npr--2020-12-29--First U.S. Case Of U.K. Coronavirus Variant Found In Colorado

First U.S. Case Of U.K. Coronavirus Variant Found In Colorado A case of the new coronavirus variant initially seen in the United Kingdom has been found in Colorado , state officials said , marking the first time the variant has been officially documented in the United States .
Colorado Gov .
Jared Polis said that the man who tested positive is in his 20s , has not been traveling and is currently isolating .
`` The individual has no close contacts identified so far , but public health officials are working to identify other potential cases and contacts through thorough @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
The variant , to which scientists in the U.K. alerted the public in mid-December , is expected to spread more quickly and has 17 mutations , NPR 's Michaeleen Doucleff reported .
Coronavirus cases have notably increased in England over the past few weeks .
On Monday , a record 41,460 cases were reported in the country , according to Johns Hopkins University .
In December alone , the country has reported more than 700,000 cases .
Just days ago the first case of this virus variant was also found in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from the U.K. , the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced last week that anyone coming to the U.S. from the U.K. must receive a negative coronavirus test result before beginning the trip .

Colorado Health Officials Find Possible 2nd Case Of U.K. Coronavirus Variant
Enlarge this image toggle caption David Zalubowski/AP David Zalubowski/AP
Updated at 3:30 p.m. ET Wednesday
Colorado health officials say they may have found a second case of a coronavirus variant that was first identified in the United Kingdom. Officials are currently conducting more genetic testing to determine if the variant is present.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis announced one confirmed case on Tuesday, marking the first time the variant has been officially documented in the United States.
According to the state's public health department, both the confirmed and possible cases were contracted by members of the Colorado National Guard who had been assisting at a nursing home in Simla, Colo., about 50 miles northeast of Colorado Springs.
Polis said Tuesday that the confirmed case is a man in his 20s who has not been traveling. Details of the second Guard member have not been released. Both individuals are isolating.
All the residents at the 26-person nursing home where the Guard members were working have tested positive for the coronavirus but are not believed to have contracted the variant from the U.K., Colorado Public Radio reported.
The variant, to which scientists in the U.K. alerted the public in mid-December, is believed to spread more quickly and has 17 mutations, NPR's Michaeleen Doucleff reported.
Coronavirus cases have notably increased in the U.K. over the past few weeks. On Tuesday, a record 53,275 cases were reported, according to Johns Hopkins University. In the past month alone, more than 768,000 cases were reported.
Just days ago the first case of the coronavirus variant outside of the U.K. was found in France.
In response to the news from the U.K., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced last week that anyone coming to the U.S. from the U.K. must receive a negative coronavirus test result within 72 hours of beginning the trip.
Colorado Public Radio and Community Radio for Northern Colorado contributed to this report.


npr--2020-12-29--U.S. And EU Condemn Jailing Of Lawyer Who Reported On Coronavirus In Wuhan

U.S. And EU Condemn Jailing Of Lawyer Who Reported On Coronavirus In Wuhan She was a lawyer .
But when the coronavirus began raging in Wuhan , China , Zhang Zhan started reporting as a citizen journalist — offering a candid look at the situation on the ground .
Then , after months of sharing videos and text updates on WeChat , Twitter and YouTube — the 37-year-old 's social media feeds went dark in May .
Authorities detained her , claiming she was spreading lies , according to The New York Times .
And on Monday , she was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ One of Zhang 's attorneys said she was convicted of `` picking quarrels and provoking trouble , '' according to The Associated Press .
On Tuesday , the EU , U.K. and U.S. all expressed outrage at her imprisonment .
`` The United States strongly condemns the People 's Republic of China 's ( PRC ) sham prosecution and conviction of citizen journalist Zhang Zhan on December 28 , '' Pompeo said in a statement .
`` We call on the PRC government to release her immediately and unconditionally . ''
`` The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ uncensored reports from citizen journalists like Zhang to understand the true situation in Wuhan , '' he added .
`` Her hasty trial , to which foreign observers were denied access , shows how fearful the [ Chinese Communist Party ] is of Chinese citizens who speak the truth . ''
In a statement , the EU 's embassy in Beijing also condemned Zhang 's treatment and called for her release , among others .
While detained , Zhang refused to eat as a-form of protest , The Times reported .
According to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ court in a wheelchair , having lost a significant amount of weight .
Her mother sobbed after the sentencing .
Other journalists — whose accounts sometimes differ from the narrative offered by the government — have gone missing in China .
At least three other citizen journalists disappeared abruptly from Wuhan after sharing updates from the field , according to The Times .
Two of them , Chen Qiushi and Li Zehua , were reportedly later released , but the third , Fang Bin , remains missing .
The United Nations human rights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also called for Zhang 's release .
The conviction `` raises serious concerns about media freedom in China '' the British Embassy said in a statement .
More than 47 journalists have been detained in China related to coronavirus reports , the embassy said .
`` A British diplomat tried to attend her trial , but was not allowed access , '' the statement continued .
`` We urge China to release all those detained for their reporting . ''

U.S. And EU Condemn Jailing Of Lawyer Who Reported On Coronavirus In Wuhan
Enlarge this image toggle caption Kin Cheung/AP Kin Cheung/AP
She was a lawyer. But when the coronavirus began raging in Wuhan, China, Zhang Zhan started reporting as a citizen journalist — offering a candid look at the situation on the ground.
Then, after months of sharing videos and text updates on WeChat, Twitter and YouTube — the 37-year-old's social media feeds went dark in May. Authorities detained her, claiming she was spreading lies, according to The New York Times.
And on Monday, she was sentenced to four years in prison. One of Zhang's attorneys said she was convicted of "picking quarrels and provoking trouble," according to The Associated Press.
On Tuesday, the EU, U.K. and U.S. all expressed outrage at her imprisonment.
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo demanded Zhang be released.
"The United States strongly condemns the People's Republic of China's (PRC) sham prosecution and conviction of citizen journalist Zhang Zhan on December 28," Pompeo said in a statement. "We call on the PRC government to release her immediately and unconditionally."
"The rest of the world relied heavily on uncensored reports from citizen journalists like Zhang to understand the true situation in Wuhan," he added. "Her hasty trial, to which foreign observers were denied access, shows how fearful the [Chinese Communist Party] is of Chinese citizens who speak the truth."
In a statement, the EU's embassy in Beijing also condemned Zhang's treatment and called for her release, among others.
While detained, Zhang refused to eat as a-form of protest, The Times reported. According to her lawyer, she was brought into court in a wheelchair, having lost a significant amount of weight. Her mother sobbed after the sentencing.
Other journalists — whose accounts sometimes differ from the narrative offered by the government — have gone missing in China.
At least three other citizen journalists disappeared abruptly from Wuhan after sharing updates from the field, according to The Times. Two of them, Chen Qiushi and Li Zehua, were reportedly later released, but the third, Fang Bin, remains missing.
The United Nations human rights office and the British Embassy in Beijing also called for Zhang's release.
The conviction "raises serious concerns about media freedom in China" the British Embassy said in a statement. More than 47 journalists have been detained in China related to coronavirus reports, the embassy said.
"A British diplomat tried to attend her trial, but was not allowed access," the statement continued. "We urge China to release all those detained for their reporting."


npr--2020-12-29--Biden Again Criticizes Trump's COVID Response, Vows To Speed Vaccine Production

In a speech addressing the coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday , Joe Biden acknowledged that with vaccines being distributed , `` brighter days are coming . ''
However , the speech overall had a sobering tone , with the president-elect acknowledging the more than 330,000 coronavirus deaths , as well as the potential for many more over the winter .
`` We need to be honest : The next few weeks and months are going to be very tough , a very tough period for our nation — maybe the toughest during this entire pandemic , '' he said .
`` @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but it 's the truth . ''
As the Trump presidency comes to a close , Biden took the opportunity to sharply criticize the president 's coronavirus response , noting that vaccination numbers have failed to live up to the administration 's earlier promise of 20 million by the end of the year .
Right now , around 2.1 million Americans have received their first vaccine dose , according to the CDC .
He asked President Trump to encourage mask usage .
Biden also noted that he and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Trump should publicly do the same .
`` When his doctors recommend it , President Trump should take it and instill that same degree of confidence , '' Biden said .
Biden laid out his plans to combat COVID-19 , including goals for his first 100 days as president : to distribute 100 million vaccine shots , open most K-8 schools , and ask all Americans to wear masks for those 100 days .
And while he applauded the new coronavirus relief bill passed by Congress and signed by Trump , Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ funding to meet some of his goals for combating the virus .
He specifically pointed to steps he believes will be necessary to reopen schools , including more funding for testing , transportation , cleaning , and ventilation systems .
Biden also said he plans to invoke the Defense Production Act so that U.S. companies increase production of vaccine-related materials .
That act , among other things , allows a president to direct firms to prioritize government orders of goods needed for national security .
In a related move , the Biden team @ @ @ @ @ @ @ members of its COVID-19 Response Team , including coordinators for vaccines , testing , and supply chain management .

