Brian Mann

The U.S. health care industry has begun reducing the use of high-risk opioid pain medications. But clinicians in many fields still prescribe large quantities of opioids, ignoring federal guidelines.

Forty Americans die every day from overdoses linked to prescription opioids, but researchers say many doctors and dentists still have a "prescribe and forget" attitude toward the medications.

An NPR investigation found doctors and dentists are still prescribing large amounts of opioids, putting millions at risk of addiction, overdose and death.

Governors and mayors in some regions with rising COVID-19 counts have made masks mandatory in public places. But sometimes their own police refuse to enforce the mask rules.

NPR's Brian Mann has been trail running in New York's Adirondack Mountains to manage stress during the coronavirus pandemic. He shares the sounds of the forest with listeners.

The 14-day quarantine rule — which in some areas carries fines of up to $10,000 — is meant to help contain the spread of COVID-19, but enforcement varies from state to state.

New York, New Jersey and Connecticut say they will require travelers to self-quarantine for 14 days if they come from states where COVID-19 is surging.

Mayor Bill de Blasio warned that without aid from Albany and Washington, as well as concessions from labor groups, every department would face unprecedented job cuts

For millions of Americans, the New York governor's appearances these past three months served as a counterpoint to President Trump's coronavirus briefings during the darkest days of the pandemic.

The lawmakers in Albany, N.Y., have approved a series of reforms that aim to reduce the number of people of color who die in police encounters and include a ban on some violent policing tactics.

Banning chokeholds and disclosing police disciplinary records are among the legislation being pushed through the Democratic-led statehouse.

One protester in New York City said George Floyd's death moved him to action. "As a black person, I've actually been relatively passive."

First responders and health workers are already exhausted by the pandemic. But now street protests around the U.S. are adding new hardships, potentially contributing to the second wave of the virus.

The late-night violence occurs in the Flatbush neighborhood when police say a man approached an officer assigned to an anti-looting patrol and stabbed him in the neck.

Demonstrators filled the streets again on Tuesday to protest police brutality and racial injustice.

They told lawmakers at a congressional hearing Thursday that federal agencies reacted swiftly, giving updated guidelines to employers at hospitals, nursing homes, meat-packing plants and warehouses.

Nearly 300 American health care workers have died during the COVID-19 pandemic. On Thursday, lawmakers will question Trump officials about how and why that happened.

"If that rule had gone into effect, then every hospital, every nursing home would essentially have to have a plan," said David Michaels, former Occupational Safety and Health Administration chief.

The pandemic's disruption of international labor and transportation sectors has made it harder to produce and transport illegal drugs and to send profits back across national borders.

In upstate New York, where statewide restrictions on public gatherings were loosened, people ventured out for Memorial Day weekend activities. But the crowds still paled in comparison to past years.