npr--2020-11-20--Georgia Certifies Results; Election Official Says The 'Numbers Don't Lie'

Georgia Certifies Results ; Election Official Says The 'Numbers Do n't Lie' President-elect Joe Biden was officially certified the winner of Georgia 's 16 electoral votes Friday after a statewide recount ended this week .
Hours before the deadline , a weary secretary of state , Brad Raffensperger , delivered a short but emphatic speech that `` numbers do n't lie '' about Biden 's victory .
Earlier in the day , Raffensperger 's office had reported that the certification process was complete , only to send out a corrected statement hours later saying it would be finished on Friday @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Gov .
Brian Kemp said he will formalize the certification as the law dictates , while he also criticized the state 's election process .
Kemp said the vast majority of local election workers did their job well but that it was `` unacceptable '' additional ballots were found in the hand audit .
He called for `` full transparency '' in the state 's elections .
Raffensperger has emphasized there was no evidence of fraud and that the discrepancies found during the hand audit were well within the expected margin of human @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as Raffensperger , also a Republican , faced calls to resign , death threats and pressure from prominent members of the GOP over the 2 1/2 weeks of post-election counting .
While Raffensperger is a supporter of President Trump who wished the incumbent would have won , the secretary of state said it is not his job to alter the outcome .
`` Working as an engineer throughout my life , I live by the motto that numbers do n't lie , '' he said .
`` As secretary of state , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presented today are correct .
The numbers reflect the verdict of the people , not a decision by the secretary of state 's office or of courts or of either campaign . ''
As his staff put the finishing touches on certification documents , Raffensperger pledged to build voters ' trust in the voting system that many top Republicans attacked , without evidence , for not being fair or accurate .
`` Close elections sow distrust ; people feel their side was cheated , '' he said .
`` We saw this from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this from Republicans today . ''
To that end , Raffensperger said he wants to focus on three reforms to how voting works in Georgia .
The day-to-day operations of elections happen at the county level , and sometimes those counties fall short , he said .
Raffensperger said he wants the ability for his office to intervene in the way those local offices are run .
`` I think we need to have the ability to come in and make sure that we can actually replace boards and replace county election officials @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Raffensperger also said he wants to reform the absentee ballot process , which saw an explosion of growth because of the COVID-19 pandemic this year .
The state expanded access to mail-in voting through an online request portal and 24/7-monitored secure drop boxes .
But the chief election official said there needs to be more security around the process and will call for some sort of photo ID component , though he declined to give specifics .
The online request portal verifies a request using a Georgia state ID or driver 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ take away any concern that you could have about fraud , '' he said in an interview .
`` And we need to do that with an objective measure , not subjective , whenever we can . ''
The third focus area deals with voter list maintenance .
Raffensperger said there needs to be stricter controls on challenging voter registrations of people believed to have died , moved away or otherwise be ineligible to vote .
Georgia is now a part of the Electronic Registration Information Center , or ERIC , that allows @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` Did someone leave Georgia and register in Texas or Florida or North Carolina ?
... Then why do n't we notify those states ? ''
he offered as an example in an interview .
Meanwhile , the Trump campaign has until Tuesday to request a machine recount of all 5 million votes because the president 's Georgia vote total is within 0.5 % of Biden 's .

Georgia Certifies Results; Election Official Says The 'Numbers Don't Lie'
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jessica McGowan/Getty Images Jessica McGowan/Getty Images
Updated at 5:23 p.m. ET
President-elect Joe Biden was officially certified the winner of Georgia's 16 electoral votes Friday after a statewide recount ended this week.
Hours before the deadline, a weary secretary of state, Brad Raffensperger, delivered a short but emphatic speech that "numbers don't lie" about Biden's victory.
Earlier in the day, Raffensperger's office had reported that the certification process was complete, only to send out a corrected statement hours later saying it would be finished on Friday.
Loading...
In an evening press conference, Gov. Brian Kemp said he will formalize the certification as the law dictates, while he also criticized the state's election process. Kemp said the vast majority of local election workers did their job well but that it was "unacceptable" additional ballots were found in the hand audit. He called for "full transparency" in the state's elections. Raffensperger has emphasized there was no evidence of fraud and that the discrepancies found during the hand audit were well within the expected margin of human error.
Kemp had stayed largely silent as Raffensperger, also a Republican, faced calls to resign, death threats and pressure from prominent members of the GOP over the 2 1/2 weeks of post-election counting. While Raffensperger is a supporter of President Trump who wished the incumbent would have won, the secretary of state said it is not his job to alter the outcome.
"Working as an engineer throughout my life, I live by the motto that numbers don't lie," he said. "As secretary of state, I believe that the numbers that we have presented today are correct. The numbers reflect the verdict of the people, not a decision by the secretary of state's office or of courts or of either campaign."
As his staff put the finishing touches on certification documents, Raffensperger pledged to build voters' trust in the voting system that many top Republicans attacked, without evidence, for not being fair or accurate.
"Close elections sow distrust; people feel their side was cheated," he said. "We saw this from the Democrats in 2018. We see this from Republicans today."
To that end, Raffensperger said he wants to focus on three reforms to how voting works in Georgia.
The day-to-day operations of elections happen at the county level, and sometimes those counties fall short, he said. Raffensperger said he wants the ability for his office to intervene in the way those local offices are run.
"I think we need to have the ability to come in and make sure that we can actually replace boards and replace county election officials," he said in an interview.
Raffensperger also said he wants to reform the absentee ballot process, which saw an explosion of growth because of the COVID-19 pandemic this year. The state expanded access to mail-in voting through an online request portal and 24/7-monitored secure drop boxes. But the chief election official said there needs to be more security around the process and will call for some sort of photo ID component, though he declined to give specifics. The online request portal verifies a request using a Georgia state ID or driver's license number.
"We want to take away any concern that you could have about fraud," he said in an interview. "And we need to do that with an objective measure, not subjective, whenever we can."
The third focus area deals with voter list maintenance. Raffensperger said there needs to be stricter controls on challenging voter registrations of people believed to have died, moved away or otherwise be ineligible to vote.
Georgia is now a part of the Electronic Registration Information Center, or ERIC, that allows states to communicate voter registration information better.
"Did someone leave Georgia and register in Texas or Florida or North Carolina? ... Then why don't we notify those states?" he offered as an example in an interview.
Meanwhile, the Trump campaign has until Tuesday to request a machine recount of all 5 million votes because the president's Georgia vote total is within 0.5% of Biden's.


npr--2020-11-21--China Targets Muslim Scholars And Writers With Increasingly Harsh Restrictions

This spring , 14 men were brought into police offices , where , one by one , they were subjected to weeks of questioning about their online correspondence and political views .
The men were detained in Yiwu , China , an international commercial hub on the country 's wealthy east coast and home to a growing community of Muslims .
The detentions are emblematic of increasingly harsh restrictions targeting spiritual and educational life for Muslims in China .
Once focused on giving minorities limited cultural autonomy , China 's ethnic policy has shifted in the last decade toward an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's Han ethnic majority in language and religious practice .
Muslims in China now fear that religious freedoms are regressing to those in the days of the Cultural Revolution , a decade of severe political and religious persecution in the 1960s and 1970s .
`` Every household would burn their religious books in case they were searched .
Shredders were sold out .
People would flush the book ashes down the toilet , sometime clogging the pipes , '' one Chinese Muslim publisher says of that era .
`` The persecution we are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ . ''
The publisher , who has fled China and continues to publish books from abroad , requested anonymity because at least 40 of his relatives have been detained or sentenced to prison for their religious beliefs or connection to him .
Many in his publishing network have been arrested or fled the country .
`` The state only wants its garden to have one type of flower , '' he says .
`` The red ones .
Green , blue or white flowers : if they are not red , they will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are the bearers of tradition .
They 're looked up to as the arbiters , the judges of what is the the real Islam , and so they make an attractive target for a government that is interested in either controlling cultural expression or trying to completely reengineer it , '' says Rian Thum , who studies Islam in China as a senior research fellow at Britain 's University of Nottingham .
China is home to about 23 million practicing Muslims , according to its 2010 census , the most recent count — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's population .
Most are Uighur — a Turkic ethnic group — or labeled as Hui , ethnically and linguistically indistinguishable from China 's Han ethnic majority .
Chinese Muslims are most densely clustered in the northwestern regions of Gansu , Ningxia and Xinjiang , but live across the country , as they have for more than a millennium .
Last year , NPR reported that authorities had forced nearly all mosques in Ningxia and the eastern province of Henan to `` renovate '' by removing their domes and Arabic script .
Demolitions @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Gansu provinces .
But practicing Muslims say the most heavy-handed restrictions have targeted the intangible channels through which they have preserved their faith in China for centuries .
Beginning in 2018 , new religious restrictions shuttered hundreds of Arabic language and Islamic schools across Ningxia and Zhengzhou , Henan 's capital .
Imams must now take political education classes as part of a revamped certification program .
The program also mandates that they can only serve in the region where their household is registered , effectively disbarring hundreds of itinerant imams .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Mosque demolitions have spread .
The intellectual heart of China 's Islamic community has largely been silenced as scholars , writers , religious leaders and their families are under constant state surveillance .
A once-thriving academic and religious exchange between Chinese Muslims and centers across the Middle East and South Asia has halted , as those having business or religious ties abroad are subject to Chinese state harassment and detention .
`` What dominates Muslim [ government ] cadres is the [ Communist ] party line and the official version of Islam @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' says Ma Haiyun , an assistant professor at Frostburg State University , where he studies Islam in China .
`` The result of this restriction is to make traditional discourses on Islam more commercial , patriotic and Chinese . ''
The door to Qingzhen Shuju — Islam Books — remains padlocked , the shop full of stacks of books in their unopened packaging .
Located in an upscale university neighborhood in Beijing , the bookstore and its accompanying website were a prominent publisher of Islamic philosophy works and the newest Arabic works @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yinglong ( no relation to Ma Haiyun ) was arrested in 2017 on charges of illegal publishing and terrorism .
Two people close to him say he remains in detention in China 's northwestern Xinjiang region .
A second influential publisher , Ma Zhixiong ( no relation to either Ma ) , ran a prolific imprint called Tianma Publishing from China 's southwestern Yunnan province until he too was imprisoned for selling illegal books , in 2015 .
He was released on probation this year .
`` The printing plant was closed and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
In the first days [ of my imprisonment ] , I was almost completely cut off from the outside world , '' Ma Zhixiong wrote in an essay widely circulated this fall among chat groups on the Chinese WeChat app .
`` During my prison days , human dignity disappeared .
Every day , people had to take off their clothes for inspection and to hold our heads while squatting down while being interrogated ... We lived like ghosts . ''
The two publishers were a critical link in a world of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ backbone for religious studies in China .
Their arrests are evidence of a crackdown widening from its epicenter in Xinjiang , where authorities have detained hundreds of thousands of Uighurs and other ethnic minorities , sentencing some to lengthy prison terms for practicing Islam .
Despite international criticism , Chinese leader Xi Jinping declared the detention and security policies in Xinjiang `` entirely correct '' and a `` success '' at a September meeting of party officials .
`` We must persevere in Sinicizing the direction of our country 's religions , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's Muslim writing community is a marked reversal from a period of literary openness after economic and political reforms took hold in the 1980s .
Despite some restrictions , Muslim writers thrived in the laissez-faire atmosphere of those decades .
For example , unable to get the commercial book codes — similar to an ISBN number — allotted to state-sanctioned publishers for state-approved volumes , writers and editors self-published their works and distributed them by mail to readers and religious bookstores that were ubiquitous for decades outside larger mosques .
`` Many people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China but among the Muslim community , those who get into trouble for their writing or publishing have gone unnoticed , '' a prominent Chinese Muslim writer tells NPR .
He fled China last year after friends warned that police were seeking to detain him .
He requested anonymity out of concern for the safety of his immediate family , almost all of whom remain in China .
He and hundreds of other Chinese Muslims used to moderate online forums and events and curated websites that discussed issues of scripture and philosophy .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ down or censored within China 's Great Firewall .
They moved to WeChat , where the writer now runs chat groups of 500 people each , but doing so requires constant vigilance : `` Even on WeChat , '' he says , `` it is a continuous process of continually being shut down by censors and starting a new group . ''
WeChat would also ensnare the 14 people detained in Yiwu earlier this year ; all had purchased this writer 's books on history , scripture and philosophy through the app .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with several Muslim intellectuals and overseas Chinese Muslims .
The police had printed out the text records everyone had had on WeChat with writers and publishers , '' said a friend of one of those detained , who requested anonymity to avoid detention for speaking out .
`` Now the police say every time they travel , they have to report to them beforehand when they are leaving and where they are going . ''
As for China 's Muslim community leaders , `` There are no imams who dare to speak out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a Quran reading group in northwestern China .
`` You can renounce your state-given imam certification and leave the mosque in order to speak out — but then you can be sure you will be constantly monitored . ''
`` They know what you are up to '' Beginning in 2017 , Chinese Muslims outside Xinjiang watched with dread as hundreds of thousands of Uighurs , a Turkic ethnic minority , were detained and sent either to `` reeducation centers '' or prison .
Soon after , Xinjiang security officers began fanning out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with identity documents registered in Xinjiang back to the region .
One of those forcibly returned to Xinjiang was a young Hui woman who taught at a religious school in a mosque outside Xinjiang , after completing a theological studies degree at Egypt 's prestigious Al-Azhar University .
Last December , Xinjiang police abruptly detained her and brought her back to her hometown of Tacheng .
`` We asked them , why send 30 men to apprehend a young woman and her infant at 11 at night .
It was unbelievable , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remain anonymous and keep his location withheld because he was detained and questioned after speaking to NPR .
He learned in March that the woman had been slapped with a seven-year prison sentence but does n't know on what charges .
Four Hui Muslims born in Xinjiang told NPR they managed to change the registration of their identity documents , called hukou , to another province before 2017 , as restrictions on Uighurs and practicing Muslims in Xinjiang became more draconian .
Others moved abroad , but even outside China , Xinjiang security @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` My hometown police somehow knew that I had even moved apartments this year , '' says one Hui Muslim now living in Egypt who requested anonymity for fear of retribution from Chinese security officials .
The police officers send `` friendly '' messages weekly , the person says , full of smiley faces , heart emojis and stickers , but their intent is clear : `` It is meant to show they know what you are up to and to remind you of where you are from . ''
Xinjiang policing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hainan , a Chinese tropical island province in the South China Sea .
Home to a small community of historically Muslim Utsuls , Hainan 's warm climes have begun attracting retirees and vacationers from other provinces during the winter months , including large numbers of Hui Muslims .
Last February , during Lunar New Year holidays , two Xinjiang public security officers set up a table at one of the six mosques in the city of Sanya to register identification documents of everyone who attended Friday prayers , according to two people who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them evaded registration by slipping out through a side door .
In September , at the start of the fall semester , public schools in predominantly Utsul neighborhoods in Sanya began banning female students from wearing headscarves to class .
Videos shared with NPR show the female students being cordoned outside the Tianya Utsul Elementary School because they refused to comply .
Local Communist Party regulations now ban party members from practicing Islam and call for increased governance of Muslim neighborhoods in Sanya , according to the South China Morning Post .
Chinese @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ranks of local branches of the Islamic Association of China , a state-run body which organizes the only officially permitted hajj pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia .
One Islamic scholar says his son was approached by Chinese security officers this year , shortly before his son 's promotion as imam of a mosque and membership in the Islamic Association .
NPR is not disclosing his name or location because he was detained and questioned after speaking with NPR .
`` They offered [ him ] a full civil servant 's salary and pension for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ member of a local state company if he secretly worked for them , '' the scholar says .

China Targets Muslim Scholars And Writers With Increasingly Harsh Restrictions
Enlarge this image toggle caption Eric Lafforgue/Art in All of Us/Corbis via Getty Images Eric Lafforgue/Art in All of Us/Corbis via Getty Images
This spring, 14 men were brought into police offices, where, one by one, they were subjected to weeks of questioning about their online correspondence and political views.
Their offense? Buying Islamic books.
The men were detained in Yiwu, China, an international commercial hub on the country's wealthy east coast and home to a growing community of Muslims. The detentions are emblematic of increasingly harsh restrictions targeting spiritual and educational life for Muslims in China.
Once focused on giving minorities limited cultural autonomy, China's ethnic policy has shifted in the last decade toward an approach that favors complete assimilation with China's Han ethnic majority in language and religious practice. Muslims in China now fear that religious freedoms are regressing to those in the days of the Cultural Revolution, a decade of severe political and religious persecution in the 1960s and 1970s.
"Every household would burn their religious books in case they were searched. Shredders were sold out. People would flush the book ashes down the toilet, sometime clogging the pipes," one Chinese Muslim publisher says of that era. "The persecution we are facing now is worse than that time."
The publisher, who has fled China and continues to publish books from abroad, requested anonymity because at least 40 of his relatives have been detained or sentenced to prison for their religious beliefs or connection to him. Many in his publishing network have been arrested or fled the country.
"The state only wants its garden to have one type of flower," he says. "The red ones. Green, blue or white flowers: if they are not red, they will be cut down."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images Johannes Eisele/AFP via Getty Images
Targeting scholars and writers
"Intellectuals are the bearers of tradition. They're looked up to as the arbiters, the judges of what is the the real Islam, and so they make an attractive target for a government that is interested in either controlling cultural expression or trying to completely reengineer it," says Rian Thum, who studies Islam in China as a senior research fellow at Britain's University of Nottingham.
China is home to about 23 million practicing Muslims, according to its 2010 census, the most recent count — less than 2% of the country's population. Most are Uighur — a Turkic ethnic group — or labeled as Hui, ethnically and linguistically indistinguishable from China's Han ethnic majority. Chinese Muslims are most densely clustered in the northwestern regions of Gansu, Ningxia and Xinjiang, but live across the country, as they have for more than a millennium.
Last year, NPR reported that authorities had forced nearly all mosques in Ningxia and the eastern province of Henan to "renovate" by removing their domes and Arabic script. Demolitions have since extended to mosques in Zhejiang and Gansu provinces. But practicing Muslims say the most heavy-handed restrictions have targeted the intangible channels through which they have preserved their faith in China for centuries.
Beginning in 2018, new religious restrictions shuttered hundreds of Arabic language and Islamic schools across Ningxia and Zhengzhou, Henan's capital. Imams must now take political education classes as part of a revamped certification program. The program also mandates that they can only serve in the region where their household is registered, effectively disbarring hundreds of itinerant imams.
The restrictions have only intensified since then. Mosque demolitions have spread. The intellectual heart of China's Islamic community has largely been silenced as scholars, writers, religious leaders and their families are under constant state surveillance. A once-thriving academic and religious exchange between Chinese Muslims and centers across the Middle East and South Asia has halted, as those having business or religious ties abroad are subject to Chinese state harassment and detention.
"What dominates Muslim [government] cadres is the [Communist] party line and the official version of Islam promoted by government agencies and organizations," says Ma Haiyun, an associate professor at Frostburg State University, where he studies Islam in China. "The result of this restriction is to make traditional discourses on Islam more commercial, patriotic and Chinese."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Emily Feng/NPR Emily Feng/NPR
"We lived like ghosts"
The door to Qingzhen Shuju — Islam Books — remains padlocked, the shop full of stacks of books in their unopened packaging.
Located in an upscale university neighborhood in Beijing, the bookstore and its accompanying website were a prominent publisher of Islamic philosophy works and the newest Arabic works translated into Chinese — until publisher Ma Yinglong (no relation to Ma Haiyun) was arrested in 2017 on charges of illegal publishing and terrorism. Two people close to him say he remains in detention in China's northwestern Xinjiang region.
A second influential publisher, Ma Zhixiong (no relation to either Ma), ran a prolific imprint called Tianma Publishing from China's southwestern Yunnan province until he too was imprisoned for selling illegal books, in 2015. He was released on probation this year.
"The printing plant was closed and our equipment and all books were confiscated. In the first days [of my imprisonment], I was almost completely cut off from the outside world," Ma Zhixiong wrote in an essay widely circulated this fall among chat groups on the Chinese WeChat app. "During my prison days, human dignity disappeared. Every day, people had to take off their clothes for inspection and to hold our heads while squatting down while being interrogated... We lived like ghosts."
The two publishers were a critical link in a world of writers, publishers and bookstores, the backbone for religious studies in China. Their arrests are evidence of a crackdown widening from its epicenter in Xinjiang, where authorities have detained hundreds of thousands of Uighurs and other ethnic minorities, sentencing some to lengthy prison terms for practicing Islam.
Despite international criticism, Chinese leader Xi Jinping declared the detention and security policies in Xinjiang "entirely correct" and a "success" at a September meeting of party officials. "We must persevere in Sinicizing the direction of our country's religions," he said.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images Greg Baker/AFP via Getty Images
The crushing of China's Muslim writing community is a marked reversal from a period of literary openness after economic and political reforms took hold in the 1980s.
Despite some restrictions, Muslim writers thrived in the laissez-faire atmosphere of those decades. For example, unable to get the commercial book codes — similar to an ISBN number — allotted to state-sanctioned publishers for state-approved volumes, writers and editors self-published their works and distributed them by mail to readers and religious bookstores that were ubiquitous for decades outside larger mosques.
"Many people have been oppressed for their speech in China but among the Muslim community, those who get into trouble for their writing or publishing have gone unnoticed," a prominent Chinese Muslim writer tells NPR.
He fled China last year after friends warned that police were seeking to detain him. He requested anonymity out of concern for the safety of his immediate family, almost all of whom remain in China.
He and hundreds of other Chinese Muslims used to moderate online forums and events and curated websites that discussed issues of scripture and philosophy. By 2016, those sites were shut down or censored within China's Great Firewall. They moved to WeChat, where the writer now runs chat groups of 500 people each, but doing so requires constant vigilance: "Even on WeChat," he says, "it is a continuous process of continually being shut down by censors and starting a new group."
WeChat would also ensnare the 14 people detained in Yiwu earlier this year; all had purchased this writer's books on history, scripture and philosophy through the app.
"They interrogated them about their relationship with several Muslim intellectuals and overseas Chinese Muslims. The police had printed out the text records everyone had had on WeChat with writers and publishers," said a friend of one of those detained, who requested anonymity to avoid detention for speaking out. "Now the police say every time they travel, they have to report to them beforehand when they are leaving and where they are going."
As for China's Muslim community leaders, "There are no imams who dare to speak out," says a scholar who leads a Quran reading group in northwestern China. "You can renounce your state-given imam certification and leave the mosque in order to speak out — but then you can be sure you will be constantly monitored."
"They know what you are up to"
Beginning in 2017, Chinese Muslims outside Xinjiang watched with dread as hundreds of thousands of Uighurs, a Turkic ethnic minority, were detained and sent either to "reeducation centers" or prison.
Soon after, Xinjiang security officers began fanning out to other provinces to send Hui Muslims with identity documents registered in Xinjiang back to the region.
One of those forcibly returned to Xinjiang was a young Hui woman who taught at a religious school in a mosque outside Xinjiang, after completing a theological studies degree at Egypt's prestigious Al-Azhar University. Last December, Xinjiang police abruptly detained her and brought her back to her hometown of Tacheng.
"We asked them, why send 30 men to apprehend a young woman and her infant at 11 at night. It was unbelievable," says a fellow teacher who asked to remain anonymous and keep his location withheld because he was detained and questioned after speaking to NPR.
He learned in March that the woman had been slapped with a seven-year prison sentence but doesn't know on what charges.
Four Hui Muslims born in Xinjiang told NPR they managed to change the registration of their identity documents, called hukou, to another province before 2017, as restrictions on Uighurs and practicing Muslims in Xinjiang became more draconian.
Others moved abroad, but even outside China, Xinjiang security officials continue to harass them through WeChat.
"My hometown police somehow knew that I had even moved apartments this year," says one Hui Muslim now living in Egypt who requested anonymity for fear of retribution from Chinese security officials. The police officers send "friendly" messages weekly, the person says, full of smiley faces, heart emojis and stickers, but their intent is clear: "It is meant to show they know what you are up to and to remind you of where you are from."
Efforts to co-opt Muslim leaders
Xinjiang policing has even reached a beachside city on Hainan, a Chinese tropical island province in the South China Sea. Home to a small community of historically Muslim Utsuls, Hainan's warm climes have begun attracting retirees and vacationers from other provinces during the winter months, including large numbers of Hui Muslims.
Last February, during Lunar New Year holidays, two Xinjiang public security officers set up a table at one of the six mosques in the city of Sanya to register identification documents of everyone who attended Friday prayers, according to two people who attended prayers that day. One of them evaded registration by slipping out through a side door.
In September, at the start of the fall semester, public schools in predominantly Utsul neighborhoods in Sanya began banning female students from wearing headscarves to class. Videos shared with NPR show the female students being cordoned outside the Tianya Utsul Elementary School because they refused to comply.
Local Communist Party regulations now ban party members from practicing Islam and call for increased governance of Muslim neighborhoods in Sanya, according to the South China Morning Post.
Chinese security forces have also been seeding the ranks of local branches of the Islamic Association of China, a state-run body which organizes the only officially permitted hajj pilgrimages to Saudi Arabia.
One Islamic scholar says his son was approached by Chinese security officers this year, shortly before his son's promotion as imam of a mosque and membership in the Islamic Association. NPR is not disclosing his name or location because he was detained and questioned after speaking with NPR.
"They offered [him] a full civil servant's salary and pension for the work and an appointment as board member of a local state company if he secretly worked for them," the scholar says.
His son refused the offer.


npr--2020-11-21--Coronavirus World Map: Tracking The Spread Of The Outbreak

Coronavirus World Map : Tracking The Spread Of The Outbreak On Sept. 28 , the world marked a tragic milestone : 1 million deaths from COVID-19 .
That 's according to a tally maintained by Johns Hopkins University .
And public health experts believe the actual toll – the recorded deaths plus the unrecorded deaths – is much higher .
While the number of cases has slowed in many countries that were hit hard early on by coronavirus , the number of new cases continues to increase .
Since early July , new daily cases averaged over 200,000 worldwide .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ country-by-country breakdown of new and total cases since January .
At over 11 million cases , the United States leads the world 's COVID-19 crisis .
In late spring and early summer , new COVID-19 cases were largely driven by cases in the Americas .
While the U.S. has consistently had the most new daily cases of coronavirus in the region , Brazil 's new daily cases increased rapidly between May and August .
However , in September , several countries that had previously flattened their curve saw a resurgence in cases , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , daily case counts have risen swiftly since June , without signs of slowing down .
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 .
To compare country outbreaks , the chart below graphs trend lines for average new daily cases and deaths against each country 's totals to date .
This type of visualization highlights a state 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ overall size of its outbreak .
When both new and total case and death counts grow quickly , the curves bend upward .
As new cases and deaths slow , the curves level or bend down .
In countries like Israel , which is seeing a second wave of case growth after an initial wave in April , the line forms a V-shape , as the initially bent curve spikes upwards again .
Click here to see the state-by-state breakdown of cases in the United States .
This story was originally published on @ @ @ @ @

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--2020-11-21--Coronavirus Is Surging: How Severe Is Your State's Outbreak?

