The coronavirus pandemic has highlighted racial disparities with roots in the past.
Karen M. Sughrue
Karen M. Sughrue is a Senior Producer at Retro Report. Karen has worked as a producer at 60 Minutes, where her stories included the growing knowledge gap with American boys falling behind girls in school, an exposé of the U.S. military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell" policy and the impact of the one-child policy on Chinese society today. Karen also served as Executive Producer of CBS News Face the Nation and Berlin Bureau Chief covering the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union.
Posted inArticles, Uncategorized
Black Americans Were Slower to Get the Polio Vaccine, Too.
Racial and health biases have a long history in America. During the polio outbreaks of the 1930s, white scientists had pushed the theory that Blacks were less susceptible to polio. But in fact, many cases of polio in Black victims went undiagnosed. A segregated medical system denied them access to adequate care, in what was […]
Posted inUncategorized
From Our Archives, Roots of Extremism
The Jan. 6 siege of the U.S. Capitol by supporters of Donald Trump is likely to become a rallying cry (and recruitment tool) for militia and extremist “patriot” groups, as have other events from history: Ruby Ridge, Waco and Malheur. The 1992 Ruby Ridge incident in Idaho is iconic to anti-government groups. Separatist Randy Weaver […]
Posted inArticles, Uncategorized
Unwanted at Past Inaugurals: Tensions, Politics and Unruly Guests
In the days before President Biden’s inauguration, Washington went into lockdown. Checkpoints, National Guard troops and miles of fencing, razor wire and barricades were deployed following the Jan. 6 Capitol riot by Trump supporters. But it was not the first time security concerns and political divisions shaped an inauguration.Shortly before the ceremony, then President-elect Biden […]
Posted inVideo
Trump and Biden Both Want to Repeal Section 230. Would That Wreck the Internet?
Today’s heated political arguments over censorship and misinformation online are rooted in a 26-word snippet of a law that created the Internet as we know it.
Posted inUncategorized
How the Electoral College Upends the Popular Vote, and What’s Needed to Abolish It
How is it that the office of United States president, the highest in the land, is one where the person who gets the most votes can still lose the election? Fifty years ago, Congress came close to changing that process. Why did the effort fail? Twice in the last 20 years (in 2016 with President […]
Posted inVideo
Enemies of the People: Trump and the Political Press
In this hour-long film, nominated for two 2021 Emmy Awards, journalists who covered Donald Trump during the 2016 race for the White House critique their role in the former president’s rise to power.
Posted inUncategorized
When Presidents Send In Federal Troops
Former U.S. military leaders, including General Jim Mattis, the former Pentagon chief, say President Donald Trump’s recent threat to send active duty troops to deal with protesters would erode “a trusted bond” with civilian society. History shows the move is almost always controversial. Under the 1807 Insurrection Act, a president’s power to “suppress rebellion” using […]
Posted inVideo
Coronavirus Has a Playlist. Songs About Disease Go Way Back.
Coronavirus songwriting has gone as global as the pandemic itself, creating a new genre called pandemic pop. It’s a tradition with a long history.
Posted inVideo
Coronavirus: Lessons From Past Epidemics
Dr. Larry Brilliant, who helped eradicate smallpox, says past epidemics can teach us to fight coronavirus.