Biden Again Criticizes Trump's COVID-19 Response, Vows To Speed Vaccine Production
Enlarge this image toggle caption Andrew Harnik/AP Andrew Harnik/AP
In a speech addressing the coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday, Joe Biden acknowledged that with vaccines being distributed, "brighter days are coming." However, the speech overall had a sobering tone, with the president-elect acknowledging the more than 330,000 coronavirus deaths, as well as the potential for many more over the winter.
"We need to be honest: The next few weeks and months are going to be very tough, a very tough period for our nation — maybe the toughest during this entire pandemic," he said. "I know it's hard to hear, but it's the truth."
As the Trump presidency comes to a close, Biden took the opportunity to sharply criticize the president's coronavirus response, noting that vaccination numbers have failed to live up to the administration's earlier promise of 20 million by the end of the year. Right now, around 2.1 million Americans have received their first vaccine dose, according to the CDC.
He asked President Trump to encourage mask usage. Biden also noted that he and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris had both received the vaccine, and that Trump should publicly do the same.
"When his doctors recommend it, President Trump should take it and instill that same degree of confidence," Biden said.
Biden laid out his plans to combat COVID-19, including goals for his first 100 days as president: to distribute 100 million vaccine shots, open most K-8 schools, and ask all Americans to wear masks for those 100 days.
And while he applauded the new coronavirus relief bill passed by Congress and signed by Trump, Biden said Congress would need to provide more funding to meet some of his goals for combating the virus. He specifically pointed to steps he believes will be necessary to reopen schools, including more funding for testing, transportation, cleaning and ventilation systems.
Biden also said he plans to invoke the Defense Production Act so that U.S. companies increase production of vaccine-related materials. That act, among other things, allows a president to direct firms to prioritize government orders of goods needed for national security.
In a related move, the Biden team announced the names Tuesday of nine new members of its COVID-19 Response Team, including coordinators for vaccines, testing and supply chain management.


npr--2020-12-29--Biden's Incoming National Security Adviser Faults Pentagon's 'Obstruction'

The outgoing Trump administration still is n't providing information in the way President-elect Joe Biden 's lieutenants feel is appropriate for a team poised to take the reins of power , incoming national security adviser Jake Sullivan told NPR on Tuesday .
Sullivan told NPR 's Scott Detrow in an exclusive interview that the Defense Department has n't granted a meeting to the Biden transition since Dec. 18 .
The two sides have been sparring since that date when President Trump 's acting defense secretary , Christopher Miller , said that the two camps had mutually agreed to a break @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it never agreed to such a pause .
On Monday , Miller said in a statement that he believed the Pentagon is being appropriately cooperative with the Biden transition .
`` He 's wrong , '' Sullivan said , adding : `` Literally dozens of written requests for information are outstanding as we speak . ''
Biden , Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and their deputies need to be read in on a number of urgent issues , including the big cyberattack believed to have originated in Russia that compromised a huge swath of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ COVID-19 vaccine distribution ; and more , Sullivan said .
His remarks followed a day after similar comments by Biden , which prompted the response from Miller .
Sullivan , however , went into greater detail about the frustrations Biden 's team has with feeling boxed out of the current posture of the government , including the war in Afghanistan .
The United States has been hoping to broker peace negotiations within Afghanistan between its Washington-backed government and the insurgent Taliban .
Biden has vowed to wind down what he called America 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he broadly shares with Trump .
But Sullivan complained to NPR on Tuesday that if the incoming administration ca n't know what 's happening with those types of issues , that could delay its ability to act once in office .
`` It kind of comes back to the lack of visibility that we have right now into a number of critical issues relating to military operations because of DoD 's obstruction and roadblocks , '' he said , `` and that will mean that we are going to have to take time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jan. 20 to take a hard look at how we 're postured , and what threats we 're up against , and what continuing the drawdowns look like in the way of risk to force and other considerations . ''
Connecting the strategic to the local Sullivan also discussed his and Biden 's desires to bridge foreign policy and national security decision-making in Washington with the lives of everyday Americans .
A globalized world and the sweeping implications of what can seem like distant statecraft mean that people have a stake in geopolitical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feel that way , he said .
An obvious example is China , Sullivan said , which is a vital trading partner to the U.S. , even as it also seeks to rival American influence .
The Trump administration hollowed out foreign policymaking in these types of areas and dealt with counterparts in Beijing on behalf of Trump and powerful interests , Sullivan said — not according to the mindset he said Biden will adopt in the White House .
`` What were their negotiating priorities ?
What did they push for ?
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ pushed for was access for major U.S. financial institutions to do business in China , '' Sullivan said .
`` And the question I would pose is , what does that have to do with jobs and wages here in the United States , making it easier for the likes of JPMorgan or Goldman Sachs to be able to carry out financial activities in Beijing or Shanghai ?
I would say it does n't have a strong nexus to the well-being and welfare of the American middle class . ''
Sullivan said he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ line from more vital problems to their policymaking , such as the theft by China of American industrial and commercial secrets — which harms American companies and , he suggested , U.S. workers .

Biden's National Security Adviser: Pentagon Hasn't Granted Meetings Since Dec. 18
Enlarge this image toggle caption Mark Makela/Getty Images Mark Makela/Getty Images
The outgoing Trump administration still isn't providing information in the way President-elect Joe Biden's lieutenants feel is appropriate for a team poised to take the reins of power, incoming national security adviser Jake Sullivan told NPR on Tuesday.
Sullivan told NPR's Scott Detrow in an exclusive interview that the Defense Department hasn't granted a meeting to the Biden transition since Dec. 18.
The two sides have been sparring since that date when President Trump's acting defense secretary, Christopher Miller, said that the two camps had mutually agreed to a break in meetings; Biden's team said it never agreed to such a pause.
On Monday, Miller said in a statement that he believed the Pentagon is being appropriately cooperative with the Biden transition.
"He's wrong," Sullivan said, adding: "Literally dozens of written requests for information are outstanding as we speak."
Biden, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris and their deputies need to be read in on a number of urgent issues, including the big cyberattack believed to have originated in Russia that compromised a huge swath of U.S. government systems; the progress of COVID-19 vaccine distribution; and more, Sullivan said.
His remarks followed a day after similar comments by Biden, which prompted the response from Miller. Sullivan, however, went into greater detail about the frustrations Biden's team has with feeling boxed out of the current posture of the government, including the war in Afghanistan.
The United States has been hoping to broker peace negotiations within Afghanistan between its Washington-backed government and the insurgent Taliban. Biden has vowed to wind down what he called America's "forever wars," a goal he broadly shares with Trump. But Sullivan complained to NPR on Tuesday that if the incoming administration can't know what's happening with those types of issues, that could delay its ability to act once in office.
"It kind of comes back to the lack of visibility that we have right now into a number of critical issues relating to military operations because of DoD's obstruction and roadblocks," he said, "and that will mean that we are going to have to take time at the beginning of the administration after Jan. 20 to take a hard look at how we're postured, and what threats we're up against, and what continuing the drawdowns look like in the way of risk to force and other considerations."
Connecting the strategic to the local
Sullivan also discussed his and Biden's desires to bridge foreign policy and national security decision-making in Washington with the lives of everyday Americans. A globalized world and the sweeping implications of what can seem like distant statecraft mean that people have a stake in geopolitical issues, even if they don't feel that way, he said.
An obvious example is China, Sullivan said, which is a vital trading partner to the U.S., even as it also seeks to rival American influence.
The Trump administration hollowed out foreign policymaking in these types of areas and dealt with counterparts in Beijing on behalf of Trump and powerful interests, Sullivan said — not according to the mindset he said Biden will adopt in the White House.
"What were their negotiating priorities? What did they push for? Well, one of the things they pushed for was access for major U.S. financial institutions to do business in China," Sullivan said. "And the question I would pose is, what does that have to do with jobs and wages here in the United States, making it easier for the likes of JPMorgan or Goldman Sachs to be able to carry out financial activities in Beijing or Shanghai? I would say it doesn't have a strong nexus to the well-being and welfare of the American middle class."
Sullivan said he and Biden would attempt to draw a line from more vital problems to their policymaking, such as the theft by China of American industrial and commercial secrets — which harms American companies and, he suggested, U.S. workers.


