The Clock's Ticking For 178 Hospital Workers Suspended For Not Getting Vaccinated Employees at Houston Methodist who are unwilling to get the shot say the vaccines are unsafe and even "experimental." The hospital system's CEO says they're spouting "anti-vaccination rhetoric." Bill Chappell
Japan Aims To Convince A Wary Public The Olympics Will Be Safe Anger at the government's insistence on pushing ahead with the games remains intense, but Japan's ramped-up vaccination campaign may be helping to ease some safety fears. Anthony Kuhn
India's COVID Orphans Face Trauma And Trafficking Risks India is trying to track — and help — the hundreds of children orphaned by the pandemic. Are the government efforts enough to protect them? Kamala Thiagarajan
Ready, Set ... Think! Hackathon Aims To Kill Off Fake Health Rumors How do you fight misinformation around neglected tropical diseases? In this competition, teams of college students across the globe had 24 hours to cook up a cool plan. Nadia Whitehead
Inflation Is Surging. The Price Of A Toyota Pickup Truck Helps Explain Why The Labor Department says consumer prices jumped 5% for the 12 months ending in May. That's the sharpest increase in nearly 13 years, as the economy rebounds from the pandemic recession. Scott Horsley
The Olympics Are Really Happening. For Athletes, That Means A Huge Number Of Rules Tokyo 2020 organizers now face two tests: Preventing the spread of COVID-19 from foreign visitors to residents of Japan, and keeping athletes healthy and virus-free so they can compete. Laurel Wamsley
Hey Washingtonians! Get A Vaccine. Smoke A Joint. In Washington, adults can now walk away from their COVID-19 vaccine appointment with a free, pre-rolled joint. Other states are also offering incentives to try to convince people to get the shot. Josie Fischels
New Evidence Suggests COVID-19 Vaccines Remain Effective Against Variants An analysis of blood from people who had received the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine found a lower level of neutralizing antibodies against viral variants but a strong response involving T cells. Joe Palca
There's A Stark Red-Blue Divide When It Comes To States' Vaccination Rates All of the states with the highest adult vaccination rates went to President Biden in the 2020 election. But the vaccine divide is not just about politics. Domenico Montanaro
The Highly Contagious Delta Variant Is On The Rise In the U.S. The variant accounts for more than 6% of all infections in the U.S. and in some Western states is responsible for more than 18% of cases. Jane Greenhalgh
