How The WNBA Paved The Protest Path; Photos Of Our Social Distancing Summer

Plus, finding your perfect mentor

by Jill Hudson and Suzette Lohmeyer Ash Ponders for NPR Stories and podcasts you may have missed ...  People across the United States have changed their daily routines to stay safe during the coronavirus pandemic. Plastic partitions went up, town hall meetings moved to football fields, and national parks became even more popular. NPR asked photographers to remind us what America has looked like during this summer of social distancing.  Women, worried and disheartened by the coronavirus, are giving to political campaigns at higher rates than ever before. And a greater number of women donating to campaigns means more women with political clout; that could make a big difference in some of this year's closest political races, say experts. Listen here or read the story.  It would have been unimaginable only weeks ago to see Israeli officials exit a Star of David-adorned jetliner in the United Arab Emirates and walk down a red carpet on the tarmac. But that's what happened last week, marking a first for the countries after they agreed to establish diplomatic relations last month. NPR's Daniel Estrin describes what it was like from inside the plane.  For years, WNBA players have been at the forefront of protests for Black lives, speaking out against police brutality and gun violence. Code Switch talked with Amira Rose Davis, co-host of the podcast Burn It All Down, about the history of activism by Black athletes and how Black women have often been written out of that history.   Whether the coronavirus vaccine developed by Moderna succeeds or not, executives at the small biotech company have already made tens of millions of dollars by cashing in their stock. An NPR examination of official company disclosures has revealed additional irregularities and potential warning signs. Newsletter continues after sponsor message Listen Up! Amy Matsushita-Beal for NPR The right mentoring relationship can be a powerful tool for professional growth — it can lead to a new job, a promotion or even a better work-life balance. Life Kit helps you find the right one. Listen to the podcast here or read the story.  Where can you find a sword swallower, a plastic surgeon, a gynecologist and a dog groomer? At Bianco Brothers Instruments, which expertly sharpens knives and blades and makes tools for a wide range of trades. On this episode of StoryCorps, a father and son reflect how their family has honed toolmaking through three generations at their Brooklyn, N.Y., shop. Listen to their story or read it here.  Feel like you're in the middle of one long parent fail during the pandemic? You're not alone. KQED's Tonya Mosley; Nancy Redd, author and mother; and Wajahat Ali, New York Times contributor and father, answer questions about parenting during this tricky time. History Lesson Imagno/Getty Images Alex Hershaft remembers the special comb his family used when he was 6 years old, living in the Warsaw ghetto. A disease known as epidemic typhus — a highly contagious bacterial disease carried by body lice — was spreading among the close to half a million Jews confined in 1.3 square miles of Warsaw, Poland, in 1940. Amazingly, the community beat the odds and stopped the outbreak. Their success was the subject of a study to find out if there are lessons to be learned for how to deal with COVID-19.  The Culture Club Esmé Shapiro for NPR Camps and schools and activities have shut down during the pandemic, leaving kids and caregivers stuck at home and climbing the walls. With that in mind, we decided that this year's summer reader poll should be all about keeping kids occupied. We hope this list will help you find just the right books for the kids in your life. A new book by two Wall Street Journal reporters charts Mohammed Bin Salman’s evolution from an unfocused, overweight kid with a taste for McDonald's to an increasingly brutish man with an eye on the Saudi throne. This week, NPR Music launched a timeline of protest music, called We Insist — a nod to Max Roach's 1960 protest album of the same name. It’s an ongoing project to document the songs and videos that have come to define the summer of 2020 and serve as a testament to the power of protest music in this moment.  There is something that happens in Texas that really doesn't happen anywhere else. The mashup of Mexican and Texan cultures manifests itself in food, fashion, attitude and music in a way that is distinct from the rest of Southwestern U.S. This week's Alt.Latino guests, the Texicana Mamas, are yet another example of that cultural hybrid. What do you think of today's email? We'd love to hear your thoughts, questions and feedback: bestofnpr@npr.org Enjoying this newsletter? 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