npr--2020-01-14--Border Wall Threatens National Wildlife Refuge That's Been 40 Years In The Making

Border Wall Threatens National Wildlife Refuge That 's Been 40 Years In The Making Over the past 41 years , the U.S .
Fish and Wildlife Service has been buying up land on the lower Texas-Mexico border to protect one of the most biologically diverse regions in North America from developers and farmers .
But the Rio Grande Valley of Texas is a hotspot for illegal immigration and drug smuggling , as well as biodiversity .
That 's why the Trump administration is planning to build 110 miles of border wall through the valley ( which is actually a river @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will go directly through the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge because it is land already owned by the federal government .
Elsewhere on the Texas border , construction of the president 's wall is being slowed by difficulties acquiring private land .
It can take months or years to take private property through eminent domain .
`` It 's a tragic situation , '' said Caroline Brouwer , vice president for government affairs at the National Wildlife Refuge Association , a Washington-based nonprofit that advocates for the nation 's often overlooked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ staff have worked on this issue for decades and decades .
And it 's being torn down in front of our eyes . ''
Back in 1979 , the idea was to save a strip of native habitat along the Rio Grande , known as Tamaulipan thornscrub in the rapidly urbanizing valley .
U.S .
Fish and Wildlife Service began to buy up pieces of land and assemble what they called `` a string of pearls . ''
Today , the agency owns 135 individual tracts comprising nearly 105,000 acres , stretching along @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dam to the Gulf of Mexico .
Fish & Wildlife has spent about $ 82 million and the refuge network is still growing .
Under congressional authorization , the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge will ultimately have 132,500 acres .
It did take time for some folks in the area to embrace the concept .
`` When they first started buying up land I was very upset , did n't believe it could work , did n't want the federal government to be my neighbor , '' says Tony Zavaleta , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Texas Rio Grande Valley .
His extended family has owned property on the serpentine river since South Texas was part of New Spain .
From the deck of his rustic cabin , Zavaleta has watched a rare mountain lion prowl his property .
Now he 's a believer .
`` Forty years ago , there were no white-tailed deer anywhere near here .
You had to go north or south to find white-tailed deer , '' Zavaleta says .
`` Today , the white-tailed deer are all over the place .
And so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Fish and Wildlife told NPR that the border wall may impact 8,839 acres of native habitat on 30 separate tracts of its land .
Wildlife conservationists are wondering how much of an obstruction the barrier will be to animals that range along the river .
Betty Perez runs a family ranch north of the town of La Joya and is past president of the Friends of the Wildlife Corridor , a private group adamantly opposed to the border wall .
As soon as President Trump announced his big , beautiful wall was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be looking for acreage it already owned .
`` The Fish and Wildlife land is what 's been targeted first because it 's easy .
It 's the first thing you can get to without having to worry about the process of buying land from people , '' she says , pausing while rolling out a round hay bale for her mama cows .
Perez helps sustain the wildlife refuges by raising native plants such as yucca , catclaw acacia and wolfberry that she sells to Fish and Wildlife .
The agency uses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it back into natural terrain .
Wildlife defenders have fought the border barrier before .
In the late 2000s , the Bush administration constructed 55 miles of border fence in the Rio Grande Valley .
Seven noncontiguous miles of it crossed or bordered wildlife tracts .
This time around , the Trump administration is building twice that much barrier in the Rio Grande Valley — 110 miles — and 18 noncontiguous miles will cross refuge land .
`` Now they 're wanting to fill those gaps in , '' Perez says .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it would be very devastating for wildlife . ''
The four counties of the lower Rio Grande Valley are home to 1,200 plants , 300 butterflies and 700 vertebrates , 520 of which are birds , according to Fish and Wildlife .
Among the most common vertebrates are deer , bobcat , armadillos , javelina hogs , the Texas tortoise , and an endangered cat — the small , spotted ocelot .
`` We 're afraid that the wall will act like a barrier when it floods , which it does down here @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get the hurricanes in South Texas .
And if that happens the wildlife that are near the river are going to drown .
The other thing that 's happening , '' she adds , `` the wall blocks wildlife from getting to the river to drink .
That 's their main source of water . ''
Who in the federal government will speak up for the animals ?
Thirteen years ago , that person was Ken Merritt .
He was the manager of the entire Fish and Wildlife refuge complex in South Texas @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fence would traverse seven miles of their protected tracts , Merritt sounded the alarm .
`` Back then — and I do n't think it 's any different than now — we had a very narrow refuge established along the river .
If you cut that in half with a fence that really ca n't [ be ] crossed by terrestrial wildlife , you have a big problem . ''
He submitted an official report with an unambiguous conclusion : walls and wildlife sanctuaries do n't mix .
But , in the tense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , when the government was anxious to beef up border security , `` That was not a well-received document , '' he says .
In fact , Merritt says he was sidelined at Fish and Wildlife because he opposed the border fence .
He retired the next year .
A spokeswoman for the U.S .
Fish and Wildlife Service tells NPR the agency is concerned about the risk that a barrier poses to animals that can not escape floods .
She says their wildlife experts are working with Customs and Border Protection `` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gates along new levee border wall to create areas where wildlife can escape rising water during flood events . ''
She said CBP has told them that agents will open the gates during high water events .
But Fish and Wildlife stopped short of saying it opposes the wall , like Merritt did in 2007 .
He 's in touch with colleagues who still work there .
`` A lot of them are worried about their careers , '' Merritt says .
`` I think most of them have been told not to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part , CBP confirms that it is working with Fish and Wildlife to mitigate the wall 's impact on critters , but an official concedes it 's not easy to protect wildlife while strengthening border security .
`` Can we design it so that it is not as impactful , to develop like a passage corridor ?
I 'll be honest , those are some challenges that are happening along the whole entire southwest border where we 're putting in wall , '' says Carmen Qualia , an assistant chief with the Border @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What 's more , Trump 's border wall dwarfs Bush 's border fence .
The current wall is nearly twice as high — 30 feet — which is taller than a two-story house .
Floodlights will be on all night long .
And an enforcement zone on the south side of the wall will extend out 150 feet .
To put that in perspective , 150 feet is the width of a six-lane highway .
To build the massive border barrier through sensitive areas , the Department of Homeland Security has suspended 31 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ features .
Congress has already attempted to protect some of the most important natural and cultural areas along the lower Rio Grande from the bulldozers .
A 2019 appropriations bill included language instructing CBP not to build the wall in the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge , the National Butterfly Center , or Bentsen/Rio Grande Valley State Park , among other places .
But those are just the crown jewels .
Conservationists say all of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge has to be intact for the `` string of pearls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Henry Cuellar , a Democrat from Laredo , inserted the language that protects those premier natural areas .
He also says he may try to carve out more of the refuge network for protection .
`` That certainly is a concern and this will be something that I will work try to protect .
Absolutely , '' he said in a phone interview .
Time is of the essence .
Wall contractors are already on the ground pouring concrete and erecting the tall steel bollards in the Rio Grande Valley .

