npr--2020-03-15--Travelers Greeted With Hours-Long Airport Lines As Coronavirus Screenings Begin

Airline passengers returning to the U.S. were confronted with snaking lines causing hours-long delays and confusion at airports around the country starting Saturday as a result of required medical screenings now in place to combat the spread of the coronavirus .
Frustrated travelers took to social media to gripe about the winding lines causing passenger congestion in airports including Chicago 's O'Hare International Airport , where some travelers reported waits of up to four hours .
A U.S. senator from Illinois said he heard of lines stretching up to eight hours .
The Trump administration is restricting travel from 28 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ United Kingdom and Ireland .
Europe , the World Health Organization has declared , is now the epicenter of the pandemic .
U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents are permitted to return from those countries , but they must go through health screenings .
And the mayhem set off by the implementation of the new health measure came into full view on Sunday .
The dense crowds come despite U.S. health officials urging people to engage in `` social distancing '' to curb the spread of infections .
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump administration did not consider the concerns of local officials before implementing the enhanced medical screenings , saying the mayhem at airports was `` solely the responsibility of the federal government not listening . ''
When local considerations are not factored into decisions like the new medical screenings , federal officials `` risk causing serious illness and death , '' Lightfoot said .
Chicago officials said they have asked federal aviation officials to relax restrictions to allow passengers to remain on planes longer and to stagger flights more .
`` We 've had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ DHS and me with the White House and others to break the logjam , '' Lightfoot said .
`` Fundamentally , this comes down to personnel .
We need more screeners here at O'Hare .
And they need them at other airports around the country . ''
`` The crowds & lines O'Hare are unacceptable & need to be addressed immediately , '' tweeted Pritzker .
`` These crowds are waiting to get through customs , which is under federal jurisdiction . ''
The Trump administration said it is aware of the lines @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the Department of Homeland Security , Chad Wolf , saying that additional screening capacity is being added in an effort to speed up the process .
`` Right now we are working to add additional screening capacity and working with the airlines to expedite the process , '' Wolf tweeted .
`` I understand this is very stressful .
In these unprecedented times , we ask for your patience . ''
Paige Hardy , an American student traveling back home from London , posted a video of passengers being asked to raise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mainland Europe .
`` After being told to write down emergency contact numbers and to prepare to potentially be emergency evacuated , we were let off the plane .
No communication to flight attendants or passengers .
Truly one of the most terrifying experiences of my life , '' Hardy said .
The outbreak of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has so far infected 156,000 people worldwide .
In the U.S. , there have been nearly 3,000 reported cases and 57 deaths .
While the majority of people who become infected are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from a fever or cough without needing treatment , those over 60 years old or with underlying health conditions , such as heart disease , diabetes and lung disease , are the most vulnerable .
Critics of the Trump administration accused it of bungling the launch of the airport medical screenings .
Sen. Dick Durbin ( D-Ill. ) tweeted before midnight Saturday that he has heard of backups as long as eight hours at O'Hare .
`` In contact with @ GovPritzker about arriving passenger delays at @ fly2ohare of up to eight @ @ @ @ @ @ @ customs , & possible medical screening .
Appears source of delays all federal and Admin was unprepared after Presidential ban on travel from Europe , '' Durbin said .
Mark Morgan , acting commissioner of Customs and Border Protection , on Sunday asked for travelers to stay calm , saying that he realizes the new medical screenings can be `` extremely frustrating '' but that `` nothing is more important than the safety , health and security of our citizens . ''

Travelers Greeted With Hours-Long Airport Lines As Coronavirus Screenings Begin
Enlarge this image toggle caption Austin Boschen/AP Austin Boschen/AP
Updated 1:15 p.m. ET Sunday
Airline passengers returning to the U.S. were confronted with snaking lines causing hours-long delays and confusion at airports around the country starting Saturday as a result of required medical screenings now in place to combat the spread of the coronavirus.
Frustrated travelers took to social media to gripe about the winding lines causing passenger congestion in airports including Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, where some travelers reported waits of up to four hours. A U.S. senator from Illinois said he heard of lines stretching up to eight hours.
The Trump administration is restricting travel from 28 European countries, which now include the United Kingdom and Ireland. Europe, the World Health Organization has declared, is now the epicenter of the pandemic.
U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents are permitted to return from those countries, but they must go through health screenings. And the mayhem set off by the implementation of the new health measure came into full view on Sunday.
The dense crowds come despite U.S. health officials urging people to engage in "social distancing" to curb the spread of infections.
Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said at a Sunday news conference that the Trump administration did not consider the concerns of local officials before implementing the enhanced medical screenings, saying the mayhem at airports was "solely the responsibility of the federal government not listening."
When local considerations are not factored into decisions like the new medical screenings, federal officials "risk causing serious illness and death," Lightfoot said.
Chicago officials said they have asked federal aviation officials to relax restrictions to allow passengers to remain on planes longer and to stagger flights more.
"We've had some conversations last night and today with DHS and me with the White House and others to break the logjam," Lightfoot said. "Fundamentally, this comes down to personnel. We need more screeners here at O'Hare. And they need them at other airports around the country."
Earlier, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker agreed that new airport measures created "unacceptable" lines.
"The crowds & lines O'Hare are unacceptable & need to be addressed immediately," tweeted Pritzker. "These crowds are waiting to get through customs, which is under federal jurisdiction."
The Trump administration said it is aware of the lines frustrating travelers, with the acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, Chad Wolf, saying that additional screening capacity is being added in an effort to speed up the process.
"Right now we are working to add additional screening capacity and working with the airlines to expedite the process," Wolf tweeted. "I understand this is very stressful. In these unprecedented times, we ask for your patience."
Paige Hardy, an American student traveling back home from London, posted a video of passengers being asked to raise their hands if they had been to mainland Europe.
"After being told to write down emergency contact numbers and to prepare to potentially be emergency evacuated, we were let off the plane. No communication to flight attendants or passengers. Truly one of the most terrifying experiences of my life," Hardy said.
The outbreak of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 has so far infected 156,000 people worldwide. In the U.S., there have been nearly 3,000 reported cases and 57 deaths.
While the majority of people who become infected are expected to not show symptoms or recover from a fever or cough without needing treatment, those over 60 years old or with underlying health conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes and lung disease, are the most vulnerable.
Critics of the Trump administration accused it of bungling the launch of the airport medical screenings.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) tweeted before midnight Saturday that he has heard of backups as long as eight hours at O'Hare.
"In contact with @GovPritzker about arriving passenger delays at @fly2ohare of up to eight hours waiting for luggage, immigration, customs, & possible medical screening. Appears source of delays all federal and Admin was unprepared after Presidential ban on travel from Europe," Durbin said.
Mark Morgan, acting commissioner of Customs and Border Protection, on Sunday asked for travelers to stay calm, saying that he realizes the new medical screenings can be "extremely frustrating" but that "nothing is more important than the safety, health and security of our citizens."


npr--2020-03-15--'Somewhere Like Home': Uighur Kids Find A Haven At Boarding School In Turkey