Coronavirus Is Surging : How Severe Is Your State 's Outbreak ?
More than 11 million people in the U.S. have had confirmed coronavirus infections and more than 250,000 have died of COVID-19 .
Tens of thousands of new cases are reported daily nationwide .
In the graphics below , explore the trends in your state .
View the data via a heat map ( immediately below ) , curve charts , a table of state-by-state trends over four weeks , or a map of total cases and deaths .
The map above shows the risk of infection in each @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capita .
The consortium of researchers and public health experts who developed these risk levels advises states in the red category to issue stay-home orders .
They advise orange states to consider stay-home orders , along with increased testing and contact tracing .
Yellow states need to keep up social distancing and mask usage , and all states should continue testing and contact tracing .
To compare state outbreaks , the chart above graphs trend lines for average new daily cases and deaths against each state 's totals to date .
This type @ @ @ @ @ @ @ growth or decline relative to the overall size of its outbreak .
When both new and total case and death counts grow quickly , the curves bend upward .
As new cases and deaths slow , the curves level or bend down .
In New York , the curve rose sharply before reaching over 170,000 total cases in April .
New cases fell from about 10,000 per day in mid-April to under 900 a day most of the summer , before starting to rise in the fall .
Explore the map above to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country for both new confirmed cases and reported deaths from COVID-19 .
New York was the original epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S. As of mid October , California , Florida and Texas surpass New York for total cases to date , though New York still has the highest death total .
Click here to see a global map of confirmed cases and deaths .
To show trends , the table below shows the change in average new cases per day in each state , week over week for the last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of red have growing outbreaks ; those in shades of green , are declining .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and updates its feeds .
State-by-state recovery data are unavailable at this time .
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 and or update their methodologies .
For example , 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 .
On Sept. 2 , Massachusetts changed its methodology for counting probable cases , which lowered its overall case and death numbers .
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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @

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.
Loading...
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.


npr--2020-11-21--Small Turkeys Are In Demand As Americans Downsize At Thanksgiving

Small Turkeys Are In Demand As Americans Downsize At Thanksgiving Rachel and Joe Shenk raise turkeys on a small farm in Newport , N.C .
The turkeys are a traditional commercial breed known as Broad Breasted Whites that they raise just for Thanksgiving .
`` They 're not very smart , but they make up for that by being really friendly and interesting , '' Joe said .
The birds are a favorite of the Shenk family , and they respond specifically to Joe 's gobble calls , echoing them back to him .
The couple will harvest the birds @ @ @ @ @ @ @ weeks now , they 've been fielding orders .
`` We probably have about 10 people that have asked like , ' I want the smallest turkey you have , ' `` Rachel said .
They raised approximately 70 turkeys this year .
As pandemic restrictions tighten across the U.S. , many families are changing the way they 're setting the table for Thanksgiving .
That means everything from the size of the gathering to the size of the turkey might look different this year .
Tonya Nash can count on one hand @ @ @ @ @ @ @ missed .
She lives in Atlanta with her husband , Jamie , and two sons .
But every year , they pile into the car and make the 12-hour drive to Houston to celebrate with her husband 's large , extended family .
That big family is the reason they 're staying home this November .
Her youngest son was recently diagnosed with a severe form of epilepsy that puts him at high risk for complications from COVID-19 .
A lot of things will be different about their family celebration this year .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ even if she 's the only one eating it .
Her husband and sons are n't big fans .
`` You have to have turkey on Thanksgiving , '' said Nash , so she got a small turkey breast — a far cry from the nearly 20-lb turkey they might have in Houston .
Celebrating with just immediate family She 's not the only one downsizing .
Butterball , the company that produces Butterball turkeys , surveyed about 1,000 adults in September .
They found that 30 % plan to celebrate with just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the senior director of marketing for Butterball , said that 's about twice as many as in a typical year .
Butterball 's Turkey Talkline is already up and running .
The hotline is staffed by trained experts to help answer any and all turkey-related questions people might have during the holiday season .
Like many Americans , Butterball experts Roni McDaniel and her daughter , Coren Hayes , are taking calls from their home office and kitchen table instead of the usual call center .
They 're noticing a difference in what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know , oddly enough , they are looking for smaller turkeys , '' McDaniel said .
They have also noticed an uptick in callers saying it 's their first time cooking for Thanksgiving .
McDaniel and Hayes are used to working with newbies .
Hayes remembers one particularly frazzled caller who only realized he had bought a chicken instead of a turkey on Thanksgiving Day .
`` He seemed very sincere , 'How do I cook this and make it seem like a turkey to my guests because I really do n't want @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hayes said .
Along with her standard food safety tips like making sure the bird is up to temperature , she also advised the man to come clean with the guests .
Challenging for farmers to make the adjustment While the Butterball Turkey Talkline can answer all types of questions , including how to cook a smaller bird , it does n't quite offer the solution for farmers , many of whom are finding it challenging to make the adjustment to a trimmer turkey .
`` These are in the pipeline for a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we can just turn on and turn off , '' said Ron Joyce , president of Joyce Farms in Winston-Salem , N.C. Joyce raises Heritage turkeys , a type of domestic turkey that has historic lineage .
He said they committed to raising a specific number of turkeys and their expected size almost a year in advance .
His company is also used to selling to chefs at restaurants who often want extra large turkeys .
`` There was no crystal ball to tell us that basically 95 % of our customer base @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' said Joyce .
Instead , he said the company pivoted away from restaurants and seized another opportunity .
`` What happened is during the panic , in the rush to buy meat and poultry in the grocery stores , a lot of the grocery store shelves were bare for a while , so we increased our direct to consumer , '' Joyce said .
The average local household has helped them improve sales for the holidays .
Rachel and Joe Shenk are doing well this holiday season .
They 're sold out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't even happen last year .
And for those customers who requested a smaller bird , the Shenks are helping them get creative .
`` I have to go back and be like , 'Well , would you be OK with a half turkey ? '
`` Rachel said .
She 's found most of her customers are content with that even though anything less than a whole turkey is not what most people picture on their Thanksgiving table .
It 's certainly not the weirdest thing about 2020 .

Small Turkeys Are In Demand As Americans Downsize At Thanksgiving
Enlarge this image toggle caption Madeline Gray for NPR Madeline Gray for NPR
Rachel and Joe Shenk raise turkeys on a small farm in Newport, N.C. The turkeys are a traditional commercial breed known as Broad Breasted Whites that they raise just for Thanksgiving.
"They're not very smart, but they make up for that by being really friendly and interesting," Joe said. The birds are a favorite of the Shenk family, and they respond specifically to Joe's gobble calls, echoing them back to him.
The couple will harvest the birds the weekend before Thanksgiving, but for weeks now, they've been fielding orders.
"We probably have about 10 people that have asked like, 'I want the smallest turkey you have,' " Rachel said. They raised approximately 70 turkeys this year.
As pandemic restrictions tighten across the U.S., many families are changing the way they're setting the table for Thanksgiving. That means everything from the size of the gathering to the size of the turkey might look different this year.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Madeline Gray for NPR Madeline Gray for NPR
Tonya Nash can count on one hand the number of family Thanksgivings she's missed. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, Jamie, and two sons. But every year, they pile into the car and make the 12-hour drive to Houston to celebrate with her husband's large, extended family.
That big family is the reason they're staying home this November. Her youngest son was recently diagnosed with a severe form of epilepsy that puts him at high risk for complications from COVID-19.
A lot of things will be different about their family celebration this year. Nash is determined to have turkey, even if she's the only one eating it. Her husband and sons aren't big fans.
"You have to have turkey on Thanksgiving," said Nash, so she got a small turkey breast — a far cry from the nearly 20-lb turkey they might have in Houston.
Celebrating with just immediate family
She's not the only one downsizing.
Butterball, the company that produces Butterball turkeys, surveyed about 1,000 adults in September. They found that 30% plan to celebrate with just their immediate family. Kyle Lock, the senior director of marketing for Butterball, said that's about twice as many as in a typical year.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Madeline Gray for NPR Madeline Gray for NPR
Butterball's Turkey Talkline is already up and running. The hotline is staffed by trained experts to help answer any and all turkey-related questions people might have during the holiday season.
Like many Americans, Butterball experts Roni McDaniel and her daughter, Coren Hayes, are taking calls from their home office and kitchen table instead of the usual call center. They're noticing a difference in what people are asking about.
"You know, oddly enough, they are looking for smaller turkeys," McDaniel said. They have also noticed an uptick in callers saying it's their first time cooking for Thanksgiving.
McDaniel and Hayes are used to working with newbies. Hayes remembers one particularly frazzled caller who only realized he had bought a chicken instead of a turkey on Thanksgiving Day.
"He seemed very sincere, 'How do I cook this and make it seem like a turkey to my guests because I really don't want to mess this up?' " Hayes said. Along with her standard food safety tips like making sure the bird is up to temperature, she also advised the man to come clean with the guests.
Challenging for farmers to make the adjustment
Enlarge this image toggle caption Madeline Gray for NPR Madeline Gray for NPR
While the Butterball Turkey Talkline can answer all types of questions, including how to cook a smaller bird, it doesn't quite offer the solution for farmers, many of whom are finding it challenging to make the adjustment to a trimmer turkey.
"These are in the pipeline for a long time. It's not something we can just turn on and turn off," said Ron Joyce, president of Joyce Farms in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Joyce raises Heritage turkeys, a type of domestic turkey that has historic lineage. He said they committed to raising a specific number of turkeys and their expected size almost a year in advance. His company is also used to selling to chefs at restaurants who often want extra large turkeys.
"There was no crystal ball to tell us that basically 95% of our customer base would be shut down this year," said Joyce.
Improve sales for the holidays
Enlarge this image toggle caption Madeline Gray for NPR Madeline Gray for NPR
Instead, he said the company pivoted away from restaurants and seized another opportunity.
"What happened is during the panic, in the rush to buy meat and poultry in the grocery stores, a lot of the grocery store shelves were bare for a while, so we increased our direct to consumer," Joyce said.
The average local household has helped them improve sales for the holidays.
Rachel and Joe Shenk are doing well this holiday season. They're sold out for turkeys this year, which didn't even happen last year. And for those customers who requested a smaller bird, the Shenks are helping them get creative.
"I have to go back and be like, 'Well, would you be OK with a half turkey?' " Rachel said.
She's found most of her customers are content with that even though anything less than a whole turkey is not what most people picture on their Thanksgiving table.
It's certainly not the weirdest thing about 2020.
Emma Peaslee is NPR's KROC Fellow.


