npr--2020-12-31--Yurts, Igloos And Pop-Up Domes: How Safe Is 'Outside' Restaurant Dining This Winter?

Yurts , Igloos And Pop-Up Domes : How Safe Is 'Outside ' Restaurant Dining This Winter ?
With the arrival of winter and the U.S. coronavirus outbreak in full swing , the restaurant industry — expected to lose more than $ 230 billion in 2020 — is clinging to techniques for sustaining outdoor dining even through the cold and vagaries of a U.S. winter .
Yurts , greenhouses , igloos , tents and all kinds of partly open outdoor structures have popped up at restaurants around the country .
Owners have turned to these as a lifeline that can help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at least of a safer dining experience .
`` We 're trying to do everything we can to expand the outdoor dining season for as long as possible , '' says Mike Whatley with the National Restaurant Association .
Dire times have forced the industry to find ways to survive .
Whatley says more than 100,000 restaurants are either `` completely closed or not open for business in any capacity . ''
A recent survey by his organization found that the number of restaurants offering outdoor dining fell from 74 % in early @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` It 's going to be a hard and tough winter , '' Whatley says .
`` As you see outdoor dining not being feasible from a cold-weather perspective , or , unfortunately , from a government regulations perspective , you are going to see more operators going out of business . ''
In recent months , many cities and states have imposed a raft of restrictions on indoor dining , given the high-risk of spreading the virus in these crowded settings .
Many have capped occupancy for dine-in restaurants .
Some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Illinois .
Others have gone even further .
Los Angeles and Baltimore have halted indoor and outdoor dining .
Only carry-out is allowed .
Those who can serve customers outdoors , on patios or sidewalks , are coming up with creative adaptations that can make dining possible in the frigid depths of winter .
Urging diners and servers to embrace the 'yurtiness' Washington state shut down indoor dining in mid-November and has kept that ban in place as coronavirus cases continue to surge .
On a blustery December evening , servers at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ together in the parking lot , clad in flannel and puffy vests , while their boss Mark Canlis gives a pep talk ahead of a busy night .
`` The hospitality out here is exactly the same as it is in there , '' says Canlis , gesturing to his restaurant , which overlooks Lake Union .
`` But that looks really different , so try to invite them into the 'yurtiness ' of what we are doing . ''
Canlis has erected an elaborate yurt village in the parking lot next to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ includes an outdoor fireplace and wood-paneled walkways winding between small pine trees and the circular tents .
The assemblage of yurts , with their open window flaps , is the Canlis family 's best effort to keep fine dining alive during the pandemic and a typically long and wet Seattle winter ( referred to locally as the `` Big Dark . ''
) Arriving guests are greeted with a forehead thermometer to take their temperature and a cup of hot cider .
`` It gives us an excuse to think differently , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The yurts not only shield diners from the elements , but also from infectious airborne particles that might otherwise spread among different tables of guests .
Dining inside such structures is not risk-free : Guests could still catch the virus from a dining companion as they sit near each other , without masks , for a prolonged period of time .
But Canlis says there is no easy way to determine whether every member of a dining group is from the same household .
`` I 'm not the governor or the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I 'm assuming if you are there at the table , you 're taking your health into your own hands . ''
There are new rules , crafted during the pandemic , for outdoor dining structures in Washington that have required Canlis to consider issues like how to properly ventilate the yurts and sanitize the expensive furniture .
`` What is the square inch of yurt volume space ?
What is the size of the door and the windows ?
How many minutes will we allow the yurt to 'breathe ? '
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after each dining party finishes their meal and leaves ; during the meal service the waiters enter and leave quickly , wearing N95 masks .
Igloos , domes and tents : Just how safe are they ?
Another , more modern-looking take on outdoor dining involves transparent `` igloos '' and other dome-like structures that have become popular with restaurant owners all over the country .
Tim Baker , who owns the Italian restaurant San Fermo in Seattle , had to order his igloos from Lithuania and assemble them by hand with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's policy is that only two people are allowed in an igloo at a time , to cut down on the risk of people from different households gathering together .
`` You 're completely enclosed in your own space with somebody in your own household .
These domes protect you from all the people walking by , on the sidewalk , and the server does n't go in with you , '' he says .
Baker says he consulted with experts in air flow and decided to use an industrial hot air cannon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ igloo and before the next set enters — aiming to clear the air inside the structure of any lingering infectious particles .
`` You fire this cannon up and it just pushes the air through really aggressively , '' quickly dispersing the particles , Baker says .
His restaurant 's igloos have become a big attraction .
`` I 'm particularly proud of anything that we can do to get people excited right now , because we need it , '' he says .
`` We 're all getting crushed by this emotionally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are created equally , says Richard Corsi , an air quality expert and dean of engineering at Portland State University .
`` There 's a wide spectrum , '' says Corsi .
`` The safest that we 're talking about is no walls — a roof .
And then the worst is fully enclosed — which is essentially an indoor tent — especially if it does n't have really good ventilation and good physical distancing . ''
In fact , Corsi says some outdoor dining structures that are enclosed and have lots of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more dangerous than being indoors , because the ventilation is worse .
Dining that is truly outdoors , with no temporary shelter at all , is much safer because there are `` higher air speeds , more dispersion , and more mixing than indoors , '' Corsi says , which means that respiratory droplets harboring the virus do n't accumulate and are less concentrated when people are close to each other .
`` If they have heaters , then you 're going to actually have pretty good ventilation , '' says Corsi , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it 's heated and then cool air will come in . ''
He says private `` pods '' or `` domes '' can be fairly safe if they are properly ventilated and cleaned between diners .
That also assumes that everyone eating inside the structure lives together , so have already been exposed to each other 's germs .
But Corsi says he is still not going out for a meal in one of the many new outdoor dining creations — `` even though I know they 've got a much lower risk @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alternatives .
This story comes from NPR 's health reporting partnership with Kaiser Health News .

Yurts, Igloos And Pop-Up Domes: How Safe Is 'Outside' Restaurant Dining This Winter?
Enlarge this image toggle caption Will Stone Will Stone
With the arrival of winter and the U.S. coronavirus outbreak in full swing, the restaurant industry — expected to lose more than $230 billion in 2020 — is clinging to techniques for sustaining outdoor dining even through the cold and vagaries of a U.S. winter.
Yurts, greenhouses, igloos, tents and all kinds of partly open outdoor structures have popped up at restaurants around the country. Owners have turned to these as a lifeline that can help fill some tables by offering the possibility at least of a safer dining experience.
"We're trying to do everything we can to expand the outdoor dining season for as long as possible," says Mike Whatley with the National Restaurant Association.
Dire times have forced the industry to find ways to survive. Whatley says more than 100,000 restaurants are either "completely closed or not open for business in any capacity." A recent survey by his organization found that the number of restaurants offering outdoor dining fell from 74% in early September to 52% in late November.
"It's going to be a hard and tough winter," Whatley says. "As you see outdoor dining not being feasible from a cold-weather perspective, or, unfortunately, from a government regulations perspective, you are going to see more operators going out of business."
In recent months, many cities and states have imposed a raft of restrictions on indoor dining, given the high risk of spreading the virus in these crowded settings.
Many have capped occupancy for dine-in restaurants. Some halted indoor dining altogether, including Michigan and Illinois. Others have gone even further. Los Angeles and Baltimore have halted indoor and outdoor dining. Only carryout is allowed.
Those who can serve customers outdoors, on patios or sidewalks, are coming up with creative adaptations that can make dining possible in the frigid depths of winter.
Urging diners and servers to embrace the ''yurtiness''
Washington state shut down indoor dining in mid-November and has kept that ban in place as coronavirus cases continue to surge.
On a blustery December evening, servers at the high-end Seattle restaurant Canlis are huddled together in the parking lot, clad in flannel and puffy vests, while their boss Mark Canlis gives a pep talk ahead of a busy night.
There's a wide spectrum. The safest that we're talking about is no walls — a roof. And then the worst is fully enclosed.
"The hospitality out here is exactly the same as it is in there," Canlis says, gesturing to his restaurant, which overlooks Lake Union. "But that looks really different, so try to invite them into the 'yurtiness' of what we are doing."
Canlis has erected an elaborate yurt village in the parking lot next to his family's storied restaurant.
It includes an outdoor fireplace and wood-paneled walkways winding between small pine trees and the circular tents. The assemblage of yurts, with their open window flaps, is the Canlis family's best effort to keep fine dining alive during the pandemic and a typically long and wet Seattle winter (referred to locally as the "Big Dark.")
Arriving guests are greeted with a forehead thermometer to take their temperature and a cup of hot cider.
"It gives us an excuse to think differently," Canlis says of the outdoor dining restrictions.
The yurts not only shield diners from the elements but also from infectious airborne particles that might otherwise spread among different tables of guests.
Dining inside such structures is not risk free: Guests could still catch the virus from a dining companion as they sit near each other, without masks, for a prolonged period of time. But Canlis says there is no easy way to determine whether every member of a dining group is from the same household.
"I'm not the governor or the CDC," he says. "I'm assuming if you are there at the table, you're taking your health into your own hands."
There are new rules, crafted during the pandemic, for outdoor dining structures in Washington that have required Canlis to consider issues such as how to ventilate the yurts properly and sanitize the expensive furniture.
"What is the square inch of yurt volume space? What is the size of the door and the windows? How many minutes will we allow the yurt to 'breathe?' " Canlis says.
The structures get cleaned after each dining party finishes a meal and leaves; during the meal service the waiters enter and leave quickly, wearing N95 masks.
Igloos, domes and tents: Just how safe are they?
Another, more modern-looking take on outdoor dining involves transparent igloos and other dome-like structures that have become popular with restaurant owners all over the country.
Tim Baker, who owns the Italian restaurant San Fermo in Seattle, had to order his igloos from Lithuania and assemble them by hand with the help of his son.
His restaurant's policy is that only two people are allowed in an igloo at a time, to cut down on the risk of those from different households gathering together.
"You're completely enclosed in your own space with somebody in your own household. These domes protect you from all the people walking by, on the sidewalk, and the server doesn't go in with you," he says.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Will Stone Will Stone
Baker says he consulted with experts in air flow and decided to use an industrial hot air cannon after each party of diners leaves the igloo and before the next set enters — aiming to clear the air inside the structure of any lingering infectious particles.
"You fire this cannon up, and it just pushes the air through really aggressively," quickly dispersing the particles, Baker says.
His restaurant's igloos have become a big attraction.
"I'm particularly proud of anything that we can do to get people excited right now, because we need it," he says. "We're all getting crushed by this emotionally."
Not all outdoor dining structures are created equally, says Richard Corsi, an air quality expert and dean of engineering and computer science at Portland State University in Oregon.
"There's a wide spectrum," Corsi says. "The safest that we're talking about is no walls — a roof. And then the worst is fully enclosed — which is essentially an indoor tent — especially if it doesn't have really good ventilation and good physical distancing."
In fact, Corsi says some outdoor dining structures that are enclosed and have lots of tables near each other end up being more dangerous than being indoors, because the ventilation is worse.
Dining that is truly outdoors, with no temporary shelter at all, is much safer because there are "higher air speeds, more dispersion and more mixing than indoors," Corsi says, which means that respiratory droplets harboring the virus don't accumulate and are less concentrated when people are close to each other.
"If they have heaters, then you're going to actually have pretty good ventilation," Corsi says, "The air will rise up when it's heated, and then cool air will come in."
He says private "pods" or "domes" can be fairly safe if they are properly ventilated and cleaned between diners. That also assumes that everyone eating inside the structure lives together, so they have already been exposed to each other's germs.
But Corsi says he is still not going out for a meal in one of the many new outdoor dining creations — "even though I know they've got a much lower risk" of spreading COVID-19 than most indoor alternatives.
This story comes from NPR's health reporting partnership with Kaiser Health News.


npr--2020-12-31--Samuel Little, The Nation's Most Prolific Serial Killer, Dies At 80

Samuel Little , The Nation 's Most Prolific Serial Killer , Dies At 80 Samuel Little , a convicted murderer who the FBI says is the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history , died Wednesday at the age of 80 .
Little was serving three consecutive life-without-parole sentences for the deaths of three women in the late 1980s in Los Angeles , the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said in its announcement of his death .
Little died at 4:53 a.m. An official cause will be determined by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner 's Office .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 93 women nationwide from the 1970s through 2005 .
The FBI says it believes all of his confessions are credible .
Since then , law enforcement officers from around the country have tried to connect details of his confessions to unsolved murders in their regions .
They have verified at least 50 of Little 's murder confessions as of last year .
Work continues on corroborating more than 40 other cases , which is likely to become more difficult now that Little is dead .
Little was first convicted in 2014 for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Los Angeles in the 1980s , after he was extradited to California from Kentucky on a narcotics charge .
Once in custody for the drug charge , detectives collected DNA from Little that tied him to three unsolved homicides from 1987 and 1989 .
In all three cases , the women were beaten , strangled , and their bodies dumped in an alley , dumpster , and a garage , the FBI said .
It became Little 's modus operandi throughout his 35-year-long killing spree .
Little 's life of crime started @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and left his home in Ohio in the 1950s .
He lived a nomadic life , getting by through stealing , selling his loot , and using the money for drugs and alcohol .
He had frequent run ins with police , but was often let go after a short stint in jail , the FBI said .
He chose his murder victims because they were marginalized and vulnerable — often prostitutes or women addicted to drugs , according to the FBI .
Their bodies , if they were found , typically went @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigated .
Little 's method of killing — strangulation — did n't always leave reliable signs for local police to determine whether the woman 's death was a homicide .
The FBI said he usually stunned or knocked out his victims before strangling them , thus leaving no signs of a struggle .
Little first confessed to the murders in 2018 when he was interviewed by Texas Ranger James Holland .
Holland was investigating an unsolved murder in Odessa at the time .
Little shared details of the killings because he sought to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deal with police .
It 's unclear why he wanted to move prisons or if detectives agreed to make that deal or if Little shared information separate from any agreement with law enforcement .
His confessions touched off a nationwide effort to confirm that Little was tied to unsolved killings in more than a dozen states .
Over the course of almost two years , Little shared detailed information about each of his victims , how he killed them , and the general location of their bodies .
Little also drew incredibly detailed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ FBI has used to help solve the murders .
The FBI created a webpage listing the details Little shared with detectives , his drawings , where he believes each woman was from , and Little 's video-taped confessions .
Detectives hope that with the public 's help and the information from Little , they can resolve the remaining 40 unresolved cases .

Samuel Little, The Nation's Most Prolific Serial Killer, Dies At 80
Enlarge this image toggle caption Handout/FBI via Getty Images Handout/FBI via Getty Images
Samuel Little, a convicted murderer who the FBI says is the most prolific serial killer in U.S. history, died Wednesday at age 80.
Little was serving three consecutive life-without-parole sentences for the deaths of three women in the late 1980s in Los Angeles, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said in its announcement of his death.
Little died at 4:53 a.m. An official cause will be determined by the Los Angeles County medical examiner's office.
In 2018, Little confessed to the murder of 93 women nationwide from the 1970s through 2005. The FBI says it believes all of his confessions are credible.
Since then, law enforcement officers from around the U.S. have tried to connect details of his confessions to unsolved homicides in their regions. They had verified at least 50 of Little's murder confessions as of last year.
Work continues on corroborating more than 40 other cases, an effort that is likely to become more difficult now that Little is dead.
Little's victims and crimes
Little was convicted in 2014 for the murder of the three women killed in Los Angeles in the 1980s, after he was extradited to California from Kentucky on a narcotics charge.
Once in custody for the drug charge, detectives collected DNA from Little that tied him to three unsolved homicides from 1987 and 1989. In all three cases, the women were beaten and strangled, and their bodies were dumped in an alley, a dumpster and a garage, the FBI said. It became Little's modus operandi throughout his 35-year killing spree.
Little's life of crime started when he dropped out of high school and left his home in Ohio in the 1950s. He lived a nomadic life, getting by through stealing, selling his loot and using the money for drugs and alcohol. He had frequent run-ins with police but was often let go after a short stint in jail, the FBI said.
toggle caption Handout/FBI via Getty Images
He chose his murder victims because they were marginalized and vulnerable — often prostitutes or women addicted to drugs, according to the FBI. Their bodies, if they were found, typically went unidentified, and their murders were not carefully investigated.
Little's method of killing — strangulation — didn't always leave reliable signs for local police to determine whether the woman's death was a homicide. The FBI said he usually stunned or knocked out his victims before strangling them, thus leaving no signs of a struggle.
Law enforcement investigation
Little first confessed to the murders in 2018 when he was interviewed by Texas Ranger James Holland. Holland was investigating an unsolved homicide in Odessa, Texas, at the time. Little shared details of the killings because he sought to move prisons and offered information as a deal with police. It's unclear why he wanted a prison transfer or if detectives agreed to make that deal or if Little shared information separate from any agreement with law enforcement.
His confessions touched off a nationwide effort to confirm that Little was tied to unsolved killings in more than a dozen states. Over the course of almost two years, Little shared detailed information about each of his victims, how he killed them and the general location of their bodies.
Little also drew incredibly detailed pictures of his victims, which the FBI has used to help solve the murders. The FBI created a webpage listing the details Little shared with detectives, his drawings, where he believes each woman was from and Little's videotaped confessions.
Detectives hope that with the public's help and the information from Little, they can resolve the remaining 40 unresolved cases.


npr--2020-12-30--Trump Appointee Seeks Lasting Control Over Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia

Michael Pack 's stormy tenure over the federal agency that oversees government-funded broadcasters abroad - including the Voice of America - appears to be coming to a close .
Yet President Trump 's appointee has sparked an internal outcry by taking bold steps to try to cement his control over at least two of the networks and to shape the course of their journalism well into the Biden administration .
Pack , the CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media , also serves as chairman of the boards of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia .
Pack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now added binding contractual agreements intended to ensure that they can not be removed for the next two years .
Pack stocked those boards with conservative activists and Trump administration officials , despite a tradition of bipartisanship .
In other words , although President-elect Joe Biden has already signaled he intends to replace Pack as CEO of the parent agency soon after taking office next month , Pack would maintain a significant degree of control over the networks .
Pack and USAGM declined requests for comment .
NPR has reviewed the language of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be signed by the new presidents of the two networks - both of whom were appointed by Pack this month .
The Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty contract was slated to be approved on Wednesday but appears to have been withdrawn from consideration after internal objections and inquiries from Congressional aides , NPR and other media .
It is unclear what the future holds for the initiative from Pack .
A group of more than two dozen senior officials from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty , including Editor In Chief Daisy Sindelar , wrote Pack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ group said in a statement obtained by NPR that Pack 's actions `` will compromise the freedom from political influence that for seven decades has characterized Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty ( RFE/RL ) as an independent surrogate news organization for countries with no free press of their own . ''
( News of the statement was first reported by CNBC . )
The proposed shift in the board is intended to revoke the network 's autonomy , they wrote , representing `` precisely the kind of political power maneuver that RFE/RL regularly witnesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Belarus , and Tajikistan .
We never thought we 'd see it from our own oversight agency . ''
The statement was signed by regional directors , the head of its central newsroom , and the heads of almost all its language services .
The letter was also sent to Congressional leaders , an inspector general , and the head of President Biden 's transition team for the global broadcasting agency .
The reaction of the new president of Radio Free Asia , Stephen Yates , to the proposed contract is not known @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aide to former Vice President Dick Cheney who later served as the head of the Idaho Republican Party .
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reaches more than 40 million people each week in 27 languages across 23 countries , including Afghanistan , Iran , Pakistan , Russia and Ukraine .
Radio Free Asia reaches audiences in China , Myanmar , Vietnam , Laos , Cambodia and North Korea as a `` surrogate broadcaster . ''
They hire local journalists to provide independent coverage in those countries where a free press is repressed or not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Belarus chanted `` Radio Svaboda , '' the name of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty 's service there since 1954 , in a rebuke to the nation 's dictatorial president and the state media as evidence grew of rigged elections there .
Radio Free Asia 's reporting on the repression of Muslim Uighurs by Chinese authorities helped bring attention to the world .
The stakes for the broadcasters are not merely matters of principle .
In Russia , authorities are seeking to discredit Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty by branding its journalists as foreign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has stripped RFE/RL 's journalists of standard accreditation and protections .
The federal government owns the Voice of America and another broadcasting service serving Cuba , through the U.S Agency for Global Media .
The agency additionally funds Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty , Radio Free Asia , and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks , which are technically independent not-for-profit corporations funded through USAGM .
Their corporate boards , appointed by USAGM 's CEO , approve hirings and firings .
They also help guide the overall course and priorities of the networks .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Michael Pack to federalize and politicize networks that Congress has repeatedly stated in statute should be nonpartisan and free from day to day government control , '' Jamie Fly , former president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty , told NPR .
`` As the Kremlin and other authoritarian regimes target RFE/RL journalists , his actions continue to put journalists at greater risk and compromise their mission . ''
Fly , a former advisor to Senator Marco Rubio , a Florida Republican , was fired by Pack last summer .
This story is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ USAGM and three former USAGM staffers ; they spoke on condition they not be named due to the wave of firings and suspensions initiated by Pack since his arrival in June .
NPR was not able to confirm whether USAGM reached a similar contract with the board for the Middle East Broadcasting Networks .
Much coverage of Pack 's brief tenure has focused on his frontal assault on USAGM 's leadership and the independence of Voice of America , publicly attacking its reporting , questioning whether it harbored foreign spies and instigating investigations @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Earlier this month , he named a former U.S. State Department official who briefly served as director of the VOA under President George W. Bush to lead the network once again .
The new director , Robert R. Reilly , declared his personal views irrelevant to his job after reports on his strongly-held views against gay marriage and what he perceives as the intellectual collapse of Islam .
Earlier this week , Pack named a State Department official without experience in journalism to be VOA 's deputy director .
Now , Pack @ @ @ @ @ @ @ anew by deploying bureaucratic language .
In the past , the boards were made of the same people as the primary board overseeing the agency , then called the Broadcasting Board of Governors .
( His predecessor , John Lansing , is now CEO of NPR . )
Pack was the first CEO to receive Senate confirmation under the agency 's new configuration , which dissolved the parent agency board .
Along with Pack , the network boards he appointed include Jonathan Alexandre , senior counsel to the conservative Christian evangelical group Liberty @ @ @ @ @ @ @ against gay and trans rights and supported President Trump 's baseless claims of widespread voter fraud in 2020 ; financier turned Trump White House aide Robert Bowes ; Bethany Kozma , a senior aide at the U.S. Agency for International Development who is an anti-trans activist and is reportedly under investigation for violations of the Federal Records Act ; Rachel Semmel , the communications director for the White House Office of Management and Budget ; and Emily Newman , Pack 's former chief of staff at USAGM .
She most recently joined the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behalf to overturn the 2020 election results .
Such boards are typically filled with bipartisan support and contain people with expertise in journalism or the regions covered by the networks .
Pack dismissed all those boards in June .
In October , a District of Columbia Superior Court Judge rebuked Pack for wiping away those boards .
Judge Shana Frost Matini said Pack acted illegally in the case by replacing the board of a fund subsidized by USAGM that was set up to underwrite technology that enable people living under repressive regimes to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ privately , including via the tools Tor and Signal .
Matini ruled that only the previous board had the right to change the fund 's leadership or reconstitute itself .
Pack did not act to re-institute the prior boards .
The Biden transition team did not comment but has said its officials are not receiving expected coordination from the Pack team to ensure a smooth handover .
This month Pack has sought to dismiss senior executives he suspended over the summer , prompting USAGM 's general counsel , David Kligerman , to resign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reported by NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik and edited by NPR Chief Business Editor Pallavi Gogoi .
Because of NPR CEO John Lansing 's prior role as CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media , no senior news executive or corporate executive at NPR reviewed this story before it was published .

Trump Appointee Seeks Lasting Control Over Radio Free Europe, Radio Free Asia
Enlarge this image toggle caption U.S. Agency for Global Media U.S. Agency for Global Media
Michael Pack's stormy tenure over the federal agency that oversees government-funded broadcasters abroad — including Voice of America — appears to be coming to a close. Yet President Trump's appointee has sparked an internal outcry by taking bold steps to try to cement his control over at least two of the networks and shape the course of their journalism well into the Biden administration.
Pack, the CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, also serves as chairman of the boards of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and Radio Free Asia. Pack and the members of the boards have now added binding contractual agreements intended to ensure that they cannot be removed for the next two years. They could be removed only "for cause" subsequently. Pack stocked those boards with conservative activists and Trump administration officials, despite a tradition of bipartisanship.
In other words, although President-elect Joe Biden has already signaled he intends to replace Pack as CEO of the parent agency soon after taking office in January, Pack would maintain a significant degree of control over the networks. Pack and USAGM declined requests for comment.
NPR has reviewed the language of the contracts, which have yet to be signed by the new presidents of the two networks — both of whom were appointed by Pack this month. The Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty contract was slated to be approved on Wednesday but appears to have been withdrawn from consideration after internal objections and inquiries from congressional aides, NPR and other media. It is unclear what the future holds for the initiative from Pack.
A group of more than two dozen senior officials from Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, including Editor-in-Chief Daisy Sindelar, wrote Pack in sharp protest on Wednesday. The group said in a statement obtained by NPR that Pack's actions "will compromise the freedom from political influence that for seven decades has characterized Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) as an independent surrogate news organization for countries with no free press of their own." (News of the statement was first reported by CNBC.)
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Top Officials' Protest Letter Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty leaders argue that the CEO over their parent agency, Michael Pack, is seeking to politicize the network and retain control even after President-elect Joe Biden takes office.
The proposed shift in the board is intended to revoke the network's autonomy, they wrote, representing "precisely the kind of political power maneuver that RFE/RL regularly witnesses in places like Russia, Hungary, Belarus, and Tajikistan. We never thought we'd see it from our own oversight agency." The statement was signed by regional directors, the head of its central newsroom and the heads of almost all its language services. The letter was also sent to congressional leaders, an inspector general and the head of Biden's transition team for the global broadcasting agency.
The reaction of the new president of Radio Free Asia, Stephen Yates, to the proposed contract is not known. Yates is a former national security aide to former Vice President Dick Cheney who later served as the head of the Idaho Republican Party.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reaches more than 40 million people each week in 27 languages across 23 countries, including Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Russia and Ukraine. Radio Free Asia reaches audiences in China, Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and North Korea as a "surrogate broadcaster." The networks hire local journalists to provide independent coverage in those countries where a free press is repressed or not viable.
In August, pro-democracy protesters in Belarus chanted "Radio Svaboda," the name of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty's service there since 1954, in a rebuke to the nation's dictatorial president and the state media as evidence grew of rigged elections there. Radio Free Asia's reporting on the repression of Muslim Uighurs by Chinese authorities helped bring the issue to the world's attention.
The stakes for the broadcasters are not merely matters of principle. In Russia, authorities are seeking to discredit Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty by branding its journalists as foreign agents. In Belarus, the regime has stripped RFE/RL's journalists of standard accreditation and protections.
Through the U.S Agency for Global Media, the federal government owns Voice of America and another broadcaster serving Cuba. The agency additionally funds Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, which are technically independent nonprofit corporations funded through USAGM. Their corporate boards, appointed by USAGM's CEO, approve hirings and firings. They also help guide the overall course and priorities of the networks.
"This appears to be a blatant attempt by Michael Pack to federalize and politicize networks that Congress has repeatedly stated in statute should be nonpartisan and free from day-to-day government control," Jamie Fly, former president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, told NPR. "As the Kremlin and other authoritarian regimes target RFE/RL journalists, his actions continue to put journalists at greater risk and compromise their mission." Fly, a former adviser to Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., was fired by Pack this past summer.
This story is based on conversations with six people inside USAGM and three former USAGM staffers; they spoke on condition that they not be named because of the wave of firings and suspensions initiated by Pack since his arrival in June. NPR was not able to confirm whether USAGM reached a similar contract with the board for the Middle East Broadcasting Networks.
Pack arrived in June after a rocky two-year confirmation battle.
Much coverage of Pack's brief tenure has focused on his frontal assault on USAGM's leadership and the independence of Voice of America, publicly attacking its reporting, questioning whether it harbored foreign spies and instigating investigations for perceived anti-Trump bias by its reporters. This month, he named a former U.S. State Department official who briefly served as director of the VOA under President George W. Bush to lead the network once again. The new director, Robert R. Reilly, declared his personal views irrelevant to his job after reports on his strongly held views against gay marriage and what he perceives as the intellectual collapse of Islam. This week, Pack named a State Department official without experience in journalism to be VOA's deputy director.
Now Pack appears to be seeking to consolidate control anew by deploying bureaucratic language. In the past, the boards were made up of the same people as the primary board overseeing the agency, then called the Broadcasting Board of Governors. (His predecessor, John Lansing, is now CEO of NPR.) Pack was the first CEO to receive Senate confirmation under the agency's new configuration, which dissolved the parent agency board.
Along with Pack, the network boards he appointed include Jonathan Alexandre, senior counsel to the conservative Christian evangelical group Liberty Counsel Action, which has been active against gay and trans rights and which has supported Trump's baseless claims of widespread voter fraud in 2020; financier turned Trump White House aide Robert Bowes; Bethany Kozma, a senior aide at the U.S. Agency for International Development who is an anti-trans activist and is reportedly under investigation for violations of the Federal Records Act; Rachel Semmel, the communications director for the White House's Office of Management and Budget; and Emily Newman, Pack's former chief of staff at USAGM. She most recently joined the legal team filing suit on Trump's behalf to overturn the 2020 election results.
Such boards are typically filled with bipartisan support and people who have expertise in journalism or the regions covered by the networks. Pack dismissed all those boards in June. In October, a District of Columbia Superior Court judge rebuked Pack for wiping away those boards. Judge Shana Frost Matini said Pack acted illegally in the case by replacing the board of a USAGM-subsidized fund that was set up to underwrite technology that enables people living under repressive regimes to access the Internet and communicate securely and privately, including via the tools Tor and Signal. Matini ruled that only the previous board had the right to change the fund's leadership or reconstitute itself. Pack did not act to reinstitute the prior boards.
The Biden transition team did not comment but has said its officials are not receiving expected coordination from the Pack team to ensure a smooth handover. This month, Pack has sought to dismiss senior executives he suspended over the summer, prompting USAGM's general counsel, David Kligerman, to resign instead.
Disclosure: This story was reported by NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik and edited by NPR chief business editor Pallavi Gogoi. Because of NPR CEO John Lansing's prior role as CEO of the U.S. Agency for Global Media, no senior news executive or corporate executive at NPR reviewed this story before it was published.


npr--2020-12-30--Some 500 Coronavirus Vaccine Doses Intentionally Destroyed, Hospital Says

A now-former employee at a Wisconsin medical center `` intentionally removed '' 57 vials of a coronavirus vaccine from refrigeration , forcing officials to throw out nearly 500 doses , according to an internal investigation .
Aurora Medical Center officials had initially suspected the Moderna vaccines , which must be kept between 36 and 46 degrees Fahrenheit , had inadvertently been left out at the Grafton hospital on Dec. 26 .
But an investigation found the individual `` acknowledged that they intentionally removed the vaccine from refrigeration , '' officials said Wednesday .
The medical center , which is part @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` appropriate authorities for further investigation '' and added that the individual is no longer employed by Aurora .
`` We continue to believe that vaccination is our way out of the pandemic .
We are more than disappointed that this individual 's actions will result in a delay of more than 500 people receiving their vaccine .
This was a violation of our core values . ''
The vials can remain at room temperature for up to 12 hours .
That allowed clinicians to salvage some of the doses .
As of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , more than 21,000 health care workers had received the first of two injections at the company 's centers .
A total of 47,157 coronavirus vaccines have been administered in Wisconsin since vaccinations began over the last two weeks , according to state data .

Some 500 Coronavirus Vaccine Doses Intentionally Destroyed, Hospital Says
Enlarge this image toggle caption Charlie Riedel/AP Charlie Riedel/AP
A now-former employee at a Wisconsin medical center "intentionally removed" 57 vials of a coronavirus vaccine from refrigeration, forcing officials to throw out nearly 500 doses, according to an internal investigation.
Aurora Medical Center officials had initially suspected the Moderna vaccines, which must be kept between 36 and 46 degrees Fahrenheit, had inadvertently been left out at the Grafton hospital on Dec. 26. But an investigation found the individual "acknowledged that they intentionally removed the vaccine from refrigeration," officials said Wednesday.
The medical center, which is part of Advocate Aurora Health, has notified "appropriate authorities for further investigation" and added that the individual is no longer employed by Aurora.
"We continue to believe that vaccination is our way out of the pandemic. We are more than disappointed that this individual's actions will result in a delay of more than 500 people receiving their vaccine. This was a violation of our core values."
The vials can remain at room temperature for up to 12 hours. That allowed clinicians to salvage some of the doses.
As of Wednesday afternoon, Aurora Health Care said, more than 21,000 health care workers had received the first of two injections at the company's centers.
A total of 47,157 coronavirus vaccines have been administered in Wisconsin since vaccinations began over the last two weeks, according to state data.


npr--2020-12-30--Multiple Coronavirus Cases After Republican Christmas Party In New York

Multiple Coronavirus Cases After Republican Christmas Party In New York Several individuals who took part in a local New York City Republican club 's Christmas party have tested positive for the coronavirus after a video surfaced showing attendees celebrating indoors without masks , Queens Daily Eagle reports .
Three cases have been identified by the Eagle , including a man , James Trent , who has since been hospitalized .
The video of the party , hosted by the Whitestone Republican Club on Dec. 9. in Queens , N.Y. , has gained 3.7 million views since being shared last week @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conga line , with a man waving a flag that reads , `` Trump 2020 . ''
The video features approximately 40 to 50 people .
Neither the Whitestone Republican Club or the restaurant that held the party have responded to NPR 's request for comment .
Trent , who is chair of the Queens Village Republican Club , informed the Eagle that he became symptomatic two days after attending the party .
The additional two cases are an unnamed married couple whose diagnoses the Eagle says it confirmed with three sources connected @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the viral video is Republican New York City Council candidate , Vickie Paladino .
The day after the video went viral on Twitter , Paladino and the Whitestone Republican Club posted the same statement on Facebook defending the party and calling it their , `` inalienable right under the First Amendment to peaceably assemble . ''
In a statement to BuzzFeed News Paladino 's son and chief campaign strategist , Thomas Paladino , expressed frustration with the coverage of the event .
`` It speaks very poorly of our society and our media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is now being made into something that we 're supposed to feel ashamed of , '' Paladino told Buzzfeed .
`` Do I regret going to the party ?
Maybe , '' he said , adding , `` is it the party 's fault ?
No .
Life happens . ''
According to Johns Hopkins University , Queens county currently has a daily average of 1,081 cases .
The state of New York has reported a record 301,000 cases in the month of December alone .

Multiple Coronavirus Cases After Republican Christmas Party In New York
Several people who were at a local New York City Republican club's Christmas party have tested positive for the coronavirus after a video surfaced showing attendees celebrating indoors without masks, Queens Daily Eagle reports.
Three cases have been identified by the Eagle. These include James Trent, who has since been hospitalized.
The video of the party, hosted by the Whitestone Republican Club on Dec. 9. in Queens, N.Y., has gained 3.7 million views since being shared last week. It shows attendees dancing in a conga line with a man waving a flag that reads, "Trump 2020." The video features shows about 40 to 50 people.
Neither the Whitestone Republican Club or the restaurant that held the party have responded to NPR's request for comment.
Trent, who is chair of the Queens Village Republican Club, informed the Eagle that he became symptomatic two days after attending the party. The additional two cases are an unnamed married couple whose diagnoses the Eagle says it confirmed with three sources connected to the individuals.
Also prominent in the viral video is Republican New York City Council candidate Vickie Paladino.
The day after the video went viral on Twitter, Paladino and the Whitestone Republican Club posted the same statement on Facebook defending the party and calling it their "inalienable right under the First Amendment to peaceably assemble." The statement no longer appears on the Vickie Paladino for NYC page.
In a statement to BuzzFeed News Paladino's son and chief campaign strategist, Thomas Paladino, expressed frustration with the coverage of the event.
"It speaks very poorly of our society and our media and ourselves that an ordinary holiday party is now being made into something that we're supposed to feel ashamed of," Paladino told BuzzFeed.
"Do I regret going to the party? Maybe," he said. "Is it the party's fault? No. Life happens."
According to Johns Hopkins University, Queens County has a daily average of 1,081 cases. The state of New York has reported a record 301,000 cases in the month of December alone.


npr--2020-12-31--Choices, Chance And Living While You Can: Bookends To The Year Of COVID-19