Border Wall Threatens National Wildlife Refuge That's Been 40 Years In The Making
Enlarge this image toggle caption Verónica G. Cárdenas for NPR Verónica G. Cárdenas for NPR
Over the past 41 years, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been buying up land on the lower Texas-Mexico border to protect one of the most biologically diverse regions in North America from developers and farmers.
But the Rio Grande Valley of Texas is a hotspot for illegal immigration and drug smuggling, as well as biodiversity. That's why the Trump administration is planning to build 110 miles of border wall through the valley (which is actually a river delta).
Pieces of that wall will go directly through the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge because it is land already owned by the federal government. Elsewhere on the Texas border, construction of the president's wall is being slowed by difficulties acquiring private land. It can take months or years to take private property through eminent domain.
"It's a tragic situation," said Caroline Brouwer, vice president for government affairs at the National Wildlife Refuge Association, a Washington-based nonprofit that advocates for the nation's often overlooked refuge system. "Fish and Wildlife staff have worked on this issue for decades and decades. And it's being torn down in front of our eyes."
Loading...
"A string of pearls"
Back in 1979, the idea was to save a strip of native habitat along the Rio Grande, known as Tamaulipan thornscrub in the rapidly urbanizing valley. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service began to buy up pieces of land and assemble what they called "a string of pearls."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Verónica G. Cárdenas for NPR Verónica G. Cárdenas for NPR
Today, the agency owns 135 individual tracts comprising nearly 105,000 acres, stretching along the last 275 river miles from Falcón Dam to the Gulf of Mexico. Fish & Wildlife has spent about $82 million and the refuge network is still growing. Under congressional authorization, the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge will ultimately have 132,500 acres.
It did take time for some folks in the area to embrace the concept.
"When they first started buying up land I was very upset, didn't believe it could work, didn't want the federal government to be my neighbor," says Tony Zavaleta, a retired anthropologist with the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. His extended family has owned property on the serpentine river since South Texas was part of New Spain. From the deck of his rustic cabin, Zavaleta has watched a rare mountain lion prowl his property. Now he's a believer.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Verónica G. Cárdenas for NPR Verónica G. Cárdenas for NPR
"Forty years ago, there were no white-tailed deer anywhere near here. You had to go north or south to find white-tailed deer," Zavaleta says. "Today, the white-tailed deer are all over the place. And so it's been a huge success."
Fish and Wildlife told NPR that the border wall may impact 8,839 acres of native habitat on 30 separate tracts of its land. Wildlife conservationists are wondering how much of an obstruction the barrier will be to animals that range along the river.
Filling in the gaps
Betty Perez runs a family ranch north of the town of La Joya and is past president of the Friends of the Wildlife Corridor, a private group adamantly opposed to the border wall. As soon as President Trump announced his big, beautiful wall was coming, she knew the government would be looking for acreage it already owned.
"The Fish and Wildlife land is what's been targeted first because it's easy. It's the first thing you can get to without having to worry about the process of buying land from people," she says, pausing while rolling out a round hay bale for her mama cows.
Perez helps sustain the wildlife refuges by raising native plants such as yucca, catclaw acacia and wolfberry that she sells to Fish and Wildlife. The agency uses the plants to revegetate farmland and turn it back into natural terrain.
Wildlife defenders have fought the border barrier before.
Enlarge this image toggle caption VerÃ³nica G. CÃ¡rdenas for NPR VerÃ³nica G. CÃ¡rdenas for NPR
In the late 2000s, the Bush administration constructed 55 miles of border fence in the Rio Grande Valley. Seven noncontiguous miles of it crossed or bordered wildlife tracts. This time around, the Trump administration is building twice that much barrier in the Rio Grande Valley — 110 miles — and 18 noncontiguous miles will cross refuge land.
"Now they're wanting to fill those gaps in," Perez says. "And if there's a continuous wall it would be very devastating for wildlife."
The four counties of the lower Rio Grande Valley are home to 1,200 plants, 300 butterflies and 700 vertebrates, 520 of which are birds, according to Fish and Wildlife. Among the most common vertebrates are deer, bobcat, armadillos, javelina hogs, the Texas tortoise, and an endangered cat — the small, spotted ocelot.
"We're afraid that the wall will act like a barrier when it floods, which it does down here," says Perez. "We get the hurricanes in South Texas. And if that happens the wildlife that are near the river are going to drown. The other thing that's happening," she adds, "the wall blocks wildlife from getting to the river to drink. That's their main source of water."
Balancing wildlife protection with border security
Who in the federal government will speak up for the animals?
Thirteen years ago, that person was Ken Merritt. He was the manager of the entire Fish and Wildlife refuge complex in South Texas. When he learned that Bush's fence would traverse seven miles of their protected tracts, Merritt sounded the alarm.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Verónica G. Cárdenas for NPR Verónica G. Cárdenas for NPR
"Back then — and I don't think it's any different than now — we had a very narrow refuge established along the river. If you cut that in half with a fence that really can't [be] crossed by terrestrial wildlife, you have a big problem."
He submitted an official report with an unambiguous conclusion: walls and wildlife sanctuaries don't mix. But, in the tense atmosphere after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, when the government was anxious to beef up border security, "That was not a well-received document," he says. In fact, Merritt says he was sidelined at Fish and Wildlife because he opposed the border fence. He retired the next year.
A spokeswoman for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service tells NPR the agency is concerned about the risk that a barrier poses to animals that cannot escape floods. She says their wildlife experts are working with Customs and Border Protection "to construct large aprons around all future gates along new levee border wall to create areas where wildlife can escape rising water during flood events." She said CBP has told them that agents will open the gates during high water events.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Verónica G. Cárdenas for NPR Verónica G. Cárdenas for NPR
But Fish and Wildlife stopped short of saying it opposes the wall, like Merritt did in 2007. He's in touch with colleagues who still work there. "A lot of them are worried about their careers," Merritt says. "I think most of them have been told not to say a word."
For its part, CBP confirms that it is working with Fish and Wildlife to mitigate the wall's impact on critters, but an official concedes it's not easy to protect wildlife while strengthening border security.
"Can we design it so that it is not as impactful, to develop like a passage corridor? I'll be honest, those are some challenges that are happening along the whole entire southwest border where we're putting in wall," says Carmen Qualia, an assistant chief with the Border Patrol in the Rio Grande Valley.
What's more, Trump's border wall dwarfs Bush's border fence. The current wall is nearly twice as high — 30 feet — which is taller than a two-story house. Floodlights will be on all night long. And an enforcement zone on the south side of the wall will extend out 150 feet. To put that in perspective, 150 feet is the width of a six-lane highway.
To build the massive border barrier through sensitive areas, the Department of Homeland Security has suspended 31 federal laws that protect environmental and cultural features.
Congress has already attempted to protect some of the most important natural and cultural areas along the lower Rio Grande from the bulldozers. A 2019 appropriations bill included language instructing CBP not to build the wall in the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, the National Butterfly Center, or Bentsen/Rio Grande Valley State Park, among other places. But those are just the crown jewels. Conservationists say all of the Lower Rio Grande Valley National Wildlife Refuge has to be intact for the "string of pearls" to be viable.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Verónica G. Cárdenas for NPR Verónica G. Cárdenas for NPR
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, a Democrat from Laredo, inserted the language that protects those premier natural areas. He also says he may try to carve out more of the refuge network for protection.
"That certainly is a concern and this will be something that I will work try to protect. Absolutely," he said in a phone interview.
Time is of the essence. Wall contractors are already on the ground pouring concrete and erecting the tall steel bollards in the Rio Grande Valley.


npr--2020-01-14--6 Democrats Debate In Iowa: Here's What You Need To Know

6 Democrats Debate In Iowa : Here 's What You Need To Know We 're up to the seventh debate , and down to six candidates .
The leading Democratic presidential candidates return to the debate stage Tuesday at 9 p.m .
ET — this time in Iowa , which hosts the first-in-the-nation caucuses in less than three weeks .
Just six of the remaining 12 Democratic candidates qualified for this debate , making it the smallest debate stage yet .
And all six qualifying candidates are white , reflecting the diminishing racial diversity of the field .
Tuesday 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Sanders has notably stepped up his criticism of other top-tier candidates , especially former Vice President Joe Biden .
The back-and-forth between the two septuagenarians over issues including Biden 's Iraq War vote has illustrated the progressive vs. moderate divide within the Democratic Party .
But in the last few days , a rift has also emerged between the two leading progressives , with Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren breaking a de facto nonaggression pact to trade barbs .
Sanders and Biden have , individually , led the last two polls in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Monday found Biden ahead , with the backing of 24 % of likely caucusgoers .
Sanders came in at 18 % , followed at 17 % by Pete Buttigieg , the former mayor of South Bend , Ind.
, and at 15 % by Warren .
Days earlier , the well-respected Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa poll found Sanders leading at 20 % , ahead of Warren ( 17 % ) , Buttigieg ( 16 % ) and Biden ( 15 % ) .
Clearly , it 's a tight , jumbled race .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ just 40 % of respondents to the Register/CNN/Mediacom survey said their minds are made up about which candidate to support on caucus night on Feb. 3 .
Do n't see the graphic above ?
Click here .
4 notes on the next tier of candidates 1 .
Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar , who 's aiming for a strong finish in Iowa , is back on the debate stage .
She was at 8 % in the Monmouth poll and at 6 % in the Register/CNN/Mediacom poll .
2 .
Further back in those @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who swept into this Iowa debate late by virtue of two strong results in polls of Nevada and South Carolina .
Steyer has been spending millions of dollars on ads in early states .
3 .
Speaking of millions — the billionaire former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is not seeking campaign donations , so he 's not fulfilling a qualifying metric for Democratic debates .
He 's also not vying for the early states , instead blanketing airwaves across the country with ads in anticipation of delegate-rich states that will vote @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
4 .
Entrepreneur Andrew Yang was on the last Democratic debate stage , last month , but missed out this time around after failing to meet the qualifying polling requirement .
Some basics : how to watch a livestream of this debate The debate — sponsored by CNN and The Des Moines Register and taking place at Drake University in Des Moines — is set to begin at 9 p.m .
ET Tuesday .
CNN 's Wolf Blitzer and Abby Phillip and the Register 's Brianne Pfannenstiel will moderate .
You can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you can stream it — without requiring a login to a cable provider — on CNN.com 's homepage or on DesMoinesRegister.com .
The debate will also stream , per CNN , `` across mobile devices via CNN 's apps for iOS and Android ; [ and ] via CNNgo apps for Apple TV , Roku , Amazon Fire , Chromecast and Android TV . ''
Here at NPR.org , we 'll provide live analysis throughout the debate .
You can also subscribe to The NPR Politics Podcast for a recap and analysis afterward @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last Democratic debate ?
Iran : Foreign policy has n't played a large role in the Democratic contest , but President Trump 's decision to kill an Iranian commander in Iraq has put renewed focus on the Middle East , America 's policy toward Iran and the executive 's war-making authority .
Shrinking field : Three candidates have dropped out of the race — former Housing Secretary Julián Castro ( who has since endorsed Warren ) , spiritual leader and entrepreneur Marianne Williamson and , just on Monday , New Jersey Sen. Cory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ actually happened with impeachment in the last few weeks .
But House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says she will submit the articles of impeachment to the Senate this week , taking another step toward a Senate trial .
And with four senators as Democratic candidates , it 's sure to affect their campaign schedules going forward .

