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The pandemic put infectious diseases doctors in the spotlight. The 'Fauci Effect' raised the number of fellowship applicants in 2020, but this year almost half of the training programs went unfilled.

Since the return of the Taliban, Afghanistan's coal exports have increased — and so has child labor. At a coal mine in Baghlan province, boys earn between $3 and $8 for a day's work.

In Hyderabad, India, the dominant dish after the daily dawn-to-dusk fast is haleem, a stew that takes hours to prepare. Some say it's so hearty you could fast for two days after a dish.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., doesn't trade stocks, but thinks lawmakers should be able to pick individual stocks. The top House Republican backs a new ban amid a bipartisan push for reform.

Here's a summary of Kansas news stories from the Associated Press.

Participants in the obesity summit taking an activity break. (Photo by Stephen Koranda)More than 60 percent of Kansas adults are either overweight... or obese. And our collective weight problem is driving up the cost of healthcare. Reducing the obesity rate is one of the top goals of some health advocates in the state. Last week, an obesity summit was held in Topeka. KPR's Stephen Koranda was there and files this report.=========================(TRANSCRIPT)Around two hundred people at this obesity summit are stretching and moving as part of a mid-morning activity break. They’re imagining they’re heading on vacation and acting out what they’ll be doing. This is an example of an activity people can use to get moving during long work days. But when they’re not exercising, people at the meeting are discussing ways to reduce the obesity rates in Kansas. At the event is Bill Dietz, a former official with the Centers for Disease Control. He says there's no single, clear-cut strategy to solve the obesity problem. Instead, he says it will take a multi-pronged approach. And the recommendations are not rocket science: eat less and be more active. But how do we get people to do that? That’s the question. Dietz says changing people’s attitudes, providing more educational information and making healthy options more available are good starting points.“And we have to keep reminding ourselves that although we expect people to make healthy choices, we can’t expect them to make healthy choices if those healthy choices are not available.”Dietz says small reductions calories can make a big difference in preventing obesity. Cutting back by as few as 30 calories a day in children can reduce obesity rates. Making fresh produce available in more places can help. So can replacing sugary drinks in schools with water - a change that’s basically free. Dietz recommends also changing the organization of cafeterias in schools and work places.“Simply restructuring the lunch line to make the healthier options front and center in the lunch line and making the less healthy options less accessible.” Physical activity is a “magic drug” in fighting obesity, according to Dietz. But he says one thing that doesn’t work is shaming people. Dietz says discrimination has been prevalent for years and hasn’t reduced rates of obesity. The event was organized by Governor Sam Brownback, who told the crowd about his own fight against weight gain and the strategies he employed -- specifically cutting back on the amount of food he eats.“I bug my family about it, so when we go out and eat, I often won’t order a meal and just eat off of their plates. My kids don’t like that. So, I’m paying, so, that’s the way it’s going to be.”But weight loss isn’t a joke to the governor. He had a simple message for people fighting weight gain – don’t give up.“Most of American has struggled with weight at one time or another. This is not an unusual situation that you’re in or that anybody else is in. We all have. Just don’t give up.”Obesity isn’t just a personal problem, it affects the fiscal health of the state. More than $1 billion is spent on obesity-related health care in Kansas - and that affects the state budget through programs like Medicaid. Secretary of Health and Environment Robert Moser says it also impacts business in the state.“They need a healthy workforce. We know that people who are fitter have less absenteeism. They cost less as far as the health care dollars go for that employer.”Moser says tackling obesity would be a big improvement in the overall health of Kansans, since obesity is connected with problems like diabetes, heart problems and even some types of cancer.========================= (NEWSCAST)Health, Public Officials Meet in Topeka to Talk Obesity / September 13, 2012Voices: (Robert Moser)Secretary of Health and Environment Robert Moser says fighting obesity in Kansas can help health outcomes and save the state cash. More than $1 billion per year is spent in Kansas on obesity-related health care. Moser says that affects the state through higher costs for programs like Medicaid.For more on obesity in Kansas, and strategies for fighting it, tune in later this hour.

