npr--2020-07-17--Federal Officers Use Unmarked Vehicles To Grab People In Portland, DHS Confirms

Federal Officers Use Unmarked Vehicles To Grab People In Portland , DHS Confirms In the early hours of Wednesday , after a night spent protesting at the Multnomah County Justice Center and Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse , Mark Pettibone and his friend Conner O'Shea decided to head home .
It had been a calm night compared with most protesting downtown .
By 2 a.m. law enforcement had n't used any tear gas and , with only a few exceptions , both the Portland , Ore. , Police Bureau and federal law enforcement officers had stayed out of sight .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Pettibone and O'Shea bumped into a group warning them that people in camouflage were driving around the area in unmarked minivans grabbing individuals off the street .
`` So that was terrifying to hear , '' Pettibone said .
They had barely made it half a block when an unmarked minivan pulled up in front of them .
`` I see guys in camo , '' O'Shea said .
`` Four or five of them pop out , open the door and it was just like , 'Oh s**t. I do n't know @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with us . '
'' Federal law enforcement officers have been using unmarked vehicles to drive around downtown Portland and detain protesters since at least Tuesday .
Personal accounts and multiple videos posted online show the officers driving up to people , detaining individuals with no explanation about why they are being arrested , and driving off .
The tactic appears to be another escalation in federal force deployed on Portland city streets as federal officials and President Trump have said they plan to quell nightly protests outside the federal courthouse and Multnomah @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than six weeks .
Officers from the U.S .
Marshals Special Operations Group and U.S. Customs and Border Protection 's Border Patrol Tactical Unit have been sent to Portland to protect federal property during the protests against racism and police brutality .
In a statement , the U.S .
Marshals Service declined to comment on the practice of using unmarked vehicles but said its officers had not arrested Pettibone .
The Marshals Service operates under the Department of Justice .
On Thursday , a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said on background @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Secretary Chad Wolf was in Portland during the day .
The spokesperson did n't acknowledge other questions about the arrests .
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is part of DHS .
Speaking to NPR 's All Things Considered on Friday , Homeland Security Acting Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli acknowledged that federal agents had used unmarked vehicles to pick up people in Portland but said it was done to keep officers safe and away from crowds and to move detainees to a `` safe location for questioning . ''
`` The one instance I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ believed they had identified someone who had assaulted officers or ... the federal building there , the courthouse .
Upon questioning , they determined they did not have the right person and that person was released , '' Cuccinelli said .
`` I fully expect that as long as people continue to be violent and to destroy property that we will attempt to identify those folks , '' he added .
`` We will pick them up in front of the courthouse .
If we spot them elsewhere , we will pick them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a question about somebody 's identity , like the first example I noted to you , after questioning determine it is n't someone of interest , then they get released .
And that 's standard law enforcement procedure , and it 's going to continue as long as the violence continues . ''
Customs and Border Protection released a statement Friday about one incident on video , though it did not specify which one .
It said its agents approached a person suspected of assaulting federal agents or destroying federal property , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ towards their location '' so they moved to a safer place .
`` The CBP agents identified themselves and were wearing CBP insignia during the encounter .
The names of the agents were not displayed due to recent doxing incidents against law enforcement personnel who serve and protect our country . ''
U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams , the Department of Justice 's chief law enforcement official in Oregon , on Friday called for an inspector general investigation into DHS personnel over reports of two protesters being detained without probable cause .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concern everyone in the United States .
Usually when we see people in unmarked cars forcibly grab someone off the street we call it kidnapping , '' said Jann Carson , interim executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon , in a written statement .
`` The actions of the militarized federal officers are flat-out unconstitutional and will not go unanswered . ''
A judge has allowed the ACLU to add federal agencies to its lawsuit seeking to limit what law enforcement can do during the protests .
Federal officers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crimes related to the protests so far , while others have been arrested and released , including Pettibone .
They also left one demonstrator hospitalized with skull fractures after shooting him in the face with `` less lethal '' munitions on Saturday , according to video and local reports .
`` This is a whole lot of nothing '' Interviews conducted by Oregon Public Broadcasting show officers are detaining people on Portland streets who are n't near federal property .
Demonstrators such as O'Shea and Pettibone said they think they were targeted by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the area of the demonstration .
O'Shea said he ran when he saw people wearing camouflage jump out of an unmarked vehicle .
He said he hid when a second unmarked van pursued him .
Video shot by O'Shea and provided to OPB shows a dark screen as O'Shea narrates the scene .
Metadata from the video confirm the time and place of the protesters ' account .
`` Feds are driving around , grabbing people off the streets , '' O'Shea said on the video .
`` I did n't do @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this .
I had to let somebody know that this is what happens . ''
Pettibone did not escape the federal officers .
`` I am basically tossed into the van , '' Pettibone said .
`` And I had my beanie pulled over my face so I could n't see , and they held my hands over my head . ''
Pettibone and O'Shea both said they could n't think of anything they might have done to end up targeted by law enforcement .
They attend protests regularly , but they said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ They do n't spray-paint buildings , shine laser pointers at officers or do anything else other than attend protests , which law enforcement have regularly deemed `` unlawful assemblies . ''
Blinded by his hat , in an unmarked minivan full of armed people dressed in camouflage and body armor who had n't identified themselves , Pettibone said he was driven around downtown before being unloaded inside a building .
He would n't learn until after his release that he had been inside the federal courthouse .
`` It was basically a process @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they patted me down and took my picture and rummaged through my belongings , '' Pettibone said .
`` One of them said , 'This is a whole lot of nothing . '
`` Pettibone said he was put into a cell .
Soon after , two officers came in to read him his Miranda rights .
They did n't tell him why he was being arrested .
He said they asked him if he wanted to waive his rights and answer some questions , but Pettibone declined and said he wanted a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and about 90 minutes later he was released .
He said he did not receive any paperwork , citation or record of his arrest .
`` I just happened to be wearing black on a sidewalk in downtown Portland at the time , '' Pettibone said .
`` And that apparently is grounds for detaining me . ''
OPB sent DHS an extensive list of questions about Pettibone 's arrest including : What is the legal justification for making arrests away from federal property ?
What is the legal justification for searching people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Why are federal officers using civilian vehicles and taking people away in them ?
Are the arrests federal officers make legal under the Constitution ?
If so , how ?
`` It 's like stop and frisk meets Guantanamo Bay , '' said attorney Juan Chavez , director of the civil rights project at the Oregon Justice Resource Center .
Chavez has worked on litigation surrounding the weeks of protests and helped lead efforts to curb local police from using tear gas and munitions on protesters .
He called the arrest by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ You have laws regarding probable cause that can lead to arrests , '' he said .
`` It sounds more like abduction .
It sounds like they 're kidnapping people off the streets . ''
Ashlee Albies , a civil rights attorney with the National Lawyers Guild , said Pettibone 's detention is an example of intimidation by federal law enforcement , and noted that people have a First Amendment right to demonstrate .
She also said law enforcement officials have to follow procedures when they detain someone .
`` I would be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an unmarked van , grabbing people off the street is an acceptable policy for a criminal investigation , '' Albies said .
''We 're going to do what needs to be done '' In a letter released Thursday , Wolf , the acting DHS secretary , said , `` Portland has been under siege for 47 straight days by a violent mob while local political leaders refuse to restore order to protect their city . ''
`` A federal courthouse is a symbol of justice , '' Wolf wrote , denigrating protests against @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as an angry mob .
`` To attack it is to attack America . ''
This week , Trump has repeatedly spoken about what he calls lawlessness in the city .
He praised the role of federal law enforcement officers in Portland and alluded to increasing their presence in cities nationwide .
Speaking to Fox News on Thursday , acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan called the protesters criminals .
`` I do n't want to get ahead of the president and his announcement , '' Morgan said , `` but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be involved in this , DHS is going to be involved in this , and we 're really going to take a stand across the board .
And we 're going to do what needs to be done to protect the men and women of this country . ''
Early Thursday morning , Portland police tried a new approach to stop the protests .
Officers cleared two nearby parks , Lownsdale and Chapman squares , including Riot Ribs , a barbecue stand that had been cooking free food since July Fourth .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for maintenance .
By early afternoon , fences had been installed around both parks .
Police arrested nine people during the closure , including three of the people who ran Riot Ribs .
They face a variety of charges , including trespassing and disorderly conduct .
Mayor Ted Wheeler 's office declined to comment on the latest events involving federal officers but reiterated a statement from earlier this week , saying federal officers should be restricted to guarding federal property .
`` We do not need or want their help , '' Wheeler @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can do is stay inside their building , or leave Portland altogether . ''
Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon said if Wolf 's visit to Portland was to inflame the situation so the president can `` look tough , '' the acting DHS leader should leave .
`` Federal forces shot an unarmed protester in the face , '' Merkley said in a tweet .
`` These shadowy forces have been escalating , not preventing , violence . ''
Oregon Gov .
Kate Brown similarly called for federal law enforcement officers to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is on a `` mission to provoke confrontation for political purposes . ''
`` This political theater from President Trump has nothing to do with public safety , '' Brown said in a statement .
`` The president is failing to lead this nation .
Now he is deploying federal officers to patrol the streets of Portland in a blatant abuse of power by the federal government . ''