Choices , Chance And Living While You Can : Bookends To The Year Of COVID-19 Carl was in his early 70s .
A Vietnam vet , he suffered from PTSD along with his diabetes , high blood pressure , and smoking-induced COPD .
He 'd survived a bout of kidney cancer , too , along his medical journey .
In late 2019 he came to see me because he was considering making a move to an assisted living facility .
I thought it was a good idea — as an older male with previous suicide attempts , I was worried @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Carl was estranged from his family .
I knew he had an adult son and daughter , but he refused to talk about them let alone to them .
Assisted living would provide some community in addition to three squares a day .
The facility also had a nurse who could help with medical care .
About a month after he moved there , the nurse called to tell me that she 'd sent Carl to the hospital for fever and shortness of breath .
His oxygen saturation had dipped below 90 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when COVID-19 was still mostly in China and Italy .
Our lives had n't stopped .
Yet .
Carl was admitted to the ICU with `` double pneumonia . ''
On his chest X-ray , there was evidence of it in both lungs .
Not surprising for an older man with a long history of smoking , lung disease and diabetes .
Carl narrowly avoided intubation .
With careful ministrations he turned the corner and was discharged back to his facility after a lengthy hospitalization .
A nasal swab came back positive for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
His return to assisted living occurred right around the time the world was shutting down .
All of our lives were changing dramatically .
Carl was quarantined in the facility .
The nurse working there actually lived-in during March and April , until it was no longer feasible .
She and the other staff did everything they could to keep their residents safe .
Prior to his hospitalization , Carl had come in my office every month .
It helped quell his anxiety .
Now that his facility was on lockdown , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I was amazed he 'd survived his hospitalization , let alone that he had somehow missed getting COVID .
His lungs were practically kindling for this type of infection .
Throughout the spring , summer and fall , Carl and I talked , sometimes weekly .
He was frustrated that he could n't go anywhere .
In one of the perversities of the pandemic , Carl started smoking again just so he could go outdoors to have a cigarette a few times per day .
The happiest I heard him this whole @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and some friends in the facility would play late night card games — with an assist from a friendly aide who did n't report them .
By fall , there had been sporadic cases in his facility .
He and his fellow card players were remanded to their rooms again .
He was not a happy camper .
All along , I was fearful that Carl would eventually test positive .
He was high risk , and elder care facilities have acted as accelerators to COVID-19 's spread .
In December , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the nurse .
Carl was sent back to the hospital for fever and symptoms .
He tested positive for COVID-19 this time .
Amazingly , after a three day observation , Carl was deemed medically stable for discharge .
He 'd had fever and aches without the pulmonary involvement this time .
Because of the number of cases at his facility , he had to first go into isolation in a skilled nursing facility — one used as a transition zone between the land of the sick and home .
While there on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
His oxygen saturation dropped , and he was sent back to the hospital .
I was able to converse with his bedside nurse , who told me he was struggling to breathe , but remained lucid .
I was able to get there in time to say goodbye .
Carl was in a COVID-specific unit that had been commandeered from 'regular ' hospital use because of the pandemic .
His bedside nurse was visibly pregnant .
`` I 've already had COVID , '' she told me .
Carl had clearly expressed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have 'heroic ' measures taken to try to prolong his life .
He and I had talked about it a lot after his prior hospitalization .
All year the specter of COVID had hung over Carl .
Over all of us .
And now , with vaccines imminent , his number was being called .
It was a cruel twist of chance and illness — one that will continue to play out over and over for at least much of 2021 , as the pandemic continues its deadly march through America and most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doubt that if Carl had been able to keep dodging coronavirus long enough to get vaccinated , he 'd have been delighted to get immunized and have many more nights of cards to look forward to .
As I stood by his bedside , Carl shook my gloved hand and said , `` Keep doing the good work you 're doing , '' knowing it would be the last time we spoke .
He died a few hours later .
Just one of more than 343,000 Americans .
John Henning Schumann is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
He hosts StudioTulsa 's Medical Mondays on KWGS Public Radio Tulsa .
Follow him on Twitter : @ GlassHospital .

Choices, Chance And Living While You Can: Bookends To The Year Of COVID-19
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jose Luis Pelaez/Getty Images Jose Luis Pelaez/Getty Images
Carl was in his early 70s. A Vietnam vet, he suffered from PTSD along with his diabetes, high blood pressure, and smoking-induced COPD. He'd survived a bout of kidney cancer, too, along his medical journey.
In late 2019 he came to see me because he was considering making a move to an assisted living facility. I thought it was a good idea — as an older male with previous suicide attempts, I was worried that loneliness would compound his difficulties.
Carl was estranged from his family. I knew he had an adult son and daughter, but he refused to talk about them let alone to them.
Assisted living would provide some community in addition to three squares a day. The facility also had a nurse who could help with medical care.
About a month after he moved there, the nurse called to tell me that she'd sent Carl to the hospital for fever and shortness of breath. His oxygen saturation had dipped below 90%.
This was in early March, when COVID-19 was still mostly in China and Italy. Our lives hadn't stopped. Yet.
Carl was admitted to the ICU with "double pneumonia." On his chest X-ray, there was evidence of it in both lungs. Not surprising for an older man with a long history of smoking, lung disease and diabetes.
Carl narrowly avoided intubation. With careful ministrations he turned the corner and was discharged back to his facility after a lengthy hospitalization. A nasal swab came back positive for influenza. Flu had been the culprit!
His return to assisted living occurred right around the time the world was shutting down. All of our lives were changing dramatically.
Carl was quarantined in the facility. The nurse working there actually lived-in during March and April, until it was no longer feasible. She and the other staff did everything they could to keep their residents safe.
The happiest I heard him this whole year was when he revealed that he and some friends in the facility would play late night card games — with an assist from a friendly aide who didn't report them.
Prior to his hospitalization, Carl had come in my office every month. It helped quell his anxiety. Now that his facility was on lockdown, our visits had to be by telephone.
I was amazed he'd survived his hospitalization, let alone that he had somehow missed getting COVID. His lungs were practically kindling for this type of infection.
Throughout the spring, summer and fall, Carl and I talked, sometimes weekly. He was frustrated that he couldn't go anywhere.
In one of the perversities of the pandemic, Carl started smoking again just so he could go outdoors to have a cigarette a few times per day.
The happiest I heard him this whole year was when he revealed that he and some friends in the facility would play late night card games — with an assist from a friendly aide who didn't report them.
By fall, there had been sporadic cases in his facility. He and his fellow card players were remanded to their rooms again. He was not a happy camper.
All along, I was fearful that Carl would eventually test positive. He was high risk, and elder care facilities have acted as accelerators to COVID-19's spread.
In December, it finally happened. Another fateful call from the nurse.
Carl was sent back to the hospital for fever and symptoms. He tested positive for COVID-19 this time.
Amazingly, after a three day observation, Carl was deemed medically stable for discharge. He'd had fever and aches without the pulmonary involvement this time.
Because of the number of cases at his facility, he had to first go into isolation in a skilled nursing facility — one used as a transition zone between the land of the sick and home.
While there on a Saturday, he began to decompensate. His oxygen saturation dropped, and he was sent back to the hospital.
I was able to converse with his bedside nurse, who told me he was struggling to breathe, but remained lucid. I was able to get there in time to say goodbye.
Carl was in a COVID-specific unit that had been commandeered from 'regular' hospital use because of the pandemic.
His bedside nurse was visibly pregnant. "I've already had COVID," she told me.
Carl had clearly expressed his desire not to be intubated or have 'heroic' measures taken to try to prolong his life. He and I had talked about it a lot after his prior hospitalization.
All year the specter of COVID had hung over Carl. Over all of us. And now, with vaccines imminent, his number was being called.
It was a cruel twist of chance and illness — one that will continue to play out over and over for at least much of 2021, as the pandemic continues its deadly march through America and most of the world.
I have no doubt that if Carl had been able to keep dodging coronavirus long enough to get vaccinated, he'd have been delighted to get immunized and have many more nights of cards to look forward to.
As I stood by his bedside, Carl shook my gloved hand and said, "Keep doing the good work you're doing," knowing it would be the last time we spoke.
He died a few hours later.
Just one of more than 343,000 Americans.
John Henning Schumann is a doctor and writer in Tulsa, Okla. He hosts StudioTulsa's Medical Mondays on KWGS Public Radio Tulsa. Follow him on Twitter: @GlassHospital.


npr--2020-12-31--Pharmacist Arrested, Accused Of Destroying More Than 500 Moderna Vaccine Doses

Pharmacist Arrested , Accused Of Destroying More Than 500 Moderna Vaccine Doses A Milwaukee pharmacist was arrested Thursday and accused of `` tampering with and causing the destruction '' of more than 550 doses of the Moderna vaccine against the coronavirus last week , Grafton , Wis. , police confirmed .
In a statement , Grafton Police Department officials said the pharmacist — now fired from the Advocate Aurora Health hospital system — was arrested on recommended charges of first-degree recklessly endangering safety , adulterating a prescription drug and criminal damage to property .
Officials did not release the individual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charges '' but said that in a written statement to Aurora Health public safety officials , he admitted `` to intentionally removing the vaccine knowing that if not properly stored the vaccine would be ineffective . ''
The Moderna vials must be stored between 36 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit .
They can remain effective for up to 12 hours if left at room temperature .
Beyond that , the drug is rendered useless .
During a teleconference Thursday , Chief Aurora Medical Group Officer Jeff Bahr told reporters that the former employee deliberately @ @ @ @ @ @ @ separate occasions — on Dec. 24 overnight , then returning them to proper storage , and then again on Dec. 25 into Saturday morning , The Associated Press reported .
A pharmacy technician discovered them outside the refrigerator on Christmas morning .
As a result , health care workers were forced to throw out about 570 doses of vaccine .
However , some people were given the medicine that had been left out .
The pharmacist told investigators he knew `` that people who received the vaccinations would think they had been vaccinated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were not , '' officials said .
The value of the spoiled doses is estimated to be between $ 8,000 and $ 11,000 .
The suspect is currently being held in the Ozaukee County jail .