npr--2020-12-29--Gallup Poll: President Trump And Michelle Obama Most Admired Man And Woman In America

Gallup Poll : President Trump And Michelle Obama Most Admired Man And Woman In America President Trump and former first lady Michelle Obama were named the most admired man and woman in 2020 , according to an annual survey by Gallup .
The analytics and advisory company conducted telephone interviews with a random sample of 1,018 adults across the country in the first weeks of December .
Last year , Trump tied with former President Barack Obama , who was named most admired the past 12 consecutive years .
But the president managed to pull away this year with 18 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ predecessor .
Michelle Obama was ranked as the most admired woman in America for the third year in a row .
The runner-up was Vice President-elect Kamala Harris , followed by first lady Melania Trump , according to Gallup .
The poll has taken place every year since 1946 .
White House occupants — past , present and future presidents and first ladies — are almost always contenders , Gallup said .
As most admired man , 48 % of Republicans chose Trump , with no other public figure receiving more than 2 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Barack Obama , 32 % , and President-elect Joe Biden , 13 % .
Outside of the political realm , Americans named Dr. Anthony Fauci , Pope Francis , Elon Musk , Bill Gates and the Dalai Lama as the most admired men of the year .
Oprah Winfrey placed fourth , while Queen Elizabeth II tied with Angela Merkel , Hillary Clinton and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in fifth place , each receiving 2 % .
Elizabeth has placed in the top 10 a total of 52 times .
The only person who @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the late evangelist the Rev .
Billy Graham , who made the list 61 times .
Additionally , many people named a relative or friend as most admired , 11 % for a man and 16 % for a woman .
About 20 % of those polled did n't offer an opinion as to whom they most admire .

Gallup Poll: President Trump And Michelle Obama Most Admired Man And Woman In America
Enlarge this image toggle caption Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images
President Trump and former first lady Michelle Obama were named the most admired man and woman in 2020, according to an annual survey by Gallup. The analytics and advisory company conducted telephone interviews with a random sample of 1,018 adults across the country in the first weeks of December.
Last year, Trump tied with former President Barack Obama, who was named most admired the past 12 consecutive years. But the president managed to pull away this year with 18%, 3% ahead of his predecessor.
Michelle Obama was ranked as the most admired woman in America for the third year in a row. The runner-up was Vice President-elect Kamala Harris, followed by first lady Melania Trump, according to Gallup.
The poll has taken place every year since 1946. White House occupants — past, present and future presidents and first ladies — are almost always contenders, Gallup said. As most admired man, 48% of Republicans chose Trump, with no other public figure receiving more than 2%. Democrats split their votes between Barack Obama, 32%, and President-elect Joe Biden, 13%.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Theo Wargo/Getty Images Theo Wargo/Getty Images
Outside of the political realm, Americans named Dr. Anthony Fauci, Pope Francis, Elon Musk, Bill Gates and the Dalai Lama as the most admired men of the year.
Oprah Winfrey placed fourth, while Queen Elizabeth II tied with Angela Merkel, Hillary Clinton and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez in fifth place, each receiving 2%. Elizabeth has placed in the top 10 a total of 52 times. The only person who has had more top 10 finishes was the late evangelist the Rev. Billy Graham, who made the list 61 times.
Additionally, many people named a relative or friend as most admired, 11% for a man and 16% for a woman. About 20% of those polled didn't offer an opinion as to whom they most admire.


npr--2020-12-29--Statue Of Lincoln With Formerly Enslaved Man At His Feet Is Removed In Boston

Statue Of Lincoln With Formerly Enslaved Man At His Feet Is Removed In Boston Workers dismantled a statue of Abraham Lincoln in Boston Tuesday , after the city agreed with protesters who say the memorial is demeaning and lacks proper context .
The statue depicts Lincoln holding his hand over a kneeling Black man — a figure modeled on Archer Alexander , the last man captured under the Fugitive Slave Act .
`` We 're pleased to have taken it down this morning , '' a spokesperson for Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said in a statement to NPR , noting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and a petition from artist Tory Bullock in which 12,000 people supported moving the statue .
The statue , which stood in Park Square since 1879 , is a copy of Thomas Ball 's monument that still stands in Washington , D.C. 's Lincoln Park .
The original work , which came to be known as the Emancipation Group , was purchased through donations by freed enslaved people and Black veterans of the Union Army .
A copy was then erected in Boston , Ball 's hometown .
The Boston Art Commission voted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ statue six months ago , as protesters against racial injustice called for controversial monuments to be either taken down entirely or placed into a new historical context .
`` The decision for removal acknowledged the statue 's role in perpetuating harmful prejudices and obscuring the role of Black Americans in shaping the nation 's freedoms , '' according to the mayor 's office .
The original statue 's creation was sparked the morning after Lincoln died in 1865 , when Charlotte Scott , a former Virginia enslaved woman living in Ohio , asked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ help build a monument to Lincoln , according to the National Park Service .
A fundraising campaign raised thousands of dollars – but the process of designing and commissioning the statue was controlled by a white-run war-relief agency called the Western Sanitary Commission .
Even Frederick Douglass – who spoke at the Washington , D.C. , monument 's dedication in 1876 – had his reservations about the statue .
`` Admirable as is the monument by Mr. Ball in Lincoln park , it does not , as it seems to me , tell @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a letter that came to light this summer .
He continued , `` and perhaps no one monument could be made to tell the whole truth of any subject which it might be designed to illustrate . ''
Douglass noted that the monument omits mention of the role President Ulysses S. Grant played in enfranchising former enslaved people .
He also said memorials should aspire to portray Black people in a new light .
`` The negro here , though rising , is still on his knees and nude , '' Douglass @ @ @ @ @ @ @ see before I die is a monument representing the negro , not couchant on his knees like a four-footed animal , but erect on his feet like a man . ''
Similar sentiments were heard in Washington and elsewhere over the summer of 2020 , as protests and debates erupted over how best to display markers to America 's troubled history of racial discrimination and inequality .
In June , hundreds of people gathered in Lincoln Park to discuss what should happen to the statue there .
Boston 's plans for its statue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's office says the work will be moved to a `` publicly accessible location where its history and context can be better explained . ''
For now , the statue will sit in a storage facility in South Boston .
The city is asking the public to submit ideas about how the monument should be displayed .

