A standoff in the Senate. How essential workers are faring almost a year into the coronavirus pandemic. And, why vaccine rollout has been so slow in France.
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When President Biden took office last week, he promised sweeping, bipartisan legislation to solve the pandemic, fix the economy and overhaul immigration. Just days later, the Senate ground to a halt, its members unable to agree on rules for how the evenly divided body should operate. Reporter Mike DeBonis unpacks the standstill. 
At the start of the pandemic, grocery workers were lauded by their companies and customers for their essential work. Some leveraged that support into hazard pay. Some successfully pushed for mask enforcement in their stores. Almost a year later, they’re still on the front lines every day – but appreciation for their sacrifice has waned. Photographer May-Ying Lam reports on the plight of these essential workers. 
France has had a particularly slow vaccine rollout, especially compared with its European neighbors like Germany. Foreign affairs reporter Rick Noack explains the delays facing one of the world’s most vaccine-skeptical countries. 
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