'Somewhere Like Home ' : Uighur Kids Find A Haven At Boarding School In Turkey Ten-year-old Nurzat climbs out of his bunk bed , tiptoes across the room that he shares with three other boys and opens his locker .
It holds his most prized possession : a framed photograph of his father .
His dad has a thick mustache and wears a gray polo shirt and thick glasses .
Nurzat , a wispy boy with huge brown eyes and a hushed voice , says he can almost hear him laughing .
`` I miss you so much , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are you coming ? ''
Nurzat has n't talked to his family in three years , ever since Chinese police arrested his father in western China 's Xinjiang region .
As Uighurs , a predominantly Muslim ethnic group , Nurzat 's family has faced abuse , imprisonment and discrimination in China for years .
More than 1 million Uighurs have been forced into so-called reeducation camps since 2017 .
Human rights groups say they 're targeted for their religion .
At these camps , Uighurs are pressured to renounce Islam and pledge allegiance @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the past six years , thousands have sought refuge and settled in Turkey , according to Uighur leaders there .
Among them are hundreds of children — estimates vary between 350 and 700 — whose parents have disappeared in China .
Most of the children arrived in Turkey with at least one parent but have ended up on their own .
The parents were arrested after returning to China to try to get the rest of the family out or to close up businesses .
A handful of children , like Nurzat , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ acquaintances .
Without their parents , many of the children ended up living with other Uighur families or distant relatives , who struggled to support them .
Some of the children , including Nurzat , were moved in late 2017 by Uighur community leaders in Turkey to a sand-colored boarding school called Oku Uygur ( Read Uighur ) in the sunny seaside town of Selimpasa , west of Istanbul .
Nurzat has heard grown-ups refer to his school as an orphanage .
`` I 'm not an orphan , '' he says .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ buzzing .
Boys , ages 9 to 16 , stuff their backpacks with books and head to a full day of classes — first at a nearby Turkish public school , then back at the boarding school , finishing at dinnertime .
More than 30 boys live in the dorm , four to a room , sharing two bunk beds , a study table and bookshelves lined with Uighur-language books , Turkish dictionaries and the Quran .
A separate dormitory for girls will be finished later this year .
`` The boys usually @ @ @ @ @ @ @ missing parents , so they cope by isolating themselves and shutting down , '' says Mohammad Izzatullah , 29 , a Uighur religion tutor who lives at the school and serves informally as a guardian for the students .
`` I try to keep them busy .
It 's better for their mental health . ''
Some of the boys call Izzatullah `` Big Brother '' or `` Uncle . ''
They hug him and sometimes cry into his shirt .
He says they understand that Chinese authorities have taken away their parents @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't talk to them .
But they still want to know : Will we ever see them again ?
`` I do n't know how to answer that , '' he says .
`` So I tell them my own family is missing and that I have n't seen them in five years . ''
Izzatullah spends extra time with Nurzat , who has n't seen his parents since he left China in 2014 , when he was 5 .
To save their son from a massive crackdown on Uighurs in Xinjiang , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ family friends .
His mom and dad looked sad as they said goodbye , Nurzat remembers , and told him the Han Chinese did not like Uighurs .
They promised they would join him soon and bring his younger siblings .
`` I remember my mother telling me to study hard , '' he says .
`` I did n't understand where I was going . ''
Nurzat stayed with relatives who ran a Uighur restaurant in downtown Cairo .
At first , he says , he was so lonely that his stomach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parents on WeChat , the Chinese social media app , telling them he wanted to come home .
After a few months , though , he learned Arabic well enough to make friends at school .
The stomachaches went away .
He started to relax .
`` A couple of other Uighur kids even came to my school , and we became friends , '' he says .
Everything changed one chilly night , when he was up late watching Tom and Jerry cartoons in his pajamas .
`` My relatives ran into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pack our clothes right away , '' Nurzat says .
`` They said the police had come to my uncle 's restaurant and arrested Uighurs working and eating there .
My uncle and two others escaped through the back door . ''
By then , Nurzat was 7 .
For a few weeks , he and the adults hid out with an Egyptian friend .
A few weeks later , he flew to Turkey with an adult relative he calls `` Big Sister . ''
`` My uncle told me that all Uighurs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be safe there , '' he says .
They arrived in Istanbul in early 2017 , settling in the blue-collar Istanbul neighborhood of Zeytinburnu .
Rows of smog-colored concrete apartment blocks surround bright produce markets bursting with oranges and pomegranates .
Junk collectors push wheelbarrows on the narrow roads , shouting for spare parts , past grandfathers on plastic stools sipping coffee and gossiping .
The neighborhood has long been a magnet for ethnic minorities and immigrants .
Armenians , Greeks and Bulgarians lived here in the 1950s .
Today , it 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remembers how shocked he was to see so many Uighurs .
It was almost as if he were back in his hometown of Hotan , passing bakeries selling his favorite crispy flatbread and restaurants serving the meaty pilafs and lamb stews he loves so much .
He called his parents to tell them that they might like it here .
One night after dinner , he overheard the grownups whispering about his father .
The Chinese police had arrested him .
`` I went to my room and started crying , '' he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fell asleep . ''
He called his mother on WeChat .
She told him the family was trying to get his father out of jail .
Then she stopped responding to his messages .
There was only silence .
She disappeared , along with his three siblings .
`` I wrote a letter to my mom , '' Nurzat says .
`` But I did n't know where to send it , so I threw it away . ''
The Oku Uygur boarding school grew out of the Uighur-language classes that its founder @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ran from his apartment in Selimpasa .
Kuseni , a Uighur who used to run a tutoring center in the Xinjiang capital of Urumqi , began to feel unsafe in China not long after clashes in 2009 between Uighurs and Han Chinese left scores dead and hundreds injured .
Chinese authorities blamed the riots on Uighurs and began arresting them .
`` I felt like the Chinese authorities had evil plans for us , like they want to destroy our entire community , '' he says .
`` I decided to move to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the interest of my people . ''
Kuseni and his family arrived in Turkey in 2012 .
They settled in Selimpasa and became Turkish citizens .
As more Uighur families arrived in Turkey , he started teaching Uighur language — which resembles Turkish — and history to children .
Fifteen kids turned into 30 , then 60 , then more .
Uighur friends started a fundraising campaign to build a standalone school to prepare Uighur students for university .
Tuition was supposed to be about $ 150 per month .
`` We agreed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't afford the tuition , '' he says , `` because the whole point of the school was to make sure Uighur children never forget their language and culture . ''
In 2017 , he noticed an increasing number of Uighur children like Nurzat , stranded in Turkey without parents .
`` I kept meeting students who said they did n't have enough to eat , '' he says .
`` They slept on the floor instead of a bed . ''
Kuseni decided to get rid of the tuition requirement and use @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disadvantaged Uighur children .
The school opened in late 2017 , with permission from the Turkish state and financed by donations from the Uighur diaspora in the Middle East and Europe .
Kuseni says he and his administrators selected the 30-plus boarding students by interviewing their guardians and checking out their family histories to find out where the children 's parents are .
He recruited 15 teachers by advertising through local Uighur-language media and word-of-mouth , hiring those with college degrees and classroom experience .
The teachers , who are all Uighur , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 500 per month .
The school is supposed to help students keep their Uighur culture and traditions alive .
Kuseni also does n't shy away from telling them that China is to blame for separating them from their families and displacing them .
`` We want them to know they belong to a family that 's much bigger than the one they have lost , '' he says .
Classes are open to all Uighur children .
About 170 attend courses in Uighur language and history , Quranic studies , as well as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` We want them to know there is an entire community behind them , '' says Kalbigul , a tall , intense English teacher in her early 30s who declined to give her last name because she fears for her family in China .
Her intermediate English class is packed with teenagers .
`` This house is uptown , '' they read aloud from an English workbook , before translating into Uighur .
`` It is in a green and quiet neighborhood . ''
She scans the room .
Talking about homes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up .
After class , she tries to comfort them .
`` I just say that if you miss your mom , you can come to my home and I can cook for you any dish you want , '' she says .
She ca n't bring herself to talk to children directly about family separation .
She does n't want the students to see her cry .
Her own parents are missing in China .
`` We do n't have any contact with them , '' she says .
`` It 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we can not call .
We do n't know if they are fine or what happened to them . ''
Down the hall , a room of 9- and 10-year-olds recite a Uighur alphabet song .
Their teacher , a rosy-cheeked grandmother named Arzigul , sings with them .
She also declines to give her last name because she has family in China .
`` Speaking our language together makes the children feel like they are somewhere like home , '' she says .
`` It also makes them miss everything they have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ask me , 'Do we have to say goodbye to our parents and our homeland forever ? '
`` She tries to cheer them up with jokes and funny faces .
She gives them money and candy for the Eid holiday , just like their grandparents used to do back home .
`` They know it 's not the same , '' she says .
Her eyes fill with tears .
`` They really only have this school and God '' When the school celebrated Eid last year , Arzigul saw three little @ @ @ @ @ @ @ food .
`` They did n't want to eat anything , only a couple of bites of banana , '' she says .
`` They kept saying their family back home was cooking for them .
I brought them some fruit and gave them some pocket money .
But I cried because it seems like they really only have this school and God . ''
One of those boys was Nurzat .
The other two were his closest friends , Abdulla and Muhammet , who are brothers .
After classes , the three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the schoolyard .
A younger girl wearing a headscarf , tutu and shiny white shoes runs around them .
She 's one of the lucky ones who lives in Turkey with her family , and she says her parents have told her to become friends with kids who do n't , so they wo n't feel lonely .
When her mother and father arrive to take her home , the boys watch silently as the family walks away holding hands .
Abdulla , 11 , is serious and stick-thin , with a thick @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is freckled and chubby-cheeked .
They grew up in Korla , the second-largest city in Xinjiang , and came to Turkey with their father four years ago .
Their father left them in the Istanbul home of a woman from Korla and flew back to China to get the rest of the family .
`` My brother and I spoke to him a lot on WeChat , '' Abdulla says .
`` But then he stopped answering our calls . ''
Their mother told them that their father had not forgotten them .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` Then Mom said she could n't talk to us anymore either , because the police had come for her too , '' Abdulla says .
Being in a foreign country without a mom and dad , he says , feels like being crushed .
Sometimes Abdulla feels as though he ca n't breathe .
When he asks his teachers if they can help him find his parents , they always change the subject .
`` They seem really busy , '' Abdulla says .
`` I do n't want to bother @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his brother and Nurzat .
The three boys sit together in the cafeteria , eating bowls of spicy spaghetti .
Then , as the sun goes down , they hang out in Nurzat 's room .
In a blend of Uighur and Turkish , they swap stories about their lost childhoods — secretly eating YumYum instant noodles with friends whose names they can no longer remember , playing with siblings now missing , running away from sheep on their grandparents ' farms .
`` I remember my grandfather going to slaughter the sheep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says Muhammet , cringing .
`` I did n't like all that blood , '' says Nurzat , making the same pinched face .
But he adds : `` That 's when we were all together , the whole family . ''
Muhammet looks sad .
He says he wants to grow up fast so he can learn to hack computers and find out where the Chinese authorities are keeping his parents .
Nurzat has even more formidable plans .
`` When I get big , I 'm going to become so strong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all the Chinese police and rescue my parents , '' he says , his voice rising .
`` And then , I 'm going to make myself little again so I can grow up with them . ''
He hugs the framed photo of his father .
Nurzat is in that photo , too — 4 years old , in oversized sunglasses and a bright-yellow shirt , smiling as he leans into his dad 's soft belly .
Nurzat usually keeps his most prized possession in his locker .
But tonight , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tucks the photo under his pillow .