npr--2020-11-21--In Georgia, Pence Walks Line Between Trump's Election Falsehoods And GOP Senate Fight

In Georgia , Pence Walks Line Between Trump 's Election Falsehoods And GOP Senate Fight For the first time since President Trump lost his bid for reelection , Vice President Mike Pence appeared on the campaign trail on Friday to boost Senate Republicans at a pair of rallies north of Atlanta .
Two U.S. Senate seats in Georgia remain to be decided in runoff races on Jan. 5 .
The outcome will dictate which party will run the upper chamber come next year .
And with Trump and Pence still declining to concede their loss , GOP has been left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a high-stakes Senate battle as they try to navigate the president 's false claims .
`` As our election contests continue , here in Georgia and in courts across the country , I 'll make you promise , '' Pence told supporters at an outdoor rally in Canton , Ga. `` We 're going to keep fighting until every legal vote is counted .
We 're going to keep fighting until every illegal vote is thrown out . ''
Pence and other Republicans , including GOP Sens .
David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Georgia Senate seats , are also arguing the state now remains a final line of defense against Democrats .
The House will remain Democratically controlled , though at a slimmer margin thanks to gains by Republicans there .
`` We are the battleground , '' Loeffler told supporters .
`` We are the firewall . ''
The November elections have so far handed Republicans 50 seats when the new Congress convenes in January .
They 'll need to win one of Georgia 's two runoff races to retain control of the chamber .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ will need a sweep of the Georgia seats to gain the majority .
With President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris at the helm , Harris could break ties for a 50-member party that largely includes Democrats and two independent senators who caucus with them .
On Friday , Pence made clear he was in Georgia on Trump 's behalf .
`` I 'm here because I stand with President Donald Trump .
And I 'm here because President Donald Trump and I stand with Senator David Perdue and Senator Kelly Loeffler @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Day , Pence , like Trump , has largely kept out of public sight .
Trump himself has been a source of disinformation , issuing false claims of widespread voter fraud and that he could overturn the election 's results .
Had they won , the GOP would n't need the Georgia seats to retain their Senate majority as a Republican in the White House could break ties in their favor for a 51-member majority .
`` This is the last line of defense .
This is my last word to you today @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he was interrupted by cheers of `` stop the steal ! ''
It was a nod to Trump 's false claims in the election targeting Democrats .
For his part , Perdue paused , and then resumed with his same pitch without addressing the falsehood .
`` What we have to do right now is hold the line , '' Perdue said .
For Pence , his Friday campaign rally appearances are the most to date since the Nov. 3 elections .
He spoke for more than 40 minutes at the two separate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ rally drew hundreds of supporters , including families .
Many waved Trump/Pence signs and other campaign merchandise , and boo 'd at the mention of Democrats .
Pence also used the rallies as an opportunity to highlight the past work that the Trump administration has done , from supporting robust budgets for the military to the confirmation of new Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett .
For their part , Perdue and Loeffler are facing shifting demographics in the state .
On Thursday , just as Pence 's motorcade made its way to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state had said it had certified election results confirming Biden had won the state .
He 's first Democrat to do so since 1992 .
But the GOP has seen a good run in special elections in the past .
That includes a costly 2017 Atlanta House district race where Democrat Jon Ossoff lost a challenge to his GOP counterpart .
Now , Ossoff , a documentary filmmaker , is facing off against Perdue , a one-term senator who is seeking reelection .
Loeffler , who was appointed to her seat in January @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Raphael Warnock .
Warnock is a reverend at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta , where civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. was also a member .
Loeffler and Warnock are vying for a special election to fill the seat of retired Sen. Johnny Isakson .
In her short time in the seat , Loeffler has faced controversy over dumping $ 20 million in stocks after a closed-door Senate briefing on the coronavirus in January .
Loeffler , who has held a stake in the WNBA team , the Atlanta Dreams @ @ @ @ @ @ @ remarks regarding the Black Lives Matter movement .
On Friday , she framed her attack against Democrats as one against an unrestrained party that could threaten conservatism .
`` We are going to stand up for conservative values because look at what Donald Trump has done for our country , '' she said to cheers to a crowd in Gainesville , which responded with chants of `` U.S.A ! ''
that Loeffler joined in on .
Biden was only mentioned by former Georgia Gov .
and current Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president-elect , along with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer .
`` We 're going to re-elect Senator David Perdue and Senator Kelly Loeffler so that Schumer and Pelosi and Biden ca n't have a blank check on America 's values , '' Sonny Perdue said to cheers .
`` You 're the ones -- - America is counting on you and we 're counting on you . ''

In Georgia, Pence Walks Line Between Trump's Election Falsehoods And GOP Senate Fight
Enlarge this image toggle caption Ben Gray/AP Ben Gray/AP
For the first time since President Trump lost his bid for reelection, Vice President Pence appeared on the campaign trail on Friday to boost Senate Republicans at a pair of rallies north of Atlanta.
Two U.S. Senate seats in Georgia remain to be decided in runoff races on Jan. 5. The outcome will dictate which party will run the upper chamber come next year.
And with Trump and Pence still declining to concede their loss, GOP has been left with a tricky argument in Georgia for a high-stakes Senate battle as they try to navigate the president's false claims.
"As our election contests continue, here in Georgia and in courts across the country, I'll make you [a] promise," Pence told supporters at an outdoor rally in Canton, Ga. "We're going to keep fighting until every legal vote is counted. We're going to keep fighting until every illegal vote is thrown out."
Pence and other Republicans, including GOP Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler, who are vying to win those Georgia Senate seats, are arguing the state is a final line of defense against Democrats.
The House will remain controlled by Democrats, though at a slimmer margin thanks to gains by Republicans.
"We are the battleground," Loeffler told supporters. "We are the firewall."
The November elections have so far handed Republicans 50 seats when the new Congress convenes in January. They'll need to win one of Georgia's two runoff races to retain control of the chamber.
Democrats, on the other hand, will need a sweep of the Georgia seats to gain the majority. With President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris at the helm, Harris could break ties for a 50-member caucus of Democrats and two independent senators.
On Friday, Pence made clear he was in Georgia on Trump's behalf.
"I'm here because I stand with President Donald Trump. And I'm here because President Donald Trump and I stand with Senator David Perdue and Senator Kelly Loeffler," Pence said.
Since Election Day, Pence, like Trump, has largely kept out of public sight. Trump himself has been a source of disinformation, issuing false claims of widespread voter fraud and that he could overturn the election's results.
Had they won, the GOP wouldn't need the Georgia seats to retain their Senate majority as a Republican in the White House could break ties in their favor for a 51-member majority.
"This is the last line of defense. This is my last word to you today," Perdue said in Canton as he was interrupted by cheers of "stop the steal!"
It was a nod to Trump's false claims in the election targeting Democrats. For his part, Perdue paused, and then resumed with his same pitch without addressing the falsehood.
"What we have to do right now is hold the line," Perdue said.
For Pence, his Friday campaign rally appearances are the most to date since Election Day on Nov. 3. He spoke for more than 40 minutes at the two separate events in Canton and Gainesville.
Each rally drew hundreds of supporters, including families. Many waved Trump/Pence signs and other campaign merchandise, and booed at the mention of Democrats.
Pence also used the rallies as an opportunity to highlight the past work that the Trump administration has done, from supporting robust budgets for the military to the confirmation of new Supreme Court Justice Amy Coney Barrett.
Perdue and Loeffler are facing shifting demographics in the state.
On Thursday, just as Pence's motorcade made its way to its first rally in Canton, the state had said it had certified election results confirming Biden had won the state. He's first Democrat to do so since 1992.
But the GOP has seen a good run in special elections in the past. That includes a costly 2017 Atlanta House district race where Democrat Jon Ossoff lost a challenge to his GOP counterpart.
Now, Ossoff, a documentary filmmaker, is facing off against Perdue, a one-term senator who is seeking reelection.
Loeffler, who was appointed to her seat in January, is running against a popular Democrat in Raphael Warnock. Warnock is senior pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where civil rights icon Martin Luther King Jr. was a co-pastor.
Loeffler and Warnock are vying in a special election to fill the seat of retired Sen. Johnny Isakson.
In her short time in the seat, Loeffler has faced controversy over dumping $20 million in stocks after a closed-door Senate briefing on the coronavirus in January. Loeffler, who has held a stake in the WNBA team, the Atlanta Dream, also came under attack for her remarks regarding the Black Lives Matter movement.
On Friday, she framed her attack against Democrats as one against an unrestrained party that could threaten conservatism.
"We are going to stand up for conservative values because look at what Donald Trump has done for our country," she said to cheers to a crowd in Gainesville, which responded with chants of "U.S.A!" that Loeffler joined in on.
Biden was only mentioned by former Georgia Gov. and current Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue at the Friday rallies. Perdue, the cousin of the senator, was attacking the president-elect, as well as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer.
"We're going to reelect Senator David Perdue and Senator Kelly Loeffler so that Schumer and Pelosi and Biden can't have a blank check on America's values," Sonny Perdue said to cheers. "You're the ones — America is counting on you and we're counting on you."


npr--2020-11-21--Families And Friends Mourn Loss Of Thanksgiving Traditions, Seek New Ones

Families And Friends Mourn Loss Of Thanksgiving Traditions , Seek New Ones As the child of immigrants from Hong Kong , Erica Woo did n't grow up with Thanksgiving .
It was just a day off from school and a holiday she read about in books .
`` But somewhere , about 25 years ago , '' Woo remembers , `` our neighbors and very dear family friends said , 'You 've never had a New England thanksgiving ?
You 're missing out !
Come on over ! '
'' And since then , they 've spent every Thanksgiving together @ @ @ @ @ @ @ neighbors have taken her under their wing .
`` We talk weeks in advance , and we make our shopping lists , and debate over who has the best squash , and where to get the sweet potatoes , and how big should the leeks be . ''
Woo says there 's something so lovely about being invited into someone 's family , and building a tradition you 'll carry through to your own .
This is the first year they wo n't be together .
But Thanksgiving traditions go on — even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` There was no question in my mind that I was gon na order the turkey .
It was just , 'How small could I get it ? '
'' Woo laughs .
Drew Hansen is a fellow Thanksgiving evangelist — he and his daughter start menu-planning in June .
He 's also a state legislator , who gets regular briefings on what the coronavirus has done to travel plans and social gatherings .
`` We 'll celebrate Thanksgiving over FaceTime , just like how we celebrated Easter over FaceTime .
Is that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hansen asks .
`` No .
Is it better than infecting everyone ?
Yes . ''
For Hansen , the ritual is important .
`` Barack Obama used to say we do n't have much that pulls us together as Americans anymore .
We have the Super Bowl .
Well , we also have Thanksgiving , right ? ''
Rituals , by definition , have continuity because they 're something you do year after year .
They connect you to the people who 've gathered around the Thanksgiving table long before you and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you 're gone .
But rituals also evolve .
Janine Roberts is a family therapist and former president of the American Family Therapy Academy , who wrote the book Rituals for Our Time : Celebrating , Healing , and Changing Our Lives and Our Relationships .
`` If rituals do n't change , and if they do n't move with the cultural landscape that 's changing , then they do n't become meaningful , '' Roberts says .
She says while Thanksgiving often gets a Normal Rockwell gloss , it has so many @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it became a national holiday in 1863 — during the Civil War .
`` That was , in some ways , probably the most divided time in our country , '' says Roberts .
`` Even more divided than now . ''
Roberts says maybe people want to take time this year to light candles for those who have died or write letters of thanks to people who are n't at the table .
These acts make and mark human connections , even if that connection is from afar .
And maybe these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ own .
For Amanda Kopplin in Saint Paul , Minn. , Thanksgiving has meant a pastry potluck at her family 's coffee shop , Kopplin 's Coffee .
Regulars fill a folding table with homemade caramel rolls , maple scones and brownies .
`` It 's just this feeling that you ca n't recreate , of all these disparate people coming together , and falling into something that they can feel thankful for on Thanksgiving , '' Kopplin remembers wistfully .
But this year , Kopplin 's Coffee is closed ( the cafe @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 're still shipping beans around the country ) .
They cried the day they turned off the espresso machines , and they 're just now beginning to sense of the loss of Thanksgiving .
`` I do n't know if it will really hit me until the actual day it happens , '' Kopplin says .
It 's OK to be sad about things that are sad .
But , Kopplin says , we can figure our way through the holidays and the changed traditions , just like we 've figured out everything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ making a tiny turkey , or writing Thanksgiving letters or staying in pajamas and ordering takeout .
And remember , these changes wo n't be forever .
Which is something to be thankful for .
`` The way that we can support each other is by not being together , '' Kopplin says .
`` In some ways that 's heartbreaking , right ?
But in some ways , it 's like the best you can do is to hold on to the meaning of that in the spirit of community . ''

Families And Friends Mourn Loss Of Thanksgiving Traditions, Seek New Ones
Enlarge this image toggle caption Rogelio V. Solis/AP Rogelio V. Solis/AP
As the child of immigrants from Hong Kong, Erica Woo didn't grow up with Thanksgiving. It was just a day off from school and a holiday she read about in books.
"But somewhere, about 25 years ago," Woo remembers, "our neighbors and very dear family friends said, 'You've never had a New England thanksgiving? You're missing out! Come on over!'"
And since then, they've spent every Thanksgiving together. Over the years, Woo's neighbors have taken her under their wing.
"We talk weeks in advance, and we make our shopping lists, and debate over who has the best squash, and where to get the sweet potatoes, and how big should the leeks be."
Woo says there's something so lovely about being invited into someone's family, and building a tradition you'll carry through to your own. This is the first year they won't be together. But Thanksgiving traditions go on — even without three kinds of cranberry sauce.
"There was no question in my mind that I was gonna order the turkey. It was just, 'How small could I get it?'" Woo laughs.
Drew Hansen is a fellow Thanksgiving evangelist — he and his daughter start menu-planning in June. He's also a state legislator, who gets regular briefings on what the coronavirus has done to travel plans and social gatherings.
"We'll celebrate Thanksgiving over FaceTime, just like how we celebrated Easter over FaceTime. Is that as good as being together?" Hansen asks. "No. Is it better than infecting everyone? Yes."
For Hansen, the ritual is important.
"Barack Obama used to say we don't have much that pulls us together as Americans anymore. We have the Super Bowl. Well, we also have Thanksgiving, right?"
Rituals make meaning
Rituals, by definition, have continuity because they're something you do year after year. They connect you to the people who've gathered around the Thanksgiving table long before you and to those who will gather long after you're gone. But rituals also evolve.
Janine Roberts is a family therapist and former president of the American Family Therapy Academy, who wrote the book Rituals for Our Time: Celebrating, Healing, and Changing Our Lives and Our Relationships.
"If rituals don't change, and if they don't move with the cultural landscape that's changing, then they don't become meaningful," Roberts says.
She says while Thanksgiving often gets a Normal Rockwell gloss, it has so many expressions, so many meanings. And it became a national holiday in 1863 — during the Civil War.
"That was, in some ways, probably the most divided time in our country," says Roberts. "Even more divided than now."
Roberts says maybe people want to take time this year to light candles for those who have died or write letters of thanks to people who aren't at the table. These acts make and mark human connections, even if that connection is from afar. And maybe these new practices will become traditions of their own.
For Amanda Kopplin in Saint Paul, Minn., Thanksgiving has meant a pastry potluck at her family's coffee shop, Kopplin's Coffee. Regulars fill a folding table with homemade caramel rolls, maple scones and brownies.
"It's just this feeling that you can't recreate, of all these disparate people coming together, and falling into something that they can feel thankful for on Thanksgiving," Kopplin remembers wistfully.
But this year, Kopplin's Coffee is closed (the cafe, that is, Kopplin stresses they're still shipping beans around the country). They cried the day they turned off the espresso machines, and they're just now beginning to sense of the loss of Thanksgiving.
"I don't know if it will really hit me until the actual day it happens," Kopplin says.
It's OK to be sad about things that are sad. But, Kopplin says, we can figure our way through the holidays and the changed traditions, just like we've figured out everything else this year. Whether that means making a tiny turkey, or writing Thanksgiving letters or staying in pajamas and ordering takeout. And remember, these changes won't be forever. Which is something to be thankful for.
"The way that we can support each other is by not being together," Kopplin says. "In some ways that's heartbreaking, right? But in some ways, it's like the best you can do is to hold on to the meaning of that in the spirit of community."


npr--2020-11-21--Trump's Futile Fight To Overturn Election Loss Breeds Turmoil, Risk

