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A satellite image shows smoke and some of the major fires in Western states on Sept. 13. Sean McMinn/NPR, Source: RAMMB/Colorado State University hide caption

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Sean McMinn/NPR, Source: RAMMB/Colorado State University

1 in 7 Americans Have Experienced Dangerous Air Quality Due To Wildfires This Year

Parts of the West Coast experienced very unhealthy or hazardous air from wildfires for the first time ever recorded. Millions endured that smoke for twice as long as the recent average.

Researchers in Miami hold syringes containing either a placebo or the candidate COVID-19 vaccine from Moderna. Their work is part of a phase three clinical trial sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. Taimy Alvarez/AP hide caption

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Taimy Alvarez/AP

Why Tens Of Thousands Of People Are Key To Testing A COVID-19 Vaccine

Volunteers getting the shot help determine if a candidate vaccine works. But what with social distancing and masks, scientists must discern if it's the shot or these other measures preventing illness.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute for Allergy and Infectious Diseases, is pictured in a hearing on July 31. He is testifying on Wednesday alongside other top health officials in a Senate panel hearing. Pool/Getty Images hide caption

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Pool/Getty Images

Public Health Leaders Vow Science, Not Politics, Will Guide Vaccine

The hearing comes the day after the U.S. death toll from the coronavirus pandemic topped 200,000 people. Dr. Anthony Fauci, Dr. Robert Redfield and others testified.

Huda Mohamed, a student at James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Va., has an immunodeficiency. She decided to take extra precautions by using Virginia's COVIDWISE app, which alerts users who may have been exposed to the coronavirus. Such apps are only available in a few states. Eman Mohammed for NPR hide caption

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Eman Mohammed for NPR

A Tech Powerhouse, U.S. Lags In Using Smartphones For Contact Tracing

Google and Apple teamed up on using smartphones to track coronavirus infections. But the systems are only available in a few states, where they're being used by a tiny percentage of the population.

Then-Vice President Joe Biden, center, his son Hunter Biden, left, and his sister Valerie Biden Owens, right, in 2016. Hunter Biden is the subject of a new GOP report. Visar Kryeziu/AP hide caption

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Visar Kryeziu/AP

GOP Report: Hunter Biden's Ukraine Job 'Problematic,' Effect On Policy 'Unclear'

Senate Republicans released their investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden's son, who was paid by a Ukrainian company as his father handled Ukraine affairs under President Obama.

A small sign identifies the hamlet of Swastika, New York. Ben Rowe/Plattsburgh Press-Republican hide caption

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Ben Rowe/Plattsburgh Press-Republican

Swastika, A Town In New York, Is Keeping Its Name

NCPR

When an outsider suggested the tiny northern hamlet of Swastika should change its name, town supervisors quickly rejected a change.

Swastika, New York, Is Keeping Its Name

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Boxes of Uncle Ben Converted Rice on a store shelf. Mars, Incorporated announced on Wednesday that it is changing the name of the brand to Ben's Original. Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images hide caption

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Roberto Machado Noa/LightRocket via Getty Images

Uncle Ben's Changing Name To Ben's Original After Criticism Of Racial Stereotyping

"We understand the inequities that were associated with the name and face of the Uncle Ben's brand and ... we have committed to change," the parent company said in a statement.

Sizzler USA has filed for bankruptcy as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions. Here, drivers pass a closed Sizzler restaurant in Montebello, Calif. Frederic J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

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Frederic J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images

Pandemic Fizzle: Sizzler Steakhouse Chain Files For Bankruptcy Protection

The restaurant chain, which first opened 62 years ago, says it wants to keep all of its locations open. There are more than 100 Sizzler restaurants in the U.S.

Public opinion surveys show that Chinese and U.S. respondents show increasingly negative attitudes toward each other's countries. In China, reported levels of satisfaction with the Chinese government have grown. Veronaa/Getty Images hide caption

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Veronaa/Getty Images

As U.S. Views Of China Grow More Negative, Chinese Support For Their Government Rises

Recent trends in public sentiment run parallel to deteriorating U.S.-China relations. In China, the pandemic "increased people's satisfaction and support for their government," says a sociologist.

As U.S. Views Of China Grow More Negative, Chinese Support For Their Government Rises

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Lidia Yermoshina (left) chairperson of the Belarusian Central Election Commission, hands over a presidential ID to President Alexander Lukashenko during an inauguration ceremony Wednesday at Independence Palace in Minsk. Andrei Stasevich/BelTA/TASS hide caption

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Andrei Stasevich/BelTA/TASS

Belarus President Is Secretly Inaugurated Weeks After Disputed Election

Alexander Lukashenko declared a landslide victory in Aug. 9 polls widely seen as fraudulent. He was sworn in for a sixth term Wednesday in a secret ceremony in the capital, according to state media.

President Trump, pictured on the South Lawn of the White House on Tuesday, signed an executive order on certain training about race for federal contractors, expanding an earlier ban on federal employees. Drew Angerer/Getty Images hide caption

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Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Trump Expands Ban On Racial Sensitivity Training To Federal Contractors

The president signed an executive order to combat race and sex "stereotyping" and "scapegoating." The training cited includes references to white privilege and systemic racism.

The Greek island of Kastellorizo, shown here at sunset from the top of an ancient castle, is a little over a mile away from the Turkish shore. Known for its architecture, turquoise sea and friendship with the neighbor Turks, it's recently become a pawn in a geopolitical dispute between the Greek and Turkish governments over hydrocarbons and maritime borders. Demetrios Ioannou for NPR hide caption

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Demetrios Ioannou for NPR

'Not Our World': This Greek Island Wants An End To Greece And Turkey's Feud

Kastellorizo has become a pawn in a dispute between Greece and Turkey over maritime borders and offshore resources. But as the governments' standoff continues, islanders speak of peace and harmony.

'Not Our World': This Greek Island Wants An End To Greece And Turkey's Feud

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"The train's afoot!": (L to R) Sherlock (Henry Cavill) and Mycroft (Sam Claflin) literally look down on their younger sister Enola (Millie Bobby Brown) in Netflix's Enola Holmes. Alex Bailey/Legendary/Netflix hide caption

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Alex Bailey/Legendary/Netflix

In The Lively 'Enola Holmes,' Sherlock's Little Sister Goes Sleuthing

This bright and breezy Netflix adaptation of a YA novel finds Millie Bobbie Brown starring as the brilliant, fourth-wall-busting little sister of Sherlock Holmes.

A photo of Alexei Navalny posted on his Instagram account. Navalny wrote that it was taken Wednesday, the day after he was discharged from a Berlin hospital following more than a month of treatment for poisoning. Alexei Navalny/Instagram hide caption

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Alexei Navalny/Instagram

Russian Opposition Leader Alexei Navalny Discharged From Berlin Hospital

Navalny spent 32 days in Berlin's Charité Hospital, 24 of them in intensive care. Independent lab tests in three countries confirmed he had been poisoned by a Soviet-era nerve agent.

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