Consider This from NPR Folgen

Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour is one of President Biden's priorities with the newest COVID-19 relief package. But Republicans say it will hurt small businesses too much and some swing voting Democrats are hesitant too. The history of the minimum wage in the U.S. is tied closely to civil rights. Ellora Derenoncourt, an economist at the University of California, Berkeley, says one theme of the 1963 March on Washington was a call for a higher minimum wage. Many states have a higher minimum wage than the federally mandated $7.25. Arindrajit Dube from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst discusses how those states have fared. In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at considerthis@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

A third COVID-19 vaccine could receive emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration this month. The vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson is 66% effective in preventing moderate to severe disease, according to a global study. Combined with the two vaccines currently in circulation, the U.S. could have three vaccines that are all highly effective at preventing death or hospitalization due to COVID-19.Despite that promising news, NPR's Richard Harris reports on why the journey to herd immunity still won't be easy.And Rae Ellen Bichelle goes inside a Colorado long-term care facility that has vaccinated nearly all of its residents. They say the initial steps to a return to normalcy feel great.Additional reporting in this episode on the spread of coronavirus variants from NPR's Allison Aubrey.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at considerthis@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy

For months, Myanmar's military party has claimed — without evidence — that its poor performance in the country's November parliamentary elections was the result of voter fraud. This week, when the new Parliament was scheduled to convene, the military launched a coup, detaining top civilian officials including State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi. Michael Sullivan reports from Thailand on the uncertainty over what happens next. Washington Post columnist Fareed Zakaria explains why the coup represents a test for the Biden administration. Zakaria is the author of Ten Lessons for a Post-Pandemic World.In participating regions, you'll also hear a local news segment that will help you make sense of what's going on in your community.Email us at considerthis@npr.org.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy