npr--2020-12-14--In A Reversal, Trump Says White House Staff Won't Be 1st To Receive COVID-19 Vaccine

In A Reversal , Trump Says White House Staff Wo n't Be 1st To Receive COVID-19 Vaccine A Trump administration spokesman on Thursday said top officials in the three branches of government would be among the first to receive a coronavirus vaccine , but later in the evening , the president himself said most White House staff members will have to wait .
Top officials would be inoculated against the virus in the initial rollout of the vaccine to ensure the health of essential employees , National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot said in a Sunday evening statement , citing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ directive that `` calls for providing [ executive branch leadership ] personnel with the appropriate resources to perform their prescribed continuity roles and responsibilities . ''
`` Senior officials across all three branches of government will receive vaccinations pursuant to continuity of government protocols established in executive policy , '' he said .
The news comes as the first shipments of the vaccine , set to arrive at 145 sites across the country on Monday , are expected to go to front-line medical workers and nursing home residents .
`` The American people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same safe and effective vaccine as senior officials of the United States government on the advice of public health professionals and national security leadership , '' Ullyot said .
However , by Sunday night , Trump said he had requested a change in plans and that White House staff , including himself , would not be among the first to get the vaccine unless `` necessary . ''
`` People working in the White House should receive the vaccine somewhat later in the program , unless specifically necessary , '' he tweeted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adjustment be made .
I am not scheduled to take the vaccine , but look forward to doing so at the appropriate time .
Thank you ! ''
In early October , the president announced that he and the first lady had tested positive for the virus ; they were subsequently treated for COVID-19 and made a full recovery .
Trump 's infection was part of a larger `` superspreader '' event at the White House that infected several other White House officials .
Last week , federal public health officials endorsed the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ developed by Pfizer and BioNTech , as a potentially lifesaving treatment for a virus that has killed more than 299,000 in the country .
An advisory panel with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the vaccine , a day after the Food and Drug Administration granted it emergency use authorization .
When the U.K. officially kicked off its COVID-19 vaccination campaign last week , a 90-year-old woman became the first person to receive a shot of the Pfizer vaccine .

In Reversal, Trump Says White House Staff Won't Be 1st To Receive COVID-19 Vaccine
Enlarge this image toggle caption Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images
A Trump administration spokesman on Sunday said top officials in the three branches of government would be among the first to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, but later in the evening, the president himself said most White House staff members will have to wait.
Top officials would be inoculated against the virus in the initial rollout of the vaccine to ensure the health of essential employees, National Security Council spokesman John Ullyot said in a Sunday evening statement, citing the 2016 National Continuity Policy, a directive that "calls for providing [executive branch leadership] personnel with the appropriate resources to perform their prescribed continuity roles and responsibilities."
"Senior officials across all three branches of government will receive vaccinations pursuant to continuity of government protocols established in executive policy," he said.
The news comes as the first shipments of the vaccine, set to arrive at 145 sites across the country on Monday, are expected to go to front-line medical workers and nursing home residents.
"The American people should have confidence that they are receiving the same safe and effective vaccine as senior officials of the United States government on the advice of public health professionals and national security leadership," Ullyot said.
However, by Sunday night, Trump said he had requested a change in plans and that White House staff, including himself, would not be among the first to get the vaccine unless "necessary."
"People working in the White House should receive the vaccine somewhat later in the program, unless specifically necessary," he tweeted. "I have asked that this adjustment be made. I am not scheduled to take the vaccine, but look forward to doing so at the appropriate time. Thank you!"
In early October, the president announced that he and the first lady had tested positive for the virus; they were subsequently treated for COVID-19 and made a full recovery. Trump's infection was part of a larger "superspreader" event at the White House that infected several other White House officials.
Last week, federal public health officials endorsed the first COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S., developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, as a potentially lifesaving treatment for a virus that has killed more than 299,000 in the country. An advisory panel with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended the vaccine, a day after the Food and Drug Administration granted it emergency use authorization.
When the U.K. officially kicked off its COVID-19 vaccination campaign last week, a 90-year-old woman became the first person to receive a shot of the Pfizer vaccine.


npr--2020-12-14--Pastor Of Black Church Defaced In Protests: 'An Assault On Our Historical Resolve'

Pastor Of Black Church Defaced In Protests : 'An Assault On Our Historical Resolve' Black Lives Matters signs and banners on two historic Black churches were destroyed Saturday night during pro-Trump rallies in Washington , D.C. A video shows people who appeared to be affiliated with the Proud Boys , which is designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group , destroying a Black Lives Matter sign in front of the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church .
Another video shows men burning a Black Lives Matter sign taken from Asbury United Methodist Church while yelling `` f*** @ @ @ @ @ @ @ especially to see our name , Asbury , in flames , '' Ianther Mills , the pastor at Asbury United Methodist , said in a statement .
`` For me it was reminiscent of cross burnings . ''
D.C. police are investigating the incidents as possible hate crimes and are seeking suspects .
To these displays of hate and violence , William H. Lamar IV , the pastor at Metropolitan AME Church , took a long view .
`` We have not been distracted by signs , sounds or fury for nearly two @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` We worship .
We liberate .
We serve . ''
In an interview with NPR 's All Things Considered on Monday , Lamar says when he heard the news of the incident Sunday morning as he was preparing to lead worship in a digital service , he felt a confluence of emotions : rage , lament , resolve — even joy .
Metropolitan AME was founded in 1872 and is on the National Register of Historic Places .
Frederick Douglass worshiped there ; Ida B .
Wells and Booker T. Washington @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is it is indeed the longest continuously held piece of property with unbroken African-American ownership in the District of Columbia , '' Lamar explains .
He says he 's heard that people who carry out destruction like that on Saturday night are often acquainted with the history of a storied institution like Metropolitan AME .
`` So what they are doing in the contemporary moment is also an assault on our historical resolve , and our assertion that we belong here , that this space is our space and that we will not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ We will not be intimidated by persons who do n't celebrate our humanity and our contribution . ''
He called the attack a distraction from `` the kleptocratic capitalism that is robbing the poor , '' and from `` that gospel mandate to provide health care to persons who are succumbing to this virus . ''
`` It 's a distraction from the fact that from the time of expanding the franchise , persons have tried through poll taxes , through gerrymandering , through racist vigilante violence to keep people from the polls @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' he told NPR 's Mary Louise Kelly .
In the wake of the defacement , he says his congregation is doing what it has always done – expressing an `` indefatigable desire to make this nation what it claims to be , but never has been . ''
And what is that ?
`` A space that is welcoming of all , which is a democracy which America has not yet become . ''

Pastor Of Black Church Defaced In Protests: 'An Assault On Our Historical Resolve'
Enlarge this image toggle caption Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP
Black Lives Matters signs and banners on two historic Black churches were destroyed Saturday night during pro-Trump rallies in Washington, D.C.
A video shows people who appeared to be affiliated with the Proud Boys, which is designated by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group, destroying a Black Lives Matter sign in front of the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church.
Another video shows men burning a Black Lives Matter sign taken from Asbury United Methodist Church while yelling "f*** antifa."
"It pained me especially to see our name, Asbury, in flames," Ianther Mills, the pastor at Asbury United Methodist, said in a statement. "For me it was reminiscent of cross burnings."
D.C. police are investigating the incidents as possible hate crimes and are seeking suspects.
To these displays of hate and violence, William H. Lamar IV, the pastor at Metropolitan AME Church, took a long view. "We have not been distracted by signs, sounds or fury for nearly two centuries," Lamar tweeted on Sunday. "We worship. We liberate. We serve."
In an interview with NPR's All Things Considered on Monday, Lamar says when he heard the news of the incident Sunday morning as he was preparing to lead worship in a digital service, he felt a confluence of emotions: rage, lament, resolve — even joy.
Metropolitan AME was founded in 1872 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. Frederick Douglass worshiped there; Ida B. Wells and Booker T. Washington spoke there. "We tell people is it is indeed the longest continuously held piece of property with unbroken African-American ownership in the District of Columbia," Lamar explains.
He says he's heard that people who carry out destruction like that on Saturday night are often acquainted with the history of a storied institution like Metropolitan AME.
"So what they are doing in the contemporary moment is also an assault on our historical resolve, and our assertion that we belong here, that this space is our space and that we will not leave," Lamar says. "We will not be intimidated by persons who don't celebrate our humanity and our contribution."
He called the attack a distraction from "the kleptocratic capitalism that is robbing the poor," and from "that gospel mandate to provide health care to persons who are succumbing to this virus."
"It's a distraction from the fact that from the time of expanding the franchise, persons have tried through poll taxes, through gerrymandering, through racist vigilante violence to keep people from the polls to keep people from their power," he told NPR's Mary Louise Kelly.
In the wake of the defacement, he says his congregation is doing what it has always done – expressing an "indefatigable desire to make this nation what it claims to be, but never has been."
And what is that? "A space that is welcoming of all, which is a democracy which America has not yet become."


