npr--2020-08-04--White House Plan Breaks Taboo: A Focus On Guns And Veteran Suicide

This summer the Trump administration rolled out the President 's Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicide ( PREVENTS ) - a long awaited strategy to bring down the rate of suicide in the military and among civilians .
It focuses on enlisting community partners and a public awareness campaign to fight the stigma around seeking help during a mental health crisis .
Critics in congress have said the plan is n't proactive enough .
But it does address one issue that has been seen as politically taboo : access to guns .
Suicide is notoriously @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rare event , even as suicide rates for the military and civilians are on the rise .
But if there 's one obvious place to fight veterans ' suicide , it 's firearms .
Gun owners are four times more likely to die by suicide .
Veterans are almost twice as likely to be gun owners , and one study showed that one in three vets store their guns loaded and unlocked .
Guns are by far the deadliest method of suicide .
But keeping guns away from veterans has been politically radioactive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to touch the issue of firearms safety , '' said Terri Tanielian , a senior behavioral scientist at the RAND corporation .
She says the new White House roadmap was a bit disappointing - it took 15 months to endorse a set of recommendations that are n't very new .
But she is happy that the White House plan mentioned `` safe storage '' of guns .
There had been rumors that the powerful gun-rights lobby would get that section removed from the plan .
`` Now that we 're wading into that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that we are willing to talk about it and engage partners and do something meaningfully on this issue , '' Tanielian said .
The Department of Veterans Affairs has been talking about gun safety since at least 2013 , sometimes putting free trigger-locks in big bowls in the waiting rooms , like lollipops at the doctor 's office .
Still , Dr. Matt Miller , director of VA suicide prevention , does n't say politically loaded words like `` gun control . ''
`` We 're not talking about broad restrictions .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ context of suicide prevention , '' he said .
Miller wants to dispel the stigma about seeking help .
He says anyone can be in emotional pain ; anyone can have suicidal thoughts .
He wants veterans to think about keeping guns safely out of reach when they 're in crisis .
Miller said suicide is usually an impulsive act , but guns make it much more likely to be lethal .
`` The path from suicidal ideation to action , the majority of times occurs within 60 minutes or less .
So @ @ @ @ @ @ @ near you , that path can be engaged very quickly , '' Miller said .
`` Safe-storage '' of guns in this context can mean giving a spouse the keys to a gun-safe , or getting guns out of the house during a time of crisis .
Miller has been encouraged that even some leaders of the gun-rights lobby are willing to get on board .
`` The community of gun owners — if a doctor talks about gun-ownership , that might make them suspicious , '' said Joe Bartozzi president of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if a gun advocacy organization , a group that advocates on behalf of the firearms industry starts talking about safe storage to prevent suicide , they might sit up and listen . ''
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255 .
Press 1 if you 're a veteran .

White House Plan Breaks Taboo: A Focus On Guns And Veteran Suicide
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jewel Samad / AFP via Getty Images Jewel Samad / AFP via Getty Images
This summer the Trump administration rolled out the President's Roadmap to Empower Veterans and End a National Tragedy of Suicide (PREVENTS) - a long awaited strategy to bring down the rate of suicide in the military and among civilians. It focuses on enlisting community partners and a public awareness campaign to fight the stigma around seeking help during a mental health crisis.
Critics in congress have said the plan isn't proactive enough. But it does address one issue that has been seen as politically taboo: access to guns.
Suicide is notoriously difficult to study since it's a rare event, even as suicide rates for the military and civilians are on the rise. But if there's one obvious place to fight veterans' suicide, it's firearms. Gun owners are four times more likely to die by suicide. Veterans are almost twice as likely to be gun owners, and one study showed that one in three vets store their guns loaded and unlocked. Guns are by far the deadliest method of suicide.
But keeping guns away from veterans has been politically radioactive.
"People really haven't wanted to touch the issue of firearms safety," said Terri Tanielian, a senior behavioral scientist at the RAND corporation.
She says the new White House roadmap was a bit disappointing - it took 15 months to endorse a set of recommendations that aren't very new.
But she is happy that the White House plan mentioned "safe storage" of guns. There had been rumors that the powerful gun-rights lobby would get that section removed from the plan.
"Now that we're wading into that water, it is good to see that we are willing to talk about it and engage partners and do something meaningfully on this issue," Tanielian said.
The Department of Veterans Affairs has been talking about gun safety since at least 2013, sometimes putting free trigger-locks in big bowls in the waiting rooms, like lollipops at the doctor's office. Still, Dr. Matt Miller, director of VA suicide prevention, doesn't say politically loaded words like "gun control."
"We're not talking about broad restrictions. We're talking about lethal-means safety in the context of suicide prevention," he said.
Miller wants to dispel the stigma about seeking help. He says anyone can be in emotional pain; anyone can have suicidal thoughts. He wants veterans to think about keeping guns safely out of reach when they're in crisis. Miller said suicide is usually an impulsive act, but guns make it much more likely to be lethal.
"The path from suicidal ideation to action, the majority of times occurs within 60 minutes or less. So if that firearm, if it's near you, that path can be engaged very quickly," Miller said.
"Safe-storage" of guns in this context can mean giving a spouse the keys to a gun-safe, or getting guns out of the house during a time of crisis. Miller has been encouraged that even some leaders of the gun-rights lobby are willing to get on board.
"The community of gun owners — if a doctor talks about gun-ownership, that might make them suspicious," said Joe Bartozzi president of the National Shooting Sports Foundation. "But if a gun advocacy organization, a group that advocates on behalf of the firearms industry starts talking about safe storage to prevent suicide, they might sit up and listen."
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255. Press 1 if you're a veteran.
https://www.veteranscrisisline.net/


npr--2020-08-04--Amnesty International Documents 125 Incidents Of Police Violence Against Protesters

Amnesty International says it has documented 125 separate instances of violence against protesters for racial justice in the U.S. over an 11-day period earlier this summer .
In a report published Tuesday , the human rights organization says that in the five years since 18-year-old Michael Brown was killed in Ferguson , Mo.
, `` there has been a disturbing lack of progress ... in ensuring that police officers use lethal force only when there is an imminent risk of death or serious injury to themselves or others . ''
The instances took place between May 26 and June 5 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ District of Columbia , and allege excessive force by state and local police departments , as well as National Guard troops and federal agents .
Among the incidents are beatings , the use of tear gas and pepper spray , and the firing of `` less lethal '' munitions .
The study also documented the targeting of medics , legal observers , and journalists by law enforcement officers .
One of the episodes documented in the report is the account of Lizzie Horne , a Rabbinical student and protester in Philadelphia .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ breezing pepper spray into the crowd .
... Then they started with the tear gas .
Someone who was right in front — had a tear gas canister hit his head and started running back .
We were trying to help him , flushing his eyes and then he just fainted and started having a seizure , '' Horne recounts in the report .
`` People started putting their hands up but the cops would n't let up . ''
The report calls for action to limit the use of deadly force by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fatal Force database found that nearly 1,000 people were shot and killed by police in 2019 .
Few of these instances ever find their way to court , where convictions of officers are rare .
Philip Stinson at Bowling Green State University found that from 2005-2018 , there were 97 state or local law enforcement officers who were arrested for murder or manslaughter resulting from an on-duty shooting where the officer shot and killed someone in the U.S. Of those , just 35 were convicted of a crime resulting from the shooting .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ when the research was published in March 2019 .
`` The unnecessary and sometimes excessive use of force by police against protesters exhibits the very systemic racism and impunity they had taken to the streets to protest , '' said Ernest Coverson , Amnesty International USA 's End Gun Violence Campaign Manager .
`` The research shows that people who were simply exercising their human right to peacefully protest were met with such violence that they lost eyesight , survived brutal beatings , and suffered seizures and severe wounds . ''
NPR has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. Department of Justice and the Fraternal Order of Police , but did not receive a response from either .
Amnesty International called on the Justice Department , state attorneys general and local authorities to investigate these incidents and bring those responsible to account .
It also urged state legislatures to enact statutes that limit the use of lethal force by law enforcement to only those instances where it 's necessary to protect against an imminent threat of death or serious injury .
And when it comes to the rights of protesting for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police ?
The organization says authorities at all levels in the U.S. `` must ensure that everyone under their jurisdiction can enjoy their human rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression . ''

