npr--2020-06-28--Trump Denies Briefing On Russian Bounties Reportedly Placed on U.S. Troops

Trump Denies Briefing On Russian Bounties Reportedly Placed on U.S .
Troops President Trump is denying a New York Times report that he was briefed on an alleged Russian effort to pay bounties to Taliban-linked militants to kill Western forces — including U.S. troops — in Afghanistan .
Citing unnamed officials , the Times report , published Friday , details how U.S. intelligence officials reached the conclusion about the secret payments and then briefed the president in March .
The White House National Security Council conferred an interagency meeting that same month to discuss the matter , according to the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the President 's Daily Brief , according to the Times .
Trump denied the report in a series of tweets on Sunday , saying he was never briefed on the intelligence assessment .
`` Nobody briefed or told me , @ VP Pence , or Chief of Staff @ MarkMeadows about the so-called attacks on our troops in Afghanistan by Russians , as reported through an 'anonymous source ' by the Fake News @ nytimes .
Everybody is denying it & there have not been many attacks on us ... .. , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up the denial by saying , `` Nobody 's been tougher on Russia than the Trump Administration . ''
He went on to criticize former President Barack Obama , the Times , presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his son , Hunter .
`` With Corrupt Joe Biden & Obama , Russia had a field day , taking over important parts of Ukraine - Where 's Hunter ?
Probably just another phony Times hit job , just like their failed Russia Hoax .
Who is their 'source ' ? ''
Trump tweeted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the president had been briefed on the matter , but as the Times notes , press secretary Kayleigh McEnany did not push back on the substance of the intelligence assessment .
A statement Saturday by John Ratcliffe , the director of national intelligence , also denied that the president was briefed on the issue but also did not refute that Russia had offered bounties in exchange for attacks on U.S. forces .
The Times , in its reporting , does not specify how many troops may have been killed by insurgents seeking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ confident that Russian operatives offered and paid bounties to militants for killing Americans .
In a separate report by CNN , an unnamed European intelligence official said Russia also offered bounties for the killing of soldiers from the United Kingdom .
According to the Times , U.S. officials have concluded that the bounty operation was orchestrated by the GRU , an arm of Russian military intelligence that has been linked to assassination attempts and other cloak-and-dagger operations , including the 2018 nerve agent poisoning of a former Russian spy in Salisbury , England @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that U.S. intelligence has implicated in efforts to sway the 2016 presidential election .
The Russian Embassy in Washington denied the Times report in a tweet on Saturday , calling the report `` fake news . ''
A spokesman for the Taliban told the newspaper that the report was `` baseless . ''
Critics of Trump called the reporting further evidence that the president has failed to adequately curb the influence of Russia and has instead sought to foster a cozy relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin .
Speaking from a virtual town @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former U.S. vice president , said that if the story was correct , then it was a betrayal to U.S. forces to fail to protect them in a war zone .
`` Not only has he failed to sanction or impose any kind of consequences on Russia for this egregious violation of international law — Donald Trump has continued his embarrassing campaign of deference and debasing himself before Vladimir Putin , '' Biden said .
In another tweet Sunday , Trump responded by calling his likely 2020 opponent corrupt and his comments on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his handlers . ''

Trump Says He Was Not Briefed On Russian Bounties Because Intelligence 'Not Credible'
Enlarge this image toggle caption Alex Brandon/AP Alex Brandon/AP
Updated 11:45 p.m. ET Monday
In a tweet late Sunday night, President Trump said the intelligence community told him he was not briefed about allegations that Russia had offered the Taliban bounty payments to kill Western forces — including U.S. troops — because it did not find the reports credible.
"Intel just reported to me that they did not find this info credible, and therefore did not report it to me or @VP. Possibly another fabricated Russia Hoax, maybe by the Fake News @nytimesbooks, wanting to make Republicans look bad!!!" the president tweeted.
The tweet reaffirmed an earlier denial by the president of a New York Times report that intelligence officials had briefed him on the allegations of malign Russian activity in Afghanistan.
The Pentagon "has no corroborating evidence to validate the recent allegations," according to a statement by spokesman Jonathan Hoffman, who says the Defense Department continues to evaluate intelligence and takes steps to protect the safety and security of U.S. forces.
CIA Director Gina Haspel made a rare public comment, saying in a statement, "Hostile states' use of proxies in war zones to inflict damage on U.S. interests and troops is a constant, longstanding concern. CIA will continue to pursue every lead; analyze the information we collect with critical, objective eyes; and brief reliable intelligence to protect U.S. forces deployed around the world."
She also said such information is shared throughout the national intelligence community and leaks "compromise critical interagency work."
A similar statement was released by Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, who said intelligence agencies are still investigating Russia's possible activity.
"This is the analytic process working the way it should," Ratcliffe said. "Unfortunately, unauthorized disclosures now jeopardize our ability to ever find out the full story with respect to these allegations."
The Washington Post reported Sunday night that the bounties are "believed to have resulted in the deaths of several U.S. service members," a conclusion based on interviews with captured militants.
Earlier Sunday, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., the third-ranking House Republican, called on the White House to tell Congress who in the administration knew of the intelligence and when.
"What has been done in response to protect our forces & hold Putin accountable?" she tweeted.
Citing unnamed officials, the Times report, published Friday, details how U.S. intelligence officials reached the conclusion about the secret payments and then briefed the president in March. The White House National Security Council convened an interagency meeting that same month to discuss the matter, according to the report. The finding was also included in the President's Daily Brief, according to the Times.
Trump denied the report in a series of tweets on Sunday, saying he was never briefed on the intelligence assessment.
"Nobody briefed or told me, @VP Pence, or Chief of Staff @MarkMeadows about the so-called attacks on our troops in Afghanistan by Russians, as reported through an 'anonymous source' by the Fake News @nytimes. Everybody is denying it & there have not been many attacks on us.....," Trump said.
The president followed up the denial by saying, "Nobody's been tougher on Russia than the Trump Administration." He went on to criticize former President Barack Obama, the Times, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his son, Hunter.
"With Corrupt Joe Biden & Obama, Russia had a field day, taking over important parts of Ukraine - Where's Hunter? Probably just another phony Times hit job, just like their failed Russia Hoax. Who is their 'source'?" Trump tweeted.
The White House denied on Saturday that the president had been briefed on the matter, but as the Times notes, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany did not push back on the substance of the intelligence assessment.
A statement Saturday by John Ratcliffe, the director of national intelligence, also denied that the president was briefed on the issue but also did not refute that Russia had offered bounties in exchange for attacks on U.S. forces.
The Times, in its reporting, does not specify how many troops may have been killed by insurgents seeking monetary reward but does say officials were confident that Russian operatives offered and paid bounties to militants for killing Americans. In a separate report by CNN, an unnamed European intelligence official said Russia also offered bounties for the killing of soldiers from the United Kingdom.
According to the Times, U.S. officials have concluded that the bounty operation was orchestrated by the GRU — Russian military intelligence — which has also been linked to assassination attempts and other cloak-and-dagger operations, including the 2018 nerve agent poisoning of a former Russian spy in Salisbury, England.
The GRU is the same unit that U.S. intelligence has implicated in efforts to sway the 2016 presidential election. The investigation into Russian meddling in the election, led by former special counsel Robert Mueller, indicted 12 Russian nationals it identified as active-duty members of the GRU.
The Russian Embassy in Washington denied the Times report in a tweet on Saturday, calling the report "fake news." A spokesman for the Taliban told the newspaper that the report was "baseless."
Critics of Trump called the reporting further evidence that the president has failed to adequately curb the influence of Russia and has instead sought to foster a cozy relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Speaking from a virtual town hall on Saturday, Biden, the former U.S. vice president, said that if the story was correct, then it was a betrayal to U.S. forces to fail to protect them in a war zone.
"Not only has he failed to sanction or impose any kind of consequences on Russia for this egregious violation of international law — Donald Trump has continued his embarrassing campaign of deference and debasing himself before Vladimir Putin," Biden said.
In another tweet Sunday, Trump responded by calling his likely 2020 opponent corrupt and his comments on the Times story "obviously written by his handlers."


npr--2020-06-28--Trump Retweets Video Of Apparent Supporter Saying 'White Power'

A video shared by President Trump on Twitter Sunday includes a man who appears to be a Trump supporter saying `` white power '' in response to protesters .
In the video , apparently taken at The Villages , a retirement community in Florida , people wearing Trump shirts and with Trump signs on their golf carts drive by protesters yelling insults at them and about the president .
In one exchange — eight seconds into the two-minute video — a white man holding a sign that says `` Make America Sane Again , '' a reference to Trump 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's your white hood ? ''
In response , a white man driving a golf cart with signs reading `` Trump 2020 '' and `` America First '' yells back `` white power . ''
Trump retweeted the video , which was shared by an unknown Twitter user , and said , `` Thank you to the great people of The Villages .
The Radical Left Do Nothing Democrats will Fall in the Fall .
Corrupt Joe [ Biden ] is shot .
See you soon !
!
! ''
`` White power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ according to the Anti-Defamation League .
Trump retweeted the video before 8 a.m .
ET Sunday and deleted his tweet around 11 a.m .
In a statement , Judd Deere , the White House deputy press secretary , did not apologize for the tweet or condemn the racist term but said instead : `` President Trump is a big fan of The Villages .
He did not hear the one statement made on the video .
What he did see was tremendous enthusiasm from his many supporters . ''
South Carolina 's Tim @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , called the retweet `` indefensible . ''
`` He should not have retweeted , '' Scott said on CNN Sunday .
The president 's tweet comes at a time of increased racial tension in America , with the killing of George Floyd , a Black man , in Minneapolis police custody leading to mass protests against police brutality and for racial justice .
In an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll conducted a week after Floyd 's death , two-thirds of Americans said Trump has mostly increased racial tensions in the country .
In a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ York Times and Siena College , 61 % of voters said they disapproved of Trump 's handling of race , while just 33 % said they approved .
`` Today the President shared a video of people shouting 'white power ' and said they were 'great . '
Just like he did after Charlottesville , '' Biden , the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee , said in a tweet of his own .
`` We 're in a battle for the soul of the nation — and the President has picked a side .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a battle we will win . ''