npr--2020-12-14--Psychologist On Why Funerals Are Fundamental To Processing Grief

Psychologist On Why Funerals Are Fundamental To Processing Grief As the U.S. marks 300,000 dead , it 's impossible to capture the grief families around the country are experiencing .
Each person who dies of COVID-19 has a story .
But many of those left behind no longer have access to the traditional ways of remembering the dead .
Funerals are often happening over Zoom or as stripped-down , socially distant affairs .
The lack of coming together to grieve will have long-term consequences even after the pandemic subsides , says Christy Denckla .
She is a research associate at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Public Health and a clinical psychologist specializing in grief .
`` Because it is ongoing , the scope of the loss is hard to appreciate in the moment , '' Denckla tells All Things Considered .
`` It will take time and there will be ripple effects for years after this as we grapple with the full scope of this loss . ''
Denckla talked about why funerals and coming together are important for people to process death .
Here are excerpts from the interview : What is it that we get from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how they help us grieve , how they help us heal ?
Funerals and the rituals that go along with mourning that loss are really fundamental to a number of processes .
They 're fundamental to how we mourn , to how we grieve , to how we reinforce social ties , to how we expand the social safety net in times of vulnerability and loss .
And more fundamentally , they reflect what it means for us to be human and for us to love and for us to connect .
And @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vary widely across the world .
But in each of these , they share a common infrastructure of bonding and gathering collectively .
Can you give any specifics on the consequences of not being able to mourn as we usually are ?
One of the things that we 're observing , or that we know about COVID so far , is that the typical ways that people begin to grapple with the death of loved ones is being lost .
People ca n't be at the bedside .
People ca n't say goodbye @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the loss comes unexpectedly .
And so we do know that there are multiple steps involved in coming to terms with the loss of a loved one .
And one of those is seeing the physical body .
And people now can not see the physical body because of the requirements of social distancing to prevent the spread .
This concerns me .
This is a troubling consequence of COVID-19 loss , and we do n't know how that will play out over time .
But we can expect that there will be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loss , as people mourn and grieve .
For those among us who are grieving right now and having to do so alone , do you have any advice ?
My best advice would be to connect .
There are aspects of grieving that are done alone , but there are also aspects of grieving that are done in community and groups .
And we must connect .
We must connect to friends .
We must connect to social support .
We must connect .
And this can be done virtually .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It can be done through social media .
The bereavement community has mounted a formidable response to provide online support services for people who are facing grief .
And what about not online ?
I 'm wondering if the value of a handwritten note of sympathy takes on even more meaning and comfort in this moment where we do n't have all of the other support structures in place ?
Absolutely .
Written notes , deliveries , offering tangible support , little things , going to the grocery store , helping to deal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ undone in mourning and grieving loved ones .
There are ways to offer tangible and emotional to those who are bereaved right now .
Meera Venkat and Courtney Dorning produced and edited the audio interview .

Psychologist On Why Funerals Are Fundamental To Processing Grief
Enlarge this image toggle caption Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images
As the U.S. marks 300,000 dead, it's impossible to capture the grief families around the country are experiencing.
Each person who dies of COVID-19 has a story. But many of those left behind no longer have access to the traditional ways of remembering the dead. Funerals are often happening over Zoom or as stripped-down, socially distant affairs.
Hugs aren't safe anymore.
The lack of coming together to grieve will have long-term consequences even after the pandemic subsides, says Christy Denckla. She is a research associate at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and a clinical psychologist specializing in grief.
"Because it is ongoing, the scope of the loss is hard to appreciate in the moment," Denckla tells All Things Considered. "It will take time and there will be ripple effects for years after this as we grapple with the full scope of this loss."
Denckla talked about why funerals and coming together are important for people to process death. Here are excerpts from the interview:
What is it that we get from a funeral in more normal times, how they help us grieve, how they help us heal?
Funerals and the rituals that go along with mourning that loss are really fundamental to a number of processes. They're fundamental to how we mourn, to how we grieve, to how we reinforce social ties, to how we expand the social safety net in times of vulnerability and loss. And more fundamentally, they reflect what it means for us to be human and for us to love and for us to connect.
And there are cultural practices for these that vary widely across the world. But in each of these, they share a common infrastructure of bonding and gathering collectively.
Can you give any specifics on the consequences of not being able to mourn as we usually are?
One of the things that we're observing, or that we know about COVID so far, is that the typical ways that people begin to grapple with the death of loved ones is being lost. People can't be at the bedside. People can't say goodbye to their loved ones. And often the loss comes unexpectedly.
And so we do know that there are multiple steps involved in coming to terms with the loss of a loved one. And one of those is seeing the physical body. And people now cannot see the physical body because of the requirements of social distancing to prevent the spread.
This concerns me. This is a troubling consequence of COVID-19 loss, and we don't know how that will play out over time. But we can expect that there will be potential difficulties, really grappling with the loss, as people mourn and grieve.
For those among us who are grieving right now and having to do so alone, do you have any advice?
My best advice would be to connect. There are aspects of grieving that are done alone, but there are also aspects of grieving that are done in community and groups. And we must connect. We must connect to friends. We must connect to social support. We must connect. And this can be done virtually. It can be done by phone calls. It can be done through social media. The bereavement community has mounted a formidable response to provide online support services for people who are facing grief.
And what about not online? I'm wondering if the value of a handwritten note of sympathy takes on even more meaning and comfort in this moment where we don't have all of the other support structures in place?
Absolutely. Written notes, deliveries, offering tangible support, little things, going to the grocery store, helping to deal with the many things that are left undone in mourning and grieving loved ones. There are ways to offer tangible and emotional to those who are bereaved right now.
Meera Venkat and Courtney Dorning produced and edited the audio interview.