Federal Officers Use Unmarked Vehicles To Grab People In Portland, DHS Confirms
Enlarge this image toggle caption John Rudoff/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images John Rudoff/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images
Updated Saturday at 2 a.m. ET
In the early hours of Wednesday, after a night spent protesting at the Multnomah County Justice Center and Mark O. Hatfield Federal Courthouse, Mark Pettibone and his friend Conner O'Shea decided to head home.
It had been a calm night compared with most protesting downtown. By 2 a.m. law enforcement hadn't used any tear gas and, with only a few exceptions, both the Portland, Ore., Police Bureau and federal law enforcement officers had stayed out of sight.
A block west of Chapman Square, Pettibone and O'Shea bumped into a group warning them that people in camouflage were driving around the area in unmarked minivans grabbing individuals off the street.
"So that was terrifying to hear," Pettibone said.
Health Experts Say Police Use Of Tear Gas Is 'Irresponsible' Amid Pandemic Experts Say Police Use Of Tear Gas Is 'Irresponsible' Amid Pandemic 4:45
They had barely made it half a block when an unmarked minivan pulled up in front of them.
"I see guys in camo," O'Shea said. "Four or five of them pop out, open the door and it was just like, 'Oh s***. I don't know who you are or what you want with us.'"
Federal law enforcement officers have been using unmarked vehicles to drive around downtown Portland and detain protesters since at least Tuesday. Personal accounts and multiple videos posted online show the officers driving up to people, detaining individuals with no explanation about why they are being arrested, and driving off.
The tactic appears to be another escalation in federal force deployed on Portland city streets as federal officials and President Trump have said they plan to quell nightly protests outside the federal courthouse and Multnomah County Justice Center that have lasted for more than six weeks.
Officers from the U.S. Marshals Special Operations Group and U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Border Patrol Tactical Unit have been sent to Portland to protect federal property during the protests against racism and police brutality.
In a statement, the U.S. Marshals Service declined to comment on the practice of using unmarked vehicles but said its officers had not arrested Pettibone. The Marshals Service operates under the Department of Justice.
On Thursday, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson said on background that the agency could confirm Acting DHS Secretary Chad Wolf was in Portland during the day. The spokesperson didn't acknowledge other questions about the arrests. U.S. Customs and Border Protection is part of DHS.
Speaking to NPR's All Things Considered on Friday, Homeland Security Acting Deputy Secretary Ken Cuccinelli acknowledged that federal agents had used unmarked vehicles to pick up people in Portland but said it was done to keep officers safe and away from crowds and to move detainees to a "safe location for questioning."
"The one instance I'm familiar with, they were, believed they had identified someone who had assaulted officers or ... the federal building there, the courthouse. Upon questioning, they determined they did not have the right person and that person was released," Cuccinelli said.
"I fully expect that as long as people continue to be violent and to destroy property that we will attempt to identify those folks," he added. "We will pick them up in front of the courthouse. If we spot them elsewhere, we will pick them up elsewhere. And if we have a question about somebody's identity, like the first example I noted to you, after questioning determine it isn't someone of interest, then they get released. And that's standard law enforcement procedure, and it's going to continue as long as the violence continues."
Customs and Border Protection released a statement Friday about one incident on video, though it did not specify which one. It said its agents approached a person suspected of assaulting federal agents or destroying federal property, but "a large and violent mob moved towards their location" so they moved to a safer place. "The CBP agents identified themselves and were wearing CBP insignia during the encounter. The names of the agents were not displayed due to recent doxing incidents against law enforcement personnel who serve and protect our country."
U.S. Attorney Billy J. Williams, the Department of Justice's chief law enforcement official in Oregon, on Friday called for an inspector general investigation into DHS personnel over reports of two protesters being detained without probable cause.
"What is happening now in Portland should concern everyone in the United States. Usually when we see people in unmarked cars forcibly grab someone off the street, we call it kidnapping," said Jann Carson, interim executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Oregon, in a written statement. "The actions of the militarized federal officers are flat-out unconstitutional and will not go unanswered."
A judge has allowed the ACLU to add federal agencies to its lawsuit seeking to limit what law enforcement can do during the protests.
Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum announced early Saturday morning she would be filing a lawsuit against DHS, the U.S. Marshals Service, the United States Customs and Border Protection, the Federal Protection Service and their agents.
A motion for a temporary restraining order follows the lawsuit. The order seeks to stop federal authorities from unlawfully detaining Oregon residents.
"The federal administration has chosen Portland to use their scare tactics to stop our residents from protesting police brutality and from supporting the Black Lives Matter movement," Rosenblum said in a statement. "Every American should be repulsed when they see this happening. If this can happen here in Portland, it can happen anywhere."
Federal officers have charged at least 13 people with crimes related to the protests so far, while others have been arrested and released, including Pettibone. They also left one demonstrator hospitalized with skull fractures after shooting him in the face with "less lethal" munitions on Saturday, according to video and local reports.
"This is a whole lot of nothing"
Interviews conducted by Oregon Public Broadcasting show officers are detaining people on Portland streets who aren't near federal property. Demonstrators such as O'Shea and Pettibone said they think they were targeted by federal officers for simply wearing black clothing in the area of the demonstration.
O'Shea said he ran when he saw people wearing camouflage jump out of an unmarked vehicle. He said he hid when a second unmarked van pursued him.
Video shot by O'Shea and provided to OPB shows a dark screen as O'Shea narrates the scene. Metadata from the video confirm the time and place of the protesters' account.
"Feds are driving around, grabbing people off the streets," O'Shea said on the video. "I didn't do anything f****** wrong. I'm recording this. I had to let somebody know that this is what happens."
Pettibone did not escape the federal officers.
"I am basically tossed into the van," Pettibone said. "And I had my beanie pulled over my face so I couldn't see, and they held my hands over my head."
Pettibone and O'Shea both said they couldn't think of anything they might have done to end up targeted by law enforcement. They attend protests regularly, but they said they aren't "instigators." They don't spray-paint buildings, shine laser pointers at officers or do anything else other than attend protests, which law enforcement have regularly deemed "unlawful assemblies."
Blinded by his hat, in an unmarked minivan full of armed people dressed in camouflage and body armor who hadn't identified themselves, Pettibone said he was driven around downtown before being unloaded inside a building. He wouldn't learn until after his release that he had been inside the federal courthouse.
"It was basically a process of facing many walls and corners as they patted me down and took my picture and rummaged through my belongings," Pettibone said. "One of them said, 'This is a whole lot of nothing.' "
Pettibone said he was put into a cell. Soon after, two officers came in to read him his Miranda rights. They didn't tell him why he was being arrested. He said they asked him whether he wanted to waive his rights and answer some questions, but Pettibone declined and said he wanted a lawyer. The interview was terminated, and about 90 minutes later, he was released. He said he did not receive any paperwork, citation or record of his arrest.
"I just happened to be wearing black on a sidewalk in downtown Portland at the time," Pettibone said. "And that apparently is grounds for detaining me."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Gillian Flaccus/AP Gillian Flaccus/AP
OPB sent DHS an extensive list of questions about Pettibone's arrest including: What is the legal justification for making arrests away from federal property? What is the legal justification for searching people who are not participating in criminal activity? Why are federal officers using civilian vehicles and taking people away in them? Are the arrests federal officers make legal under the Constitution? If so, how?
The DHS spokesperson didn't acknowledge the questions.
"It's like stop and frisk meets Guantanamo Bay," said attorney Juan Chavez, director of the civil rights project at the Oregon Justice Resource Center.
Chavez has worked on litigation surrounding the weeks of protests and helped lead efforts to curb local police from using tear gas and munitions on protesters. He called the arrest by federal officers "terrifying."
"You have laws regarding probable cause that can lead to arrests," he said. "It sounds more like abduction. It sounds like they're kidnapping people off the streets."
Ashlee Albies, a civil rights attorney with the National Lawyers Guild, said Pettibone's detention is an example of intimidation by federal law enforcement, and noted that people have a First Amendment right to demonstrate. She also said law enforcement officials have to follow procedures when they detain someone.
"I would be surprised to see that pulling up in an unmarked van, grabbing people off the street is an acceptable policy for a criminal investigation," Albies said.
''We're going to do what needs to be done''
In a letter released Thursday, Wolf, the acting DHS secretary, said, "Portland has been under siege for 47 straight days by a violent mob while local political leaders refuse to restore order to protect their city."
"A federal courthouse is a symbol of justice," Wolf wrote, denigrating protests against racism in the U.S. criminal justice system as an angry mob. "To attack it is to attack America."
This week, Trump has repeatedly spoken about what he calls lawlessness in the city. He praised the role of federal law enforcement officers in Portland and alluded to increasing their presence in cities nationwide. Speaking to Fox News on Thursday, acting Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Mark Morgan called the protesters criminals.
"I don't want to get ahead of the president and his announcement," Morgan said, "but the Department of Justice is going to be involved in this, DHS is going to be involved in this, and we're really going to take a stand across the board. And we're going to do what needs to be done to protect the men and women of this country."
Politics President Trump Issues Divisive Statement On Race At Rose Garden Address President Trump Issues Divisive Statement On Race At Rose Garden Address Listen · 5:05 5:05
Early Thursday morning, Portland police tried a new approach to stop the protests. Officers cleared two nearby parks, Lownsdale and Chapman squares, including Riot Ribs, a barbecue stand that had been cooking free food since July Fourth. The city said it was closing the parks for maintenance. By early afternoon, fences had been installed around both parks.
Police arrested nine people during the closure, including three of the people who ran Riot Ribs. They face a variety of charges, including trespassing and disorderly conduct.
Mayor Ted Wheeler's office declined to comment on the latest events involving federal officers but reiterated a statement from earlier this week, saying federal officers should be restricted to guarding federal property.
"We do not need or want their help," Wheeler said. "The best thing they can do is stay inside their building, or leave Portland altogether."
Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon said if Wolf's visit to Portland was to inflame the situation so the president can "look tough," the acting DHS leader should leave.
"Federal forces shot an unarmed protester in the face," Merkley said in a tweet. "These shadowy forces have been escalating, not preventing, violence."
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown similarly called for federal law enforcement officers to leave Portland. She added that Wolf is on a "mission to provoke confrontation for political purposes."
"This political theater from President Trump has nothing to do with public safety," Brown said in a statement. "The president is failing to lead this nation. Now he is deploying federal officers to patrol the streets of Portland in a blatant abuse of power by the federal government."


npr--2020-07-18--Global Photos: Babies Of The Pandemic Bring Love, Light — And Worries

Global Photos : Babies Of The Pandemic Bring Love , Light — And Worries What is it like to give @ @ @ @ @ ?
What hopes and dreams — and fears — do the parents have when welcoming @ @ @ @ @ the more than 600 photographers who work with Everyday Projects — contributing to Instagram accounts @ @ @ @ @ Africa , Central and South America , North America and Europe — to document the @ @ @ @ @ in 2020 .
In some cases , the photographer is one of the parents ; @ @ @ @ @ babies in their community — from a safe , social distance .

Global Photos: Babies Of The Pandemic Bring Love, Light — And Worries
What is it like to give birth during a global pandemic? What hopes and dreams — and fears — do the parents have when welcoming a newborn?
We asked the more than 600 photographers who work with Everyday Projects — contributing to Instagram accounts from countries in Asia, Africa, Central and South America, North America and Europe — to document the arrival of a baby born in 2020. In some cases, the photographer is one of the parents; in other cases they photographed babies in their community — from a safe, social distance.
toggle caption Maria Ionova-Gribina/@EverydayEasternEurope
toggle caption Maria Ionova-Gribina/@EverydayEasternEurope
toggle caption Xyza Cruz Bacani/@EverydayPhilippines


npr--2020-07-18--'Sleepy Joe?' Trump's Insult May Reveal Biden's Advantage

In the span of one day this week , President Trump gave an interview in which he defended the Confederate flag and delivered a speech from the Rose Garden in which he accused Joe Biden of trying to make office buildings too cold .
It generated just a few of the news cycles Trump dominates in any given week .
The same day , Biden held his only in-person event in the last seven days , in his hometown of Wilmington , Del .
`` I have to start by speaking about what millions of Americans know when they wake @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' he said , trying to project a steady image amid soaring COVID-19 cases .
`` We 're still a country in crisis . ''
This is typical for Biden .
He rarely ventures beyond Delaware or Pennsylvania and rarely holds more than one or two in-person events a week .
He tries to offer advice about how to deal with the pandemic , not to be goaded by inflammatory tweets .
Occasionally , he rolls out a new plan about infrastructure or jobs .
Biden is not nearly as visible as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ show he 's leading the president in every key battleground state : Michigan , Pennsylvania , Wisconsin , Arizona , North Carolina and Florida .
`` The Biden campaign is playing it as safe as possible , '' said Glen Bolger , a Republican pollster with Public Opinion Strategies .
`` Biden 's team feels like they 're ahead by a pretty sizable margin and they do n't want to be making any mistakes ...
They do n't want him to sort of lose his train of thought , and so they 're @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' By laying low , Bolger says , Biden can try to make sure this election is a referendum on the incumbent , as most reelection campaigns are .
`` There is nothing playing safe about what Joe Biden is doing , '' said Anita Dunn , a senior adviser with the Biden campaign .
`` What he is doing is showing people what kind of president he will be . ''
The Biden campaign admits that one of its most effective weapons against Trump is Trump himself , what he says and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their team is also trying to articulate the clear difference between these two candidates .
`` Our best counter programming with Donald Trump is to contrast Joe Biden 's leadership — his vision for the future , his steadiness , his experience to deal with crises — with what people are getting from their president right now , '' she added .
Democrats and Republicans agree the pandemic and the president 's response make the contrast between candidates feel sharper than it did in 2016 .
`` When he was just a candidate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ judged him when he was just a reality TV show .
'Oh , look , he 's picked a Twitter war with Rosie O'Donnell . '
When you 're president and people are dying , picking a Twitter war with Bubba Wallace , the NASCAR driver , does n't save my mom 's life , '' said Democratic strategist Paul Begala .
He thinks dominating a news cycle is traditionally important , but says the difficulty for Trump right now is that he 's dominating it with `` incompetence . ''
`` Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it has failed him in coronavirus .
It used to work all the time , it worked on me , '' added Begala , who in 2016 helped direct strategy for the main super PAC backing Hillary Clinton , Priorities USA .
Begala points out that in the last century , voters have fired only three elected presidents : Herbert Hoover , Jimmy Carter and George H.W .
Bush .
In all of those cases , he said , there came a point where people just stopped listening to the president and essentially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think Biden 's strategy is to let Trump fail , '' said Ari Fleischer , former press secretary to President George W. Bush .
`` Make Biden as small as possible , do n't make him an issue , do n't put him in a position to say 'You ai n't black ' to anybody else again , '' referring to a controversial comment that Biden made on the popular morning radio show The Breakfast Club .
Fleischer admits that part of what makes this current campaign challenging for Trump is that he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Joe Biden .
In the last month , Biden held three public virtual events , seven in-person events , all in Delaware or Pennsylvania , and a total of six TV interviews .
That schedule is depriving Trump of the daily back-and-forth he craves , and Fleischer says Trump does n't know how to handle this low key Biden .
For starters , he thinks the nickname `` sleepy Joe '' is off base .
`` With three and half years of President Trump being as red hot as he is , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ' also connotes calm , which very well may be the antidote for many voters to the Trump era , '' Fleischer said .
The president has been trying out alternative names , like `` corrupt Joe , '' but Fleischer recommends painting Biden as `` weak . ''
He thinks the president should try to portray his opponent as old , prone to gaffes and someone who , even before the pandemic , did n't campaign as rigorously as some of his primary opponents .
Republicans also feel that Biden is benefiting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who , in their view , is relatively undefined with voters , despite being in public life for decades .
`` Once he gets more defined , some Republicans who are taking a look at him will probably return home , and some of the more conservative independents will as well , '' said Bolger .
Recent polls show Biden performing strongly with college educated white voters , a demographic that for decades has favored the Republican Party .
For now , the candidate may be focused on a `` less is more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their operation is bigger and better positioned than it was was four years ago .
`` If you were to have parachuted in at this point in 2016 , I think you would have found there were probably around 20 people on the ground , '' said Lavora Barnes , chair of the Michigan Democratic Party .
`` The difference here is that we have about 160 people on the ground .
`` On the ground '' is figurative .
Nobody from the Biden campaign is knocking on doors , even though Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been .
Democrats say that 's foolish , given the rising number of COVID-19 cases .
They think a lot of what Trump is doing is foolish , but they just do n't see a point in picking a fight over it .
`` I think there 's nothing wrong with following Napolean 's maxim , which is , when your opponent is destroying himself , do n't interrupt , '' said Begala .

'Sleepy Joe'? Trump's Insult May Reveal Biden's Advantage
Enlarge this image toggle caption Matt Slocum/AP Matt Slocum/AP
In the span of one day this week, President Trump gave an interview in which he defended the Confederate flag and delivered a speech from the Rose Garden in which he accused Joe Biden of trying to make office buildings too cold.
It generated just a few of the news cycles Trump dominates in any given week.
The same day, Biden held his only in-person event in the last seven days, in his hometown of Wilmington, Del.
"I have to start by speaking about what millions of Americans know when they wake up with worry, anxiety and fear," he said, trying to project a steady image amid soaring COVID-19 cases. "We're still a country in crisis."
This is typical for Biden. He rarely ventures beyond Delaware or Pennsylvania and rarely holds more than one or two in-person events a week. He tries to offer advice about how to deal with the pandemic, not to be goaded by inflammatory tweets. Occasionally, he rolls out a new plan about infrastructure or jobs.
Biden is not nearly as visible as Trump, but polling averages from RealClearPolitics show he's leading the president in every key battleground state: Michigan, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Arizona, North Carolina and Florida.
"The Biden campaign is playing it as safe as possible," said Glen Bolger, a Republican pollster with Public Opinion Strategies. "Biden's team feels like they're ahead by a pretty sizable margin and they don't want to be making any mistakes ... They don't want him to sort of lose his train of thought, and so they're trying to make it less risky."
By lying low, Bolger says, Biden can try to make sure this election is a referendum on the incumbent, as most reelection campaigns are.
"There is nothing playing safe about what Joe Biden is doing," said Anita Dunn, a senior adviser with the Biden campaign. "What he is doing is showing people what kind of president he will be."
The Biden campaign admits that one of its most effective weapons against Trump is Trump himself, what he says and how he acts. But Dunn says their team is also trying to articulate the clear difference between these two candidates.
"Our best counterprogramming with Donald Trump is to contrast Joe Biden's leadership — his vision for the future, his steadiness, his experience to deal with crises — with what people are getting from their president right now," she added.
Democrats and Republicans agree the pandemic and the president's response make the contrast between candidates feel sharper than it did in 2016.
"When he was just a candidate, people judged Trump the way they judged him when he was just a reality TV show. 'Oh, look, he's picked a Twitter war with Rosie O'Donnell.' When you're president and people are dying, picking a Twitter war with Bubba Wallace, the NASCAR driver, doesn't save my mom's life," said Democratic strategist Paul Begala.
He thinks dominating a news cycle is traditionally important, but says the difficulty for Trump right now is that he's dominating it with "incompetence."
"Trump's super power is diversion, and it has failed him in coronavirus. It used to work all the time, it worked on me," added Begala, who in 2016 helped direct strategy for the main super PAC backing Hillary Clinton, Priorities USA.
Begala points out that in the last century, voters have fired only three elected presidents: Herbert Hoover, Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush. In all of those cases, he said, there came a point where people just stopped listening to the president and essentially gave up on him.
"I think Biden's strategy is to let Trump fail," said Ari Fleischer, former press secretary to President George W. Bush. "Make Biden as small as possible, don't make him an issue, don't put him in a position to say 'You ain't black' to anybody else again," referring to a controversial comment that Biden made on the popular morning radio show The Breakfast Club.
Fleischer admits that part of what makes this current campaign challenging for Trump is that he has a "shadow" opponent in Biden.
In the last month, Biden held three public virtual events, seven in-person events, all in Delaware or Pennsylvania, and a total of six TV interviews.
That schedule is depriving Trump of the daily back-and-forth he craves, and Fleischer says Trump doesn't know how to handle this low-key Biden.
For starters, Fleischer thinks the nickname "sleepy Joe" is off base.
"With three-and-half years of President Trump being as red hot as he is, and with the COVID scare underway, 'sleepy' also connotes calm, which very well may be the antidote for many voters to the Trump era," Fleischer said
The president has been trying out alternative names, like "corrupt Joe," but Fleischer recommends painting Biden as "weak." He thinks the president should try to portray his opponent as old, prone to gaffes and someone who, even before the pandemic, didn't campaign as rigorously as some of his primary opponents did.
Republicans also feel that Biden is benefiting by being a generic anti-Trump, someone who, in their view, is relatively undefined with voters, despite being in public life for decades. "Once he gets more defined, some Republicans who are taking a look at him will probably return home, and some of the more conservative independents will as well," said Bolger.
Recent polls show Biden performing strongly with college-educated white voters, a demographic that for decades has favored the Republican Party.
For now, the candidate may be focused on a "less is more" strategy, but Democrats say that their operation is bigger and better positioned than it was was four years ago.
"If you were to have parachuted in at this point in 2016, I think you would have found there were probably around 20 people on the ground," said Lavora Barnes, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party. "The difference here is that we have about 160 people on the ground."
"On the ground" is figurative. Nobody from the Biden campaign is knocking on doors, even though Trump campaign volunteers working with the Republican Party have been.
Democrats say that's foolish, given the rising number of COVID-19 cases.
They think a lot of what Trump is doing is foolish, but they just don't see a point in picking a fight over it.
"I think there's nothing wrong with following Napoleon's maxim, which is, when your opponent is destroying himself, don't interrupt," said Begala.


npr--2020-07-17--Rep. John Lewis, A Force In The Civil Rights Movement, Dead At 80

Rep. John Lewis , A Force In The Civil Rights Movement , Dead At 80 Updated at 7:00 a.m .
ET John Lewis — an icon of the civil rights movement , congressman and for decades a force in Democratic politics — has died at age 80 .
Lewis died after a battle with advanced-stage pancreatic cancer .
Lewis began treatment for the disease after being diagnosed during a routine medical exam .
He publicly disclosed his diagnosis in late December .
`` He was honored and respected as the conscience of the US Congress and an icon of American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a loving father and brother , '' Lewis ' family said in a statement .
`` He was a stalwart champion in the on-going struggle to demand respect for the dignity and worth of every human being .
He dedicated his entire life to non-violent activism and was an outspoken advocate in the struggle for equal justice in America .
He will be deeply missed . ''
`` The world has lost a legend ; the civil rights movement has lost an icon , '' the Congressional Black Caucus said in a statement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said Lewis was one of his heroes , saying he `` risked his life and his blood '' for his country and `` inspired generations that followed to try to live up to his example . ''
Obama and Lewis recently attended a virtual town hall with young activists leading the demonstrations for racial equality following the police killing of George Floyd .
Lewis spoke privately to Obama after the event , saying he was proud of the new generation 's activism .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Lewis one of the `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an man whose `` goodness , faith and bravery '' transformed the nation . ''
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said : `` Our great nation 's history has only bent towards justice because great men like John Lewis took it upon themselves to help bend it . ''
Lewis began his nearly 60-year career in public service leading sit-ins at segregated lunch counters in the Jim Crow-era South .
He elevated that fight for freedom and equality with a speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial at the 1963 March on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he and other peaceful protesters were violently beaten in 1965 while crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma , Ala. Lewis called it a moral obligation to stand up for his beliefs .
That drive for service motivated him to run for Congress , where he represented the Atlanta area in the U.S. House for more than 30 years .
He continued to work after his diagnosis , pledging to face advanced-stage cancer the same way he met the other great challenges of his life : by refusing to back down .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fight — for freedom , equality , basic human rights — for nearly my entire life .
I have never faced a fight quite like the one I have now , '' Lewis said in a December statement announcing his diagnosis .
`` I have decided to do what I know to do and do what I have always done : I am going to fight it and keep fighting for the Beloved Community .
We still have many bridges to cross . ''
Lewis was known throughout his career not only for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also for his unique and moving oratory .
He was revered by his colleagues in Congress for his ability to capture a moment and inspire others to action , a skill he honed from his earliest days .
In a 2004 interview with the nonprofit Academy of Achievement , Lewis recalled how preaching to chickens on his family farm in Troy , Ala. , prepared him for a life in Washington .
`` I say now , when I look back on it , some of these chickens would bow their heads .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ heads , '' Lewis laughed .
`` They never quite said 'Amen , ' but they tended to listen to me much better than some of my colleagues listen to me today in the Congress , and some of those chickens were a little more productive .
At least they produced eggs . ''
The foundation of faith that had him preaching in chicken coops also drew Lewis to the weekly radio sermons of Martin Luther King Jr. Lewis recalled in a 2009 interview with Fresh Air 's Terry Gross that those early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` I was so inspired by Dr. King that in 1956 , with some of my brothers and sisters and first cousins — I was only 16 years old — we went down to the public library trying to check out some books , and we were told by the librarian that the library was for whites only and not for coloreds , '' Lewis said .
`` It was a public library . ''
He did n't set foot in that library again until 40 years later — to sign copies of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1956 experience set him on a course toward the civil rights movement .
Lewis went on to study the techniques of nonviolent protest while attending what 's now known as the American Baptist College in Nashville .
In the summer of 1961 , he and other students protested at segregated lunch counters and later joined the famous Freedom Rides .
By his early 20s , Lewis was head of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee , and in 1963 , he joined King as a speaker at the March on Washington .
He spoke @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Democratic Party .
His speech was brief , lasting less than eight minutes , but his words influenced a generation of activists .
`` To those who have said , 'Be patient and wait , ' `` he said .
`` We must say that we must not be patient .
We do not want our freedom gradually , but we want to be free now . ''
Lewis took action again two years later in 1965 in a march from Selma to Montgomery , Ala .
In his interview with Fresh @ @ @ @ @ @ @ onto the Edmund Pettus Bridge to protest voter registration .
There , they met Alabama state troopers .
`` In less than a minute and a half , the major said , 'Troopers advance , ' `` Lewis recalled .
`` And you saw these men putting on their gas masks .
They came toward us beating us with bullwhips , nightsticks , [ charging at ] us with horses and releasing the tear gas .
I was hit in the head by a state trooper with a nightstick .
I thought I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ came to be known as Bloody Sunday , and news images from that day were fresh in the minds of lawmakers as the seminal Voting Rights Act became law that same year .
Later , Lewis would make an annual pilgrimage to the bridge to honor that day .
The event became a rite of passage for Democrats running for office , particularly in 2007 when then-Sen. Barack Obama was vying to become the nation 's first African American president .
The pair repeated that walk several times , and in 2011 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Freedom .
In his speech , Obama said Lewis had been asking himself two questions his entire life : `` If not us , then who ?
If not now , then when ? ''
`` It 's why , time and again , he faced down death so that all of us could share equally in the joys of life , '' Obama said .
`` It 's why all these years later , he is known as the conscience of the United States Congress , still speaking his mind on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Lewis told NPR the honor brought tears to his eyes .
`` It 's hard to believe that in a short time , that we have come so far as a nation and as a people , '' Lewis said .
`` When you look back , the year that Barack Obama was born 50 years ago , black people and white people in the American South could n't sit together on a bus or on a train or in a waiting room .
And we changed that . ''
Lewis became a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was elected to represent the Atlanta area in the House of Representatives .
There , he pursued legislation on major Democratic priorities , including civil rights , health care and gun control .
`` Where is our courage ? ''
He was known among lawmakers for his commanding voice and delivery that helped transform routine House floor speeches into calls to action .
He used that skill to push fellow Democrats to speak up and cause what he called `` good trouble . ''
This is what he did in 2016 following the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Fla. On the morning of June 22 , Lewis began a speech on the House floor , surrounded by more than a dozen of his fellow lawmakers .
`` The time for silence and patience is long gone , '' he said .
`` We are calling on the leadership of the House to bring commonsense gun control legislation to the House floor , give us a vote .
Where is the heart of this body , where is our soul ?
Where is our moral leadership ?
Where is our courage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a two-day sit-in to demand votes on a series of gun control measures .
Democrats remained on the House floor , even after Republican leaders closed the House session and cut off the ever-present C-SPAN video feed .
Democrats stayed there for two days , ultimately failing to persuade Republicans to schedule the votes .
But the moment was a rallying cry for Democrats in the following years as clashes with Republicans increased after the election of Donald Trump .
Lewis publicly called Trump an illegitimate president before he even took office , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Lewis boycotted Trump 's inauguration and was a forceful voice in the many House investigations into the Trump administration .
As the House prepared to vote to impeach Trump , Lewis compared the moment to other times when he chose to follow his sense of moral obligation .
`` When you see something that is not right , not just , not fair , you have a moral obligation to say something , to do something , '' Lewis said on the House floor hours before the vote .
`` Our children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'What did you do ?
What did you say ? '
For some , this vote may be hard , but we have mission and a mandate to be on the right side of history . ''
Less than two weeks later , he announced his diagnosis of stage 4 pancreatic cancer .
When it came to that final battle , Lewis returned to mantra he repeated on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963 : Never stop fighting .
In a statement Friday night , Rep. Bobby Rush , D-Ill. , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his trumpeting voice , calling our nation to higher heights and a greater estimation of ourselves . ''

Rep. John Lewis, A Force In The Civil Rights Movement, Dead At 80
Enlarge this image toggle caption Susan Walsh/AP Susan Walsh/AP
Updated at 7 a.m. ET Saturday
John Lewis — an icon of the civil rights movement, congressman and, for decades, a force in Democratic politics — died at age 80 on Friday.
Lewis had been treated for advanced-stage pancreatic cancer after being diagnosed during a routine medical exam. He publicly disclosed his diagnosis in late December.
"He was honored and respected as the conscience of the US Congress and an icon of American history, but we knew him as a loving father and brother," Lewis' family said in a statement. "He was a stalwart champion in the on-going struggle to demand respect for the dignity and worth of every human being. He dedicated his entire life to non-violent activism and was an outspoken advocate in the struggle for equal justice in America. He will be deeply missed."
"The world has lost a legend; the civil rights movement has lost an icon," the Congressional Black Caucus said in a statement Friday evening.
Former President Barack Obama said that Lewis was one of his heroes and that the congressman "risked his life and his blood" for his country and "inspired generations that followed to try to live up to his example."
Obama and Lewis recently attended a virtual town hall with young activists leading the demonstrations for racial equality following the police killing of George Floyd. Lewis spoke privately to Obama after the event, saying he was proud of the new generation's activism.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., called Lewis one of the "greatest heroes of American history," a man whose "goodness, faith and bravery transformed our nation."
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said: "Our great nation's history has only bent towards justice because great men like John Lewis took it upon themselves to help bend it."
"Some kind of fight"
Lewis began his nearly 60-year career in public service leading sit-ins at segregated lunch counters in the Jim Crow-era South. He elevated that fight for freedom and equality with a speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial at the 1963 March on Washington and tested his own resolve as he and other peaceful protesters were violently beaten in 1965 while crossing the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Ala.
Enlarge this image toggle caption AP AP
Lewis called it a moral obligation to stand up for his beliefs. That drive for service motivated him to run for Congress, where he represented the Atlanta area in the U.S. House for more than 30 years. He continued to work after his diagnosis, pledging to face advanced-stage cancer the same way he met the other great challenges of his life: by refusing to back down.
"I have been in some kind of fight — for freedom, equality, basic human rights — for nearly my entire life. I have never faced a fight quite like the one I have now," Lewis said in a December statement announcing his diagnosis. "I have decided to do what I know to do and do what I have always done: I am going to fight it and keep fighting for the Beloved Community. We still have many bridges to cross."
Lewis was known throughout his career not only for his dedication to equality and justice but also for his unique and moving oratory. He was revered by his colleagues in Congress for his ability to capture a moment and inspire others to action, a skill he honed from his earliest days.
In a 2004 interview with the nonprofit Academy of Achievement, Lewis recalled how preaching to chickens on his family farm in Troy, Ala., prepared him for a life in Washington.
"I say now, when I look back on it, some of these chickens would bow their heads. Some of these chickens would shake their heads," Lewis laughed. "They never quite said 'Amen,' but they tended to listen to me much better than some of my colleagues listen to me today in the Congress, and some of those chickens were a little more productive. At least they produced eggs."
Fresh Air Rep. John Lewis Looks Back On The Struggle For Voting Rights Rep. John Lewis Looks Back On The Struggle For Voting Rights Listen · 11:28 11:28
The foundation of faith that had him preaching in chicken coops also drew Lewis to the weekly radio sermons of Martin Luther King Jr. Lewis recalled in a 2009 interview with Fresh Air's Terry Gross that those early broadcasts helped inspire his future activism.
"I was so inspired by Dr. King that in 1956, with some of my brothers and sisters and first cousins — I was only 16 years old — we went down to the public library trying to check out some books, and we were told by the librarian that the library was for whites only and not for coloreds," Lewis said. "It was a public library."
He didn't set foot in that library again until 40 years later — to sign copies of his own memoir. He said the 1956 experience set him on a course toward the civil rights movement.
Lewis went on to study the techniques of nonviolent protest while attending what's now known as the American Baptist College in Nashville, Tenn.
In the summer of 1961, he and other students protested at segregated lunch counters and later joined the famous Freedom Rides. By his early 20s, Lewis was head of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and in 1963, he joined King as a speaker at the March on Washington.
He spoke on voting rights and the future of the Democratic Party. His speech was brief, lasting less than eight minutes, but his words influenced a generation of activists.
"To those who have said, 'Be patient and wait,' " he said, "we must say that we must not be patient. We do not want our freedom gradually, but we want to be free now."
toggle caption Jim Bourdier/AP
Lewis took action again two years later in 1965 in a march from Selma to Montgomery, Ala. In his interview with Fresh Air, Lewis remembered leading peaceful marchers onto the Edmund Pettus Bridge to protest voter registration. There, they met Alabama state troopers.
"In less than a minute and a half, the major said, 'Troopers advance,' " Lewis recalled. "And you saw these men putting on their gas masks. They came toward us beating us with bullwhips, nightsticks, [charging at] us with horses and releasing the tear gas. I was hit in the head by a state trooper with a nightstick. I thought I was going to die."
It came to be known as Bloody Sunday, and news images from that day were fresh in the minds of lawmakers as the seminal Voting Rights Act became law that same year.
"We changed that"
Later, Lewis would make an annual pilgrimage to the bridge to honor that day. The event became a rite of passage for Democrats running for office, particularly in 2007 when then-Sen. Barack Obama was vying to become the nation's first African American president.
The pair repeated that walk several times, and in 2011, Obama presented Lewis with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In his speech, Obama said Lewis had been asking himself two questions his entire life: "If not us, then who? If not now, then when?"
Enlarge this image toggle caption Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images
"It's why, time and again, he faced down death so that all of us could share equally in the joys of life," Obama said. "It's why all these years later, he is known as the conscience of the United States Congress, still speaking his mind on issues of justice and equality."
Lewis told NPR the honor brought tears to his eyes.
"It's hard to believe that in a short time, that we have come so far as a nation and as a people," Lewis said. "When you look back, the year that Barack Obama was born 50 years ago, black people and white people in the American South couldn't sit together on a bus or on a train or in a waiting room. And we changed that."
"Where is our courage?"
Enlarge this image toggle caption Linda Schaeffer/AP Linda Schaeffer/AP
Lewis had become a national figure again in 1986 when he was elected to represent the Atlanta area in the House of Representatives. There, he pursued legislation on major Democratic priorities, including civil rights, health care and gun control.
Lewis was known among lawmakers for his commanding voice and delivery that helped transform routine House floor speeches into calls to action. He used that skill to push fellow Democrats to speak up and cause what he called "good trouble."
This is what he did in 2016 following the mass shooting at Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Fla.
On the morning of June 22, Lewis began a speech on the House floor, surrounded by more than a dozen of his fellow lawmakers.
"The time for silence and patience is long gone," he said. "We are calling on the leadership of the House to bring common-sense gun control legislation to the House floor, give us a vote. Where is the heart of this body, where is our soul? Where is our moral leadership? Where is our courage?"
It was the start of a two-day sit-in to demand votes on a series of gun control measures. Democrats remained on the House floor, even after Republican leaders closed the House session and cut off the ever-present C-SPAN video feed. Democrats stayed there for two days, ultimately failing to persuade Republicans to schedule the votes.
But the moment was a rallying cry for Democrats in the following years as clashes with Republicans increased after the election of Donald Trump.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Patrick Semansky/AP Patrick Semansky/AP
Lewis publicly called Trump an illegitimate president before he even took office, citing Russian interference in the 2016 election. Lewis boycotted Trump's inauguration and was a forceful voice in the many House investigations into the Trump administration.
As the House prepared to vote to impeach Trump, Lewis compared the moment to other times when he chose to follow his sense of moral obligation.
"When you see something that is not right, not just, not fair, you have a moral obligation to say something, to do something," Lewis said on the House floor hours before the vote. "Our children and their children will ask us: 'What did you do? What did you say?' For some, this vote may be hard, but we have mission and a mandate to be on the right side of history."
Less than two weeks later, he announced his diagnosis of stage 4 pancreatic cancer. When it came to that final battle, Lewis returned to mantra he repeated on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in 1963: Never stop fighting.
In a statement Friday night, Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Ill., said: "We will certainly miss his trumpeting voice, calling our nation to higher heights and a greater estimation of ourselves."


npr--2020-07-17--Judge: Facebook's $550 Million Settlement In Facial Recognition Case Is Not Enough