Trump Retweets Video Of Apparent Supporter Saying 'White Power'
Enlarge this image toggle caption Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images
Updated at 4:48 p.m. ET
A video shared by President Trump on Twitter Sunday includes a man who appears to be a Trump supporter saying "white power" in response to protesters.
In the video, apparently taken at The Villages, a retirement community in Florida, people wearing Trump shirts and with Trump signs on their golf carts drive by protesters yelling insults at them and about the president.
In one exchange — eight seconds into the two-minute video — a white man holding a sign that says "Make America Sane Again," a reference to Trump's campaign slogan, yells: "Where's your white hood?" In response, a white man driving a golf cart with signs reading "Trump 2020" and "America First" yells back "white power."
Trump retweeted the video, which was shared by an unknown Twitter user, and said, "Thank you to the great people of The Villages. The Radical Left Do Nothing Democrats will Fall in the Fall. Corrupt Joe [Biden] is shot. See you soon!!!"
"White power" is a white supremacist slogan, according to the Anti-Defamation League.
Trump retweeted the video before 8 a.m. ET Sunday and deleted his tweet around 11 a.m.
In a statement, Judd Deere, the White House deputy press secretary, did not apologize for the tweet or condemn the racist term but said instead: "President Trump is a big fan of The Villages. He did not hear the one statement made on the video. What he did see was tremendous enthusiasm from his many supporters."
South Carolina's Tim Scott, the only Black Republican senator, called the retweet "indefensible." "He should not have retweeted," Scott said on CNN Sunday.
The president's tweet comes at a time of increased racial tension in America, with the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, in Minneapolis police custody leading to mass protests against police brutality and for racial justice.
In an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll conducted a week after Floyd's death, two-thirds of Americans said Trump has mostly increased racial tensions in the country.
In a more recent poll, from The New York Times and Siena College, 61% of voters said they disapproved of Trump's handling of race, while just 33% said they approved.
"Today the President shared a video of people shouting 'white power' and said they were 'great.' Just like he did after Charlottesville," Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, said in a tweet of his own. "We're in a battle for the soul of the nation — and the President has picked a side. But make no mistake: it's a battle we will win."


npr--2020-06-28--Hasan Minhaj On Police Brutality, COVID-19 And The 6th Season Of 'Patriot Act'

Hasan Minhaj On Police Brutality , COVID-19 And The 6th Season Of 'Patriot Act' Hasan Minhaj tackles police brutality , the student debt crisis , U.S. elections , the demise of local journalism and so much more on the sixth season of his show , Patriot Act , on Netflix .
One of Minhaj 's episodes featured an interview with Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison , the person in charge of the case against the four police officers involved in the death of George Floyd .
Minhaj , who said he knew Ellison from `` your traditional Muslim fundraisers for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or for a local organization '' told NPR 's Lulu Garcia-Navarro on Weekend Edition that the interview felt necessary .
`` I felt like there is this very interesting national moment where we have bipartisan condemnation of the police officers , '' Minhaj said .
`` You have to capitalize .
I remember when Eric Garner was murdered , another famous ' I ca n't breathe ' case , and yet the officers were charged and they walked .
And so visiting [ Ellison ] at his office , one of the things @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how calm and collected he is about this case .
He told me something really powerful to me in the interview : ' I do n't want to overcharge and I do n't want to undercharge , I just want justice to be served . '
`` Currently , Derek Chauvin , the officer who knelt on Floyd 's neck , faces multiple charges , including second-degree murder .
The other three officers face charges of aiding and abetting murder .
Minhaj spoke with NPR about his interview with Ellison , running a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ On pivoting production because of the pandemic What ended up happening was we were in the middle of production .
The week of March 14 was a very crazy week .
There were a bunch of outbreaks .
For the health and safety of the staff and everybody who comes to see the show , we had to shut things down .
We had to figure out , what 's the new iteration of the show ?
And quickly transitioned from , wait a second , Patriot Act ca n't really be live @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to our graphics and our animation department .
What we came up with together is , hey , what if we do this all through green screen ?
We kind of make it a direct to camera experience and it will feel more intimate , it will feel more intense , but given the subject matter of everything that was going on with COVID , we really just leaned into the urgency of the times we 're living in right now .
On living through this current political and social moment I felt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1 , who is in charge ?
I feel like we 're living in a time when there is just no real leadership from a government level , from a corporate level , I think even in our own families .
And the second thing is , who do we trust ?
Because the science keeps changing , the news keeps changing .
We 're all sequestered to our living rooms and I should be grateful .
Like , Lulu , I 'm with my wife and my two kids and we 're @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parents are healthy .
We 're all good .
But I feel this feeling of , like , I do n't know what tomorrow holds and I do n't know who to trust because every few hours reality itself is changing .
Listen to the full interview at the audio link above .
Hiba Ahmad and D. Parvaz produced and edited the audio version of this story .

Hasan Minhaj On Police Brutality, COVID-19 And The 6th Season Of 'Patriot Act'
Enlarge this image toggle caption Dominik Bindl/Getty Images Dominik Bindl/Getty Images
Hasan Minhaj tackles police brutality, the student debt crisis, U.S. elections, the demise of local journalism and so much more on the sixth season of his show, Patriot Act, on Netflix.
One of Minhaj's episodes featured an interview with Minnesota attorney general Keith Ellison, the person in charge of the case against the four police officers involved in the death of George Floyd. Minhaj, who said he knew Ellison from "your traditional Muslim fundraisers for the community, for a local mosque or for a local organization" told NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro on Weekend Edition that the interview felt necessary.
"I felt like there is this very interesting national moment where we have bipartisan condemnation of the police officers," Minhaj said. "You have to capitalize. I remember when Eric Garner was murdered, another famous 'I can't breathe' case, and yet the officers were charged and they walked. And so visiting [Ellison] at his office, one of the things that I was most amazed at was how calm and collected he is about this case. He told me something really powerful to me in the interview: 'I don't want to overcharge and I don't want to undercharge, I just want justice to be served.' "
Currently, Derek Chauvin, the officer who knelt on Floyd's neck, faces multiple charges, including second-degree murder. The other three officers face charges of aiding and abetting murder.
Minhaj spoke with NPR about his interview with Ellison, running a show from his home and more.
Interview Highlights
On pivoting production because of the pandemic
What ended up happening was we were in the middle of production. The week of March 14 was a very crazy week. There were a bunch of outbreaks. For the health and safety of the staff and everybody who comes to see the show, we had to shut things down. We had to figure out, what's the new iteration of the show? And quickly transitioned from, wait a second, Patriot Act can't really be live from my living room. Shout out to our graphics and our animation department.
What we came up with together is, hey, what if we do this all through green screen? We kind of make it a direct to camera experience and it will feel more intimate, it will feel more intense, but given the subject matter of everything that was going on with COVID, we really just leaned into the urgency of the times we're living in right now.
On living through this current political and social moment
I felt these two core feelings. No. 1, who is in charge? I feel like we're living in a time when there is just no real leadership from a government level, from a corporate level, I think even in our own families.
And the second thing is, who do we trust? Because the science keeps changing, the news keeps changing. We're all sequestered to our living rooms and I should be grateful. Like, Lulu, I'm with my wife and my two kids and we're safe and we're healthy and my parents are healthy. We're all good. But I feel this feeling of, like, I don't know what tomorrow holds and I don't know who to trust because every few hours reality itself is changing.
Listen to the full interview at the audio link above.
Hiba Ahmad and D. Parvaz produced and edited the audio version of this story.


npr--2020-06-28--Justice Department Charges 4 Over Attempt To Topple Andrew Jackson Statue In D.C.

Justice Department Charges 4 Over Attempt To Topple Andrew Jackson Statue In D.C .
The Justice Department is charging four men with destruction of federal property over an attempt to topple a statue of Andrew Jackson in Washington , D.C .
In a criminal complaint unsealed on Saturday , the DOJ alleges that Lee Michael Cantrell , 47 , Connor Matthew Judd , 20 , Ryan Lane , 37 , and Graham Lloyd , 37 , participated in a June 22 attempt to tear down the statue in Lafayette Park , just near the White House .
The Justice Department @ @ @ @ @ @ @ four , along with other unidentified individuals , attempting to pull down and damage the statue of Jackson , who protesters apparently targeted over his treatment of Native Americans and ownership of enslaved people .
As of Saturday , Judd was the only one of the four who had been taken into custody .
The charges were filed the same day that President Trump signed an executive order promising a crackdown on the destruction of federal monuments and threatening prosecution to the fullest extent of the law .
`` I just had the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Order protecting American Monuments , Memorials , and Statues - and combatting recent Criminal Violence .
Long prison terms for these lawless acts against our Great Country ! ''
Trump tweeted after signing the order Friday .
Trump followed up his executive action by tweeting out wanted posters of people that U.S. Park Police say are responsible for damage to the park near the White House .
During the course of nationwide protests , Trump has expressed furor over efforts to take down statues , previously threatening to invoke a 2003 law to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who deface or destroy federal monuments .
The attempted tear-down of Jackson 's statue provoked cries of `` disgraceful vandalism '' from Trump , who notably holds the 7th president in high regard .

Justice Department Charges 4 Over Attempt To Topple Andrew Jackson Statue In D.C.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Andrew Harnik/AP Andrew Harnik/AP
The Justice Department is charging four men with destruction of federal property over an attempt to topple a statue of Andrew Jackson in Washington, D.C.
In a criminal complaint unsealed on Saturday, the DOJ alleges that Lee Michael Cantrell, 47, Connor Matthew Judd, 20, Ryan Lane, 37, and Graham Lloyd, 37, participated in a June 22 attempt to tear down the statue in Lafayette Park, just near the White House.
The Justice Department statement says that video evidence shows all four, along with other unidentified individuals, attempting to pull down and damage the statue of Jackson, who protesters apparently targeted over his treatment of Native Americans and ownership of enslaved people.
As of Saturday, Judd was the only one of the four who had been taken into custody.
The charges were filed the same day that President Trump signed an executive order promising a crackdown on the destruction of federal monuments and threatening prosecution to the fullest extent of the law.
"I just had the privilege of signing a very strong Executive Order protecting American Monuments, Memorials, and Statues - and combatting recent Criminal Violence. Long prison terms for these lawless acts against our Great Country!" Trump tweeted after signing the order Friday.
Trump followed up his executive action by tweeting out wanted posters of people that U.S. Park Police say are responsible for damage to the park near the White House. During the course of nationwide protests, Trump has expressed furor over efforts to take down statues, previously threatening to invoke a 2003 law to give fines and jail time to those who deface or destroy federal monuments.
The attempted tear-down of Jackson's statue provoked cries of "disgraceful vandalism" from Trump, who notably holds the 7th president in high regard.


npr--2020-06-28--Trump Says He Was Not Briefed On Russian Bounties Because Intelligence 'Not Credible'

Trump Says He Was Not Briefed On Russian Bounties Because Intelligence 'Not Credible' In a tweet late Sunday night , President Trump said the intelligence community told him he was not briefed about allegations Russia had offered the Taliban bounty payments to kill Western forces — including U.S. troops — because it did not find the reports credible .
`` Intel just reported to me that they did not find this info credible , and therefore did not report it to me or @ VP .
Possibly another fabricated Russia Hoax , maybe by the Fake News @ nytimesbooks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
!
`` , the president tweeted .
The tweet reaffirmed an earlier denial by the president of a New York Times report that intelligence officials had briefed him on the allegations of malign Russian activity in Afghanistan .
The Washington Post reported Sunday night that the bounties are `` believed to have resulted in the deaths of several U.S. service members , '' a conclusion based on interviews with captured militants .
Earlier Sunday , Rep. Liz Cheney ( R-Wyo . )
, the third-ranking House Republican , called on the White @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration knew of the intelligence and when .
`` What has been done in response to protect our forces & hold Putin accountable ?
`` , she tweeted .
Citing unnamed officials , the Times report , published Friday , details how U.S. intelligence officials reached the conclusion about the secret payments and then briefed the president in March .
The White House National Security Council convened an interagency meeting that same month to discuss the matter , according to the report .
The finding was also included in the President 's Daily @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump denied the report in a series of tweets on Sunday , saying he was never briefed on the intelligence assessment .
`` Nobody briefed or told me , @ VP Pence , or Chief of Staff @ MarkMeadows about the so-called attacks on our troops in Afghanistan by Russians , as reported through an 'anonymous source ' by the Fake News @ nytimes .
Everybody is denying it & there have not been many attacks on us ... .. , '' Trump said .
The president followed up the denial by saying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russia than the Trump Administration . ''
He went on to criticize former President Barack Obama , the Times , presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and his son , Hunter .
`` With Corrupt Joe Biden & Obama , Russia had a field day , taking over important parts of Ukraine - Where 's Hunter ?
Probably just another phony Times hit job , just like their failed Russia Hoax .
Who is their 'source ' ? ''
Trump tweeted .
The White House denied on Saturday that the president had been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Times notes , press secretary Kayleigh McEnany did not push back on the substance of the intelligence assessment .
A statement Saturday by John Ratcliffe , the director of national intelligence , also denied that the president was briefed on the issue but also did not refute that Russia had offered bounties in exchange for attacks on U.S. forces .
The Times , in its reporting , does not specify how many troops may have been killed by insurgents seeking monetary reward but does say officials were confident that Russian operatives offered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Americans .
In a separate report by CNN , an unnamed European intelligence official said Russia also offered bounties for the killing of soldiers from the United Kingdom .
According to the Times , U.S. officials have concluded that the bounty operation was orchestrated by the GRU — Russian military intelligence — which has also been linked to assassination attempts and other cloak-and-dagger operations , including the 2018 nerve agent poisoning of a former Russian spy in Salisbury , England .
The GRU is the same unit that U.S. intelligence has implicated in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The investigation into Russian meddling in the election , led by former special counsel Robert Mueller , indicted 12 Russian nationals it identified as active-duty members of the GRU .
The Russian Embassy in Washington denied the Times report in a tweet on Saturday , calling the report `` fake news . ''
A spokesman for the Taliban told the newspaper that the report was `` baseless . ''
Critics of Trump called the reporting further evidence that the president has failed to adequately curb the influence of Russia and has instead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russian President Vladimir Putin .
Speaking from a virtual town hall on Saturday , Biden , the former U.S. vice president , said that if the story was correct , then it was a betrayal to U.S. forces to fail to protect them in a war zone .
`` Not only has he failed to sanction or impose any kind of consequences on Russia for this egregious violation of international law — Donald Trump has continued his embarrassing campaign of deference and debasing himself before Vladimir Putin , '' Biden said .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ calling his likely 2020 opponent corrupt and his comments on the Times story `` obviously written by his handlers . ''


npr--2020-06-28--Joaquin Castro Calls Police Violence A Major, If Underreported, Problem For Latinos

The deaths of 27-year-old Carlos Ingram-Lopez in Tucson and 18-year old Andres Guardado in Los Angeles have reignited calls to not only end incidents of police brutality against Black people , but also those against Latinx people .
Ingram-Lopez died in April calling out for his grandmother while he was handcuffed and kept face-down by officers for some 12 minutes .
Guardado ran from two police officers who shot him six times near the auto repair shop where he worked earlier this month .
`` It 's not an issue that 's associated with Latinos in the same way that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in particular , but it has been a real problem for the Latino community throughout the country , particularly in inner city neighborhoods of folks being profiled , folks being killed over the years , '' said Rep. Joaquin Castro ( D-Texas ) in an interview Sunday with NPR 's Weekend Edition .
According to research by the Washington Post , since 2015 Latinx people have been the second-highest demographic killed by police , after Black Americans .
But their stories have not received as much national attention .
Castro said he hopes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a bill passed by the House of Representatives last week , could help keep not only Black and Latinx people safe , but `` all Americans from being abused by police . ''
The legislation bans the use of chokeholds and no-knock warrants in drug-related cases , and would lower legal standards to pursue criminal and civil penalties against police officers .
It now heads to the Senate , where it is expected to face pushback from Republicans .
`` It 's going to take a lot of courage for things to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And it 's going to take courage from politicians at every level of government to do it . ''
Collective action will be necessary , he said , because police reform is not `` just a federal problem . ''
`` There are local collective bargaining agreements that need to be , I think , rewritten so that police can no longer collectively bargain on issues of accountability and discipline and conduct , '' Castro said .
`` Because that is what has allowed a lot of officers who are preying on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
In the wake of the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis , police unions have come under growing criticism for their role in shielding officers from punishment for incidents of brutality .
Data shows that there is a link between police use of force and the fact that unions can make it difficult to prosecute officers for wrongful killings .
One review in the journal Police Practice and Research says the impact of police unions have a `` negative effect , particularly on innovation , accountability , and police @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 'll notice the police unions who protect them never admit when an officer is wrong , and that 's a fundamental problem in this country , '' according to Castro .
At the same time , Castro said he does n't think the choice is `` between the people and law enforcement .
I think that law enforcement works for the people and that 's why we have to get it right . ''
`` Officers are at both times life-saving and also life-threatening for folks , '' Castro said .
`` Policing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't choose another police force to take care of you or to watch over your neighborhood , and so it 's inescapable for folks .
And too often , there has been systemic racism and brutality that both African American and Latino communities have had to deal with . ''
Hiba Ahmad and Martha Ann Overland produced and edited the audio version of this story .

Joaquin Castro Calls Police Violence A Major, If Underreported, Problem For Latinos
Enlarge this image toggle caption Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The deaths of 27-year-old Carlos Ingram-Lopez in Tucson and 18-year old Andres Guardado in Los Angeles have reignited calls to not only end incidents of police brutality against Black people, but also those against Latinx people.
Ingram-Lopez died in April calling out for his grandmother while he was handcuffed and kept face-down by officers for some 12 minutes. Guardado ran from two police officers who shot him six times near the auto repair shop where he worked earlier this month.
"It's not an issue that's associated with Latinos in the same way that it's associated with African American men in particular, but it has been a real problem for the Latino community throughout the country, particularly in inner city neighborhoods of folks being profiled, folks being killed over the years," said Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas) in an interview Sunday with NPR's Weekend Edition.
According to research by the Washington Post, since 2015 Latinx people have been the second-highest demographic killed by police, after Black Americans. But their stories have not received as much national attention.
Castro said he hopes the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, a bill passed by the House of Representatives last week, could help keep not only Black and Latinx people safe, but "all Americans from being abused by police." The legislation bans the use of chokeholds and no-knock warrants in drug-related cases, and would lower legal standards to pursue criminal and civil penalties against police officers. It now heads to the Senate, where it is expected to face pushback from Republicans.
"It's going to take a lot of courage for things to change," Castro said. "And it's going to take courage from politicians at every level of government to do it."
Collective action will be necessary, he said, because police reform is not "just a federal problem."
"There are local collective bargaining agreements that need to be, I think, rewritten so that police can no longer collectively bargain on issues of accountability and discipline and conduct," Castro said. "Because that is what has allowed a lot of officers who are preying on the public to stay on the police force."
In the wake of the killing of George Floyd by police in Minneapolis, police unions have come under growing criticism for their role in shielding officers from punishment for incidents of brutality. Data shows that there is a link between police use of force and the fact that unions can make it difficult to prosecute officers for wrongful killings. One review in the journal Police Practice and Research says the impact of police unions have a "negative effect, particularly on innovation, accountability, and police — community relations."
"You'll notice the police unions who protect them never admit when an officer is wrong, and that's a fundamental problem in this country," according to Castro.
At the same time, Castro said he doesn't think the choice is "between the people and law enforcement. I think that law enforcement works for the people and that's why we have to get it right."
"Officers are at both times life-saving and also life-threatening for folks," Castro said. "Policing is not a marketplace. You can't choose another police force to take care of you or to watch over your neighborhood, and so it's inescapable for folks. And too often, there has been systemic racism and brutality that both African American and Latino communities have had to deal with."
Hiba Ahmad and Martha Ann Overland produced and edited the audio version of this story.


npr--2020-07-01--Seattle Police Start To Clear Capitol Hill Protest Zone After Mayor's Order

Seattle police started to dismantle the Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone on Wednesday after Mayor Jenny Durkan issued an emergency order declaring the blocks-long area an `` unlawful assembly '' that requires immediate action .
Durkan 's order calls for clearing barricades out of the streets near Cal Anderson Park and the police department 's East Precinct — two main landmarks of the zone that is widely known by its acronym , CHOP .
As of Wednesday , the Cal Anderson Park area is now closed .
The mayor has ordered police to remove tents of people who have been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them they must leave immediately .
Anyone who refuses to obey the closure order `` will be subject to arrest , '' Durkan said .
The protest zone was established in early June , when Seattle 's Capitol Hill neighborhood and its prominent precinct building became a gathering point for protesters against racial injustice following George Floyd 's death while in police custody in Minneapolis .
But now , Durkan says , conditions in the area `` have deteriorated to the point where public health , life and safety are threatened . ''
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ supports the Black Lives Matter movement `` but enough is enough . ''
`` The CHOP has become lawless and brutal , '' Best said .
She noted that several shootings , including two deaths , have occurred in the area , along with `` robberies , assaults , violence and countless property crimes . ''
When Seattle police largely ceded control of the CHOP last month , protesters quickly formed a community of activists , artists and speakers .
The zone hosted movie nights , a medical clinic and discussions about how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ police use of force .
But it also became known for violence that sometimes erupted during the night .
Some of the officers deployed to the CHOP on Wednesday will be wearing `` a higher level of protective gear , '' the police chief said , describing it as a necessary step due to recent violence .
Cal Anderson Park was temporarily closed to the public on Tuesday to allow city workers to assess damage and plan for repairs .
The city 's transportation department , assisted by police , also removed 10 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ around them , the work crew left the area .
Mayor Durkan says the effort to clear the obstructions `` was quickly met with agitated opposition to the removal . ''
Protesters in the CHOP have listed three main demands : to cut funding for the Seattle police by 50 % ; to devote that money instead to community efforts such as restorative justice and health care , and to ensure that protesters are not charged with crimes .
Many protesters are also calling on Durkan to resign .
The mayor 's emergency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Recreation department to work with the community , including residents and protesters alike to develop a plan `` to preserve the public art , create a community garden and other possible features like a conversation corner . ''

Seattle Police Clear Capitol Hill Protest Zone After Mayor Issues Emergency Order
Enlarge this image toggle caption Aron Ranen/AP Aron Ranen/AP
Updated at 12:55 p.m. ET
Seattle police started to dismantle the Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone early Wednesday morning after Mayor Jenny Durkan issued an emergency order declaring the blocks-long area an "unlawful assembly" that requires immediate action.
Durkan's order calls for clearing barricades out of the streets near Cal Anderson Park and the police department's East Precinct — two main landmarks of the zone widely known by its acronym, CHOP.
As of 9:25 a.m. local time, officers had "made a total of 31 arrests for failure to disperse, obstruction, assault, and unlawful weapon possession," Seattle police said via Twitter.
Officers who made their way into the area Wednesday morning announced that protesters could leave through a "safe exit" to the south, the department said.
As of Wednesday, the Cal Anderson Park area is now closed. The mayor ordered city agencies to remove tents used by people who have been camping in the park, saying police should order protesters to leave.
"I can see people wearing florescent vests with 'SDOT' on them putting tents and stuff from the side of the road into bags," said Anna Boiko-Weyrauch, reporting from the scene for NPR member station KUOW. "There are large clusters of police on every side, on the perimeter of the CHOP, some with bicycles, very heavily outfitted, some have coffee at this point in the morning."
The protest zone was established in early June when Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood and its prominent precinct building became a gathering point for protesters against racial injustice following George Floyd's death while in police custody in Minneapolis.
But now, Durkan said, conditions in the area "have deteriorated to the point where public health, life and safety are threatened."
Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best said she supports the Black Lives Matter movement "but enough is enough."
"The CHOP has become lawless and brutal," Best said. She noted that several shootings, including two deaths, have occurred in the area, along with "robberies, assaults, violence and countless property crimes."
A large police presence is in the area to provide "perimeter security for city crews offering services and performing environmental cleanup," Seattle police said.
When police largely ceded control of the area last month, protesters quickly formed a community of activists, artists and speakers. The zone hosted movie nights, a medical clinic and discussions about how to address systemic racism and problems with police use of force. But it also became known for violence that sometimes erupted during the night.
Some of the officers deployed Wednesday to the Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone will be wearing "a higher level of protective gear," the police chief said, describing it as a necessary step due to recent violence.
Cal Anderson Park was temporarily closed to the public on Tuesday to allow city workers to assess damage and plan for repairs. The city's transportation department, assisted by police, also removed 10 concrete barriers — but as crowds formed around them, the work crew left the area.
Durkan said the effort to clear the obstructions "was quickly met with agitated opposition to the removal."
Protesters there have listed three main demands: to cut funding for the Seattle police by 50%, to devote that money instead to community efforts such as restorative justice and health care, and to ensure that protesters are not charged with crimes. Many protesters are also calling on Durkan to resign.
"Black Lives Matter groups say they intend to continue their protests, though not necessarily in that area," NPR's Martin Kaste reported from Seattle.
The mayor's emergency order calls for Seattle Parks and Recreation to work with the community, including residents and protesters, alike to develop a plan "to preserve the public art, create a community garden and other possible features like a conversation corner."


npr--2020-07-01--In Iraq, Rising Virus Cases And Oxygen Shortages Stoke Outrage, Fears Of 'Chaos'

In Iraq , Rising Virus Cases And Oxygen Shortages Stoke Outrage , Fears Of 'Chaos' Coronavirus cases are spiking sharply in Iraq amid a shortage of supplies that has resulted in protesters storming an oxygen cylinder factory and relatives of patients seizing oxygen canisters in hospitals .
`` This is a war against the coronavirus and we have lost the war , '' says an Iraqi official who has been briefed on the government 's response to the pandemic .
The official , who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak publicly , tells NPR @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to be many times higher than reported figures of more than 1,900 deaths and more than 49,100 infections .
He appealed for more international help , and says hospitals in the southern city of Nasiriyah and the port city of Basra are no longer able to treat new patients .
Protests in both cities over corruption and lack of government services helped bring down the previous Iraqi government last year .
Saif al-Badr , the spokesman for Iraq 's Ministry of Health , told journalists on Sunday that large groups of patients ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Al-Hussein Teaching Hospital in Nasiriyah last week .
They seized oxygen canisters for their family members after realizing the hospital was running out .
Health ministry officials say a doctor and other medical staff were assaulted in the scuffle .
`` The families started taking oxygen canisters , '' says Badr .
`` Of course this will lead to severe shortages and chaos .
It 's supposed to be distributed by the hospital staff . ''
Protesters in the southern province of Dhi Qar stormed a government factory that supplies oxygen canisters , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the product could be imported from Iran instead .
Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi , who took office just two months ago , ordered an investigation into whether corruption was behind the closure .
In a video posted online by Basra 's Radio Al-Mirbad , a hospital administrator flanked by medical staff in hazmat suits and face shields appealed to the provincial governor to urgently provide oxygen and other supplies and more staff .
`` We ca n't watch our loved ones die because of mercenaries and those who trade in the lives of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , head of the intensive care unit , referring to allegations of corruption that have led to supply shortages .
On Wednesday , Iraq reported 1,958 new cases of people testing positive for the coronavirus and 104 deaths .
The weekly tally of cases jumped by almost 40 % last week over the previous week .
A spokesman for Iraq 's health ministry declined to respond to an NPR request for comment on its response to the pandemic .
Authorities in central Iraq and the country 's Kurdistan region in the north have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ movement in the evenings and a ban on large gatherings — to stem the spread of the virus .
The head of the Iraqi medical association says he is recommending a much stricter three-week nationwide curfew because of the increase in infections and lack of medical supplies .
`` Otherwise we must accept the huge loss of life as well as the possibility of the collapse in the health system and subsequent chaos , '' says Dr. Abdul-Amir al-Shimmary in a statement .
Iraq 's health ministry is considered among the most corrupt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ among the world 's top 10 most corrupt .
Shells of hospitals paid for but never finished dot the country and aging hospitals are littered with broken equipment and trash in the halls .
There is so little nursing staff that patients are expected to bring a relative to care for them .
`` Corruption is a No .
1 issue , '' says Dr. Aizen Marrogi , a former U.S. Army Surgeon General liaison in Iraq .
`` The first , second day after medicines arrive , they disappear .
The government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do n't exist . ''
Marrogi says Iraq 's health system lacks mid-level staff , particularly nurses , maintenance and proper hospital management .
He says it is difficult to tell the real extent of the pandemic in Iraq because of a lack of reliable figures , including testing data .
`` There seems to be a chronic lack of resources allocated to hospitals , '' says Farhad Alaaldin , chairman of the Iraq Advisory Council think tank .
He believes Prime Minister Kadhimi needs to do more to respond to the pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from funds Iraq plans to borrow internationally to offset a financial crisis .
Kadhimi — who came into office as the third candidate to try to form a government after former Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi was forced to resign by sweeping anti-government protests — has pledged to crack down on corruption , rein in Iran-backed militias operating outside the rule of law and pave the way for early elections .
The pandemic has coincided with a sharp drop in oil prices , which has left Iraq unable to pay civil service salaries .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ than 90 % of its revenue .