6 Democrats Debate In Iowa: Here's What You Need To Know
Enlarge this image toggle caption Angela Hsieh/NPR Angela Hsieh/NPR
Update at 3:30 p.m. ET
We're up to the seventh debate, and down to six candidates.
The leading Democratic presidential candidates return to the debate stage Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET — this time in Iowa, which hosts the first-in-the-nation caucuses in less than three weeks.
Just six of the remaining 12 Democratic candidates qualified for this debate, making it the smallest debate stage yet. And all six qualifying candidates are white, reflecting the diminishing racial diversity of the field.
Tuesday's prime-time tussle comes as Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders has notably stepped up his criticism of other top-tier candidates, especially former Vice President Joe Biden. The back-and-forth between the two septuagenarians over issues including Biden's Iraq War vote has illustrated the progressive vs. moderate divide within the Democratic Party.
But in the last few days, a rift has also emerged between the two leading progressives, with Sanders and Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren breaking a de facto nonaggression pact to trade barbs.
Sanders and Biden have, individually, led the last two polls in Iowa.
A Monmouth University survey released Monday found Biden ahead, with the backing of 24% of likely caucusgoers. Sanders came in at 18%, followed at 17% by Pete Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., and at 15% by Warren.
Days earlier, the well-respected Des Moines Register/CNN/Mediacom Iowa poll found Sanders leading at 20%, ahead of Warren (17%), Buttigieg (16%) and Biden (15%).
Clearly, it's a tight, jumbled race. And a lot could change, because just 40% of respondents to the Register/CNN/Mediacom survey said their minds are made up about which candidate to support on caucus night on Feb. 3.
Don't see the graphic above? Click here.
4 notes on the next tier of candidates
1. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who's aiming for a strong finish in Iowa, is back on the debate stage. She was at 8% in the Monmouth poll and at 6% in the Register/CNN/Mediacom poll.
2. Further back in those surveys was billionaire activist Tom Steyer, who swept into this Iowa debate late by virtue of two strong results in polls of Nevada and South Carolina. Steyer has been spending millions of dollars on ads in early states.
3. Speaking of millions — the billionaire former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is not seeking campaign donations, so he's not fulfilling a qualifying metric for Democratic debates. He's also not vying for the early states, instead blanketing airwaves across the country with ads in anticipation of delegate-rich states that will vote starting on Super Tuesday, March 3.
The NPR Politics Podcast With A Debate Looming, Progressives Feud And Cory Booker Drops Out With A Debate Looming, Progressives Feud And Cory Booker Drops Out Listen · 14:03 14:03
4. Entrepreneur Andrew Yang was on the last Democratic debate stage, last month, but missed out this time around after failing to meet the qualifying polling requirement.
Some basics: how to watch a livestream of this debate
The debate — sponsored by CNN and The Des Moines Register and taking place at Drake University in Des Moines — is set to begin at 9 p.m. ET Tuesday.
CNN's Wolf Blitzer and Abby Phillip and the Register's Brianne Pfannenstiel will moderate.
You can watch on TV on CNN, and you can stream it — without requiring a login to a cable provider — on CNN.com's homepage or on DesMoinesRegister.com.
The debate will also stream, per CNN, "across mobile devices via CNN's apps for iOS and Android; [and] via CNNgo apps for Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire, Chromecast and Android TV."
Here at NPR.org, we'll provide live analysis throughout the debate. You can also subscribe to The NPR Politics Podcast for a recap and analysis afterward.
What else has changed since the last Democratic debate?
A few notes:
Iran: Foreign policy hasn't played a large role in the Democratic contest, but President Trump's decision to kill an Iranian commander in Iraq has put renewed focus on the Middle East, America's policy toward Iran and the executive's war-making authority.
Shrinking field: Three candidates have dropped out of the race — former Housing Secretary Julián Castro (who has since endorsed Warren), spiritual leader and entrepreneur Marianne Williamson and, just on Monday, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker.
Impeachment: Not much has actually happened with impeachment in the last few weeks. But the House will vote Wednesday to send articles of impeachment against Trump to the Senate, and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell says a Senate trial will probably begin next Tuesday. And with four senators as Democratic candidates, it's going to affect their campaign schedules going forward.


npr--2020-01-14--Hopi Look To Tourism, Ranching For Income After Coal Power Plant Closure

Hopi Look To Tourism , Ranching For Income After Coal Power Plant Closure For decades , coal has been at the center of Hopi life , literally .
In the middle of each home is a coal-burning stove that keeps families warm through the winter .
`` A lot of people relied on the coal to heat their homes and ceremonial chambers , the kivas , '' says Leigh Wayne Lomayestewa , who works in the tribe 's cultural preservation office .
`` And now we 're only relying on the cedar wood . ''
But he says cedar does @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Usually at nighttime , you can put in about two or three times a night , '' Lomayestewa says .
When the West 's largest coal-fired power plant shut down late last year in northern Arizona , it marked the end of an era .
It took with it hundreds of jobs and $ 12 million in yearly royalties paid to the Hopi Tribe .
That 's 80 % of the tribe 's annual budget .
Now , Hopi leaders are trying to figure out how to replace this economic lifeline .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ operators , a group of utilities , voted to shut it down .
Natural gas had become cheaper than complying with the coal plant 's air quality regulations .
Hopi Vice Chairman Clark Tenakhongva says that 's left both Navajo and Hopi Tribes scrambling to find new sources of revenue .
`` So with really nothing right now over the horizon with what revenues we have , '' Tenakhongva says , `` what investments we have over the last 40 to 50 years at the level we 're operating , we could survive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we have . ''
That does n't give them much time to come up with a new way of making money .
Tenakhongva says the tribe has many options .
It 's just a matter of agreeing on one .
`` We 've got property in Winslow , '' Tenakhongva says .
`` We 've got the I-40 corridor that has mass amounts of land that could be developed .
The money 's not going to come there the first two years but by 8 to 10 years we 'll have something that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is the Hopi casino .
Yeah , this is the Hopi ranches serving nothing but prime Hopi beef . '
'' There 's also tourism .
Guide Meredith Qotswisiwma drives up the switchbacks to the historic Walpi Village .
She says tourism has been a challenge because of the tribe 's location .
They 're isolated , completely surrounded by the Navajo Nation .
`` We 're in a remote area so money-wise it 's hard for us to go out and even advertise our tourism program , '' Qotswisiwma says .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Hopi are working with the Navajo to build a road that would loop them into popular destinations like Monument Valley and Canyon de Chelly for tour companies coming from Las Vegas .
The tribe is even open to unusual ideas like the one pitched by engineer T.J. Agardy who came to a recent tribal council meeting .
He 's proposing technology used in Germany and Japan to harvest coalbed methane and turn it into natural gas .
`` When we 're done , that equipment stays here , '' Agardy told the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the ability to take and power yourselves up for the next 300 years . ''
He offered that long-term energy production solution and revenue stream as an alternative to the more short-term thinking of coal .
`` If you look at what happened before , '' said Agardy , `` you 're left with an empty hole and a lot of empty promises . ''
The Hopi are cautious about any of these possibilities because they 've been burned before by the federal government , other outside investors and even by other tribes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ left the reservation and many more will follow without better economic opportunities .
But Tenakhongva says he 's not going anywhere .
He 's got two years left of his term .
And he plans to find a solution to the tribe 's economic crisis before his time is up .
More than ever , Tenakhongva is trying to hold onto what he calls his Hopi optimism .
`` The sun will come up tomorrow , '' Tenakhongva says .
`` We will continue to live but maybe not at the level of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''

Hopi Look To Tourism, Ranching For Income After Coal Power Plant Closure
Enlarge this image toggle caption Laurel Morales/KJZZ Laurel Morales/KJZZ
For decades, coal has been at the center of Hopi life, literally. In the middle of each home is a coal-burning stove that keeps families warm through the winter.
"A lot of people relied on the coal to heat their homes and ceremonial chambers, the kivas," says Leigh Wayne Lomayestewa, who works in the tribe's cultural preservation office. "And now we're only relying on the cedar wood."
But he says cedar doesn't burn as long as coal.
"Usually at nighttime, you can put in about two or three times a night," Lomayestewa says.
When the West's largest coal-fired power plant shut down late last year in northern Arizona, it marked the end of an era. It took with it hundreds of jobs and $12 million in yearly royalties paid to the Hopi Tribe. That's 80% of the tribe's annual budget. Now, Hopi leaders are trying to figure out how to replace this economic lifeline.
Two years ago, the plant's operators, a group of utilities, voted to shut it down. Natural gas had become cheaper than complying with the coal plant's air quality regulations. Hopi Vice Chairman Clark Tenakhongva says that's left both Navajo and Hopi Tribes scrambling to find new sources of revenue.
"So with really nothing right now over the horizon with what revenues we have," Tenakhongva says, "what investments we have over the last 40 to 50 years at the level we're operating, we could survive another six to seven years on what we have."
That doesn't give them much time to come up with a new way of making money. Tenakhongva says the tribe has many options. It's just a matter of agreeing on one.
Wide range of alternatives
"We've got property in Winslow," Tenakhongva says. "We've got the I-40 corridor that has mass amounts of land that could be developed. The money's not going to come there the first two years but by 8 to 10 years we'll have something that we can say, 'yeah, this is the Hopi casino. Yeah, this is the Hopi ranches serving nothing but prime Hopi beef.'"
There's also tourism. Guide Meredith Qotswisiwma drives up the switchbacks to the historic Walpi Village. She says tourism has been a challenge because of the tribe's location. They're isolated, completely surrounded by the Navajo Nation.
"We're in a remote area so money-wise it's hard for us to go out and even advertise our tourism program," Qotswisiwma says. "So it's really hard."
The Hopi are working with the Navajo to build a road that would loop them into popular destinations like Monument Valley and Canyon de Chelly for tour companies coming from Las Vegas.
The tribe is even open to unusual ideas like the one pitched by engineer T.J. Agardy who came to a recent tribal council meeting. He's proposing technology used in Germany and Japan to harvest coalbed methane and turn it into natural gas.
"When we're done, that equipment stays here," Agardy told the tribal council. "You now have the ability to take and power yourselves up for the next 300 years."
He offered that long-term energy production solution and revenue stream as an alternative to the more short-term thinking of coal.
"If you look at what happened before," said Agardy, "you're left with an empty hole and a lot of empty promises."
The Hopi are cautious about any of these possibilities because they've been burned before by the federal government, other outside investors and even by other tribes.
Vice-Chairman Tenakhongva knows many people have left the reservation and many more will follow without better economic opportunities. But Tenakhongva says he's not going anywhere. He's got two years left of his term. And he plans to find a solution to the tribe's economic crisis before his time is up.
More than ever, Tenakhongva is trying to hold onto what he calls his Hopi optimism.
"The sun will come up tomorrow," Tenakhongva says. "We will continue to live but maybe not at the level of the comforts of what we have had."


npr--2020-01-14--At Supreme Court, Another Potential Loss For Prosecutors Fighting Public Corruption