Judge : Facebook 's $ 550 Million Settlement In Facial Recognition Case Is Not Enough Next week , lawyers for Facebook will be back in court , trying to convince a judge they should be allowed to settle a class action lawsuit that accuses the company of violating users ' privacy .
Facebook agreed earlier this year to pay $ 550 million to settle the case , which claims that the tech giant illegally used facial-recognition technology in its `` tag suggestions '' service .
The deal was the largest-ever payout as the result of a class-action lawsuit alleging online @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an Illinois biometric privacy law that allows people who have had their faces scanned for data without written consent to sue for damages of at least $ 1,000 per violation .
But under the settlement , people who have had their face data harvested in Illinois are expected to receive checks of just $ 150 .
U.S. District Judge James Donato of California , who is overseeing the case , says that payout is woefully inadequate .
`` It 's $ 550 million .
That 's a lot .
But the question is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Donato asked lawyers for the plaintiffs and Facebook on June 4 , according to a transcript of the hearing reviewed by NPR .
`` They are taking what is effectively a 98.75 percent discount , '' he said , `` off of the amount that the Illinois legislature said might be due in this case if you proved up your case . ''
Attorneys for both Facebook and the plaintiffs were taken aback .
The judge 's skepticism about whether the settlement amount is adequately compensating those who say Facebook invaded their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for five years .
There were multiple appeals and unsuccessful mediation attempts .
`` We had two failed mediation attempts .
And we were truly , from the plaintiff 's perspective , on the brink of trial , '' privacy lawyer Rafey Balabanian told the judge .
`` I ca n't tell you how many times the parties dug in and claimed that they would n't move . ''
A lawyer for Facebook , Michael Rhodes , pushed back on the judge 's assessment that the settlement is too paltry a sum , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than the estimated $ 150 apiece .
`` This is an extraordinary amount of recovery , and I think that we 're being too conservative on what we think the per claim eligible form will end up producing , '' Rhodes told the judge .
But the judge insisted that members of the class-action deserve a bigger payout , saying in effect : come up with a larger number , or prepare to go to trial .
Judge not willing to let Facebook 'off the hook' Facebook 's legal team and the privacy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ court next week for a hearing to attempt to sort through the stalemate .
Lawyers on both sides declined to comment on what to expect .
But Facebook spokeswoman Dina El-Kassaby said in a statement that the company supports resolving the litigation by settling .
`` As we explained in January , we decided to pursue a settlement as it was in the best interest of our community and our shareholders to move past this matter , '' she said .
The payouts go only to residents of Illinois , since the lawsuit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law , viewed as one of the strongest and most comprehensive data privacy laws in the country .
This case applies the law to Facebook 's `` tag suggestions '' service , a feature that attempts to recognize friends in photos in order to link the photographs to their accounts .
The federal judge said at the June hearing that the law should be fully applied to Facebook 's alleged violations .
`` The Illinois legislature set this privacy expectation and privacy right as a serious one , and they put a high @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Donato said .
The judge also raised the question of whether Facebook breached a 2012 agreement over user privacy that the tech giant struck with the Federal Trade Commission .
Last year , the FTC fined Facebook $ 5 billion for privacy violations and mishandling user data .
As part of the accord , Facebook agreed to give users better notice about its face-scanning software .
Donato said plaintiffs ' lawyers `` have a pretty good argument '' that Facebook 's actions with facial recognition technology violated the 2012 agreement with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it could be an example of `` an intentional or reckless violation '' of the state law , which could warrant even higher penalties of $ 5,000 per person .
Other Facebook-owned companies , like WhatsApp and Instagram , are not named as defendants in the class-action .
But Judge Donato said `` I could see the possibility '' that those Facebook subsidiaries also violated the Illinois data privacy law .
`` I am not willing to let those companies off the hook in this case , '' he said .
`` The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to get is $ 150 .
That just does n't seem right to me . ''
Facebook , valued at more than $ 680 billion , had indicated that the long-running litigation had become a major expense from the company .
While the $ 550 million settlement is historic , lawyers have said in filings that under the maximum possible penalty , the payout could have reached $ 47 billion .
But Balabanian , an attorney representing those who sued Facebook , told the judge that he did not believe such an eye-popping @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It is almost a certainty that the court would cut that damage award down , '' he said .

Judge: Facebook's $550 Million Settlement In Facial Recognition Case Is Not Enough
Enlarge this image toggle caption Amr Alfiky/AP Amr Alfiky/AP
Next week, lawyers for Facebook will be back in court, trying to convince a judge they should be allowed to settle a class action lawsuit that accuses the company of violating users' privacy.
Facebook agreed earlier this year to pay $550 million to settle the case, which claims that the tech giant illegally used facial-recognition technology in its "tag suggestions" service.
The deal was the largest-ever payout as the result of a class-action lawsuit alleging online privacy violations.
It was brought under an Illinois biometric privacy law that allows people who have had their faces scanned for data without written consent to sue for damages of at least $1,000 per violation.
But under the settlement, people who have had their face data harvested in Illinois are expected to receive checks of just $150.
U.S. District Judge James Donato of California, who is overseeing the case, says that payout is woefully inadequate.
"It's $550 million. That's a lot. But the question is, is it really a lot?" Donato asked lawyers for the plaintiffs and Facebook on June 4, according to a transcript of the hearing reviewed by NPR.
"They are taking what is effectively a 98.75 percent discount," he said, "off of the amount that the Illinois legislature said might be due in this case if you proved up your case."
Attorneys for both Facebook and the plaintiffs were taken aback.
The judge's skepticism about whether the settlement amount is adequately compensating those who say Facebook invaded their privacy comes after the lawsuit dragged on for five years. There were multiple appeals and unsuccessful mediation attempts.
"We had two failed mediation attempts. And we were truly, from the plaintiff's perspective, on the brink of trial," privacy lawyer Rafey Balabanian told the judge. "I can't tell you how many times the parties dug in and claimed that they wouldn't move."
A lawyer for Facebook, Michael Rhodes, pushed back on the judge's assessment that the settlement is too paltry a sum, saying he believes users may receive more than the estimated $150 apiece.
"This is an extraordinary amount of recovery, and I think that we're being too conservative on what we think the per claim eligible form will end up producing," Rhodes told the judge.
But the judge insisted that members of the class-action deserve a bigger payout, saying in effect: come up with a larger number, or prepare to go to trial.
Judge not willing to let Facebook 'off the hook'
Facebook's legal team and the privacy rights lawyers are slated to return to court next week for a hearing to attempt to sort through the stalemate. Lawyers on both sides declined to comment on what to expect.
But Facebook spokeswoman Dina El-Kassaby said in a statement that the company supports resolving the litigation by settling.
"As we explained in January, we decided to pursue a settlement as it was in the best interest of our community and our shareholders to move past this matter," she said.
The payouts go only to residents of Illinois, since the lawsuit was brought under the state biometric privacy law, viewed as one of the strongest and most comprehensive data privacy laws in the country.
This case applies the law to Facebook's "tag suggestions" service, a feature that attempts to recognize friends in photos in order to link the photographs to their accounts.
The federal judge said at the June hearing that the law should be fully applied to Facebook's alleged violations.
"The Illinois legislature set this privacy expectation and privacy right as a serious one, and they put a high price tag on it for that reason," Donato said.
The judge also raised the question of whether Facebook breached a 2012 agreement over user privacy that the tech giant struck with the Federal Trade Commission. Last year, the FTC fined Facebook $5 billion for privacy violations and mishandling user data. As part of the accord, Facebook agreed to give users better notice about its face-scanning software.
Donato said plaintiffs' lawyers "have a pretty good argument" that Facebook's actions with facial recognition technology violated the 2012 agreement with regulators. If so, he said it could be an example of "an intentional or reckless violation" of the state law, which could warrant even higher penalties of $5,000 per person.
Other Facebook-owned companies, like WhatsApp and Instagram, are not named as defendants in the class-action. But Judge Donato said "I could see the possibility" that those Facebook subsidiaries also violated the Illinois data privacy law.
"I am not willing to let those companies off the hook in this case," he said. "The amount that the aggrieved people are going to get is $150. That just doesn't seem right to me."
Facebook, valued at more than $680 billion, had indicated that the long-running litigation had become a major expense from the company.
While the $550 million settlement is historic, lawyers have said in filings that under the maximum possible penalty, the payout could have reached $47 billion.
But Balabanian, an attorney representing those who sued Facebook, told the judge that he did not believe such an eye-popping amount would survive on appeal.
"It is almost a certainty that the court would cut that damage award down," he said.


npr--2020-07-17--White Men Accused Of Attack On Black Man Face Felony Charges In Indiana

White Men Accused Of Attack On Black Man Face Felony Charges In Indiana Two white men who were filmed in an attack on a Black man on Independence Day at a state park have been charged by Indiana officials .
The Monroe County Prosecutor 's office announced the charges Friday , after a two-day review of an investigation report by the state 's Department of Natural Resources as well as other digital evidence provided by witnesses .
Sean Purdy and Jerry Cox are accused of criminal confinement , battery and intimidation for their alleged roles in an attack on Vauhxx @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not a happy moment .
It 's a necessary moment , '' Booker said in a Zoom news conference Friday afternoon .
`` We have a legal system and what I want now is our neighbors to decide the fate of these individuals , '' he added .
Booker , 36 , is an activist and member of the Monroe County Human Rights Commission .
In an interview with NPR he said the men beat him , spit at him , pinned him to a tree , shouted racial slurs at him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get a noose . ''
His attorney , Katharine Liell , explained Booker can not hold any in-person media events because he 's been diagnosed with COVID-19 , which she suggested he may have contracted from Purdy and Cox who were not wearing face coverings at the time of the assault .
`` We are pleased that these are felony charges ... because this is such serious misconduct , '' Liell said .
The Fourth of July altercation began as Booker and his friends tried to make their way to a spot within @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eclipse .
Along the way , Booker said , they were stopped by a white man who claimed the group was trespassing on private land .
According to Booker , his group apologized and moved on .
Later , Booker says , he learned that the man did not actually own the nearby property Booker 's group had used to access the park .
The discovery was followed by a second , much scarier encounter , he recalled .
Only part of that confrontation was captured on video , but in most versions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seen on his knees as a white man later identified as Sean Purdy holds his head down , pinning him to a tree .
Several people can be heard urging Purdy to release Booker , while Purdy refuses .
Meanwhile , Cox appears to threaten the bystanders who are filming the violence .
Purdy 's attorney did not respond to NPR 's request for comment .
However , he has previously stated that his client did not initiate the violence , but rather , Booker `` was the instigator and the agitator .
@