npr--2020-12-14--William Barr To Step Down As Attorney General Before Christmas

William Barr To Step Down As Attorney General Before Christmas Attorney General William Barr , an outspoken proponent of conservative values and an expansive view of presidential power , will leave office before Christmas , President Trump announced in a tweet Monday afternoon .
Trump said he and Barr had a `` very nice meeting '' at the White House and that their `` relationship has been a very good one . ''
Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen will become acting attorney general , Trump said .
In a letter to the president , Barr said he is proud to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administration and said he would depart Dec. 23 .
Earlier this month , Barr said the Department of Justice found no evidence of widespread election fraud , directly contradicting Trump 's baseless claims that Democrats stole the election .
Ahead of the election , Barr had stood by the president , repeating his unsubstantiated claims that mail-in voting was ripe for fraud .
In less than two years on the job , Barr emerged as perhaps the most divisive attorney general in recent memory for a series of controversial actions , including his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report on the Russia investigation and his repeated false claims about the integrity of mail-in voting .
But his legacy will forever be stamped by his role leading the forceful removal of peaceful protesters from Lafayette Square in Washington , D.C. , in the summer of 2020 to clear the way for a presidential photo-op in front of a nearby church .
Barr joined the administration halfway through the president 's term and quickly emerged as one of Trump 's most loyal and effective defenders .
But he came under intense criticism from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — including even current federal prosecutors — for actions that raised questions about the department 's independence .
Barr was nominated in late 2018 to replace Jeff Sessions , a former senator from Alabama whose time as attorney general was in large part defined by relentless attacks from Trump — in private and in public — because Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation .
Trump considered that unforgivable and sought , but ultimately failed , to get Sessions to quash the investigation .
That was one reason why members of Congress viewed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been attorney general once before under President George H.W .
Bush — as a reassuring choice .
Republicans and Democrats alike had hopes that Barr could bring leadership and a steady hand to the department , which had found itself in the middle of Washington 's brutal partisan battles since the 2016 election .
By and large , Barr leaves a department still enjoying strong support from Republicans .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , R-Ky. , and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham of South Carolina repeatedly made clear their strong @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the other side of the aisle , however , is in tatters .
Democrats , after their initial cautious optimism , quickly soured on Barr .
That began with his handling of the rollout of Mueller 's report on Russian interference in the 2016 election .
The report documented numerous contacts between Trump associates and Russians but said the facts gathered did not establish there was a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin .
And Mueller 's team did not draw a conclusion on whether the president obstructed justice .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ said there was no evidence of obstruction , effectively clearing the president of any wrongdoing at a time before the report was published .
Democrats accused Barr of baking in the `` no collusion , no obstruction '' narrative before anyone else had a chance to see Mueller 's report .
Democrats were not alone in their criticism .
In March , U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton called Barr 's handling of the Mueller report `` distorted '' and `` misleading . ''
Walton , a George W. Bush appointee who was presiding @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Mueller report , said Barr 's actions raised questions about the attorney general 's credibility .
The Mueller report was just the beginning for Barr 's critics .
Democrats bristled over Barr 's statement that he believed the Trump campaign was `` spied on '' during the 2016 race , and his decision to appoint a veteran prosecutor , John Durham , to investigate the origins of the Russia probe .
All of that happened within the first few months of Barr 's tenure , dissolving any benefit of the doubt Democrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ community — had given him .
He did n't show up for a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee during a nadir in tensions with Democrats .
The Justice Department initially did n't give Congress the whistleblower complaint that detailed many of Trump 's actions in the Ukraine affair .
And Barr overruled career prosecutors in Washington , D.C. , in the case of Trump adviser Roger Stone ; Barr instructed them to ask for a lighter sentence .
He also intervened in the case against another former Trump insider , Michael Flynn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with the Russian ambassador .
The Justice Department , with Barr 's approval , moved to drop its prosecution of Flynn , although the presiding judge in the case balked .
Ultimately , Trump pardoned Flynn the day before Thanksgiving .
The Stone and Flynn decisions prompted an outcry from legal experts and former federal prosecutors , and raised concerns about the politicization of the department under Barr 's leadership .
Graham and other supporters said criticism over Barr 's actions was unmerited and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not done anything outside the realm of what any other attorney general would do .
And ultimately it was not partisan battles with Democrats that ushered Barr out the door but instead his fraying relationship with the president .
For much of Barr 's tenure , Trump singled him out for praise , calling Barr a `` credible guy , tough guy '' and a great attorney general .
But behind the scenes , Barr grew frustrated by the president 's tweets and public statements about the department 's ongoing cases , people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ general was sensitive about the perception that he was n't an independent officer but a political factotum of the president .
The public got its first glimpse of that in the uproar over Stone 's sentencing recommendation .
Barr said he decided on his own to intervene after lower-level prosecutors submitted their sentencing recommendations in Stone 's case .
But at nearly the same time , Trump also complained about the case on Twitter — feeding suspicions that Barr was acting at the president 's behest .
In an interview with ABC News @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the president 's tweets were making it `` impossible '' for him to his job .
He urged the president to stop publicly discussing the department 's work .
The president did not heed Barr 's advice .
In the days that followed , NPR learned that Barr told people around him he was considering quitting .
The two worked together through the tumultuous summer months , but the relationship unraveled after Trump 's election loss to Joe Biden .
The president refused to acknowledge his defeat , and he and his campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ stolen .
Nearly a month after the election , Barr told The Associated Press the Justice Department had found no evidence so far of any widespread fraud that would change the outcome of the election .
The remarks outraged Trump , who fired back that Barr `` has n't done anything '' and `` has n't looked '' for voter fraud .
Asked whether he still had confidence in his attorney general , the president replied : `` Ask me that in a number of weeks from now . ''

William Barr To Step Down As Attorney General Before Christmas
Enlarge this image toggle caption Brynn Anderson/AP Brynn Anderson/AP
Attorney General William Barr, an outspoken proponent of conservative values and an expansive view of presidential power, will leave office before Christmas, President Trump announced in a tweet Monday afternoon.
Trump said he and Barr had a "very nice meeting" at the White House and that their "relationship has been a very good one."
Deputy Attorney General Jeff Rosen will become acting attorney general, Trump said.
In a letter to the president, Barr said he is proud to have played a role in Trump's administration and said he would depart Dec. 23.
Earlier this month, Barr said the Department of Justice found no evidence of widespread election fraud, directly contradicting Trump's baseless claims that Democrats stole the election. Ahead of the election, Barr had stood by the president, repeating his unsubstantiated claims that mail-in voting was ripe for fraud.
In less than two years on the job, Barr emerged as perhaps the most divisive attorney general in recent memory for a series of controversial actions, including his handling of special counsel Robert Mueller's report on the Russia investigation and his repeated false claims about the integrity of mail-in voting.
But his legacy will forever be stamped by his role leading the forceful removal of peaceful protesters from Lafayette Square in Washington, D.C., in the summer of 2020 to clear the way for a presidential photo-op in front of a nearby church.
Barr joined the administration halfway through the president's term and quickly emerged as one of Trump's most loyal and effective defenders. But he came under intense criticism from Democrats and many in the legal community — including even current federal prosecutors — for actions that raised questions about the department's independence.
Barr was nominated in late 2018 to replace Jeff Sessions, a former senator from Alabama whose time as attorney general was in large part defined by relentless attacks from Trump — in private and in public — because Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation.
Trump considered that unforgivable and sought, but ultimately failed, to get Sessions to quash the investigation.
That was one reason why members of Congress viewed Barr — a prominent establishment Republican who had been attorney general once before under President George H.W. Bush — as a reassuring choice.
Republicans and Democrats alike had hopes that Barr could bring leadership and a steady hand to the department, which had found itself in the middle of Washington's brutal partisan battles since the 2016 election.
By and large, Barr leaves a department still enjoying strong support from Republicans. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham of South Carolina repeatedly made clear their strong support for him.
Barr's reputation on the other side of the aisle, however, is in tatters.
The rollout
Democrats, after their initial cautious optimism, quickly soured on Barr.
That began with his handling of the rollout of Mueller's report on Russian interference in the 2016 election.
The report documented numerous contacts between Trump associates and Russians but said the facts gathered did not establish there was a conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin. And Mueller's team did not draw a conclusion on whether the president obstructed justice.
Barr, however, did: He said there was no evidence of obstruction, effectively clearing the president of any wrongdoing at a time before the report was published.
Democrats accused Barr of baking in the "no collusion, no obstruction" narrative before anyone else had a chance to see Mueller's report.
Democrats were not alone in their criticism.
In March, U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton called Barr's handling of the Mueller report "distorted" and "misleading." Walton, a George W. Bush appointee who was presiding over a lawsuit seeking redacted portions of the Mueller report, said Barr's actions raised questions about the attorney general's credibility.
The Mueller report was just the beginning for Barr's critics.
Democrats bristled over Barr's statement that he believed the Trump campaign was "spied on" during the 2016 race, and his decision to appoint a veteran prosecutor, John Durham, to investigate the origins of the Russia probe.
All of that happened within the first few months of Barr's tenure, dissolving any benefit of the doubt Democrats — and many observers in the legal community — had given him.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Charles Rex Arbogast/AP Charles Rex Arbogast/AP
Attorney for the president?
Barr drew fire for other decisions.
He didn't show up for a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee during a nadir in tensions with Democrats. The Justice Department initially didn't give Congress the whistleblower complaint that detailed many of Trump's actions in the Ukraine affair.
And Barr overruled career prosecutors in Washington, D.C., in the case of Trump adviser Roger Stone; Barr instructed them to ask for a lighter sentence.
He also intervened in the case against another former Trump insider, Michael Flynn. The former national security adviser pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with the Russian ambassador.
The Justice Department, with Barr's approval, moved to drop its prosecution of Flynn, although the presiding judge in the case balked. Ultimately, Trump pardoned Flynn the day before Thanksgiving.
The Stone and Flynn decisions prompted an outcry from legal experts and former federal prosecutors, and raised concerns about the politicization of the department under Barr's leadership.
Graham and other supporters said criticism over Barr's actions was unmerited and politically driven. Backers say he has not done anything outside the realm of what any other attorney general would do.
And ultimately it was not partisan battles with Democrats that ushered Barr out the door but instead his fraying relationship with the president.
For much of Barr's tenure, Trump singled him out for praise, calling Barr a "credible guy, tough guy" and a great attorney general.
But behind the scenes, Barr grew frustrated by the president's tweets and public statements about the department's ongoing cases, people close to Barr say. The attorney general was sensitive about the perception that he wasn't an independent officer but a political factotum of the president.
The public got its first glimpse of that in the uproar over Stone's sentencing recommendation.
Barr said he decided on his own to intervene after lower-level prosecutors submitted their sentencing recommendations in Stone's case. But at nearly the same time, Trump also complained about the case on Twitter — feeding suspicions that Barr was acting at the president's behest.
In an interview with ABC News a few days later, Barr said the president's tweets were making it "impossible" for him to his job. He urged the president to stop publicly discussing the department's work.
The president did not heed Barr's advice. In the days that followed, NPR learned that Barr told people around him he was considering quitting.
The two worked together through the tumultuous summer months, but the relationship unraveled after Trump's election loss to Joe Biden.
The president refused to acknowledge his defeat, and he and his campaign pushed baseless claims the vote had been stolen.
Nearly a month after the election, Barr told The Associated Press the Justice Department had found no evidence so far of any widespread fraud that would change the outcome of the election.
The remarks outraged Trump, who fired back that Barr "hasn't done anything" and "hasn't looked" for voter fraud. Asked whether he still had confidence in his attorney general, the president replied: "Ask me that in a number of weeks from now."


