morning edition

Oakland, Calif., has named its first Poet Laureate. Dr. Ayodele Nzinga — also known as WordSlanger — will serve a two-year term aimed at making poetry more accessible to Oaklanders.

The counting of votes to determine whether employees at an Amazon warehouse in Bessemer, Ala. can form a union begins on Tuesday.

NPR's Noel King talks to Peter Daszak, an expert on how animal viruses infect humans, about how the COVID-19 virus may have started on wildlife farms. Daszak was on the WHO team that went to China.

The Rosebud Motel appeared in every episode of the much beloved show, and is reportedly priced at about $1.6 million. In real life, it is named Hockley Motel and is in Mono, Ontario.

The department, responsible for nuclear weapons, concluded that a "very young child took advantage of the situation" when the parent, who manages the account, briefly left it "open and unattended."

WHO believes wildlife farms were the likely source of the pandemic. Prosecutors build a case against the ex-officer charged with George Floyd's murder. Historic Amazon union vote count begins Tuesday.

Lawmakers in New York are scheduled to vote Tuesday on whether to legalize recreational marijuana. Critics have their concerns including traffic safety.Legalize Recreational Marijuana

Federal prosecutors have charged members of the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys with conspiracy in connection with the Capitol riot. What do those cases tell us about advance planning for the violence?

Malcolm Cecil was a musical pioneer. He built a massive analog synthesizer known as TONTO, and worked with many musicians including Stevie Wonder. Cecil died over the weekend.

NPR's Rachel Martin talks to Dr. Leana Wen about reopening schools safely, and how that approach would change if in-person school instruction was treated as an essential service.