White Men Accused Of Attack On Black Man Face Felony Charges In Indiana
Enlarge this image toggle caption Brennan Golightly/AP Brennan Golightly/AP
Two white men who were filmed in an attack on a Black man on Independence Day at a state park have been charged by Indiana officials.
The Monroe County Prosecutor's office announced the charges Friday, after a two-day review of an investigation report by the state's Department of Natural Resources as well as other digital evidence provided by witnesses.
Sean Purdy and Jerry Cox are accused of criminal confinement, battery and intimidation for their alleged roles in an attack on Vauhxx Booker near Lake Monroe.
"This is not a happy moment. It's a necessary moment," Booker said in a Zoom news conference Friday afternoon.
"We have a legal system and what I want now is our neighbors to decide the fate of these individuals," he added.
Booker, 36, is an activist and member of the Monroe County Human Rights Commission. In an interview with NPR he said the men beat him, spit at him, pinned him to a tree, shouted racial slurs at him, then called for someone to "get a noose."
His attorney, Katharine Liell, explained Booker can not hold any in-person media events because he's been diagnosed with COVID-19, which she suggested he may have contracted from Purdy and Cox who were not wearing face coverings at the time of the assault.
"We are pleased that these are felony charges ... because this is such serious misconduct," Liell said.
The Fourth of July altercation began as Booker and his friends tried to make their way to a spot within the state park to watch the lunar eclipse. Along the way, Booker said, they were stopped by a white man who claimed the group was trespassing on private land. According to Booker, his group apologized and moved on.
Later, Booker says, he learned that the man did not actually own the nearby property Booker's group had used to access the park. The discovery was followed by a second, much scarier encounter, he recalled.
Only part of that confrontation was captured on video, but in most versions available on social media Booker can be seen on his knees as a white man later identified as Sean Purdy holds his head down, pinning him to a tree. Several people can be heard urging Purdy to release Booker, while Purdy refuses.
Meanwhile, Cox appears to threaten the bystanders who are filming the violence.
Purdy's attorney did not respond to NPR's request for comment. However, he has previously stated that his client did not initiate the violence, but rather, Booker "was the instigator and the agitator."
He called Booker's version of events a "false narrative."


npr--2020-07-17--With CDC Sidelined, Some States Lose Access To Timely COVID-19 Hospital Data

With CDC Sidelined , Some States Lose Access To Timely COVID-19 Hospital Data Just as the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 approaches new highs in some parts of the country , hospital data in Kansas and Missouri is suddenly incomplete or missing .
The Missouri Hospital Association reports that it no longer has access to the data it uses to guide statewide coronavirus planning , and the Kansas Hospital Association says its hospital data reports may be delayed .
Earlier this week , the Trump administration directed hospitals to change how they report data to the federal government and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In Missouri , the hospital industry works with the state to track the information , such as the numbers of people hospitalized , and the availability of regular hospital beds , ICU beds and ventilators .
The Missouri Hospital Association collects and presents the official state data on the Department of Health and Human Services website .
`` All evidence suggests that Missouri 's numbers are headed in the wrong direction , '' Dillon wrote in an email .
`` And , for now , we will have very limited situational awareness @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
The absence of the data will make it harder for health and public officials , as well as the general public , to understand how the virus is spreading .
`` It 's hugely problematic , '' says Dr. Karen Maddox , a public health researcher at Washington University in St. Louis .
`` The only way that we know where things are going up and where things are going down and where we need to be putting resources and where we need to be planning is because of those data @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to report data to the Department of Health and Human Services through a new system created by a Pennsylvania-based company , TeleTracking , instead of sending the information to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention , as they had been doing .
The directive came as a surprise to hospitals , according to Kansas Hospital Association spokesperson Cindy Samuelson .
`` From our perspective , these changes are big , '' Samuelson says .
`` We only found out Tuesday , and we had to update the data by Wednesday night — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' The Missouri Hospital Association currently does not have access to the new HHS system , according to Dillon .
He says the new system is also significantly different from the CDC system .
`` The new datasets for reporting are not identical and , in several cases , are ill-defined , '' Dillon says .
`` That has complicated hospitals ' efforts . ''
In the wake of the announcement , the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services posted a notice on its website warning that the daily and weekly hospital @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The State of Missouri will be unable to access critical hospitalization data during the transition .
While we are working to collect interim data , situational awareness will be limited , '' the notice says .
( The notice is also posted on the Missouri Hospital Association website . )
Dillon says the hospital association hopes to have `` within a few days or weeks '' the hospital and coronavirus data that had been available through the CDC .
`` However , in the short term , we 'll be very much in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The hospital association will create an alternative reporting system for hospitals , according to Dillon , and it plans to continue producing weekly reports , despite the uncertainty about data .
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services did not respond to further inquiries regarding the data .
In Kansas , health officials are still able to access hospital and coronavirus data , but there have been problems with the reporting process , according to to Kansas Department of Health and Environment spokesperson Kristi Zears .
When asked if the federal reporting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ health department to have complete , current data on hospitalizations , Zears replied in an email : `` It has required hospitals to change which platform they are reporting to and , as with any change , there are delays and difficulties in making sure that the information gets into the new repository in a timely and accurate manner . ''
The Kansas Hospital Association warned the Kansas hospital data may be delayed if it is incomplete .
`` If we 're not able to get a bulk of our members converted and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to show it [ to the public ] because then it will look like things have gotten a lot better , '' says Cindy Samuelson , the KHA spokeswoman .
In Missouri , the most recent data shows that as of July 12 , 875 residents were hospitalized with COVID-19 , among the highest reported numbers since an earlier peak in May of 984 .
The most recent data for Kansas shows 1,393 people have been hospitalized with the disease .
The Trump administration had said the reporting change was needed because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the CDC .
But the move has been widely criticized for being disruptive , especially as COVID-19 infection numbers reach new highs and hospitals in some areas of the country are reaching capacity .
`` By now , we should have a foolproof , streamlined reporting system for COVID , '' Maddox says .
`` And this change — midstream — is not going to do anything to help our ability to fight the disease . ''
This story comes from NPR 's reporting partnership with KCUR and Kaiser Health News .

With CDC Sidelined, Some States Lose Access To Timely COVID-19 Hospital Data
Enlarge this image toggle caption John Hanna/AP John Hanna/AP
Just as the number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 approaches new highs in some parts of the country, hospital data in Kansas and Missouri is suddenly incomplete or missing.
The Missouri Hospital Association reports that it no longer has access to the data it uses to guide statewide coronavirus planning, and the Kansas Hospital Association says its hospital data reports may be delayed.
Earlier this week, the Trump administration directed hospitals to change how they report data to the federal government and how that data will be made available.
Missouri Hospital Association spokesperson Dave Dillon called the move "a major disruption."
In Missouri, the hospital industry works with the state to track the information, such as the numbers of people hospitalized, and the availability of regular hospital beds, ICU beds and ventilators. The Missouri Hospital Association collects and presents the official state data on the Department of Health and Human Services website.
"All evidence suggests that Missouri's numbers are headed in the wrong direction," Dillon wrote in an email. "And, for now, we will have very limited situational awareness. That's all very bad news."
The absence of the data will make it harder for health and public officials, as well as the general public, to understand how the virus is spreading.
"It's hugely problematic," says Dr. Karen Maddox, a public health researcher at Washington University in St. Louis. "The only way that we know where things are going up and where things are going down and where we need to be putting resources and where we need to be planning is because of those data."
The White House instructed hospitals to report data to the Department of Health and Human Services through a new system created by a Pennsylvania-based company, TeleTracking, instead of sending the information to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as they had been doing.
The directive came as a surprise to hospitals, according to Kansas Hospital Association spokesperson Cindy Samuelson.
"From our perspective, these changes are big," Samuelson says. "We only found out Tuesday, and we had to update the data by Wednesday night — so, less than 48 hours."
The Missouri Hospital Association currently does not have access to the new HHS system, according to Dillon. He says the new system is also significantly different from the CDC system.
"The new datasets for reporting are not identical and, in several cases, are ill-defined," Dillon says. "That has complicated hospitals' efforts."
In the wake of the announcement, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services posted a notice on its website warning that the daily and weekly hospital metrics would be temporarily halted.
"The State of Missouri will be unable to access critical hospitalization data during the transition. While we are working to collect interim data, situational awareness will be limited," the notice says. (The notice is also posted on the Missouri Hospital Association website.)
Dillon says the hospital association hopes to have "within a few days or weeks" the hospital and coronavirus data that had been available through the CDC.
"However, in the short term, we'll be very much in the dark," Dillon says.
The hospital association will create an alternative reporting system for hospitals, according to Dillon, and it plans to continue producing weekly reports, despite the uncertainty about data.
The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services did not respond to further inquiries regarding the data.
In Kansas, health officials are still able to access hospital and coronavirus data, but there have been problems with the reporting process, according to to Kansas Department of Health and Environment spokesperson Kristi Zears.
When asked if the federal reporting changes had created obstacles for the state health department to have complete, current data on hospitalizations, Zears replied in an email: "It has required hospitals to change which platform they are reporting to and, as with any change, there are delays and difficulties in making sure that the information gets into the new repository in a timely and accurate manner."
The Kansas Hospital Association warned the Kansas hospital data may be delayed if it is incomplete.
"If we're not able to get a bulk of our members converted and uploading, I'm not sure we want to show it [to the public] because then it will look like things have gotten a lot better," says Cindy Samuelson, the KHA spokeswoman.
In Missouri, the most recent data shows that as of July 12, 875 residents were hospitalized with COVID-19, among the highest reported numbers since an earlier peak in May of 984. The most recent data for Kansas shows 1,393 people have been hospitalized with the disease.
The Trump administration had said the reporting change was needed because of reporting delays and other problems with the CDC.
But the move has been widely criticized for being disruptive, especially as COVID-19 infection numbers reach new highs and hospitals in some areas of the country are reaching capacity.
"By now, we should have a foolproof, streamlined reporting system for COVID," Maddox says. "And this change — midstream — is not going to do anything to help our ability to fight the disease."
This story comes from NPR's reporting partnership with KCUR and Kaiser Health News.