At Supreme Court , Another Potential Loss For Prosecutors Fighting Public Corruption '' Bridgegate '' was the political scandal that marked the beginning of the end of New Jersey Gov .
Chris Christie 's presidential hopes .
The scandal 's legal consequences could prove more consequential if , as prosecutors fear , the criminal convictions in the case are thrown out by the Supreme Court .
On Tuesday , the justices will revisit the case that made headlines in 2013 on the first day of school when , unbeknownst to the public , officials close to Christie ordered the shutdown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Fort Lee onto the George Washington Bridge .
The result was chaos , and it went on for four days .
The George Washington Bridge , which connects New York and New Jersey , is the busiest bridge in the world , with 250,000 to 300,000 vehicles crossing each day .
So when two of Fort Lee 's three access lanes were closed , the gridlock was so serious that even paramedics answering 911 calls had to abandon their ambulances to walk with whatever equipment they could carry .
In the end , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Republican governor had ordered the closings to punish the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee for refusing to endorse Christie for reelection .
The Republican governor was not prosecuted .
But his poll ratings plummeted , never to recover .
And three public officials close to him were convicted of fraud in the scandal .
One , David Wildstein , a top staffer at the Port Authority , which runs bridges and tunnels in the New York area , pleaded guilty .
Two others were tried , convicted of fraud , and sentenced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deputy director of the Port Authority , and Bridget Anne Kelly , Christie 's deputy chief of staff .
She famously texted during the gridlock , `` Is it wrong that I 'm smiling ? ''
She has consistently maintained that she was essentially a fall guy for Christie .
`` I will not allow myself to be the scapegoat in this case , '' she said after her conviction .
`` I look forward to the appeal . ''
On Tuesday , she will be at the Supreme Court , where her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and those of Baroni , were driven by a political motive , and while that may not be attractive , it is not fraud .
If Kelly can go to jail for her actions in Bridgegate , they say , there is no limit to who could be prosecuted — a mayor who rewards a political supporter by ordering pothole repairs on her street instead of another , or a staffer who requests an environmental review to placate a lobbying group , or a state official who appoints a friend to a position @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when he is not .
But the government sees the case very differently .
It is not Kelly 's political motives that are the issue , the government says .
It is the use of public funds and property to carry out and cover-up the Bridgegate plot .
The jury found that in order to hide the true purpose of the lane closing , Kelly and Baroni created a phony traffic study and assigned public employees to gather information for it .
In addition to the money paid to those employees for their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in taxpayer funds were paid out to toll collectors on the bridge because of dislocations caused by the lane closing .
All of this may sound like hairsplitting , but when it comes to white-collar crime and political corruption , the modern-day Supreme Court has made it increasingly difficult to prosecute wrongdoers .
In recent years , for instance , the Supreme Court has thrown out multiple public corruption convictions — in some cases , the court has all but eviscerated broad statutes aimed at ensuring the honest services of public employees .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ increasingly relied on anti-fraud statutes instead .
So a loss in the Kelly case could strip prosecutors of yet another tool .

At Supreme Court, Another Potential Loss For Prosecutors Fighting Public Corruption
Enlarge this image toggle caption Richard Drew/AP Richard Drew/AP
"Bridgegate" was the political scandal that marked the beginning of the end of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's presidential hopes. The scandal's legal consequences could prove more consequential if, as prosecutors fear, the criminal convictions in the case are thrown out by the Supreme Court.
On Tuesday, the justices will revisit the case that made headlines in 2013 on the first day of school when, unbeknownst to the public, officials close to Christie ordered the shutdown of two of three access lanes from Fort Lee onto the George Washington Bridge.
The result was chaos, and it went on for four days.
The George Washington Bridge, which connects New York and New Jersey, is the busiest bridge in the world, with 250,000 to 300,000 vehicles crossing each day. So when two of Fort Lee's three access lanes were closed, the gridlock was so serious that even paramedics answering 911 calls had to abandon their ambulances to walk with whatever equipment they could carry.
In the end, it turned out that officials appointed by the Republican governor had ordered the closings to punish the Democratic mayor of Fort Lee for refusing to endorse Christie for reelection.
Christie professed ignorance, and embarrassment, and a federal investigation ensued.
The Republican governor was not prosecuted. But his poll ratings plummeted, never to recover. And three public officials close to him were convicted of fraud in the scandal.
One, David Wildstein, a top staffer at the Port Authority, which runs bridges and tunnels in the New York area, pleaded guilty. Two others were tried, convicted of fraud, and sentenced to prison: William Baroni, the deputy director of the Port Authority, and Bridget Anne Kelly, Christie's deputy chief of staff. She famously texted during the gridlock, "Is it wrong that I'm smiling?"
She has consistently maintained that she was essentially a fall guy for Christie.
"I will not allow myself to be the scapegoat in this case," she said after her conviction. "I look forward to the appeal."
On Tuesday, she will be at the Supreme Court, where her lawyers will argue that her actions, and those of Baroni, were driven by a political motive, and while that may not be attractive, it is not fraud.
If Kelly can go to jail for her actions in Bridgegate, they say, there is no limit to who could be prosecuted — a mayor who rewards a political supporter by ordering pothole repairs on her street instead of another, or a staffer who requests an environmental review to placate a lobbying group, or a state official who appoints a friend to a position, calling him the best qualified, when he is not.
But the government sees the case very differently. It is not Kelly's political motives that are the issue, the government says. It is the use of public funds and property to carry out and cover-up the Bridgegate plot.
The jury found that in order to hide the true purpose of the lane closing, Kelly and Baroni created a phony traffic study and assigned public employees to gather information for it. In addition to the money paid to those employees for their time, the government says thousands more in taxpayer funds were paid out to toll collectors on the bridge because of dislocations caused by the lane closing.
All of this may sound like hairsplitting, but when it comes to white-collar crime and political corruption, the modern-day Supreme Court has made it increasingly difficult to prosecute wrongdoers. In recent years, for instance, the Supreme Court has thrown out multiple public corruption convictions — in some cases, the court has all but eviscerated broad statutes aimed at ensuring the honest services of public employees.
As a result, federal prosecutors have increasingly relied on anti-fraud statutes instead. So a loss in the Kelly case could strip prosecutors of yet another tool.


npr--2020-01-14--How Puberty, Pregnancy And Perimenopause Impact Women's Mental Health

`` Crazy , '' `` hysterical , '' `` overreactive , '' `` hormonal . ''
These are stereotypes many women still have to fight to be taken seriously .
And that fight can be especially challenging because so many women do face very real symptoms such as bloating , headaches , irritability and mood changes — often on a monthly cycle .
These symptoms , especially ones around mood , are often stigmatized and hidden .
But they can be signs of changes in hormone levels — estrogen , specifically — and those changes can become more pronounced , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in women 's lives : puberty , pregnancy and perimenopause .
Perimenopause is the longest of the three phases — it can go on for a decade or longer — and is often the most misunderstood by women , who may not know its symptoms until it 's happening or confuse it with menopause .
Perimenopause is when a woman 's fertility is winding down , menstrual periods become irregular and , eventually , when menopause is reached , menstruation stops .
Mood swings are among the symptoms women report , as well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ There 's a lot that researchers do n't know about the role hormones play in mood changes and depression — the latter affecting women at twice the rate for men .
But they do know that changes in hormone levels are linked to certain types of depression , and there are types of depression that are unique to women .
In a series airing this week on Morning Edition , NPR explores what 's actually happening in a woman 's body at these pivotal moments and how to manage the unforeseen effects , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the play button to hear the first conversation in the series .

How Puberty, Pregnancy And Perimenopause Impact Women's Mental Health
Enlarge this image smartboy10/Getty Images smartboy10/Getty Images
"Crazy," "hysterical," "overreactive," "hormonal." These are stereotypes many women still have to fight to be taken seriously. And that fight can be especially challenging because so many women do face very real symptoms such as bloating, headaches, irritability and mood changes — often on a monthly cycle.
These symptoms, especially ones around mood, are often stigmatized and hidden. But they can be signs of changes in hormone levels — estrogen, specifically — and those changes can become more pronounced, and even severe, at key points in women's lives: puberty, pregnancy and perimenopause.
Perimenopause is the longest of the three phases — it can go on for a decade or longer — and is often the most misunderstood by women, who may not know its symptoms until it's happening or confuse it with menopause. Perimenopause is when a woman's fertility is winding down, menstrual periods become irregular and, eventually, when menopause is reached, menstruation stops. Mood swings are among the symptoms women report, as well as hot flashes and difficulty sleeping.
There's a lot that researchers don't know about the role hormones play in mood changes and depression — the latter affecting women at twice the rate for men. But they do know that changes in hormone levels are linked to certain types of depression, and there are types of depression that are unique to women.
In a series airing this week on Morning Edition, NPR explores what's actually happening in a woman's body at these pivotal moments and how to manage the unforeseen effects, such as anxiety and depression.
Click the play button to hear the first conversation in the series.


npr--2020-01-14--LSU Trounces Clemson 42-25, Taking Its First National Championship Since 2007

LSU Trounces Clemson 42-25 , Taking Its First National Championship Since 2007 Louisiana State University , led by its Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Joe Burrow , capped a perfect season defeating Clemson in a 42-25 game for the College Football Playoff National Championship .
Early on , defending champs Clemson , going in with a 29-game winning streak , managed a 10-point lead over LSU , a team hungry for its first title victory since 2007 .
But LSU stormed back and Burrow showed why he is the best player in college football , cleaving Clemson 's rock-solid defense with five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of 463 yards on 31 of 49 passes .
Burrow ended his career with an NCAA single season-record 60 touchdown passes .
Although considered a neutral site , the New Orleans Superdome is just 80 miles from LSU 's campus , and was filled with raucous LSU fans .
`` This is what I wanted to do from the time I was 5 years old , was hoist this trophy , and bringing it back to Louisiana , '' Burrow said , catching himself .
`` I guess we 're in Louisiana , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't going to let someone come in here and steal this from us in our home state . ''
In just the first half , Burrow connected with Biletnikoff Award-winner Ja'Marr Chase for 147 yards .
Chase made nine catches for 221 yards and two touchdowns for the game – a new CFP National Championship record for receiving yards .
The Tigers had 30-year-old assistant coach Joe Brady to thank for bringing them a version of the New Orleans Saints ' offense , which they deployed with considerable effect against Clemson 's defense @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the early part of the game .
But then Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence , a sophomore , found himself struggling .
In the first quarter , he managed 161 yards and completed 10 of his first 15 throws .
But soon he seemed to stall , finishing the game with only 18 of 37 for 234 yards .
It was Lawrence 's only loss in 26 starts .

