Wastewater Is The Infrastructure Crisis ‘People Don’t Want To Talk About’

By PBS Newshour
Environmental justice activist and 2020 MacArthur Fellow Catherine Coleman Flowers speaks at a "Fire Drill Fridays" event, part of a movement that seeks to draw attention to the global "climate emergency." Courtesy of Catherine Coleman Flowers
Some infrastructure concerns go far less discussed than others including, notably, the issue of wastewater and sanitation. According to the American Society of Civil Engineers, the country’s wastewater treatment plants are functioning at an average of “81 percent of their design capacities,” and 15 percent have “reached or exceeded” that capacity. Drinking water service Read More

4 Ways Our Understanding Of The Coronavirus Has Changed A Year Into The Pandemic

By PBS Newshour
Sisters Seri Sedlacek, left, and Susan Simpkins look in on their father, Chuck Sedlacek, at the Life Care Center, Wednesday, March 18, 2020, in Kirkland. Shuksan Healthcare Center in Bellingham is working to avoid what happened at the Kirkland facility. CREDIT: Elaine Thompson/AP
This month marks one year since the coronavirus pandemic swiftly upended daily life in the United States. In 2020, March brought about emergency declarations and indefinite school closures, followed by record unemployment claims and dozens of stay-at-home orders. By the end of the month, millions of people were either told to stay inside under lockdown or continue carrying Read More

Black Women Were Vital To The Black Church. Their Stories Are Explored In New PBS Program

By PBS Newshour
Dated between 1905 and 1915, this photo shows Nannie Helen Burroughs holding a banner that reads, “Banner State Woman’s National Baptist Convention.” Photo courtesy of Library of Congress
In his latest documentary series and book, “The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song,” Gates examines the cultural institution within Black communities. He explains how the Black Church has played such a vital role in Black liberation, since its beginnings. And along with viewing the Black church through a critical eye and exploring its origin, the new PBS Read More

WATCH: Author Jia Tolentino On American Culture Through The Prism Of The Internet

By PBS Newshour
Jia Tolentino
The January pick for our “Now Read This” book club was a book of essays exploring many aspects of American culture through the prism of the internet and social media. At age 32, author Jia Tolentino has gained acclaim as one of its most astute observers. She’s a also a staff writer for The New Yorker and “Trick Mirror” is her first book. Jeffrey Brown spoke to Tolentino to Read More

‘We Can’t Give Up’: U.S. Can Still Control The Spread Of COVID-19, Experts Say

By PBS Newshour
Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, and CDC Director Robert Redfield
Public health experts and officials don’t agree that giving up control is a foregone conclusion, instead warning that steps can and must be taken now to avoid the unnecessary loss of life. And no credible experts have suggested the pandemic will end the day after voting stops, despite suggestions from Trump, who himself has tested positive for the virus, that the media is Read More

Poll: Most Voters Expect Some Intimidation, But They’re Voting In Record Numbers

By PBS Newshour
Voters wait in line as the polls open at Pierce Park Baptist Church in Boise, Idaho, Tuesday, Nov. 6, 2018. CREDIT: Otto Kitsinger/AP
A majority of Republicans, Democrats, Independents, men and women from across the country, of all ages and races, are expecting some or many attempts to block people from voting, according to the latest PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll, conducted less than a month before Election Day. In November 2016, 57 percent of registered voters anticipated attempts to thwart voting; that Read More

Two-Thirds Of Black Americans Don’t Trust The Police To Treat Them Equally. Most Whites Do

By PBS Newshour
A protester stands in front of U.S. Secret Service officers at Lafayette Square near the White House on June 1 after the park was cleared for President Donald Trump's walk to the historic St. John's Church, which sustained minor fire damage during earlier demonstrations.
Nearly half of black Americans have very little or no confidence that police officers in their community treat people with different skin colors the same, according to the latest PBS NewsHour-NPR-Marist poll. But overall, only 18 percent of Americans take that view — an illustration in itself that people of different races are living different realities in the United States.Read More

WATCH: Answering Your Questions About Coronavirus

By PBS Newshour
PBS NewsHour - Answering your questions about coronavirus
As the number of cases in the U.S. continues to rise, so too do questions about how the virus spreads and how the average person can protect themselves. Health officials are simultaneously trying to understand the virus while improving they way they identify cases and contain those that are known — and encouraging people to just practice good hygiene (and to be cautious, Read More
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