Amnesty International Documents 125 Incidents Of Police Violence Against Protesters
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jose Luis Magana/AFP via Getty Images Jose Luis Magana/AFP via Getty Images
Amnesty International says it has documented 125 separate instances of violence against protesters for racial justice in the U.S. over an 11-day period earlier this summer.
In a report published Tuesday, the human rights organization says that in the five years since 18-year-old Michael Brown was killed in Ferguson, Mo., "there has been a disturbing lack of progress ... in ensuring that police officers use lethal force only when there is an imminent risk of death or serious injury to themselves or others."
The instances took place between May 26 and June 5. They spanned 40 states and the District of Columbia, and allege excessive force by state and local police departments, as well as National Guard troops and federal agents. Among the incidents are beatings, the use of tear gas and pepper spray, and the firing of "less lethal" munitions. The study also documented the targeting of medics, legal observers, and journalists by law enforcement officers.
One of the episodes documented in the report is the account of Lizzie Horne, a Rabbinical student and protester in Philadelphia.
"Out of the blue, they started breezing pepper spray into the crowd. ... Then they started with the tear gas. Someone who was right in front — had a tear gas canister hit his head and started running back. We were trying to help him, flushing his eyes and then he just fainted and started having a seizure," Horne recounts in the report. "People started putting their hands up but the cops wouldn't let up."
The report calls for action to limit the use of deadly force by law enforcement. The Washington Post's Fatal Force database found that nearly 1,000 people were shot and killed by police in 2019.
Few of these instances ever find their way to court, where convictions of officers are rare. Philip Stinson at Bowling Green State University found that from 2005-2018, there were 97 state or local law enforcement officers who were arrested for murder or manslaughter resulting from an on-duty shooting where the officer shot and killed someone in the U.S. Of those, just 35 were convicted of a crime resulting from the shooting. Twenty of the cases were still pending when the research was published in March 2019.
"The unnecessary and sometimes excessive use of force by police against protesters exhibits the very systemic racism and impunity they had taken to the streets to protest," said Ernest Coverson, Amnesty International USA's End Gun Violence Campaign Manager. "The research shows that people who were simply exercising their human right to peacefully protest were met with such violence that they lost eyesight, survived brutal beatings, and suffered seizures and severe wounds."
NPR has requested comment on the report from the U.S. Department of Justice and the Fraternal Order of Police, but did not receive a response from either.
Amnesty International called on the Justice Department, state attorneys general and local authorities to investigate these incidents and bring those responsible to account. It also urged state legislatures to enact statutes that limit the use of lethal force by law enforcement to only those instances where it's necessary to protect against an imminent threat of death or serious injury.
And when it comes to the rights of protesting for racial equality and against excessive force by police?
The organization says authorities at all levels in the U.S. "must ensure that everyone under their jurisdiction can enjoy their human rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression."


npr--2020-08-04--Rafael Nadal Opts Out Of U.S. Open, Citing Coronavirus Concerns

Rafael Nadal Opts Out Of U.S. Open , Citing Coronavirus Concerns Rafael Nadal will skip this year 's U.S. Open , the defending champion announced in a series of tweets on Tuesday , citing concerns over the coronavirus and his desire not to travel amid the pandemic .
Spain 's Nadal would have attempted to tie Roger Federer for most men 's Grand Slam titles — 20 .
Nadal is the second player to pull out of the tournament in recent days .
Ashleigh Barty , the world 's No .
1 women 's singles player , announced last week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would not compete in the tournament , which starts Aug. 31 .
As cases of the coronavirus continue to surge , U.S. sport franchises have had to assess how to safely allow players to compete in an industry that typically relies on throngs of cheering fans and close interactions between players .
The MLB , the NBA and the NHL have all launched regular seasons , none with fans in attendance .
Still , the virus has already infiltrated the MLB , particularly within the Miami Marlins , where at least 17 players @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus .
League-wide , more than 80 players and two dozen coaches have been confirmed positive .
In the NBA , teams have been strictly sequestered in a `` bubble '' at Walt Disney World Resort outside Orlando , Fla. , where the remaining regular season games will be played .
Eight teams did not qualify for the abbreviated season .

Rafael Nadal Opts Out Of U.S. Open, Citing Coronavirus Concerns
Enlarge this image toggle caption Hector Vivas/Getty Images Hector Vivas/Getty Images
Rafael Nadal will skip this year's U.S. Open, the defending champion announced in a series of tweets on Tuesday, citing concerns over the coronavirus and his desire not to travel amid the pandemic.
Spain's Nadal would have attempted to tie Roger Federer for most men's Grand Slam titles — 20. Nadal is the second player to pull out of the tournament in recent days. Ashleigh Barty, the world's No. 1 women's singles player, announced last week that because of the pandemic, she would not compete in the tournament, which starts Aug. 31.
As cases of the coronavirus continue to surge, U.S. sport franchises have had to assess how to safely allow players to compete in an industry that typically relies on throngs of cheering fans and close interactions between players.
The MLB, the NBA and the NHL have all launched regular seasons, none with fans in attendance.
Still, the virus has already infiltrated the MLB, particularly within the Miami Marlins, where at least 17 players and two coaches have tested positive for the virus. League-wide, more than 80 players and two dozen coaches have been confirmed positive.
In the NBA, teams have been strictly sequestered in a "bubble" at Walt Disney World Resort outside Orlando, Fla., where the remaining regular season games will be played. Eight teams did not qualify for the abbreviated season.


npr--2020-08-04--As COVID-19 Numbers Improve, Florida Considers Nursing Home Visits

Officials in Florida say cases of the coronavirus are continuing to decline , an indication that efforts to halt the spread of the disease are working .
In Miami-Dade County , Mayor Carlos Gimenez told commissioners Tuesday , `` I am pleased to announce it appears we have leveled off . ''
Miami-Dade County has been responsible for 25 % of the state 's nearly 500,000 coronavirus cases .
Gimenez said hospitalizations have been trending downward in the county for two weeks .
`` We 've had a decrease of about 400 patients in the hospital , '' he said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the number of people testing positive for the virus .
`` We were hovering above 20 % for a long time , '' Gimenez said .
`` Yesterday 's rate was 12 1/2 % . ''
Florida shut down many coronavirus testing sites around the state through the weekend because of Hurricane Isaias , which lowered the number of tests reported Monday .
The rate of positive tests statewide is still more than 10 % but continues to edge downward .
`` I think the trend is positive , '' Florida Gov @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think we 're going to continue to see the prevalence decline . ''
DeSantis spoke in Jacksonville , where he held a roundtable with advocates for the elderly and administration officials to examine ways to open nursing homes for family member visits .
It 's been more than four months since Florida halted all outside visits to nursing homes and assisted living facilities in an effort to protect residents from COVID-19 .
The policy has helped keep elderly residents safe , but DeSantis said he 's heard from many who were distressed that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in their final moments .
`` It leaves a mark , '' he said .
DeSantis said he wants to begin allowing people who test positive for antibodies to visit family members in long-term care facilities .
People with antibodies , he said , are n't at risk of catching or further spreading the virus .
He 's appointed a committee of advocates and officials to look at other measures to allow family members to visit nursing homes .
One of those on the committee is Mary Daniel , a Jacksonville woman who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family members in nursing homes .
To visit her husband , who has Alzheimer 's disease , Daniel took a job as a dishwasher in his assisted living facility .
Her story made national news and drew attention to the anguish of caregivers nationwide .
Daniel is encouraging Florida to look at the examples of Indiana and Minnesota , which established guidelines for designating `` Essential Family Caregivers . ''
They allow people who test negative for the coronavirus to visit people in long-term care .
`` Our goal is to get to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` They need a hug from us , not a picture of me on FaceTime , not me at the window .
They need us . ''

As COVID-19 Numbers Improve, Florida Considers Nursing Home Visits
Enlarge this image toggle caption Wilfredo Lee/AP Wilfredo Lee/AP
Officials in Florida say cases of the coronavirus are continuing to decline, an indication that efforts to halt the spread of the disease are working. In Miami-Dade County, Mayor Carlos Gimenez told commissioners Tuesday, "I am pleased to announce it appears we have leveled off."
Miami-Dade County has been responsible for 25% of the state's nearly 500,000 coronavirus cases. Gimenez said hospitalizations have been trending downward in the county for two weeks. "We've had a decrease of about 400 patients in the hospital," he said.
Another encouraging trend is the decline in the number of people testing positive for the virus. "We were hovering above 20% for a long time," Gimenez said. "Yesterday's rate was 12 1/2%."
Florida shut down many coronavirus testing sites around the state through the weekend because of Hurricane Isaias, which lowered the number of tests reported Monday. The rate of positive tests statewide is still more than 10% but continues to edge downward.
"I think the trend is positive," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said. "I think we're going to continue to see the prevalence decline."
DeSantis spoke in Jacksonville, where he held a roundtable with advocates for the elderly and administration officials to examine ways to open nursing homes for family member visits.
It's been more than four months since Florida halted all outside visits to nursing homes and assisted living facilities in an effort to protect residents from COVID-19. The policy has helped keep elderly residents safe, but DeSantis said he's heard from many who were distressed that they couldn't be with family members in their final moments. "It leaves a mark," he said.
DeSantis said he wants to begin allowing people who test positive for antibodies to visit family members in long-term care facilities. People with antibodies, he said, aren't at risk of catching or further spreading the virus. He's appointed a committee of advocates and officials to look at other measures to allow family members to visit nursing homes.
One of those on the committee is Mary Daniel, a Jacksonville woman who has become an advocate for those with family members in nursing homes. To visit her husband, who has Alzheimer's disease, Daniel took a job as a dishwasher in his assisted living facility. Her story made national news and drew attention to the anguish of caregivers nationwide.
Daniel is encouraging Florida to look at the examples of Indiana and Minnesota, which established guidelines for designating "Essential Family Caregivers." They allow people who test negative for the coronavirus to visit people in long-term care.
"Our goal is to get to our loved ones," Daniel said. "They need a hug from us, not a picture of me on FaceTime, not me at the window. They need us."


npr--2020-08-04--Trump Criticizes Late Rep. John Lewis For Not Attending Inauguration

President Trump declined to praise the late Rep. John Lewis in an interview with Axios on HBO , claiming that he himself had done more for the Black community than anyone else .
And Trump criticized the civil rights icon 's decision not to attend his 2017 presidential inauguration .
When asked in the interview , which aired Monday evening , how history would remember the Georgia lawmaker who died last month , Trump said : `` I do n't know .
I really do n't know .
`` I do n't know John Lewis .
He chose not to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ never met John Lewis actually , I do n't believe , '' Trump said .
Pressed whether he was impressed by the late congressman , who was born into a family of sharecroppers and worked his way to becoming one of the most influential leaders in the civil rights movement before being elected to Congress , Trump deferred .
`` I find a lot of people impressive .
I find many people not impressive , '' Trump said .
`` He did n't come to my inauguration .
He did n't come to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And that 's OK , that 's his right .
And again , nobody has done more for Black Americans than I have .
He should 've come .
I think he made a big mistake .
`` He was a person that devoted a lot of energy and lot of heart to civil rights .
But there were many others also . ''
Condemnation of Trump 's remarks was swift and severe on Tuesday .
`` He 's delusional .
He 's a narcissist , and he is delusional , '' Atlanta @ @ @ @ @ @ @ interview with CNN .
`` He 's done nothing for African Americans in this country , and to speak that in the same sentence as speaking of John Lewis is almost blasphemous , '' she said .