npr--2020-07-18--World Sets Daily Record In New Coronavirus Cases

Over a 24-hour period , the world saw nearly 260,000 new coronavirus cases — a new record .
Deaths were also on the rise , with 7,360 new fatalities reported Saturday in the highest one-day increase since May .
The World Health Organization announced the numbers Saturday .
The United States , Brazil , India and South Africa were responsible for more than 165,000 of the cases .
The WHO said it included more than 11,000 new cases from Kyrgyzstan on Saturday because of a change in reporting criteria .
Globally , nearly 600,000 people have been killed by the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center .
Almost a quarter of the world 's deaths have occurred in the U.S. On the testing front , the Food and Drug Administration gave emergency approval Saturday to Quest Diagnostics for using its test for active COVID-19 infections using `` pooled '' samples .
Specimens of up to four people can be tested together ; if the results come back negative , health officials will know that none of those tested has the virus .
A positive result would then be followed up by individual testing of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said sample pooling would let more Americans be tested more quickly , while also preserving testing supplies .
`` Sample pooling becomes especially important as infection rates decline and we begin testing larger portions of the population , '' he said in a statement .
Across the U.S. , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 74,000 new coronavirus cases on Saturday , fueled by record or near-record increases in several states .
Arizona saw its highest daily number of deaths , reporting over 2,700 new cases , and 147 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ high number was reportedly partially caused by a review of death certificates .
It brought the total death count in Arizona to 2,730 .
North Carolina also saw a one-day record Saturday , announcing over 2,400 new cases .
Texas reported 130 deaths on Saturday , a day after setting a state record for most deaths in one day Friday , with 174 people succumbing to the virus .
In Florida , also besieged by the virus , officials confirmed more than 10,300 new cases of the virus over the past day , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ death toll in Florida to more than 5,000 .
It 's the first day in five days that the death count was below 100 , according to the Miami Herald .
Florida Gov .
Ron DeSantis said that one reason for the high number of cases was that the state received 143,000 COVID-19 test results that day .
`` It 's important to put that in context because I think a lot of people see cases I think they get really , really scared , and my message is fear is our enemy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ median age of people getting infected in Florida continues to drop , DeSantis said .
In Miami-Dade County , the median age is 41 ; in Orange County , it 's 29 ; and in Seminole County , it 's 26 .
Missouri also set a record for daily increases , with 958 new cases reported Saturday .
The seven-day average of new cases is 731 , up from 560 one week earlier .
An internal White House coronavirus task force document has placed 18 states in the `` red zone , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last week , the Center for Public Integrity first reported Thursday .
In a speech Saturday , United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said that the pandemic has demonstrated how fragile the world really is .
`` It has laid bare risks we have ignored for decades : inadequate health systems ; gaps in social protection ; structural inequalities ; environmental degradation ; the climate crisis , '' Guterres said .

U.S. Coronavirus Deaths Top 140,000 As World Sets Daily Record In New Cases
Enlarge this image toggle caption Matias Delacroix/AP Matias Delacroix/AP
Updated at 4:30 a.m. ET Sunday
Over a 24-hour period, the world saw nearly 260,000 new coronavirus cases — a new record. Deaths were also on the rise, with 7,360 new fatalities reported Saturday in the highest one-day increase since May.
The World Health Organization announced the numbers on Saturday. The United States, Brazil, India and South Africa accounted for more than 165,000 of the cases. The WHO said it included more than 11,000 new cases from Kyrgyzstan on Saturday because of a change in reporting criteria.
Globally, nearly 600,000 people have been killed by the virus, according to data from the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center. Deaths in the U.S. surpassed 140,000, accounting for almost a quarter of the world's COVID-19 fatalities.
On the testing front, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration gave emergency approval on Saturday to Quest Diagnostics to use its test for active coronavirus infections with "pooled" samples. Specimens from up to four people can be tested together; if the results come back negative, health officials will know that none of those individuals tested has the virus. A positive result would be followed up by individual testing of the samples.
FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn said sample pooling would let more Americans be tested more quickly, while also preserving testing supplies. "Sample pooling becomes especially important as infection rates decline and we begin testing larger portions of the population," he said in a statement.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported more than 74,000 new coronavirus cases across the U.S. on Saturday, fueled by record or near-record increases in several states.
Arizona saw its highest daily number of deaths, reporting 147 people killed by the virus and over 2,700 new cases. The high number was reportedly partially caused by a review of death certificates. It brought the total death count in Arizona to 2,730.
North Carolina also saw a one-day record on Saturday, announcing over 2,400 new cases. Texas reported 130 deaths on Saturday, a day after setting a state record on Friday for most deaths in one day, with 174 people succumbing to the virus.
In Florida, also besieged by the virus, officials confirmed more than 10,300 new cases of the virus over the past day, with 90 deaths. That brings the death toll in Florida to more than 5,000. It's the first day in five days that the death count was below 100, according to The Miami Herald.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said that one reason for the high number of cases was that the state received 143,000 coronavirus test results that day. "It's important to put that in context, because I think a lot of people see cases, I think they get really, really scared, and my message is fear is our enemy," DeSantis said Saturday.
The median age of people getting infected in Florida continues to drop, DeSantis said. In Miami-Dade County, the median age is 41; in Orange County, it's 29; and in Seminole County, it's 26.
Missouri also set a record for daily increases, with 958 new cases reported Saturday. The seven-day average of new cases is 731, up from 560 one week earlier.
An internal White House coronavirus task force document has placed 18 states in the "red zone," with 100 new cases per 100,000 people last week, the Center for Public Integrity first reported Thursday.
In a speech Saturday, U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said that the pandemic has demonstrated how fragile the world really is.
"It has laid bare risks we have ignored for decades: inadequate health systems, gaps in social protection, structural inequalities, environmental degradation, the climate crisis," Guterres said.


npr--2020-07-18--Canada Says No To Home Games For Toronto Blue Jays

Canada Says No To Home Games For Toronto Blue Jays The Toronto Blue Jays baseball team wo n't be playing in Toronto this regular season after the Canadian government rejected a plan for the team to host home games there .
Due to the risk of spreading the coronavirus , the government said , it would not be safe for the team and opposing Major League Baseball teams to travel back and forth between the U.S. and Canada .
`` Based on the best-available public health advice , we have concluded the cross-border travel required for MLB regular season play @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and safety , '' Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said in a statement Saturday .
Nonessential travel between the two countries has been restricted since March , and restrictions have been extended through at least most of August .
Most people who do cross the border are required to quarantine for 14 days afterward .
The government said it would not grant the team an exemption to those restrictions .
Blue Jays President and CEO Mark Shapiro said in a statement that the team `` completely respects the federal government 's decision . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ playing home games at Rogers Centre this summer , our players will take the field for the 2020 season with the same pride and passion representative of an entire nation , '' he said .
`` We can not wait until the day comes that we can play in front of our fans again on Canadian soil . ''
Toronto 's city government and Ontario had already given approval for the Blue Jays to play on their home field , the Rogers Centre , in downtown Toronto .
An earlier proposal involved opposing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Rogers Centre and the hotel next to it .
The federal government had already granted the team an exemption for preseason training at the Rogers Centre under the condition that members had to remain isolated at the field and adjoining facilities .
The other 29 MLB teams are all scheduled to play in their home stadiums , without spectators , for a 60-game season beginning on July 23 .
The Blue Jays ' season opener is on July 24 against the Tampa Bay Rays in Florida .
Their home opener was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Washington Nationals .
The team also has a training facility in Dunedin , Fla. , and will either host its regular season home games there or in Buffalo , N.Y. , the Toronto Star reported .
The Canadian government said it remains `` open to considering future restart plans for the post-season should the risk of virus transmission diminish . ''

Canada Says No To Home Games For Toronto Blue Jays
Enlarge this image toggle caption Mark Blinch/Getty Images Mark Blinch/Getty Images
The Toronto Blue Jays baseball team won't be playing in Toronto this regular season after the Canadian government rejected a plan for the team to host home games there.
Due to the risk of spreading the coronavirus, the government said, it would not be safe for the team and opposing Major League Baseball teams to travel back and forth between the U.S. and Canada.
"Based on the best-available public health advice, we have concluded the cross-border travel required for MLB regular season play would not adequately protect Canadians' health and safety," Immigration Minister Marco Mendicino said in a statement Saturday.
Nonessential travel between the two countries has been restricted since March, and restrictions have been extended through at least most of August. Most people who do cross the border are required to quarantine for 14 days afterward.
The government said it would not grant the team an exemption to those restrictions.
Blue Jays President and CEO Mark Shapiro said in a statement that the team "completely respects the federal government's decision."
"Though our team will not be playing home games at Rogers Centre this summer, our players will take the field for the 2020 season with the same pride and passion representative of an entire nation," he said. "We cannot wait until the day comes that we can play in front of our fans again on Canadian soil."
Toronto's city government and Ontario had already given approval for the Blue Jays to play on their home field, the Rogers Centre, in downtown Toronto. An earlier proposal involved opposing teams staying within a "bubble" of the Rogers Centre and the hotel next to it.
The federal government had already granted the team an exemption for preseason training at the Rogers Centre under the condition that members had to remain isolated at the field and adjoining facilities.
The other 29 MLB teams are all scheduled to play in their home stadiums, without spectators, for a 60-game season beginning on July 23.
The Blue Jays' season opener is on July 24 against the Tampa Bay Rays in Florida. Their home opener was originally scheduled for July 29 against the Washington Nationals.
The team also has a training facility in Dunedin, Fla., and will either host its regular season home games there or in Buffalo, N.Y., the Toronto Star reported.
The Canadian government said it remains "open to considering future restart plans for the post-season should the risk of virus transmission diminish."