npr--2020-12-24--'It's So Much Worse Than Before.' Dread And Despair Haunt Nurses Inside LA's ICUs

'It 's So Much Worse Than Before . '
Dread And Despair Haunt Nurses Inside LA 's ICUs The massive surge in coronavirus cases has left hospitals in Los Angeles County scrambling to handle the increasing numbers of patients showing up at their doors .
Nowhere is that more evident than in hospitals ' intensive care units , which are rapidly filling up with the worst COVID-19 cases .
`` We have no ICU beds , '' says Brad Spellberg , chief medical officer of LAC+USC Medical Center , one of the area 's largest hospitals .
`` We are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , scrambling to move patients around .
The flood just continues . ''
As dire as the situation is , Spellberg says , it 's going to get even worse .
The crush of cases spurred L.A. County health officials to send guidance to the four public hospitals it manages , on how to ration emergency care , reports the Los Angeles Times .
Instead of trying to save every life , the goal would be to save as many patients as possible .
That means those less likely to survive would not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would usually receive .
That type of triage is just weeks away , Spellberg warns .
`` We are the safety net , that is the point .
The safety net itself is stressed to the limit , '' he says .
More than 15,000 residents test positive every day , on average , in Los Angeles County .
The average daily deaths from COVID in the county stands at 94 , and 281 statewide .
A staggering 6,155 Angelenos are currently hospitalized with COVID , and 20 percent of them are in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 80 acute-care hospitals .
`` We are forecasting that in this current surge — between November 1 and January 31 — 8,700 people in Los Angeles County will die from COVID .
That is nearly three times the number of people that died in the 911 terrorist attacks , '' said Dr. Christina Ghaly , director of the county Department of Health Services .
`` The worst is yet to come , '' she warned reporters Wednesday during a conference call .
Spellberg fears Los Angeles is rapidly approaching the situation in New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were overwhelmed with critically-ill COVID patients .
What does that look like , on the inside ?
Spellberg says it 's like `` battlefield medicine , '' a frantic race to save lives when there are n't enough staffers to cope : `` You 've got nurses that are assigned 20 patients when they 're only supposed to be assigned five .
You 've got doctors who have n't managed a ventilator in 20 years suddenly being responsible to manage ventilators . ''
`` If it gets as bad as it did in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't slow this thing down in L.A. , that 's where we 're going , '' Spellberg says .
'Right now the ICU is crazy' ICU nurse Jun Jai has been feeling overwhelmed for weeks .
`` Right now the ICU is crazy , '' he says .
`` It 's so much worse than before . ''
For the past 10 months , Jai has worked with the sickest COVID-19 patients at LAC+USC Medical Center .
Recently , it seems like every time he arrives at the hospital for another 12-hour shift @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of his nurse colleagues in the ICU have taken time off .
`` All the nurses [ are ] burning out , '' Jai says .
He 's sympathetic and understands the need for a break , but it can have a domino effect on the workload of the remaining team : `` Everyday you go , it 's nonstop running from morning to the evening .
You can see so many nurses have depression . ''
Burnout is n't the only reason for the staffing crisis .
Los Angeles County tracks infections @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
During the second week of December alone , 2,191 health care workers tested positive for the virus — a 25 percent increase from the previous week .
Like other health care workers who treat coronavirus patients , Jai has received little virus-testing from his employer .
If he wanted a test , he had to go to a free city-run testing site on his days off , though he only managed to find the time for that a few times since the pandemic started .
After health care workers protested about this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ recommending that acute care hospitals regularly screen employees and new patients for COVID .
The weekly testing program was supposed to start Dec. 14 .
Jai feels like his mental and physical health is n't his employer 's priority .
`` You do such a hard job but they do n't support you .
You feel like they are just using you .
That 's why so many nurses have left already , '' Jai says .
Jai immigrated to the U.S. from China in 1999 , and he continues to follow Chinese @ @ @ @ @ @ @ frequently show images and footage of patients hooked up to ventilators — but he sees much less of that kind of content in the U.S. , and he thinks that is one reason why so many Americans deny or minimize the seriousness of the pandemic .
Americans , he says , do n't understand what the coronavirus can do .
`` The people did n't see the suffering , they did n't see the people who are sick .
With a tube in your mouth and connected to the [ breathing ] machine @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he explains .
After immigrating to the U.S. , Jai worked in restaurants to improve his English skills and make money while also attending nursing school .
Jai has now been an ICU nurse for more than ten years , and he 's proud of his work .
But for the first time ever in his career , he 's thinking of quitting .
Before the ICU shift : ' I would pray 'til I cried' Chanel Rosecrans had just started a new job in February , working the night shift at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ She was 27 , and while it was n't her first nursing job , it was her first job in an ICU .
Working in critical care had been a career goal .
But when the pandemic hit just a few weeks later , she was shocked by the relentless onslaught of seriously-ill COVID patients .
`` There was no way I could , as one person , replace a full staff of ICU nurses , '' she says .
`` We were on a skeleton staff . ''
She asked that we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to return to work there in the future .
Because the coronavirus is so contagious , each patient is kept isolated in their own room .
Rosecrans spent her night shifts rushing between rooms , closely monitoring patients on breathing equipment and keeping track of their multiple medications .
The patient rooms would get so hot from all the machines , and she had to wear so much PPE , that she 'd end up dripping in sweat .
Since relatives were n't allowed to visit , Rosecrans spent a lot of time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Often she had to explain that there were no other medications left to try , and nothing else the medical team could do , to keep their loved one alive .
She had always wanted to work in the ICU , and she expected , as part of that , to see patients die , but the sheer number and pace of the coronavirus deaths shocked her .
`` It just felt like ticking time bombs , '' Rosecrans says .
`` I did n't want to have to just sit and wait @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but it felt like all these people were just doomed .
It was just really hard to accept .
I do n't think I ever really did accept it . ''
Before her shift , she would sit in her parked car , outside the hospital , and wrestle with feelings of dread .
`` Before work , I would pray 'til I cried , '' she says .
`` Begging God [ to ] please not let me lose a patient tonight .
I ca n't take it . ''
After @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Rosecrans quit in October .
It just seemed impossible to balance work and life .
She was n't eating enough , and on her days off all she had time for was catching up on sleep .
Caring for COVID-19 patients had left her physically and emotionally exhausted .
She wonders if she contributed to the staffing problem by leaving .
`` I feel horrible that I 'm not there fighting that fight with what 's left of my colleagues .
But everyone has their limits , '' she says .
A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and prevent burnout In her new job , Rosecrans is a surgical nurse for a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills .
But staffing agencies still contact her , trying to persuade her to come back to intensive-care work , even for short-term gigs .
As coronavirus cases have surged , the calls have come more frequently — and they 're not just asking her to travel to understaffed hospitals in other states .
Now the demand is local , too , and they want her to fill in at local hospitals .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when the money sounds enticing .
`` I do n't see what the point of going right back would be because I feel like they 're going to be operating in that crisis mode . ''
Other ICU nurses have quit , but the strain of the pandemic is n't just affecting critical care , according to Megan Brunson , the immediate past president of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses .
`` There 's not a nurse — no matter what their specialty , whether ICU or not — who is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ single day , '' says Brunson , who works with COVID patients in a Dallas hospital .
Brunson says nurses need more support , and that includes more discussion and acknowledgement of the unique emotional burdens of nursing , particularly for those who are witnessing , first-hand , frequent deaths from a new and unpredictable disease .
`` When you have whole families coming into an ICU , [ and you see that happen ] many times , that 's morally very distressing , '' Brunson says .
`` You 're taking care @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the adult children all in the same ICU , '' Brunson says .
Brunson says paying attention to something as seemingly simple as scheduling can have a big effect on a nurse 's ability to recharge .
Supervisors should look at how often each individual nurse is working the usual 12 hour shift , and take into account their sleep routines .
`` Working Monday , Wednesday , Friday , on a day shift , that might be completely fine .
But on a night shift that could be detrimental to their sleep @ @ @ @ @ @ @ she explains .
`` I think even just having the conversation acknowledges the strain , versus this panic mode of getting the nurses in the door to cover the shifts . ''
Brunson says hospitals might try doing longer `` debriefs . ''
It 's an idea borrowed from the military , another institution that grapples with employee burnout and retention because of the dangerous and stressful nature of the work .
During debriefs , which could be in person or virtual , nurses would be encouraged to discuss the challenges of their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ suggestions on what could be improved , with a guarantee that the feedback would be shared with managers .
But it 's incumbent on the hospital to make it a priority , Brunson says .
`` Nurses have to be given the place and the time to do it , otherwise they go home into this silo with their thoughts and feelings .
And I do n't think that it 's offered as much as it should be , '' she says .
Shorter huddles — at the beginning and end of shifts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doctors , nurses and therapists — is another opportunity to insert recognition , Brunson says .
`` That 's not necessarily the large hour-long heart-to-heart , but that is a place for nurses to feel valued .
And also to bring up concerns in a bigger forum , you know , with respiratory therapy , with physicians , because we 're all in this together , in collaboration , '' she says .
`` That recognition is so powerful . ''
This story comes from NPR 's health reporting partnership with KPCC and @ @ @ @

'It's So Much Worse Than Before.' Dread And Despair Haunt Nurses Inside LA's ICUs
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jae C. Hong/AP Jae C. Hong/AP
The massive surge in coronavirus cases has left hospitals in Los Angeles County scrambling to handle the increasing numbers of patients showing up at their doors. Nowhere is that more evident than in hospitals' intensive care units, which are rapidly filling up with the worst COVID-19 cases.
"We have no ICU beds," says Brad Spellberg, chief medical officer of LAC+USC Medical Center, one of the area's largest hospitals. "We are just continually, 24 hours a day, scrambling to move patients around. The flood just continues."
As dire as the situation is, Spellberg says, it's going to get even worse.
The crush of cases spurred L.A. County health officials to send guidance to the four public hospitals it manages on how to ration emergency care, reports the Los Angeles Times. Instead of trying to save every life, the goal would be to save as many patients as possible. That means those less likely to survive would not get the same kind of care they would usually receive.
That type of triage is just weeks away, Spellberg warns.
"We are the safety net, that is the point. The safety net itself is stressed to the limit," he says.
More than 15,000 residents test positive every day, on average, in Los Angeles County. The average daily deaths from COVID-19 in the county stands at 94, and 281 statewide.
A staggering 6,155 Angelenos are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, and 20% of them are in the ICUs spread across the county's 80 acute-care hospitals.
"We are forecasting that in this current surge — between Nov. 1 and Jan. 31 — 8,700 people in Los Angeles County will die from COVID. That is nearly three times the number of people that died in the 9/11 terrorist attacks," said Dr. Christina Ghaly, director of the county Department of Health Services.
"The worst is yet to come," she warned reporters Wednesday during a conference call.
Spellberg fears Los Angeles is rapidly approaching the situation in New York City last April, where hospitals were overwhelmed with critically ill COVID patients.
What does that look like, on the inside? Spellberg says it's like "battlefield medicine," a frantic race to save lives when there aren't enough staffers to cope: "You've got nurses that are assigned 20 patients when they're only supposed to be assigned five. You've got doctors who haven't managed a ventilator in 20 years suddenly being responsible to manage ventilators."
"If it gets as bad as it did in New York, and if we don't slow this thing down in L.A., that's where we're going," Spellberg says.
'Right now the ICU is crazy'
ICU nurse Jun Jai has been feeling overwhelmed for weeks.
"Right now the ICU is crazy," he says. "It's so much worse than before."
For the past 10 months, Jai has worked with the sickest COVID-19 patients at LAC+USC Medical Center. Recently, it seems like every time he arrives at the hospital for another 12-hour shift, he learns that two or three of his nurse colleagues in the ICU have taken time off.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jun Jai Jun Jai
"All the nurses [are] burning out," Jai says. He's sympathetic and understands the need for a break, but it can have a domino effect on the workload of the remaining team: "Every day you go, it's nonstop running from morning to the evening. You can see so many nurses have depression."
Burnout isn't the only reason for the staffing crisis. Los Angeles County tracks infections among health care workers and first responders. During the second week of December alone, 2,191 health care workers tested positive for the virus — a 25% increase from the previous week.
Like other health care workers who treat COVID-19 patients, Jai has received little virus-testing from his employer. If he wanted a test, he had to go to a free city-run testing site on his days off, though he only managed to find the time for that a few times since the pandemic started.
After health care workers protested about this issue, state health officials released guidelines recommending that acute care hospitals regularly screen employees and new patients for the coronavirus. The weekly testing program was supposed to start Dec. 14.
Jai feels like his mental and physical health aren't his employer's priority.
"You do such a hard job but they don't support you. You feel like they are just using you. That's why so many nurses have left already," Jai says.
Jai immigrated to the U.S. from China in 1999, and he continues to follow Chinese media. He says Chinese media outlets frequently show images and footage of patients hooked up to ventilators — but he sees much less of that kind of content in the U.S., and he thinks that is one reason why so many Americans deny or minimize the seriousness of the pandemic. Americans, he says, don't understand what the coronavirus can do.
"The people didn't see the suffering, they didn't see the people who are sick. With a tube in your mouth and connected to the [breathing] machine you can't do anything," he explains.
After immigrating to the U.S., Jai worked in restaurants to improve his English skills and make money while also attending nursing school. Jai has now been an ICU nurse for more than 10 years, and he's proud of his work. But for the first time in his career, he's thinking of quitting.
Before the ICU shift: 'I would pray 'til I cried'
Chanel Rosecrans had just started a new job in February, working the night shift at a hospital in the San Gabriel Valley. She was 27, and while it wasn't her first nursing job, it was her first job in an ICU. Working in critical care had been a career goal. But when the pandemic hit just a few weeks later, she was shocked by the relentless onslaught of seriously ill COVID-19 patients.
"There was no way I could, as one person, replace a full staff of ICU nurses," she says. "We were on a skeleton staff."
She asked that we not name the facility because she wants to return to work there in the future.
Because the coronavirus is so contagious, each patient is kept isolated in their own room. Rosecrans spent her night shifts rushing between rooms, closely monitoring patients on breathing equipment and keeping track of their multiple medications. The patient rooms would get so hot from all the machines, and she had to wear so much PPE that she'd end up dripping in sweat.
Since relatives weren't allowed to visit, Rosecrans spent a lot of time on the phone with family members. Often she had to explain that there were no other medications left to try, and nothing else the medical team could do, to keep their loved one alive. She had always wanted to work in the ICU, and she expected, as part of that, to see patients die, but the sheer number and pace of the coronavirus deaths shocked her.
"It just felt like ticking time bombs," Rosecrans says. "I didn't want to have to just sit and wait for all these people to pass away, but it felt like all these people were just doomed. It was just really hard to accept. I don't think I ever really did accept it."
Before her shift, she would sit in her parked car, outside the hospital, and wrestle with feelings of dread.
"Before work, I would pray 'til I cried," she says. "Begging God [to] please not let me lose a patient tonight. I can't take it."
After more than eight months in the ICU, Rosecrans quit in October. It just seemed impossible to balance work and life. She wasn't eating enough, and on her days off all she had time for was catching up on sleep. Caring for COVID-19 patients had left her physically and emotionally exhausted.
She wonders if she contributed to the staffing problem by leaving.
"I feel horrible that I'm not there fighting that fight with what's left of my colleagues. But everyone has their limits," she says.
A call for new ways to support nurses and prevent burnout
In her new job, Rosecrans is a surgical nurse for a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills. But staffing agencies still contact her, trying to persuade her to come back to intensive-care work, even for short-term gigs. As coronavirus cases have surged, the calls have come more frequently — and they're not just asking her to travel to understaffed hospitals in other states. Now the demand is local, too, and they want her to fill in at local hospitals.
But Rosecrans continues to say no, even when the money sounds enticing. "I don't see what the point of going right back would be because I feel like they're going to be operating in that crisis mode."
Other ICU nurses have quit, but the strain of the pandemic isn't just affecting critical care, according to Megan Brunson, the immediate past president of the American Association of Critical Care Nurses.
"There's not a nurse — no matter what their specialty, whether ICU or not — who is not having COVID in their face every single day," says Brunson, who works with COVID-19 patients in a Dallas hospital.
Brunson says nurses need more support, and that includes more discussion and acknowledgement of the unique emotional burdens of nursing, particularly for those who are witnessing, firsthand, frequent deaths from a new and unpredictable disease.
"When you have whole families coming into an ICU, [and you see that happen] many times, that's morally very distressing," Brunson says. "You're taking care of the mom, the dad and the adult children all in the same ICU," Brunson says.
Brunson says paying attention to something as seemingly simple as scheduling can have a big effect on a nurse's ability to recharge. Supervisors should look at how often each individual nurse is working the usual 12-hour shift and take into account their sleep routines.
"Working Monday, Wednesday, Friday, on a day shift, that might be completely fine. But on a night shift that could be detrimental to their sleep, working every other day," she explains. "I think even just having the conversation acknowledges the strain, versus this panic mode of getting the nurses in the door to cover the shifts."
Brunson says hospitals might try doing longer "debriefs." It's an idea borrowed from the military, another institution that grapples with employee burnout and retention because of the dangerous and stressful nature of the work. During debriefs, which could be in person or virtual, nurses would be encouraged to discuss the challenges of their jobs, and share their concerns or suggestions on what could be improved, with a guarantee that the feedback would be shared with managers.
But it's incumbent on the hospital to make it a priority, Brunson says.
"Nurses have to be given the place and the time to do it, otherwise they go home into this silo with their thoughts and feelings. And I don't think that it's offered as much as it should be," she says.
Shorter huddles — at the beginning and end of shifts with the entire interdisciplinary health team of doctors, nurses and therapists — is another opportunity to insert recognition, Brunson says.
"That's not necessarily the large hourlong heart-to-heart, but that is a place for nurses to feel valued. And also to bring up concerns in a bigger forum, you know, with respiratory therapy, with physicians, because we're all in this together, in collaboration," she says. "That recognition is so powerful."
This story comes from NPR's health reporting partnership with KPCC and Kaiser Health News.