Trump Criticizes Late Rep. John Lewis For Not Attending Inauguration
Enlarge this image toggle caption Doug Mills/Pool/Getty Images Doug Mills/Pool/Getty Images
President Trump declined to praise the late Rep. John Lewis in an interview with Axios on HBO, claiming that he himself had done more for the Black community than anyone else. And Trump criticized the civil rights icon's decision not to attend his 2017 presidential inauguration.
When asked in the interview, which aired Monday evening, how history would remember the Georgia lawmaker who died last month, Trump said: "I don't know. I really don't know.
"I don't know John Lewis. He chose not to come to my inauguration. ... I never met John Lewis actually, I don't believe," Trump said.
Pressed whether he was impressed by the late congressman, who was born into a family of sharecroppers and worked his way to becoming one of the most influential leaders in the civil rights movement before being elected to Congress, Trump deferred.
"I find a lot of people impressive. I find many people not impressive," Trump said. "He didn't come to my inauguration. He didn't come to my State of the Union speeches. And that's OK, that's his right. And again, nobody has done more for Black Americans than I have. He should've come. I think he made a big mistake.
"He was a person that devoted a lot of energy and lot of heart to civil rights. But there were many others also."
Condemnation of Trump's remarks was swift and severe on Tuesday.
"He's delusional. He's a narcissist, and he is delusional," Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said in an interview with CNN.
"He's done nothing for African Americans in this country, and to speak that in the same sentence as speaking of John Lewis is almost blasphemous," she said.


npr--2020-08-04--Class-Action Lawsuit Claims TikTok Steals Kids' Data And Sends It To China

Class-Action Lawsuit Claims TikTok Steals Kids ' Data And Sends It To China Families are suing TikTok in what has turned into a major legal action in federal court .
Dozens of minors , through their parents , are alleging that the video-sharing app collects information about their facial characteristics , locations and close contacts , and quietly sends that data to servers in China .
Twenty separate but similar federal lawsuits were filed over the past year on behalf of TikTok users in California , where the company has offices , and Illinois , which requires that technology companies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a person 's identity .
The suits now have been merged into one .
And on Tuesday , a panel of federal judges ruled that the case will be based in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois .
Judge John Z. Lee was appointed as the presiding judge .
Plaintiffs ' lawyers will be asking Lee to expand the suit into a nationwide class action , potentially affecting tens of millions of American users .
While TikTok flatly denies the allegations , the company is under intense pressure to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Trump administration considers TikTok a national security threat because its parent company , ByteDance , is based in China .
President Trump said Monday that TikTok must be sold to an American suitor by Sept. 15 or `` close down '' in the United States .
Microsoft Corp. , for one , has acknowledged it is exploring a bid .
TikTok is fighting to have the privacy lawsuit dismissed .
But if it survives , the suit could cost the company hundreds of millions of dollars .
A lawsuit filed under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its use of facial recognition technology recently prompted the social network to agree to a record data-privacy settlement of $ 650 million .
Legal experts said , if the court approves the TikTok lawsuit as a national case , the settlement sum could exceed the Facebook payout .
The Illinois law , known as the Biometric Information Privacy Act , `` has been striking fear in the heart of many companies in the United States for fear that claims like this will be brought , '' said Leslie Weaver , one of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ litigation against TikTok .
Attorneys for TikTok said the app is neither capturing users ' biometric information nor sending any data to China .
But TikTok 's legal team also argues that the company can transfer data to Beijing , if it so chooses , without breaking any laws .
`` The App 's privacy policy also fully discloses that user data will be shared with TikTok 's corporate affiliates and third-party business partners and service providers , as is standard with free social networking apps that have a business model based on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wrote in a submission to the court .
The national security debate about TikTok centers on something nobody has so far provided direct evidence of : that Tiktok is sending information about American citizens to China and , possibly , the Chinese Community Party .
TikTok said its primary servers for its U.S. users are in Virginia and its backup servers are in Singapore .
The company said no data collected on Americans ever goes to servers or authorities in China .
But that contradicts the findings of technology experts hired by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who studied the collection and journey of TikTok data , claim troves of information are being sent to servers in China `` under the control of third-parties who cooperate with the Chinese government , '' according to the lawsuit .
`` Such information reveals TikTok users ' precise physical location , including possibly indoor locations within buildings , and TikTok users ' apps that possibly reveal mental or physical health , religious views , political views , and sexual orientation , '' attorneys for users wrote in legal filings .
The lawyers declined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not disclose to NPR who their experts are or what methods they employed .
In the lawsuit , they contend that as soon as TikTok is downloaded , it starts collecting data , even before a user opens an account .
If a user begins making a video but then does not save it , data in the video is still mined by TikTok , according to the suit .
Even when TikTok is merely on a phone but not being used , it is still allegedly vacuuming up loads of personal data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suit argues , that violates the law by not receiving the consent of users .
The attorneys for the users said the app engages in what they call `` covert theft '' while attempting to hide its tracks .
`` They do so by obfuscating the source code that would reveal the private and personally-identifiable user data and content actually taken from users ' mobile devices , '' the suit says .
TikTok denies that any of its data collection starts before users agree to its terms of service .
TikTok is upfront @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Experts said most smartphone apps collect and store just as much — or more — data as TikTok does .
TikTok 's legal team said the lawsuit is based on a `` factually mistaken '' analysis of how the app collects data and what it is doing with that data .
But worse than that , according to TikTok lawyer Weibell , is that the suit is China-phobic in the same way many U.S. politicians and Silicon Valley tech giants are , he argues .
`` The present lawsuit is based on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rhetoric , conjecture , supposition , and innuendo that originated with these political and competitive attacks , '' Weibell said in a filing .
Weibell declined to comment on the suit to NPR .
TikTok says case should be tossed based on user agreement TikTok 's terms of service include what is known as an arbitration clause , which makes users agree that any complaint about the company can never be part of a class-action lawsuit .
But under California law , arbitration clauses do not apply to minors .
They can still @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been harmed .
Attorneys for the users said because data collection allegedly happens before any terms of service are agreed to , users of any age should be able to have their day in court .
TikTok , though , hopes the whole case will be thrown out on the grounds that users do not have a right to bring the lawsuit in the first place because of the arbitration clause that forces disputes to be resolved outside court .
If a panel of judges overseeing the case sides with TikTok , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ if the panel agrees with the plaintiffs , both sides will begin deliberations about who is able to join the class action and how much money will be at stake .
Under the Illinois biometric law , the minimum penalty is $ 1,000 per instance that identifying data was taken without someone 's consent .
If it is proven that the covert theft was reckless , the penalty can go up to $ 5,000 per violation .
According to market research firm Sensor Tower , TikTok has been downloaded more than 180 million @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kind of exposure Microsoft would have to pending litigation will likely be part of the software giant 's review ahead of an official offer to buy the app .
But lawyers involved in the case said the lawsuit is not likely to dissuade Microsoft , a company valued at $ 1.5 trillion .
Some lawyers involved in the lawsuit predicted that a settlement would be reached before any sale of TikTok is completed and that TikTok may be in a rush to resolve the suits to make itself `` more sellable . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ class action , it could be a legal headache and considerable expense that sticks around TikTok for years to come .
Microsoft has vowed that if it becomes TikTok 's new parent company , all data on American citizens would remain within U.S. borders .
`` To the extent that any such data is currently stored or backed-up outside the United States , Microsoft would ensure that this data is deleted from servers outside the country after it is transferred , '' Microsoft said in a statement .