In the two weeks since it became clear that President Trump lost the election to Joe Biden — a period bookended by befuddling press conferences from his longtime lawyer , Rudy Giuliani — the president has made clear that he will spend his remaining days in the White House in the same way he spent much of his term in office : fighting .
Trump has had a long history of punching his way back from losses , like his bankruptcies and failed businesses , in a way that has allowed him to continue branding himself as a winner .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ , most public loss he has suffered , and he is battling to be able to walk off the stage with a grip on the base of the Republican party , and the ability to continue to monetize his brand .
Most presidents spend their final weeks in office trying to cement their legacies .
But Trump , who has mused privately about running in 2024 , risks looking like a sore loser in continuing to falsely claim the election was rigged against him .
And his latest extraordinary tactics have alarmed some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to confidence in free and fair elections .
`` Does he want to be remembered for presiding over a booming economy and real accomplishments like tax reform and three Supreme Court justices ?
Or does he want to be remembered as a guy who spent his final weeks in office trying to undermine American democracy ? ''
said Alex Conant , a Republican strategist who worked on Sen. Marco Rubio 's 2016 presidential campaign .
On Friday , Trump talked about his accomplishments on prescription drug pricing regulations , one of his top @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of valedictory notes you would expect from a president getting ready to leave office .
`` I just hope they keep it .
I hope they have the courage to keep it , '' Trump said , without explanation of who he meant by `` they . ''
But he also invited top Republicans in Michigan 's House and Senate to the White House , days ahead of a looming deadline for the state to certify its election results .
Some Republicans wrote it off as yet another stunt in a presidency that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ others were concerned Trump would try to pressure state houses to throw out the popular vote results and award Electoral College votes through partisan votes .
Senator Mitt Romney said on Twitter that Trump was trying to `` subvert the will of the people '' to overturn the election .
`` It is difficult to imagine a worse , more undemocratic action by a sitting American president , '' said Romney , who drew return fire from Trump on Twitter .
After meeting Trump , the Michigan state leaders said in a statement @ @ @ @ @ @ @ made aware of any information that would change the outcome of the election in Michigan '' and that they would continue to follow the normal process for electoral votes .
Veteran Republican strategist Sean Walsh said it would be `` the longest of long shots and the bankiest of bank shots '' to try to get Michigan and enough other states to try to overturn results — a strategy that could spark `` mini revolts '' in states — and have the Supreme Court uphold such a move .
`` The two unhappiest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be the Senate and House Republican leaders from Michigan .
They 're just put it an absolutely awful place , '' said Walsh , who served in the Reagan and George H.W .
Bush White Houses .
Trump 's campaign had stacked its ranks with election lawyers early during the push for a second term , recognizing that there could be need to contest close results .
But as their initial challenges fizzled , and it became clear that there is no evidence of widespread fraud or other irregularities that would impact the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lawyers were sidelined .
Instead , Trump put former New York City Mayor Giuliani in charge of what has became an increasingly erratic strategy .
Giuliani 's first big press event two weeks ago , when the race was called , was held inexplicably at a landscaping company in a business park in Philadelphia , and quickly became the butt of jokes , an internet meme .
But on Thursday , the former mayor followed it up with a 90-minute event at a location with more gravitas , and more cause for concern @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Committee .
Giuliani put forward baseless and vague claims about a shadowy plot involving a voting machine company and the Venezuelan and Cuban governments , as what appeared to be hair dye ran down his face in rivulets of sweat .
Earlier in the week , Trump had fired Chris Krebs , a top Homeland Security official , for saying the election had been secure and there was no evidence of compromised voting systems — the conspiracy baselessly alleged by Giuliani .
Most Republican leaders have stayed silent about Trump 's legal antics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they feel it will hurt the Jan. 5 runoff in Georgia , which will determine whether Republicans keep control of the Senate .
Vice President Pence — who has political ambitions of his own for the next presidential race — campaigned in the state on Friday , where crowds chanted `` Stop the steal !
Stop the steal ! ''
Pence told supporters that `` we 're going to keep fighting until every illegal vote is thrown out . ''
But he quickly pivoted to explaining how retaining the Senate majority could be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ preserving all that we 've done to defend this nation , revive our economy and preserve the God given liberties that we all hold . ''
What Trump has not been doing for the past weeks is much detectable official business .
As government workers began to build viewing stands in front of the White House where his successor will get to watch the Inauguration Day parade , Trump has emerged all of five times — two of those for golf .
Friday was the first day Trump had multiple events on his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ questions since Election Day — a notable drought for a president who has seldom gone more than a few days without parrying with the press .
Trump has not been directly addressing the explosion of coronavirus cases — nor the milestone of 250,000 deaths reached this week .
He has insisted that the kind of economic shutdowns he blames for torpedoing his campaign wo n't happen again .
Last week , he momentarily slipped and acknowledged that he might not be around to make those decisions .
`` Hopefully , the — the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who knows which administration it will be ?
I guess time will tell , '' he said .
On Thursday , he left it to Vice President Pence and experts from the coronavirus task force to address the crisis .
It was the first time in months that they had briefed reporters .
Dr. Deborah Birx put up a slide that vividly showed the sharp spike in infections .
`` This is more cases — more rapidly — than we had seen before , '' Birx said .
Meanwhile , experts who are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about a smooth transition , saying they need access to career officials and their data to plan — something the Trump administration has so far not allowed .
`` I think that we 're witnessing incredible irresponsibility , incredibly damaging messages being sent to the rest of the world about how democracy functions , and I think it is — well , I do n't know his motive , but I just think it 's totally irresponsible , '' Biden said on Thursday .

Trump's Futile Fight To Overturn Election Loss Breeds Turmoil, Risk
Enlarge this image toggle caption Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
In the two weeks since it became clear that President Trump lost the election to Joe Biden — a period bookended by befuddling press conferences from his longtime lawyer, Rudy Giuliani — the president has made it clear that he will spend his remaining days in the White House in the same way he spent much of his term in office: fighting.
Trump has had a long history of punching his way back from losses, like his bankruptcies and failed businesses, in a way that has allowed him to continue branding himself as a winner. But the 2020 election is the biggest, most public loss he has suffered, and he is battling to be able to walk off the stage with a grip on the base of the Republican Party, and the ability to continue to monetize his brand.
Most presidents spend their final weeks in office trying to cement their legacies. But Trump, who has mused privately about running in 2024, risks looking like a sore loser in continuing to falsely claim the election was rigged against him. And his latest extraordinary tactics have alarmed some Republicans who see him as doing damage to confidence in free and fair elections.
"Does he want to be remembered for presiding over a booming economy and real accomplishments like tax reform and three Supreme Court justices? Or does he want to be remembered as a guy who spent his final weeks in office trying to undermine American democracy?" said Alex Conant, a Republican strategist who worked on Sen. Marco Rubio's 2016 presidential campaign.
On Friday, Trump talked about his accomplishments on prescription drug pricing regulations, one of his top priorities — remarks that had the kind of valedictory notes you would expect from a president getting ready to leave office. "I just hope they keep it. I hope they have the courage to keep it," Trump said, without explanation of whom he meant by "they."
But he also invited top Republicans in Michigan's House and Senate to the White House, days ahead of a looming deadline for the state to certify its election results.
Some Republicans wrote it off as yet another stunt in a presidency that has been defined by them. But others were concerned Trump would try to pressure state legislatures to throw out the popular vote results and award Electoral College votes through partisan votes.
Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said on Twitter that Trump was trying to "subvert the will of the people" to overturn the election. "It is difficult to imagine a worse, more undemocratic action by a sitting American president," said Romney, who drew return fire from Trump on Twitter.
After meeting Trump, the Michigan state leaders said in a statement that they had "not yet been made aware of any information that would change the outcome of the election in Michigan" and that they would continue to follow the normal process for electoral votes.
Veteran Republican strategist Sean Walsh said it would be "the longest of long shots and the bankiest of bank shots" to try to get Michigan and enough other states to try to overturn results — a strategy that could spark "mini revolts" in states — and then to have the Supreme Court uphold such a move.
"The two unhappiest campers in the world have got to be the Senate and House Republican leaders from Michigan. They're just put it an absolutely awful place," said Walsh, who served in the Reagan and George H.W. Bush White Houses.
Trump's campaign had stacked its ranks with election lawyers early during the push for a second term, recognizing that there could be need to contest close results. But as initial challenges fizzled, and it became clear that there is no evidence of widespread fraud or other irregularities that would impact the outcome of the presidential race, those lawyers were sidelined. Instead, Trump put former New York City Mayor Giuliani in charge of what has became an increasingly erratic strategy.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
Giuliani's first big press event two weeks ago, when the race was called, was held inexplicably at a landscaping company in a business park in Philadelphia, and quickly became the butt of jokes and an Internet meme.
But on Thursday, the former mayor followed it up with a 90-minute event at a location with more gravitas, and more cause for concern: the headquarters of the Republican National Committee in Washington, D.C. Giuliani put forward baseless and vague claims about a shadowy plot involving a voting machine company and the Venezuelan and Cuban governments, as what appeared to be hair dye ran down his face in rivulets of sweat.
Earlier in the week, Trump had fired Chris Krebs, a top Homeland Security official, after he said that the election had been secure and that there was no evidence of compromised voting systems — the conspiracy baselessly alleged by Giuliani.
Most Republican leaders have stayed silent about Trump's legal antics. But that could wear thin if they feel his actions will hurt the Jan. 5 runoff in Georgia, which will determine whether Republicans keep control of the Senate.
Vice President Pence — who has political ambitions of his own for the next presidential race — campaigned in the state on Friday, where crowds chanted "Stop the steal! Stop the steal!"
Pence told supporters that "we're going to keep fighting until every illegal vote is thrown out." But he quickly pivoted to explaining how retaining the Senate majority could be "the last line of defense in preserving all that we've done to defend this nation, revive our economy and preserve the God-given liberties that we all hold."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Ben Gray/AP Ben Gray/AP
Enlarge this image toggle caption Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
What Trump has not been doing for the past weeks is much detectable official business. As government workers began to build viewing stands in front of the White House where his successor will get to watch the Inauguration Day parade, Trump has emerged all of five times — two of those for golf.
Friday was the first day Trump had multiple events on his public calendar. He has not taken questions since Election Day — a notable drought for a president who has seldom gone more than a few days without parrying with the press.
Trump has not been directly addressing the explosion of coronavirus cases — nor the milestone of 250,000 deaths reached this week. He has insisted that the kind of economic shutdowns he blames for torpedoing his campaign won't happen again. Last week, he momentarily slipped and acknowledged that he might not be around to make those decisions. "Hopefully, the — the — whatever happens in the future — who knows which administration it will be? I guess time will tell," he said.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Susan Walsh/AP Susan Walsh/AP
On Thursday, he left it to Pence and experts from the coronavirus task force to address the crisis. It was the first time in months that they had briefed reporters. Dr. Deborah Birx put up a slide that vividly showed the sharp spike in infections. "This is more cases — more rapidly — than we had seen before," Birx said.
Meanwhile, experts who are advising the incoming administration have raised alarms about a smooth transition, saying they need access to career officials and their data to plan — something the Trump administration has so far not allowed.
"I think that we're witnessing incredible irresponsibility, incredibly damaging messages being sent to the rest of the world about how democracy functions, and I think it is — well, I don't know his motive, but I just think it's totally irresponsible," Biden said on Thursday.