npr--2020-12-24--Putin Promotes Homegrown COVID-19 Vaccine, But Most Russians Are Skeptical

Putin Promotes Homegrown COVID-19 Vaccine , But Most Russians Are Skeptical Russian President Vladimir Putin has turned the success of his country 's COVID-19 vaccine into a matter of personal pride — and national prestige .
In August , Putin announced the registration of the vaccine , known as Sputnik V , by the Russian Health Ministry .
Earlier this month , he ordered a nationwide vaccination program .
And on Monday , he took part in a meeting where the makers of Sputnik V agreed with British drugmaker AstraZeneca to test a combination of their coronavirus vaccines .
Sputnik @ @ @ @ @ @ @ first satellite , launched by the Soviet Union — gives Putin the opportunity to project Russian soft power .
The government researchers developing the vaccine say preliminary tests show it 's more than 90 % effective , not unlike the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines approved in the United States .
The Kremlin is counting on Sputnik V to stop the spread of the coronavirus in Russia , where almost 3 million people have been infected — the world 's fourth largest caseload after the United States , India and Brazil .
Russia 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and health authorities hope to vaccinate 60 % of the population , or more than 80 million people .
But besides the technical challenges of ramping up production to an industrial scale and transporting the vaccine across Russia 's vastness at the subzero temperatures required to store Sputnik V , Putin faces widespread reluctance among ordinary Russians to get vaccinated .
More than half of Russians do n't plan to get inoculated , while only 38 % do , according to a recent poll .
Moscow , the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in Putin 's vaccination drive .
By the beginning of this week 25,000 residents of the capital had been vaccinated , almost half of all vaccinations in Russia so far .
Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin , a staunch Putin loyalist , is aiming to inoculate up to 7 million Muscovites .
Right now , anybody in Moscow can get the vaccine who is age 18 to 60 , not chronically ill , and working in a wide a range of professions — from retail and manufacturing to health care , education and culture @ @ @ @ @ @ @ says he does n't plan to take advantage of the vaccine , even though his theater is offering it to him .
`` Truth be told , I do n't know anything about the vaccine .
There 's no information about its pros and cons ; the vaccinations have just started , '' says Stavinsky , 45 .
`` I 'm indifferent about vaccines , regardless if they 're Russian or foreign . ''
Stavinsky says he knows a lot of people who got sick with COVID-19 , and even some who died @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was down with the disease himself for a few days , though he did not test positive for it .
`` If the coronavirus has come to stay for good , then what 's the point of being scared ? ''
he says .
Olga Devitt , 35 , out on a frigid playground with one of her three children , says she also does n't want to get her family vaccinated against COVID-19 .
`` I 'm not afraid .
I believe a vaccine can do more harm than good , '' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ immune system , and the immune system of my kids , will be strong enough to get off with a light case , because it 's inevitable that we 'll all catch it . ''
`` My son got sick with COVID .
So did his wife and my wife 's brother and sister , '' says Vladimir Bayashev , 65 , a retired printer out with his grandson .
`` I wear a mask and avoid places where there are lots of people . ''
Bayashev says he plans to get vaccinated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raised to include him .
The same goes for Putin , Sputnik V 's No .
1 promoter .
Asked at his annual news conference last week whether he 'd already been vaccinated , Putin , 68 , said that as a law-abiding citizen , he would have to wait until the vaccine becomes available to his age category .