'Somewhere Like Home': Uighur Kids Find A Haven At Boarding School In Turkey
Enlarge this image toggle caption Nicole Tung for NPR Nicole Tung for NPR
Ten-year-old Nurzat climbs out of his bunk bed, tiptoes across the room that he shares with three other boys and opens his locker.
It holds his most prized possession: a framed photograph of his father.
His dad has a thick mustache and wears a gray polo shirt and thick glasses. Nurzat, a wispy boy with huge brown eyes and a hushed voice, says he can almost hear him laughing.
"I miss you so much," he tells the photo. "When are you coming?"
Nurzat hasn't talked to his family in three years, ever since Chinese police arrested his father in western China's Xinjiang region.
As Uighurs, a predominantly Muslim ethnic group, Nurzat's family has faced abuse, imprisonment and discrimination in China for years. More than 1 million Uighurs have been forced into so-called reeducation camps since 2017. Human rights groups say they're targeted for their religion. At these camps, Uighurs are pressured to renounce Islam and pledge allegiance to the Chinese Communist Party.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Nicole Tung for NPR Nicole Tung for NPR
In the past six years, thousands have sought refuge and settled in Turkey, according to Uighur leaders there. Among them are hundreds of children — estimates vary between 350 and 700 — whose parents have disappeared in China.
Most of the children arrived in Turkey with at least one parent but have ended up on their own. The parents were arrested after returning to China to try to get the rest of the family out or to close up businesses. A handful of children, like Nurzat, were sent out of China with family acquaintances.
Without their parents, many of the children ended up living with other Uighur families or distant relatives, who struggled to support them. Some of the children, including Nurzat, were moved in late 2017 by Uighur community leaders in Turkey to a sand-colored boarding school called Oku Uygur (Read Uighur) in the sunny seaside town of Selimpasa, west of Istanbul.
Nurzat has heard grown-ups refer to his school as an orphanage.
"I'm not an orphan," he says.
A lonely journey
By 8 a.m., the dormitory is buzzing. Boys, ages 9 to 16, stuff their backpacks with books and head to a full day of classes — first at a nearby Turkish public school, then back at the boarding school, finishing at dinnertime.
More than 30 boys live in the dorm, four to a room, sharing two bunk beds, a study table and bookshelves lined with Uighur-language books, Turkish dictionaries and the Quran. A separate dormitory for girls will be finished later this year.
toggle caption Nicole Tung for NPR
"The boys usually don't hear good news about their missing parents, so they cope by isolating themselves and shutting down," says Mohammad Izzatullah, 29, a Uighur religion tutor who lives at the school and serves informally as a guardian for the students. "I try to keep them busy. It's better for their mental health."
Some of the boys call Izzatullah "Big Brother" or "Uncle." They hug him and sometimes cry into his shirt. He says they understand that Chinese authorities have taken away their parents and that's why their parents can't talk to them. But they still want to know: Will we ever see them again?
"I don't know how to answer that," he says. "So I tell them my own family is missing and that I haven't seen them in five years."
Izzatullah spends extra time with Nurzat, who hasn't seen his parents since he left China in 2014, when he was 5. To save their son from a massive crackdown on Uighurs in Xinjiang, his parents sent him to Egypt with family friends. His mom and dad looked sad as they said goodbye, Nurzat remembers, and told him the Han Chinese did not like Uighurs. They promised they would join him soon and bring his younger siblings.
"I remember my mother telling me to study hard," he says. "I didn't understand where I was going."
Nurzat stayed with relatives who ran a Uighur restaurant in downtown Cairo. At first, he says, he was so lonely that his stomach hurt every day. He called his parents on WeChat, the Chinese social media app, telling them he wanted to come home. After a few months, though, he learned Arabic well enough to make friends at school. The stomachaches went away. He started to relax.
"A couple of other Uighur kids even came to my school, and we became friends," he says.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Nicole Tung for NPR Nicole Tung for NPR
Everything changed one chilly night, when he was up late watching Tom and Jerry cartoons in his pajamas.
"My relatives ran into the house and said we had to pack our clothes right away," Nurzat says. "They said the police had come to my uncle's restaurant and arrested Uighurs working and eating there. My uncle and two others escaped through the back door."
By then, Nurzat was 7. For a few weeks, he and the adults hid out with an Egyptian friend. A few weeks later, he flew to Turkey with an adult relative he calls "Big Sister."
"My uncle told me that all Uighurs go to Turkey and that we will be safe there," he says.
They arrived in Istanbul in early 2017, settling in the blue-collar Istanbul neighborhood of Zeytinburnu. Rows of smog-colored concrete apartment blocks surround bright produce markets bursting with oranges and pomegranates. Junk collectors push wheelbarrows on the narrow roads, shouting for spare parts, past grandfathers on plastic stools sipping coffee and gossiping.
The neighborhood has long been a magnet for ethnic minorities and immigrants. Armenians, Greeks and Bulgarians lived here in the 1950s. Today, it's Kazakhs, Uzbeks and Uighurs.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Nicole Tung for NPR Nicole Tung for NPR
Nurzat remembers how shocked he was to see so many Uighurs. It was almost as if he were back in his hometown of Hotan, passing bakeries selling his favorite crispy flatbread and restaurants serving the meaty pilafs and lamb stews he loves so much. He called his parents to tell them that they might like it here.
One night after dinner, he overheard the grownups whispering about his father. The Chinese police had arrested him.
"I went to my room and started crying," he says. "I cried until I fell asleep."
He called his mother on WeChat. She told him the family was trying to get his father out of jail. Then she stopped responding to his messages. There was only silence. She disappeared, along with his three siblings.
Nurzat's stomachaches returned. His loneliness turned into confusion.
"I wrote a letter to my mom," Nurzat says. "But I didn't know where to send it, so I threw it away."
"Somewhere like home"
The Oku Uygur boarding school grew out of the Uighur-language classes that its founder, Habibulla Kuseni, 45, previously ran from his apartment in Selimpasa. Kuseni, a Uighur who used to run a tutoring center in the Xinjiang capital of Urumqi, began to feel unsafe in China not long after clashes in 2009 between Uighurs and Han Chinese left scores dead and hundreds injured. Chinese authorities blamed the riots on Uighurs and began arresting them.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Nicole Tung for NPR Nicole Tung for NPR
"I felt like the Chinese authorities had evil plans for us, like they want to destroy our entire community," he says. "I decided to move to a place where I could work for the interest of my people."
Kuseni and his family arrived in Turkey in 2012. They settled in Selimpasa and became Turkish citizens. As more Uighur families arrived in Turkey, he started teaching Uighur language — which resembles Turkish — and history to children. Fifteen kids turned into 30, then 60, then more. Uighur friends started a fundraising campaign to build a standalone school to prepare Uighur students for university. Tuition was supposed to be about $150 per month.
"We agreed to make exceptions for students who couldn't afford the tuition," he says, "because the whole point of the school was to make sure Uighur children never forget their language and culture."
In 2017, he noticed an increasing number of Uighur children like Nurzat, stranded in Turkey without parents.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Nicole Tung for NPR Nicole Tung for NPR
"I kept meeting students who said they didn't have enough to eat," he says. "They slept on the floor instead of a bed."
Kuseni decided to get rid of the tuition requirement and use the new school to house the most disadvantaged Uighur children. The school opened in late 2017, with permission from the Turkish state and financed by donations from the Uighur diaspora in the Middle East and Europe.
Kuseni says he and his administrators selected the 30-plus boarding students by interviewing their guardians and checking out their family histories to find out where the children's parents are. He recruited 15 teachers by advertising through local Uighur-language media and word-of-mouth, hiring those with college degrees and classroom experience. The teachers, who are all Uighur, are paid between $334 and $500 per month.
The school is supposed to help students keep their Uighur culture and traditions alive. Kuseni also doesn't shy away from telling them that China is to blame for separating them from their families and displacing them.
"We want them to know they belong to a family that's much bigger than the one they have lost," he says.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Nicole Tung for NPR Nicole Tung for NPR
Classes are open to all Uighur children. About 170 attend courses in Uighur language and history, Quranic studies, as well as art, science, computers and English.
"We want them to know there is an entire community behind them," says Kalbigul, a tall, intense English teacher in her early 30s who declined to give her last name because she fears for her family in China.
Her intermediate English class is packed with teenagers.
"This house is uptown," they read aloud from an English workbook, before translating into Uighur. "It is in a green and quiet neighborhood."
She scans the room. Talking about homes and families sometimes makes the students choke up. After class, she tries to comfort them.
"I just say that if you miss your mom, you can come to my home and I can cook for you any dish you want," she says.
She can't bring herself to talk to children directly about family separation. She doesn't want the students to see her cry. Her own parents are missing in China.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Nicole Tung for NPR Nicole Tung for NPR
"We don't have any contact with them," she says. "It's been two, three years, even we cannot call. We don't know if they are fine or what happened to them."
Down the hall, a room of 9- and 10-year-olds recite a Uighur alphabet song. Their teacher, a rosy-cheeked grandmother named Arzigul, sings with them. She also declines to give her last name because she has family in China.
"Speaking our language together makes the children feel like they are somewhere like home," she says. "It also makes them miss everything they have lost. ... Some of the children ask me, 'Do we have to say goodbye to our parents and our homeland forever?' "
She tries to cheer them up with jokes and funny faces. She gives them money and candy for the Eid holiday, just like their grandparents used to do back home.
"They know it's not the same," she says. Her eyes fill with tears.
"They really only have this school and God"
When the school celebrated Eid last year, Arzigul saw three little boys tucked into a corner, refusing food.
"They didn't want to eat anything, only a couple of bites of banana," she says. "They kept saying their family back home was cooking for them. I brought them some fruit and gave them some pocket money. But I cried because it seems like they really only have this school and God."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Nicole Tung for NPR Nicole Tung for NPR
One of those boys was Nurzat. The other two were his closest friends, Abdulla and Muhammet, who are brothers.
After classes, the three boys play pickup soccer and basketball in the schoolyard. A younger girl wearing a headscarf, tutu and shiny white shoes runs around them. She's one of the lucky ones who lives in Turkey with her family, and she says her parents have told her to become friends with kids who don't, so they won't feel lonely.
When her mother and father arrive to take her home, the boys watch silently as the family walks away holding hands.
Abdulla, 11, is serious and stick-thin, with a thick black pompadour. Muhammet, 10, is freckled and chubby-cheeked. They grew up in Korla, the second-largest city in Xinjiang, and came to Turkey with their father four years ago. Their father left them in the Istanbul home of a woman from Korla and flew back to China to get the rest of the family.
"My brother and I spoke to him a lot on WeChat," Abdulla says. "But then he stopped answering our calls."
Their mother told them that their father had not forgotten them. The Chinese police had taken him away.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Nicole Tung for NPR Nicole Tung for NPR
"Then Mom said she couldn't talk to us anymore either, because the police had come for her too," Abdulla says.
Being in a foreign country without a mom and dad, he says, feels like being crushed. Sometimes Abdulla feels as though he can't breathe. When he asks his teachers if they can help him find his parents, they always change the subject.
"They seem really busy," Abdulla says. "I don't want to bother them."
So he talks to his brother and Nurzat. The three boys sit together in the cafeteria, eating bowls of spicy spaghetti. Then, as the sun goes down, they hang out in Nurzat's room.
In a blend of Uighur and Turkish, they swap stories about their lost childhoods — secretly eating YumYum instant noodles with friends whose names they can no longer remember, playing with siblings now missing, running away from sheep on their grandparents' farms.
"I remember my grandfather going to slaughter the sheep so we could eat them," says Muhammet, cringing.
"I didn't like all that blood," says Nurzat, making the same pinched face.
But he adds: "That's when we were all together, the whole family."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Nicole Tung for NPR Nicole Tung for NPR
Muhammet looks sad. He says he wants to grow up fast so he can learn to hack computers and find out where the Chinese authorities are keeping his parents.
Nurzat has even more formidable plans.
"When I get big, I'm going to become so strong that I'm going to beat up all the Chinese police and rescue my parents," he says, his voice rising. "And then, I'm going to make myself little again so I can grow up with them."
He hugs the framed photo of his father. Nurzat is in that photo, too — 4 years old, in oversized sunglasses and a bright-yellow shirt, smiling as he leans into his dad's soft belly.
Nurzat usually keeps his most prized possession in his locker. But tonight, he feels another stomachache coming on. He tucks the photo under his pillow.
This story is part of a series about Uighurs in Turkey. You can read and listen to part one, about Uighurs being detained in Turkey, here.
Samarjan Saidi contributed reporting from Selimpaşa, Turkey.


