Politics

New York County District Attorney Cyrus Vance is stepping down after 12 years in office.

Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance reflects on Trump and Weinstein cases as he leaves office

6:25pm December 30, 2021

by Ilya Marritz

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance looks back on a career of big-name cases, including cases against the Trump Organization and Harvey Weinstein.

Queue Listen Now

The continuation of the child tax credit payments had depended on Congress passing the Build Back Better legislation before Friday.

Politics & Government

The expanded child tax credit expires Friday after Congress failed to renew it

5:04pm December 30, 2021

by Deepa Shivaram

Because the Build Back Better agenda was not passed by the Senate before the end of the year, the last payment of the expanded child tax credit program went out this month.

President Biden speaks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as Ukraine tensions rise

4:44pm December 30, 2021

President Biden spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a call Thursday as tensions mount between the Ukraine and Russia. The White House says it's "gravely concerned" about the situation.

How Dan Bongino is building a right-wing media empire on his own terms

4:44pm December 30, 2021

NPR's Mary Louise Kelly talks with Evan Osnos of The New Yorker about radio host Dan Bongino, who calls masks "face diapers," opposes vaccine mandates and says the 2016 and 2020 elections were rigged.

A portrait of Reuters journalist Danish Siddiqui at the press club in Mumbai, July 2021.

Remembering some of those we lost in 2021, from literary legends to everyday heroes

4:03pm December 30, 2021

by Tien Le

2021 was filled with tremendous loss, from staggering COVID deaths to those of leading writers such as Joan Didion and bell hooks to a longtime abortion activist and politicians who shaped our world.

U.S. Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell testified last July before the U.S. House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. Authorities say some 140 police officers were injured during the insurrection.

As the Jan. 6 attack anniversary nears, one Capitol officer fears a violent repeat

3:42pm December 30, 2021

Ten months after U.S. Capitol Police Sgt. Aquilino Gonell thought he'd die as Capitol rioters pummeled him, he's still working to recover his mental and physical health.

Queue Listen Now

The top Fresh Air web stories of 2021 reflect the show's status as a place where artists, authors and journalists speak to the moment.

You won't want to miss the 10 most popular 'Fresh Air' stories of 2021

11:40am December 30, 2021

From Dr. Anthony Fauci to Sacha Baron Cohen, the year's most popular Fresh Air web pages reflect the show's strength as a place where artists, authors and journalists speak to the moment.

A Gap store in Farmington Hills, Mich., was closed by COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020. Thousands of people were left without jobs and dependent on unemployment benefits; unfortunately, some people took advantage of the system.

Michigan paid up to $8.5 billion in fraudulent jobless claims during the pandemic

10:58am December 30, 2021

by Jaclyn Diaz

Other states have reported similar losses. Ohio reported it paid out more than $3.8 billion in fraudulent jobless aid. California has paid out at least $20 billion.

News brief: Record COVID cases, Ghislaine Maxwell verdict, Biden-Putin call

5:55am December 30, 2021

The U.S. hits a record number of COVID-19 cases. A British socialite is found guilty of helping Jeffrey Epstein sexually abuse girls. President Biden and Russia's Putin are to speak on the phone.

Queue Listen Now

Patrick Lam, an editor at Stand News, is escorted into a van by police officers after they searched for evidence at his office in Hong Kong, Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2021.

Hong Kong police charge 2 from pro-democracy news outlet with sedition

5:36am December 30, 2021

by The Associated Press

Hong Kong police on Thursday formally charged two people from a pro-democracy news outlet with sedition, a day after it said it would cease operations after a police raid and seven arrests.