Class-Action Lawsuit Claims TikTok Steals Kids' Data And Sends It To China
Enlarge this image toggle caption Anjum Naveed/AP Anjum Naveed/AP
Families are suing TikTok in what has turned into a major legal action in federal court.
Dozens of minors, through their parents, are alleging that the video-sharing app collects information about their facial characteristics, locations and close contacts, and quietly sends that data to servers in China.
Twenty separate but similar federal lawsuits were filed over the past year on behalf of TikTok users in California, where the company has offices, and Illinois, which requires that technology companies receive written consent before collecting data on a person's identity.
The suits now have been merged into one.
And on Tuesday, a panel of federal judges ruled that the case will be based in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Judge John Z. Lee was appointed as the presiding judge.
Plaintiffs' lawyers will be asking Lee to expand the suit into a nationwide class action, potentially affecting tens of millions of American users.
While TikTok flatly denies the allegations, the company is under intense pressure to avoid a long, drawn-out legal battle. The Trump administration considers TikTok a national security threat because its parent company, ByteDance, is based in China. President Trump said Monday that TikTok must be sold to an American suitor by Sept. 15 or "close down" in the United States. Microsoft Corp., for one, has acknowledged it is exploring a bid.
TikTok is fighting to have the privacy lawsuit dismissed. But if it survives, the suit could cost the company hundreds of millions of dollars.
A lawsuit filed under the same Illinois law against Facebook over its use of facial recognition technology recently prompted the social network to agree to a record data-privacy settlement of $650 million. Legal experts said, if the court approves the TikTok lawsuit as a national case, the settlement sum could exceed the Facebook payout.
The Illinois law, known as the Biometric Information Privacy Act, "has been striking fear in the heart of many companies in the United States for fear that claims like this will be brought," said Lesley Weaver, one of the 33 plaintiffs' attorneys involved in the litigation against TikTok.
Attorneys for TikTok said the app is neither capturing users' biometric information nor sending any data to China. But TikTok's legal team also argues that the company can transfer data to Beijing, if it so chooses, without breaking any laws.
"The App's privacy policy also fully discloses that user data will be shared with TikTok's corporate affiliates and third-party business partners and service providers, as is standard with free social networking apps that have a business model based on advertising," TikTok lawyer Tony Weibell wrote in a submission to the court.
Is TikTok sending data to China?
The national security debate about TikTok centers on something nobody has so far provided direct evidence of: that Tiktok is sending information about American citizens to China and, possibly, the Chinese Community Party.
TikTok said its primary servers for its U.S. users are in Virginia and its backup servers are in Singapore. The company said no data collected on Americans ever goes to servers or authorities in China.
But that contradicts the findings of technology experts hired by the plaintiffs' attorneys. Those experts, who studied the collection and journey of TikTok data, claim troves of information are being sent to servers in China "under the control of third-parties who cooperate with the Chinese government," according to the lawsuit.
"Such information reveals TikTok users' precise physical location, including possibly indoor locations within buildings, and TikTok users' apps that possibly reveal mental or physical health, religious views, political views, and sexual orientation," attorneys for users wrote in legal filings.
The lawyers declined to comment for this story and would not disclose to NPR who their experts are or what methods they employed.
In the lawsuit, they contend that as soon as TikTok is downloaded, it starts collecting data, even before a user opens an account. If a user begins making a video but then does not save it, data in the video is still mined by TikTok, according to the suit. Even when TikTok is merely on a phone but not being used, it is still allegedly vacuuming up loads of personal data. It is a practice, the suit argues, that violates the law by not receiving the consent of users.
The attorneys for the users said the app engages in what they call "covert theft" while attempting to hide its tracks.
"They do so by obfuscating the source code that would reveal the private and personally-identifiable user data and content actually taken from users' mobile devices," the suit says.
TikTok denies that any of its data collection starts before users agree to its terms of service. TikTok is upfront about what data it takes from users. Experts said most smartphone apps collect and store just as much — or more — data as TikTok does.
TikTok's legal team said the lawsuit is based on a "factually mistaken" analysis of how the app collects data and what it is doing with that data. But worse than that, according to TikTok lawyer Weibell, is that the suit is China-phobic in the same way many U.S. politicians and Silicon Valley tech giants are, he argues.
"The present lawsuit is based on (and quotes) the same anti-Chinese rhetoric, conjecture, supposition, and innuendo that originated with these political and competitive attacks," Weibell said in a filing.
Weibell declined to comment on the suit to NPR.
TikTok says case should be tossed based on user agreement
TikTok's terms of service include what is known as an arbitration clause, which makes users agree that any complaint about the company can never be part of a class-action lawsuit.
But under California law, arbitration clauses do not apply to minors. They can still file lawsuits if they think they have been harmed.
Attorneys for the users said because data collection allegedly happens before any terms of service are agreed to, users of any age should be able to have their day in court.
TikTok, though, hopes the whole case will be thrown out on the grounds that users do not have a right to bring the lawsuit in the first place because of the arbitration clause that forces disputes to be resolved outside court.
If a panel of judges overseeing the case sides with TikTok, the whole case could fall apart. But if the panel agrees with the plaintiffs, both sides will begin deliberations about who is able to join the class action and how much money will be at stake.
Under the Illinois biometric law, the minimum penalty is $1,000 per instance that identifying data was taken without someone's consent. If it is proven that the covert theft was reckless, the penalty can go up to $5,000 per violation.
According to market research firm Sensor Tower, TikTok has been downloaded more than 180 million times in the United States.
Lawsuit looms over potential sale to Microsoft
What kind of exposure Microsoft would have to pending litigation will likely be part of the software giant's review ahead of an official offer to buy the app. But lawyers involved in the case said the lawsuit is not likely to dissuade Microsoft, a company valued at $1.5 trillion.
Some lawyers involved in the lawsuit predicted that a settlement would be reached before any sale of TikTok is completed and that TikTok may be in a rush to resolve the suits to make itself "more sellable."
But if the suit becomes a nationwide class action, it could be a legal headache and considerable expense that sticks around TikTok for years to come.
Microsoft has vowed that if it becomes TikTok's new parent company, all data on American citizens would remain within U.S. borders.
"To the extent that any such data is currently stored or backed-up outside the United States, Microsoft would ensure that this data is deleted from servers outside the country after it is transferred," Microsoft said in a statement.


npr--2020-08-04--It's More Than Racism: Isabel Wilkerson Explains America's 'Caste' System

It 's More Than Racism : Isabel Wilkerson Explains America 's 'Caste ' System Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson says racism is an insufficient term for the systemic oppression of Black people in America .
Instead , she prefers to refer to America as having a `` caste '' system .
Wilkerson describes caste an artificial hierarchy that helps determine standing and respect , assumptions of beauty and competence , and even who gets benefit of the doubt and access to resources .
`` Caste focuses in on the infrastructure of our divisions and the rankings , whereas race is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one 's place in that , '' she says .
Wilkerson notes that the concept of caste has been around for thousands of years : `` [ Caste ] predates the idea of race , which is ... only 400 or 500 years old , dating back to the transatlantic slave trade . ''
Caste , she adds , `` is the term that is more precise [ than race ] ; it is more comprehensive , and it gets at the underlying infrastructure that often we can not see , but that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and injustices and disparities that we live with in this country . ''
Wilkerson 's 2010 book , The Warmth of Other Suns , focused on the great migration of African Americans from the South to the North during the 20th century .
In her new book , Caste : The Origins of Our Discontents , Wilkerson says that acknowledging America 's caste system deepens our understanding of what Black people are up against in the United States .
On hearing a Nigerian-born playwright say that there are no Black people in Africa @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , because , of course , we say that there is an entire subcontinent of people who we would view as Black , but what she was saying was that until you come to the United States , they themselves do not see themselves as Black , they are Igbo ... or they are Yoruba or whatever it is that they are in terms of their ethnicity and identity .
It is only when they enter into a multilayered caste structure ... a hierarchy such as this , do they then have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ back where they are from , they do not have to think of themselves as Black , because Black is not the primary metric of determining one 's identity .
On how being `` white '' is an American innovation It 's an innovation that is only several hundred years old , dating back to the time of the transatlantic slave trade .
And that is because before that time , there were humans on the land wherever they happened to be on this planet , and because of the way people were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ merely who they were .
They were Irish or they were German or they were Polish or Hungarian , and only [ thought of themselves as white ] after the transatlantic slave trade , only after people who had been spread out all over the world converged in this one space — the New World — to create a new country , a new culture where all of these people were then interacting and having to figure out how they were going to relate to one another .
That is when you have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caste system that emerges that instantly relegates those who were brought in to be enslaved ... to the very bottom of the caste system , and then elevated those who looked like those who had who created the caste system — meaning those who were British and Western Europeans — at the very top of the caste system .
And anyone who entered that caste system had to then navigate and figure out how were they [ were ] going to manage , how are they [ were ] going to survive and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ upon arrival , discovering that they were assigned to a particular category , whether they [ wished ] to be in it or not .
That means that until arriving here , people who were Irish , people who were Hungarian , people who were Polish would not have identified themselves back in the 19th century as being white , but only in connection to the gradations and ranking that occurred and was created in the United States — that is where the designation of white , the designation of Black and those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On where people of color who are not Black fit into the caste system There was a tremendous churning at the beginning of the 20th century of people who were arriving in these undetermined or middle groups that did not fit neatly into the bipolar structure that America had created .
And at the beginning of the 20th century , there were petitions to the Supreme Court , petitions to the government , for clarity about where they would fit in .
And they were often petitioning to be admitted to the dominant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Japanese immigrant petitioned to qualify for being Caucasian because he said , `` My skin is actually whiter than many people that I identified as white in America .
I should qualify to be considered Caucasian . ''
And his petition was rejected by the Supreme Court .
But these are all examples of the long-standing uncertainties about who fits where when you have a caste system that is bipolar [ Black and white ] , such as the one that was created here .
On the surprising origin of the term @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a German physician in the 18th century who had this obsession with skulls , and he collected these skulls from all over the world and his effort to determine who was supreme in humanity .
So he had skulls from all over the world , and he identified the most beautiful skulls as having come from the area around the Caucasus Mountains .
And as a result of that , because they were , in his view , so beautiful , he decided to identify this skull as Caucasian clearly , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ belonged as Caucasians .
In other words , this was the group that was the most beautiful and perfect of all groups of humanity .
This was a group that he presumed himself to belong to — though he was German .
And this was the group that he described as European , and thus the word `` Caucasian '' actually refers to people who come from the Caucasus Mountains .
Now , what 's fascinating about that as well is that the very people who were from that region of the world @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most difficult time gaining entry to the United States as citizens as white in the early 20th century , because they did not qualify based upon the preferences for those who were from Northern European ancestry .
On how the U.S. used immigration as a legal way to maintain the caste system Curating the population means deciding who gets to be a part of it and where they fit in upon entry , and so there is a tremendous effort at the end of the 19th century , the beginning of the 20th @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and this growing belief in the gradations of humankind that they wanted to keep the population closer to what it had been at the founding of the country .
And so there was an effort to restrict who could come into the country if they were not of Western European descent .
Tremendous back and forth , tremendous efforts on the part of eugenicists who then held sway in the popular imagination , tremendous effort to keep out people who we now would view as part of the dominant group .
It was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a part of the United States and where they would fit in , and they used immigration laws to determine who would be able to get access to that dominant group .
On why the Nazis studied American Jim Crow laws I have to say that my focus was not initially on the Nazis themselves , but rather on how Germany has worked in the decades after the war to reconcile its history .
But the deeper that I got , and the more that I looked into this , the deeper I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I would never have imagined .
It turned out that German eugenicists were in continuing dialogue with American eugenicists .
Books by American eugenicists were big sellers in Germany in the years leading up to the Third Reich .
And then , of course , the Nazis needed no one to teach them how to hate .
But what they did was they sent researchers to study America 's Jim Crow laws .
They actually sent researchers to America to study how Americans had subjugated African Americans , what would be considered the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and consulted American law as they were devising the Nuremberg Laws and as they were looking at those laws in the United States .
They could n't understand why , from their perspective , the group that they had identified as the subordinated caste was not recognized in the United States in the same way .
So that was the unusual interconnectedness that I never would have imagined .
On the Nazi reaction to America 's `` one drop rule , '' which maintained that a person with any amount of Black blood @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the one drop rule , that was viewed as too extreme to [ the Nazis ] .
It was stunning to hear that .
...
The Nazis , in trying to create their own caste system , what could be considered a caste system , went to great lengths to really think hard about who should qualify as Aryan , because they felt that they wanted to include as many people as they possibly could , ironically enough , and as they looked at the United States , it did not make sense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black blood would make someone Black , that they could not and did not accept .
And in defining and creating their own hierarchy , they ended up coming up with a different configuration that actually encompassed more people into the Aryan side than would have been considered than the equivalent would have been in the United States .
Sam Briger and Thea Chaloner produced and edited the audio of this interview .
Bridget Bentz and Molly Seavy-Nesper adapted it for the Web .