npr--2020-03-15--Virtual Happy Hour Anyone? Working From Home But Keeping Connected

Virtual Happy Hour Anyone ?
Working From Home But Keeping Connected To limit exposure to the coronavirus , many companies across the U.S. are urging , and some are mandating , that employees work from home .
Plenty of employees are embracing the new rules , happy to avoid their daily commute and to work in their pajamas .
But when a company 's employees are suddenly no longer under one roof , it can be a nightmare for managers .
But it does n't have to be .
Kate Walton , the owner and CEO of Steyer Content , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has decades of experience running a company where nearly all of the employees and contractors work remotely .
`` We 've , for quite a number of years now , had an online community where we gather every day , '' says Walton .
`` That 's where we collaborate .
That 's how we connect in normal times . ''
But these are not normal times .
When the Seattle area emerged as the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S. , Walton canceled the company 's monthly lunches .
While @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , those tools became even more important .
Probably the most useful tool , says Walton , is Slack , a messaging platform where co-workers can post and exchange ideas in groups and channels .
While it 's primarily used for work , Walton also uses Slack to hold trivia contests , to celebrate birthdays and to ask people to post photos of their pets -- not unlike you might see happening in a brick-and-mortar office .
The online exchanges are wildly popular , with people talking about books they 're reading , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , of course , since this is Seattle , sharing their favorite hiking trails .
Less popular , it turns out , was Walton 's invitation for people to take part in an online seven-minute workout challenge .
Only one other person has joined her , she says wistfully .
As the news about the coronavirus became more dire , Walton decided to get more creative .
The company recently held its first virtual happy hour , with people joining in on a video call with their favorite drink after work .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ us to shoot the breeze , you know , from a safe distance , to kind of have a little bit of that water-cooler effect that even after a few days we were starting to miss , '' she says .
The first happy hour was so popular that they held it again last Thursday .
And several employees are eagerly figuring out how to make a virtual karaoke party happen .
Such efforts are not time wasters , says Walton .
Creating a sense of community helps her attract strong talent , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But it 's more than that .
`` Tending to the mental and emotional health of our teams needs to be our top priority , '' says Walton .
`` I mean , I really see that as part of the response , even before you get to the smaller issue of how to keep a business going through times like this . ''
Walton says the trick is not to force the connections , but rather give permission to be creative and see where employees take it .
What it comes down @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In times of uncertainty , we want to know we 're not alone .
`` It 's something that humans crave , '' she says .
`` I mean , it 's that fundamental . ''

Virtual Happy Hour Anyone? Working From Home But Keeping Connected
Enlarge this image toggle caption Anna Walton Anna Walton
To limit exposure to the coronavirus, many companies across the U.S. are urging, and some are mandating, that employees work from home.
Plenty of employees are embracing the new rules, happy to avoid their daily commute and to work in their pajamas. But when a company's employees are suddenly no longer under one roof, it can be a nightmare for managers.
But it doesn't have to be.
Kate Walton, the owner and CEO of Steyer Content, which has its headquarters in Seattle, has decades of experience running a company where nearly all of the employees and contractors work remotely.
"We've, for quite a number of years now, had an online community where we gather every day," says Walton. "That's where we collaborate. That's how we connect in normal times."
But these are not normal times.
When the Seattle area emerged as the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak in the U.S., Walton canceled the company's monthly lunches. While she was already connected to employees online, those tools became even more important.
Probably the most useful tool, says Walton, is Slack, a messaging platform where co-workers can post and exchange ideas in groups and channels.
While it's primarily used for work, Walton also uses Slack to hold trivia contests, to celebrate birthdays and to ask people to post photos of their pets --not unlike you might see happening in a brick-and-mortar office.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Screengrab by Kate Walton Screengrab by Kate Walton
The online exchanges are wildly popular, with people talking about books they're reading, debating the merits of particular fonts and, of course, since this is Seattle, sharing their favorite hiking trails.
Less popular, it turns out, was Walton's invitation for people to take part in an online seven-minute workout challenge. Only one other person has joined her, she says wistfully.
Giving new meaning to BYOB
As the news about the coronavirus became more dire, Walton decided to get more creative. The company recently held its first virtual happy hour, with people joining in on a video call with their favorite drink after work.
"It was quite simply a way for us to shoot the breeze, you know, from a safe distance, to kind of have a little bit of that water-cooler effect that even after a few days we were starting to miss," she says.
The first happy hour was so popular that they held it again last Thursday. And several employees are eagerly figuring out how to make a virtual karaoke party happen.
Such efforts are not time wasters, says Walton. Creating a sense of community helps her attract strong talent, which is a huge competitive advantage.
toggle caption Screengrab by Kate Walton
But it's more than that.
"Tending to the mental and emotional health of our teams needs to be our top priority," says Walton. "I mean, I really see that as part of the response, even before you get to the smaller issue of how to keep a business going through times like this."
Walton says the trick is not to force the connections, but rather give permission to be creative and see where employees take it.
What it comes down to, Walton says, is connections. In times of uncertainty, we want to know we're not alone.
"It's something that humans crave," she says. "I mean, it's that fundamental."


npr--2020-03-15--Rural Hospitals Brace For Coronavirus

Rural Hospitals Brace For Coronavirus

In Grangeville , Idaho , population 3,000 , Syringa Hospital has just 15 beds , an emergency room and a clinic .
As is common in rural medicine , the chief medical officer , Dr. Matthew Told , is also a family practice OB and , on a recent evening , the on-call ER doc .
`` We do n't have ventilator services , we do n't have respiratory therapy , '' Told says during a break between seeing patients .
There is no intensive care unit .
So when they do get a critically ill patient or trauma victims @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and transfer them to a large regional hospital in western Montana or Spokane , Wash .
But what if ICUs in those places become overwhelmed with coronavirus patients ?
`` The biggest challenge is living so close to a state where there are so many cases , such as Washington , and having that really just across the border , '' Told says .
Told knows that his hospital could soon be completely overwhelmed and unable to effectively treat anyone , coronavirus patient or not .
This is the story in many communities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an even more dire effect in isolated rural towns like this that lack the infrastructure or trained staff , especially if they were to get sick and could n't come to work .
Syringa is one of Grangeville 's largest employers .
`` If the places that you rely on to send your critically ill patients are full , then you 're stuck , '' says Dr. Mark Deutchman , associate dean for rural health at the University of Colorado 's medical school .
Deutchman says people living in more isolated rural areas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the virus because of the sheer lack of people or large gatherings , yet the lack of resources is a perennial challenge during any public health crisis .
Hospital officials in Grangeville say dealing with obstacles and getting creative is a fact of life in rural medicine .
For now , their triage plan is to likely block off the ER from the rest of the hospital via a plastic wall .
That would at least give them two more isolation beds .
They 're also asking patients who may show symptoms of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ER initially , where they can be evaluated and masked .
Michelle Schaeffer , the director at the Syringa clinic , says the single biggest concern right now is they only have about a month 's supply left of masks .
`` It does n't help that we go to — what is it , an hour and a half to Lewiston ?
— to our nearest Walmart and there 's not even toilet paper on the shelves because people are panicking , '' she says .
So they 're pushing what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ still at their disposal to fight the spread of the virus in their community : prevention .
`` So that it never actually gets into the walls of this hospital , '' Schaeffer says .
Hospital staff armed with pamphlets and prevention talking points are visiting local businesses , nursing homes and schools .
Schools are often the center of small-town life , but they 're also a petri dish for spreading viruses , says Nathan Winder , a physician assistant who sits on Syringa 's infection prevention committee .
One recent afternoon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prop , Winder demonstrated hygiene to an attentive class of fourth-graders at Grangeville Elementary .
Most of the kids were aware of the coronavirus , and several said they were already touching elbows instead of doing hand shakes or high fives .
Some also boasted they knew to sing most of the popular Baby Shark song while washing their hands .
`` And when you cough , cover it with your elbow , '' Winder reminded them .
Many of the prevention protocols are similar to what health experts already push during bad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feeling encouraged .
`` The kids already know a lot , '' he said .
`` You can tell they want to do the right thing , they want to not spread the germs , they do n't want to get sick , they 've all been sick . ''
But hospital officials say this may be the easiest demographic to convince that there is a serious health crisis looming .
Like in a lot of rural America , Grangeville 's population skews older .
You 'll also tend to find an inherent @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rural Idaho , where there are already lower than average vaccination rates .
Conspiracy theories and misinformation are said to be spreading like wildfire on social media .
And it 's clear some people just are n't that worried .
Outside Cloninger 's Supermarket , Jennifer Rogers said she sees the coronavirus as just another bad flu with inconvenient symptoms .
`` To me , it feels political , '' Rogers says .
`` It 's an election year and there 's always something big that happens during an election year . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't doing anything out of the ordinary to prepare .
`` I mean , if it were close to home and I knew somebody and I could see their reactions and it was super bad , then it would obviously heighten my awareness , '' she said .
But nearby , Gail Solveria traded a handshake for an elbow bump and said she was stocking up with a two-week supply of groceries and medicine should there be a need to isolate .
People around here are used to having to be prepared for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And Solveria works as a caregiver for a 93-year-old man .
`` We 're trying not to fear , you know , and stay level-headed and trust in God , '' she said .

