Updated at 8:16 p.m. ETSenate Democrats are walking back some planned changes to federal unemployment benefits after objections from Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., threatened to derail President Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid package.The new plan is to extend the current $300 weekly federal unemployment payments through Sept. 6, rather than the end of September as Senate Democrats had planned. The first $10,200 in unemployment benefits received in 2020 by households earning $150,000 or less would also be nontaxable.Democrats thought they had unanimous agreement within the party to...…Updated at 8:16 p.m. ETSenate Democrats are walking back some planned changes to federal unemployment benefits after objections from Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., threatened to derail President Biden's $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid package.The new plan is to extend the current $300 weekly federal unemployment payments through Sept. 6, rather than the end of September as Senate Democrats had planned. The first $10,200 in unemployment benefits received in 2020 by households earning $150,000 or less would also be nontaxable.Democrats thought they had unanimous agreement within the party to...WW…

playpauseListenListening...In December, all states began vaccinating only health care workers and residents and staffers of nursing homes in phase 1A, but since the new year began some states have also started giving shots to — or booking appointments for — certain categories of seniors and essential workers.As the states start to widen the eligibility for who can get a COVID-19 vaccine, health officials are often taking people's word that they qualify, thereby prioritizing efficiency over strict adherence to their own distribution plans."We are doing everything possible to vaccinate only...…playpauseListenListening...In December, all states began vaccinating only health care workers and residents and staffers of nursing homes in phase 1A, but since the new year began some states have also started giving shots to — or booking appointments for — certain categories of seniors and essential workers.As the states start to widen the eligibility for who can get a COVID-19 vaccine, health officials are often taking people's word that they qualify, thereby prioritizing efficiency over strict adherence to their own distribution plans."We are doing everything possible to vaccinate only...WW…

As the U.S. grapples with the effects of systemic racism, some in the medical community are questioning whether the tools they use to assess patient health may be contributing to racial health disparities.That debate is playing out most prominently in the world of kidney medicine. Black people are more likely to suffer from kidney failure than non-Hispanic whites. And once they get to that stage, Black patients for a kidney transplant than white patients.Now, some doctors are asking whether a diagnostic formula most commonly used to assess the health of patients with chronic kidney disease...…As the U.S. grapples with the effects of systemic racism, some in the medical community are questioning whether the tools they use to assess patient health may be contributing to racial health disparities.That debate is playing out most prominently in the world of kidney medicine. Black people are more likely to suffer from kidney failure than non-Hispanic whites. And once they get to that stage, Black patients for a kidney transplant than white patients.Now, some doctors are asking whether a diagnostic formula most commonly used to assess the health of patients with chronic kidney disease...WW…

Kids want to know: Is it safe for Santa to stop by this year?"Will Santa still be able to visit me in coronavirus's season?" asked 6-year-old Paxton from Geneva, Ill., during a Saturday. "What if he can't go to anyone's house, or near his reindeer?"Luckily for children everywhere, the nation's top infectious disease specialist is on the case. "I took care of that for you, because I was worried that you'd all be upset," Dr. Anthony Fauci . "So what I did a little while ago: I took a trip up there to the North Pole, I went there and I vaccinated Santa Claus myself."I measured his level of...…Kids want to know: Is it safe for Santa to stop by this year?"Will Santa still be able to visit me in coronavirus's season?" asked 6-year-old Paxton from Geneva, Ill., during a Saturday. "What if he can't go to anyone's house, or near his reindeer?"Luckily for children everywhere, the nation's top infectious disease specialist is on the case. "I took care of that for you, because I was worried that you'd all be upset," Dr. Anthony Fauci . "So what I did a little while ago: I took a trip up there to the North Pole, I went there and I vaccinated Santa Claus myself."I measured his level of...WW…

The St. Louis prosecutor spearheading the case against Mark McCloskey, one half of the husband-and-wife team accused of menacing Black Lives Matter protesters with weapons, has been removed from the case.Circuit Judge Thomas Clark II on Thursday dismissed Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner and her entire staff, saying campaign fundraising emails Gardner sent to constituents that alluded to Mark and Patricia McCloskey's case "raise the appearance of impropriety and jeopardize the defendant's right to a fair trial," The Associated Press reported.The ruling means Gardner can no longer oversee...…The St. Louis prosecutor spearheading the case against Mark McCloskey, one half of the husband-and-wife team accused of menacing Black Lives Matter protesters with weapons, has been removed from the case.Circuit Judge Thomas Clark II on Thursday dismissed Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner and her entire staff, saying campaign fundraising emails Gardner sent to constituents that alluded to Mark and Patricia McCloskey's case "raise the appearance of impropriety and jeopardize the defendant's right to a fair trial," The Associated Press reported.The ruling means Gardner can no longer oversee...WW…

Heard onplaypauseListenListening...The IRS now says its own error caused thousands of non-Americans living overseas to mistakenly receive $1,200 stimulus checks — and the mistake could happen again if more stimulus money goes out.TranscriptRACHEL MARTIN, HOST:All right - an update to an NPR investigation now. Earlier this year, our team of reporters discovered that stimulus money from the first coronavirus relief package had been mistakenly sent to citizens of other countries. The U.S. government previously blamed the recipients for that error. But as Sacha Pfeiffer from our NPR...…Heard onplaypauseListenListening...The IRS now says its own error caused thousands of non-Americans living overseas to mistakenly receive $1,200 stimulus checks — and the mistake could happen again if more stimulus money goes out.TranscriptRACHEL MARTIN, HOST:All right - an update to an NPR investigation now. Earlier this year, our team of reporters discovered that stimulus money from the first coronavirus relief package had been mistakenly sent to citizens of other countries. The U.S. government previously blamed the recipients for that error. But as Sacha Pfeiffer from our NPR...WW…

playpauseListenListening...Six months after Donald Trump became president, he delivered remarks about law enforcement that set the tone for civil rights.In a speech to law enforcement officers on Long Island, : "Please don't be too nice." To applause from the crowd, the president added that it might not be necessary to protect the heads of suspects being folded into the back of police cars.For former civil rights prosecutor Kristy Parker, those words marked a major turnaround."Where I think we see a real fall-down by this administration, and a purposeful one, is in prosecutions of police...…playpauseListenListening...Six months after Donald Trump became president, he delivered remarks about law enforcement that set the tone for civil rights.In a speech to law enforcement officers on Long Island, : "Please don't be too nice." To applause from the crowd, the president added that it might not be necessary to protect the heads of suspects being folded into the back of police cars.For former civil rights prosecutor Kristy Parker, those words marked a major turnaround."Where I think we see a real fall-down by this administration, and a purposeful one, is in prosecutions of police...WW…