Older White Voters Up For Grabs; The Illness Affecting Young Athletes; The March On Washington

Plus, is it safe to get on a bus or subway?

by Jill Hudson and Suzette Lohmeyer Tyrone Turner/WAMU Stories and podcasts you may have missed...  Thousands of demonstrators descended on the nation's capital on Friday to demand an overhaul to the nation's criminal justice system and push for racial equality at the same site the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. called for those same reforms decades ago in his iconic "I Have A Dream" speech. See photos from Friday's march and watch a video of stories from people who attended the 1963 march.  A person with a high viral load walks into a bar. That, according to researchers who study the novel coronavirus, is a recipe for a superspreading event. Just what makes this particular virus so … superspready? Inquiring minds also want to know: Is it safe to get on a bus or subway?  It has been three weeks since a massive explosion in Beirut's port. Thousands of volunteers from all over Lebanon have showed up in the city to help clear rubble and offer accommodation to hundreds of thousands who have lost their homes.  Young athletes — especially teen girls — can struggle with a breathing problem that is misdiagnosed as asthma. The real cause of the problem is in the vocal cords. The recent shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wis., has brought discussions about the racial and economic divide in this growing bedroom community to the forefront. The world is also debating how to talk about Kyle Rittenhouse, the Illinois teenager who has been charged with the shooting deaths of two people — and the wounding of a third — as they protested for racial justice after the shooting of Jacob Blake.  Newsletter continues after sponsor message Listen Up! Courtesy of Ayim Darkeh Ayim Darkeh, an emergency room doctor in New York City, spoke with his mother, Shirley, in June about his experiences with racism, dating back to childhood. Listen to the StoryCorps episode or read about it here.  Plus listen to Life Kit's tips on how to be "anti-racist."  How was the the richest and most powerful country in the world laid low by a virus only nanometers in size? Ed Yong, a science reporter for The Atlantic, says it's the inequities that have been with us for generations that made our body politic such opportunistic targets. Listen to this episode of Code Switch here or read interview highlights.  Older white voters — a demographic that played a big role in electing Donald Trump four years ago — may be up for grabs in this year’s election. Many say they are unhappy with his general behavior and how he’s handled the pandemic, but others intend to stick with him. Click here to listen or read the story.  Our Picture Show Pick Hannah Reyes Morales for NPR At 12 years old, Joan Garcia liked leaping into the sea and racing the boys to the nearest pylon. She liked playing tag. When she started having sex at 13, she thought it was just another game. Over a 10-year period, 1.2 million Filipina girls between the ages of 10 and 19 have had a child. That's a rate of 24 babies per hour. And the pandemic has only made the situation worse.  Earth, Wind And Fire  Stocktrek Images/Getty Images Water is everywhere on Earth — the clouds, the rain, the oceans and rivers, even our own bodies. Where all that water originally came from is a bit of a mystery. NPR's Nell Greenfieldboyce reports that scientists may have found the answer inside some rare meteorites. Take a listen or read about it here. We've already seen smoke from the fires in California reach all the way to Minnesota. And with all that smoke comes possible risks to human health. Listen to Short Wave explain what smoke is made of, how it behaves in the atmosphere and what is its role in climate change.  The upshot of climate change is that everyone alive is destined to experience unprecedented disasters — the most powerful hurricanes, the most intense wildfires, the most prolonged heat waves and the most frequent outbreaks of new diseases are all in our future. Listen here or read the story.  The Culture Club  Stocktrek Images/Getty Images A new documentary, Class Action Park, is the story of an infamous New Jersey waterslide park that opened in 1978, enjoyed great popularity in the 1980s and is now remembered in part for the injuries and deaths that gave it its nickname. Not surprisingly, it was very popular with teenagers. It was run by kids, too, and they had a really good time. Mostly, the film is about the people who remember Action Park and want you to know it wasn't all bad. Actor Chadwick Boseman, who starred in Black Panther, has died at the age of 43. A statement posted on Boseman's Twitter account on Friday said the actor had battled colon cancer for the past four years.  Billie Eilish played NPR’s Tiny Desk at what looks like the actual Tiny Desk! How did she do it?  Correction: An earlier version of the Best Of NPR email incorrectly stated that Jacob Blake had died. He has not. Blake remains hospitalized after being paralyzed from the waist down.  What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: bestofnpr@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? Forward to a friend! They can sign up here. Looking for more great content? Check out all of our newsletter offerings — including Daily News, Politics, Health and more! You received this message because you're subscribed to Best of NPR emails. 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