North America

Cases of the recently identified Covid-19 variant NB 1.8.1. are rising. Some have dubbed the variant “razor blade throat” for one of its notably painful symptoms. The World Health Organization says it’s monitoring the variant. The World’s Marco Werman spoke to Michael Mina, an epidemiologist and immunologist based in Boston.

A constant fixture of National Geographic Explorer Paul Salopek’s journey through rural Japan was the whirligig, or as he called them, “seismic scarecrows.” Gardeners he spoke to use these contraptions to scare away crop pests like mice and foxes. Host Carolyn Beeler spoke with Salopek about the whirligigs, rural Japanese architectural aesthetics and how he got aboard a cargo ship to cross to North America.

President Donald Trump’s wide-ranging tariffs announced on Wednesday are designed to project strength, raise revenue for tax cuts and revive US manufacturing. But skeptics say the tariffs will pull the rug out from under a global trade system that — despite its flaws — has delivered prosperity for many global players for decades. Host Carolyn Beeler discusses the implications with Ian Bremmer, president of Eurasia Group, an international consulting firm.

Some undocumented parents and students at schools in California and around the country worry that filling out the federal financial aid form, known as FAFSA, will tip off the government to their immigration status. That information isn’t supposed to be shared with other government agencies. But, some say, the new administration means they’re in uncharted waters.

Cities around the globe are looking for ways to improve bike infrastructure, with varying degrees of success. But Toronto is moving in the opposite direction: the government of Ontario has passed legislation allowing the removal of bike lanes in the city, resulting in a showdown between officials and bicycle advocates.