Governor Sam Brownback speaking to students at a Boys & Girls Club in Topeka. (Photo by Stephen Koranda)Governor Sam Brownback is rolling out a program aimed at boosting reading proficiency among Kansas students. State reading scores are generally near the top of national rankings, but the administration believes Kansas can do better. A child advocacy group says it’s a laudable goal, but its members aren’t happy with how the plan is funded. Stephen Koranda has a look at what the program will do, and why some people began criticizing it before it was even formally announced.00000184-7fa7-d6f8-a1cf-7fa7c6520000______________________________________Dozens of students are gathered in the gym of a Boys & Girls Club in Topeka. They’re shooting hoops. Well, more accurately, they’re watching Governor Sam Brownback shoot some hoops. He misses a couple, then sinks one.For these students, it’s not all fun and games. There’s a period after school where they work on homework and reading exercises before getting some physical activity. The governor is at the Boys & Girls Club to unveil a plan that will add after-school programs in rural areas and expand after-school and summer programs at Boys & Girls Clubs in urban areas. Brownback says the goal is to improve grade school reading proficiency and eventually bring more Kansans out of poverty.“I am convinced that a key part of breaking the child poverty cycle is getting more kids to be able to read. If they can read, it opens the world up to them. If they can’t read, it shuts it down,” says Brownback.The initiative will be funded by taking $9 million from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, known as TANF. The state will partner with private organizations, including Save the Children. Andrew Hysell, with Save the Children, hopes this will be a model for other states.“And should this program be successful, which I really, really truly believe based upon the incredible administrators and teachers that are here today, we’re going to have a model that’s great for Kansas and potentially great for the country,” says Hysell.One of the programs in the initiative will require local districts to hire more staff to participate. Pittsburg public schools have been partnering with Save the Children for over a year. Administrators say that so far there have been some promising results from students who participated.“All students have improved their reading scores and over 60 percent of these students have improved their reading scores by two grade levels or more,” says Brian Biermann, the assistant school superintendent in Pittsburg.He says they also offer a summer program that keeps students engaged when school isn’t in session.“There’s a lot of research out there about summer reading loss. Kids go home, and then we have to pick that back up. So by having a summer program like Summer Boost, we keep those reading levels not just maintained, definitely not going down, but we can continue to climb as well,” says BiermannBut some advocacy groups are not pleased with taking money from TANF for the reading initiative. Shannon Cotsoradis is with the group Kansas Action for Children.“I think there’s a lot of concern around diverting funds from our poorest families at a time when we know poverty’s on the rise and we know there are actually more families in need when it comes to families with children,” says Cotsoradis.Brownback’s administration says the TANF funding is in reserve after paying out benefits at the state’s current rate. But Cotsoradis says the dollars could also be put back into services for needy families.“Those dollars should be reinvested in core welfare services, things like making sure families are working, providing for childcare and basic cash assistance,” says Cotsoradis.Secretary of the Department for Children and Families, Phyllis Gilmore, says that yes, the state could choose to do other things with the TANF reserve dollars. But she says this is an appropriate use of TANF money, because students with higher reading scores are less likely to have out-of-wedlock births.“Under the third tenant of TANF, to prevent out-of-wedlock pregnancies, that is totally appropriate and in line with the intention of Congress,” says Gilmore.Some parts of the reading initiative will be appearing in around 20 schools this spring. The remaining pieces of the program are slated to be in place by fall 2014.

Here's the latest news from the Associated Press, compiled by KPR staff.

With President Biden approaching 80 years old, the political spotlight has been trained more brightly than usual on the pair. Here's a look at their political prospects.

In an extended interview with NPR, Eric Holder blamed Congress for blocking the New York trial of the accused masterminds of the Sept. 11 attacks. He said terrorism was the Justice Department's top priority, and "deplored" the release of the WikiLeaks memos.