LSU Trounces Clemson 42-25, Taking Its First National Championship Since 2007
Enlarge this image toggle caption David J. Phillip/AP David J. Phillip/AP
Louisiana State University, led by its Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Joe Burrow, capped a perfect season defeating Clemson in a 42-25 game for the College Football Playoff National Championship.
Early on, defending champs Clemson, going in with a 29-game winning streak, managed a 10-point lead over LSU, a team hungry for its first title victory since 2007. But LSU stormed back and Burrow showed why he is the best player in college football, cleaving Clemson's rock-solid defense with five touchdowns, no interceptions and a record of 463 yards on 31 of 49 passes.
Burrow ended his career with an NCAA single season-record 60 touchdown passes.
Although considered a neutral site, the New Orleans Superdome is just 80 miles from LSU's campus, and was filled with raucous LSU fans.
"This is what I wanted to do from the time I was 5 years old, was hoist this trophy, and bringing it back to Louisiana," Burrow said, catching himself. "I guess we're in Louisiana, but staying in Louisiana, we weren't going to let someone come in here and steal this from us in our home state."
In just the first half, Burrow connected with Biletnikoff Award-winner Ja'Marr Chase for 147 yards. Chase made nine catches for 221 yards and two touchdowns for the game – a new CFP National Championship record for receiving yards.
The Tigers had 30-year-old assistant coach Joe Brady to thank for bringing them a version of the New Orleans Saints' offense, which they deployed with considerable effect against Clemson's defense.
Clemson managed to hold back LSU in the early part of the game. But then Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, a sophomore, found himself struggling. In the first quarter, he managed 161 yards and completed 10 of his first 15 throws.
But soon he seemed to stall, finishing the game with only 18 of 37 for 234 yards. It was Lawrence's only loss in 26 starts.


npr--2020-01-13--Some Canadians Are Angry At The U.S. Over Iran's Downing Of Flight 752

Some Canadians Are Angry At The U.S. Over Iran 's Downing Of Flight 752 Canadians have been questioning who is at fault for the downing last Wednesday of a plane carrying passengers from Canada , Iran and other nations .
Over the weekend , Iran admitted accidentally shooting down the Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752 , killing all 147 onboard .
But some prominent figures in Canadian business and media have pinned part of the blame on the United States .
They say the U.S. provoked Iran by killing a top Iranian commander , Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani .
Michael @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Leaf Foods , tweeted late Sunday he was `` very angry . ''
He asked , were the passengers `` collateral damage of this irresponsible , dangerous , ill-conceived behavior ? ''
McCain was not the only one .
Many in Canada are questioning why President Trump ordered the killing of Soleimani when he did .
Iran retaliated with attacks against American forces in Iraq , which the U.S. said caused no U.S. casualties .
Iran later unintentionally shot down the Ukrainian plane because of `` human error , '' Iranian officials said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Canadians , particularly the families of these victims , are going to have is , are 63 Canadians dead because of the unintended consequences of a decision made by the U.S .
president ? ''
Katie Simpson , Washington correspondent for Canada 's CBC News , reported the day after the plane was downed .
Canadian authorities have since lowered the number of Canadian passengers killed to 57 .
Charles Adler , a popular Canadian conservative talk-radio host , would not let Tehran or Washington off the hook .
`` Iran 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ States-ordered killing of Iran 's architect of terror , the head of their special Quds Force , General Soleimani , '' Adler said in a recent show .
`` I 'll go to my grave believing those innocents who died aboard Ukrainian Airlines Flight 752 would not have died had it not been for Trump 's decision to kill the general . ''
That commentary went viral .
So did a Maclean 's newsmagazine column written by another conservative commentator , Scott Gilmore , which featured this blunt headline , `` Donald Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Speaking to CBC , Gilmore said , `` I did see a direct line between the impeachment and the president afterwards being outraged at how unfairly treated he saw himself and continually trying to change the topic to the economy or to the strength of the U.S .
military . ''
It was a change of topic , Gilmore said , that led to the U.S. killing of Soleimani and resulted in Iran downing Flight 752 .
But many in Canada 's political and military establishment see the events differently .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ planning , '' says retired Maj. Gen. David Fraser , who led Canadian combat operations during the war in Afghanistan .
Iranian military leaders `` knew they were going to strike into Iraq , they were going to put their air defense systems on high alert , and they did n't coordinate with the civilian authorities .
So that 's just a failure of the Iranian command control structure to manage their airspace , '' he says .
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also avoided pinning any blame on Trump when asked directly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was over the weekend .
`` The reality is there have been significant tensions in that region for a long time .
And what we are calling for now is a de-escalation to ensure that there are no more tragic accidents or loss of civilian life , '' Trudeau said at a news conference in Ottawa .
`` Our focus right now is primarily on ensuring accountability , answers and closure for the victims , and that is what we are engaged with . ''
Trudeau said the questions that need to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iran .
The Iranian government issued 11 visas to Canadian crash investigators and officials .

Some Canadians Are Angry At The U.S. Over Iran's Downing Of Flight 752
Enlarge this image toggle caption Social Media/via Reuters Social Media/via Reuters
Canadians have been questioning who is at fault for the downing last Wednesday of a plane carrying passengers from Canada, Iran and other nations.
Over the weekend, Iran admitted accidentally shooting down the Ukraine International Airlines Flight 752, killing all 176 on board.
But some prominent figures in Canadian business and media have pinned part of the blame on the United States. They say the U.S. provoked Iran by killing a top Iranian commander, Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
Michael McCain, the billionaire CEO of Maple Leaf Foods, tweeted late Sunday that he was "very angry." Were the passengers "collateral damage of this irresponsible, dangerous, ill-conceived behavior?" he asked.
McCain was not the only one. Many in Canada are questioning why President Trump ordered the killing of Soleimani when he did. Iran retaliated with attacks against American forces in Iraq, which the U.S. said caused no U.S. casualties. Iran later unintentionally shot down the Ukrainian plane because of "human error," Iranian officials said.
"I think a significant question that Canadians, particularly the families of these victims, are going to have is, are 63 Canadians dead because of the unintended consequences of a decision made by the U.S. president?" Katie Simpson, Washington correspondent for Canada's CBC News, reported the day after the plane was downed.
Canadian authorities have since lowered the number of Canadian passengers killed to 57.
Charles Adler, a popular Canadian conservative talk-radio host, would not let Tehran or Washington off the hook.
"Iran's recklessness comes in response to the United States-ordered killing of Iran's architect of terror, the head of their special Quds Force, Gen. Soleimani," Adler said in a recent show. "I'll go to my grave believing those innocents who died aboard Ukrainian Airlines Flight 752 would not have died had it not been for Trump's decision to kill the general."
That commentary went viral. So did a Maclean's newsmagazine column written by another conservative commentator, Scott Gilmore, which featured this blunt headline, "Donald Trump gets impeached — 57 Canadians die."
Speaking to CBC, Gilmore said, "I did see a direct line between the impeachment and the president afterwards being outraged at how unfairly treated he saw himself and continually trying to change the topic to the economy or to the strength of the U.S. military." It was a change of topic, Gilmore said, that led to the U.S. killing of Soleimani and resulted in Iran downing Flight 752.
But many in Canada's political and military establishment see the events differently.
"This is a failure of Iranian military planning," says retired Maj. Gen. David Fraser, who led Canadian combat operations during the war in Afghanistan. Iranian military leaders "knew they were going to strike into Iraq, they were going to put their air defense systems on high alert, and they didn't coordinate with the civilian authorities. So that's just a failure of the Iranian command control structure to manage their airspace," he says.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has also avoided pinning any blame on Trump when asked directly about it by reporters, as he was over the weekend.
"The reality is there have been significant tensions in that region for a long time. And what we are calling for now is a de-escalation to ensure that there are no more tragic accidents or loss of civilian life," Trudeau said at a news conference in Ottawa. "Our focus right now is primarily on ensuring accountability, answers and closure for the victims, and that is what we are engaged with."
Trudeau said the questions that need to be answered are all to be found in Iran. The Iranian government issued 11 visas to Canadian crash investigators and officials.


npr--2020-01-14--Study: Grindr, Tindr and Other Apps Share Sensitive Personal Data With Advertisers

