By the time I came to know Michelle Zauner as a writer, when The New Yorker published her personal essay "Crying in H Mart" in August 2018, I had been following her as a musician for five years. I first saw her perform in Philadelphia as the frontwoman of emo band Little Big League in 2013; when she emerged with her poppy shoegaze solo project Japanese Breakfast in 2016, I recognized Zauner only in her soaring, searching voice. Psychopomp, the first record Zauner released as Japanese Breakfast, hinted at where she had been in between: escorting her mother from the world of the living to that o ..read more

The American ambassador to Russia is returning to Washington for "consultations" after a new round of sanctions imposed on Moscow last week by President Biden, including the expulsion of 10 U.S. diplomats – a move quickly followed by reciprocal measures from the Kremlin. A brief statement from the U.S. Embassy in Moscow on Tuesday announced that Ambassador John Sullivan was returning to the U.S. this week after his Russian counterpart was recalled amid increasingly strained relations between the two countries. "I believe it is important for me to speak directly with my new colleagues in the Bi ..read more

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It's been a year since teachers were handed an unprecedented request: educate students in entirely new ways amid the backdrop of a pandemic. In this comic series, we'll illustrate one teacher's story each week from now until the end of the school year. Episode 5 Shameem Patel, a second-grade teacher in Dallas, on personal growth and loss — and the skills needed to get through the pandemic Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit "One day, I looked in the [Google Meet] chat box, and one of my students was like ... Hi, I worked out the problem and I did it on my Jamboard. And I was like ... What i ..read more

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The Biden admin. has taken a tough approach to China so far, but it is hoping to make climate change an arena of cooperation. It will be a test of Biden's compete-and-cooperate China policy ..read more

The Tiny Desk is working from home for the foreseeable future. Introducing NPR Music's Tiny Desk (home) concerts, bringing you performances from across the country and the world. It's the same spirit — stripped-down sets, an intimate setting — just a different space. After more than 13 months amid a global pandemic, C. Tangana's extended family basking in the warmth of sobremesa with easy smiles and effortless baile looks otherworldly. But considering the Spanish rapper's past year back home in Madrid, the simplicity feels fiercely authentic. (Check his mama and tia vibing in the corner.) This ..read more