Rural Hospitals Brace For Coronavirus
In Grangeville, Idaho, population 3,000, Syringa Hospital has just 15 beds, an emergency room and a clinic. As is common in rural medicine, the chief medical officer, Dr. Matthew Told, is also a family practice OB and, on a recent evening, the on-call ER doc.
"We don't have ventilator services, we don't have respiratory therapy," Told says during a break between seeing patients.
There is no intensive care unit. So when they do get a critically ill patient or trauma victims, it's standard protocol to stabilize and transfer them to a large regional hospital in western Montana or Spokane, Wash. But what if ICUs in those places become overwhelmed with coronavirus patients?
"The biggest challenge is living so close to a state where there are so many cases, such as Washington, and having that really just across the border," Told says.
Told knows that his hospital could soon be completely overwhelmed and unable to effectively treat anyone, coronavirus patient or not. This is the story in many communities right now. But it could have an even more dire effect in isolated rural towns like this that lack the infrastructure or trained staff, especially if they were to get sick and couldn't come to work.
Syringa is one of Grangeville's largest employers.
"If the places that you rely on to send your critically ill patients are full, then you're stuck," says Dr. Mark Deutchman, associate dean for rural health at the University of Colorado's medical school.
Deutchman says people living in more isolated rural areas may be less at risk for contracting the virus because of the sheer lack of people or large gatherings, yet the lack of resources is a perennial challenge during any public health crisis.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Kirk Siegler/NPR Kirk Siegler/NPR
Hospital officials in Grangeville say dealing with obstacles and getting creative is a fact of life in rural medicine. For now, their triage plan is to likely block off the ER from the rest of the hospital via a plastic wall. That would at least give them two more isolation beds. They're also asking patients who may show symptoms of COVID-19 to stay in their cars outside the ER initially, where they can be evaluated and masked.
Michelle Schaeffer, the director at the Syringa clinic, says the single biggest concern right now is they only have about a month's supply left of masks.
"It doesn't help that we go to — what is it, an hour and a half to Lewiston? — to our nearest Walmart and there's not even toilet paper on the shelves because people are panicking," she says.
So they're pushing what they see as their most effective tool still at their disposal to fight the spread of the virus in their community: prevention. "So that it never actually gets into the walls of this hospital," Schaeffer says.
Hospital staff armed with pamphlets and prevention talking points are visiting local businesses, nursing homes and schools. Schools are often the center of small-town life, but they're also a petri dish for spreading viruses, says Nathan Winder, a physician assistant who sits on Syringa's infection prevention committee.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Kirk Siegler/NPR Kirk Siegler/NPR
One recent afternoon, clutching a spray bottle as a prop, Winder demonstrated hygiene to an attentive class of fourth-graders at Grangeville Elementary. Most of the kids were aware of the coronavirus, and several said they were already touching elbows instead of doing hand shakes or high fives. Some also boasted they knew to sing most of the popular Baby Shark song while washing their hands.
"And when you cough, cover it with your elbow," Winder reminded them.
Many of the prevention protocols are similar to what health experts already push during bad influenza outbreaks. Winder left the class feeling encouraged.
"The kids already know a lot," he said. "You can tell they want to do the right thing, they want to not spread the germs, they don't want to get sick, they've all been sick."
But hospital officials say this may be the easiest demographic to convince that there is a serious health crisis looming. Like in a lot of rural America, Grangeville's population skews older. You'll also tend to find an inherent mistrust toward institutions and the government in rural Idaho, where there are already lower than average vaccination rates.
Conspiracy theories and misinformation are said to be spreading like wildfire on social media. And it's clear some people just aren't that worried.
Outside Cloninger's Supermarket, Jennifer Rogers said she sees the coronavirus as just another bad flu with inconvenient symptoms.
"To me, it feels political," Rogers says. "It's an election year and there's always something big that happens during an election year."
For now, Rogers said she isn't doing anything out of the ordinary to prepare.
"I mean, if it were close to home and I knew somebody and I could see their reactions and it was super bad, then it would obviously heighten my awareness," she said.
But nearby, Gail Solveria traded a handshake for an elbow bump and said she was stocking up with a two-week supply of groceries and medicine should there be a need to isolate. People around here are used to having to be prepared for things like bad weather, she said. And Solveria works as a caregiver for a 93-year-old man.
"We're trying not to fear, you know, and stay level-headed and trust in God," she said.


npr--2020-03-15--Biden And Sanders Debate Sunday In D.C. Here's What You Need To Know

Biden And Sanders Debate Sunday In D.C .
Here 's What You Need To Know Amid the coronavirus pandemic , the 11th Democratic presidential debate , on Sunday , is set to look and sound quite different from the previous 10 .
To prevent further transmission of the virus , the Democratic National Committee announced Thursday it will hold the debate in Washington , D.C. , with no live audience , instead of its original planned location of Arizona , one of four states voting on Tuesday .
The debate is being hosted at 8 p.m .
ET by CNN @ @ @ @ @ @ @ International and Univision , and will take place at CNN studios .
The debate will be moderated by CNN 's Dana Bash and Jake Tapper and Univision 's Ilia Calderón .
They were originally to be joined by Univision 's Jorge Ramos although the network has since announced that he will not to be part of the debate following a potential secondary exposure to the coronavirus .
Which candidates will be there ?
Former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders are the remaining two viable contenders for the Democratic nomination @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sunday night .
This comes following a series of presidential candidates suspending their campaigns in the days before and after the Super Tuesday contests on March 3 .
Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is still actively running , though she did not meet the DNC 's qualification for the debate .
A candidate needs at least 20 % of delegates awarded so far to be onstage ; Gabbard has earned just two delegates out of nearly 1,800 awarded so far .
How do I watch the debate ?
The debate will begin at 8 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last two hours .
It will be broadcast on CNN , CNN en Español , CNN International and Univision .
It can also be streamed on CNN.com as well as the network 's mobile app and TV steaming services .
Get caught up : What has happened since the last debate ?
• President Trump declares a national emergency in response to the coronavirus pandemic .
• Candidates are trying to strike a balance between sharing constructive messages with the public in a crisis and winning votes .
• With the path for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presents Biden with a potential way to win over his supporters .
• How does a strong set of primary victories for Joe Biden translate in race to secure the nomination ?
Check out NPR 's delegate tracker .

Biden And Sanders Debate Sunday In D.C. Here's What You Need To Know
Enlarge this image toggle caption Matt Rourke/AP Matt Rourke/AP
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the 11th Democratic presidential debate, on Sunday, is set to look and sound quite different from the previous 10.
To prevent further transmission of the virus, the Democratic National Committee announced Thursday it will hold the debate in Washington, D.C., with no live audience, instead of its original planned location of Arizona, one of four states voting on Tuesday.
The debate is being hosted at 8 p.m. ET by CNN along with CNN en Español, CNN International and Univision, and will take place at CNN studios.
The debate will be moderated by CNN's Dana Bash and Jake Tapper and Univision's Ilia Calderón.
They were originally to be joined by Univision's Jorge Ramos although the network has since announced that he will not to be part of the debate following a potential secondary exposure to the coronavirus.
Which candidates will be there?
Former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders are the remaining two viable contenders for the Democratic nomination and will be the only candidates onstage Sunday night.
This comes following a series of presidential candidates suspending their campaigns in the days before and after the Super Tuesday contests on March 3.
Hawaii Rep. Tulsi Gabbard is still actively running, though she did not meet the DNC's qualification for the debate. A candidate needs at least 20% of delegates awarded so far to be onstage; Gabbard has earned just two delegates out of nearly 1,800 awarded so far.
How do I watch the debate?
The debate will begin at 8 p.m. ET and is set to last two hours. It will be broadcast on CNN, CNN en Español, CNN International and Univision.
It can also be streamed on CNN.com as well as the network's mobile app and TV steaming services.
Get caught up: What has happened since the last debate?


npr--2020-03-16--Uncertainty In Congress Over Next Moves To Address Coronavirus Crisis

