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Leader Interview: Senator Tammy Duckworth

The 21st spoke to Senator Duckworth about recent mask guidelines for vaccinated people, divides in her Democratic Party, infrastructure and the Biden administration’s plan to withdraw troops from Afghanistan.

Young people dance during prom at the Grace Gardens Event Center in El Paso, Texas on Friday, May 7, 2021. Around 2,000 attended the outdoor event at the private venue after local school districts announced they would not host proms this year. Tickets cost $45.
Paul Ratje/AP Photo

Prom During a Pandemic

In 2020, proms were cancelled across the country because of the pandemic. In 2021, proms are back but with masks and social distancing rules. The 21st spoke to three high school students from Illinois about their proms.

People hold Black Lives Matter flags at the intersection of Florence and Normandie Avenues, Tuesday, April 20, 2021, in Los Angeles, after a guilty verdict was announced at the trial of former Minneapolis police Officer Derek Chauvin for the 2020 death of George Floyd.
Jae C. Hong/AP Photo

A Conversation with Black Police Officers

It has been one year since a white Minneapolis police officer knelt on the neck of George Floyd, an unarmed Black man for 9 minutes, killing him. The widely circulated video of the incident sparked a summer of protests. The 21st spoke to three Black law enforcement officers about the calls for change in policing, and for greater racial justice following the murder of George Floyd.

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