Study : Grindr , Tindr and Other Apps Share Sensitive Personal Data With Advertisers A group of civil rights and consumer groups is urging federal and state regulators to examine a number of mobile apps , including popular dating apps Grindr , Tinder and OKCupid for allegedly sharing personal information with advertising companies .
The push by the privacy rights coalition follows a report published on Tuesday by the Norwegian Consumer Council found that 10 apps collect sensitive information including a user 's exact location , sexual orientation , religious and political beliefs , drug use and other information and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least 135 different third-party companies .
The data harvesting , according to the Norwegian government agency , appears to violate the European Union 's rules intended to protect people 's online data , known as the General Data Protection Regulation .
In the U.S. , consumer groups are equally alarmed .
The group urging regulators to act on the Norwegian study , led by government watchdog group Public Citizen , says Congress should use the findings as a roadmap to pass a new law patterned after Europe 's tough data privacy rules that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ apps and online services spy on people , collect vast amounts of personal data and share it with third parties without people 's knowledge .
Industry calls it adtech .
We call it surveillance , '' said Burcu Kilic , a lawyer who leads the digital rights program at Public Citizen .
`` We need to regulate it now , before it 's too late . ''
The Norwegian study , which looks only at apps on Android phones , traces the journey a user 's personal information takes before it arrives at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's app includes Twitter-owned advertising software , which collects then processes personal information and unique identifiers such as a phone 's ID and IP address , allowing advertising companies to track consumers across devices .
The Twitter-owned mobile advertising service that serves as the go-between for personal data is controlled by a firm called MoPub .
`` Grindr only lists Twitter 's MoPub as an advertising partner , and encourages users to read the privacy policies of MoPub 's own partners to understand how data is used .
MoPub lists more than 160 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for users to give an informed consent to how each of these partners may use personal data , '' the report states .
This is not the first time Grindr has become embroiled in controversy over data sharing .
In 2018 , the dating app announced it would stop sharing users ' HIV status with companies following a report in BuzzFeed exposing the practice , leading AIDS advocates to raise questions about health , safety and personal privacy .
The latest data violations unearthed by the Norwegian researchers come the same month California @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the U.S .
Under the law , known as the California Consumer Privacy Act , consumers can opt out of the sale of their personal information .
If tech companies do not comply , the law permits the user to sue .
In its letter sent Tuesday to the California Attorney General , the ACLU of California argues that the practiced described in the Norwegian report may violate the state 's new data privacy law , in addition to constituting possible unfair and deceptive practices , which is unlawful in California .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the company has suspended advertising software used by Grindr highlighted in the report as the company reviews the study 's findings .
`` We are currently investigating this issue to understand the sufficiency of Grindr 's consent mechanism .
In the meantime , we have disabled Grindr 's MoPub account , '' a Twitter spokesperson told NPR .
And the dating app OKCupid , the study found , shared details about a user 's sexuality , drug use , political views and more to an analytics company called Braze .
The Match Group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Tinder , said in a statement that privacy was at the core of its business , saying it only shares information to third parties that comply with applicable laws .
Many app users , the study noted , never try to read or understand the privacy policies before using an app .
But even if the policies are studied , the Norwegian researchers say the legalese-filled documents sometimes do not provide a complete picture of what is happening with a person 's personal information .
`` If one actually attempts to read the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the third parties who may receive personal data are often not mentioned by name .
If the third parties are actually listed , the consumer then has to read the privacy policies of these third parties to understand how they may use the data , '' the study says .
`` In other words , it is practically impossible for the consumer to have even a basic overview of what and where their personal data might be transmitted , or how it is used , even from only a single app . ''

Study: Tinder, Grindr And Other Apps Share Sensitive Personal Data With Advertisers
Enlarge this image toggle caption Joe Raedle/Getty Images Joe Raedle/Getty Images
A group of civil rights and consumer groups is urging federal and state regulators to examine a number of mobile apps, including popular dating apps Grindr, Tinder and OKCupid for allegedly sharing personal information with advertising companies.
The push by the privacy rights coalition follows a report published on Tuesday by the Norwegian Consumer Council that found 10 apps collect sensitive information including a user's exact location, sexual orientation, religious and political beliefs, drug use and other information and then transmit the personal data to at least 135 different third-party companies.
The data harvesting, according to the Norwegian government agency, appears to violate the European Union's rules intended to protect people's online data, known as the General Data Protection Regulation.
In the U.S., consumer groups are equally alarmed. The group urging regulators to act on the Norwegian study, led by government watchdog group Public Citizen, says Congress should use the findings as a roadmap to pass a new law patterned after Europe's tough data privacy rules that took effect in 2018.
"These apps and online services spy on people, collect vast amounts of personal data and share it with third parties without people's knowledge. Industry calls it adtech. We call it surveillance," said Burcu Kilic, a lawyer who leads the digital rights program at Public Citizen. "We need to regulate it now, before it's too late."
The Norwegian study, which looks only at apps on Android phones, traces the journey a user's personal information takes before it arrives at marketing companies.
For example, Grindr's app includes Twitter-owned advertising software, which collects and processes personal information and unique identifiers such as a phone's ID and IP address, allowing advertising companies to track consumers across devices. This Twitter-owned go-between for personal data is controlled by a firm called MoPub.
"Grindr only lists Twitter's MoPub as an advertising partner, and encourages users to read the privacy policies of MoPub's own partners to understand how data is used. MoPub lists more than 160 partners, which clearly makes it impossible for users to give an informed consent to how each of these partners may use personal data," the report states.
This is not the first time Grindr has become embroiled in controversy over data sharing. In 2018, the dating app announced it would stop sharing users' HIV status with companies following a report in BuzzFeed exposing the practice, leading AIDS advocates to raise questions about health, safety and personal privacy.
The latest data violations unearthed by the Norwegian researchers come the same month California enacted the strongest data privacy law in the U.S. Under the law, known as the California Consumer Privacy Act, consumers can opt out of the sale of their personal information. If tech companies do not comply, the law permits the user to sue.
In its letter sent Tuesday to the California attorney general, the ACLU of California argues that the practice described in the Norwegian report may violate the state's new data privacy law, in addition to constituting possible unfair and deceptive practices, which is unlawful in California.
A Twitter spokesperson said in a statement that the company has suspended advertising software used by Grindr highlighted in the report as the company reviews the study's findings.
"We are currently investigating this issue to understand the sufficiency of Grindr's consent mechanism. In the meantime, we have disabled Grindr's MoPub account," a Twitter spokesperson told NPR.
The study found the dating app OKCupid shared details about a user's sexuality, drug use, political views and more to an analytics company called Braze.
The Match Group, the company that owns OKCupid and Tinder, said in a statement that privacy was at the core of its business, saying it only shares information to third parties that comply with applicable laws.
"All Match Group products obtain from these vendors strict contractual commitments that ensure confidentiality, security of users' personal information and strictly prohibit commercialization of this data," a company spokesman said.
Many app users, the study noted, never try to read or understand the privacy policies before using an app. But even if the policies are studied, the Norwegian researchers say the legalese-filled documents sometimes do not provide a complete picture of what is happening with a person's personal information.
"If one actually attempts to read the privacy policy of any given app, the third parties who may receive personal data are often not mentioned by name. If the third parties are actually listed, the consumer then has to read the privacy policies of these third parties to understand how they may use the data," the study says.
"In other words, it is practically impossible for the consumer to have even a basic overview of what and where their personal data might be transmitted, or how it is used, even from only a single app."


npr--2020-01-14--Commander Sworn In As First Member Of New Space Force

Commander Sworn In As First Member Of New Space Force The first newly created branch of the U.S. armed forces in more than seven decades now has its first official member .
Air Force Gen. John `` Jay '' Raymond was sworn in Tuesday as Chief of Space Operations .
It 's the top post in what since late last month is the Pentagon 's seventh military branch , the United States Space Force .
With one hand placed on a Bible whose `` official '' blessing on Sunday sparked sharp criticism , Raymond was sworn in by Vice President @ @ @ @ @ @ @ office .
`` It is President Trump 's belief that the United States must remain as dominant in space as we are on land and sea and the air , '' Pence told Raymond before administering the oath .
`` And your charge is to see to that mission with the United States Space Force . ''
The 4-star general , who already wears two other hats as commander of both the Air Force Space Command and the U.S. Space Command , donned his additional new hat with evident enthusiasm .
`` Mr. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ orders and we are moving out , '' Raymond told Pence .
`` We do not want a conflict to begin or extend into space , we want to deter that conflict from happening .
The best way I know how to do that is to do so from a position of strength . ''
But at the moment , there are no Space Force troops to command .
Most of the 16,000 officers , airmen and civilians who Pentagon officials expect to comprise the new service branch in the next few months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the U.S. Space Command , which is to be the Space Force 's operational component .
Congress provided $ 40 million in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act for initially standing up the Space Force , which is to operate under the umbrella of the U.S. Air Force , much as the U.S. Marines are part of the Department of the Navy .
Raymond , who will be a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff , was appointed by President Trump under NDAA guidelines allowing the Space Force commander to serve @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The 58-year-old career Air Force officer has been an outspoken advocate for creating a military branch focused on outer space .
`` The scope , scale and complexity of the threat to our space capabilities is real and it 's concerning , '' Raymond told reporters in August .
`` We no longer have the luxury of operating in a peaceful , benign domain , and we no longer have the luxury of treating space superiority as a given . ''
At the Joint Base Andrews ceremony in December where he signed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ exulted over this military reorganization that will become part of his legacy in office .
`` Space .
Going to be a lot of things happening in space .
Because space is the world 's newest warfighting domain , '' Trump declared .
`` Amid grave threats to our national security , American superiority in space is absolutely vital .
And we 're leading , but we 're not leading by enough .
But very shortly , we 'll be leading by a lot . ''
Raymond has preferred to cast the new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ collaborative effort with U.S. allies .
`` Historically , we have n't needed to have allies in space , '' he told reporters last summer at the Pentagon .
`` Space was a benign domain , it was n't as critical .
It is very important today that we have — and we are working very closely with our partners , specifically our Five Eyes partners [ Great Britain , New Zealand , Australia and Canada ] , with France , Germany and Japan . ''
The new commander also confirmed in September @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Space Command chief , he 'd already spoken with space entrepreneurs Elon Musk , Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson .
`` Early in my career as a young captain , I was the commercial space officer for Air Force Space Command , '' Raymond told CNBC .
`` So , I have been steeped in interfacing with the commercial business for many , many years . ''
For now , Raymond is creating the new Space Force with a clean sheet , a top-down job that by every indication starts with himself .