It's More Than Racism: Isabel Wilkerson Explains America's 'Caste' System
Enlarge this image toggle caption William Lovelace/Hulton Archive/Getty Images William Lovelace/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabel Wilkerson says racism is an insufficient term for the systemic oppression of Black people in America. Instead, she prefers to refer to America as having a "caste" system.
Wilkerson describes caste an artificial hierarchy that helps determine standing and respect, assumptions of beauty and competence, and even who gets benefit of the doubt and access to resources.
"Caste focuses in on the infrastructure of our divisions and the rankings, whereas race is the metric that's used to determine one's place in that," she says.
Wilkerson notes that the concept of caste has been around for thousands of years: "[Caste] predates the idea of race, which is ... only 400 or 500 years old, dating back to the transatlantic slave trade."
Caste, she adds, "is the term that is more precise [than race]; it is more comprehensive, and it gets at the underlying infrastructure that often we cannot see, but that is there undergirding much of the inequality and injustices and disparities that we live with in this country."
Wilkerson's 2010 book, The Warmth of Other Suns, focused on the great migration of African Americans from the South to the North during the 20th century. In her new book, Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents, Wilkerson says that acknowledging America's caste system deepens our understanding of what Black people are up against in the United States.
Interview Highlights
On hearing a Nigerian-born playwright say that there are no Black people in Africa
Enlarge this image Penguin Random House Penguin Random House
It's so shocking to our ears, because, of course, we say that there is an entire subcontinent of people who we would view as Black, but what she was saying was that until you come to the United States, they themselves do not see themselves as Black, they are Igbo ... or they are Yoruba or whatever it is that they are in terms of their ethnicity and identity.
It is only when they enter into a multilayered caste structure ... a hierarchy such as this, do they then have to think of themselves as Black. But back where they are from, they do not have to think of themselves as Black, because Black is not the primary metric of determining one's identity.
On how being "white" is an American innovation
It's an innovation that is only several hundred years old, dating back to the time of the transatlantic slave trade. And that is because before that time, there were humans on the land wherever they happened to be on this planet, and because of the way people were living on the land, they were merely who they were.
They were Irish or they were German or they were Polish or Hungarian, and only [thought of themselves as white] after the transatlantic slave trade, only after people who had been spread out all over the world converged in this one space — the New World — to create a new country, a new culture where all of these people were then interacting and having to figure out how they were going to relate to one another.
That is when you have a caste system that emerges, a caste system that emerges that instantly relegates those who were brought in to be enslaved ... to the very bottom of the caste system, and then elevated those who looked like those who had who created the caste system — meaning those who were British and Western Europeans — at the very top of the caste system. And anyone who entered that caste system had to then navigate and figure out how were they [were] going to manage, how are they [were] going to survive and succeed in this system. And also upon arrival, discovering that they were assigned to a particular category, whether they [wished] to be in it or not.
That means that until arriving here, people who were Irish, people who were Hungarian, people who were Polish would not have identified themselves back in the 19th century as being white, but only in connection to the gradations and ranking that occurred and was created in the United States — that is where the designation of white, the designation of Black and those in between came to have meaning.
On where people of color who are not Black fit into the caste system
There was a tremendous churning at the beginning of the 20th century of people who were arriving in these undetermined or middle groups that did not fit neatly into the bipolar structure that America had created. And at the beginning of the 20th century, there were petitions to the Supreme Court, petitions to the government, for clarity about where they would fit in. And they were often petitioning to be admitted to the dominant caste.
One of the examples, a Japanese immigrant petitioned to qualify for being Caucasian because he said, "My skin is actually whiter than many people that I identified as white in America. I should qualify to be considered Caucasian." And his petition was rejected by the Supreme Court. But these are all examples of the long-standing uncertainties about who fits where when you have a caste system that is bipolar [Black and white], such as the one that was created here.
On the surprising origin of the term "Caucasian"
Enlarge this image toggle caption Joe Henson/Penguin Random House Joe Henson/Penguin Random House
There was a physician, a German physician in the 18th century who had this obsession with skulls, and he collected these skulls from all over the world and his effort to determine who was supreme in humanity. So he had skulls from all over the world, and he identified the most beautiful skulls as having come from the area around the Caucasus Mountains. And as a result of that, because they were, in his view, so beautiful, he decided to identify this skull as Caucasian clearly, and to name the group to which he belonged as Caucasians.
In other words, this was the group that was the most beautiful and perfect of all groups of humanity. This was a group that he presumed himself to belong to — though he was German. And this was the group that he described as European, and thus the word "Caucasian" actually refers to people who come from the Caucasus Mountains.
Now, what's fascinating about that as well is that the very people who were from that region of the world actually are among those who had the most difficult time gaining entry to the United States as citizens as white in the early 20th century, because they did not qualify based upon the preferences for those who were from Northern European ancestry.
On how the U.S. used immigration as a legal way to maintain the caste system
Curating the population means deciding who gets to be a part of it and where they fit in upon entry, and so there is a tremendous effort at the end of the 19th century, the beginning of the 20th century, with the rise of eugenics and this growing belief in the gradations of humankind that they wanted to keep the population closer to what it had been at the founding of the country. And so there was an effort to restrict who could come into the country if they were not of Western European descent.
Tremendous back and forth, tremendous efforts on the part of eugenicists who then held sway in the popular imagination, tremendous effort to keep out people who we now would view as part of the dominant group. It was a form of curating who could become a part of the United States and where they would fit in, and they used immigration laws to determine who would be able to get access to that dominant group.
On why the Nazis studied American Jim Crow laws
I have to say that my focus was not initially on the Nazis themselves, but rather on how Germany has worked in the decades after the war to reconcile its history. But the deeper that I got, and the more that I looked into this, the deeper I searched, I discovered these connections that I would never have imagined.
It turned out that German eugenicists were in continuing dialogue with American eugenicists. Books by American eugenicists were big sellers in Germany in the years leading up to the Third Reich. And then, of course, the Nazis needed no one to teach them how to hate. But what they did was they sent researchers to study America's Jim Crow laws. They actually sent researchers to America to study how Americans had subjugated African Americans, what would be considered the subordinated caste. And they actually debated and consulted American law as they were devising the Nuremberg Laws and as they were looking at those laws in the United States.
They couldn't understand why, from their perspective, the group that they had identified as the subordinated caste was not recognized in the United States in the same way. So that was the unusual interconnectedness that I never would have imagined.
On the Nazi reaction to America's "one drop rule," which maintained that a person with any amount of Black blood would be considered Black
That idea of the one drop rule, that was viewed as too extreme to [the Nazis]. It was stunning to hear that. ... The Nazis, in trying to create their own caste system, what could be considered a caste system, went to great lengths to really think hard about who should qualify as Aryan, because they felt that they wanted to include as many people as they possibly could, ironically enough, and as they looked at the United States, it did not make sense to them that a single drop of Black blood would make someone Black, that they could not and did not accept. And in defining and creating their own hierarchy, they ended up coming up with a different configuration that actually encompassed more people into the Aryan side than would have been considered than the equivalent would have been in the United States.
Sam Briger and Thea Chaloner produced and edited the audio of this interview. Bridget Bentz and Molly Seavy-Nesper adapted it for the Web.