Uncertainty In Congress Over Next Moves To Address Coronavirus Crisis After taking the weekend off , senators will reconvene in Washington on Monday afternoon with the intent to approve this week the House-passed economic relief bill to blunt the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on American workers .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , R-Ky. , reversed course and canceled this week 's scheduled recess in order to take up the House bill .
Despite GOP reservations to the bill — which calls for expansive new , federally guaranteed benefits for American workers — it is expected to pass the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a tweet and it passed the House with an overwhelming bipartisan margin .
`` Of course , senators will need to carefully review the version just passed by the House , '' McConnell said Saturday , `` but I believe the vast majority of senators in both parties will agree we should act swiftly to secure relief for American workers , families , and small businesses . ''
McConnell spent the weekend speaking to the chairmen of eight committees about additional legislation that will be required .
In a statement late Sunday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ legislation to ease the financial and public health burdens from the pandemic .
`` It is clear that confronting this virus will take boldness , bipartisanship , and a comprehensive approach , '' McConnell said .
`` The Senate is eager to work with the Administration and the House to deliver the solutions our nation deserves . ''
Beyond the immediate relief bill that is on track to pass this week , the exact next moves from Capitol Hill are uncertain .
Congress is grappling not only with how to help the country @ @ @ @ @ @ @ operations running without unnecessary risks to thousands of workers on Capitol Hill .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif. , advised House lawmakers on Sunday to have their staffs work from home .
The House is in recess this week .
`` I am writing to encourage you to take steps to promote social distancing within your Washington , D.C. office as we engage in the District Work Period , '' she wrote , `` This may entail more than half of your Washington staff teleworking from home . ''
House Democrats will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ call on Monday to discuss the next steps .
Pelosi has so far been insistent that the House stay in session and that lawmakers report to work for scheduled business , but that position was complicated late Sunday when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new advice that all gatherings of 50 or more people be canceled or postpone for the next eight weeks in order to help prevent the spread of coronavirus .
The U.S. Capitol complex is closed to the public .
A chief of staff for a Democratic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ making up its own policies for how to protect staff .
`` There is not a lot of clear direction , and because we run like 100 small businesses , there are thousands of staff coming into the buildings ; it 's the worst combination of factors for exposure , '' the aide said .
Concerns about health risks grew over the weekend as at least four additional offices disclosed coronavirus exposure .
So far , no elected member of Congress has disclosed testing positive for COVID-19 .
Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff @ @ @ @ @ @ @ staffer who left his employ 10 days ago tested positive .
A Democratic aide confirmed to NPR that the former staffer was Daniel Goldman , who led the staff questioning during the impeachment inquiry .
Goldman confirmed the diagnosis on Twitter .
Schiff has postponed all of his events and meetings in his district and ordered his D.C. staff to work from home `` for the foreseeable future . ''
Rep. David Schweikert , R-Ariz. , announced that a member of his D.C. office tested positive for COVID-19 and that he was closing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` until further notice . ''
The congressman is now self-quarantining `` until otherwise told by doctors . ''
Rep. Andy Kim , D-N.J. , said Sunday that his Capitol office would be closed `` until further notice '' and that all staff will telework after he received word of a confirmed case of coronavirus on the floor where his congressional office is located .
His district offices in New Jersey are not accepting in-person meetings or walk-ins .
`` These are serious times , and I 've made this decision with the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of people each week who visit my offices in mind , '' Kim said in a statement .
Sen. Tom Carper , D-Del.
, disclosed Sunday that a member of his Delaware-based staff tested positive for COVID-19 .
The individual has had no recent contact with the senator or his D.C.-based staff , but the senator is closing all of his offices and his staff will be working remotely starting Monday .
Multiple GOP and Democratic aides who spoke to NPR on Sunday said there is rampant discussion among staff of Congress taking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ currently scheduled to return next week .
Neither Pelosi or McConnell 's office has indicated whether it will alter the congressional schedule .

Uncertainty In Congress Over Next Moves To Address Coronavirus Crisis
Enlarge this image toggle caption J. Scott Applewhite/AP J. Scott Applewhite/AP
Updated 8:20 p.m. ET
The Senate reconvened Monday afternoon with a growing sense of urgency to act on pending legislation, and a growing realization that Congress will have to take dramatic, ongoing action to blunt the impact of the coronavirus pandemic to the nation.
"The Senate is committed to meeting these uncertain times with bold and bipartisan solutions," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said on the floor Monday. "It's what we're going to keep doing in the days and weeks ahead."
The Senate is working to approve the bipartisan House-passed legislation that allows for expansive new, federally guaranteed benefits for American workers. Late Monday, the House approved technical fixes to its bill, and it's now up to the Senate to get a final bill to President Trump's desk.
A growing number of senators are clear-eyed that dramatic economic intervention will be required to head off a financial crisis: Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., is calling for a $750 billion economic stimulus package. Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, is calling for immediate $1,000 cash payments to every American so they can meet their short-term financial obligations.
McConnell said he is already in communication with the chairmen of eight committees about additional legislation that will be required. "It is clear that confronting this virus will take boldness, bipartisanship, and a comprehensive approach," McConnell said in a Sunday statement.
On the floor Monday, McConnell said senators were beginning to work on additional legislation on three fronts: to provide financial aid to individuals, shore up small businesses, and protect the health care system.
Congress is grappling not only with how to help the country but also with how to keep government operations running without unnecessary risks to workers on Capitol Hill.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., advised House lawmakers on Sunday to have their staffs work from home. The House is in recess this week.
House Democrats convened a conference call on Monday that lasted for more than two hours. Aides on the call said there are no firm decisions about next steps. It was an opportunity for lawmakers to air their concerns and ideas for what will be needed.
Pelosi has so far been insistent that the House stay in session and that lawmakers report to work for scheduled business, but that position was complicated late Sunday when the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued new advice that all gatherings of 50 or more people be canceled or postpone for the next eight weeks in order to help prevent the spread of coronavirus. Democrats have announced there will be no votes on Monday, March 23 as previously scheduled, but beyond that there is no clarity.
The U.S. Capitol complex is closed to the public. A chief of staff for a Democratic senator told NPR that each office is making up its own policies for how to protect staff. "There is not a lot of clear direction, and because we run like 100 small businesses, there are thousands of staff coming into the buildings; it's the worst combination of factors for exposure," the aide said.
Concerns about health risks grew over the weekend as at least four additional offices disclosed coronavirus exposure. So far, no elected member of Congress has disclosed testing positive for COVID-19. At least three senators — GOP Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Rick Scott of Florida — have self-quarantined after exposure to individuals who tested positive. Graham tweeted that his test had come back negative and an aide confirmed on Monday that he is out of quarantine.
Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff, D-Calif., announced that a former staffer who left his employ 10 days ago tested positive. A Democratic aide confirmed to NPR that the former staffer was Daniel Goldman, who led the staff questioning during the impeachment inquiry. Goldman confirmed the diagnosis on Twitter. Schiff has postponed all of his events and meetings in his district and ordered his D.C. staff to work from home "for the foreseeable future."
Rep. David Schweikert, R-Ariz., announced that a member of his D.C. office tested positive for COVID-19 and that he was closing his office with staff working from home "until further notice." The congressman is now self-quarantining "until otherwise told by doctors."
Rep. Andy Kim, D-N.J., said Sunday that his Capitol office would be closed "until further notice" and that all staff will telework after he received word of a confirmed case of coronavirus on the floor where his congressional office is located. His district offices in New Jersey are not accepting in-person meetings or walk-ins.
Sen. Tom Carper, D-Del., disclosed Sunday that a member of his Delaware-based staff tested positive for COVID-19. The individual has had no recent contact with the senator or his D.C.-based staff, but the senator is closing all of his offices and his staff will be working remotely starting Monday.
Multiple GOP and Democratic aides who spoke to NPR on Sunday said there is rampant discussion among staff of Congress taking an extended recess. Both chambers are currently scheduled to return next week. Neither Pelosi or McConnell's office has indicated whether it will alter the congressional schedule. Senators are expected to meet Tuesday for their regular weekly lunch meeting to discuss the path forward.


npr--2020-03-16--Voting Amid Coronavirus: What You Need To Know

Voting Amid Coronavirus : What You Need To Know While much of the country has come to a standstill because of the rapidly spreading coronavirus , democracy , it seems , goes on .
Four states are set to hold their presidential primaries on Tuesday , and many more states and territories are currently scheduled to vote before the end of April .
Here are answers to three questions you may have about voting in the time of a pandemic .
At this point , the answer is yes .
But like all of the decision-making around the coronavirus , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The top election officials from the four states voting on Tuesday — Florida , Illinois , Arizona and Ohio — released a joint statement last week saying they were moving ahead with their primaries as planned .
`` Americans have participated in elections during challenging times in the past , and based on the best information we have from public health officials , we are confident that voters in our states can safely and securely cast their ballots in this election , '' the officials said .
Louisiana , however , became @ @ @ @ @ @ @ delaying its primary election , which was scheduled for April 4 .
The state will now vote on June 20 .
And Georgia , which was set to vote next Tuesday , on March 24 , followed suit .
It will now hold its presidential primary on May 19 .
2 .
How will this affect in-person voting ?
While precincts have had to stock up on hand wipes and disinfectants in the elections that have taken place over the past few weeks , there has n't been a noticeable decrease in turnout @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That could change Tuesday , said Lori Edwards , the election supervisor for Polk County , Fla. Six months ago , Edwards said her office was planning on a turnout rate of 40 % to 50 % for the primary but is now expecting roughly half that .
Like other counties in the state , her office has had to deal with poll workers backing out of working the election and has had to move four precincts because the original locations did n't want voters coming in .
In one instance , Edwards @ @ @ @ @ @ @ equipment when the host said , `` Oh no , we do n't want those voters here . ''
More than 30 counties in Ohio have also relocated polling locations , according to the secretary of state 's office .
`` There are moments that you feel as though the floor is crumbling underneath you , '' said Edwards , who has overseen Polk County 's elections for 20 years .
Early in the week , she compared the situation to an election-time hurricane , which officials in the state are all too @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actually think it 's worse , because a hurricane hits , you have damage , and then it 's over .
And then you get to rebuild , '' Edwards said .
`` What we 're finding in this scenario is that the damage keeps coming . ''
3 .
What if I want to vote by mail ?
Illinois Gov .
J.B. Pritzker was one of many state officials last week urging voters to consider voting by mail instead of showing up at the polls .
`` We encourage voters who choose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as possible so they can get their vote-by-mail ballots in time to return them by mail by election day , '' he said .
Mail-in voting , after all , kept Washington 's turnout rate above 40 % in its primary last week , despite its being among the states hit hardest by the coronavirus and subsequent closures .
Advocates say that if the entire country offered some sort of no-excuse mail voting , it would make the democratic process more resilient .
`` This [ mail ] option to vote offers voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crisis situation , especially when in-person voting may be very limited or very difficult , '' said Amber McReynolds , a former Colorado election official who now runs the nonprofit National Vote at Home Institute and Coalition .
The reason Pritzker was pressing for urgency , however , is that voters in his state needed to request an absentee ballot by Thursday to be able to vote that way .
In Florida and Arizona , the deadline was more than a week ago .
In Ohio , it was Friday .
So voters @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tuesday in any of the four states have no other option at this point .
Voters who already have an absentee ballot in any of those states have until at least Tuesday to get it to their elections office .
But for those in states that vote in April , there is probably still time to request an absentee ballot .
You can check your deadlines here .