Pharmacist Arrested, Accused Of Destroying More Than 500 Moderna Vaccine Doses
Enlarge this image toggle caption Elise Amendola/AP Elise Amendola/AP
Updated at 2:05 a.m. ET
A Milwaukee pharmacist was arrested Thursday and accused of "tampering with and causing the destruction" of more than 550 doses of the Moderna vaccine against the coronavirus last week, Grafton, Wis., police confirmed.
In a statement, Grafton Police Department officials said the pharmacist — now fired from the Advocate Aurora Health hospital system — was arrested on recommended charges of first-degree recklessly endangering safety, adulterating a prescription drug and criminal damage to property.
Officials did not release the individual's identity "pending formal advisement of charges." However, a licensed pharmacist named Steven Brandenburg was booked Thursday for the same charges, according to the Ozaukee County Sheriff's Department.
Officials said that in a written statement to Aurora Health public safety officials, the pharmacist responsible admitted "to intentionally removing the vaccine knowing that if not properly stored the vaccine would be ineffective."
The Moderna vials must be stored between 36 to 46 degrees Fahrenheit. They can remain effective for up to 12 hours if left at room temperature. Beyond that, the drug is rendered useless.
During a teleconference Thursday, Chief Aurora Medical Group Officer Jeff Bahr told reporters that the former employee deliberately removed the vials from refrigeration on two separate occasions — on Dec. 24 overnight, then returning them to proper storage, and then again on Dec. 25 into Saturday morning.
A pharmacy technician discovered them outside the refrigerator on Christmas morning and immediately notified superiors, Bahr said.
As a result, health care workers were forced to throw out about 570 doses of vaccine. However, some people were given the medicine that had been left out.
Grafton police detectives reported 57 patients received those injections. Bahr said those vaccines were rendered potentially less effective or altogether ineffective. The patients, who have been notified, are not at any risk of adverse health effects because the doses were left out, he noted.
The pharmacist told investigators he knew "that people who received the vaccinations would think they had been vaccinated against the virus when in fact they were not," officials said.
The value of the spoiled doses is estimated to be between $8,000 and $11,000.
The suspect is currently being held in the Ozaukee County jail.
NPR's breaking news reporter Jaclyn Diaz contributed to this report.


npr--2020-12-31--As Israel Leads In COVID-19 Vaccines Per Capita, Palestinians Still Await Shots

As Israel Leads In COVID-19 Vaccines Per Capita , Palestinians Still Await Shots Israel has vaccinated a larger share of its population against COVID-19 than any other country , and is aiming to achieve `` herd immunity '' from the virus by the end of spring or midsummer , the Israeli Health Ministry told NPR .
More than 800,000 of Israel 's population of about 9 million have received COVID-19 vaccination shots .
The country aims to vaccinate 25 % of Israelis by the end of January .
The vaccination drive began Dec. 19 with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu receiving @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Israel so far is using the vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech and is awaiting a shipment of Moderna 's vaccine .
Figures compiled by Our World in Data , a website published by Oxford University , put Israel in the lead in vaccination doses administered per 100 people .
But the country is behind China , the United States and the United Kingdom in the total administered as of Thursday .
But Israel is not providing vaccines to Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank or in the Gaza Strip , which is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officials are scrambling to secure deals with vaccine manufacturers .
In February , 3 % of Palestinians in both territories are expected to be vaccinated through COVAX , an initiative co-led by the World Health Organization and a vaccines alliance to distribute COVID-19 vaccines more equally around the world , said Ali Abed Rabbo , director general of the Palestinian Health Ministry .
That program pledges to eventually vaccinate 20 % of the Palestinian territories , which have a combined population of about 5 million .
On Wednesday , drugmaker AstraZeneca offered to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cover an additional 20 % of the territories ' population in February , he said .
Israel says the Palestinians are responsible for their own health care under the 1990s Oslo peace accords .
Some aid groups say Israel and the Palestinian Authority both share responsibility .
Abed Rabbo said the Palestinian Authority only began approaching drugmakers in the last few weeks , long after other countries inked their own vaccine deals .
The Palestinian Health Ministry official said a recently resolved Palestinian financial crisis , brought on by a months-long Palestinian Authority @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funds for vaccines .
Officials had expected to receive vaccines from Russia , but Russian officials Wednesday notified the Palestinian Authority they did not yet have enough supplies to offer .
Israel 's vaccination bonanza — with inoculation stations open every day , including on the Sabbath , from a sports arena in Jerusalem to tents in Tel Aviv 's central square — is at the core of Prime Minister Netanyahu 's campaign for reelection in March .
`` Israel is the world champion in vaccines , '' Netanyahu said Tuesday .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the world to emerge from this coronavirus . ''
The prime minister has said his new friendship with Pfizer 's CEO got Israel toward the front of the line .
Israeli officials have indicated the country paid a higher price than other countries .
One Health Ministry official told local media Israel paid $ 62 a dose , compared to the $ 19.50 price tag in the U.S .
In a statement to NPR , the Israeli Health Ministry did not confirm how much it paid , citing the `` sensitivity of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minister Israel Katz said the higher price was necessary considering Israel was vying for vaccines among much larger countries .
Israeli officials believe the country 's fast vaccination campaign could provide an early model for countries .
`` One of the reasons why Israel was given some of the vaccines [ may be ] so we can study in advance to see how such a big effort takes place , '' said Dr. Boaz Lev , who heads the Health Ministry 's advisory committee for prioritizing how COVID-19 vaccines are distributed .
Officially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ companies are only vaccinating citizens over 60 years of age , health care workers and residents of psychiatric and geriatric institutions .
But many younger Israelis , who are at lower risk of COVID-19 complications , have also found ways to get vaccinated .
Some clinics vaccinate younger Israelis in the evening so Pfizer vials removed from refrigeration do not go to waste , Lev said .
Some Israeli Jews have also found it easy to get vaccinated at clinics in Arab communities in Israel .
Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel , who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , have been more skeptical of the vaccine .
Nicole Schwartz , 27 , accompanied her grandmother to get the vaccine Thursday , in the town of Sderot , and unexpectedly received one herself when she asked .
She feels relieved after taking a year off work as a special education teacher out of concern she would catch the virus , but also guilty at how easily she as a young person got the vaccine .
`` I am unhappy with how political it is to bring the vaccines and do it so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It 's important to [ Netanyahu ] that everyone will know that he brought the vaccines and he did it so fast and we are the first country . ''
Sderot borders Gaza , where the medical system has struggled to cope with coronavirus infections .
`` No one talks about it in the news , and I do n't think that people that live in Sderot actually talk about it , but it 's not fair , '' Schwartz said about Israelis having vaccines before Palestinians in Gaza .
`` There are @ @ @ @

As Israel Leads In COVID-19 Vaccines Per Capita, Palestinians Still Await Shots
Enlarge this image toggle caption Ariel Schalit/AP Ariel Schalit/AP
Israel has vaccinated a larger share of its population against COVID-19 than any other country, and is aiming to achieve "herd immunity" from the virus by the end of spring or midsummer, the Israeli Health Ministry told NPR.
More than 800,000 of Israel's population of about 9 million have received COVID-19 vaccination shots. The country aims to vaccinate 25% of Israelis by the end of January.
The vaccination drive began Dec. 19 with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu receiving the first shot on live TV. Israel so far is using the vaccine made by Pfizer and BioNTech and is awaiting a shipment of Moderna's vaccine.
Figures compiled by Our World in Data, a website published by Oxford University, put Israel in the lead in vaccination doses administered per 100 people. But the country is behind China, the United States and the United Kingdom in the total administered as of Thursday.
But Israel is not providing vaccines to Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied West Bank or in the Gaza Strip, which is blockaded by Israel and Egypt. Palestinian officials are scrambling to secure deals with vaccine manufacturers.
In February, 3% of Palestinians in both territories are expected to be vaccinated through COVAX, an initiative co-led by the World Health Organization and a vaccines alliance to distribute COVID-19 vaccines more equally around the world, said Ali Abed Rabbo, director general of the Palestinian Health Ministry. That program pledges to eventually vaccinate 20% of the Palestinian territories, which have a combined population of about 5 million.
On Wednesday, drugmaker AstraZeneca offered to sell the Palestinian Authority enough vaccines to cover an additional 20% of the territories' population in February, he said.
Israel says the Palestinians are responsible for their own health care under the 1990s Oslo peace accords. Some aid groups say Israel and the Palestinian Authority both share responsibility.
Abed Rabbo said the Palestinian Authority only began approaching drugmakers in the last few weeks, long after other countries inked their own vaccine deals. The Palestinian Health Ministry official said a recently resolved Palestinian financial crisis, brought on by a months-long Palestinian Authority boycott of Israel, had left few funds for vaccines. Officials had expected to receive vaccines from Russia, but Russian officials Wednesday notified the Palestinian Authority they did not yet have enough supplies to offer.
Israel's vaccination bonanza — with inoculation stations open every day, including on the Sabbath, from a sports arena in Jerusalem to tents in Tel Aviv's central square — is at the core of Prime Minister Netanyahu's campaign for reelection in March.
"Israel is the world champion in vaccines," Netanyahu said Tuesday. "Maybe we will be the first country in the world to emerge from this coronavirus."
The prime minister has said his new friendship with Pfizer's CEO got Israel toward the front of the line. Israeli officials have indicated the country paid a higher price than other countries. One Health Ministry official told local media Israel paid $62 a dose, compared to the $19.50 price tag in the U.S. In a statement to NPR, the Israeli Health Ministry did not confirm how much it paid, citing the "sensitivity of the subject," but Israeli Finance Minister Israel Katz said the higher price was necessary considering Israel was vying for vaccines among much larger countries.
Israeli officials believe the country's fast vaccination campaign could provide an early model for countries.
"One of the reasons why Israel was given some of the vaccines [may be] so we can study in advance to see how such a big effort takes place," said Dr. Boaz Lev, who heads the Health Ministry's advisory committee for prioritizing how COVID-19 vaccines are distributed.
Officially, Israel's four national health insurance companies are only vaccinating citizens over 60 years of age, health care workers and residents of psychiatric and geriatric institutions. But many younger Israelis, who are at lower risk of COVID-19 complications, have also found ways to get vaccinated.
Some clinics vaccinate younger Israelis in the evening so Pfizer vials removed from refrigeration do not go to waste, Lev said.
Some Israeli Jews have also found it easy to get vaccinated at clinics in Arab communities in Israel. Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel, who comprise about a fifth of the country, have been more skeptical of the vaccine.
Nicole Schwartz, 27, accompanied her grandmother to get the vaccine Thursday, in the town of Sderot, and unexpectedly received one herself when she asked. She feels relieved after taking a year off work as a special education teacher out of concern she would catch the virus, but also guilty at how easily she as a young person got the vaccine.
"I am unhappy with how political it is to bring the vaccines and do it so fast," Schwartz said. "It's important to [Netanyahu] that everyone will know that he brought the vaccines and he did it so fast and we are the first country."
Sderot borders Gaza, where the medical system has struggled to cope with coronavirus infections.
"No one talks about it in the news, and I don't think that people that live in Sderot actually talk about it, but it's not fair," Schwartz said about Israelis having vaccines before Palestinians in Gaza. "There are people there."


