The war on straws

Environmentalists looking to cut plastic waste have boosted recycling and reduced the use of plastic bags. Now they've found new, smaller targets: the utensils, straws, stirrers and other single-use goods that make up more than 7 percent of plastic products found in the environment.

Kiliii Yuyan for NPR Keeping a kid in his culture and halting a family trauma, all from thousands of miles away Rene Schimmel's mom grew up in Alaska in an era when the government tried to teach (and beat) the tribe out of you. She wanted better for her son. But steeping Sam in her people's traditions, skills and songs was easier than protecting him from their intergenerational pain or getting his Seattle school to adapt to his cultural learning. Ultimately, the 18-year-old found his place and his voice, but Rene has had a tougher time. Mario Tama/Getty Images The government says dozens of Puerto Ricans died because of Hurricane Maria; try thousands, says a research team from Harvard Between the Category 4 storm's devastation and the end of 2017, the public health scientists say there were some 5,000 more deaths than normal among island residents, who spent most of those months with little electricity or access to medical care. Puerto Ricans reacted to the report with an impromptu memorial at the island’s Capitol and demands that their loss be recognized. Researchers say that because entire families may have been wiped out, their tally still may be too low. Barbara Woike/AP Beyond the bag, environmentalists are taking aim at other single-use plastics, including straws and drink stirrers Americans tossed more than 33 million tons of plastic in 2014, and more companies and cities are changing policies to cut back. Some schools and restaurants have shifted back to paper straws, and New York is considering a citywide ban on the plastic bits. Other businesses have gotten creative, like a California restaurant that has replaced straws with compostable, edible pasta. Seth Wenig/AP When Donald Trump felt threatened, Michael Cohen threatened right back: ‘I will take you for every penny you still don't have’ NPR's Tim Mak shares audio of a 2015 encounter with the president's trusted "fixer," when Cohen tried to kill a story the reporter was pursuing by vowing to rain down legal hell if it was published: "What I'm going to do to you is going to be f***ing disgusting." Stormy Daniels says she was similarly bullied by Cohen before signing a nondisclosure agreement. Now, Cohen, in the crosshairs of a federal investigation, is on the receiving end of legal pressure and will have to decide what to do. Schmidt Ocean Institute Scientists had no idea why sharks were going a thousand miles offshore to what looked like a dead zone. They followed the fish, and found a Michelin-worthy menu Great white sharks led a team of marine biologists to an area that satellites had suggested would be the apex-predator equivalent of a food desert. Deep underwater, they found "a complete food chain, a ladder of consumption,” with huge variety in sites just a few miles apart. On the sampler platter: jellyfish, crustaceans, squids and more. The mysterious marine food court may become a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You received this message because you're subscribed to our Best of NPR emails. |  Unsubscribe  |  Privacy Policy | NPR 1111 N. CAPITOL ST. NE WASHINGTON DC 20002