npr--2020-12-14--Electoral College Affirms Biden Victory As Trump Continues Baseless Challenges

President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris received the needed majority of votes in the Electoral College on Monday in another step putting them closer toward taking the White House in January .
Following a presidential election year like no other in American history , the day included many unprecedented arrangements as electors met in state capitols — some locked down for fear of political violence — in convention centers and online to dole out the nation 's 538 Electoral College votes .
California 's 55 Electoral College votes pushed the ticket over the threshold of 270 needed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden ended with an expected 306 electoral votes .
Congress is set to meet on Jan. 6 to count the votes .
Biden and Harris are scheduled to take their oaths of office on Jan. 20 .
Under the Constitution , American voters in the presidential race support not candidates but electors — usually current and former party officials , state lawmakers and party activists — whose votes later in the process are formally what brings about the result of the election .
Those electors then meet on the first Monday after the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ votes .
Democrats ' 2016 presidential nominee , Hillary Clinton , and former President Bill Clinton , for example , both took part as New York state electors in Albany 's voting on Monday as electors for Biden .
In fact , Hillary Clinton restated her opposition to the Electoral College , which she and other critics call undemocratic , but said that while it still exists and she is a member , she would use her position on it to support Biden .
In recent decades , this process has been mostly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ main portion of the election .
But this year , outgoing President Trump and some of his supporters have drawn out objections to the result based on baseless claims about fraud or irregularities .
Those claims have led many Republicans to feel as though the election was stolen from them and also led to threats against election officials across the nation .
For that reason , Michigan held its proceedings Monday in a closed Capitol secured with a heavy police presence .
Arizona kept secret the location of its electors ' meeting , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ circumstance , until after the votes were completed .
`` This year 's proceeding , which only occurs every four years , has unfortunately had an artificial shadow cast over it in the form of baseless accusations of misconduct and fraud — for which no proof has been provided and which court after court has dismissed as unfounded , '' said Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs , a Democrat .
Claims by Trump and his supporters have been roundly rejected in courts at every level and throughout the United States , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last week by the U.S. Supreme Court .
A slew of sometimes humiliating rebukes by judges and a number of recounts — none of which changed the results — have n't stopped Trump and some of his most loyal supporters from claiming the election was somehow stolen .
Trump adviser Stephen Miller told Fox News on Monday morning that what he called the `` alternative slate '' of Republican electors would somehow continue to make the case for Trump and other supporters .
Federal law is clear , however , that results certified @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican state officials will prevail .
Election experts , including Ohio Northern University 's Robert Alexander , said Trump 's path to overturning the election result is essentially closed , even if the public messaging goes on .
`` I foresee shenanigans .
I foresee debate .
I foresee some drama , '' Alexander said .
`` But I do not foresee any change in the outcome when all the [ electoral ] votes are counted . ''
One dilemma for some state officials caught between their own responsibilities and Trump is trying @ @ @ @ @ @ @ supposed fraud that did not take place .
In Georgia , which has conducted three recounts , state elections officials said Monday they would conduct more after-the-fact analysis with a signature-matching audit — one that officials also said would not affect the state 's conclusion that Biden had won .

Electoral College Affirms Biden Victory As Trump Continues Baseless Challenges
Enlarge this image toggle caption Susan Walsh/AP Susan Walsh/AP
Updated at 8 p.m. ET
President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris received the needed majority of votes in the Electoral College on Monday in another step putting them closer toward taking the White House in January.
Following a presidential election year like no other in American history, the day included many unprecedented arrangements as electors met in state capitols — some locked down for fear of political violence — in convention centers and online to dole out the nation's 538 Electoral College votes.
California's 55 Electoral College votes pushed the ticket over the threshold of 270 needed to win. As later states voted, Biden ended with an expected 306 electoral votes. Congress is set to meet on Jan. 6 to count the votes. Biden and Harris are scheduled to take their oaths of office on Jan. 20.
What's the Electoral College?
Under the Constitution, American voters in the presidential race support not candidates but electors — usually current and former party officials, state lawmakers and party activists — whose votes later in the process are formally what brings about the result of the election.
Those electors then meet on the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December to cast their votes.
Democrats' 2016 presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton, and former President Bill Clinton, for example, both took part as New York state electors in Albany's voting on Monday as electors for Biden.
In fact, Hillary Clinton restated her opposition to the Electoral College, which she and other critics call undemocratic, but said that while it still exists and she is a member, she would use her position on it to support Biden.
In recent decades, this process has been mostly ceremonial and received less attention than the main portion of the election. But this year, outgoing President Trump and some of his supporters have drawn out objections to the result based on baseless claims about fraud or irregularities.
Those claims have led many Republicans to feel as though the election was stolen from them and also led to threats against election officials across the nation. For that reason, Michigan held its proceedings Monday in a closed Capitol secured with a heavy police presence.
Arizona kept secret the location of its electors' meeting, normally a dignified event with pomp and circumstance, until after the votes were completed.
"This year's proceeding, which only occurs every four years, has unfortunately had an artificial shadow cast over it in the form of baseless accusations of misconduct and fraud — for which no proof has been provided and which court after court has dismissed as unfounded," said Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat.
Claims by Trump and his supporters have been roundly rejected in courts at every level and throughout the United States, including Monday by the Wisconsin Supreme Court and last week by the U.S. Supreme Court.
The rhetoric persists
A slew of sometimes humiliating rebukes by judges and a number of recounts — none of which changed the results — haven't stopped Trump and some of his most loyal supporters from claiming the election was somehow stolen.
Trump adviser Stephen Miller told Fox News on Monday morning that what he called the "alternative slate" of Republican electors would somehow continue to make the case for Trump and other supporters.
Federal law is clear, however, that results certified across the country by both Democratic and Republican state officials will prevail.
Election experts, including Ohio Northern University's Robert Alexander, said Trump's path to overturning the election result is essentially closed, even if the public messaging goes on.
"I foresee shenanigans. I foresee debate. I foresee some drama," Alexander said. "But I do not foresee any change in the outcome when all the [electoral] votes are counted."
One dilemma for some state officials caught between their own responsibilities and Trump is trying to disprove the negative in accusations about supposed fraud that did not take place.
In Georgia, which has conducted three recounts, state elections officials said Monday they would conduct more after-the-fact analysis with a signature-matching audit — one that officials also said would not affect the state's conclusion that Biden had won.


npr--2020-12-14--Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules Trump Election Challenge 'Unreasonable In The Extreme'

It was close but in the end , the conservative-led Wisconsin Supreme Court on Monday rejected the Trump campaign 's bid to throw out more than 220,000 ballots from two Democratic county strongholds .
The move , which came just shortly before Electoral College voters were due to cast their ballots , ensured President-elect Joe Biden 's victory .
Conservative Justice Brian Hagedorn sided with the court 's three liberal members in the 4-3 ruling , finding Trump 's legal challenge to change Wisconsin 's certified election results `` unreasonable in the extreme '' and was filed too late .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ in this case ... come long after the last play or even the last game ; the Campaign is challenging the rulebook adopted before the season began , '' Hagedorn said in the 81-page decision .
`` Striking these votes now — after the election , and in only two of Wisconsin 's 72 counties when the disputed practices were followed by hundreds of thousands of absentee voters statewide — would be an extraordinary step for this court to take .
We will not do so . ''
Biden won the state by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cast in Dane and Milwaukee counties , where the campaign was seeking to disqualify ballots , exceed more than 28,000 .
Trump 's attorneys had argued that all in-person absentee votes in Dane and Milwaukee counties were cast without the required application .
But the court dismissed the campaign 's logic , noting that `` both counties did use an application form created , approved , and disseminated by the chief Wisconsin elections agency . ''
Further , the justices noted that the form in question , known as EL-122 , `` was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ streamline paperwork following the 2008 election , and has been available and in use ever since . ''
The justices were also critical of the Trump campaign 's delay in raising objections only after the election .
`` Waiting until after an election to challenge the sufficiency of a form application in use statewide for at least a decade is plainly unreasonable , '' Hagedorn wrote .
Shortly after the ruling was released , Wisconsin cast its 10 electoral votes for Biden .

Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules Trump Election Challenge 'Unreasonable In The Extreme'
Enlarge this image toggle caption Morry Gash/AP Morry Gash/AP
It was close but in the end, the conservative-led Wisconsin Supreme Court on Monday rejected the Trump campaign's bid to throw out more than 220,000 ballots from two Democratic county strongholds. The move, which came just shortly before Electoral College voters were due to cast their ballots, ensured President-elect Joe Biden's victory.
Conservative Justice Brian Hagedorn sided with the court's three liberal members in the 4-3 ruling, finding Trump's legal challenge to change Wisconsin's certified election results "unreasonable in the extreme" and was filed too late.
"The challenges raised by the Campaign in this case ... come long after the last play or even the last game; the Campaign is challenging the rulebook adopted before the season began," Hagedorn said in the 81-page decision.
"Striking these votes now — after the election, and in only two of Wisconsin's 72 counties when the disputed practices were followed by hundreds of thousands of absentee voters statewide — would be an extraordinary step for this court to take. We will not do so."
Biden won the state by more than 20,000 votes. The votes cast in Dane and Milwaukee counties, where the campaign was seeking to disqualify ballots, exceed more than 28,000.
Trump's attorneys had argued that all in-person absentee votes in Dane and Milwaukee counties were cast without the required application. But the court dismissed the campaign's logic, noting that "both counties did use an application form created, approved, and disseminated by the chief Wisconsin elections agency." Further, the justices noted that the form in question, known as EL-122, "was created in 2010 in an effort to streamline paperwork following the 2008 election, and has been available and in use ever since."
The justices were also critical of the Trump campaign's delay in raising objections only after the election.
"Waiting until after an election to challenge the sufficiency of a form application in use statewide for at least a decade is plainly unreasonable," Hagedorn wrote.
Shortly after the ruling was released, Wisconsin cast its 10 electoral votes for Biden.


npr--2020-12-14--U.K. Will Make It Easier For Gay And Bisexual Men To Donate Blood

U.K. Will Make It Easier For Gay And Bisexual Men To Donate Blood Britain has announced changes that will allow more gay and bixsexual men to donate blood – a major victory for campaigners who had sought changes to the rules they said treated all gay and bi men as posing an increased risk of infection .
Previously , the government 's donor policy dictated that men who have sex with men had to abstain for three months in order to donate .
The new rules do away with asking about gender and sexuality , and instead focus on individual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will go into effect in summer 2021 .
Under the new policy , anyone who has the same sexual partner for more than three months — irrespective of gender or sexuality— will be eligible to donate , so long as there is no known exposure to a sexually-transmitted infection or use of the HIV prophylaxes PreP or PEP .
`` Donors will no longer be asked to declare if they have had sex with another man , making the criteria for blood donation gender neutral and more inclusive , '' the National Health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other deferrals will also be introduced for the other higher risk sexual behaviours identified , such as if a person recently had chemsex [ using drugs to enhance sex ] , and updated for anyone who has had syphilis . ''
The policy change should help an effort by the NHS to get more men to donate blood .
In January , the public health body set a target to get 26 % more male blood donors , noting a significant gender imbalance among donors .
`` This is a concern because men @ @ @ @ @ @ @ men 's blood can be used for some transfusions and products , '' it explained .
The changes announced Monday were made on the recommendations of a working group called FAIR ( For the Assessment of Individualised Risk ) , which brought together U.K. blood services and LGBT organizations to see if sexual behaviors could be an effective method of assessing individual risk of STIs , which can be transmitted via blood transfusions .
FAIR 's evidence review found that `` people with multiple partners or who have chemsex are the most likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ strong link between HIV and a history of syphilis or gonorrhea ; and receiving anal sex was identified as the easiest way to acquire a sexual infection from a partner . ''
Su Brailsford , Associate Medical Director at NHS Blood and Transplant and chair of FAIR , said the changes are `` just the beginning '' of assessing blood donation eligibility in a more individualized way .
`` Patients rely on the generosity and altruism of donors for their lifesaving blood .
We are proud to have the safest blood supply in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have concluded that these new changes to donor selection will keep blood just as safe , '' she said in a statement .
The U.K. health secretary also trumpeted the new policies .
`` This landmark change to blood donation is safe and it will allow many more people , who have previously been excluded by donor selection criteria , to take the opportunity to help save lives , '' Matt Hancock said in a statement .
`` This is a positive step and recognises individuals for the actions they take , rather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 1985 , the U.K. had a lifetime ban on blood donations from men who have sex with men .
From 2011 in most of the U.K. , gay men were permitted to donate after 12 months of abstinence .
In 2017 , the U.K. changed that deferral period to 3 months .
The organization Freedom To Donate had pushed for the policies to change .
`` This is just huge , '' Ethan Spibey , the group 's founder , said in an interview with Sky News .
He said his grandfather @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eight pints of blood , and Spibey wanted to repay the donors ' generosity .
He said his heart sank when he looked at the questionnaire to donate blood , and realized he would be barred from doing so : `` I felt guilty , I just felt shame . ''
Spibey said they worked since 2014 to campaign for `` not just a fair and equal policy , but one which can unlock potentially thousands of safe donors in a way that allows gay and bisexual men to donate and be judged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of their sexuality . ''
In 2015 , the U.S. lifted its lifetime ban on men who have sex with men from donating blood — a policy that had been in place since 1983 .
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced in April that it was relaxing its rules on blood donations by men who have sex with men , shortening the required period of abstention before donating from 12 months to 3 months .
Two weeks later , more than 500 doctors , public health specialists and researchers sent a letter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had not gone far enough , and advocated for a policy focused on specific high-risk behaviors rather than sexuality and gender .
The Red Cross said in June that it was facing a drastic shortage of blood amid the coronavirus pandemic , which has led to the cancellation of blood drives and a `` staggering '' drop in supply .

U.K. Will Make It Easier For Gay And Bisexual Men To Donate Blood
Enlarge this image toggle caption Piyanat Booncharoen / EyeEm/Getty Images/EyeEm Piyanat Booncharoen / EyeEm/Getty Images/EyeEm
Britain has announced changes that will allow more gay and bixsexual men to donate blood – a major victory for campaigners who had sought changes to the rules they said treated all gay and bi men as posing an increased risk of infection.
Previously, the government's donor policy dictated that men who have sex with men had to abstain for three months in order to donate.
The new rules do away with asking about gender and sexuality, and instead focus on individual behaviors to assess risk. The changes will go into effect in summer 2021.
Under the new policy, anyone who has the same sexual partner for more than three months — irrespective of gender or sexuality— will be eligible to donate, so long as there is no known exposure to a sexually-transmitted infection or use of the HIV prophylaxes PreP or PEP.
"Donors will no longer be asked to declare if they have had sex with another man, making the criteria for blood donation gender neutral and more inclusive," the National Health Service explains. "A set of other deferrals will also be introduced for the other higher risk sexual behaviours identified, such as if a person recently had chemsex [using drugs to enhance sex], and updated for anyone who has had syphilis."
The policy change should help an effort by the NHS to get more men to donate blood. In January, the public health body set a target to get 26% more male blood donors, noting a significant gender imbalance among donors. "This is a concern because men have higher iron levels, and only men's blood can be used for some transfusions and products," it explained.
The changes announced Monday were made on the recommendations of a working group called FAIR (For the Assessment of Individualised Risk), which brought together U.K. blood services and LGBT organizations to see if sexual behaviors could be an effective method of assessing individual risk of STIs, which can be transmitted via blood transfusions.
FAIR's evidence review found that "people with multiple partners or who have chemsex are the most likely to have blood-borne sexual infections; a strong link between HIV and a history of syphilis or gonorrhea; and receiving anal sex was identified as the easiest way to acquire a sexual infection from a partner."
Su Brailsford, Associate Medical Director at NHS Blood and Transplant and chair of FAIR, said the changes are "just the beginning" of assessing blood donation eligibility in a more individualized way.
"Patients rely on the generosity and altruism of donors for their lifesaving blood. We are proud to have the safest blood supply in the world and I'm pleased to have concluded that these new changes to donor selection will keep blood just as safe," she said in a statement.
The U.K. health secretary also trumpeted the new policies. "This landmark change to blood donation is safe and it will allow many more people, who have previously been excluded by donor selection criteria, to take the opportunity to help save lives," Matt Hancock said in a statement. "This is a positive step and recognises individuals for the actions they take, rather than their sexual preference."
Beginning in 1985, the U.K. had a lifetime ban on blood donations from men who have sex with men. From 2011 in most of the U.K., gay men were permitted to donate after 12 months of abstinence. In 2017, the U.K. changed that deferral period to 3 months.
The organization Freedom To Donate had pushed for the policies to change.
"This is just huge," Ethan Spibey, the group's founder, said in an interview with Sky News.
He said his grandfather had a major operation where he needed eight pints of blood, and Spibey wanted to repay the donors' generosity. He said his heart sank when he looked at the questionnaire to donate blood, and realized he would be barred from doing so: "I felt guilty, I just felt shame."
Spibey said they worked since 2014 to campaign for "not just a fair and equal policy, but one which can unlock potentially thousands of safe donors in a way that allows gay and bisexual men to donate and be judged as people, not on the basis of their sexuality."
In 2015, the U.S. lifted its lifetime ban on men who have sex with men from donating blood — a policy that had been in place since 1983.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced in April that it was relaxing its rules on blood donations by men who have sex with men, shortening the required period of abstention before donating from 12 months to 3 months.
Two weeks later, more than 500 doctors, public health specialists and researchers sent a letter to the FDA objecting that the changes had not gone far enough, and advocated for a policy focused on specific high-risk behaviors rather than sexuality and gender.
The Red Cross said in June that it was facing a drastic shortage of blood amid the coronavirus pandemic, which has led to the cancellation of blood drives and a "staggering" drop in supply.