Voting Amid Coronavirus: What You Need To Know
Enlarge this image toggle caption Elaine Cromie/Getty Images Elaine Cromie/Getty Images
While much of the country has come to a standstill because of the rapidly spreading coronavirus, democracy, it seems, goes on.
Four states are set to hold their presidential primaries on Tuesday, and many more states and territories are currently scheduled to vote before the end of April.
Here are answers to three questions you may have about voting in the time of a pandemic.
1. Are elections still happening?
At this point, the answer is yes. But like all of the decision-making around the coronavirus, the situation is fluid and could change.
The top election officials from the four states voting on Tuesday — Florida, Illinois, Arizona and Ohio — released a joint statement last week saying they were moving ahead with their primaries as planned.
"Americans have participated in elections during challenging times in the past, and based on the best information we have from public health officials, we are confident that voters in our states can safely and securely cast their ballots in this election," the officials said.
Louisiana, however, became the first state to announce it was delaying its primary election, which was scheduled for April 4. The state will now vote on June 20. And Georgia, which was set to vote next Tuesday, on March 24, followed suit. It will now hold its presidential primary on May 19.
2. How will this affect in-person voting?
While precincts have had to stock up on hand wipes and disinfectants in the elections that have taken place over the past few weeks, there hasn't been a noticeable decrease in turnout because of fears about the coronavirus.
That could change Tuesday, said Lori Edwards, the election supervisor for Polk County, Fla.
Six months ago, Edwards said her office was planning on a turnout rate of 40% to 50% for the primary but is now expecting roughly half that.
Like other counties in the state, her office has had to deal with poll workers backing out of working the election and has had to move four precincts because the original locations didn't want voters coming in.
In one instance, Edwards says her office was dropping off voting equipment when the host said, "Oh no, we don't want those voters here."
More than 30 counties in Ohio have also relocated polling locations, according to the secretary of state's office.
"There are moments that you feel as though the floor is crumbling underneath you," said Edwards, who has overseen Polk County's elections for 20 years.
Early in the week, she compared the situation to an election-time hurricane, which officials in the state are all too familiar with.
"But now I actually think it's worse, because a hurricane hits, you have damage, and then it's over. And then you get to rebuild," Edwards said. "What we're finding in this scenario is that the damage keeps coming."
3. What if I want to vote by mail?
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker was one of many state officials last week urging voters to consider voting by mail instead of showing up at the polls.
"We encourage voters who choose that option to do so as soon as possible so they can get their vote-by-mail ballots in time to return them by mail by election day," he said.
Mail-in voting, after all, kept Washington's turnout rate above 40% in its primary last week, despite its being among the states hit hardest by the coronavirus and subsequent closures. Advocates say that if the entire country offered some sort of no-excuse mail voting, it would make the democratic process more resilient.
"This [mail] option to vote offers voters more days and more time in a crisis situation, especially when in-person voting may be very limited or very difficult," said Amber McReynolds, a former Colorado election official who now runs the nonprofit National Vote at Home Institute and Coalition.
The reason Pritzker was pressing for urgency, however, is that voters in his state needed to request an absentee ballot by Thursday to be able to vote that way. In Florida and Arizona, the deadline was more than a week ago. In Ohio, it was Friday.
So voters who were planning to vote in person Tuesday in any of the four states have no other option at this point.
Voters who already have an absentee ballot in any of those states have until at least Tuesday to get it to their elections office.
But for those in states that vote in April, there is probably still time to request an absentee ballot. You can check your deadlines here.
NPR's Pam Fessler contributed to this report.


npr--2020-03-16--4 Takeaways From The Biden-Sanders Debate During The Coronavirus Crisis

4 Takeaways From The Biden-Sanders Debate During The Coronavirus Crisis Just before the Democratic debate Sunday , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put out guidelines encouraging Americans not to gather in groups of 50 or more for the next eight weeks .
Eight weeks .
Americans are hunkering down , professional and college sports have suspended seasons , many states have closed schools .
But voting – at least for now – continues .
And so did the first one-on-one Democratic primary debate of this cycle – albeit in a very different way than originally planned .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders took place inside a Washington , D.C. , CNN studio rather than before an audience in Arizona , one of the states voting Tuesday in the primaries along with Florida , Ohio and Illinois .
What to make of the kind of debate that 's never been seen before ?
Here are the takeaways from Sunday night : As to be expected , the novel coronavirus dominated the early part of the debate .
The candidates tried to distinguish themselves from President Trump – and it started before @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bump between the two men in lieu of a handshake .
During their answers , Biden displayed a command of the levers of government : saying , for example , that he would deploy the military to address the coronavirus crisis , and explaining how .
Sanders , on the other hand , pivoted to talk about the broader ills of the U.S. health care system and tried to promote his Medicare For All plan .
Biden pointed out that a single-payer system did n't contain the virus in Italy , which is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last two weeks , exit polls have shown voters saying they trust Biden more than Sanders to handle a major crisis .
And Biden 's inter-agency expertise played to that strength .
2 .
Biden commits to a woman as VP ... and other things Everyone expected the coronavirus conversation to be the news , and it was .
But Biden created a viral moment on a different subject – he declared he would put a woman on the ticket as vice president , if he 's the nominee .
`` There are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be president tomorrow , '' Biden said .
`` I would pick a woman to be my vice president . ''
Moderator Dana Bash of CNN followed up to confirm , and Biden said yes , he was committing to putting a woman on the ticket .
Sanders hegded a bit , saying that `` in all likelihood '' he would , too , but wanted a `` progressive woman . ''
It was a smart strategic move by Biden 's team , not just to gain attention , but also to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have either been slow to warm — or been outright hostile — to the former vice president 's nomination .
Reaction from the left on Twitter to his move was probably the best Biden has received the entire campaign .
It 's all part of his effort to court not just Sanders ' supporters , but Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren 's , too .
Also this week , Biden took up Warren 's bankruptcy bill plan and endorsed free tuition at state colleges .
Pointedly , Biden also committed during this debate to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Court ; to no new fracking ; and to only deporting people in the U.S. illegally who are felons .
That 's an olive branch to progressive Latinos , many of whom prefer Sanders and are still smarting at President Obama 's high deportation rates .
3 .
Their policy differences were obvious , but Biden appeared at times to look past Sanders Overall , Biden was steady .
He had moments of using impolitic words ( like calling people who are in the U.S. illegally `` aliens '' before correcting himself ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It helps when you have a more than 150-delegate lead .
Because Democrats allocate their delegates proportionally according to the primary vote , that 's a very difficult lead for Sanders to overcome , especially as the race heads into states that favor Biden .
The debate grew acrimonious at times , and Sanders accused Biden of being funded , in part , by the health care industry .
But Biden did n't really want to get into it .
`` I 'm not going to get into the back-and-forth about our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ away from Sanders to the moderators .
Even Sanders looked like he did n't want to mortally wound Biden .
`` I know your heart is in the right place , '' Sanders said of Biden at one point .
Sanders does appear to have a warmth for Biden that he never had for 2016 opponent Hillary Clinton .
The campaigns have talked privately about how the two men have a long-held fondness for each other , which again proves that politics is so much about the personal .
There 's nothing that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their seats quite like talk of Erskine-Bowles , Dick Lugar and codas .
The danger with a debate between two old Senate hands is they sometimes slip into Senate-ese .
In fact , they sometimes seem most in their element talking about who wrote what part of what bill and who really killed what amendment and why .
But scoring points on things people did or did n't do , said or did n't say decades ago felt small , especially given the candidates ' dominant positions in the race — and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ country .
Overall , Biden had a solid debate .
Because of his delegate lead , even a draw would have given him a win .