npr--2020-08-04--Can Love Conquer Travel Bans? Couples Divided By Pandemic Are Rallying To Reunite

Can Love Conquer Travel Bans ?
Couples Divided By Pandemic Are Rallying To Reunite Rezan al-Ibrahim understands separation .
A Web developer who fled the war in Syria and now has asylum in the Netherlands , he 's in a long-distance marriage with his wife , Aysha Shedbalkar , an Indian American math teacher , because of the Trump administration 's ban on Syrians .
`` She had taken this year off work to stay with me in Amsterdam , '' he says .
`` Then the pandemic hit . ''
They became one of thousands of couples separated by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In several countries , partners without formal residency , who often visit as tourists , have been largely barred from entering during the pandemic .
The United States restricts travel from places including Brazil , China and much of Europe .
The European Union has allowed visitors from a dozen nations , but most countries like the U.S. — where the coronavirus is still surging — remain blocked .
Reuniting is especially difficult for same-sex couples .
`` It 's easier for some countries to just classify us as friends and not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Garrison , 42 , a high school French teacher in Los Angeles .
He usually spends every school break in France with his French partner of four years but now is not allowed into the country .
These couples are now organizing on social media to push governments to let them reunite , tweeting with the hashtags # LoveIsNotTourism and # LoveIsEssential .
One Facebook group , Love Is Not Tourism , has more than 15,000 members .
Maggie Foster , an American who co-founded another Facebook group , Couples Separated by Travel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members , says activists have lost faith in the U.S. government .
`` Our representatives do n't respond to our requests and if they do , they just say 'sorry , this all rests with Donald Trump , ' `` Foster says .
Some European lawmakers are paying attention .
Countries including Austria , the Czech Republic and the Netherlands now allow non-EU partners to enter on `` sweetheart visas . ''
NPR spoke to some of the couples around the world who are coping with separation during the pandemic .
They met @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conference and exchanged numbers .
A few weeks later , she told him she was heading to Tbilisi , Georgia , for another conference .
`` And he said , 'How about if I join you there ? '
I was floored .
The dating scene in LA is bleak .
It 's hard to get a guy to get on the 405 [ highway ] to meet you , '' Blount says .
`` And this guy wants to get on a plane to meet me in another country .
I was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ According to Mahele , it was love at first sight .
`` Every single person in my life knows her , '' he says .
`` My family , my friends , my co-workers , my neighbors .
I even talk to my dog about her . ''
They have visited each other every two months since they met and video chat several times a day .
Mahele video chats with her when he 's out with his friends , at a family dinner or distributing food parcels to vulnerable South Africans .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) visa to join her in the U.S. , where they planned to marry in December .
The wedding is postponed .
Meanwhile , Mahele is building a house for the two of them in South Africa , where they plan to hold a second wedding .
`` What keeps me going is that I know we 're not alone in this , '' Blount says , `` and that we will find some way to be together .
I do n't know how .
I do n't know when .
But it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ met last year at a club in Berlin and have talked every day since , flying back and forth between the U.S. and Germany every few weeks .
They have met each other 's parents .
They spent Christmas with Alsup 's family and promised to reunite in March .
Pandemic travel restrictions have kept them apart for months .
`` By being forced to be separated , we have realized how very committed we are to this relationship , '' Alsup says .
`` I 'm thankful we 're living [ in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at least we can see each other every day , '' Pindel says .
`` I do n't think I could cope with just a regular cellphone . ''
They are now trying to make plans to meet in a third country that lets in Americans and Germans and is relatively inexpensive for a long-term stay .
`` Could it be Mexico ?
Rwanda ?
I do n't care where , as long as I can hold him , '' Pindel says .
Alsup hopes they can reunite in September , assuming Denmark @ @ @ @ @ @ @ there .
Daniela was 4 and Díaz Cuní was 7 when they first met as kids in Pinar del Río , Cuba .
She 's Cuban American , and she and her family were visiting from the U.S. `` I always knew him as Yoel from across the street , '' she says .
`` When I returned as an adult to live in Cuba for a few years , we hitchhiked together all over and I fell in love with his sense of adventure . ''
They have been together for five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the U.S. She is n't able to get to Cuba during the pandemic .
And with the U.S. Embassy in Havana downsized since 2017 , they 're working to save up money to travel to the U.S. Embassy in Guyana to request a U.S. visa for Díaz Cuní .
`` Everything is harder because it 's Cuba , '' she says .
They cope by talking every day , even though the Internet in Cuba is much more expensive than the U.S. or Europe and is operational only a couple of hours @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we can reunite and start a future together , '' he says .
`` We 've always wanted to start a family . ''
They connected through the dating app Tinder nearly a year ago , when Maoz was traveling solo through Barcelona .
González had just ended a long-term relationship .
They met at González 's favorite cafe and clicked immediately .
`` I remember how much I loved Gemma 's eyes when we first met , '' Maoz says .
`` They reflect what a good soul she is . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ turned serious .
They saw each other as often as possible , checking the Internet for cheap flights .
When Maoz 's mother died last October , González dropped everything and immediately flew to Israel .
`` She sat shiva with my family and friends and teachers , all of whom were speaking Hebrew , '' Maoz says , referring to the Jewish mourning period .
`` She is an angel . ''
They have n't seen each other since March .
They both get emotional when they talk about their separation , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Everything feels so out of control , the pandemic , the politics of the pandemic , you have no idea what 's going on , '' González says .
They recorded their Skype calls and turned them into a 10-minute movie .
`` But we 've had enough of Skype , '' Maoz says .
`` We need to hold each other , to kiss each other . ''
Hazenberg and Samson have spent most of their adult lives traveling the world .
In the decade they have been together , they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , dived in Indonesia and trekked through Kyrgyzstan .
Most recently , they were living in Tbilisi , Georgia , where they were teaching at an international high school .
Just before the pandemic hit , Samson flew home to New Zealand to visit her daughter and grandchildren .
Now she 's stuck there , and Hazenberg is grounded in Tbilisi .
`` We have never been separated this long , and it 's especially hard not knowing where and when we will reunite , '' he says .
`` It 's an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as much control over our lives as we think . ''
They speak by phone or video chat every day .
They check the news constantly for the latest on travel restrictions .
Hazenberg is passing the time by learning to juggle while riding the unicycle Samson got him for his 50th birthday .
Meanwhile , she 's driving a camper van around New Zealand .
`` I am rewriting lyrics in my head of old love songs as I walk along the banks of the mighty Waikato River , knowing my darling @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world , '' she says .
`` I miss his arm around my shoulder , that kiss at the top of my head .
All those little things that mean so much now that we ca n't touch each other . ''
They met in the Caribbean three years ago , where both were on break from their work cooking on chartered boats and yachts .
She can make anything from Cajun to South Asian .
He favors `` experimental Mediterranean '' and once won a competition by making baklava with turkey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other every month and planned to move in together in Rhode Island this March .
The pandemic grounded Meyer in the U.S. and Draper in the United Kingdom .
Draper was able to fly from the U.K. to Greece , where the infection rate is among the lowest in Europe .
He 's half Greek and grew up on the Greek island of Zakynthos , so he has a Greek identity card .
Meyer could n't join him because she 's American and they 're not married .
`` You 're either married @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , `` which makes no sense . ''
Meyer saw an opening when the EU gave the green light for Canadians to visit .
She was born in Canada and has dual nationality — and a Canadian passport .
She tested negative for the coronavirus , self-quarantined in Newport and booked a flight to Athens for July 1 .
She stressed about getting turned back but she made it to Athens without a hitch .
She spotted Draper holding a bouquet of roses in the arrivals hall .
A TV crew filmed them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Our first kiss in five months , '' she says .
Crumpler and Donovan met at a Dublin pub a year ago , when she was a flight attendant overnighting in Ireland .
`` Things got serious really fast , '' Crumpler says .
`` We never missed a beat .
We saw each other every six weeks . ''
When they found out she was pregnant last November , they planned to marry .
`` We 're a family , '' Donovan says .
The pandemic hit as he was waiting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a humanitarian exemption to travel to the U.S. so he could help Crumpler through the pregnancy and attend the birth of their son .
They both cried when he was rejected .
Crumpler spent her days calling politicians .
`` Ted Cruz probably has me saved in his office phone as 'do not answer , ' `` she says of the Texas senator .
`` I have also called Secretary of State Mike Pompeo .
No one calls me back . ''
She gave birth to their son Taos Ridge Donovan on July @ @ @ @ @ @ @ U.S. finally let Donovan fly in to meet his son .
The travel restrictions exempt fathers of minor children .
He brought his son a teddy bear in a Dublin-green hoodie .
`` We are over the moon , '' he texted NPR .
They met in a refugee camp in Greece in 2016 .
She was spending her school breaks volunteering there .
He and his family were stranded at the camp after fleeing the war in Syria .
He loved her kindness .
She admired his sense of joy .
They @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cinematic belief that love can conquer all .
( Their favorite song is John Legend 's `` Surefire , '' which is about love overcoming the odds . )
They got engaged in January 2017 , just as the Trump administration imposed a ban on several Muslim-majority countries .
She visited him in Greece and later in the Netherlands , where he received asylum .
When the Supreme Court upheld the travel ban in the summer of 2018 , they were devastated .
They did not give up .
The following March , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , where most of Ibrahim 's family has received asylum .
Shedbalkar 's family flew in from the U.S. for the traditional Indian Muslim wedding with Syrian touches .
And of course , their first dance was to John Legend 's `` Surefire . ''
`` That song is our story , '' Ibrahim says .
`` And our story is that no matter what happens , love will win in the end . ''
He applied for a spousal visa to the U.S. As they awaited an answer , the pandemic hit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for their first anniversary .
They were separated for almost six months — the longest they had been apart — until July 28 , when she was finally allowed to enter the Netherlands on a `` sweetheart visa . ''
`` When COVID happened , '' she said , `` I think a lot of people felt in some way how we have been feeling for almost four years of our life . ''

