All Things Considered

The U.S. has carried out an airstrike in Syria against an Iranian-backed militia target. The move appears to be in response to a series of rocket attacks against U.S. targets in Iraq.

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All this week, we are remembering some of the more than 500,000 people in the U.S. who've died of COVID-19 through the music that gave their lives meaning. We're calling our tribute Songs of Remembrance. Deb Kalish wanted to remember her partner, Paul Kleinheider of Chatham, N.J. He was hospitalized early in the pandemic, and once the hospital figured out how patients could connect to the outside world on Zoom, Deb called Paul that way several times a day and played him the songs he loved, especially "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel.

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

All this week, we are remembering some of the more than 500,000 people in the U.S. who've died of COVID-19 through the music that gave their lives meaning. We're calling our tribute Songs of Remembrance. Deb Kalish wanted to remember her partner, Paul Kleinheider of Chatham, N.J. He was hospitalized early in the pandemic, and once the hospital figured out how patients could connect to the outside world on Zoom, Deb called Paul that way several times a day and played him the songs he loved, especially "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel.

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

All this week, we are remembering some of the more than 500,000 people in the U.S. who've died of COVID-19 through the music that gave their lives meaning. We're calling our tribute Songs of Remembrance. Deb Kalish wanted to remember her partner, Paul Kleinheider of Chatham, N.J. He was hospitalized early in the pandemic, and once the hospital figured out how patients could connect to the outside world on Zoom, Deb called Paul that way several times a day and played him the songs he loved, especially "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel.

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

All this week, we are remembering some of the more than 500,000 people in the U.S. who've died of COVID-19 through the music that gave their lives meaning. We're calling our tribute Songs of Remembrance. Deb Kalish wanted to remember her partner, Paul Kleinheider of Chatham, N.J. He was hospitalized early in the pandemic, and once the hospital figured out how patients could connect to the outside world on Zoom, Deb called Paul that way several times a day and played him the songs he loved, especially "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel.

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

All this week, we are remembering some of the more than 500,000 people in the U.S. who've died of COVID-19 through the music that gave their lives meaning. We're calling our tribute Songs of Remembrance. Deb Kalish wanted to remember her partner, Paul Kleinheider of Chatham, N.J. He was hospitalized early in the pandemic, and once the hospital figured out how patients could connect to the outside world on Zoom, Deb called Paul that way several times a day and played him the songs he loved, especially "Bridge Over Troubled Water" by Simon and Garfunkel.

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

Across the country, coal-burning power plants are closing. Wind turbines and solar farms are expanding. This transition cleans the air. It reduces greenhouse emissions. But it can also be painful. In North Dakota, some local officials are trying to keep a coal plant alive by blocking construction of new wind power. NPR's Dan Charles has more.

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Across the country, coal-burning power plants are closing. Wind turbines and solar farms are expanding. This transition cleans the air. It reduces greenhouse emissions. But it can also be painful. In North Dakota, some local officials are trying to keep a coal plant alive by blocking construction of new wind power. NPR's Dan Charles has more.

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

This week, we're remembering some of the more than 500,000 people in the U.S. who have died from COVID-19 through the music that gave their lives meaning. We're calling our tribute songs of remembrance. Today, Lionel Mares shares stories about his mother, Maria Angelica Mares, of Sun Valley, Calif. He says the song his mom loved was "I Walk The Line" by Johnny Cash.

(SOUNDBITE OF JOHNNY CASH SONG, "I WALK THE LINE")

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

This week, we're remembering some of the more than 500,000 people in the U.S. who have died from COVID-19 through the music that gave their lives meaning. We're calling our tribute songs of remembrance. Today, Lionel Mares shares stories about his mother, Maria Angelica Mares, of Sun Valley, Calif. He says the song his mom loved was "I Walk The Line" by Johnny Cash.

(SOUNDBITE OF JOHNNY CASH SONG, "I WALK THE LINE")

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

This week, we're remembering some of the more than 500,000 people in the U.S. who have died from COVID-19 through the music that gave their lives meaning. We're calling our tribute songs of remembrance. Today, Lionel Mares shares stories about his mother, Maria Angelica Mares, of Sun Valley, Calif. He says the song his mom loved was "I Walk The Line" by Johnny Cash.

(SOUNDBITE OF JOHNNY CASH SONG, "I WALK THE LINE")

The concierge healthcare provider One Medical has been allowing ineligible people to receive COVID-19 vaccines, according to documents leaked to NPR. The company denies this claim.

Another COVID-19 vaccine may soon be available. The Food and Drug Administration has conducted an evaluation of the application from Johnson & Johnson for emergency use authorization for its vaccine.

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Hour after hour, in testimony that was sometimes dense, senators and witnesses discussed everything from protective gear for officers to communications between law enforcement agencies to what can be done to prevent future attacks.

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The United States hit a devastating milestone today - 500,000 people now dead from COVID-19. That's according to the tally kept by researchers at Johns Hopkins University. Well, while infections have been falling and vaccinations have been ramping up, about 2,000 people are still dying from the virus in this country each day. President Biden led the nation in remembering and mourning those deaths this evening at the White House.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

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