In Iraq, Rising Virus Cases And Oxygen Shortages Stoke Outrage, Fears Of 'Chaos'
Enlarge this image toggle caption Khalil Dawood /Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images Khalil Dawood /Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images
Coronavirus cases are spiking sharply in Iraq amid a shortage of supplies that has resulted in protesters storming an oxygen cylinder factory and relatives of patients seizing oxygen canisters in hospitals.
"This is a war against the coronavirus and we have lost the war," says an Iraqi official who has been briefed on the government's response to the pandemic.
The official, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to speak publicly, tells NPR the true number of cases is believed to be many times higher than reported figures of more than 1,900 deaths and more than 49,100 infections.
He appealed for more international help, and says hospitals in the southern city of Nasiriyah and the port city of Basra are no longer able to treat new patients. Protests in both cities over corruption and lack of government services helped bring down the previous Iraqi government last year.
Saif al-Badr, the spokesman for Iraq's Ministry of Health, told journalists on Sunday that large groups of patients' relatives pushed their way into the main Al-Hussein Teaching Hospital in Nasiriyah last week. They seized oxygen canisters for their family members after realizing the hospital was running out. Health ministry officials say a doctor and other medical staff were assaulted in the scuffle.
"The families started taking oxygen canisters," says Badr. "Of course this will lead to severe shortages and chaos. It's supposed to be distributed by the hospital staff."
Protesters in the southern province of Dhi Qar stormed a government factory that supplies oxygen canisters, after reports that it had closed so the product could be imported from Iran instead. Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, who took office just two months ago, ordered an investigation into whether corruption was behind the closure.
In a video posted online by Basra's Radio Al-Mirbad, a hospital administrator flanked by medical staff in hazmat suits and face shields appealed to the provincial governor to urgently provide oxygen and other supplies and more staff.
"We can't watch our loved ones die because of mercenaries and those who trade in the lives of the poor," said Naji Sadiq, head of the intensive care unit, referring to allegations of corruption that have led to supply shortages.
On Wednesday, Iraq reported 1,958 new cases of people testing positive for the coronavirus and 104 deaths. The weekly tally of cases jumped by almost 40% last week over the previous week.
A spokesman for Iraq's health ministry declined to respond to an NPR request for comment on its response to the pandemic.
Authorities in central Iraq and the country's Kurdistan region in the north have imposed partial curfews – mostly restrictions on movement in the evenings and a ban on large gatherings — to stem the spread of the virus.
The head of the Iraqi medical association says he is recommending a much stricter three-week nationwide curfew because of the increase in infections and lack of medical supplies.
"Otherwise we must accept the huge loss of life as well as the possibility of the collapse in the health system and subsequent chaos," says Dr. Abdul-Amir al-Shimmary in a statement.
Iraq's health ministry is considered among the most corrupt ministries in a nation that routinely ranks among the world's top 10 most corrupt.
Shells of hospitals paid for but never finished dot the country and aging hospitals are littered with broken equipment and trash in the halls. There is so little nursing staff that patients are expected to bring a relative to care for them.
"Corruption is a No. 1 issue," says Dr. Aizen Marrogi, a former U.S. Army Surgeon General liaison in Iraq. "The first, second day after medicines arrive, they disappear. The government pays for a lot of employees that don't exist."
Marrogi says Iraq's health system lacks mid-level staff, particularly nurses, maintenance and proper hospital management. He says it is difficult to tell the real extent of the pandemic in Iraq because of a lack of reliable figures, including testing data.
"There seems to be a chronic lack of resources allocated to hospitals," says Farhad Alaaldin, chairman of the Iraq Advisory Council think tank. He believes Prime Minister Kadhimi needs to do more to respond to the pandemic and to allocate money for the response from funds Iraq plans to borrow internationally to offset a financial crisis.
Kadhimi — who came into office as the third candidate to try to form a government after former Prime Minister Adel Abdul-Mahdi was forced to resign by sweeping anti-government protests — has pledged to crack down on corruption, rein in Iran-backed militias operating outside the rule of law and pave the way for early elections.
The pandemic has coincided with a sharp drop in oil prices, which has left Iraq unable to pay civil service salaries. The government relies on oil for more than 90% of its revenue.


npr--2020-07-01--Trump Calls Bounty Report A 'Hoax' Despite Administration's Briefing Of Congress

President Trump said Wednesday that reports of Russia paying bounties to Taliban-linked fighters to kill U.S. troops and coalition forces in Afghanistan is a hoax , even as his administration continues to brief members of Congress on the matter .
`` Do people still not understand that this is all a made up Fake News Media Hoax started to slander me & the Republican Party .
I was never briefed because any info that they may have had did not rise to that level , '' Trump said in an additional tweet .
The New York Times first reported that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Russia had secretly offered bounties for successful attacks on coalition forces — including U.S. troops — in Afghanistan last year and that officials provided a written briefing of the finding to Trump in late February .
Trump said Sunday that the intelligence community told him he was n't briefed about these allegations because it did not find the reports credible .
Meanwhile , the Senate intelligence committee is scheduled to receive a briefing Wednesday afternoon .
Some Congressional Democrats and Republicans had been briefed on the issue earlier this week by national security @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the director of national intelligence .
Following the Democrats ' briefing , House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer , D-Md.
, told reporters that while there may be `` different judgments as to the level of credibility , '' he does n't agree with the president 's recent characterizations .
`` The president called this a hoax publicly , '' Hoyer said .
`` Nothing in the briefing that we have just received led me to believe it is a hoax . ''
Rep. Adam Schiff , chairman of the House Intelligence Committee , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I find it inexplicable in light of these very public allegations that the president has n't come before the country and assured the American people that he will get to the bottom of whether Russians are putting a bounty on the heads of American troops , '' Schiff told reporters .
Republicans have said more investigation is needed .
`` Every level of government needs to gather more information to understand this situation better , '' said Rep. Mac Thornberry , R-Texas , who serves as the ranking member of the House Armed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be taken to be sure our troops are protected . ''
Rep. Elissa Slotkin , D-Mich. , told All Things Considered 's Mary Louise Kelly that she would have preferred to receive the briefing alongside her Republican colleagues .
`` In my experience , we should be receiving the same information whether you 're Democrat or Republican , '' Slotkin said .
`` When it comes to the national security of the country , you know , we should all be putting politics aside and just getting the facts as we understand them @ @

Trump Calls Bounty Report A 'Hoax' Despite Administration's Briefing Of Congress
Enlarge this image toggle caption Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
Updated 4:37 p.m. ET
President Trump said Wednesday that reports of Russia paying bounties to Taliban-linked fighters to kill U.S. troops and coalition forces in Afghanistan is a hoax, even as his administration continues to brief members of Congress on the matter.
"Do people still not understand that this is all a made up Fake News Media Hoax started to slander me & the Republican Party. I was never briefed because any info that they may have had did not rise to that level," Trump said in an additional tweet.
The New York Times first reported that U.S. intelligence officials determined months ago that Russia had secretly offered bounties for successful attacks on coalition forces — including U.S. troops — in Afghanistan last year and that officials provided a written briefing of the finding to Trump in late February.
Trump said Sunday that the intelligence community told him he wasn't briefed about these allegations because it did not find the reports credible.
The Gang of Eight, which includes top congressional leaders and the chairs and ranking members of the intelligence committees, will receive a briefing on the matter Thursday morning from CIA Director Gina Haspel and the Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe, according to congressional and White House sources. Democrats have been pressing for Haspel to be a part of congressional briefings.
The Senate Intelligence Committee was briefed Wednesday afternoon. Some congressional Democrats and Republicans were briefed on the issue this week by Ratcliffe and national security adviser Robert O'Brien.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., told reporters afterward that while there may be "different judgments as to the level of credibility," he doesn't agree with the president's recent characterizations.
"The president called this a hoax publicly," Hoyer said. "Nothing in the briefing that we have just received led me to believe it is a hoax."
Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, called for action on the information.
"I find it inexplicable in light of these very public allegations that the president hasn't come before the country and assured the American people that he will get to the bottom of whether Russians are putting a bounty on the heads of American troops," Schiff told reporters.
Republicans have said more investigation is needed.
"Every level of government needs to gather more information to understand this situation better," said Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee. "Measures have to be taken to be sure our troops are protected."
Congressional Republicans and Democrats were briefed separately.
Rep. Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., told Mary Louise Kelly on NPR's All Things Considered that she would have preferred to receive the briefing alongside her Republican colleagues.
"In my experience, we should be receiving the same information whether you're Democrat or Republican," Slotkin said. "When it comes to the national security of the country, you know, we should all be putting politics aside and just getting the facts as we understand them."
NPR White House correspondent Tamara Keith and congressional reporter Claudia Grisales contributed to this report.