Commander Sworn In As First Member Of New Space Force
Enlarge this image toggle caption Steve Helber/AP Steve Helber/AP
The first newly created branch of the U.S. armed forces in more than seven decades now has its first official member.
Air Force Gen. John "Jay" Raymond was sworn in Tuesday as chief of Space Operations. It's the top post in what since late last month is the Pentagon's seventh military branch, the United States Space Force.
With one hand placed on a Bible whose "official" blessing on Sunday sparked sharp criticism, Raymond was sworn in by Vice President Pence at the vice president's ceremonial office.
"It is President Trump's belief that the United States must remain as dominant in space as we are on land and sea and the air," Pence told Raymond before administering the oath. "And your charge is to see to that mission with the United States Space Force."
The 4-star general, who already wears two other hats as commander of both the Air Force Space Command and the U.S. Space Command, donned his additional new hat with evident enthusiasm.
"Mr. Vice President, we have our marching orders and we are moving out," Raymond told Pence. "We do not want a conflict to begin or extend into space, we want to deter that conflict from happening. The best way I know how to do that is to do so from a position of strength."
But at the moment, there are no Space Force troops to command. Most of the 16,000 officers, airmen and civilians who Pentagon officials expect to comprise the new service branch in the next few months would likely be Air Force personnel drawn from the U.S. Space Command, which is to be the Space Force's operational component.
Congress provided $40 million in the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act for initially standing up the Space Force, which is to operate under the umbrella of the U.S. Air Force, much as the U.S. Marines are part of the Department of the Navy.
Raymond, who will be a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was appointed by President Trump under NDAA guidelines allowing the Space Force commander to serve for the first year without Senate confirmation.
The 58-year-old career Air Force officer has been an outspoken advocate for creating a military branch focused on outer space.
"The scope, scale and complexity of the threat to our space capabilities is real and it's concerning," Raymond told reporters in August. "We no longer have the luxury of operating in a peaceful, benign domain, and we no longer have the luxury of treating space superiority as a given."
At the Joint Base Andrews ceremony in December where he signed the Space Force into law, Trump exulted over this military reorganization that will become part of his legacy in office.
"Space. Going to be a lot of things happening in space. Because space is the world's newest warfighting domain," Trump declared. "Amid grave threats to our national security, American superiority in space is absolutely vital. And we're leading, but we're not leading by enough. But very shortly, we'll be leading by a lot."
Raymond has preferred to cast the new military thrust into outer space as a collaborative effort with U.S. allies.
"Historically, we haven't needed to have allies in space," he told reporters last summer at the Pentagon. "Space was a benign domain, it wasn't as critical. It is very important today that we have — and we are working very closely with our partners, specifically our Five Eyes partners [Great Britain, New Zealand, Australia and Canada], with France, Germany and Japan."
The new commander also confirmed in September that, in his capacity as U.S. Space Command chief, he'd already spoken with space entrepreneurs Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson.
"Early in my career as a young captain, I was the commercial space officer for Air Force Space Command," Raymond told CNBC. "So, I have been steeped in interfacing with the commercial business for many, many years."
For now, Raymond is creating the new Space Force with a clean sheet, a top-down job that by every indication starts with himself.


npr--2020-01-14--Foxconn's Promises Slow To Materialize In Wisconsin

During a ceremony at the White House in July 2017 , a beaming President Donald Trump announced Foxconn was coming to Wisconsin .
The world 's largest contract manufacture of consumer electronics wanted to be in America , Trump said .
`` Investing many , many billions of dollars , right here in America , creating thousands of jobs , '' Trump said .
`` And I mean , American jobs , that 's what we want . ''
To land the company , Wisconsin 's then-governor , Republican Scott Walker , signed one of the largest tax incentive deals @ @ @ @ @ @ @ company .
Foxconn was offered more than $ 3 billion in exchange for 13,000 jobs .
Local governments sweetened the deal with another nearly $ 1 billion in tax incentives .
The last two years have been a largely bumpy ride in Wisconsin .
First , Foxconn reduced the size of the LCD display panels it said it would build in the state .
And in 2018 , the company did n't meet the job threshold to qualify for state money .
Now , construction is underway in Racine County , Wis .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ significantly less than the originally promised 22 million-square-foot manufacturing plant — is now enclosed and may be ready to go this year .
Construction crews are also working on two more buildings .
And , Foxconn says workers are in another facility completed last year .
Kim Mahoney , who co-owns the last home next to the project says it 's still not what Foxconn pledged .
`` They 're not creating the jobs they promised ... And that 's what the draw was , to bring those manufacturing jobs back to Southeastern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's happening , it does n't appear , '' Mahoney says .
Emails published by the The Verge show that for months , Wisconsin 's now-Democratic Gov .
Tony Evers had been encouraging Foxconn to revise its state contract to better reflect what appears to be a downsized manufacturing operation .
Foxconn has denied repeated requests for interviews .
But in a written statement the company said , `` Foxconn will make business and hiring decisions based on timing that positions the company and future generations for long-term success . ''
Seven months @ @ @ @ @ @ @ massive manufacturing plant in southeastern Wisconsin , Scott Walker began making more promises .
`` We see the ever-growing footprint of Wisconn Valley in this state , and we see what we like to call , the 'Foxconn bonus , ' '' Walker said .
Over the next several months that Foxconn bonus included establishing `` innovation centers '' in Milwaukee , Green Bay , Eau Claire , Racine and Madison .
Foxconn bought buildings in the cities ' downtowns , promising to employ hundreds of workers at each site .
The company @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Two years later , nothing has opened .
And none of the 1,200 jobs have been filled .
The innovation centers themselves were vaguely explained as a place to foster entrepreneurship .
Matt Jewell , an engineering professor at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire , said he hoped his students could work at Foxconn .
But he 's unclear what the company is doing .
`` As a general term , innovation center does n't say anything specific to us , so we were from the start trying to understand what they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Milwaukee Alderman Robert Bauman , who represents the city 's downtown , said the entire project was designed to ensure the re-election of Walker in 2018 .
He lost that year to Evers , a Democrat .
`` No question about it , '' Bauman said .
`` And to a lesser degree to play to a political storyline that Trump was trying to peddle . ''
In an email , Foxconn said the timing of the innovation centers will be based on timing that `` positions the company and its Wisconsin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Wisconn Valley Science and Technology Park . ''
The email stated that permits have been issued for innovation centers in Green Bay and Racine ; however , those permits show that work being done is less than one-fifth the size originally promised .
Critics of the more than $ 3 billion tax incentive deal argue it 's too risky for tax payers .
Tim Bartik , a senior economist at the W.E .
Upjohn Institute for Employment Research , has been studying business incentives for more than 20 years .
His research @ @ @ @ @ @ @ always translate to a job for an unemployed person living nearby .
`` It 's not clear to me that the voters understand that incentives have a cost and that they 're not a free lunch , '' Bartik said .
`` I think people get lost in the details of the arguments over the benefits and costs of incentives . ''
But Ellen Harpel , who runs a consulting company working with governments as they negotiate deals , disagrees .
While she concedes that some big incentive deals have gone bad , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pursuing .
Harpel said deals need to include safeguards for states , and include ways to claw back money if businesses do n't do what they said they would .
Supporters of the Foxconn deal say those protections are in place .
`` A well-designed and well-managed incentive program can absolutely help achieve a community 's economic development goals , '' Harpel said .
The Foxconn project continues to divide the state politically .
`` Foxconn has admitted that it does n't make any sense from a financial standpoint to do any manufacturing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wisconsin , '' Gordon said .
But Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said Foxconn should be left alone to conduct its business .
`` I have John Deere in my district .
I do n't check in with them on a regular basis to say , 'Jeez , what are you guys doing at this juncture ? '
you know ? ''
Fitzgerald said .
`` It 's the private sector .
They need to have the flexibility to be competitive and move at the speed of business . ''
Even though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remains one of Foxconn 's biggest supporters .
He came for the groundbreaking of the Foxconn plant nearly three years ago , and he 'll be here again Tuesday to give another campaign speech .
This story was a joint collaboration with WPR and WUWM .

Foxconn's Promises Slow To Materialize In Wisconsin
Enlarge this image toggle caption Chuck Quirmbach/WUWM Chuck Quirmbach/WUWM
During a ceremony at the White House in July 2017, a beaming President Trump announced Foxconn was coming to Wisconsin.
The world's largest contract manufacturer of consumer electronics wanted to be in America, Trump said.
"Investing many, many billions of dollars, right here in America, creating thousands of jobs," Trump said. "And I mean, American jobs, that's what we want."
National Wisconsin, Foxconn And The Lure Of State Tax Incentives Wisconsin, Foxconn And The Lure Of State Tax Incentives Listen · 4:15 4:15
To land the company, Wisconsin's then-governor, Republican Scott Walker, signed one of the largest tax incentive deals ever made between a state and a private company.
Foxconn was offered more than $3 billion in exchange for 13,000 jobs. Local governments sweetened the deal with another nearly $1 billion in tax incentives.
The last two years have been a largely bumpy ride in Wisconsin. First, Foxconn reduced the size of the LCD display panels it said it would build in the state. And in 2018, the company didn't meet the job threshold to qualify for state money.
Now, construction is underway in Racine County, Wis. The nearly 1 million square foot advanced manufacturing factory — significantly less than the originally promised 22 million square foot manufacturing plant — is now enclosed and may be ready to go this year. Construction crews are also working on two more buildings. And Foxconn says workers are in another facility completed last year.
Kim Mahoney, who co-owns the last home next to the project, says it's still not what Foxconn pledged.
"They're not creating the jobs they promised. ... And that's what the draw was, to bring those manufacturing jobs back to southeastern Wisconsin, and that's not what's happening, it doesn't appear," Mahoney says.
Emails published by the The Verge show that for months, Wisconsin's now-Democratic Gov. Tony Evers had been encouraging Foxconn to revise its state contract to better reflect what appears to be a downsized manufacturing operation.
Foxconn has denied repeated requests for interviews. But in a written statement the company said, "Foxconn will make business and hiring decisions based on timing that positions the company and future generations for long-term success."
Unfulfilled promises
Seven months after Foxconn announced it would build its massive manufacturing plant in southeastern Wisconsin, Scott Walker began making more promises.
"We see the ever-growing footprint of Wisconn Valley in this state, and we see what we like to call, the 'Foxconn bonus,' " Walker said.
Over the next several months that Foxconn bonus included establishing "innovation centers" in Milwaukee, Green Bay, Eau Claire, Racine and Madison.
Foxconn bought buildings in the cities' downtowns, promising to employ hundreds of workers at each site. The company said it would recruit from nearby colleges.
Two years later, nothing has opened. And none of the 1,200 jobs have been filled.
The innovation centers themselves were vaguely explained as a place to foster entrepreneurship.
Matt Jewell, an engineering professor at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, said he hoped his students could work at Foxconn. But he's unclear what the company is doing.
"As a general term, innovation center doesn't say anything specific to us, so we were from the start trying to understand what they meant by that," Jewell said.
Milwaukee Alderman Robert Bauman, who represents the city's downtown, said the entire project was designed to ensure the reelection of Walker in 2018. He lost that year to Evers, a Democrat.
"No question about it," Bauman said. "And to a lesser degree to play to a political storyline that Trump was trying to peddle."
In an email, Foxconn said the timing of the innovation centers will be based on timing that "positions the company and its Wisconsin employees for competitive success in support of the Wisconn Valley Science and Technology Park."
The email stated that permits have been issued for innovation centers in Green Bay and Racine; however, those permits show that work being done is less than one-fifth the size originally promised.
Tax incentives
Critics of the more than $3 billion tax incentive deal argue it's too risky for tax payers.
Tim Bartik, a senior economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, has been studying business incentives for more than 20 years.
His research shows that a new factory doesn't always translate to a job for an unemployed person living nearby.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Chuck Quirmbach/WUWM Chuck Quirmbach/WUWM
"It's not clear to me that the voters understand that incentives have a cost and that they're not a free lunch," Bartik said. "I think people get lost in the details of the arguments over the benefits and costs of incentives."
But Ellen Harpel, who runs a consulting company working with governments as they negotiate deals, disagrees. While she concedes that some big incentive deals have gone bad, she insists the model is still worth pursuing.
Harpel said deals need to include safeguards for states and include ways to claw back money if businesses don't do what they said they would. Supporters of the Foxconn deal say those protections are in place.
"A well-designed and well-managed incentive program can absolutely help achieve a community's economic development goals," Harpel said.
Political sticking point
The Foxconn project continues to divide the state politically.
Democratic Assembly Minority Leader Gordon Hintz said politics collided with business.
"Foxconn has admitted that it doesn't make any sense from a financial standpoint to do any manufacturing in the U.S., much less Wisconsin," Gordon said.
But Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said Foxconn should be left alone to conduct its business.
"I have John Deere in my district. I don't check in with them on a regular basis to say, 'Jeez, what are you guys doing at this juncture?' you know?" Fitzgerald said. "It's the private sector. They need to have the flexibility to be competitive and move at the speed of business."
Even though Walker is no longer governor, Trump remains one of Foxconn's biggest supporters. He came for the groundbreaking of the Foxconn plant nearly three years ago, and he'll be there again Tuesday to give another campaign speech.
This story was a joint collaboration with WPR and WUWM.


