Austin Fast Austin Fast specializes in data analysis on NPR's investigations team.
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Monday

An NPR analysis of data released Jan. 8 by the Small Business Administration shows the vast majority of Paycheck Protection Program loans have been forgiven, despite rampant fraud in the program. Getty Images/Mark Harris for NPR hide caption

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Getty Images/Mark Harris for NPR

How the Paycheck Protection Program went from good intentions to a huge free-for-all

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Tuesday

A congressional report found financial technology companies, or fintechs, largely fueled PPP loan fraud. Bluevine, a fintech noted in the report, told NPR it adapted to threats of fraud better than other companies mentioned. SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images hide caption

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SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

A congressional report says financial technology companies fueled rampant PPP fraud

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Thursday

The majority of unforgiven PPP loans belong to one-person businesses

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Wednesday

A closed barbershop in Cleveland in May 2020. Small businesses were in limbo as the coronavirus outbreak raged and the first round of the government's multibillion-dollar Paycheck Protection Program drew to a close. Tony Dejak/AP hide caption

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Tony Dejak/AP

Virtually all PPP loans have been forgiven with limited scrutiny

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Thursday

Courtney Gramm waited seven months to receive her nurse practitioner license in California. Nursing boards, meant as a safeguard, have become an obstacle, preventing qualified nurses from getting into the workforce for months when basic vetting should take only weeks. Alyssa Schukar for NPR hide caption

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Alyssa Schukar for NPR

Listen to a reporter roundtable of this story

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Wednesday

Nurses are waiting 6 months or more for licenses despite hospitals' need for nurses

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Wednesday

Medics transport a man with COVID-19 symptoms to a hospital in Austin, Texas. More than 3 million people in the state have had COVID-19, but just 81,000 are listed in a central data set at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. John Moore/Getty Images hide caption

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John Moore/Getty Images

Millions Of People Are Missing From CDC COVID Data As States Fail To Report Cases

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Friday

Duy Nguyen/NPR

Where Are The Newest COVID Hot Spots? Mostly Places With Low Vaccination Rates

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Friday

Poverty and disability are linked to lower vaccination rates in some rural communities. The Vaccination Transportation Initiative sponsored van helps rural residents get the COVID-19 vaccine in rural Mississippi. The effort works to overcome the lack of transportation and access to technology for rural residents. Rory Doyle/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

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Rory Doyle/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Tuesday

A pharmacist administers a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine to a worker at a processing plant in Arkansas City, Kan., on March 5. Researchers are concerned that vaccination rates in some rural communities may not keep up with urban rates. Doug Barrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

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Doug Barrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Friday

Ruth Talbot/NPR

Across The South, COVID-19 Vaccine Sites Missing From Black And Hispanic Neighborhoods

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