Mary Louise Kelly

Hear the cellist talk about the purpose of music in the face of racial tension and health crises, plus his new album, Not Our First Goat Rodeo, which reunites him with old bluegrass buddies.

Jacob Frey acknowledges a need to shift a culture that has "failed black and brown people" for years. But he says calling for the dismantling of police without an alternative in place is "not a plan."

Author L.L. McKinney created the #PublishingPaidMe hashtag, where black and white authors are comparing their book advances. "You can now use this to fight for what you are worth," she says.

The Vanishing Half is about African American twins — one lives as a black woman, the other "passes" as white. Passing is "an act of self-creation and also an act of self-destruction," Bennett says.

Atlanta was the cradle of the civil rights movement in the '60s. As protests return to the city — this time in response to the death of George Floyd — what lessons can be taken from the past?

Scientists are trying to answer various questions about the coronavirus four months after the first confirmed case in the U.S.: why it spreads, who transmits it and where the spread is happening.

Nearly 41% of jobs in the state's food and accommodation industry have been lost. The overall levels are comparable to the Great Depression, says David Schmidt, a state economist.

Maureen O'Donnell of the Chicago Sun-Times says obituary writers aren't able to cover the life of each person who has died of COVID-19. But they do their best to tell "a variety of stories."

Feda Almaliti is the mother of a 15-year-old son with severe autism and an advocate. She describes how the challenges of the coronavirus crisis are exponentially more difficult for families like hers.

Developing and producing a vaccine is a complicated process — one that is heavily reliant on countries sharing supplies and a common goal, says Prashant Yadav of the Center for Global Development.

California led the nation in issuing a statewide stay-at-home order. And it's paying an economic price: a $54 billion deficit. As the state reopens, it seeks to balance the economy and public health.

Singer-songwriter Jason Isbell talks about releasing his new album early to independent record stores and reconnecting with a younger version of himself after being sober for almost a decade.

The author of And Then They Stopped Talking To Me tells NPR, "I expected middle schoolers to be these sorts of monsters. And they weren't. They were just kids."

Three of Matanuska Brewing Company's four locations are operating under new coronavirus safety guidelines, such as hourly sanitizing and a maximum capacity of 25%. Business is brisk, the owner says.

Dayton, Ohio, is one of many U.S. cities facing financial struggles amid the pandemic. The city has already laid off 25% of its workforce, says Mayor Nan Whaley.

The End of October is about a mysterious virus that starts in Asia, sweeps across continents, cripples the health care system, wrecks the economy, and kills people worldwide.

For eight seasons, Homeland has closely tracked real-life events and anxieties. Now, the show drops its finale in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic — a terrifying real world plot twist.

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks to Americana artist Lucinda Williams about her new album Good Souls Better Angels and the spirit of protest that she says has "always been in my blood."

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice follows Elizabeth Bennet's effort to marry. Now, Janice Hadlow has made the least of the sisters in that story, Mary, the star of her own novel of self-discovery.

The U.S. has reported far more cases of coronavirus than any other country. How did the country not see this coming as recently as late February? What went wrong with the messaging from the top?