Accessibility links
Austin Fast Austin Fast specializes in data analysis on NPR's investigations team.
Headshot of Austin Fast
Stories By

Austin Fast

Headshot of Austin Fast
Enlarge this image
Dan Roark/The Kroger Co.
Headshot of Austin Fast
Dan Roark/The Kroger Co.

Austin Fast

Assistant Producer, Data Investigations

Austin Fast specializes in data analysis on NPR's investigations team, often collaborating with reporters from Member stations across the country.

Before coming to NPR, Fast reported for KJZZ in Phoenix and covered the world's largest wild salmon fishery at KDLG in Dillingham, Alaska. He's also written breaking news at a Cincinnati TV station and taught English overseas with the Peace Corps.

Fast holds a master's degree in investigative journalism from Arizona State University and bachelor's degrees in journalism and international studies from Miami University (Ohio).

Story Archive

Monday

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

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

toggle caption
Getty Images/Mark Harris for NPR

Investigations

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

An NPR analysis of data released by the Small Business Administration shows the vast majority of Paycheck Protection Program loans have been forgiven, even though the program was rampant with fraud.

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

Listen · 25:14
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1145040599/1149654841" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Tuesday

A congressional report says financial technology companies fueled rampant PPP fraud

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

toggle caption
SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

Investigations

A congressional report says financial technology companies fueled rampant PPP fraud

Fraud in the Paycheck Protection Program, which gave potentially forgivable loans to small businesses during the pandemic, was largely due to financial technology companies, according to a new report.

A congressional report says financial technology companies fueled rampant PPP fraud

Listen · 4:11
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1140823783/1140853826" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Wednesday

Virtually all PPP loans have been forgiven with limited scrutiny

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

toggle caption
Tony Dejak/AP

Investigations

Virtually all PPP loans have been forgiven with limited scrutiny

Officials promised a robust review process before forgiving PPP loans, but most loans could be forgiven with a simple, one-page form. Meanwhile, just 2% of loans have gotten close, hands-on reviews.

Virtually all PPP loans have been forgiven with limited scrutiny

Listen · 11:04
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1128207464/1128522632" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Thursday

Nurses are waiting months for licenses as hospital staffing shortages spread

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

toggle caption
Alyssa Schukar for NPR

Investigations

Nurses are waiting months for licenses as hospital staffing shortages spread

Almost 1 in 10 nurses who were issued new licenses last year waited six months or more, an NPR analysis found. Nurses say patient care suffers as these delays make staffing shortages even worse.

Listen to a reporter roundtable of this story

Listen · 6:59
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1084897499/1085670217" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Wednesday

Health Care

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

Staffing shortages at hospitals across the U.S. are worsened by state boards taking months to process nursing licenses. It's resulted in a huge backlog in nurses waiting for jobs during the pandemic.

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

Listen · 6:04
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1085544625/1085544626" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Wednesday

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

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

toggle caption
John Moore/Getty Images

Investigations

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

The CDC's COVID-19 data set is supposed to help track the pandemic, but a new NPR analysis has found the majority of fields are blank and millions of cases across the country are missing altogether.

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

Listen · 4:20
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1032885251/1033374491" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

Where Are The Newest COVID Hot Spots? Mostly Places With Low Vaccination Rates
Duy Nguyen/NPR

Shots - Health News

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

As the delta variant takes over in the U.S., new, localized outbreaks are emerging. Those surges are likely driven by pockets of dangerously low vaccination rates.

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

Listen · 4:38
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/1014512213/1014512214" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

Rural Communities Fall Further Behind In COVID-19 Vaccination Rates

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

toggle caption
Rory Doyle/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Shots - Health News

Rural Communities Fall Further Behind In COVID-19 Vaccination Rates

Cities are leaving rural areas behind in the race to vaccinate against COVID-19, but some states' suburbs are struggling, too. To close the gap experts say, outreach needs to be hyperlocal.

Tuesday

Lagging Vaccination Rates Among Rural Seniors Hint At Brewing Rural-Urban Divide

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

toggle caption
Doug Barrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Shots - Health News

Lagging Vaccination Rates Among Rural Seniors Hint At Brewing Rural-Urban Divide

As adults of all ages get access to the COVID-19 vaccines, health researchers worry that the trend could worsen.

Friday

Across The South, COVID-19 Vaccine Sites Missing From Black And Hispanic Neighborhoods
Ruth Talbot/NPR

The Coronavirus Crisis

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

An NPR analysis of COVID-19 vaccination sites in major cities across the Southern U.S. reveals a racial disparity, with most sites located in whiter neighborhoods.

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

Listen · 7:42
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/962946721/964358126" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Browse archive or search npr.org