npr--2020-12-14--'In America, Politicians Don't Take Power': Biden Harshly Rebukes Trump Over Election

'In America , Politicians Do n't Take Power ' : Biden Harshly Rebukes Trump Over Election On the day electors around the country voted to reaffirm his victory , President-elect Joe Biden called for Americans to come together in unity and healing , vowing to help pull the nation through the coronavirus pandemic and criticizing the dangerous and false rhetoric of election malfeasance that some Republicans have promoted .
He delivered a clear rebuke to President Trump , who continues to challenge the results unsuccessfully .
`` In America , politicians do n't take power — people grant power to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The flame of democracy was lit in this nation a long time ago .
And we now know nothing — not even a pandemic — or an abuse of power — can extinguish that flame . ''
Biden called on Americans to `` turn the page '' and focus on the `` urgent work '' of controlling the coronavirus pandemic and recovering the economy .
Biden 's remarks came as the typically procedural Electoral College vote marked one of the final ministerial steps in the Democrat 's White House victory against Trump .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ defeat in the race and has for weeks waged long-shot challenges to overturn Biden 's overwhelming victory in both the popular and electoral vote .
Biden won the popular vote — the number of ballots Americans cast in favor of one candidate or another — by a tally of nearly 7 million .
He won the electoral vote , which ultimately determines the White House victor , by amassing 306 of the requisite 270 electoral votes .
On Monday , the president-elect 's win was sealed when electors across the country cast their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I said through this campaign , I will be a president for all Americans .
I will work just as hard for those of you who did n't vote for me as I will for those who did . ''
Biden 's victory was fueled in large part by Americans ' response to the coronavirus pandemic .
On Monday , the U.S. hit a record of 300,000 deaths from COVID-19 — a startling death toll in a pandemic that has divided the nation on political terms .
Biden called the deaths `` a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spoke to the difficult time many American families will face in the holiday season .
`` My heart goes out to each of you in this dark winter of the pandemic .
About to spend the holidays and the new year with a black hole in your hearts , without the ones you loved at your side , '' Biden said .
`` My heart goes out to all of you who have fallen on hard times through no fault of your own , unable to sleep at night , staring at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of what tomorrow will bring for you — and equally important — for your family . ''

'In America, Politicians Don't Take Power': Biden Harshly Rebukes Trump Over Election
Enlarge this image toggle caption Drew Angerer/Getty Images Drew Angerer/Getty Images
Updated at 9:18 p.m. ET
On the day electors around the country voted to reaffirm his victory, President-elect Joe Biden called for Americans to come together in unity and healing, vowing to help pull the nation through the coronavirus pandemic and criticizing the dangerous and false rhetoric of election malfeasance that some Republicans have promoted.
He delivered a clear rebuke to President Trump, who continues to challenge the results unsuccessfully. "In America, politicians don't take power — people grant power to them," Biden said.
"The flame of democracy was lit in this nation a long time ago. And we now know nothing — not even a pandemic — or an abuse of power — can extinguish that flame."
Biden called on Americans to "turn the page" and focus on the "urgent work" of controlling the coronavirus pandemic and recovering the economy.
Biden's remarks came as the typically procedural Electoral College vote marked one of the final ministerial steps in the Democrat's White House victory against Trump.
The Republican president hasn't acknowledged his defeat in the race and has for weeks waged long-shot challenges to overturn Biden's overwhelming victory in both the popular and electoral vote.
Biden won the popular vote — the number of ballots Americans cast in favor of one candidate or another — by a tally of 7 million. He won the electoral vote, which ultimately determines the White House victor, by amassing 306 of the requisite 270 electoral votes.
On Monday, the president-elect's win was sealed when electors across the country cast their votes for the Democrat.
"As I said through this campaign, I will be a president for all Americans. I will work just as hard for those of you who didn't vote for me as I will for those who did."
Biden's victory was fueled in large part by Americans' response to the coronavirus pandemic.
On Monday, the U.S. hit a record of 300,000 deaths from COVID-19 — a startling death toll in a pandemic that has divided the nation on political terms. Biden called the deaths "a grim milestone" in the pandemic and spoke to the difficult time many American families will face in the holiday season.
"My heart goes out to each of you in this dark winter of the pandemic. About to spend the holidays and the new year with a black hole in your hearts, without the ones you loved at your side," Biden said. "My heart goes out to all of you who have fallen on hard times through no fault of your own, unable to sleep at night, staring at the ceiling, weighed down by the worry of what tomorrow will bring for you — and equally important — for your family."


npr--2020-12-14--Canada Administers Its 1st COVID-19 Vaccine Shots

Canada began administering doses of Pfizer 's COVID-19 vaccine on Monday , with elderly people and front-line workers among the first to receive shots .
In Quebec , 89-year-old Gisèle Lévesque , a resident of the Saint-Antoine nursing home in Quebec City , became the first person in the province hit hardest by the pandemic to receive a vaccine , at around 11:30 a.m. Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu appeared outside the Maimonides Geriatric Centre in Montreal in the afternoon , with newly vaccinated 78-year-old Gloria Lallouz .
`` I felt emotional because I know how worried and anxious families @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country , '' Hajdu said .
`` I see this as the first step forward into the light , and moving back into a place of confidence where Canadians can start to see the beginning of the end of this thing . ''
Canada joins the United Kingdom and the United States as the first Western countries to give citizens the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech , as the coronavirus pandemic rages toward winter .
Each of Canada 's provinces has identified its own priority groups for vaccination .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ coats applauded as Anita Quidangen , a personal support worker at Toronto 's Rekai Centre nursing home , received the first vaccine administered in Ontario .
Together , Quebec and Ontario have seen more than 85 % of the 13,341 COVID-linked deaths in Canada since the spring .
The country has reported more than 460,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus .
The federal minister for public services and procurement , Anita Anand , said Monday that Canada is on track to receive up to 249,000 doses by the end of the year , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people .
Inoculation takes two doses , delivered 21 days apart .
`` We are dealing with an incredibly competitive global environment , '' Anand said .
`` It 's very much the long game here . ''
Canada is also reviewing data on the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Moderna for possible authorization and has contracts with other companies developing their own vaccine candidates but no domestic production .
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last month that the majority of Canadians could receive vaccinations by September .

Canada Administers Its 1st COVID-19 Vaccine Shots
Enlarge this image toggle caption Carlos Osorio/Reuters Carlos Osorio/Reuters
Canada began administering doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, with elderly people and front-line workers among the first to receive shots.
In Quebec, 89-year-old Gisèle Lévesque, a resident of the Saint-Antoine nursing home in Quebec City, became the first person in the province hit hardest by the pandemic to receive a vaccine, at around 11:30 a.m.
Federal Health Minister Patty Hajdu appeared outside the Maimonides Geriatric Centre in Montreal in the afternoon, with newly vaccinated 78-year-old Gloria Lallouz.
"I felt emotional because I know how worried and anxious families and health care workers are all across the country," Hajdu said. "I see this as the first step forward into the light, and moving back into a place of confidence where Canadians can start to see the beginning of the end of this thing."
Canada joins the United Kingdom and the United States as the first Western countries to give citizens the COVID-19 vaccine developed by Pfizer and BioNTech, as the coronavirus pandemic rages toward winter.
Each of Canada's provinces has identified its own priority groups for vaccination.
In Toronto, spectators in scrubs and lab coats applauded as Anita Quidangen, a personal support worker at Toronto's Rekai Centre nursing home, received the first vaccine administered in Ontario.
Together, Quebec and Ontario have seen more than 85% of the 13,341 COVID-linked deaths in Canada since the spring. The country has reported more than 460,000 confirmed cases of the coronavirus.
The federal minister for public services and procurement, Anita Anand, said Monday that Canada is on track to receive up to 249,000 doses by the end of the year, toward vaccinating a population of 37 million people. Inoculation takes two doses, delivered 21 days apart.
"We are dealing with an incredibly competitive global environment," Anand said. "It's very much the long game here."
Canada is also reviewing data on the COVID-19 vaccine produced by Moderna for possible authorization and has contracts with other companies developing their own vaccine candidates but no domestic production.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last month that the majority of Canadians could receive vaccinations by September.


npr--2020-12-14--How Do We Grieve 300,000 Lives Lost?