Putin Promotes Homegrown COVID-19 Vaccine, But Most Russians Are Skeptical
Enlarge this image toggle caption Yelena Afonina/Tass via Getty Images Yelena Afonina/Tass via Getty Images
Russian President Vladimir Putin has turned the success of his country's COVID-19 vaccine into a matter of personal pride — and national prestige.
In August, Putin announced the registration of the vaccine, known as Sputnik V, by the Russian Health Ministry. Earlier this month, he ordered a nationwide vaccination program. And on Monday, he took part in a meeting where the makers of Sputnik V agreed with British drugmaker AstraZeneca to test a combination of their coronavirus vaccines.
Sputnik V — named after the world's first satellite, launched by the Soviet Union — gives Putin the opportunity to project Russian soft power. The government researchers developing the vaccine say preliminary tests show it's more than 90% effective, not unlike the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines approved in the United States.
The Kremlin is counting on Sputnik V to stop the spread of the coronavirus in Russia, where almost 3 million people have been infected — the world's fourth largest caseload after the United States, India and Brazil. Russia's vaccination program is free and voluntary, and health authorities hope to vaccinate 60% of the population, or more than 80 million people.
But besides the technical challenges of ramping up production to an industrial scale and transporting the vaccine across Russia's vastness at the subzero temperatures required to store Sputnik V, Putin faces widespread reluctance among ordinary Russians to get vaccinated. More than half of Russians don't plan to get inoculated, while only 38% do, according to a recent poll.
Moscow, the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak in Russia, has been the leader in Putin's vaccination drive. By the beginning of this week 25,000 residents of the capital had been vaccinated, almost half of all vaccinations in Russia so far. Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, a staunch Putin loyalist, is aiming to inoculate up to 7 million Muscovites.
Right now, anybody in Moscow can get the vaccine who is age 18 to 60, not chronically ill, and working in a wide a range of professions — from retail and manufacturing to health care, education and culture.
Yevgeny Stavinsky, an actor, says he doesn't plan to take advantage of the vaccine, even though his theater is offering it to him.
"Truth be told, I don't know anything about the vaccine. There's no information about its pros and cons; the vaccinations have just started," says Stavinsky, 45. "I'm indifferent about vaccines, regardless if they're Russian or foreign."
Stavinsky says he knows a lot of people who got sick with COVID-19, and even some who died from the illness. He suspects he was down with the disease himself for a few days, though he did not test positive for it.
"If the coronavirus has come to stay for good, then what's the point of being scared?" he says.
Olga Devitt, 35, out on a frigid playground with one of her three children, says she also doesn't want to get her family vaccinated against COVID-19.
"I'm not afraid. I believe a vaccine can do more harm than good," she says. "I hope my immune system, and the immune system of my kids, will be strong enough to get off with a light case, because it's inevitable that we'll all catch it."
Older Russians are less fatalistic.
"My son got sick with COVID. So did his wife and my wife's brother and sister," says Vladimir Bayashev, 65, a retired printer out with his grandson. "I wear a mask and avoid places where there are lots of people."
Bayashev says he plans to get vaccinated as soon as the age limit is raised to include him.
The same goes for Putin, Sputnik V's No. 1 promoter.
Asked at his annual news conference last week whether he'd already been vaccinated, Putin, 68, said that as a law-abiding citizen, he would have to wait until the vaccine becomes available to his age category.


npr--2020-12-24--Coronavirus World Map: Tracking The Spread Of The Outbreak

Coronavirus World Map : Tracking The Spread Of The Outbreak Explore the chart below to find a country-by-country breakdown of new and total cases since January .
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 , including Spain and France .
In @ @ @ @ @ @ @ swiftly since June .
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 daily growth or decline relative to the overall size of its outbreak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 March 30 , 2020 .

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


npr--2020-12-24--Coronavirus Is Surging: How Severe Is Your State's Outbreak?

Coronavirus Is Surging : How Severe Is Your State 's Outbreak ?
More than 18 million people in the U.S. have had confirmed coronavirus infections and more than 310,000 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.
Loading...
The above charts show average new cases per 100,000 people for each state over the last 12 months.
Note: Actual cases may be substantially higher, since many who test positive with at-home tests don't report their cases.
For additional data about COVID-19 in the U.S, including cases and deaths, demographics, and hospitalizations, consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
To show trends, the table below shows the change in average new cases per day in each state, week over week for the last 28 days. States marked in shades of red have growing outbreaks; those in shades of green, are declining.
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Methodology
The graphics on this page pull from data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University from several sources, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; the World Health Organization; national, state and local government health departments; 1point3acres; and local media reports.
The JHU team automates its data uploads and regularly checks them for anomalies. This may result in occasional data discrepancies on this page as the JHU team resolves anomalies and updates its feeds. There may be discrepancies between what you see here and what you see on your local health department's website. Figures shown do not include cases on cruise ships.
Fluctuations in the numbers may happen as health authorities review old cases, process testing backlogs or update their methodologies. The JHU team maintains a list of such changes.
This story was originally published on March 16, 2020. Elena Renken was a co-author on that version. Sean McMinn and Audrey Carlsen contributed to this story. Carmel Wroth edited this story.


npr--2020-12-24--COVID-19 Relief Bill Could Stave Off Historic Wave Of Evictions

COVID-19 Relief Bill Could Stave Off Historic Wave Of Evictions For months , the warning was clear from economists , housing advocates , and public health experts : without more help from Congress , millions of Americans could be evicted , in the dead of winter , in the middle of a raging pandemic .
`` I ca n't construct a darker scenario , '' Moody 's Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi told NPR in November .
`` It 's absolutely critical that lawmakers step up . ''
Now lawmakers finally have .
So long as it can get past @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the compromise rescue bill extends a federal eviction moratorium , sets aside $ 25 billion for rental assistance , and extends unemployment benefits that were about to expire for 12 million people .
John Henneberger , who heads up Texas Housers , a housing non-profit , says $ 25 billion is just a downpayment to prevent an eviction train wreck .
`` But we have a little breathing room and we should be very grateful for that . ''
Christina Rosales , the group 's deputy director , says tenants can qualify @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assistance , and that will cover months of unpaid back rent .
`` It will provide relief to millions of people who have been struggling to pay rent , '' she says .
The bill will also extend an order aimed at preventing evictions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention .
Rosales says that so-called `` CDC Eviction Ban '' is n't an outright ban and too many tenants are getting evicted in spite of it .
But she says the order does protect many others .
So extending it is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and who should qualify .
The rental assistance money will be distributed by states and cities .
Renters will apply for the help , and the money will be sent directly to their landlords .
If a landlord does n't cooperate , the tenant can access the funds directly .
Renters looking for assistance can call 2-1-1 or go to the website , www.211.org , says Andrew Aurand , Vice President for Research at the National Low Income Housing Coalition .
It 's a confidential referral and information helpline .
`` They could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or how to apply for emergency rental assistance in your area . ''
He says information should be available on state and city websites as well .
Landlords may also have a powerful incentive to work with tenants instead of evicting them .
Lawyers with housing groups say that given the language in the bill , assistance is only available if the tenant is still in the property .
So a landlord would n't be able to recoup lost rent if they 've already evicted the tenant .
To get the money to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bill requires renters incomes be below 80 % of median income ; that is calculated based on recent income during the pandemic .
So someone who made more money last year but lost his or her job this year can qualify .
All of this is good news to people who 've fallen behind on rent .
`` It 's definitely a relief for me , '' says Ana Braxton who lives in Seattle and lost her job as a hair stylist after COVID-19 hit .
Her husband also had his hours @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about $ 10,000 in back rent .
`` I mean obviously the timing is significant just because it is Christmas this week , '' Braxton says .
`` Just being able to be like , OK , we can still get certain things for Christmas , we can still do this and we 're still gon na be okay . ''
Now , she says , she and her husband will be able to buy their kids a few modest presents .
`` We 're still gon na be afloat . ''
Landlords @ @ @ @ @ @ @ landlord groups have been asking for rental assistance since the outbreak began .
They argue that it 's not fair to have eviction moratoriums and not provide a way for them to get paid for the back-rent .
So Greg Brown with the National Apartment Association is happy to see the $ 25 billion in rental assistance in the bill .
`` The Congress has appropriated an enormous sum of money to help people stay in their homes and help the people that provide those homes , '' he says .
`` Even @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And we certainly would prefer it was n't , '' Brown says , `` It came together and a lot of people are going to be helped , which is a huge deal . ''
Speaking of the 11th hour , the bill has of course hit another last minute snag .
The president has attacked it .
The bill passed with a veto-proof majority in Congress .
But for now it 's still sitting on the president 's desk .