npr--2020-12-31--Group Behind Alleged Russia Hack Broke Into Microsoft's Internal Systems

The group behind the suspected Russian attack into U.S. government agencies and private companies was able to hack into Microsoft 's internal systems and access some of the company 's source code , the tech giant said in a blog post on Thursday .
Microsoft had previously said it was among thousands of companies that discovered malware on its systems after downloading a routine software update from the company SolarWinds containing a possible `` backdoor '' for hackers to gain access to sensitive company data .
But the admission Thursday is the first time Microsoft acknowledged the attackers had successfully @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had viewed source code , the carefully guarded DNA of the company 's software products .
`` We detected unusual activity with a small number of internal accounts and upon review , we discovered one account had been used to view source code in a number of source code repositories , '' the company said .
`` The account did not have permissions to modify any code or engineering systems and our investigation further confirmed no changes were made .
These accounts were investigated and remediated . ''
Dmitri Alperovitch , a cybersecurity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a Washington-based think tank , said while the breach appears to be a `` serious issue '' and can potentially make it easier for attackers to uncover additional vulnerabilities at Microsoft , the company 's worst fears were not realized .
`` This attack was not as bad as it could have been for Microsoft , '' Alperovitch said .
`` If they had modified the source code , or used it to introduce new backdoors , since Microsoft has billions of users out there in pretty much every organizations all around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a very severe , very grave concern , '' he said .
`` But that does n't appear to be the case . ''
Many facts remain unknown about how the cyberattackers targeted Microsoft .
The company did not say what products the viewed source code was tied to , or how long the hackers were able to stay within its systems .
`` Is it Microsoft Cloud Services ?
Is it their Windows operating system ?
Is it Microsoft Office ?
That would be very helpful to know to understand what source @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be in that source code now , '' Alperovitch said .
David Kennedy , who runs the Ohio-based company TrustedSec LLC , which investigated the hack , offered additional questions .
`` Does this impact authentication mechanisms and how usernames and passwords are protected ?
Are they in the operating system side of the house or future projects ?
These are key things we need to understand to know how deep this goes , '' Kennedy said .
`` The more access they had , the greater potential damage there is in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Microsoft downplayed the significance of the attackers reading its source code , saying , unlike other tech companies , its employees have an `` open source-like culture '' to viewing source code within the firm .
`` So viewing source code is n't tied to elevation of risk , '' the company said .
That may be true , security expert Kennedy said , but having a group of malicious hackers from a foreign country reading a company 's source code is a completely different matter .
`` Those are typically trusted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to source code and are n't looking at it from an adversary 's perspective , '' he said .
`` This can be used by adversaries later on to launch additional attacks . ''
Investigators are still probing the far-reaching attack , which has been traced back to October and compromised 18,000 private and government users who inadvertently downloaded a tainted software update from the Texas firm SolarWinds .
U.S. agencies were compromised , including the departments of State , Treasury , Commerce , Energy and Homeland Security .
But , as expert @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russian hackers stole is still a mystery .
`` This is just one more shoe to drop , '' he said .
`` There will be many more in the coming months .
We 'll learn about more victims , more data that was taken .
So we 're just in the very early innings of this investigation . ''

Group Behind Alleged Russia Hack Broke Into Microsoft's Internal Systems
Enlarge this image toggle caption Ng Han Guan/AP Ng Han Guan/AP
The group behind the suspected Russian attack into U.S. government agencies and private companies was able to hack into Microsoft's internal systems and access some of the company's source code, the tech giant said in a blog post on Thursday.
Microsoft had previously said it was among thousands of companies that discovered malware on its systems after downloading a routine software update from the IT company SolarWinds containing a possible "backdoor" for hackers to gain access to sensitive company data.
But the admission Thursday is the first time Microsoft acknowledged the attackers did more than place a tainted software update on its system: hackers successfully broke into the company's systems and viewed source code, the carefully guarded DNA of the company's software products.
Microsoft said after first believing it had blocked the intrusion, some "unusual activity" on a "small number" of employee accounts tripped an alarm. When the company homed in, a startling finding appeared: company source code "in a number of source code repositories" had been accessed by hackers.
Microsoft said the company's source code was not altered by the attackers.
"The account did not have permissions to modify any code or engineering systems and our investigation further confirmed no changes were made. These accounts were investigated and remediated," the company said.
Dmitri Alperovitch, a cybersecurity expert and chairman of Silverado Policy Accelerator, a Washington-based think tank, said while the breach appears to be a "serious issue" and can potentially make it easier for attackers to uncover additional system flaws at Microsoft, the company's worst fears were not realized.
"This attack was not as bad as it could have been for Microsoft," Alperovitch said. "If they had modified the source code, or used it to introduce new backdoors, since Microsoft has billions of users out there in pretty much every organization around the planet, that would've been a very severe, very grave concern," he said. "But that doesn't appear to be the case."
Still, what the hackers can still do with whatever proprietary data was gathered from Microsoft should keep officials on edge, according to David Kennedy, who runs the Ohio-based company TrustedSec LLC, which investigated the hack.
"We trust the devices that we use. We trust our computers. We trust our phones that we're using on a daily basis. And all of them have source code that runs on the devices," he said. "My hope is that none of this was compromised in the process, but we just don't know at this point."
Many facts remain unknown about how the cyberattackers targeted Microsoft. The company did not say what products the viewed source code was tied to, or how long the hackers were able to stay within its systems.
"Is it Microsoft Cloud Services? Is it their Windows operating system? Is it Microsoft Office? That would be very helpful to know to understand what source code was accessed and what vulnerabilities may be in that source code now," Alperovitch said.
Kennedy offered additional questions.
"Does this impact authentication mechanisms and how usernames and passwords are protected? Are they in the operating system side of the house or future projects? These are key things we need to understand to know how deep this goes," Kennedy said. "The more access they had, the greater potential damage there is in the future."
A Microsoft spokesman declined to comment beyond the company's blog post, which noted that the hackers did not compromise customers' personal data, nor did the intruders harness the information it read to attack others.
Microsoft downplayed the significance of the attackers reading its source code, saying, unlike other tech companies, its employees have an "open source-like culture" to viewing source code within the firm. "So viewing source code isn't tied to elevation of risk," the company said.
That may be true, security expert Kennedy said, but having a group of malicious hackers reading a company's source code at the direction of a foreign government is a completely different matter.
"Those are typically trusted employees within an organization that have access to source code and aren't looking at it from an adversary's perspective," he said. "This can be used later on to launch additional attacks."
Investigators are still probing the far-reaching attack, which has been traced back to October and compromised 18,000 private and government users who inadvertently downloaded a tainted software update from the Texas firm SolarWinds.
U.S. agencies were compromised, including the departments of State, Treasury, Commerce, Energy and Homeland Security.
Officials do not believe the intrusion penetrated any classified information, yet investigators remain concerned that other sensitive data could have been stolen.
But, as expert Alperovitch noted, what exactly the suspected Russian hackers got away with is still a mystery.
"This is just one more shoe to drop," he said. "There will be many more in the coming months. We'll learn about more victims, more data that was taken. So we're just in the very early innings of this investigation."


npr--2020-12-31--It Wasn't Just The Pandemic: Oil's Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Year

