So many people have been dying of COVID-19 in Southern California that, to speed up cremations, LA had to suspend some environmental rules. Officials say the death rate has more than doubled that of previous years.

NPR examined thousands of pages of public records to investigate the details of fatal police shootings of unarmed Black people — and the backgrounds of the officers who shot them.

Our investigation of the cases reveals the myriad ways that law enforcement agencies fail to hold officers accountable, and allow them to be in a position to shoot again.

Read NPR’s full investigation here:

BREAKING: President Biden has repealed the Trump-era ban on transgender people serving in the military.

California is lifting stay-at-home orders for all regions, citing a drop in ICU projections. Still, the state's public health officer warns: "COVID-19 is still here and still deadly, so our work is not over."

🎵 How do you measure? Measure 25 years? 🎵 "Rent" has a big birthday today.

WATCH LIVE: The House is delivering an article of impeachment against former President Donald Trump to the Senate ahead of its trial in early February.

Nearly 75% of the drugs approved by the FDA in the past 20 years had no assessment of their effects in pregnant people -- including all available COVID-19 vaccines. Many OB-GYNs feel that makes health decisions riskier than necessary, and needs to change.

The calculus of whether to buy Super Bowl ad time — $5.6 million for a 30-second spot — is typically one of cost-benefit. But the pandemic, social unrest and divisive election have led some companies to rethink their ad campaigns this year.