How Do We Grieve 300,000 Lives Lost?

How Do We Grieve 300,000 Lives Lost ?
More than 300,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the United States .
It is the latest sign of a generational tragedy — one still unfolding in every corner of the country — that leaves in its wake an expanse of grief that can not be captured in a string of statistics .
`` The numbers do not reflect that these were people , '' says Brian Walter , whose 80-year-old father , John , died from COVID-19 .
`` Everyone lost was a father or a mother , they had kids @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people behind . ''
There is no analogue in recent U.S history to the scale of death brought on by the coronavirus , which now runs unchecked in countless towns , cities and states .
It 's equivalent to Sept. 11 happening nearly 100 times .
One person now dies every 36 seconds from COVID-19 .
`` We 're seeing some of the most deadly days in American history , '' says Dr. Craig Spencer , director of global health in emergency medicine at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center .
During the last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cause of death in the U.S. , outpacing even heart disease and cancer .
`` That should be absolutely stunning , '' Spencer says .
`` At what point do we wake up and say , this ca n't be normalized ? ''
And yet the most deadly days of the pandemic are still to come .
By the end of January , the U.S. is expected to have lost more people to COVID-19 than service members in World War II , according to projections from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with a rapid rollout of vaccines , the U.S. may reach a total of more than half a million deaths by the spring , says Ali Mokdad of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation .
Some of those deaths could still be averted .
If everyone simply began wearing face masks , more than 50,000 lives could be saved , the institute 's model shows .
And social distancing could make a difference , too .
No other country has come close to the calamitous death toll in the United States .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Black and Hispanic/Latinos are nearly three times more likely to die from COVID-19 than whites .
`` I 'm really amazed at how we have this sense of apathy , '' says Dr. Gbenga Ogedegbe , a professor of medicine and population health at New York University Grossman School of Medicine .
He says there 's evidence that socioeconomic factors , not underlying health problems , explain the disproportionate share of deaths .
The disease , he says , reveals `` the chronic neglect of Black and brown communities '' in this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , for bereaved families and for front-line workers who care for people to their dying moment , every life is precious .
Here are reflections from people who 've witnessed this loss — how they are processing the grief and what they wish the rest of America understood : '' There are things that we can do to still make a difference '' Darrell Owens , a doctor of nursing practice in Seattle , was startled to learn recently he had signed more death certificates for COVID-19 than anyone else in Washington state @ @ @ @ @ @ @ at the University of Washington Medical Center-Northwest , where he 's treated COVID-19 patients since early spring .
`` I 'm feeling much more anger and frustration than I did before because much of what we 're dealing with now was preventable , '' Owens says .
`` We 're all in this great big storm , but some people are in a yacht and some people are on a cruise ship and some people are on a raft , '' he adds .
`` We 're not all in this together .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ and meaning as he cares for the dying .
`` The other day , there was a lady I was taking care of who 'd come from a local nursing home , and it was very clear that she was nearing the end ; her breathing patterns had changed , '' Owens says .
`` I just picked up her hand .
I sat there .
I held her hand for about 25 minutes until she took her last breath . ''
He stepped out and called the patient 's daughter .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that her mom was not alone , '' he says .
`` What an incredible gift that she gave me and that I was able to give her daughter .
So there are things that we can do to still make a difference . ''
''It 's not a hoax , and you will not understand how horrible this is until it enters your family '' Since his father died of COVID-19 in the spring , Brian Walter of New York City has helped run a support group on Facebook for people who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It 's helped him grieve his father , John , whom he described as a loving man dedicated to his autistic grandson and to running a youth program for teenagers .
`` It 's been lifesaving in a lot of ways , '' Walter says .
`` Together , we face a lot of issues since we are grieving in isolation .
But at the same time , we 're also dealing with people that openly tell us that this is not a real condition , that this is not a real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ admit that they denied the severity of the virus and shunned precautions until it was too late .
`` It 's not a joke , it 's not a hoax , and you will not understand how horrible this is until it enters your family and takes away someone , '' he says .
All of this complicates the grief , but it has also led Walter and others in his group to speak out and share their stories , so that numbers do n't obscure the actual people who were leading full @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I know what it 's like to have to say goodbye to somebody over a Zoom call and to not have a funeral , '' Walter says .
`` You look at these things and say : 'There are hundreds of thousands of people that are going to be experiencing this before it 's over . '
`` '' 300,000 stories that got shut down too quickly '' Martha Phillips , an emergency room nurse who took assignments in New York and Texas in the spring and summer , says there is one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the grief of the many whose deaths she has witnessed .
It was the last COVID-19 patient she cared for in Houston .
`` I reached down to just adjust her oxygen tubing just a little bit , '' Phillips recalls .
`` And she looks up at me and she sees me through my goggles and my mask and my shield and meets my eyes and she goes , 'Do you think I 'm going to get better ? '
`` '' What do you say to someone who 's not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ much to live for , but got this and now they 're trapped ? ''
Phillips remembered her name .
Two months later , she discovered the woman 's obituary online .
`` That one was the hardest , '' she says .
`` But there 's 300,000 people who had time left that was stolen from them , 300,000 stories that got shut down too quickly . ''
`` Often what is most healing is ... to not be alone with it '' Katherine Evering-Rowe , a therapist in Philadelphia , helps @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provides free counseling for people in their 20s and 30s who 've lost someone to the disease .
`` We 're hearing that it just feels like there are n't so many people in their lives that really get what losses to COVID are like for them , '' she says .
`` These are so often preventable losses . ''
People have a range of feelings when they 're grieving , but Evering-Rowe says there is more anger and isolation with COVID-19 .
`` Often what is most healing is ... to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ able to talk to other people , being able to congregate , to feel supported , '' she says .
`` And one of the big tragedies of COVID is that 's not something available to people in the same way . ''
Many young adults are enduring the loss of a parent — in some cases it 's both parents or an entire household , she says .
These deaths have come when they still expected to have ample time left with their parents .
And she says typically there are not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to process this kind of loss together — let alone hundreds of thousands of them all at once .
`` I think people are grieving one life at a time , and that 's a lot of grief , '' she says .
`` This is worse than being in war '' ER doctor Cleavon Gilman , a veteran of the Iraq War , says it 's still hard to communicate the brutality of a disease that kills people in the privacy of a hospital wing , not on the streets .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of coffee , tell my family goodbye and go into the hospital , where there are tens of patients who are critically ill , gasping for breath and getting intubated and dying , '' he says .
When Gilman was in New York City during the spring surge , he never imagined the U.S. would be losing thousands of people each day to COVID-19 so many months later .
`` That 300,000 Americans would be dead and life would go on and people would not have empathy for their fellow Americans , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you this is worse than being in war . ''
The enemy is invisible , he says , the war zone is everywhere , and many refuse to take the most simple actions to combat the virus , even as morgues fill up in their own community .
`` I call this a crime against humanity , because that 's exactly what this is . ''
Throughout the pandemic , Gilman has shared photos and stories of people who 've died from COVID-19 each day on social media .
He wishes someone in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do the same .
`` All the people that you 're not going to see a big article about and you 're not going to hear about them anywhere else , '' he says .
`` It 's really important to honor them . ''
''Nobody wants to hear sad stories like these '' Nurse Jessica Scarlett saw more death in three months of caring for COVID-19 patients in McAllen , Texas , than she did in her previous 15 years as a nurse .
`` It was just extremely difficult to see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
`` We 'd see families praying in front of the hospital , praying for us and for their family on our way into work . ''
It was unlike any nursing she 'd ever done before .
Almost the entire hospital was on oxygen .
Nurses would sit at the foot of the bed because there was n't any other space .
She became intimately familiar with the progression of the disease , with patients needing more and more help breathing until eventually being placed on life support .
`` And there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she says .
`` There was one guy , he would always say , 'Please sit with me — I 'm really scared . '
And the day before I left , he was intubated . ''
After that , Scarlett says she needed a break from such a `` tremendous amount of death . ''
She 's still trying to grasp all the tragedy , seeing daughters and mothers ending up in the hospital after a family reunion .
What happened inside that hospital felt like its own separate reality .
She @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with almost anyone else , except other nurses .
`` Nobody wants to hear sad stories like these , people do n't want to , '' she says .
This story comes from NPR 's reporting partnership with KHN ( Kaiser Health News ) .