COVID-19 Relief Bill Could Stave Off Historic Wave Of Evictions
Enlarge this image toggle caption Jacquelyn Martin/AP Jacquelyn Martin/AP
For months, the warning was clear from economists, housing advocates and public health experts: Without more help from Congress, millions of Americans could be evicted, in the dead of winter, in the middle of a raging pandemic.
"I can't construct a darker scenario," Moody's Analytics chief economist Mark Zandi told NPR in November. "It's absolutely critical that lawmakers step up."
Now lawmakers finally have. So long as it can get past some last-minute opposition from President Trump, the compromise rescue bill extends a federal eviction moratorium, sets aside $25 billion for rental assistance and extends unemployment benefits that were about to expire for 12 million people.
John Henneberger, who heads up Texas Housers, a housing nonprofit, says $25 billion is just a down payment to prevent an eviction train wreck. "But we have a little breathing room, and we should be very grateful for that."
Christina Rosales, the group's deputy director, says that tenants can qualify for up to 15 months of rental assistance and that this will cover months of unpaid back rent. "It will provide relief to millions of people who have been struggling to pay rent," she says.
The bill will also extend an order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that's aimed at preventing evictions. Rosales says that the so-called CDC eviction ban isn't an outright ban and that too many tenants are getting evicted in spite of it. But she says the order does protect many others, so extending it is crucial.
How to apply for help and who should qualify
The rental assistance money will be distributed by states and cities. Renters will apply for the help, and the money will be sent directly to their landlords. If a landlord doesn't cooperate, the tenant can access the funds directly.
Renters looking for assistance can call 211 or go to the website www.211.org, says Andrew Aurand, vice president for research at the National Low Income Housing Coalition. It's a confidential referral and information help line. "They could tell you which organizations to go to or how to apply for emergency rental assistance in your area." He says information should be available on state and city websites as well.
Landlords may also have a powerful incentive to work with tenants instead of evicting them. Lawyers with housing groups say that given the language in the bill, assistance is available only if the tenant is still in the property. So a landlord wouldn't be able to recoup lost rent if the landlord had already evicted the tenant.
To get the money to the people who need it most, the bill requires renters' incomes to be below 80% of median income; that is calculated based on recent income during the coronavirus pandemic. So someone who made more money last year but lost his or her job this year can qualify.
All of this is good news to people who've fallen behind on rent.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Ana Braxton Ana Braxton
"It's definitely a relief for me," says Ana Braxton, who lives in Seattle and lost her job as a hair stylist after COVID-19 hit. Her husband also had his hours cut back, and she says they owe about $10,000 in back rent.
"I mean obviously the timing is significant just because it is Christmas this week," Braxton says. "Just being able to be like, 'OK, we can still get certain things for Christmas. We can still do this, and we're still gonna be OK.' " Now, she says, she and her husband will be able to buy their kids a few modest presents. "We're still gonna be afloat."
Landlords need to stay afloat too. And landlord groups have been asking for rental assistance since the outbreak began. They argue that it's not fair to have eviction moratoriums and not provide a way for them to get paid for the back rent.
So Greg Brown of the National Apartment Association is happy to see the $25 billion in rental assistance in the bill. "The Congress has appropriated an enormous sum of money to help people stay in their homes and help the people that provide those homes," he says.
"Even though it's at the eleventh hour. And we certainly would prefer it wasn't," Brown says. "It came together and a lot of people are going to be helped, which is a huge deal."
Speaking of the eleventh hour, the bill has of course hit another last-minute snag. The president has attacked it. The bill passed with a veto-proof majority in Congress. But for now it's still sitting on the president's desk.


npr--2020-12-24--Chinese Regulators Open Investigation Into E-Commerce Giant Alibaba

China 's market regulator announced Thursday that it had opened an investigation into the country 's e-commerce giant , Alibaba , for alleged anti-competitive activities .
In a short statement issued Thursday , China 's State Administration for Market Regulation said that the probe is focusing on allegations that the company forces merchants on its website to sign exclusive cooperation agreements , preventing them from selling products on rival platforms .
A spokesperson for Alibaba said the company `` will actively cooperate with the regulators on the investigation .
Company business operations remain normal . ''
The inquiry into Alibaba @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for the Shanghai Stock Exchange abruptly suspended an initial public stock offering for Alibaba 's sister company , Ant Group , citing `` major issues . ''
The Chinese financial company was set to mark the world 's largest IPO , which was expected to raise an estimated $ 37 billion and boost Ant 's market value to more than $ 300 billion .
The sudden suspension of the offering also came after Ant Group 's chairman and majority owner , Jack Ma , who is also a co-founder of Alibaba , publicly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ during a finance conference in Shanghai in October , Ma dismissed Chinese banks as `` pawnshops , '' and said they were giving loans out to companies `` that do not need money . ''
`` As a result , many good companies have turned into bad companies , '' he said .
Financial regulators also said that they will meet with Ant Group in the coming days .
China has taken steps in recent weeks to clamp down on its major tech companies ' alleged anti-competitive practices .
In November , regulators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ activities by internet companies .
These actions coincide with moves by government regulators in the U.S. to more closely scrutinize the business practices of major social media companies and other tech giants .
Attorneys general in dozens of states have filed three antitrust lawsuits against Google in less than two months , claiming in part that the company 's popular search engine boosts results for its own products over competitors .
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission also opened an inquiry into user data collection practices of several social media companies .
Amazon.com , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Reddit , Snap , Twitter , WhatsApp ( also owned by Facebook ) and YouTube were sent orders by the FTC on Dec. 14 to provide details on their data collection and advertising practices .

Chinese Regulators Open Investigation Into E-Commerce Giant Alibaba
Enlarge this image toggle caption LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP via Getty Images LIONEL BONAVENTURE/AFP via Getty Images
China's market regulator announced Thursday that it had opened an investigation into the country's e-commerce giant, Alibaba, for alleged anti-competitive activities.
In a short statement issued Thursday, China's State Administration for Market Regulation said that the probe is focusing on allegations that the company forces merchants on its website to sign exclusive cooperation agreements, preventing them from selling products on rival platforms.
A spokesperson for Alibaba said the company "will actively cooperate with the regulators on the investigation. Company business operations remain normal."
The inquiry into Alibaba comes more than a month after regulators for the Shanghai Stock Exchange abruptly suspended an initial public stock offering for Alibaba's sister company, Ant Group, citing "major issues."
The Chinese financial company was set to mark the world's largest IPO, which was expected to raise an estimated $37 billion and boost Ant's market value to more than $300 billion.
The sudden suspension of the offering also came after Ant Group's chairman and majority owner, Jack Ma, who is also a co-founder of Alibaba, publicly disparaged the Chinese financial system. Speaking during a finance conference in Shanghai in October, Ma dismissed Chinese banks as "pawnshops," and said they were giving loans out to companies "that do not need money."
"As a result, many good companies have turned into bad companies," he said.
Financial regulators also said that they will meet with Ant Group in the coming days.
China has taken steps in recent weeks to clamp down on its major tech companies' alleged anti-competitive practices. In November, regulators announced proposed rules focused on combating monopolistic activities by internet companies.
These actions coincide with moves by government regulators in the U.S. to more closely scrutinize the business practices of major social media companies and other tech giants.
Attorneys general in dozens of states have filed three antitrust lawsuits against Google in less than two months, claiming in part that the company's popular search engine boosts results for its own products over competitors.
The U.S. Federal Trade Commission also opened an inquiry into user data collection practices of several social media companies. Amazon.com, TikTok owner ByteDance, Discord, Facebook, Reddit, Snap, Twitter, WhatsApp (also owned by Facebook) and YouTube were sent orders by the FTC on Dec. 14 to provide details on their data collection and advertising practices.
NPR's John Ruwitch contributed to this story.


npr--2020-12-24--Star Host's Ties Cloud 'N.Y. Times' Effort To Restore Trust After Podcast Scandal

