Here & Now NPR

The Los Angeles Flower District is the largest wholesale flower market in the U.S. But lately, the pickings have been slim. Like many industries, the flower market is facing a shortage. The CEO of the Society of American Florists joins us. And, since the Taliban took power from the Afghan government, there has been immense uncertainty for women in the country. Heather Barr of Human Rights Watch discusses the future of women's rights in the country.

A single mother was evicted from her home in July after she contracted COVID-19 and was unable to work. Host Peter O'Dowd visits Shuntera Brown in Phoenix to learn how both events unraveled her family's life. And, when traumatic moments happen, Big Tech algorithms remember them and remind us of them online. Wired writer Lauren Goode discusses the digital footprint of trauma.

The group Beyond Plastics is out with a new report that says in the next decade, plastic will emit more climate-changing greenhouse gases than coal-fired power plants. Beyond Plastics President Judith Enck explains why she thinks plastic is the new coal. And, over the course of her career, a Latina woman on average earns about $1 million less than a white non-Hispanic man. Diana Ramirez of the National Women's Law Center joins us to discuss the impact of this wage gap.

Hundreds of nurses at Saint Vincent Hospital in Worcester, Massachusetts, walked off the job on March 8, 2021, and have been on strike ever since. Marie Ritacco, one of the nurses on strike, and Vicki Good, a nurse and past president of the American Association of Critical-care Nurses, join us. And, cuts to Biden's spending package diminished the earmarked funding for historically Black colleges and universities. Kevin Cosby, president of Simmons College of Kentucky, explains why more federal funding is critical for institutions like his.

We speak to Larry Smith, editor of the new book "A Terrible Horrible No Good Year," a collection of essays and six-word memoirs about the pandemic written by teachers, students and parents. And, executive privilege has been invoked by former President Donald Trump and his former staffer Steve Bannon — but what is its history? Timothy Noah, staff writer at The New Republic, explains.

Chef Russell Jackson opened a restaurant in Harlem, New York, about six months before the pandemic began. During that time he became vocal about what it means to be a Black chef. He discusses restaurant recovery and race. And, this month, Yosemite National Park opened a restored Chinese laundry building on its grounds. The public exhibit will highlight the contributions of Chinese immigrants to the park. Ranger Yenyen Chan, who played a crucial part in making the exhibit a reality, joins us.