Statue Of Lincoln With Formerly Enslaved Man At His Feet Is Removed In Boston
Enlarge this image toggle caption Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images
Workers dismantled a statue of Abraham Lincoln in Boston Tuesday, after the city agreed with protesters who say the memorial is demeaning and lacks proper context. The statue depicts Lincoln holding his hand over a kneeling Black man — a figure modeled on Archer Alexander, the last man captured under the Fugitive Slave Act.
"We're pleased to have taken it down this morning," a spokesperson for Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said in a statement to NPR, noting that the decision followed two public hearings and a petition from artist Tory Bullock in which 12,000 people supported moving the statue.
The statue, which stood in Park Square since 1879, is a copy of Thomas Ball's monument that still stands in Washington, D.C.'s Lincoln Park. The original work, which came to be known as the Emancipation Group, was purchased through donations by freed enslaved people and Black veterans of the Union Army. A copy was then erected in Boston, Ball's hometown.
The Boston Art Commission voted to remove the city's prominent Lincoln statue six months ago, as protesters against racial injustice called for controversial monuments to be either taken down entirely or placed into a new historical context.
"The decision for removal acknowledged the statue's role in perpetuating harmful prejudices and obscuring the role of Black Americans in shaping the nation's freedoms," according to the mayor's office.
The original statue's creation was sparked the morning after Lincoln died in 1865, when Charlotte Scott, a former Virginia enslaved woman living in Ohio, asked her employer to send $5 to help build a monument to Lincoln, according to the National Park Service. A fundraising campaign raised thousands of dollars – but the process of designing and commissioning the statue was controlled by a white-run war-relief agency called the Western Sanitary Commission.
Even Frederick Douglass – who spoke at the Washington, D.C., monument's dedication in 1876 – had his reservations about the statue.
"Admirable as is the monument by Mr. Ball in Lincoln park, it does not, as it seems to me, tell the whole truth," Douglass wrote in a letter that came to light this summer. He continued, "and perhaps no one monument could be made to tell the whole truth of any subject which it might be designed to illustrate."
Douglass noted that the monument omits mention of the role President Ulysses S. Grant played in enfranchising former enslaved people. He also said memorials should aspire to portray Black people in a new light.
"The negro here, though rising, is still on his knees and nude," Douglass wrote. "What I want to see before I die is a monument representing the negro, not couchant on his knees like a four-footed animal, but erect on his feet like a man."
Similar sentiments were heard in Washington and elsewhere over the summer of 2020, as protests and debates erupted over how best to display markers to America's troubled history of racial discrimination and inequality. In June, hundreds of people gathered in Lincoln Park to discuss what should happen to the statue there.
Boston's plans for its statue are still in flux; the mayor's office says the work will be moved to a "publicly accessible location where its history and context can be better explained."
For now, the statue will sit in a storage facility in South Boston. The city is asking the public to submit ideas about how the monument should be displayed.


npr--2020-12-29--Boeing 737 Max Completes 1st U.S. Commercial Flight Since It Was Grounded

Boeing 737 Max Completes 1st U.S. Commercial Flight Since It Was Grounded A Boeing 737 Max carried paying passengers on a U.S. flight Tuesday for the first time since March 2019 as American Airlines put the aircraft back in service .
The planes had been grounded worldwide after two deadly crashes highlighted safety problems .
American Flight 718 took off from Miami around 10:40 a.m. , heading to New York 's LaGuardia Airport , according to the aviation tracking site Flightradar24.com .
The plane landed ahead of schedule , shortly after 1 p.m .
The airline is the first U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ passenger use — a move it announced in November when the Federal Aviation Administration cleared the way for the 737 Max to return to commercial flight .
In response to the FAA move , airlines in Brazil and Mexico put the plane back into service earlier this month .
The jet was grounded for some 20 months after crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed a total of 346 people .
Investigators found that the pilots of both jets were unable to control them shortly after takeoff as a flawed flight control system forced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ down toward the ground .
American said it will accommodate any passengers who are worried about flying on the aircraft .
`` If a customer does n't want to fly on a 737 MAX aircraft , they wo n't have to , '' the airline said .
It 's offering reluctant passengers several other options , such as rebooking on the next flight without a fee , changing their itinerary to another airport – or simply canceling their trip in exchange for credit toward future travel .
Boeing has admitted knowing about problems @ @ @ @ @ @ @ brought the aircraft 's safety issues to light .
A recent congressional report faulted both the aviation company and the FAA for playing `` instrumental and causative roles '' in disasters that killed hundreds of people .
Boeing was called out for making technical and management mistakes , while the FAA was criticized for botching its oversight duties .
Southwest , another U.S. airline with a large fleet of 737 Max jets , said on Tuesday that it 's still holding off .
`` The Max has not been added to our schedule @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't have details regarding where it will fly initially once it returns to service , '' a Southwest representative told NPR .
For the next several days , American will use the 737 Max for two flights each day , providing round-trip service between Miami and New York City .
Starting next week , more aircraft will gradually be added to the schedule .
`` We are taking a phased approach to return the Boeing 737 Max to service , '' the airline said in a note to NPR .
American said it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 38 departures each day through mid-February .
After that date , it plans to use the 737 Max for up to 91 daily departures .

Boeing 737 Max Completes 1st U.S. Commercial Flight Since It Was Grounded
Enlarge this image toggle caption Joe Raedle/Getty Images Joe Raedle/Getty Images
A Boeing 737 Max carried paying passengers on a U.S. flight Tuesday for the first time since March 2019 as American Airlines put the aircraft back in service. The planes had been grounded worldwide after two deadly crashes highlighted safety problems.
American Flight 718 took off from Miami around 10:40 a.m., heading to New York's LaGuardia Airport, according to the aviation tracking site Flightradar24.com. The plane landed ahead of schedule, shortly after 1 p.m.
The airline is the first U.S. carrier to return Boeing's jetliner to passenger use — a move it announced in November when the Federal Aviation Administration cleared the way for the 737 Max to return to commercial flight. In response to the FAA move, airlines in Brazil and Mexico put the plane back into service earlier this month.
The jet was grounded for some 20 months after crashes in Indonesia and Ethiopia killed a total of 346 people. Investigators found that the pilots of both jets were unable to control them shortly after takeoff as a flawed flight control system forced the nose of the 737 Max back down toward the ground.
American said it will accommodate any passengers who are worried about flying on the aircraft.
"If a customer doesn't want to fly on a 737 MAX aircraft, they won't have to," the airline said. It's offering reluctant passengers several other options, such as rebooking on the next flight without a fee, changing their itinerary to another airport – or simply canceling their trip in exchange for credit toward future travel.
Boeing has admitted knowing about problems with the 737 Max before deadly crashes brought the aircraft's safety issues to light. A recent congressional report faulted both the aviation company and the FAA for playing "instrumental and causative roles" in disasters that killed hundreds of people. Boeing was called out for making technical and management mistakes, while the FAA was criticized for botching its oversight duties.
Southwest, another U.S. airline with a large fleet of 737 Max jets, said on Tuesday that it's still holding off.
"The Max has not been added to our schedule for 2021 yet, so we don't have details regarding where it will fly initially once it returns to service," a Southwest representative told NPR.
For the next several days, American will use the 737 Max for two flights each day, providing round-trip service between Miami and New York City. Starting next week, more aircraft will gradually be added to the schedule.
"We are taking a phased approach to return the Boeing 737 Max to service," the airline said in a note to NPR.
American said it will build up to as many as 38 departures each day through mid-February. After that date, it plans to use the 737 Max for up to 91 daily departures.


npr--2020-12-29--Outlook Unclear For $2,000 COVID-19 Relief Payments As Action Shifts To Senate