4 Takeaways From The Biden-Sanders Debate During The Coronavirus Crisis
Enlarge this image toggle caption Evan Vucci/AP Evan Vucci/AP
Just before the Democratic debate Sunday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put out guidelines encouraging Americans not to gather in groups of 50 or more for the next eight weeks.
Eight weeks. Americans are hunkering down, professional and college sports have suspended seasons, many states have closed schools. But voting — at least for now — continues. And so did the first one-on-one Democratic primary debate of this cycle, albeit in a very different way than originally planned.
The debate between former Vice President Joe Biden and Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders took place inside a CNN studio in Washington, D.C., rather than before an audience in Arizona, one of the states voting Tuesday in the primaries along with Florida, Ohio and Illinois.
What to make of the kind of debate that's never been seen before? Here are the takeaways from Sunday night:
1. Coronavirus dominates
As to be expected, the novel coronavirus dominated the early part of the debate. The candidates tried to distinguish themselves from President Trump, and it started before the debate even began with an elbow bump between the two men in lieu of a handshake.
During their answers, Biden displayed a command of the levers of government: saying, for example, that he would deploy the military to address the coronavirus crisis, and explaining how. Sanders, on the other hand, pivoted to talk about the broader ills of the U.S. health care system and tried to promote his "Medicare for All" plan.
Biden pointed out that a single-payer system didn't contain the virus in Italy, which is now on lockdown.
In the past two weeks, exit polls have shown voters saying they trust Biden more than Sanders to handle a major crisis. And Biden's interagency expertise played to that strength.
2. Biden commits to a woman as VP... and other things
Everyone expected the coronavirus conversation to be the news, and it was. But Biden created a viral moment on a different subject; he declared he would put a woman on the ticket as vice president, if he's the nominee.
"There are a number of women who are qualified to be president tomorrow," Biden said. "I would pick a woman to be my vice president."
Moderator Dana Bash of CNN followed up to confirm, and Biden said yes, he was committing to putting a woman on the ticket. Sanders hedged a bit, saying that "in all likelihood" he would, too, but that he wanted a "progressive woman."
It was a smart, strategic move by Biden's team, not just to gain attention, but also to help pacify those on the left who have either been slow to warm — or been outright hostile — to the former vice president's nomination.
Reaction from the left on Twitter to his move was probably the best Biden has received the entire campaign. It's all part of his effort to court not just Sanders' supporters, but Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren's, too. Also this week, Biden took up Warren's bankruptcy bill plan and endorsed free tuition at state colleges.
Pointedly, Biden also committed during this debate to putting a black woman on the U.S. Supreme Court; to no new fracking; and to only deporting people in the U.S. illegally who are also felons. That's an olive branch to progressive Latinos, many of whom prefer Sanders and are still smarting at President Barack Obama's high deportation rates.
3. Their policy differences were obvious, but Biden appeared at times to look past Sanders
Overall, Biden was steady. He had moments of using impolitic words (like calling people who are in the U.S. illegally "aliens" before correcting himself), but Biden mostly appeared in command. It helps when you have a more than 150-delegate lead.
Because Democrats allocate their delegates proportionally according to the primary vote, that's a very difficult lead for Sanders to overcome, especially as the race heads into states that favor Biden.
The debate grew acrimonious at times, and Sanders accused Biden of being funded, in part, by the health care industry. But Biden didn't really want to get into it.
"I'm not going to get into the back-and-forth about our politics," Biden said, looking away from Sanders to the moderators.
Even Sanders looked like he didn't want to mortally wound Biden.
"I know your heart is in the right place," Sanders said of Biden at one point.
Sanders does appear to have a warmth for Biden that he never had for 2016 opponent Hillary Clinton. The campaigns have talked privately about how the two men have a long-held fondness for each other, which again proves that politics is so much about the personal.
4. Debates over decades-old statements and votes felt small
There's nothing that gets an American audience to the edge of their seats quite like talk of Erskine-Bowles, Dick Lugar and cost of living adjustments.
The danger with a debate between two old Senate hands is they sometimes slip into Senate-ese. In fact, they sometimes seem most in their element talking about who wrote what part of what bill and who really killed what amendment and why.
But scoring points on things people did or didn't do, said or didn't say decades ago felt small, especially given the candidates' dominant positions in the race — and the acute crisis at hand for the country.
Overall, Biden had a solid debate. Because of his delegate lead, even a draw would have given him a win.


npr--2020-03-16--As The War On Terror Winds Down, The Pentagon Cuts Social Science

As The War On Terror Winds Down , The Pentagon Cuts Social Science The fragile peace deal taking shape in Afghanistan could spell the end of an era of for the U.S. military , one marked by efforts at nation-building and winning hearts and minds .
It appears that the Pentagon is also intent on ending a research program from that era — to fund social science for the military .
The program , known as the Minerva Research Initiative , was controversial and never quite delivered , according to its critics .
But it was also one of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to tackle big questions .
Some worry that by eschewing outside academics in order to invest in weaponry , the Defense Department risks stumbling into a new arms race .
`` The idea that you would need to eliminate a small program because you need to buy some small fraction of a new missile is short-sighted , '' says Joshua Pollack , a scholar at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Washington , D.C. `` It 's penny wise and pound foolish . ''
Minerva began in 2008 at a time when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wars in Iraq and Afghanistan under control .
The idea was to call on anthropologists and other social scientists to help make those missions more successful .
`` Counterinsurgency theory requires that you have some knowledge of the culture that you 're trying to occupy or control in some way , '' says David Price , a professor of anthropology at St. Martin 's University in Washington State .
Price , who studies the history of social science 's involvement with the defense establishment , describes that relationship as `` mixed '' over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , anthropologists did everything from translation to espionage .
Anthropologists also participated in counterinsurgency operations in Vietnam , generating a great deal of controversy within the field .
More recent social science programs in the war on terrorism have proven deeply divisive .
One Pentagon program known as the Human Terrain System ended in disaster after several researchers were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan .
Psychologists working with the CIA contributed to interrogation practices that are now widely viewed as torture .
Minerva was far more academic .
It gave grants to researchers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ roots made it controversial among anthropologists , and he thinks it never really did deliver on the promise of using social science to win hearts and minds .
`` The notion that you can get an occupied population to somehow accept this occupation or see it in their best interest ... that 's a lot of weight to put on culture , when people very logically know that they 're being occupied , '' he says .
Over the years , Minerva shifted its focus .
More recent grants studied Russian disinformation campaigns @ @ @ @ @ @ @ A 2019 review by the National Academies found that the research funded by Minerva was of high quality and that the program `` has made important contributions . ''
The military announced it was ending the program in February .
In a written statement , the Pentagon says Minerva was eliminated `` to align more directly with the Department 's modernization priorities . ''
Price says he reads that statement as part of general shift by the Pentagon 's research arm , away from broad areas of inquiry and towards technology development programs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more money for robots , '' he says .
Under the Trump administration , the Pentagon has put more money towards things like hypersonic missiles -- advanced weapons it believes can help to counter Russia and China .
The end of the Minerva program is about more than just shifting money into advanced technology , Pollack says .
The Pentagon appears less interested than ever in ever in hearing from outside academics .
`` It 's not just a case of social sciences , it 's scientific advice , generally , '' he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tried to disband a group of researchers known as the JASONs .
They had given the Defense Department independent , sometimes critical evaluations of tough technical problems for years .
The group later moved to the Department of Energy .
In the case of Minerva , the program is only around $ 15 million each year , sofa change for the Pentagon .
Pollack worries that by favoring new hardware over academic advice , the Pentagon risks getting caught in an unproductive technological competition with Russia and China .
`` The less we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the more we 're just determined to go ahead and do them , the more we get into trouble in national security , '' he warns .

As The War On Terror Winds Down, The Pentagon Cuts Social Science
Enlarge this image toggle caption Kevin Sieff/The Washington Post via Getty Images Kevin Sieff/The Washington Post via Getty Images
The fragile peace deal taking shape in Afghanistan could spell the end of an era of for the U.S. military, one marked by efforts at nation-building and winning hearts and minds.
It appears that the Pentagon is also intent on ending a research program from that era — to fund social science for the military.
The program, known as the Minerva Research Initiative, was controversial and never quite delivered, according to its critics. But it was also one of the few Pentagon initiatives that engaged outside researchers to tackle big questions. Some worry that by eschewing outside academics in order to invest in weaponry, the Defense Department risks stumbling into a new arms race.
"The idea that you would need to eliminate a small program because you need to buy some small fraction of a new missile is short-sighted," says Joshua Pollack, a scholar at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Washington, D.C. "It's penny wise and pound foolish."
Minerva began in 2008 at a time when the U.S. was trying to bring the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan under control. The idea was to call on anthropologists and other social scientists to help make those missions more successful.
"Counterinsurgency theory requires that you have some knowledge of the culture that you're trying to occupy or control in some way," says David Price, a professor of anthropology at St. Martin's University in Washington State. Price, who studies the history of social science's involvement with the defense establishment, describes that relationship as "mixed" over the years. During World War II, anthropologists did everything from translation to espionage. Anthropologists also participated in counterinsurgency operations in Vietnam, generating a great deal of controversy within the field.
More recent social science programs in the war on terrorism have proven deeply divisive. One Pentagon program known as the Human Terrain System ended in disaster after several researchers were killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. Psychologists working with the CIA contributed to interrogation practices that are now widely viewed as torture.
Minerva was far more academic. It gave grants to researchers in universities. Price says its military roots made it controversial among anthropologists, and he thinks it never really did deliver on the promise of using social science to win hearts and minds.
"The notion that you can get an occupied population to somehow accept this occupation or see it in their best interest ... that's a lot of weight to put on culture, when people very logically know that they're being occupied," he says.
Over the years, Minerva shifted its focus. More recent grants studied Russian disinformation campaigns and how to strengthen Western alliances. A 2019 review by the National Academies found that the research funded by Minerva was of high quality and that the program "has made important contributions."
The military announced it was ending the program in February. In a written statement, the Pentagon says Minerva was eliminated "to align more directly with the Department's modernization priorities."
Price says he reads that statement as part of general shift by the Pentagon's research arm, away from broad areas of inquiry and towards technology development programs. "Less money for humans, more money for robots," he says.
Under the Trump administration, the Pentagon has put more money towards things like hypersonic missiles--advanced weapons it believes can help to counter Russia and China.
The end of the Minerva program is about more than just shifting money into advanced technology, Pollack says. The Pentagon appears less interested than ever in ever in hearing from outside academics.
"It's not just a case of social sciences, it's scientific advice, generally," he says.
Last year, the Pentagon tried to disband a group of researchers known as the JASONs. They had given the Defense Department independent, sometimes critical evaluations of tough technical problems for years. The group later moved to the Department of Energy.
In the case of Minerva, the program is only around $15 million each year, sofa change for the Pentagon. Pollack worries that by favoring new hardware over academic advice, the Pentagon risks getting caught in an unproductive technological competition with Russia and China.
"The less we think about why we do things, and the more we're just determined to go ahead and do them, the more we get into trouble in national security," he warns.