Feb 19, 2021

Where did hazard pay go?

Plus: inflation in energy, shelter and food, Chinese students are reconsidering coming to the U.S. for college and Joe Biden makes his first international appearance as U.S. president at the G-7 summit.

Segments From this episode

Inflation hits gasoline, lumber and meat

by Mitchell Hartman

Feb 19, 2021

There isn't a lot of inflation in the U.S. economy overall, but some commodities are spiking higher as the economy recovers.

The price of lumber has nearly tripled through the pandemic, according to the National Association of Home Builders. Above, a wheel loader moves logs in Deer Lodge, Montana.

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

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COVID-19

Some local governments have started mandating hazard pay

by Kristin Schwab

Feb 19, 2021

But almost a year into the pandemic, most front-line workers are going without it.

Working on site during the pandemic is still hazardous, but many who do that receive no hazard pay from their employers.

Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images

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COVID-19

There are fewer visas, but Chinese students still want a U.S. education

by Jennifer Pak

Feb 19, 2021

Chinese students spend years mapping out the path to U.S. colleges. The pandemic has disrupted all of that.

"Contemplation in the afternoon," is one of the many pieces of art Li Jiayan has posted on social media in hopes of getting more freelance work while she figures out the next steps in her study plans.

Courtesy of Li Jiayan

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Biden walks a trans-Atlantic tightrope, balancing domestic, foreign concerns

by Kimberly Adams

Feb 19, 2021

The president wants to reengage with the world, but it won't be able to immediately reverse Trump administration policies.

President Joe Biden's infrastructure plan would make roughly a trillion dollars available to repair roads, bridges and other systems.

Anna Moneymaker/Pool/Getty Images

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COVID-19

For many scientists, the pandemic changed research

by Erika Beras

Feb 19, 2021

While those researching COVID-19 remained hard at work, others left their labs behind or improvised new methods.

While coronavirus research has boomed, many other kinds of projects have been hindered.

Misha Friedman/Getty Images

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Music from the episode

Same Old Lie Jim James

Sun Dress Freddie Joachim

Brea Oddisee

I'd Rather Be with You Bootsy Collins

The World Is Ours Funky DL

Preservation Wu-Tang Clan, Del The Funky Homosapien, Aesop Rock

The team

Nancy Farghalli Executive Producer

Daisy Palacios Senior Producer

Maria Hollenhorst Producer

Sean McHenry Associate Producer

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