Late last week , The New York Times issued one of its biggest mea culpas in years .
The nation 's leading newspaper returned a Peabody award and a citation as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize after retracting the core of its hit podcast series Caliphate .
In seeking to restore faith in its journalism , however , The Times may have demonstrated the persistence of some of the problems at the heart of this scandal .
The paper 's top editor participated in a podcast to help correct the record and to say , as he put it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' Yet The Times ' 30-minute corrective podcast was hosted by its leading audio star , who was , away from the microphone , simultaneously doing damage control on a controversy that proved close to home .
To help restore trust , Michael Barbaro , host of the Times news podcast The Daily , interviewed Executive Editor Dean Baquet .
Barbaro also elicited the findings of investigative correspondent Mark Mazzetti , who had led a team of New York Times journalists that went back and re-reported the story the podcast had told .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ audio episode was to make sure we provided our podcast listeners with the same level of transparency and accountability we gave print and online readers , '' said New York Times spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades-Ha .
`` It was a new approach for us , but we are committed to applying the same rigorous journalistic standards across all of our platforms . ''
( Baquet declined to comment for this story . )
Caliphate made its debut in spring of 2018 .
It explored ISIS and the lure and threat of terrorism , driven @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Times reporter on terror .
The narrative style of the podcast was a counterpoint and complement to the largely interview-driven approach of The Daily .
Caliphate focused greatly on a young-Canadian-Pakistani , Shehroze Chaudhry , who claimed to have been an executioner for ISIS in Syria .
The Caliphate team made him the main character in the series , despite clear signs he was lying : he had told Canadian reporters that he had not participated in any killings and the Caliphate team also determined the timeline provided for his travel to Syria @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , Baquet told NPR that Callimachi 's faith in her story and her subject overrode warnings from colleagues .
`` She 's a powerful reporter who we imbued with a great deal of power and authority , '' Baquet said in a wide-ranging interview about the debacle .
`` She was regarded at that moment as , you know , as big a deal ISIS reporter as there was in the world .
And there 's no question that that was one of the driving forces of the story . ''
Baquet told @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the series to sufficient scrutiny because they were not accustomed to editing audio with the same rigor they apply to print reporting .
`` Because this was a different form , people like me and some of my top deputies did n't feel as comfortable , and that 's why that fell through the cracks , '' Baquet said .
An internal review of Caliphate 's reporting process was led by senior investigative editor Dean Murphy .
He found that Callimachi and her editors repeatedly failed to push hard enough to verify Chaudhry @ @ @ @ @ @ @ paper should have assigned a senior editor with authoritative knowledge of terrorism and the region to help oversee the project .
This fall , after Canadian authorities filed federal charges saying Chaudhry had lied about being an ISIS executioner , Baquet commissioned the re-investigation of Chaudhry 's activities , led by Mazzetti .
The ensuing front-page treatment found no evidence Chaudhry killed anyone , joined ISIS or even ever traveled to Syria .
In other words , the narrative propelling Caliphate collapsed .
The paper sought to build back trust with readers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it published a written Editor 's Note atop each episode of the series and an additional story on internal debates stirred by the podcast 's reporting , especially Callimachi and her team .
And Barbaro narrated a version of the Editor 's Note that now plays before the opening lines of each episode .
He says , `` The Times has concluded that the episodes of Caliphate that presented Chaudhry 's claims did not meet our standards for accuracy . ''
On his corrective podcast in which he questioned Baquet about that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ disclose several key facts about his own connection to those who created the discredited Caliphate series .
( Barbaro declined to comment for this story . )
Back in 2018 , The Daily ran the second episode of Caliphate as part of its own podcast .
Barbaro introduced the new series : `` From The New York Times and the team that brought you The Daily , this is Caliphate . ''
Andy Mills , a key producer behind the launch of The Daily , helped drive the sound and feel of Caliphate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Callimachi 's sidekick on the air , testing her microphones , prodding translators , questioning sources .
Others joined Caliphate from The Daily as well .
Among them was Caliphate 's executive producer , Lisa Tobin .
She had held the same role at the Daily and is now the executive producer of audio at The Times .
Off the air , Barbaro and Tobin are engaged to be married .
Their relationship is no secret ; it has been documented in other outlets from The New York Post 's Page Six gossip @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to the pages of The Hollywood Reporter .
Yet those listening to Barbaro press Baquet would not have known that the host is engaged to the executive producer of the very series whose flaws he was dissecting .
Indeed , listeners of the Daily would not necessarily have known about the corrective episode at all , as it flowed only to listeners of Caliphate , not the feed of the much larger audience for The Daily .
( Times spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades-Ha says the episode was promoted on the Times ' homepage @ @ @ @ @ @ @ channels to drive traffic to it . )
In switching four years ago from the politics beat to become The Times ' first daily audio host , Barbaro has evolved into one of the newspaper 's most recognizable stars .
The Times says more than four million listeners download his podcast each day .
It has won the paper new awards , subscribers and revenues .
Barbaro is known for being fiercely proud of his team .
Off microphone last weekend , Barbaro weighed in on Twitter to do damage control for Caliphate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , to correct the record .
He argued that NPR was wrong to say that the newspaper retracted the series .
( NPR 's initial headline stated `` ' N.Y .
Times ' Retracts Hit Podcast Series 'Caliphate ' On ISIS Executioner '' ; it later tweaked the headline to read `` ' N.Y .
Times ' Retracts Core Of Hit Podcast Series 'Caliphate ' . ''
) Baquet told NPR on Friday that it did constitute a retraction `` for the parts that were about Chaudhry and his history and his background @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Sure does . ''
Caliphate was divided into a prologue and 10 chapters ( though the ninth was split into two parts ) .
The prologue and seven chapters were largely devoted to what the Times now believes is Chaudhry 's fictions about being a killer for ISIS .
Two chapters mentioned Chaudhry .
Only one , the ninth chapter about a Yazidi girl held in captivity for three years by ISIS , failed not do so .
Privately , Barbaro repeatedly pressed at least four journalists Friday to temper their critiques @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what happened .
I know , because I was one of them .
So was NPR host and former Middle East correspondent Lulu Garcia-Navarro , whom he admonished to demonstrate restraint and warned was hurting the feelings of people at the newspaper .
Washington Post media critic Eric Wemple also received multiple Barbaro direct messages , especially about his embrace of the world `` retract '' on Twitter to describe what happened .
`` I happen to believe that in this instance that it is a sign of The New York Times ' @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' Wemple said .
`` They should embrace that they retracted it instead of ... tiptoeing around this idea . ''
Beyond that , Wemple said , The Times should not have assigned Barbaro to interview Baquet about a scandal that he had such close ties to .
`` I think it 's disqualifying and it 's certainly certainly blinding , '' Wemple said in an interview .
`` I do n't think Michael should have been involved in , you know , in this particular aspect of it .
But he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The New York Times . ''
Even so , plenty of colleagues at The Times who have rich experiences in podcasting or broadcasting could have pinch hit : tech columnist Kara Swisher has a podcast through the opinion section ; business columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin co-hosts a morning show for CNBC ; media columnist Ben Smith , who has written about Caliphate previously , used to host a podcast for BuzzFeed .
Wemple and Garcia-Navarro are among those on social media ( and in Wemple 's case , in print ) who have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in dismissing critics of Callimachi 's work .
Barbaro 's advocacy , in a sense , fits into that pattern , Wemple says .
On Monday , The Daily offered a special episode to listeners .
Barbaro yielded the host 's chair to two colleagues .
One of them was Andy Mills , the former Caliphate producer .
Disclosure : NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik 's wife is co-founder of an independent podcast production company that created two limited-run podcast series for The New York Times .
She played no role in , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Caliphate series .