npr--2020-07-01--'You Can Either Be A Survivor Or Die': COVID-19 Cases Surge In ICE Detention

'You Can Either Be A Survivor Or Die ' : COVID-19 Cases Surge In ICE Detention As a transgender woman , she dealt with violence and harassment back home in Guatemala and on her journey through Mexico to seek asylum in the U.S. She arrived last year and has been detained at the Eloy Detention Center in Arizona ever since .
`` Now I find myself face-to-face with death again ; that 's how I feel , '' she said in a phone interview from inside the detention center .
`` Because you can either be a survivor or die @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immigrants with COVID-19 in Immigration Customs Enforcement custody has risen rapidly .
More than 2,700 detainees nationwide have tested positive , according to ICE data , and the Eloy detention facility is among the hardest hit by the pandemic .
More than 200 detainees there have tested positive — a tenfold increase in less than three weeks .
Some of them were in Chilel 's cell block .
`` They took them out of their cells because they said they felt like they could n't breathe and they had a fever and body @ @ @ @ @ @ @ distancing in detention is difficult , if not impossible .
Even the officials who run these facilities expressed concern about that when surveyed by the Homeland Security Inspector General 's office in April .
In the report , released last week , they also expressed concerns about not having enough hand sanitizer and protective gear — or even medical staff and quarantine space in case of outbreaks .
American Civil Liberties Union Senior Staff Attorney Eunice Cho said they were right to worry .
`` These are warnings that have been inevitable from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ why ICE should have , and should continue to , release people , especially those who are medically vulnerable to COVID-19 , to prevent a humanitarian disaster , '' she said .
ICE says it follows guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for COVID-19 testing and medical care .
The agency also says it has ramped up testing and released hundreds of medically vulnerable detainees .
But critics say those measures fall short .
Former Homeland Security health adviser and agency whistleblower Dr. Scott Allen testified to Congress in June @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in testing guidelines and ICE 's failure to significantly reduce population size have made these facilities hot spots for the virus .
`` The fact is , in the real world , use of those guidelines has been associated with failure , '' he said .
Immigrant advocates and lawyers argue the best way to stop the contagion in detention is to release the detainees , many of whom have only been charged with civil violations .
Last Friday , U.S. District Court Judge Dolly M. Gee in California ordered ICE to release @ @ @ @ @ @ @ detention centers for more than 20 days .
She cited concerns about the spread of the coronavirus and said the children must be released by July 17 .
Other lawsuits are pending .
Laura Belous is with the Arizona legal aid group Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project .
The group , along with the ACLU , has sued for the release of more than a dozen medically vulnerable clients held at Eloy and at the La Palma Correctional Center a few miles away .
`` There 's no way to be safely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
ICE spokeswoman Yasmeen Pitts O'Keefe said the agency does not comment on pending litigation , and that releases are being reviewed on a case-by-case basis .
She attributed the surge in COVID-19 cases at Eloy to an increase in asymptomatic testing , and said ICE has restricted intake of new detainees at the facility .
In a series of letters to immigrant advocates and lawyers , detainees from La Palma say they 've been forced to clean medical wards and common areas without enough protective gear .
At Eloy , detainees @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to showers .
Immigrants at both facilities with conditions like diabetes , cancer and hypertension say they 're scared that COVID-19 will kill them .
Belous said complaints have continued even after a district court judge in Arizona ruled the facilities must make changes to keep people safe .
That ruling came in a separate lawsuit filed in April by the Florence Project and ACLU for the release of eight detainees with serious underlying health conditions .
Lawyers argued in that case that preventative measures taken at La Palma and Eloy did not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Almost every conversation I 've had with clients has resulted in them sort of saying , ' I 'm scared , I 'm worried , I ca n't be here anymore , ' '' Belous said .
CoreCivic , the prison company that runs Eloy and La Palma , insists that it can keep detainees safe .
Spokesman Ryan Gustin said detainees do have access to protective gear , showers and testing , and they are n't forced to work .
The facilities have a combined capacity of around 4,500 , but Gustin @ @ @ @ @ @ @ detainees can practice social distancing .
La Palma reported its first case of COVID-19 among detainees in April .
More than 90 detainees have tested positive for the virus as of today .
And employees at both facilities also have been impacted .
Gustin said 83 CoreCivic staff members at Eloy Detention Center and 21 at La Palma have tested positive as of June .
Meanwhile , immigrants like Chilel are terrified .
She said digestive issues she 's had since arriving at Eloy have made it hard to eat .
Lately , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ body aches .
But she 's been waiting for weeks to see a doctor .
`` They have told us that if we feel bad , they will send us to a doctor that moment ... but it 's a lie , '' she said .
`` It 's frustrating .
I always feel like I 'm between life and death . ''
Immigrant advocates argue LGBTQ immigrants like Chilel face higher risks in detention , even in normal times .
Her lawyers have filed a request for humanitarian parole and are exploring @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

'You Can Either Be A Survivor Or Die': COVID-19 Cases Surge In ICE Detention
Enlarge this image toggle caption Shakira Najera Chilel Shakira Najera Chilel
Shakira Najera Chilel feels like she's faced death before.
As a transgender woman, she dealt with violence and harassment back home in Guatemala and on her journey through Mexico to seek asylum in the U.S. She arrived last year and has been detained at the Eloy Detention Center in Arizona ever since.
"Now I find myself face-to-face with death again; that's how I feel," she said in a phone interview from inside the detention center. "Because you can either be a survivor or die from COVID-19."
The number of immigrants with COVID-19 in Immigration Customs Enforcement custody has risen rapidly. More than 2,700 detainees nationwide have tested positive, according to ICE data, and the Eloy detention facility is among the hardest hit by the pandemic. More than 200 detainees there have tested positive — a tenfold increase in less than three weeks.
National Immigration To The U.S. Comes To A Standstill During The Pandemic Immigration To The U.S. Comes To A Standstill During The Pandemic Listen · 3:51 3:51
Some of them were in Chilel's cell block.
"They took them out of their cells because they said they felt like they couldn't breathe and they had a fever and body aches," she said.
Social distancing in detention is difficult, if not impossible. Even the officials who run these facilities expressed concern about that when surveyed by the Homeland Security Inspector General's office in April.
In the report, released last week, they also expressed concerns about not having enough hand sanitizer and protective gear — or even medical staff and quarantine space in case of outbreaks.
American Civil Liberties Union Senior Staff Attorney Eunice Cho said they were right to worry.
"These are warnings that have been inevitable from the very start and exactly the reason why ICE should have, and should continue to, release people, especially those who are medically vulnerable to COVID-19, to prevent a humanitarian disaster," she said.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Alisa Reznick / Arizona Public Media Alisa Reznick / Arizona Public Media
ICE says it follows guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for COVID-19 testing and medical care. The agency also says it has ramped up testing and released hundreds of medically vulnerable detainees.
But critics say those measures fall short. Dr. Scott Allen, who contracted for the Department of Homeland Security and became an agency whistleblower, testified to Congress in June. He said "gaping holes" in testing guidelines and ICE's failure to significantly reduce population size have made these facilities hot spots for the virus.
"The fact is, in the real world, use of those guidelines has been associated with failure," he said.
Immigrant advocates and lawyers argue the best way to stop the contagion in detention is to release the detainees, many of whom have only been charged with civil violations.
Last Friday, U.S. District Court Judge Dolly M. Gee in California ordered ICE to release children who have been held in family detention centers for more than 20 days. She cited concerns about the spread of the coronavirus and said the children must be released by July 17.
Other lawsuits are pending. Laura Belous is with the Arizona legal aid group Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project. The group, along with the ACLU, has sued for the release of more than a dozen medically vulnerable clients held at Eloy and at the La Palma Correctional Center a few miles away.
"There's no way to be safely detained during a pandemic," Belous said.
ICE spokeswoman Yasmeen Pitts O'Keefe said the agency does not comment on pending litigation, and that releases are being reviewed on a case-by-case basis. She attributed the surge in COVID-19 cases at Eloy to an increase in asymptomatic testing, and said ICE has restricted intake of new detainees at the facility.
In a series of letters to immigrant advocates and lawyers, detainees from La Palma say they've been forced to clean medical wards and common areas without enough protective gear. At Eloy, detainees say they don't have regular access to showers.
Immigrants at both facilities with conditions like diabetes, cancer and hypertension say they're scared that COVID-19 will kill them.
Belous said complaints have continued even after a district court judge in Arizona ruled the facilities must make changes to keep people safe.
That ruling came in a separate lawsuit filed in April by the Florence Project and ACLU for the release of eight detainees with serious underlying health conditions. Lawyers argued in that case that preventative measures taken at La Palma and Eloy did not adequately protect detainees from COVID-19.
"Almost every conversation I've had with clients has resulted in them sort of saying, 'I'm scared, I'm worried, I can't be here anymore,'" Belous said.
CoreCivic, the prison company that runs Eloy and La Palma, insists that it can keep detainees safe. Spokesman Ryan Gustin said detainees do have access to protective gear, showers and testing, and they aren't forced to work.
The facilities have a combined capacity of around 4,500, but Gustin said they are under capacity, so detainees can practice social distancing.
La Palma reported its first case of COVID-19 among detainees in April. More than 90 detainees have tested positive for the virus as of today.
And employees at both facilities also have been impacted. Gustin said 83 CoreCivic staff members at Eloy Detention Center and 21 at La Palma have tested positive as of June.
Meanwhile, immigrants like Chilel are terrified.
She said digestive issues she's had since arriving at Eloy have made it hard to eat. Lately, she's also had headaches and bad body aches. But she's been waiting for weeks to see a doctor.
"They have told us that if we feel bad, they will send us to a doctor that moment ... but it's a lie," she said. "It's frustrating. I always feel like I'm between life and death."
Immigrant advocates argue LGBTQ immigrants like Chilel face higher risks in detention, even in normal times. Her lawyers have filed a request for humanitarian parole and are exploring other legal avenues to get her released.


