Rebecca Hersher

Temperatures in a Siberian town were reported to hit 100 degrees Fahrenheit on Saturday. That would be a record for the highest temperature documented above the Arctic Circle.

Nancy Beck is the Trump administration's nominee to lead the Consumer Product Safety Commission for a seven-year term. Many scientists and public health experts warn she is a dangerous choice.

The EPA does not require companies to notify federal regulators if the pandemic interferes with pollution monitoring or reporting. That leaves states alone on the front lines of pollution control.

Unlike the demonstrations that rocked the city five years ago after Freddie Gray, 25, died in police custody, this week's unfolded peacefully. Local activists are helping to avoid unplanned violence.

Federal forecasters expect 3 to 6 major hurricanes during the 2020 hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 1. Rising seas and a warmer climate make storms of all sizes more damaging.

Car traffic took a big dip beginning in late March, and headlines celebrated clean air around the U.S. But an NPR analysis of EPA data tells a more troubling story.

The agency usually provides funding for legal aid hotlines after disasters. But the White House has not approved such funding for those affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

It is very difficult for people hospitalized with COVID-19 to communicate with their families. At one medical center, psychologists are helping with some of those tough conversations.

EMTs are offering at-home coronavirus testing in at least four cities including New York City. The goal is to test people who might not seek it out on their own, and find people who need medical care.

Medical staffs are reeling from the changes COVID-19 has brought to intensive care units — from redesigning the spaces to changing what it means to care for patients who are facing death alone.

More Americans are breathing unhealthy air, even though overall air pollution has decreased in recent decades. In the tug-of-war between air regulations and climate change, global warming is winning.

Pulmonologists at some New York City hospitals are changing the ways they work to keep up with critically ill COVID-19 patients. They are changing who does what — and training lots of people.

The number of patients being treated on a Navy hospital ship and inside a convention center has more than doubled in the last two days, after both facilities switched to treating people with COVID-19.

Pulmonologists in New York hospitals are now supervising doctors from other specialties as they try to keep ICUs staffed, and are deploying equipment in new ways. But COVID-19 is a demoralizing foe.

Two temporary hospital facilities are open in New York City inside a major convention center and aboard a Navy hospital ship. But so far, both have far fewer patients than they can handle.

More than 14,000 people have now been hospitalized in New York City for COVID-19. But two large overflow facilities have been operating far below their capacity.

Many states are projected to have excessive demand for ventilator machines in the coming weeks, but no state government has formally asked hospitals to prepare for difficult and complex crisis triage.

Early on, Bay Area cities adopted social distancing restrictions to reduce the spread of the coronavirus. Health officials are optimistic about what they see so far — unlike in New York City.

On-site testing was delayed for weeks at a Brooklyn hospital that has been designated COVID-19 only. Rapid on-site testing can help hospitals prevent the virus from spreading inside their facilities.

Surging coronavirus infections mean that local officials in the hardest-hit cities are forced to take on new responsibilities that go far beyond their normal day jobs.