It Was n't Just The Pandemic : Oil 's Terrible , No Good , Very Bad Year It 's no surprise that the oil industry had a terrible , horrible , no good , very bad year .
Oil powers the vast majority of the global transportation system , and the pandemic froze most of the world 's population in place .
But set aside the pandemic .
Ignore the collapse in demand .
Forget about the time oil prices went negative .
Look at everything else that happened this year , and — Well .
Oil still had a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ geopolitical rivalries , irate investors and climate pressures , oil producers faced a host of challenges that were n't created by the coronavirus — and ca n't be cured with a vaccine .
In the Gulf of Mexico , the amount of oil production lost because of storms was about six times higher than the recent average , according to Sami Yahya , an analyst with S & P Global Platts .
`` The worst offender was Hurricane Delta , which cut Gulf of Mexico production by just about 92 % , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the industry was about to recover from Delta , Hurricane Zeta swept in .
( The names themselves are a sign of just how brutal this year was : So many powerful storms formed this year that , for just the second time , forecasters ran out of names and had to resort to Greek letters . )
Markets did n't react much because there was so much surplus oil that refineries did n't see any interruption .
But producers felt a hit .
And while any given storm season may be an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is expected to make hurricanes more powerful and destructive .
Meanwhile , U.S. shale producers were bracing for a brutal 2020 even before most Americans had heard of social distancing .
`` Prior to COVID — actually , days prior to the lockdowns — we had entered into a market share war , '' says Sarp Ozkan , a director of energy analysis at Enverus Market Intelligence .
Russia and Saudi Arabia were slashing prices , each trying to seize a larger slice of the global oil market .
Not so coincidentally , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ shale producers , whose explosive growth made the U.S. the top oil producer in the world .
A few years ago , the U.S. oil industry survived such a price war just fine .
But back then , they had the support of investors eager to pour money into the U.S. oil patch .
By last year — well before the pandemic — investors were getting increasingly frustrated .
`` Wall Street finally decided , 'Hey , we 've given you a lot of capital and you have sunk it into the ground @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of those returns that we 've been expecting for a long time , ' `` Ozkan says .
Investors were n't willing to put up more money until shale producers proved they could be profitable .
U.S. producers were starting to sweat .
Then the coronavirus lockdowns rewrote the script for 2020 , with the market share war replaced by a frantic struggle to stabilize crude prices .
Today , U.S. producers can point to the pandemic to explain their current woes .
But in an alternate reality where the pandemic never happened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ companies merging and slashing investments , the entire U.S. industry shrinking — would be oddly unchanged .
`` Either way , I think we would have ended up with sort of the same sort of scenario , '' he says .
Then there 's the even bigger , more fundamental challenge for the industry : its future viability in a world fighting climate change .
The pace of the `` energy transition '' — the shift away from carbon-emitting coal , oil and natural gas and toward zero-emission power sources , electric cars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , planes and ships — appears to be accelerating .
To be clear , the world is not currently on track to meet its climate goals .
It would take a massive transformation for the global economy to end its reliance on petroleum , which is woven throughout virtually every aspect of modern life .
But a growing number of powerful figures , including political leaders and business titans , are describing that shift not as idealistic but as urgent — even inevitable .
You hear it from investors : At the beginning @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the powerful CEO of BlackRock , the world 's largest asset manager , said climate change would be at the heart of his firm 's investment strategy .
By the end of it , JPMorgan Chase and the New York State pension fund announced plans to shift their investments away from carbon-emitting industries .
A new activist investor group is pushing Exxon to pivot so it could still be profitable in a world weaning off oil .
And as investment dollars pull back from oil and gas exploration , electric vehicle start-ups and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Street .
You hear it from executives : This summer , European oil giants BP , Shell and Total warned that oil demand would peak soon , if it had n't already , and announced they were ramping up investments in renewables .
Even producers who do not embrace renewables , such as many American oil companies , are voluntarily nodding to climate concerns in their earnings announcements .
And , perhaps most significantly , you hear it from regulators .
This year China surprised the world with new , ambitious carbon targets @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over the U.S. auto industry , set a landmark law calling for zero-emissions semitrucks and announced a future ban on new gas- and diesel-powered cars .
Colorado set new , strict limits on methane emissions from oil and gas producers .
Denmark ended new oil and gas exploration .
And , showing just how quickly sentiments are shifting , the U.K. accelerated its plans to prohibit the sale of gas- 0r diesel-powered cars not once but twice .
In February , it moved the target from 2040 to 2035 .
Then , in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2030 .
Amy Myers Jaffe , managing director at the Climate Policy Lab at the Fletcher School at Tufts University , says these decisions were not triggered by the pandemic .
`` All these things I believe would still have happened , '' she says .
`` They just intensified because of the collapse in oil demand , but all of those trends were coming . ''
For oil companies , this creates a monumental challenge .
They make multibillion dollar investments that wo n't pay off for years .
A drop in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investments unprofitable .
That means companies today are at a crossroads , having to decide which future to plan for : a world still built on oil , or one transformed to be greener .
As the Biden administration takes office and works to restrict drilling on federal lands and promote climate-friendly technology , the pressure will only mount .
`` This is a big story , '' Jaffe says .
`` It 's going to be a big 2021 story .
But it started in 2020 . ''

It Wasn't Just The Pandemic: Oil's Terrible, No Good, Very Bad Year
Enlarge this image toggle caption Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
It's no surprise that the oil industry had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad year. Oil powers the vast majority of the global transportation system, and the pandemic froze most of the world's population in place.
But set aside the pandemic. Ignore the collapse in demand. Forget about the time oil prices went negative. Look at everything else that happened this year, and —
Well. Oil still had a pretty terrible year.
Between hurricanes, geopolitical rivalries, irate investors and climate pressures, oil producers faced a host of challenges that weren't created by the coronavirus — and can't be cured with a vaccine.
In the Gulf of Mexico, the amount of oil production lost because of storms was about six times higher than the recent average, according to Sami Yahya, an analyst with S&P Global Platts.
"The worst offender was Hurricane Delta, which cut Gulf of Mexico production by just about 92%," Yahya says. Then, just as the industry was about to recover from Delta, Hurricane Zeta swept in. (The names themselves are a sign of just how brutal this year was: So many powerful storms formed this year that, for just the second time, forecasters ran out of names and had to resort to Greek letters.)
Markets didn't react much because there was so much surplus oil that refineries didn't see any interruption. But producers felt a hit. And while any given storm season may be an outlier, in general, global warming is expected to make hurricanes more powerful and destructive.
Meanwhile, U.S. shale producers were bracing for a brutal 2020 even before most Americans had heard of social distancing.
"Prior to COVID — actually, days prior to the lockdowns — we had entered into a market share war," says Sarp Ozkan, a director of energy analysis at Enverus Market Intelligence. Russia and Saudi Arabia were slashing prices, each trying to seize a larger slice of the global oil market. Not so coincidentally, those low prices were devastating for U.S. shale producers, whose explosive growth made the U.S. the top oil producer in the world.
A few years ago, the U.S. oil industry survived such a price war just fine. But back then, they had the support of investors eager to pour money into the U.S. oil patch. By last year — well before the pandemic — investors were getting increasingly frustrated.
"Wall Street finally decided, 'Hey, we've given you a lot of capital and you have sunk it into the ground. But we haven't seen any of those returns that we've been expecting for a long time,' " Ozkan says. Investors weren't willing to put up more money until shale producers proved they could be profitable.
U.S. producers were starting to sweat. Then the coronavirus lockdowns rewrote the script for 2020, with the market share war replaced by a frantic struggle to stabilize crude prices.
Today, U.S. producers can point to the pandemic to explain their current woes. But in an alternate reality where the pandemic never happened, Ozkan argues the final outcome — companies merging and slashing investments, the entire U.S. industry shrinking — would be oddly unchanged.
"Either way, I think we would have ended up with sort of the same sort of scenario," he says.
Then there's the even bigger, more fundamental challenge for the industry: its future viability in a world fighting climate change.
The pace of the "energy transition" — the shift away from carbon-emitting coal, oil and natural gas and toward zero-emission power sources, electric cars and electrified houses and even clean trucks, planes and ships — appears to be accelerating.
To be clear, the world is not currently on track to meet its climate goals. It would take a massive transformation for the global economy to end its reliance on petroleum, which is woven throughout virtually every aspect of modern life. But a growing number of powerful figures, including political leaders and business titans, are describing that shift not as idealistic but as urgent — even inevitable.
You hear it from investors: At the beginning of this year, Larry Fink, the powerful CEO of BlackRock, the world's largest asset manager, said climate change would be at the heart of his firm's investment strategy. By the end of it, JPMorgan Chase and the New York State pension fund announced plans to shift their investments away from carbon-emitting industries. A new activist investor group is pushing Exxon to pivot so it could still be profitable in a world weaning off oil. And as investment dollars pull back from oil and gas exploration, electric vehicle start-ups and renewable energy firms are soaring on Wall Street.
You hear it from executives: This summer, European oil giants BP, Shell and Total warned that oil demand would peak soon, if it hadn't already, and announced they were ramping up investments in renewables. Even producers who do not embrace renewables, such as many American oil companies, are voluntarily nodding to climate concerns in their earnings announcements.
And, perhaps most significantly, you hear it from regulators. This year China surprised the world with new, ambitious carbon targets. California, which exerts powerful influence over the U.S. auto industry, set a landmark law calling for zero-emissions semitrucks and announced a future ban on new gas- and diesel-powered cars. Colorado set new, strict limits on methane emissions from oil and gas producers. Denmark ended new oil and gas exploration.
And, showing just how quickly sentiments are shifting, the U.K. accelerated its plans to prohibit the sale of gas- 0r diesel-powered cars not once but twice. In February, it moved the target from 2040 to 2035. Then, in November, it pushed it up to 2030.
Amy Myers Jaffe, managing director at the Climate Policy Lab at the Fletcher School at Tufts University, says these decisions were not triggered by the pandemic.
"All these things I believe would still have happened," she says. "They just intensified because of the collapse in oil demand, but all of those trends were coming."
For oil companies, this creates a monumental challenge. They make multibillion dollar investments that won't pay off for years. A drop in oil demand would make many of those investments unprofitable. That means companies today are at a crossroads, having to decide which future to plan for: a world still built on oil, or one transformed to be greener.
As the Biden administration takes office and works to restrict drilling on federal lands and promote climate-friendly technology, the pressure will only mount.
"This is a big story," Jaffe says. "It's going to be a big 2021 story. But it started in 2020."