Outlook Unclear For $ 2,000 COVID-19 Relief Payments As Action Shifts To Senate Democrats and President Trump hectored Senate Republicans on Tuesday to take up legislation passed by the House that would increase direct relief payments to many Americans — but the path ahead remains unclear .
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell , R-Ky. , acknowledged when the chamber convened that Trump had called attention to a few big issues , including the disbursements .
McConnell said the Senate would `` begin a process to bring [ those ] priorities into focus , '' without saying how or when .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minority Leader Chuck Schumer , D-N.Y. , to bring up the measure , and there was no indication as to when — or if — McConnell might agree to consider it .
Trump responded to news coverage of the Senate developments on Tuesday with a post on Twitter urging McConnell to act unless he and other members have a `` death wish . ''
Unaddressed by Trump : The majority leader 's announcement that the Senate would vote to overturn Trump 's veto of the National Defense Authorization Act , an unusual act @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that bill by the outgoing president .
The timing for that also was unclear .
Sen. Bernie Sanders , I-Vt. , objected to McConnell 's request to schedule a vote for Wednesday .
McConnell acknowledged that Trump was unhappy with some aspects of the bill and with the failure in Congress to negotiate a deal involving some legal protections for Big Tech .
All the same , however , the majority leader said Congress must continue its decades-long record of passing the mammoth annual defense bill .
Democrats and allied senators , led @ @ @ @ @ @ @ McConnell and Republicans on the coronavirus relief payments .
Then Sen. Edward Markey , D-Mass.
, and Sen. Chris Murphy , D-Conn. , delivered speeches of their own enjoining McConnell to schedule a vote on increasing the payments .
Senate Republicans agreed over months of negotiations to $ 600 direct payments to qualified Americans in the coronavirus relief legislation .
Trump , however , complained before he signed the bill that Americans should get more .
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi , D-Calif. , took up the matter with a vote on Monday in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to $ 2,000 .
Some individual Republican senators have said they might be open to increasing the payments , but it was n't clear Tuesday afternoon how much support that idea enjoys within the majority .
However , Democrats appear to feel they have the bit in their teeth and want to continue pressing forward .
Markey said on Tuesday that it would be a `` moral failure '' if the Senate does n't increase the payments and that the statements by the individual Republicans confirm the question is ready to be tested @ @ @ @ @ @ @ American people have a right to know where every member of the Senate stands on this issue , '' he said .

Outlook Unclear For $2,000 COVID-19 Relief Payments As Action Shifts To Senate
Enlarge this image toggle caption Samuel Corum/Getty Images Samuel Corum/Getty Images
Updated at 2:34 p.m. ET
Democrats and President Trump hectored Senate Republicans on Tuesday to take up legislation passed by the House that would increase direct relief payments to many Americans — but the path ahead remains unclear.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., acknowledged when the chamber convened that Trump had called attention to a few big issues, including the disbursements. McConnell said the Senate would "begin a process to bring [those] priorities into focus," without saying how or when.
Later, McConnell blocked an attempt by Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., to bring up the measure, and there was no indication as to when — or if — McConnell might agree to consider it.
Trump responded to news coverage of the Senate developments on Tuesday with a post on Twitter urging McConnell to act unless he and other members have a "death wish."
Unaddressed by Trump: The majority leader's announcement that the Senate would vote to overturn Trump's veto of the National Defense Authorization Act, an unusual act in response to the unusual rejection of that bill by the outgoing president.
The timing for that also was unclear. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., objected to McConnell's request to schedule a vote for Wednesday.
McConnell acknowledged that Trump was unhappy with some aspects of the bill and with the failure in Congress to negotiate a deal involving some legal protections for Big Tech. All the same, however, the majority leader said Congress must continue its decades-long record of passing the mammoth annual defense bill.
Democrats and allied senators, led by Sanders, lined up to pressure McConnell and Republicans on the coronavirus relief payments. Then Sen. Edward Markey, D-Mass., and Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., delivered speeches of their own enjoining McConnell to schedule a vote on increasing the payments.
Senate Republicans agreed over months of negotiations to $600 direct payments to qualified Americans in the coronavirus relief legislation. Trump, however, complained before he signed the bill that Americans should get more.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., took up the matter with a vote on Monday in which the House supported increasing the payments to $2,000.
Some individual Republican senators have said they might be open to increasing the payments, but it wasn't clear Tuesday afternoon how much support that idea enjoys within the majority. However, Democrats appear to feel they have the bit in their teeth and want to continue pressing forward.
Markey said on Tuesday that it would be a "moral failure" if the Senate doesn't increase the payments and that the statements by the individual Republicans confirm the question is ready to be tested in the full chamber.
"The American people have a right to know where every member of the Senate stands on this issue," he said.


npr--2020-12-29--As Thousands Of Israeli Tourists Visit Dubai, A Small Jewish Community Gets A Boost

As Thousands Of Israeli Tourists Visit Dubai , A Small Jewish Community Gets A Boost In the six years that Brooklyn native Rabbi Levi Duchman has lived in the United Arab Emirates , he 's never been this overwhelmed .
On Hanukkah , the 27-year-old rabbi hurried from one party to another , dashing into a Dubai Hilton hotel ballroom to briefly light candles with a group of Orthodox Jewish tourists from Israel , many of them visiting an Arab country for the first time .
One of them approached the rabbi with a query : Did the local Starbucks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ kosher , in its coffee machines ?
`` I think it 's fine , but you have to find out , '' Duchman advised .
Days later , the rabbi broke ground on the UAE 's first mikvah , a Jewish ritual bath .
Meanwhile , his brother , a butcher and kosher food supervisor at a year-old , high-end kosher restaurant in central Dubai , had to fly in another kosher butcher from Israel to help meet demand of a couple thousand chickens a week for the restaurant and the community 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going on , '' said Mendel Duchman , the butcher .
`` It 's too much for one man to handle . ''
At least 40,000 Israelis have traveled to Dubai this month , according to the Israeli airport authority .
Fifteen daily , 3 1/2-hour nonstop flights from Tel Aviv to Dubai began this month on three Israeli airlines and an Emirati carrier .
Among those making the trip are Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish tourists , carrying their own Torah scrolls and kosher steaks , flying east over Saudi Arabia to a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Duchman estimates a few thousand Jewish expatriates are living in the UAE , though some suggest the numbers may be lower .
They are mainly from English-speaking countries and Europe , working largely in finance or energy .
The community maintains a low profile , given sensitivities about Jews and Israel in the region .
For years , some have organized prayers in a Dubai villa , unmarked for their safety but with the tacit approval of local authorities .
Since the Israel-UAE peace deal was announced in August , the Jewish community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scrambling to accommodate the rush of devout Jewish visitors .
But the community is still not officially registered as a religious group with the UAE , and there are tensions over who claims the title of head rabbi .
In October , the Jewish Council of the Emirates , which calls itself the official representative body of the UAE 's Jewish community , appointed Elie Abadie , a Beirut-born rabbi from New York , as head rabbi .
The group hopes to receive official UAE licensing next month .
Duchman , a member @ @ @ @ @ @ @ also calls himself the rabbi of the UAE .
He began a separate group , the Jewish Community Center of UAE , which operates its own Dubai villa for prayers and religious events .
Many Israelis are traveling to Dubai specifically to escape their own country 's coronavirus lockdown .
In Dubai , they can enjoy restaurants and hotels ( all are closed back home ) and hold events like large weddings that are not permitted in Israel .
Some Israelis have returned from Dubai infected with COVID-19 .
But for weeks , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on them .
This was to avoid angering the UAE , according to a foreign ministry official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the diplomatic matter .
Last week , Israel avoided singling out any one country by requiring quarantines for travelers returning from all international destinations .
Devout Jewish visitors are traveling on package tours to the UAE .
One recent tour organized by the Israeli travel agency Shainfeld Tours ( which charges $ 4,000 per couple for a five-day vacation ) took over a Dubai hotel kitchen to prepare @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ultra-Orthodox Israeli religious singer , Ruli Dikman , for a Hanukkah concert .
Guests were seated at assigned tables to minimize possible virus transmission , but some locked arms and swayed with the music during the concert .
Before Dikman 's nighttime performance , he spent the day touring Dubai 's gold market dressed head to toe , for fun , in a white Emirati kandora robe .
So did Mordechai Halperin , 17 , a Hasidic yeshiva student whose sidelocks peeked out of his headscarf .
`` We are five brothers .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ said of the kandora .
Tourists are often encouraged to dress up in the Emirati robe , and with so many local residents wearing them , Israelis in costume did not seem to attract attention .
Some religious Jews have traveled to the Emirates in search of business opportunities .
One told NPR he considered opening a kosher hotel but found too much competition .
Another wanted to market his fashion line of upscale Orthodox women 's clothing to a Muslim clientele .
Dubai , with its opulent high rises , indoor skiing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a typical Arab city .
Most tourists ' interactions are with foreign hospitality and service workers — who come from countries ranging from Pakistan to the Philippines .
They rarely meet Emiratis .
But Orthodox Jewish Israelis , easily identifiable by their religious Jewish garb , say Emiratis approach them .
`` One woman came to us and say , 'Hello , I 'm so happy you are here .
Please come more , come again , I love you . '
And I do n't know her , I never met her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' said Tehila Ohana , wandering the Dubai gold market .
Her husband wore a touristy Dubai t-shirt , his ritual tzitzit fringes dangling from beneath the shirt .
Elad Kalifa , an ultra-Orthodox Israeli admiring a Rolls-Royce in downtown Dubai , said he felt comfortable walking the streets wearing a kippah on his head , amid a diverse collection of Muslim dress from around the world .
`` Everyone here is going around with something strange on their heads , '' Kalifa joked .
`` The feeling here is much , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than Germany , London , France .
There you are different .
There you are strange . ''
Emirati law protects them : Insult or harass anyone in Dubai , and you can be jailed or deported .
The peace deal has its detractors .
Many Arabs in the region think it 's unfair to reward Israel while Palestinians under Israeli control do not have independence .
Some Israelis publicly refuse to visit the UAE due to the Emirates ' treatment of foreign laborers and lack of LGBTQ rights .
Israeli tour companies @ @ @ @ @ @ @ travelers not to talk politics in the UAE .
Emiratis critical of the deal declined interviews with NPR , wary of government reprisals , as did Palestinians living in the Emirates .
The UAE has spent years seeking to improve its image in the U.S. following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 , 2001 .
Two of the hijackers were Emirati .
That outreach included quietly hosting delegations of American Jewish community leaders in the years leading up to the new deal with Israel .
`` The UAE now is being seen through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and Jewish tourists and Israeli tourists .
But we were always open .
We were always tolerant , '' UAE Ambassador to the U.S. Yousef Al Otaiba said in an interview with NPR , referring to the large community of foreigners living in the UAE .
Jewish visitors to the UAE recall lighting Hanukkah candles behind drawn curtains in their hotel rooms in years past .
This year , for the first time , Rabbi Duchman 's group held several nights of Hanukkah concerts and candle lightings with an enormous menorah at the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world 's tallest building , as Hebrew songs echoed throughout the center of the city .
For COVID-19 safety , authorities eventually put an end to those parties .
But Suri Fulda , an Orthodox Jew from Israel , was moved by the holiday celebration .
`` They lit the candles the first night of Hanukkah .
It was a miracle .
The Muslim world is accepting us , and I thought it was something to be very , very proud of as a Jew , '' Fulda said .
She admitted Dubai @ @ @ @ @ @ @ land , '' filled with foreigners .
She barely met any Emiratis .
But she hopes to visit other countries making peace with Israel .
Bahrain — which signed a peace deal with Israel on the same day the UAE did — is on her bucket list .

