No, Washington, D.C., is not Baghdad, despite now having a Green Zone of its own. But the events of Jan. 6 make the comparison more apt than any of us would wish.
As the inauguration nears, the Capitol has become a fortress. The fences surrounding it, writes NPR's Michel Martin, "are the hallmarks of a country at war, and most tragically, at war with itself."
As states suddenly expand the categories of people eligible for the first scarce shipments of vaccine, who will be watching to make sure those hit hardest by the pandemic aren't left behind?
The insurrection at the Capitol was just the latest chapter in America's ongoing battle over race, writes NPR host Sam Sanders. "Once you see it as such," he says, "it all makes a lot more sense."
NPR's Scott Simon reflects on the life and work of famed reporter Neil Sheehan who obtained the Pentagon Papers. Sheehan died this week at the age of 84.
Atlantic writer Clint Smith grew up surrounded by Confederate iconography, being told that the Civil War wasn't about slavery. He shares a poem from his forthcoming book, How the Word Is Passed.
NPR's Scott Simon notes how the pandemic has impacted the arts, including seasonal performances of "The Nutcracker." Without ticket sales from that ballet, many organizations are struggling.
The world needs convincing that the U.S. can lead again, and it may not let it, according to foreign policy experts Aaron David Miller and Richard Sokolsky.
With COVID-19 cases surging and more than 250,000 dead, the CDC is recommending people not travel for Thanksgiving. And doctors worry the holiday could be a superspreader event.
Doctors who helped stop Ebola call on Joe Biden's transition team to address COVID-19's racial and economic inequities. The evidence shows a safety net under the most vulnerable protects us all.
Risks of a wider conflict are too high. The U.S. should use diplomacy to stop the fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan, writes Gen. Philip Breedlove, former NATO supreme commander in Europe.
This past week The Caretaker, an artist who has long leaned into challenging sounds, began emerging as an increasingly popular "challenge" on the youth-led platform.
The diagnosis — delivered at a distance of 6 feet in the doctor's office — was a shock. It brought back memories of my work in the Ebola ward. Then as now, an intimate touch was a rare thing.