npr--2020-01-14--Canceling Student Debt Is Easier Than It Sounds

Canceling Student Debt Is Easier Than It Sounds Sen. Elizabeth Warren , D-Mass.
, has pledged to cancel up to $ 50,000 of debt for 95 % of student loan borrowers if she is elected president .
Sen. Bernie Sanders , D-Vt. , has proposed an even more generous plan if he 's elected .
Both are bold , controversial pitches that would have a hard time making it through a divided Congress .
But on Tuesday , Warren announced she would use a little-known shortcut , and would n't need Congress .
As president , she says , she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ millions of student borrowers all on her own .
It turns out , she 's probably right .
`` Our country 's experiment with debt-financed education went terribly wrong , '' Warren wrote in a statement .
`` Instead of getting ahead , millions of student loan borrowers are barely treading water . ''
43 million student borrowers owe the U.S. government $ 1.5 trillion , according to the U.S. Department of Education .
And until now , the department has only offered student loan forgiveness or cancellation to borrowers who meet certain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they 've been working in a public service position or because they become disabled or because they 're saying that their school fundamentally cheated them , '' says Eileen Connor , legal director of the Project on Predatory Student Lending at the Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School .
`` Those pathways exist .
And I think what Sen. Warren 's proposal is pointing out is that there 's also this freestanding power that the secretary of education has to cancel debts , not for those reasons , but really for any @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an analysis that found Warren 's pitch is both lawful and permissible .
But is it a good idea ?
That debate has been raging since last year , when Warren first unveiled her plan .
One critique , from Adam Looney of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center , says Warren 's plan would disproportionately benefit the wealthy , with the bottom 20 % of borrowers by income reaping just 4 % of the savings .
As such , Looney asks : `` Why are those who went to college more deserving of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' This authority may be news — and poorly understood — but it is n't remotely new .
It dates back half a century , to 1958 , and the U.S. government 's frenzied response to the Soviet Union launching Sputnik .
Under then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower , Congress passed the National Defense Education Act , which poured federal dollars into U.S. colleges and universities — and into students ' pockets — all in the name of playing academic catch-up with the Soviets .
Included in the legislation is one tightly-packed sentence that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ commissioner ( there was no education secretary back then ) `` shall have the power to agree to modifications of agreements or loans made under this title and to compromise , waive , or release any right , title , claim , or demand , however arising or acquired under this title . ''
Put another way : The education secretary has the same kind of discretion as a criminal prosecutor , says Luke Herrine , a lawyer and Yale Law School Ph.D. student who has studied this authority extensively .
( He @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he calls a `` student debt jubilee . ''
) `` So in the same way that a prosecutor of criminal claims has discretion to determine whether to offer a plea deal , whether or not to pursue a case against somebody who may or may not have committed a crime , the secretary of education can determine not to enforce student debts basically for whatever reason , '' Herrine says .
This authority was further expanded and codified in the landmark Higher Education Act of 1965 .
And because Congress has already @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , canceling student debt does not require additional say-so from Congress .
There are a few potential roadblocks .
Such a move would more than likely trigger lawsuits .
It could also have tax implications .
Traditionally , cancelled student debt has been considered taxable income ( with some exceptions ) , and so any effort to erase hundreds of billions of dollars in student loans would require a sympathetic reading of the tax code .
Otherwise , many students with large loans but small , income-based monthly payments could face a sudden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Herrine says , a new administration could almost certainly find a legal workaround , and Warren pledged in her announcement `` that loan cancellation will not result in any additional tax liability for borrowers . ''
Perhaps the most interesting question surrounding this provision that 's been hidden in plain sight is this : Why are we only now hearing about it ?
Connor says she first took note of the provision — and studied it as a means to help borrowers — several years ago , when students began claiming they had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` Just because something has never been done before is n't an argument for never doing it , '' Connor says .
`` And it 's definitely not an argument that it ca n't be done . ''
But should it be done ?
That 's a question voters will have to answer .

Canceling Student Debt Is Easier Than It Sounds
Enlarge this image toggle caption Patrick Semansky/AP Patrick Semansky/AP
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., has pledged to cancel up to $50,000 of debt for 95% of student loan borrowers if she is elected president. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has proposed an even more generous plan if he's elected.
Both are bold, controversial pitches that would have a hard time making it through a divided Congress. But on Tuesday, Warren announced she would use a little-known shortcut and wouldn't need Congress. As president, she says, she could cancel the debts of tens of millions of student borrowers all on her own.
It turns out, she's probably right.
"Our country's experiment with debt-financed education went terribly wrong," Warren wrote in a statement. "Instead of getting ahead, millions of student loan borrowers are barely treading water."
About 43 million student borrowers owe the U.S. government $1.5 trillion, according to the U.S. Department of Education. And until now, the department has only offered student loan forgiveness or cancellation to borrowers who meet certain criteria.
"Maybe it's because they've been working in a public service position or because they become disabled or because they're saying that their school fundamentally cheated them," says Eileen Connor, legal director of the Project on Predatory Student Lending at the Legal Services Center of Harvard Law School.
"Those pathways exist. And I think what Sen. Warren's proposal is pointing out is that there's also this freestanding power that the secretary of education has to cancel debts, not for those reasons, but really for any reason at all."
Connor wrote an analysis that found Warren's pitch is both lawful and permissible.
But is it a good idea? That debate has been raging since last year, when Warren first unveiled her plan. One critique, from Adam Looney of the Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center, says Warren's plan would disproportionately benefit the wealthy, with the bottom 20% of borrowers by income reaping just 4% of the savings. As such, Looney asks: "Why are those who went to college more deserving of aid than those who didn't?"
The space race
This authority may be news — and poorly understood — but it isn't remotely new. It dates back half a century, to 1958, and the U.S. government's frenzied response to the Soviet Union launching Sputnik.
Under then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower, Congress passed the National Defense Education Act, which poured federal dollars into U.S. colleges and universities — and into students' pockets — all in the name of playing academic catch-up with the Soviets.
Included in the legislation is one tightly packed sentence that says the government's appointed student loan commissioner (there was no education secretary back then) "shall have the power to agree to modifications of agreements or loans made under this title and to compromise, waive, or release any right, title, claim, or demand, however arising or acquired under this title."
Put another way: The education secretary has the same kind of discretion as a criminal prosecutor, says Luke Herrine, a lawyer and Yale Law School Ph.D. student who has studied this authority extensively. (He's also a full-throated advocate for what he calls a "student debt jubilee.")
"So in the same way that a prosecutor of criminal claims has discretion to determine whether to offer a plea deal, whether or not to pursue a case against somebody who may or may not have committed a crime, the secretary of education can determine not to enforce student debts basically for whatever reason," Herrine says.
This authority was further expanded and codified in the landmark Higher Education Act of 1965. And because Congress has already bestowed this power on the education secretary, canceling student debt does not require additional say-so from Congress.
Potential roadblocks
There are a few potential roadblocks. Such a move would more than likely trigger lawsuits. It could also have tax implications. Traditionally, canceled student debt has been considered taxable income (with some exceptions), and so any effort to erase hundreds of billions of dollars in student loans would require a sympathetic reading of the tax code. Otherwise, many students with large loans but small, income-based monthly payments could face a sudden and impossible tax bill. Still, Herrine says, a new administration could almost certainly find a legal workaround, and Warren pledged in her announcement "that loan cancellation will not result in any additional tax liability for borrowers."
Perhaps the most interesting question surrounding this provision that's been hidden in plain sight is this: Why are we only now hearing about it?
Connor says she first took note of the provision — and studied it as a means to help borrowers — several years ago, when students began claiming they had been defrauded by their for-profit colleges. "Just because something has never been done before isn't an argument for never doing it," Connor says. "And it's definitely not an argument that it can't be done."
But should it be done? That's a question voters will have to answer.