As Thousands Of Israeli Tourists Visit Dubai, A Small Jewish Community Gets A Boost
Enlarge this image toggle caption Christopher Pike for NPR Christopher Pike for NPR
In the six years that Brooklyn native Rabbi Levi Duchman has lived in the United Arab Emirates, he's never been this overwhelmed.
On Hanukkah, the 27-year-old rabbi hurried from one party to another, dashing into a Dubai Hilton hotel ballroom to briefly light candles with a group of Orthodox Jewish tourists from Israel, many of them visiting an Arab country for the first time.
One of them approached the rabbi with a query: Did the local Starbucks use camel milk, which is not kosher, in its coffee machines?
Enlarge this image toggle caption Christopher Pike for NPR Christopher Pike for NPR
"I think it's fine, but you have to find out," Duchman advised.
Days later, the rabbi broke ground on the UAE's first mikvah, a Jewish ritual bath. Meanwhile, his brother, a butcher and kosher food supervisor at a year-old, high-end kosher restaurant in central Dubai, had to fly in another kosher butcher from Israel to help meet demand of a couple thousand chickens a week for the restaurant and the community's visitors.
"There's so much going on," said Mendel Duchman, the butcher. "It's too much for one man to handle."
At least 40,000 Israelis have traveled to Dubai this month, according to the Israeli airport authority. Fifteen daily, 3 1/2-hour nonstop flights from Tel Aviv to Dubai began this month on three Israeli airlines and an Emirati carrier.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Christopher Pike for NPR Christopher Pike for NPR
Among those making the trip are Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish tourists, carrying their own Torah scrolls and kosher steaks, flying east over Saudi Arabia to a land they never expected to visit.
Duchman estimates a few thousand Jewish expatriates are living in the UAE, though some suggest the numbers may be lower. They are mainly from English-speaking countries and Europe, working largely in finance or energy. The community maintains a low profile, given sensitivities about Jews and Israel in the region. For years, some have organized prayers in a Dubai villa, unmarked for their safety but with the tacit approval of local authorities.
Since the Israel-UAE peace deal was announced in August, the Jewish community has burst out of the shadows, scrambling to accommodate the rush of devout Jewish visitors. But the community is still not officially registered as a religious group with the UAE, and there are tensions over who claims the title of head rabbi.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Christopher Pike for NPR Christopher Pike for NPR
In October, the Jewish Council of the Emirates, which calls itself the official representative body of the UAE's Jewish community, appointed Elie Abadie, a Beirut-born rabbi from New York, as head rabbi. The group hopes to receive official UAE licensing next month.
Duchman, a member of the Chabad Jewish outreach movement, also calls himself the rabbi of the UAE. He began a separate group, the Jewish Community Center of UAE, which operates its own Dubai villa for prayers and religious events.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Christopher Pike for NPR Christopher Pike for NPR
Many Israelis are traveling to Dubai specifically to escape their own country's coronavirus lockdown. In Dubai, they can enjoy restaurants and hotels (all are closed back home) and hold events like large weddings that are not permitted in Israel.
Some Israelis have returned from Dubai infected with COVID-19. But for weeks, Israel's foreign ministry resisted placing restrictions on them. This was to avoid angering the UAE, according to a foreign ministry official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the diplomatic matter. Last week, Israel avoided singling out any one country by requiring quarantines for travelers returning from all international destinations.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Christopher Pike for NPR Christopher Pike for NPR
Devout Jewish visitors are traveling on package tours to the UAE. One recent tour organized by the Israeli travel agency Shainfeld Tours (which charges $4,000 per couple for a five-day vacation) took over a Dubai hotel kitchen to prepare kosher meals and flew in a popular ultra-Orthodox Israeli religious singer, Ruli Dikman, for a Hanukkah concert.
Guests were seated at assigned tables to minimize possible virus transmission, but some locked arms and swayed with the music during the concert. Before Dikman's nighttime performance, he spent the day touring Dubai's gold market dressed head to toe, for fun, in a white Emirati kandora robe.
So did Mordechai Halperin, 17, a Hasidic yeshiva student whose sidelocks peeked out of his headscarf. "We are five brothers. We all bought them," Halperin said of the kandora. Tourists are often encouraged to dress up in the Emirati robe, and with so many local residents wearing them, Israelis in costume did not seem to attract attention.
Some religious Jews have traveled to the Emirates in search of business opportunities. One told NPR he considered opening a kosher hotel but found too much competition. Another wanted to market his fashion line of upscale Orthodox women's clothing to a Muslim clientele.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Christopher Pike for NPR Christopher Pike for NPR
Dubai, with its opulent high rises, indoor skiing and overwhelmingly foreign-born population, is not a typical Arab city. Most tourists' interactions are with foreign hospitality and service workers — who come from countries ranging from Pakistan to the Philippines. They rarely meet Emiratis.
But Orthodox Jewish Israelis, easily identifiable by their religious Jewish garb, say Emiratis approach them.
"One woman came to us and say, 'Hello, I'm so happy you are here. Please come more, come again, I love you.' And I don't know her, I never met her and I will never meet her again," said Tehila Ohana, wandering the Dubai gold market. Her husband wore a touristy Dubai t-shirt, his ritual tzitzit fringes dangling from beneath the shirt.
Elad Kalifa, an ultra-Orthodox Israeli admiring a Rolls-Royce in downtown Dubai, said he felt comfortable walking the streets wearing a kippah on his head, amid a diverse collection of Muslim dress from around the world.
"Everyone here is going around with something strange on their heads," Kalifa joked. "The feeling here is much, much better than in Europe, better than Germany, London, France. There you are different. There you are strange."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Christopher Pike for NPR Christopher Pike for NPR
Emirati law protects them: Insult or harass anyone in Dubai, and you can be jailed or deported.
The peace deal has its detractors. Many Arabs in the region think it's unfair to reward Israel while Palestinians under Israeli control do not have independence. Some Israelis publicly refuse to visit the UAE due to the Emirates' treatment of foreign laborers and lack of LGBTQ rights.
Israeli tour companies and Israel's tourism ministry have advised travelers not to talk politics in the UAE.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Christopher Pike for NPR Christopher Pike for NPR
Emiratis critical of the deal declined interviews with NPR, wary of government reprisals, as did Palestinians living in the Emirates.
The UAE has spent years seeking to improve its image in the U.S. following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Two of the hijackers were Emirati. That outreach included quietly hosting delegations of American Jewish community leaders in the years leading up to the new deal with Israel.
"The UAE now is being seen through a lens that is welcoming Jewish visitors and Jewish tourists and Israeli tourists. But we were always open. We were always tolerant," UAE Ambassador to the U.S. Yousef Al Otaiba said in an interview with NPR, referring to the large community of foreigners living in the UAE.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Christopher Pike for NPR Christopher Pike for NPR
Jewish visitors to the UAE recall lighting Hanukkah candles behind drawn curtains in their hotel rooms in years past. This year, for the first time, Rabbi Duchman's group held several nights of Hanukkah concerts and candle lightings with an enormous menorah at the foot of the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building, as Hebrew songs echoed throughout the center of the city.
For COVID-19 safety, authorities eventually put an end to those parties. But Suri Fulda, an Orthodox Jew from Israel, was moved by the holiday celebration.
"They lit the candles the first night of Hanukkah. It was a miracle. The Muslim world is accepting us, and I thought it was something to be very, very proud of as a Jew," Fulda said.
She admitted Dubai is like a "cruise ship on land," filled with foreigners. She barely met any Emiratis. But she hopes to visit other countries making peace with Israel. Bahrain — which signed a peace deal with Israel on the same day the UAE did — is on her bucket list.


