logo
episode-header-image
Jul 2021
21m 40s

‘We don’t even think about race.’

THE WASHINGTON POST
About this episode
Debates over critical race theory take over a town in Michigan. Plus, why breakthrough coronavirus infections do not mean that our vaccines aren’t working.

Read more:

Traverse City, Mich., is a microcosm of the critical race theory debates taking over school systems across the country. The debates in the town came after the school board decided to fast-track an equity resolution, after students held a fake slave auction over Snapchat. Reporter Hannah Natanson went to Traverse City to understand what White parents think of the resolution and racism in the town, as well as how students feel.

Within the past few weeks, positive coronavirus test results have been delivered to some high-profile fully vaccinated people: New York Yankees players, Olympic gymnast alternates and state lawmakers from Texas. Ben Guarino reports on why such breakthrough infections are to be expected — and why they don’t imply that vaccines are widely failing.
Up next
Yesterday
The Supreme Court opens the door to mass federal layoffs
On Tuesday the Supreme Court lifted an order by a lower court that prevented the Trump administration from laying off thousands of federal workers. While the order was unsigned – meaning that the justices have not yet ruled on its legality – this is one of several recent decision ... Show More
18m 12s
Jul 8
How Trump's media war came for CBS
Donald Trump has spent the past decade waging war on the media. That has included filing frequent lawsuits against media organizations whose coverage he views as unfavorable. Those lawsuits have been largely unsuccessful, until recently. Last week, Paramount announced it was sett ... Show More
29m 28s
Jul 7
Why devastation struck Texas's 'flash flood alley'
In just three hours, water levels in Central Texas rose over 30 feet, surprising local communities that say they had little time to prepare and no warning. What ensued was one of the most destructive floods the region has seen in decades.Colby Itkowitz speaks with extreme weather ... Show More
24m 32s
Recommended Episodes
Oct 2020
Into the Black Doctors Vetting the Vaccine
For six months, people across the country have been waiting for the same lifeline: a vaccine for the coronavirus. The U.S. government has pledged $10 billion to help drug makers develop and distribute a vaccine in record time through “Operation Warp Speed.” But the emphasis on sw ... Show More
25m 9s
May 2021
Rural Tennessee’s Vaccine Hesitators
Vaccine hesitancy is a major reason that many experts now fear the United States will struggle to attain herd immunity against the coronavirus.And while many initially hesitant demographics have become more open to vaccinations, one group is shifting much less: white Republican e ... Show More
28m 47s
Apr 2020
The Race for a Vaccine
Scientists are racing to make a vaccine for the coronavirus, collaborating across borders in what is usually a secretive and competitive field. But their cooperation has been complicated by national leaders trying to buy first claim on any breakthrough. Today, we explore how the ... Show More
24m 32s
Oct 2016
'All they see is your race, because that is what's written on your body' | Christina Ho
It’s impossible to talk about rising pressure in education without addressing the elephant in the room, that is, the prevalence of children of Asian background working overtime for their excellent academic outcomes in our schools, particularly our selective schools. People are re ... Show More
25m 8s
Jul 2021
The Debate Over Critical Race Theory
In Loudoun County, Va., a fierce debate has been raging for months inside normally sleepy school board meetings.At the heart of this anger is critical race theory, a once obscure academic framework for understanding racism in the United States.How, exactly, did critical race theo ... Show More
31m 5s
Mar 2021
The State of Vaccinations
The United States has never undertaken a vaccination campaign of the scale and speed of the Covid-19 program. Despite a few glitches, the country appears to be on track to offer shots to all adults who want one by May 1.We look at the ups and downs in the American vaccination cam ... Show More
26m 42s
Jan 2021
America's Vaccine Plan: What's Working — And What Isn't
More than 25 million vaccines have been distributed by the federal government, but only slightly more than one-third of those have made it into peoples' arms. Vaccine mega-sites are opening in major cities around the country as local officials try to speed up vaccination. There's ... Show More
13m 24s
Apr 2021
The deadly consequences of an uneven vaccine rollout
US President Joe Biden has promised every American adult they will be eligible for a COVID vaccination by April 19th. But what about the rest of the world? Only 0.01% of all vaccines distributed have gone to the developing world and now Kenya is being a hit by its 3rd wave of the ... Show More
20m 9s
Feb 2021
Why Some Black People Aren't Ready to Get the Vaccine
Surveys have shown that Black Americans have been more hesitant than White Americans to get a Covid-19 vaccine. CNN Correspondent Stephanie Elam enrolled in a vaccine trial in the hope that other Black people would see someone like them going through the process. On today’s episo ... Show More
13m 55s