npr--2020-07-01--Columbus, Ohio, Takes Down Statue Of Christopher Columbus

A construction crew removed the massive Christopher Columbus statue from its place of honor outside Columbus , Ohio 's City Hall on Wednesday morning , in one of the most dramatic cases yet of a city reshaping how its monuments reflect its sense of history and community identity .
Workers began climbing the more than 20-foot-tall metal statue at daybreak , draping large support bands around Columbus ' waist to lift the statue from its perch on the south plaza of City Hall .
In the background , the building 's façade was lit by colors of the rainbow — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ celebrate the LGBTQ community during Pride Week .
A huge crane parked along the sidewalk on Broad Street then yanked Columbus off his pedestal and deposited the statue onto a waiting flatbed trailer .
The monument stood at City Hall for some 65 years .
The city of Genoa , Italy , the explorer 's birthplace , gave the statue to the Ohio city during festivities that coincided with the national holiday in October .
But nearly two weeks ago , Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther announced the statue would be taken down .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the statue represents patriarchy , oppression and divisiveness , '' Ginther said .
`` That does not represent our great city , and we will no longer live in the shadow of our ugly past . ''
The imposing monument to Columbus will be placed in storage , according to the mayor .
As for the spot outside City Hall , Ginther said it will be devoted to `` artwork that demonstrates our enduring fight to end racism and celebrate the themes of diversity and inclusion . ''
The fate of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a contentious debate in Ohio 's capital .
`` You ca n't just throw it under the rug and say , 'We 're not standing for this , you got ta hide this , ' `` Larry Pishitelli , an Italian immigrant , recently told reporter Paige Pfleger of WOSU .
`` It 's our heritage .
Like it or not , it 's how we got here . ''
A small Columbus statue still stands in the city on the grounds of the statehouse .
In recent years , Columbus ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a legacy of exploration and discovery , but to the violent colonization that followed his arrival in the Americas and the catastrophic effect it has had on existing civilizations .
In 2018 , the city of Columbus opted not to observe the federal holiday that honors its controversial namesake .
A growing number of cities have chosen to devote the second Monday in October to Indigenous Peoples Day rather than to a celebration of the explorer .
Columbus Day `` was adopted at a time when Italians were vilified and faced religious and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Leila Fadel has reported .
`` Italian Americans latched onto the day as a way to mainstream and humanize themselves in the face of rampant discrimination .
It became a national holiday in 1934 to honor a man who , ironically , never set foot in the United States .
Columbus anchored in the Bahamas . ''

Columbus, Ohio, Takes Down Statue Of Christopher Columbus
Enlarge this image toggle caption Seth Herald/AFP via Getty Images Seth Herald/AFP via Getty Images
A construction crew removed the massive Christopher Columbus statue from its place of honor outside Columbus, Ohio's City Hall on Wednesday morning, in one of the most dramatic cases yet of a city reshaping how its monuments reflect its sense of history and community identity.
Workers began climbing the more than 20-foot-tall metal statue at daybreak, draping large support bands around Columbus' waist to lift the statue from its perch on the south plaza of City Hall. In the background, the building's façade was lit by colors of the rainbow — a display that was recently used to celebrate the LGBTQ community during Pride Week.
A huge crane parked along the sidewalk on Broad Street then yanked Columbus off his pedestal and deposited the statue onto a waiting flatbed trailer.
The monument stood at City Hall for some 65 years. The city of Genoa, Italy, the explorer's birthplace, gave the statue to the Ohio city during festivities that coincided with the national holiday in October.
But nearly two weeks ago, Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther announced the statue would be taken down.
"For many people in our community, the statue represents patriarchy, oppression and divisiveness," Ginther said. "That does not represent our great city, and we will no longer live in the shadow of our ugly past."
The imposing monument to Columbus will be placed in storage, according to the mayor. As for the spot outside City Hall, Ginther said it will be devoted to "artwork that demonstrates our enduring fight to end racism and celebrate the themes of diversity and inclusion."
The fate of the large Columbus statue had been a subject of a contentious debate in Ohio's capital.
"You can't just throw it under the rug and say, 'We're not standing for this, you gotta hide this,' " Larry Pishitelli, an Italian immigrant, recently told reporter Paige Pfleger of WOSU. "It's our heritage. Like it or not, it's how we got here."
A small Columbus statue still stands in the city on the grounds of the statehouse.
In recent years, Columbus' name has become increasingly linked not to a legacy of exploration and discovery, but to the violent colonization that followed his arrival in the Americas and the catastrophic effect it has had on existing civilizations.
In 2018, the city of Columbus opted not to observe the federal holiday that honors its controversial namesake.
A growing number of cities have chosen to devote the second Monday in October to Indigenous Peoples Day rather than to a celebration of the explorer.
Columbus Day "was adopted at a time when Italians were vilified and faced religious and ethnic discrimination," as NPR's Leila Fadel has reported. "Italian Americans latched onto the day as a way to mainstream and humanize themselves in the face of rampant discrimination. It became a national holiday in 1934 to honor a man who, ironically, never set foot in the United States. Columbus anchored in the Bahamas."


npr--2020-07-01--No Rest For The Gravediggers Of Afghanistan

No Rest For The Gravediggers Of Afghanistan Abbas has worked in this Kabul cemetery for more than a decade , since he moved to the Afghan capital for work .
He 's sometimes called to dig quickly to bury the victims of militant attacks .
But the last six weeks are the busiest he 's ever seen .
`` People bring their dead during the day and during the night , '' says Abbas , who like many Afghans , has only one name .
He believes the cause of death is COVID-19 .
`` The sickness has spread between @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deaths are growing , '' he says as he scrapes through the hard , rocky ground to dig a new grave in the Omed-e-Sabz cemetery that clings to a windswept mountainside that looms over the Afghan capital .
Abbas says before the pandemic , the gravediggers would bury seven or eight people a day .
Now it 's more like 20 .
He sometimes buries family members side-by-side .
Kabul 's gravediggers have long been witness to Afghanistan 's bloodshed .
Now , they 're emerging as some of the most important eyewitnesses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Afghan capital .
The Afghan government reports just over 31,200 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 733 deaths as of June 30 .
But those numbers are n't reliable at all , says Khushal Nabizada , the director of public health in the Kabul province .
The U.N. reports the positivity rate from COVID-19 tests to be around 44 percent across Afghanistan , which suggests the disease is widespread .
Nabizada says the country does n't have the capacity to do more testing — and that many Afghans are reluctant to self-report , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
There are many reasons for the stigma .
One political ethnologist , Orzala Nemat , explains families fear they 'll be shunned if a member has a contagious disease .
Others worry they or their families will be seen as bad people – with the disease as a divine punishment .
Sick people worry that `` maybe I have done some sins in my life , that 's why I have COVID , '' Nemat says .
For example , in Kabul province , Nabizada says the real number of COVID-19 cases @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the official tally of 12,000 : With about 7 million residents in the city and its surrounding rural belt , `` our assumption is that there might be more than one million cases in Kabul , '' he says .
Nabizada says they reached that conclusion from looking at patient flows at hospitals , random testing and announcements of deaths on social media .
He believes the number of people dying is also higher than the official number of 733 .
`` I assume maybe two or three times more than this – @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not reporting to us , and they are not asking for support . ''
He says at least 20 to 30 people a day are calling a hotline the government set up to provide coffins and sanitation equipment to bereaved families .
But he says he ca n't register these deaths as COVID-19-related because the deceased were not tested for the disease .
That 's because of stigma , again .
Nabizada says other families simply want to have a traditional Muslim burial : wrapping their loved one in a shroud and lowering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ male relatives , instead of being quickly buried in a coffin by a few people , which is standard practice for COVID-19 victims to prevent possible transmission at the funeral .
Back in the Kabul cemetery , the diggers say the pandemic is changing how they work .
Before , they 'd wait for bereaved families to come and ask them to dig a grave – they are paid about $ 5 a day by cemetery managers but also rely on tips from mourners .
Now , workers like Nangalay scrape their shovel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dig graves in advance .
`` We dig 20 to 30 graves a day , '' says the gravedigger , who also has only one name .
`` People bring them straight from the hospital to the graveyard , '' he said , referring to COVID-19 victims .
Hospitals do not store such bodies because of concerns about contagion .
As he speaks , a group of mourners trudge up the hill toward an empty grave , carrying a body in a green shroud emblazoned with gold writing .
A skinny sunburnt child @ @ @ @ @ @ @ after the group , offering to pour water on the grave – seen as a blessing for the dead .
The children , mostly desperately poor , earn tips .
Another worker , Rajab – he only has one name –said his boss hired six more gravediggers to keep up with their busier pace .
Most of the burials take place during the day , he says , but now they 're also burying people at night .
`` Maybe they have corona , '' he says .
And he starts to dig @ @ @