npr--2020-12-29--6.4 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Croatia, Killing At Least 6

A powerful earthquake sent shockwaves through Croatia on Tuesday , causing major damage to a town south of the country 's capital , Zagreb , and killing at least six , according to news reports quoting officials and residents .
The earthquake , with a magnitude 6.4 , struck at about 6:20 a.m .
ET.
, according to the European Mediterranean Seismological Center .
The initial tremor was followed by a series of weaker aftershocks .
`` This is the largest earthquake to occur in Croatia since the advent of modern seismic instrumentation , '' according to the U.S. Geological @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Zagreb in 1880 .
Tuesday 's tremors hit Petrinja the hardest .
The central Croatian town has a population of around 24,000 .
Buildings collapsed .
Debris filled the streets .
A woman was trapped under rubble , according to government-owned news website HINA .
A 12-year-old girl was killed in Petrinja and another four people in villages near the town , The Associated Press reported .
Officials said at least 20 people were hospitalized — two with serious injuries .
`` My town has been completely destroyed .
We have dead children @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to the AP .
`` This is like Hiroshima — half of the city no longer exists . ''
Dumbovic said town residents were pulling people out of cars and did not know of further deaths or injuries .
A kindergarten collapsed , but there were no children inside , he said .
Buildings in Zagreb also reportedly collapsed .
No deaths in the city were immediately reported .
A nuclear power plant in neighboring Slovenia was automatically shut down due to the earthquake .
The temblor was felt as far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , according to Reuters .
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said he was on his way to the area and had mobilized recovery efforts .
European Council President Charles Michel said the European Union `` offers its full support and assistance to the people of Croatia . ''
Tuesday 's earthquake comes only a day after the country saw a 5.0 earthquake .
There have been three magnitude 6.0 earthquakes within about 125 miles of the area since 1900 , the U.S. Geological Survey said .

6.4 Magnitude Earthquake Hits Croatia, Killing At Least 6
Enlarge this image toggle caption Denis Lovrovic/AFP via Getty Images Denis Lovrovic/AFP via Getty Images
A powerful earthquake sent shockwaves through Croatia on Tuesday, causing major damage to a town south of the country's capital, Zagreb, and killing at least six, according to news reports quoting officials and residents.
The earthquake, with a magnitude 6.4, struck at about 6:20 a.m. ET., according to the European Mediterranean Seismological Center. The initial tremor was followed by a series of weaker aftershocks.
"This is the largest earthquake to occur in Croatia since the advent of modern seismic instrumentation," according to the U.S. Geological Survey. A slightly smaller earthquake shook Zagreb in 1880.
Tuesday's tremors hit Petrinja the hardest. The central Croatian town has a population of around 24,000.
Buildings collapsed. Debris filled the streets. A woman was trapped under rubble, according to government-owned news website HINA.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Denis Lovrovic/AFP via Getty Images Denis Lovrovic/AFP via Getty Images
A 12-year-old girl was killed in Petrinja and another four people in villages near the town, The Associated Press reported. Officials said at least 20 people were hospitalized — two with serious injuries.
"My town has been completely destroyed. We have dead children," Petrinja Mayor Darinko Dumbovic said, according to the AP. "This is like Hiroshima — half of the city no longer exists."
Dumbovic said town residents were pulling people out of cars and did not know of further deaths or injuries. A kindergarten collapsed, but there were no children inside, he said.
Buildings in Zagreb also reportedly collapsed. No deaths in the city were immediately reported. A nuclear power plant in neighboring Slovenia was automatically shut down due to the earthquake. The temblor was felt as far away as Austria's capital, Vienna, according to Reuters.
Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said he was on his way to the area and had mobilized recovery efforts. European Council President Charles Michel said the European Union "offers its full support and assistance to the people of Croatia."
Tuesday's earthquake comes only a day after the country saw a 5.0 earthquake.
There have been three magnitude 6.0 earthquakes within about 125 miles of the area since 1900, the U.S. Geological Survey said.


npr--2020-12-29--Organ Donation Nonprofits Face New Scrutiny Under Trump Administration Rules