Host of 'The Daily' Clouds 'N.Y. Times' Effort To Restore Trust After 'Caliphate'
Enlarge this image toggle caption Evan Agostini/Associated Press Evan Agostini/Associated Press
Late last week, The New York Times issued one of its biggest mea culpas in years. The nation's leading newspaper returned a Peabody award and a citation as a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize after retracting the core of its hit podcast series Caliphate.
In seeking to restore faith in its journalism, however, The Times may have demonstrated the persistence of some of the problems at the heart of this scandal. The paper's top editor participated in a podcast to help correct the record and to say, as he put it, "we got it wrong."
Yet The Times' 30-minute corrective podcast was hosted by its leading audio star, who was, away from the microphone, simultaneously doing damage control on a controversy that proved close to home.
To help restore trust, Michael Barbaro, host of The Times' news podcast The Daily, interviewed Executive Editor Dean Baquet. Barbaro also spoke with investigative correspondent Mark Mazzetti, who had led a team of New York Times journalists that went back and re-reported the story the podcast had told.
"Our goal in producing this corrective audio episode was to make sure we provided our podcast listeners with the same level of transparency and accountability we gave print and online readers," said New York Times spokeswoman Danielle Rhoades-Ha. "It was a new approach for us, but we are committed to applying the same rigorous journalistic standards across all of our platforms." (Baquet declined to comment for this story.)
Caliphate made its debut in spring of 2018. It explored ISIS and the lure and threat of terrorism, driven by host Rukmini Callimachi, a much-celebrated Times reporter. It focused greatly on a young-Canadian-Pakistani, Shehroze Chaudhry, who claimed to have been an executioner for ISIS in Syria. The Caliphate team made him the main character in the series, despite clear signs he was lying.
This fall, Canadian authorities filed federal charges saying Chaudhry had lied about being an ISIS executioner. The ensuing front-page treatment from Mazzetti and his colleagues found no evidence Chaudhry killed anyone, joined ISIS or even ever traveled to Syria.
In other words, the narrative propelling Caliphate collapsed.
The Times published a written Editor's Note atop each episode of the series and an additional story on internal debates stirred by the reporting by Callimachi and her team. And Barbaro narrated a version of the Editor's Note that now plays before the opening lines of each episode. He says, "The Times has concluded that the episodes of Caliphate that presented Chaudhry's claims did not meet our standards for accuracy."
Professional And Personal Ties With 'Caliphate' Crew
On his corrective podcast in which he questioned Baquet about that collapse, however, Barbaro did not disclose several key facts about his own connection to those who created the discredited Caliphate series. (Barbaro declined to comment for this story.)
Back in 2018, The Daily ran the first episodes of Caliphate as part of its own podcast. Barbaro introduced the new series: "From The New York Times and the team that brought you The Daily, this is Caliphate."
Andy Mills, a key producer behind the launch of The Daily, helped drive the sound and feel of Caliphate. From the outset, Mills became Callimachi's sidekick on the air, testing her microphones, prodding translators, questioning sources. Others joined Caliphate from The Daily as well.
Among them was Caliphate's executive producer, Lisa Tobin. She had held the same role at The Daily and is now the executive producer of audio at The Times.
Off the air, Barbaro and Tobin are engaged to be married.
Their relationship is no secret; it has been documented in other outlets from The New York Post's Page Six gossip column, where it was first disclosed, to the pages of The Hollywood Reporter.
Yet those listening to Barbaro press Baquet would not have known that the host is engaged to the executive producer of the very series whose flaws he was dissecting.
Indeed, listeners of The Daily would not necessarily have known about the corrective episode at all, as it flowed only to listeners of Caliphate, not the feed of the much larger audience for The Daily. (Times spokeswoman Rhoades-Ha says the episode was promoted on The Times' homepage, mobile page and through other digital channels to drive traffic to it.)
Barbaro Emerges As Major Star For New York Times
In switching four years ago from the politics beat to become The Times' first daily audio host, Barbaro has evolved into one of the newspaper's most recognizable stars. The Times says more than 4 million listeners download his podcast each day. It has won the paper new awards, subscribers and revenues.
Barbaro is known for being fiercely proud of his team. Off microphone last weekend, Barbaro weighed in on Twitter to do damage control for Caliphate — or, as he put it, to correct the record. He argued that NPR was wrong to say that the newspaper retracted the series. (NPR's initial headline stated: " 'N.Y. Times' Retracts Hit Podcast Series 'Caliphate' On ISIS Executioner"; it later tweaked the headline to read: " 'N.Y. Times' Retracts Core Of Hit Podcast Series 'Caliphate'.")
Baquet told NPR on Friday that it did constitute a retraction "for the parts that were about Chaudhry and his history and his background. Yeah, I think it is. Sure does."
Caliphate was divided into a prologue and 10 chapters (though the ninth was split into two parts). The prologue and seven chapters were largely devoted to what The Times now believes is Chaudhry's fictions about being a killer for ISIS. Two chapters mentioned Chaudhry. Only one, the ninth chapter about a Yazidi girl held in captivity for three years by ISIS, failed to do so.
Privately, Barbaro repeatedly pressed at least four journalists Friday to temper their critiques of The Times and how they framed what happened. I know, because I was one of them.
So was NPR host and former Middle East correspondent Lulu Garcia-Navarro, whom he admonished to demonstrate restraint and warned was hurting the feelings of people at the newspaper.
Washington Post media critic Erik Wemple also received multiple direct messages from Barbaro, especially about his use of the word "retract" on Twitter to describe what happened.
"I happen to believe that in this instance that it is a sign of The New York Times' integrity, that they took this step," said Wemple, who has written extensively about Caliphate. "They should embrace that they retracted it instead of ... tiptoeing around this idea."
Beyond that, Wemple said, The Times should not have assigned Barbaro to interview Baquet about a scandal that he had such close ties to.
"I think it's disqualifying and it's certainly blinding," Wemple said in an interview. "I don't think Michael should have been involved in, you know, in this particular aspect of it. But he is the voice of The New York Times."
Even so, plenty of colleagues at The Times who have rich experiences in podcasting or broadcasting could have pinch-hit: tech columnist Kara Swisher has a podcast through the opinion section; business columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin co-hosts a morning show for CNBC; media columnist Ben Smith, who has written about Caliphate previously, used to host a podcast for BuzzFeed; Wesley Morris and Jenna Wortham co-host a culture podcast for The Times produced apart from The Daily.
Wemple and Garcia-Navarro are among those on social media (and in Wemple's case, in print) who have challenged The Times' judgment, particularly in dismissing critics of Callimachi's work.
Echoes Of Baquet's Lessons From Caliphate
Barbaro's ability to hold multiple roles has echoes of what went awry in Caliphate.
Last week, Baquet told NPR that Callimachi's faith in her story and her subject overrode warnings from colleagues.
"She's a powerful reporter who we imbued with a great deal of power and authority," Baquet said in a wide-ranging interview about the debacle. "She was regarded at that moment as, you know, as big a deal ISIS reporter as there was in the world. And there's no question that that was one of the driving forces of the story."
Baquet told NPR that newsroom leaders did not subject the series to sufficient scrutiny because they were not accustomed to editing audio with the same rigor they apply to print reporting. "Because this was a different form, people like me and some of my top deputies didn't feel as comfortable, and that's why that fell through the cracks," Baquet said.
Baquet confirmed to NPR that he had reassigned Callimachi from the terrorism beat, calling her a talented reporter but saying it would be too much to ask readers to trust her stories on that subject. He would not specify any other repercussions or reassignments.
On Monday, The Daily offered a special episode to listeners about the radio host Delilah.
Barbaro yielded the host's chair to two colleagues. One of them was Andy Mills, the former Caliphate producer.
Disclosure: NPR media correspondent David Folkenflik's wife is co-founder of an independent podcast production company that created two limited-run podcast series for The New York Times. She played no role in, and had no personal knowledge of, the Caliphate series.


npr--2020-12-24--Filmmaker Details Investigation That Identified Alleged Pam Am Flight 103 Bomb-Maker