No Rest For The Gravediggers Of Afghanistan
Enlarge this image toggle caption Shah Marai /AFP via Getty Images Shah Marai /AFP via Getty Images
Abbas has worked in this Kabul cemetery for more than a decade, since he moved to the Afghan capital for work. He's sometimes called to dig quickly to bury the victims of militant attacks. But the last six weeks are the busiest he's ever seen.
"People bring their dead during the day and during the night," says Abbas, who like many Afghans, has only one name. He believes the cause of death is COVID-19.
"The sickness has spread between the people, and the number of deaths are growing," he says as he scrapes through the hard, rocky ground to dig a new grave in the Omed-e-Sabz cemetery that clings to a windswept mountainside that looms over the Afghan capital.
Abbas says before the pandemic, the gravediggers would bury seven or eight people a day. Now it's more like 20. He sometimes buries family members side-by-side.
Kabul's gravediggers have long been witness to Afghanistan's bloodshed. Now, they're emerging as some of the most important eyewitnesses of how badly the pandemic is affecting the Afghan capital.
The Afghan government reports just over 31,200 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 733 deaths as of June 30.
But those numbers aren't reliable at all, says Khushal Nabizada, the director of public health in the Kabul province. The U.N. reports the positivity rate from COVID-19 tests to be around 44 percent across Afghanistan, which suggests the disease is widespread. Nabizada says the country doesn't have the capacity to do more testing — and that many Afghans are reluctant to self-report, because of the stigma surrounding the disease.
There are many reasons for the stigma. One political ethnologist, Orzala Nemat, explains families fear they'll be shunned if a member has a contagious disease. Others worry they or their families will be seen as bad people – with the disease as a divine punishment. Sick people worry that "maybe I have done some sins in my life, that's why I have COVID," Nemat says.
For example, in Kabul province, Nabizada says the real number of COVID-19 cases is probably "manifold higher" than the official tally of 12,000: With about 7 million residents in the city and its surrounding rural belt, "our assumption is that there might be more than one million cases in Kabul," he says.
Nabizada says they reached that conclusion from looking at patient flows at hospitals, random testing and announcements of deaths on social media.
He believes the number of people dying is also higher than the official number of 733. "I assume maybe two or three times more than this – people are dying – and they are not reporting to us, and they are not asking for support."
He says at least 20 to 30 people a day are calling a hotline the government set up to provide coffins and sanitation equipment to bereaved families. But he says he can't register these deaths as COVID-19-related because the deceased were not tested for the disease.
That's because of stigma, again. Nabizada says other families simply want to have a traditional Muslim burial: wrapping their loved one in a shroud and lowering them into the ground, surrounded by male relatives, instead of being quickly buried in a coffin by a few people, which is standard practice for COVID-19 victims to prevent possible transmission at the funeral.
Back in the Kabul cemetery, the diggers say the pandemic is changing how they work.
Before, they'd wait for bereaved families to come and ask them to dig a grave – they are paid about $5 a day by cemetery managers but also rely on tips from mourners. Now, workers like Nangalay scrape their shovel through the hard, rocky ground to dig graves in advance.
"We dig 20 to 30 graves a day," says the gravedigger, who also has only one name. "People bring them straight from the hospital to the graveyard," he said, referring to COVID-19 victims. Hospitals do not store such bodies because of concerns about contagion.
As he speaks, a group of mourners trudge up the hill toward an empty grave, carrying a body in a green shroud emblazoned with gold writing. A skinny sunburnt child with black, dirt-streaked hair, rushes after the group, offering to pour water on the grave – seen as a blessing for the dead. The children, mostly desperately poor, earn tips.
Another worker, Rajab – he only has one name –said his boss hired six more gravediggers to keep up with their busier pace. Most of the burials take place during the day, he says, but now they're also burying people at night.
"Maybe they have corona," he says. And he starts to dig another grave.


npr--2020-07-01--Coronavirus World Map: Tracking The Spread Of The Outbreak

Coronavirus World Map : Tracking The Spread Of The Outbreak Since the new coronavirus was first reported in Wuhan , China , in December , the infectious respiratory disease COVID-19 has spread rapidly within China and to neighboring countries and beyond .
The first confirmed coronavirus cases outside China occurred on Jan. 20 , in Japan , Thailand and South Korea .
On Jan. 21 , the first case in the U.S. was identified in Washington state .
On Jan. 24 , the first two European cases were confirmed in France .
By Feb. 1 , eight European nations had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month later that count had risen to 24 countries with at least 2,200 cases , most of them in Italy .
On March 11 , Italy eclipsed 10,000 cases and the World Health Organization declared the outbreak a pandemic — the first since H1N1 in 2009 .
That 's also when China , the original epicenter , began seeing drops in daily counts of new cases .
March also saw exponential spread of the virus throughout the U.S. , with all 50 states reporting cases by March 17 .
This particular virus , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the third strain of coronavirus known to frequently cause severe symptoms in humans .
The other two strains cause Middle East respiratory syndrome and severe acute respiratory syndrome .
Click here to see the state-by-state breakdown of cases in the United States .
This story was originally published on March 30 , 2020 .

Coronavirus world map: We've now passed the 600 million mark for infections
Editor's note: This page is no longer being updated. The last update was Sept. 5, 2022. For current data about COVID-19 cases and deaths around the world, Johns Hopkins University and Our World in Data are useful resources.
In late January 2020 only a few dozen COVID-19 infections had been identified outside of China. A year later, the world tallied its first 100 million cases. It took the globe just 7 more months to pass the 200 million mark— then another 5 months to hit 300 million, according to researchers at Johns Hopkins University. Now the virus has spread to every corner of the globe and has been blamed for more than 6 million deaths.
The United States, India and Brazil in that order have had the most COVID cases and the three nations collectively account for almost half of all recorded infections so far in the pandemic.
Explore the chart below to find a country-by-country breakdown of new and total cases since January 2020.
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Explore how the number of coronavirus cases have shifted in different parts of the world over time. The first chart compares each continent to each other, while the next charts highlight the number of cases in select countries by region.
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This story was originally published on March 30, 2020.


npr--2020-07-01--Tracking The Pandemic: Are Coronavirus Cases Rising Or Falling In Your State?

Tracking The Pandemic : Are Coronavirus Cases Rising Or Falling In Your State ?
More than 2 million people in the U.S. have tested positive for the coronavirus and more than 120,000 have died .
Though growth in new cases slowed in late spring , by mid-June new cases began to trend upward nationally .
In the graphics below , explore the trend in new cases in your state to see whether cases are rising , falling or staying level .
You can view the data via a heat map ( immediately below ) , a curve chart and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cases over the last three weeks .
Or to see states ' total cases and deaths on a map , click here .
The following chart displays states ' trends in new daily case counts , total cases , and per capita totals .
To compare state outbreaks , the trend lines for average new daily cases are graphed against each state 's total case count to date .
This highlights a state 's daily growth relative to the overall size of its outbreak .
When both new and total case counts grow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As cases slow , the curve levels or bends down .
In New York , site of the country 's largest outbreak , the state 's curve rose sharply before reaching over 170,000 total cases in April .
Since then , new cases have fallen from about 10,000 per day in mid-April to fewer than 700 per day in late June .
Some states , such as Hawaii , have declined to just a dozen new cases per day , while others are growing .
Arizona , which had leveled off at around @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a sudden sharp spike in new cases in June .
The coronavirus has hit some states much harder than others .
For much of the pandemic , a large share of U.S. cases have been centered around New York City .
As of early June , New York state , Connecticut and New Jersey accounted for about 30 % of total cases in the nation and 42 % of deaths , although new cases have been dropping in these three states .
Across the country , other large , populous states such as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ totals as well .
Some smaller states have had a heavy burden of disease relative to their population size , such as Nebraska and Iowa , which have high case counts per capita , and Louisiana and Michigan which have a high death count per capita .
Explore the map below to see totals and per capita figures around the country .
Click here to see a global map of confirmed cases and deaths .
For more detail on your state , the table below shows the change in average new cases per @ @ @ @ @ @ @ week .
States marked in shades of red are showing growth , those in shades of green , are showing declines .
The data used here are compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University from several sources , including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ; the World Health Organization ; national , state and local government health departments ; 1point3acres ; and local media reports .
The JHU team automates its data uploads and regularly checks them for anomalies .
State-by-state recovery data are unavailable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discrepancies between what you see here and what you see on your local health department 's website .
Figures shown do not include cases on cruise ships .
In early June , Michigan health authorities started including probable cases in its totals .
This resulted in a brief spike in the state 's daily numbers until the JHU team was able to reconcile the historical data .
On June 25 , New Jersey included 1,854 previously-unreported probable deaths in its totals , resulting in a spike in the state 's daily death numbers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ March 16 , 2020 .
Elena Renken was a co-author on that version .
Sean McMinn contributed to and Carmel Wroth edited this story .

Tracking the coronavirus around the U.S.: See how your state is doing
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Note: This page was last updated on Feb. 1, 2023. It will no longer be updated. For current data on COVID cases and deaths, demographics, and hospitalizations, consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As of Feb. 1, there have been more than 101 million confirmed coronavirus infections in the U.S. and more than 1 million people have died of COVID-19. In the graphics below, explore the trends in your state.
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The above charts show average new cases per 100,000 people for each state over the last 12 months.
Note: Actual cases may be substantially higher, since many who test positive with at-home tests don't report their cases.
For additional data about COVID-19 in the U.S, including cases and deaths, demographics, and hospitalizations, consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
To show trends, the table below shows the change in average new cases per day in each state, week over week for the last 28 days. States marked in shades of red have growing outbreaks; those in shades of green, are declining.
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Methodology
The graphics on this page pull from data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University from several sources, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the World Health Organization; national, state and local government health departments; 1point3acres; and local media reports.
The JHU team automates its data uploads and regularly checks them for anomalies. This may result in occasional data discrepancies on this page as the JHU team resolves anomalies and updates its feeds. There may be discrepancies between what you see here and what you see on your local health department's website. Figures shown do not include cases on cruise ships.
Fluctuations in the numbers may happen as health authorities review old cases, process testing backlogs or update their methodologies. The JHU team maintains a list of such changes.
This story was originally published on March 16, 2020. Elena Renken was a co-author on that version. Sean McMinn and Audrey Carlsen contributed to this story. Carmel Wroth edited this story.