Can Love Conquer Travel Bans? Couples Divided By Pandemic Are Rallying To Reunite
Enlarge this image toggle caption Clockwise from top left: Johannes Mahele and Joresa Blount; Corsi Crumple and Sean Donovan; Todd Alsup and Sebastian Pindel; Marissa Daniela and Yoel Díaz Cuní; Sairah Camilla; Yahli Maoz and Gemma González Clockwise from top left: Johannes Mahele and Joresa Blount; Corsi Crumple and Sean Donovan; Todd Alsup and Sebastian Pindel; Marissa Daniela and Yoel Díaz Cuní; Sairah Camilla; Yahli Maoz and Gemma González
Rezan al-Ibrahim understands separation. A Web developer who fled the war in Syria and now has asylum in the Netherlands, he's in a long-distance marriage with his wife, Aysha Shedbalkar, an Indian American math teacher, because of the Trump administration's ban on Syrians.
"She had taken this year off work to stay with me in Amsterdam," he says. "Then the pandemic hit."
They became one of thousands of couples separated by coronavirus-related travel restrictions. Many are unmarried. In several countries, partners without formal residency, who often visit as tourists, have been largely barred from entering during the pandemic.
The United States restricts travel from places including Brazil, China and much of Europe. The European Union has allowed visitors from a dozen nations, but most countries like the U.S. — where the coronavirus is still surging — remain blocked.
Reuniting is especially difficult for same-sex couples. "It's easier for some countries to just classify us as friends and not let us in," says Robert Garrison, 42, a high school French teacher in Los Angeles. He usually spends every school break in France with his French partner of four years but now is not allowed into the country.
These couples are now organizing on social media to push governments to let them reunite, tweeting with the hashtags #LoveIsNotTourism and #LoveIsEssential. One Facebook group, Love Is Not Tourism, has more than 15,000 members. Maggie Foster, an American who co-founded another Facebook group, Couples Separated by Travel Bans, which has more than 8,000 members, says activists have lost faith in the U.S. government.
"Our representatives don't respond to our requests and if they do, they just say 'sorry, this all rests with Donald Trump,' " Foster says.
Some European lawmakers are paying attention. Countries including Austria, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands now allow non-EU partners to enter on "sweetheart visas."
NPR spoke to some of the couples around the world who are coping with separation during the pandemic.
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They met in Russia last year at a tech conference and exchanged numbers. A few weeks later, she told him she was heading to Tbilisi, Georgia, for another conference. "And he said, 'How about if I join you there?' I was floored. The dating scene in LA is bleak. It's hard to get a guy to get on the 405 [highway] to meet you," Blount says. "And this guy wants to get on a plane to meet me in another country. I was like, what is happening?" According to Mahele, it was love at first sight. "Every single person in my life knows her," he says. "My family, my friends, my co-workers, my neighbors. I even talk to my dog about her." They have visited each other every two months since they met and video chat several times a day. Mahele video chats with her when he's out with his friends, at a family dinner or distributing food parcels to vulnerable South Africans. He applied for a K-1 (fiancé) visa to join her in the U.S., where they planned to marry in December. The wedding is postponed. Meanwhile, Mahele is building a house for the two of them in South Africa, where they plan to hold a second wedding. "What keeps me going is that I know we're not alone in this," Blount says, "and that we will find some way to be together. I don't know how. I don't know when. But it's going to happen."
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They met last year at a club in Berlin and have talked every day since, flying back and forth between the U.S. and Germany every few weeks. They have met each other's parents. They spent Christmas with Alsup's family and promised to reunite in March. Pandemic travel restrictions have kept them apart for months. "By being forced to be separated, we have realized how very committed we are to this relationship," Alsup says. "I'm thankful we're living [in] an era when FaceTime exists because at least we can see each other every day," Pindel says. "I don't think I could cope with just a regular cellphone." They are now trying to make plans to meet in a third country that lets in Americans and Germans and is relatively inexpensive for a long-term stay. "Could it be Mexico? Rwanda? I don't care where, as long as I can hold him," Pindel says. Alsup hopes they can reunite in September, assuming Denmark lets him in to play two concerts there.
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Daniela was 4 and Díaz Cuní was 7 when they first met as kids in Pinar del Río, Cuba. She's Cuban American, and she and her family were visiting from the U.S. "I always knew him as Yoel from across the street," she says. "When I returned as an adult to live in Cuba for a few years, we hitchhiked together all over and I fell in love with his sense of adventure." They have been together for five years and were planning to get married in the U.S. She isn't able to get to Cuba during the pandemic. And with the U.S. Embassy in Havana downsized since 2017, they're working to save up money to travel to the U.S. Embassy in Guyana to request a U.S. visa for Díaz Cuní. "Everything is harder because it's Cuba," she says. They cope by talking every day, even though the Internet in Cuba is much more expensive than the U.S. or Europe and is operational only a couple of hours a day. "We talk until we can reunite and start a future together," he says. "We've always wanted to start a family."
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They connected through the dating app Tinder nearly a year ago, when Maoz was traveling solo through Barcelona. González had just ended a long-term relationship. They met at González's favorite cafe and clicked immediately. "I remember how much I loved Gemma's eyes when we first met," Maoz says. "They reflect what a good soul she is." They began a long-distance relationship that quickly turned serious. They saw each other as often as possible, checking the Internet for cheap flights. When Maoz's mother died last October, González dropped everything and immediately flew to Israel. "She sat shiva with my family and friends and teachers, all of whom were speaking Hebrew," Maoz says, referring to the Jewish mourning period. "She is an angel." They haven't seen each other since March. They both get emotional when they talk about their separation, describing it as a physical pain. "Everything feels so out of control, the pandemic, the politics of the pandemic, you have no idea what's going on," González says. They recorded their Skype calls and turned them into a 10-minute movie. "But we've had enough of Skype," Maoz says. "We need to hold each other, to kiss each other."
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Hazenberg and Samson have spent most of their adult lives traveling the world. In the decade they have been together, they have taught in Switzerland, dived in Indonesia and trekked through Kyrgyzstan. Most recently, they were living in Tbilisi, Georgia, where they were teaching at an international high school. Just before the pandemic hit, Samson flew home to New Zealand to visit her daughter and grandchildren. Now she's stuck there, and Hazenberg is grounded in Tbilisi. "We have never been separated this long, and it's especially hard not knowing where and when we will reunite," he says. "It's an unwelcome reminder that we don't have as much control over our lives as we think." They speak by phone or video chat every day. They check the news constantly for the latest on travel restrictions. Hazenberg is passing the time by learning to juggle while riding the unicycle Samson got him for his 50th birthday. Meanwhile, she's driving a camper van around New Zealand. "I am rewriting lyrics in my head of old love songs as I walk along the banks of the mighty Waikato River, knowing my darling is sleeping on the other side of the world," she says. "I miss his arm around my shoulder, that kiss at the top of my head. All those little things that mean so much now that we can't touch each other."
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They met in the Caribbean three years ago, where both were on break from their work cooking on chartered boats and yachts. She can make anything from Cajun to South Asian. He favors "experimental Mediterranean" and once won a competition by making baklava with turkey instead of nuts. They visited each other every month and planned to move in together in Rhode Island this March. The pandemic grounded Meyer in the U.S. and Draper in the United Kingdom. Draper was able to fly from the U.K. to Greece, where the infection rate is among the lowest in Europe. He's half Greek and grew up on the Greek island of Zakynthos, so he has a Greek identity card. Meyer couldn't join him because she's American and they're not married. "You're either married or a tourist," he says, "which makes no sense."
Europe Couple Struggles To Reunite During Pandemic Due To EU Ban On American Travel Couple Struggles To Reunite During Pandemic Due To EU Ban On American Travel Listen · 2:50 2:50
Meyer saw an opening when the EU gave the green light for Canadians to visit. She was born in Canada and has dual nationality — and a Canadian passport. She tested negative for the coronavirus, self-quarantined in Newport and booked a flight to Athens for July 1. She stressed about getting turned back but she made it to Athens without a hitch. She spotted Draper holding a bouquet of roses in the arrivals hall. A TV crew filmed them pulling down their masks and kissing. "Our first kiss in five months," she says.
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Crumpler and Donovan met at a Dublin pub a year ago, when she was a flight attendant overnighting in Ireland. "Things got serious really fast," Crumpler says. "We never missed a beat. We saw each other every six weeks." When they found out she was pregnant last November, they planned to marry. "We're a family," Donovan says. The pandemic hit as he was waiting for a U.S. visa. He requested a humanitarian exemption to travel to the U.S. so he could help Crumpler through the pregnancy and attend the birth of their son. They both cried when he was rejected. Crumpler spent her days calling politicians. "Ted Cruz probably has me saved in his office phone as 'do not answer,' " she says of the Texas senator. "I have also called Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. No one calls me back." She gave birth to their son Taos Ridge Donovan on July 22. The next day, the U.S. finally let Donovan fly in to meet his son. The travel restrictions exempt fathers of minor children. He brought his son a teddy bear in a Dublin-green hoodie. "We are over the moon," he texted NPR.
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They met in a refugee camp in Greece in 2016. She was spending her school breaks volunteering there. He and his family were stranded at the camp after fleeing the war in Syria. He loved her kindness. She admired his sense of joy. They bonded over faith, Bollywood and a cinematic belief that love can conquer all. (Their favorite song is John Legend's "Surefire," which is about love overcoming the odds.)
Health Married Couple Affected By Muslim Travel Ban, Pandemic Constraints Married Couple Affected By Muslim Travel Ban, Pandemic Constraints Listen · 3:02 3:02
They got engaged in January 2017, just as the Trump administration imposed a ban on several Muslim-majority countries. She visited him in Greece and later in the Netherlands, where he received asylum. When the Supreme Court upheld the travel ban in the summer of 2018, they were devastated. They did not give up. The following March, they got married in Malmo, Sweden, where most of Ibrahim's family has received asylum. Shedbalkar's family flew in from the U.S. for the traditional Indian Muslim wedding with Syrian touches. And of course, their first dance was to John Legend's "Surefire." "That song is our story," Ibrahim says. "And our story is that no matter what happens, love will win in the end." He applied for a spousal visa to the U.S. As they awaited an answer, the pandemic hit. Shedbalkar couldn't travel to Amsterdam for their first anniversary. They were separated for almost six months — the longest they had been apart — until July 28, when she was finally allowed to enter the Netherlands on a "sweetheart visa." "When COVID happened," she said, "I think a lot of people felt in some way how we have been feeling for almost four years of our life."


