on the matter. Also in this episode: South Carolina's new Office of Resilience seeks to reduce future flood damage; how Palmetto State hospitals are handling an surge in COVID-19 cases; and more.

August 28, 2021 — We're joined by Joseph Bustos, state government and politics reporter with The State, to discuss mask mandates, state lawsuits, and his recent reporting from a COVID-19 medical unit. Also in this episode: the latest COVID-19 case numbers; new information about booster shots; and more.

August 24, 2021 — Comments from the state Congressional delegation on the $1.2 trillion Senate infrastructure bill, earmarks, and Afghanistan; the latest data from DHEC on climbing COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations; Pfizer's vaccine gets full approval from the FDA; and more.

August 21, 2021 — We look at the current COVID-19 situation in the state, including the debate over masks in schools, the latest case numbers, vaccination recommendations for pregnant women, and much more.

August 17, 2021 — Journalist Claudia Smith Brinson joins us to discuss the long and arduous struggle for civil rights in the Palmetto State. In her book 'Stories of Struggles: The Clash Over Civil Rights in South Carolina' (2020, USC Press), Brinson details the lynchings, death threats, and hatred Black South Carolinians endured as well as the courage and compassion of those who risked their lives for equality.