How Do We Grieve 300,000 Lives Lost?
Enlarge this image toggle caption Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images
More than 300,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the United States.
It is the latest sign of a generational tragedy — one still unfolding in every corner of the country — that leaves in its wake an expanse of grief that cannot be captured in a string of statistics.
"The numbers do not reflect that these were people," says Brian Walter, whose 80-year-old father, John, died from COVID-19. "Everyone lost was a father or a mother, they had kids, they had family, they left people behind."
There is no analogue in recent U.S history to the scale of death brought on by the coronavirus, which now runs unchecked in countless towns, cities and states.
It's equivalent to Sept. 11 happening nearly 100 times. One person now dies every 36 seconds from COVID-19.
"We're seeing some of the most deadly days in American history," says Dr. Craig Spencer, director of global health in emergency medicine at New York-Presbyterian/Columbia University Medical Center.
During the last two weeks, COVID-19 was the leading cause of death in the U.S., outpacing even heart disease and cancer.
Enlarge this image toggle caption John Moore/Getty Images John Moore/Getty Images
"That should be absolutely stunning," Spencer says. "At what point do we wake up and say, this can't be normalized?"
And yet the most deadly days of the pandemic are still to come.
By the end of January, the U.S. is expected to have lost more people to COVID-19 than service members in World War II, according to projections from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington.
Even with a rapid rollout of vaccines, the U.S. may reach a total of more than half a million deaths by the spring, says Ali Mokdad of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.
Some of those deaths could still be averted. If everyone simply began wearing face masks, more than 50,000 lives could be saved, the institute's model shows. And social distancing could make a difference, too.
No other country has come close to the calamitous death toll in the United States. And the disease has amplified entrenched inequalities. Black and Hispanic/Latinos are nearly three times more likely to die from COVID-19 than whites.
"I'm really amazed at how we have this sense of apathy," says Dr. Gbenga Ogedegbe, a professor of medicine and population health at New York University Grossman School of Medicine. He says there's evidence that socioeconomic factors, not underlying health problems, explain the disproportionate share of deaths.
The disease, he says, reveals "the chronic neglect of Black and brown communities" in this country.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jae C. Hong/AP Jae C. Hong/AP
Though the numbers are numbing, for bereaved families and for front-line workers who care for people to their dying moment, every life is precious.
Here are reflections from people who've witnessed this loss — how they are processing the grief and what they wish the rest of America understood:
"There are things that we can do to still make a difference"
Darrell Owens, a doctor of nursing practice in Seattle, was startled to learn recently he had signed more death certificates for COVID-19 than anyone else in Washington state.
Owens runs the palliative care program at the University of Washington Medical Center-Northwest, where he's treated COVID-19 patients since early spring.
"I'm feeling much more anger and frustration than I did before because much of what we're dealing with now was preventable," Owens says.
"We're all in this great big storm, but some people are in a yacht and some people are on a cruise ship and some people are on a raft," he adds. "We're not all in this together."
Owens still finds moments of grace and meaning as he cares for the dying.
"The other day, there was a lady I was taking care of who'd come from a local nursing home, and it was very clear that she was nearing the end; her breathing patterns had changed," Owens says. "I just picked up her hand. I sat there. I held her hand for about 25 minutes until she took her last breath."
He stepped out and called the patient's daughter.
"It made such a difference for her that her mom was not alone," he says. "What an incredible gift that she gave me and that I was able to give her daughter. So there are things that we can do to still make a difference."
''It's not a hoax, and you will not understand how horrible this is until it enters your family"
Since his father died of COVID-19 in the spring, Brian Walter of New York City has helped run a support group on Facebook for people who've lost family and friends to COVID-19.
It's helped him grieve his father, John, whom he described as a loving man dedicated to his autistic grandson and to running a youth program for teenagers.
"It's been lifesaving in a lot of ways," Walter says. "Together, we face a lot of issues since we are grieving in isolation. But at the same time, we're also dealing with people that openly tell us that this is not a real condition, that this is not a real issue."
Some in their group admit that they denied the severity of the virus and shunned precautions until it was too late.
"It's not a joke, it's not a hoax, and you will not understand how horrible this is until it enters your family and takes away someone," he says.
All of this complicates the grief, but it has also led Walter and others in his group to speak out and share their stories, so that numbers don't obscure the actual people who were leading full lives before dying from COVID-19.
"I know what it's like to have to say goodbye to somebody over a Zoom call and to not have a funeral," Walter says. "You look at these things and say: 'There are hundreds of thousands of people that are going to be experiencing this before it's over.' "
"300,000 stories that got shut down too quickly"
Martha Phillips, an emergency room nurse who took assignments in New York and Texas in the spring and summer, says there is one patient who has become almost a stand-in for the grief of the many whose deaths she has witnessed.
It was the last COVID-19 patient she cared for in Houston.
"I reached down to just adjust her oxygen tubing just a little bit," Phillips recalls. "And she looks up at me and she sees me through my goggles and my mask and my shield and meets my eyes and she goes, 'Do you think I'm going to get better?' "
Enlarge this image toggle caption Go Nakamura/Getty Images Go Nakamura/Getty Images
"What do you say to someone who's not ready to die? Who has so much to live for, but got this and now they're trapped?"
Phillips remembered her name. Two months later, she discovered the woman's obituary online.
"That one was the hardest," she says. "But there's 300,000 people who had time left that was stolen from them, 300,000 stories that got shut down too quickly."
"Often what is most healing is ... to not be alone with it"
Katherine Evering-Rowe, a therapist in Philadelphia, helps run the COVID Grief Network, which provides free counseling for people in their 20s and 30s who've lost someone to the disease.
"We're hearing that it just feels like there aren't so many people in their lives that really get what losses to COVID are like for them," she says. "These are so often preventable losses."
People have a range of feelings when they're grieving, but Evering-Rowe says there is more anger and isolation with COVID-19.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Go Nakamura/Getty Images Go Nakamura/Getty Images
"Often what is most healing is ... to not be alone with it, being able to talk to other people, being able to congregate, to feel supported," she says. "And one of the big tragedies of COVID is that's not something available to people in the same way."
Many young adults are enduring the loss of a parent — in some cases it's both parents or an entire household, she says.
These deaths have come when they still expected to have ample time left with their parents. And she says typically there are not spaces in American society for younger adults to process this kind of loss together — let alone hundreds of thousands of them all at once.
"I think people are grieving one life at a time, and that's a lot of grief," she says.
"This is worse than being in war"
ER doctor Cleavon Gilman, a veteran of the Iraq War, says it's still hard to communicate the brutality of a disease that kills people in the privacy of a hospital wing, not on the streets.
"I get up, have a cup of coffee, tell my family goodbye and go into the hospital, where there are tens of patients who are critically ill, gasping for breath and getting intubated and dying," he says.
When Gilman was in New York City during the spring surge, he never imagined the U.S. would be losing thousands of people each day to COVID-19 so many months later.
"That 300,000 Americans would be dead and life would go on and people would not have empathy for their fellow Americans," he says. "I can tell you this is worse than being in war."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images Roberto Schmidt/AFP via Getty Images
The enemy is invisible, he says, the war zone is everywhere, and many refuse to take the most simple actions to combat the virus, even as morgues fill up in their own community.
"I call this a crime against humanity, because that's exactly what this is."
Throughout the pandemic, Gilman has shared photos and stories of people who've died from COVID-19 each day on social media. He wishes someone in every city or town of America would do the same.
"All the people that you're not going to see a big article about and you're not going to hear about them anywhere else," he says. "It's really important to honor them."
''Nobody wants to hear sad stories like these"
Nurse Jessica Scarlett saw more death in three months of caring for COVID-19 patients in McAllen, Texas, than she did in her previous 15 years as a nurse.
"It was just extremely difficult to see so much death," she says. "We'd see families praying in front of the hospital, praying for us and for their family on our way into work."
It was unlike any nursing she'd ever done before. Almost the entire hospital was on oxygen. Nurses would sit at the foot of the bed because there wasn't any other space.
She became intimately familiar with the progression of the disease, with patients needing more and more help breathing until eventually being placed on life support.
"And there's nothing you could do," she says. "There was one guy, he would always say, 'Please sit with me — I'm really scared.' And the day before I left, he was intubated."
After that, Scarlett says she needed a break from such a "tremendous amount of death."
She's still trying to grasp all the tragedy, seeing daughters and mothers ending up in the hospital after a family reunion.
What happened inside that hospital felt like its own separate reality. She hasn't talked about her time there with almost anyone else, except other nurses.
"Nobody wants to hear sad stories like these, people don't want to," she says.
This story comes from NPR's reporting partnership with KHN (Kaiser Health News).