Rob Schmitz is NPR's international correspondent based in Berlin, where he covers the human stories of a vast region reckoning with its past while it tries to guide the world toward a brighter future. From his base in the heart of Europe, Schmitz has covered Germany's levelheaded management of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rise of right-wing nationalist politics in Poland and creeping Chinese government influence inside the Czech Republic.
The first of May is celebrated as International Workers' Day. On Thursday, hundreds of union members planned to gather for a silent march from the state Capitol to the federal building.
On the Long View, we talk about mass transit. Where it works and where it doesn't — at least not yet. Here to talk about that is Contributing Editor Neal Milner.