It’s OK if you’ve been swamped. We’ve got you.
To help you catch up, we’ve compiled five stories that might have slipped under your radar this week. From learning about missing and murdered Indigenous people via podcast, to what that weird conversation with President Trump and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky actually meant, to a Maryland school district figuring out how to turn around bad student behavior, these stories and the communities they represent deserve your attention. Here’s what you need to know to stay informed without spending hours scrolling through news feeds.
- Among adult Americans who listen to podcasts, about 41% listen regularly to podcasts about true crime (and women are nearly twice as likely to listen as men), according to the Pew Research Center. Nonetheless, the stories of missing and murdered Indigenous people, especially women, don’t get much attention. That’s where Sheyahshe Littledave and Ahli-sha “Osh” Stephens, both part of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, come in. The two host We Are Resilient: A MMIW True Crime Podcast. They spoke with Native News Online about how their show challenges misconceptions about missing and murdered Indigenous women and reinforces how much “their lives mattered.” Read more at Native News Online.
- Nation-states have always maintained their power through secrecy, might and the control of information — until the modern age. Now we live in a time when the entire world can witness the explosive meeting between President Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky. The spectacle exposed “the weaknesses of leaders and the dysfunction of global diplomacy,” writes Vivek Wadhwa for India Currents. Our new reality, midwifed by technology, demands audiences have the ability to sift through noise and find truth. Can we use this moment to create something better for our future? Wadhwa asks. Read more at India Currents.
- A decade or so ago, the hallways of Pocomoke High School in Pocomoke City, Md. were pretty wild (in 2010, a student punched a teacher in the face), writes Audrey Keefe for Baltimore Beat. Now students come to a pleasant environment where the class of 2024 had a 100% graduation rate. School officials say it’s all because of ‘restorative practices,’ a technique that involves having students develop meaningful relationships with instructors instead of using traditional discipline. Read more at Baltimore Beat.
- Amber Thurman, a 28-year-old mother and medical assistant from Georgia, tried to have a medication abortion in 2022 due to an unplanned pregnancy. She experienced complications after the procedure, and after hospital workers delayed performing critical treatment due to their uncertainty about Georgia abortion laws, she died. Her mother, Shanette Williams, speaks with Jen Taylor-Skinner on The Electorette podcast about the urgent need to restore reproductive rights throughout the country. Listen to The Electorette.
- Did you see the speech by the Palestinian and Israeli filmmakers at the Academy Awards this past Sunday? They addressed the audience in the room and the larger viewing public after winning the Oscar for best documentary feature. They spoke firmly and eloquently in favor of peace and even said the U.S. government was a current obstacle to peace between Israelis and Palestinians. We have a transcript of their powerful words. For more, you can see our live coverage of the Oscars broadcast. Read more at URL Media.