npr--2020-08-04--Enormous Explosion Rocks Beirut, Killing Dozens And Wounding Thousands

A huge explosion rocked Beirut on Tuesday , killing at least 70 people and shattering windows and damaging buildings across a wide swath of the city , according to officials .
The blast sent a huge mushroom cloud into the sky , seemingly emanating from a spot close to where a large fire had been burning .
`` This is a great national disaster , '' Prime Minister Hassan Diab said .
The country is already struggling with a terrible economy and the COVID-19 pandemic .
`` Beirut is grieving , '' Diab said .
He added that there will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are deemed responsible .
The dramatic explosion was caught on numerous videos by people who had been filming a fire at an industrial port in Lebanon 's capital .
Minister of Health Hamad Hassan said at least 2,700 people were hurt — the latest update as damage and fatality reports came in from across the city .
The tally could rise as officials account for people who have been reported missing and as crews gain access to collapsed buildings .
The Lebanese Red Cross says 75 of its ambulances and 375 EMTs have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the group said it was receiving `` thousands of calls '' on its emergency line and implored people to use the line `` only for critical and severe cases . ''
Several hours after the blast , emergency crews still had not been able to reach all of the wounded people in their homes , the Lebanese Red Cross said .
It added that it has set up first aid and triage stations in outdoor areas .
Early reports suggested the explosion was triggered by a fire at a large fireworks warehouse .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ looked to be flashes of smaller explosions before the separate and much larger blast , which generated an enormous shock wave .
The government has launched an investigation into the cause of the explosion .
Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim , the head of Lebanon 's Directorate of General Security , visited the blast site Tuesday .
He told Lebanese journalists that the explosion was likely powered by highly explosive materials that had been confiscated and stored at the port .
Prime Minister Diab said that the warehouse had been storing an estimated 2,750 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an account by President Michel Aoun .
`` Facts about this dangerous warehouse '' have been known for at least six years , Diab said .
Images from the scene show entire blocks of buildings wrecked along the port , their structural supports crumpled by the blast .
Numerous fires were started , sending black smoke into the sky .
The damage is so severe , according to LBCI Lebanon News , that military bulldozers had to clear roadways for firefighters and ambulances to reach the devastated area in the port .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ neighborhood , Gemmayzeh , told NPR almost every building looked damaged by the explosion , '' NPR 's Ruth Sherlock reports .
Hours after the blast , numerous Beirut hospitals were still reportedly overwhelmed , and authorities were urging residents to donate blood .
The director of Beirut 's Lebanese American University Medical Center-Rizk Hospital told state media that more than 400 people injured by the explosion had arrived at that medical center .
He added that the hospital did n't have enough beds for all of them .
Photos from the aftermath @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people with a range of injuries .
President Michel Aoun is ordering Lebanon 's armed forces to conduct patrols in affected parts of the capital and its suburbs to control security and to aid recovery efforts .
In addition to the casualties and structural damage , the explosion at Beirut 's vital port threatens to deepen Lebanon 's dire economic crisis .
As journalist Habib Battah notes , the port handles billions of dollars ' worth of imports , `` including national wheat silos . ''
`` Homes shattered for miles , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ massive and could not come at worse time when everyone is broke and hungry . ''
Battah says his `` whole body '' was moved by the explosion 's shock wave — despite being 10 miles away from the port .

Enormous Explosion Rocks Beirut, Killing More Than 100, Wounding Thousands
Enlarge this image toggle caption STR/AFP via Getty Images STR/AFP via Getty Images
Updated at 6:10 a.m. ET Wednesday
A huge explosion rocked Beirut on Tuesday, killing at least 100 people and shattering windows and damaging buildings across a wide swath of the city, according to officials. The blast sent a huge mushroom cloud into the sky, seemingly emanating from a spot close to where a large fire had been burning.
"This is a great national disaster," Prime Minister Hassan Diab said. The country is already struggling with a terrible economy and the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Beirut is grieving," Diab said. He added that there will be "accountability" for those who are deemed responsible.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Daniel Carde/Getty Images Daniel Carde/Getty Images
The dramatic explosion was caught on numerous videos by people who had been filming a fire at an industrial port in Lebanon's capital.
Officials said nearly 4,000 people were hurt — the latest update as damage and fatality reports came in from across the city. The tally could rise as officials account for people who have been reported missing and as crews gain access to collapsed buildings.
The Lebanese Red Cross said 75 of its ambulances and 375 EMTs have responded to the crisis. Earlier, the group said it was receiving "thousands of calls" on its emergency line and implored people to use the line "only for critical and severe cases."
Several hours after the blast, emergency crews still had not been able to reach all of the wounded people in their homes, the Lebanese Red Cross said. It added that it has set up first aid and triage stations in outdoor areas.
Early reports suggested the explosion was triggered by a fire at a large fireworks warehouse. Some of the video recordings show what looked to be flashes of smaller explosions before the separate and much larger blast, which generated an enormous shock wave.
The government has launched an investigation into the cause of the explosion.
Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim, the head of Lebanon's Directorate of General Security, visited the blast site Tuesday. He told Lebanese journalists that the explosion was likely powered by highly explosive materials that had been confiscated and stored at the port.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Hasan Shaban/Bloomberg via Getty Images Hasan Shaban/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Prime Minister Diab said that the warehouse had been storing an estimated 2,750 tons of ammonium nitrate, according to an account by President Michel Aoun.
"Facts about this dangerous warehouse" have been known for at least six years, Diab said.
Images from the scene show entire blocks of buildings wrecked along the port, their structural supports crumpled by the blast. Numerous fires were started, sending black smoke into the sky.
The damage is so severe, according to LBCI Lebanon News, that military bulldozers had to clear roadways for firefighters and ambulances to reach the devastated area in the port.
"Residents in the city's upmarket Christian-majority neighborhood, Gemmayzeh, told NPR almost every building looked damaged by the explosion," NPR's Ruth Sherlock reports.
Hours after the blast, numerous Beirut hospitals were still reportedly overwhelmed, and authorities were urging residents to donate blood.
The director of Beirut's Lebanese American University Medical Center-Rizk Hospital told state media that more than 400 people injured by the explosion had arrived at that medical center. He added that the hospital didn't have enough beds for all of them.
Photos from the aftermath show paramedics and emergency crews tending to people with a range of injuries.
Aoun is ordering Lebanon's armed forces to conduct patrols in affected parts of the capital and its suburbs to control security and to aid recovery efforts.
In addition to the casualties and structural damage, the explosion at Beirut's vital port threatens to deepen Lebanon's dire economic crisis. As journalist Habib Battah notes, the port handles billions of dollars' worth of imports, "including national wheat silos."
"Homes shattered for miles," Battah says. "Damage will be massive and could not come at worse time when everyone is broke and hungry."
Battah says his "whole body" was moved by the explosion's shock wave — despite being 10 miles away from the port.