npr--2020-11-21--Climate Justice Fund Counters 'Centuries Of Underinvestment'

Letty Martinez , Shiny Flanary and Xochitl Garnica spent the spring and summer taming weeds and planting crops on their new 2-acre urban farming collective , which offers free produce to low-income customers .
Now , they 're hoping to add a greenhouse and lighting powered by solar panels .
`` We 're really off the grid , '' Garnica says .
`` So , all of that will really help us a lot , so we can help the community that really needs fresh produce . ''
These are n't typical Oregon farmers , more than 96 percent of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ farm , they 're planning to apply for a grant through the Portland Clean Energy Fund — a first-of-its-kind climate action program that prioritizes people of color and those with low income .
Martinez says she hopes it will help make up for injustices in the current economic system , where too many people do n't have access to healthy food .
`` It does n't work , '' Martinez says .
`` It does n't consider everyone and a lot of people end up with nothing at the end of it , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with armfuls of whatever it is that they need . ''
While their farmland is providing valuable food , it 's also preserving green space in the city and sequestering carbon in the soil .
Plus , it creates farming jobs for people of color .
All of that fits with the mission of the Clean Energy Fund , an initiative Portland voters approved through a ballot measure in 2018 .
Jo Ann Hardesty led the initiative as the first Black woman to serve on Portland 's City Council , and calls the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a game-changer , '' Hardesty says .
`` We 're talking about energy efficiency , but we 're also talking about workforce development .
If you look at the green field today it 's predominantly white male . ''
Hardesty thinks the fund could be a national model .
Denver voters just approved a similar program .
And President-elect Joe Biden 's sweeping climate plan calls for targeting 40 % of clean energy investments to disadvantaged communities .
Portland 's program taxes large retailers and should generate $ 40-60 million dollars a year @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , weatherizing homes and adding rooftop solar panels .
And it 's all reserved for communities more likely to suffer from the effects of climate change —be it air pollution , extreme heat , or weather disasters .
Sam Baraso , who manages the PCEF program for the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability , says the fund will help address `` centuries of underinvestment '' in communities of color and those with low income .
Those groups are more likely to pay a higher portion of their income toward utility bills , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ benefit from existing programs that offer tax credits for things like solar panels and energy efficiency .
`` Oregon 's been a great state in making these investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy , '' Baraso says .
But `` we know that a majority of those beneficiaries were high-income households . ''
Anissa Pemberton , a program coordinator with the Coalition of Communities of Color , says that 's why the Clean Energy Fund was designed to allow underserved communities to apply for the money they need .
`` People of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ known for a long time that no one is coming to help us , '' Pemberton says .
`` We 've always had to find our own solutions . ''
Portland 's climate justice program has faced pushback from the business community over the 1 % surcharge on revenues it requires from retailers that make more than $ 1 billion nationally and $ 500,000 locally .
`` The stated goals are things the business community supports , '' says Andrew Hoan , president and CEO of the Portland Business Alliance .
`` The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , how they 're paying for it . ''
Hoan says the program 's original definition of large retailers was so broad it included retirement funds and garbage haulers .
His group got the city council to exempt those businesses .
This year they tried but failed to pause the clean energy tax to help struggling businesses during the pandemic .
So , businesses are still paying into the fund , but very little money has been invested , Hoan says .
`` This was approved in 2018 , and two years later @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the fund or job creation numbers that are available , '' he says .
So far , the program has only awarded small planning grants to help community groups develop their applications for larger grants .
Advocates say the pandemic has slowed their progress , but it 's also made the program even more important for the people it will help .
`` We see this as an economic recovery tool , '' Pemberton says .
`` I am hopeful that it will provide a stabilizing force for some low-income Portlanders , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a new job . ''
The city expects to offer its first $ 8.6 million in climate justice grants early next year .

Climate Justice Fund Counters 'Centuries Of Underinvestment'
Enlarge this image toggle caption Cassandra Profita/OPB Cassandra Profita/OPB
Letty Martinez, Shiny Flanary and Xochitl Garnica spent the spring and summer taming weeds and planting crops on their new 2-acre urban farming collective, which offers free produce to low-income customers. Now, they're hoping to add a greenhouse and lighting powered by solar panels.
"We're really off the grid," Garnica says. "So, all of that will really help us a lot, so we can help the community that really needs fresh produce."
These aren't typical Oregon farmers, more than 96 percent of whom are white.
To expand their farm, they're planning to apply for a grant through the Portland Clean Energy Fund — a first-of-its-kind climate action program that prioritizes people of color and those with low income.
Martinez says she hopes it will help make up for injustices in the current economic system, where too many people don't have access to healthy food.
"It doesn't work," Martinez says. "It doesn't consider everyone and a lot of people end up with nothing at the end of it, and we want folks to leave here with armfuls of whatever it is that they need."
While their farmland is providing valuable food, it's also preserving green space in the city and sequestering carbon in the soil. Plus, it creates farming jobs for people of color.
All of that fits with the mission of the Clean Energy Fund, an initiative Portland voters approved through a ballot measure in 2018.
Jo Ann Hardesty led the initiative as the first Black woman to serve on Portland's City Council, and calls the program her baby.
"This is a game-changer," Hardesty says. "We're talking about energy efficiency, but we're also talking about workforce development. If you look at the green field today it's predominantly white male."
Hardesty thinks the fund could be a national model.
Denver voters just approved a similar program. And President-elect Joe Biden's sweeping climate plan calls for targeting 40% of clean energy investments to disadvantaged communities.
"Centuries of underinvestment"
Portland's program taxes large retailers and should generate $40-60 million dollars a year for things like clean energy job training, weatherizing homes and adding rooftop solar panels. And it's all reserved for communities more likely to suffer from the effects of climate change —be it air pollution, extreme heat, or weather disasters.
Sam Baraso, who manages the PCEF program for the Portland Bureau of Planning and Sustainability, says the fund will help address "centuries of underinvestment" in communities of color and those with low income.
Those groups are more likely to pay a higher portion of their income toward utility bills, he says, and less likely to benefit from existing programs that offer tax credits for things like solar panels and energy efficiency.
"Oregon's been a great state in making these investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy," Baraso says. But "we know that a majority of those beneficiaries were high-income households."
Anissa Pemberton, a program coordinator with the Coalition of Communities of Color, says that's why the Clean Energy Fund was designed to allow underserved communities to apply for the money they need.
"People of color communities in general, we have known for a long time that no one is coming to help us," Pemberton says. "We've always had to find our own solutions."
Portland's climate justice program has faced pushback from the business community over the 1% surcharge on revenues it requires from retailers that make more than $1 billion nationally and $500,000 locally.
"The stated goals are things the business community supports," says Andrew Hoan, president and CEO of the Portland Business Alliance. "The disagreement is who is paying for this, how they're paying for it."
Hoan says the program's original definition of large retailers was so broad it included retirement funds and garbage haulers. His group got the city council to exempt those businesses.
This year they tried but failed to pause the clean energy tax to help struggling businesses during the pandemic. So, businesses are still paying into the fund, but very little money has been invested, Hoan says.
"This was approved in 2018, and two years later we are unaware of any large-scale expenses of the fund or job creation numbers that are available," he says.
So far, the program has only awarded small planning grants to help community groups develop their applications for larger grants. Advocates say the pandemic has slowed their progress, but it's also made the program even more important for the people it will help.
"We see this as an economic recovery tool," Pemberton says. "I am hopeful that it will provide a stabilizing force for some low-income Portlanders, especially the folks who are looking for a new job."
The city expects to offer its first $8.6 million in climate justice grants early next year.