Thirty-two years after the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 , new charges have been brought against the man suspected of making the bomb that took down the plane over Lockerbie , Scotland .
U.S. Attorney General William Barr announced Monday that the department was charging former Libyan Intelligence officer Abu Agela Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi .
He is accused of providing a Samsonite suitcase with a Toshiba cassette player that was armed with an explosive .
The charges come after decades of investigations in several countries that led to only one conviction for the attack that killed 270 people .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ al-Megrahi in 2001 for his role in the bombing .
He died in 2012 .
Filmmaker Ken Dornstein was sure others were involved .
His brother , David , was one of the bombing victims , and Dornstein has dedicated his life to searching for the truth .
In his 2015 Frontline documentary series My Brother 's Bomber , he revealed links that eventually led to the indictment of suspected bomb expert Mas'ud .
Despite the Libyan government 's denial of involvement , Dornstein was convinced there were others involved in the plot @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : pored over travel records , video archives and even went around the world to track down those responsible for his brother 's death .
He found travel documents linking Mas'ud to another attack on Americans in Germany two years before the Lockerbie bombing .
But it seemed like most everyone who had worked with Mas'ud was dead , and others wondered to Dornstein if that was even his real name .
`` My Libyan friend and fixer at the time looked at the name and said , that 's almost a made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Edition host Noel King .
Then , in 2012 , Ken learned about a Libyan man living in Germany .
He had gone to prison for bombing a German nightclub in 1986 .
Dornstein went to Germany to ask him who had made the bomb he used .
The man went on to name Mas'ud .
Still , there was no one who could tell Dornstein where to find the suspected bomb-maker .
Then in 2015 , more than two years after they met , the Libyan man in Germany sent Dornstein a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a man long suspected was Mas'ud .
He was being held in a Libyan prison .
On Morning Edition Dornstein describes what happened next : And so what do you do ?
Do you take that information to the FBI ?
Do you call them up and say , `` Guys , there 's a guy who was involved in Lockerbie and I 've got a picture of him .
He 's in prison on trial in Libya . ''
I was in something of a bind because as a filmmaker and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get as much as I could on the record .
I had at different times been questioned by the FBI .
They wanted to know if I had anything relevant to their investigation at different points .
I did give them information , so they knew what I knew as of 2014 .
And it was really just a waiting game of whether there would be the ability or the political will perhaps to do anything about it .
If this man , Abu Agela Mas'ud , is in fact guilty , that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ your brother 's death .
How did you feel hearing Attorney General Barr say we have indicted this man , this man that you spent years chasing ?
You know , it 's maybe understandably a mixed bag of emotions .
I mean , as a journalist and filmmaker , I 'm always grateful if someone takes your work seriously and something comes of it .
As a brother , the thing that interests me at this moment is about the business of truth and lies and that [ Libyan leader ] Moammar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and he lied brazenly .
And those lies were repeated by his inner circle , and they were repeated by the convicted bomber , al-Megrahi , who went to his death denying that he played any role in saying he was scapegoated .
And even some relatives of Lockerbie victims have internalized those lies .
And over time , that process is corrosive .
I have believed that if you could find certain truths and establish certain facts and even film them , then you could disarm of the harm .
And I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Justice Department 's announcement .
My hope is that it puts more facts on the record that are incontrovertible and that it ends any remaining questions and that it silences the lies .
You tried very hard to talk to Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi before he died .
You did not get a chance .
What would you want to ask Abu Agela Mas'ud if you had an opportunity to sit down with him ?
What I wanted more than anything , was for him to tell me the story .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for , the kind of specificity of detail that you could n't deny and you could n't make up .
And the moment I wanted was the moment when he first heard that his name had come up in connection with Lockerbie and that 20 years , 20 plus years of lies and denials about his role had actually come to nothing .
And I wanted him to know that you could n't lie and deny forever and that someone would care enough to point out the truth .
And I wanted him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was me .

Filmmaker Details Investigation That Identified Alleged Pan Am Flight 103 Bomb-Maker
Enlarge this image toggle caption Steven Senne/AP Steven Senne/AP
Thirty-two years after the bombing of Pan Am Flight 103, new charges have been brought against the man suspected of making the bomb that took down the plane over Lockerbie, Scotland.
U.S. Attorney General William Barr announced Monday that the department was charging former Libyan intelligence officer Abu Agela Mas'ud Kheir Al-Marimi. He is accused of providing a Samsonite suitcase with a Toshiba cassette player that was armed with an explosive.
The charges come after decades of investigations in several countries that led to only one conviction for the attack that killed 270 people. Scottish judges convicted Libyan Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi in 2001 for his role in the bombing. He died in 2012.
Filmmaker Ken Dornstein was sure others were involved.
His brother, David, was killed in the bombing, and Dornstein has dedicated his life to searching for the truth. In his 2015 Frontline documentary series "My Brother's Bomber," he revealed links that eventually led to the indictment of Mas'ud as the suspected bomb expert.
Despite the Libyan government's denial of involvement, Dornstein was convinced there were others involved in the plot. So he did what journalists do: pored over travel records and video archives and even went around the world to track down those responsible for his brother's death. He found travel documents linking Mas'ud to another attack on Americans in Germany two years before the Lockerbie bombing.
But it seemed like most everyone who had worked with Mas'ud was dead, and others wondered to Dornstein whether that was even his real name.
"My Libyan friend and fixer at the time looked at the name and said, that's almost a made-up name," Dornstein tells Morning Edition host Noel King.
Then, in 2012, Dornstein learned about a Libyan man living in Germany. He had gone to prison for bombing a German nightclub in 1986. Dornstein went to Germany to ask him who had made the bomb he used. The man went on to name Mas'ud.
Still, there was no one who could tell Dornstein where to find the suspected bomb-maker.
Then in 2015, more than two years after they met, the Libyan man in Germany sent Dornstein a text. It was a picture of a man long suspected was Mas'ud. He was being held in a Libyan prison.
On Morning Edition Dornstein describes what happened next:
And so what do you do? Do you take that information to the FBI? Do you call them up and say, "Guys, there's a guy who was involved in Lockerbie and I've got a picture of him. He's in prison on trial in Libya."
I was in something of a bind because as a filmmaker and a journalist, obviously I was trying to get as much as I could on the record. I had at different times been questioned by the FBI. They wanted to know if I had anything relevant to their investigation at different points. I did give them information, so they knew what I knew as of 2014. And it was really just a waiting game of whether there would be the ability or the political will perhaps to do anything about it.
If this man, Abu Agela Mas'ud, is in fact guilty, that means he is in part responsible for your brother's death. How did you feel hearing Attorney General Barr say we have indicted this man, this man that you spent years chasing?
You know, it's maybe understandably a mixed bag of emotions. I mean, as a journalist and filmmaker, I'm always grateful if someone takes your work seriously and something comes of it. As a brother, the thing that interests me at this moment is about the business of truth and lies and that [Libyan leader] Moammar Gadhafi was the original kind of strongman and he lied brazenly. And those lies were repeated by his inner circle, and they were repeated by the convicted bomber, al-Megrahi, who went to his death denying that he played any role in saying he was scapegoated. And even some relatives of Lockerbie victims have internalized those lies. And over time, that process is corrosive. I have believed that if you could find certain truths and establish certain facts and even film them, then you could disarm of the harm. And I'm waiting to see what comes of the Justice Department's announcement. My hope is that it puts more facts on the record that are incontrovertible and that it ends any remaining questions and that it silences the lies.
You tried very hard to talk to Abdel Basset Ali al-Megrahi before he died. You did not get a chance. What would you want to ask Abu Agela Mas'ud if you had an opportunity to sit down with him?
What I wanted more than anything, was for him to tell me the story. The narrative really was what I was looking for, the kind of specificity of detail that you couldn't deny and you couldn't make up. And the moment I wanted was the moment when he first heard that his name had come up in connection with Lockerbie and that 20 years, 20 plus years of lies and denials about his role had actually come to nothing. And I wanted him to know that you couldn't lie and deny forever and that someone would care enough to point out the truth. And I wanted him to know in this case that that was me.