Organ transplants are not as simple as someone dies somewhere , and then someone else — like John Caso of Johnson City , Tenn. — gets a new heart .
As Caso learned , surprising twists and turns in the system can throw you for a loop .
`` You never expect to get the call that says , 'We have an organ , but ... ' '' Caso says .
It was 2004 when he got that call , not long after he 'd been added to the waiting list for a new heart .
The hitch in this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ calling about was coming from a person who had traded sex for drugs .
Doctors could n't guarantee that there would n't be infections .
`` I followed the advice of the surgeon and turned it down , '' Caso says .
He would go on to turn down several more donor hearts before accepting one in 2016 .
Caso could afford to be a little more choosy than some U.S. patients , because he lives in the Appalachian mountains of Northeast Tennessee , where the region 's poor health outcomes — like @ @ @ @ @ @ @ crashes and gunshot deaths — actually benefit organ recipients .
That 's because those causes of death are more likely to yield healthy organs that can be donated to others .
In other parts of the U.S. , particularly along the coasts , the causes of death are less likely to lead to transplantable hearts , lungs and other organs .
This sort of variation across the country has resulted in inequities in the ease of receiving an organ from someone who has died nearby — and , as a result , led @ @ @ @ @ @ @ how organs are distributed nationally .
In turn , transplant centers in the South and Midwest have gone to court to fight those changes .
The revised policy , recently finalized by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services , including changes that are set to take effect in 2022 , is meant to boost the overall number of transplants performed in the U.S. , so fewer people die waiting .
( Currently around 20 people per day die on waiting lists . )
But the rule change also highlights other chronic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — called OPOs — point to the geographic differences in causes of death as the main reason they collect fewer organs compared to OPOs in other regions .
But is that the full reason behind the disparities ?
No one can say for sure , because data-gathering has never been standardized across the United States — OPOs have always self-reported their data .
Under the new rules , that will end .
Instead , all 58 OPOs in the U.S. will be assessed under the same accounting rules — counting the number of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the total number of hospital patients under age 75 who die in that region from certain causes of death known to be favorable for organ donation .
Before the rule change , OPOs could themselves determine whether a particular death should `` count '' as a potential candidate for organ donation .
Critics of that older process say it made it hard to know why organ scarcities were occurring in some regions but not others .
`` This is about understanding why certain areas are not performing well and seeing if we can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Karp , director of the transplant program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville .
He says the new federal rules hold these nonprofits accountable for all the potential donors they may have missed .
He notes that under the new accounting , Las Vegas yields roughly four times as many organ donations as New York City .
`` If it is true that certain parts of the country should only be able to recover one-fourth of the number of donors as another part of the country , because there are inherent differences @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that 's fine .
We can live with that , '' he says .
`` I just find that hard to believe . ''
Then there 's the other systemic problem that organ procurement officials say they have little control over , something the new rules do n't address : finding recipients for all the organs that are available .
For example , earlier in December the New England OPO that stretches from Connecticut to Maine had the case of a 59-year-old who had suffered a fatal bicycle accident .
That person 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the region 's organ procurement organization considered the kidneys to be in good shape .
But they got no takers .
`` We made thousands of organ offers and ultimately were n't able to place those kidneys for transplant , despite ... almost 33,000 offers , '' says Alexandra Glazier , CEO of New England Donor Services .
Once organs are turned down a few times , she says , other surgeons assume there must be something wrong with them , and also turn them down .
A likely reason is that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ assessments , too ; they are rated by how many of their patients survive for a year or longer after transplant , among other measurements .
That 's why Glazier questions whether the new rules meant to increase transplants will actually achieve that goal .
The revised guidelines focus on organ procurement , but do n't subject surgeons and transplant centers to additional scrutiny of their decisions .
`` We know that there is opportunity to do a lot better system-wide , '' Glazier says .
`` But what this requires is the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ `` She objects to another part of the new policy , too : Any low-performing OPO that does n't improve is subject to being taken over by a high performer .
Glazier calls it a `` hunger games '' scenario that , in her view , could lead to even fewer organ transplants .
It 's easy to point fingers , says Dr. Matthew Cooper .
He directs kidney transplantation at Medstar Georgetown in Washington , D.C .
Organ procurement organizations have a delicate job , he says .
`` Perhaps it 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is , '' he says .
`` It 's not as simple for me as a transplant program to go to a donor family and say `` Listen , why are n't you donating your organs ? '
I 'd probably be really bad at that . ''
And Cooper worries that a punitive approach wo n't benefit any of the nonprofits doing the work .
`` If we solely focus on one piece , '' Cooper says , `` I fear we 're going to have more chaos than we 're going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comes from NPR 's health reporting partnership with Nashville Public Radio and Kaiser Health News .

Organ Donation Nonprofits Face New Scrutiny Under Trump Administration Rules
Enlarge this image toggle caption AP Photo/Craig Ruttle AP Photo/Craig Ruttle
Organ transplants are not as simple as someone dies somewhere, and then someone else — like John Caso of Johnson City, Tenn. — gets a new heart. As Caso learned, surprising twists and turns in the system can throw you for a loop.
"You never expect to get the call that says, 'We have an organ, but ...'" Caso says.
It was 2004 when he got that call, not long after he'd been added to the waiting list for a new heart. The hitch in this case: The donor heart they were calling about was coming from a person who had traded sex for drugs. Doctors couldn't guarantee that there wouldn't be infections.
"I followed the advice of the surgeon and turned it down," Caso says. He would go on to turn down several more donor hearts before accepting one in 2016.
Caso could afford to be a little more choosy than some U.S. patients, because he lives in the Appalachian mountains of Northeast Tennessee, where the region's poor health outcomes — like higher rates of strokes, fatal car crashes and gunshot deaths — actually benefit organ recipients. That's because those causes of death are more likely to yield healthy organs that can be donated to others.
In other parts of the U.S., particularly along the coasts, the causes of death are less likely to lead to transplantable hearts, lungs and other organs.
This sort of variation across the country has resulted in inequities in the ease of receiving an organ from someone who has died nearby — and, as a result, led to recent changes in the rules governing how organs are distributed nationally. In turn, transplant centers in the South and Midwest have gone to court to fight those changes.
The revised policy, recently finalized by the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, including changes that are set to take effect in 2022, is meant to boost the overall number of transplants performed in the U.S., so fewer people die waiting. (Currently around 20 people per day die on waiting lists.) But the rule change also highlights other chronic geographic disparities.
Some organ procurement organizations — called OPOs — point to the geographic differences in causes of death as the main reason they collect fewer organs compared to OPOs in other regions.
But is that the full reason behind the disparities? No one can say for sure, because data-gathering has never been standardized across the United States — OPOs have always self-reported their data. Under the new rules, that will end.
Instead, all 58 OPOs in the U.S. will be assessed under the same accounting rules — counting the number of organ donations achievable as a percentage of the total number of hospital patients under age 75 who die in that region from certain causes of death known to be favorable for organ donation.
Before the rule change, OPOs could themselves determine whether a particular death should "count" as a potential candidate for organ donation. Critics of that older process say it made it hard to know why organ scarcities were occurring in some regions but not others.
"This is about understanding why certain areas are not performing well and seeing if we can fix them," says Dr. Seth Karp, director of the transplant program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville.
He says the new federal rules hold these nonprofits accountable for all the potential donors they may have missed.
He notes that under the new accounting, Las Vegas yields roughly four times as many organ donations as New York City.
"If it is true that certain parts of the country should only be able to recover one-fourth of the number of donors as another part of the country, because there are inherent differences in those areas of the country, that's fine. We can live with that," he says. "I just find that hard to believe."
Then there's the other systemic problem that organ procurement officials say they have little control over, something the new rules don't address: finding recipients for all the organs that are available.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Molly Riley / AP Molly Riley / AP
For example, earlier in December the New England OPO that stretches from Connecticut to Maine had the case of a 59-year-old who had suffered a fatal bicycle accident. That person's family signed off on organ donation, and the region's organ procurement organization considered the kidneys to be in good shape. But they got no takers.
"We made thousands of organ offers and ultimately weren't able to place those kidneys for transplant, despite ... almost 33,000 offers," says Alexandra Glazier, CEO of New England Donor Services.
Once organs are turned down a few times, she says, other surgeons assume there must be something wrong with them, and also turn them down. A likely reason is that transplant centers have to contend with data assessments, too; they are rated by how many of their patients survive for a year or longer after transplant, among other measurements.
That's why Glazier questions whether the new rules meant to increase transplants will actually achieve that goal. The revised guidelines focus on organ procurement, but don't subject surgeons and transplant centers to additional scrutiny of their decisions.
"We know that there is opportunity to do a lot better system-wide," Glazier says. "But what this requires is the full engagement of 'the system.' "
She objects to another part of the new policy, too: Any low-performing OPO that doesn't improve is subject to being taken over by a high performer. Glazier calls it a "hunger games" scenario that, in her view, could lead to even fewer organ transplants.
It's easy to point fingers, says Dr. Matthew Cooper. He directs kidney transplantation at Medstar Georgetown in Washington, D.C.
Organ procurement organizations have a delicate job, he says.
"Perhaps it's not as simple as you think it is," he says. "It's not as simple for me as a transplant program to go to a donor family and say "Listen, why aren't you donating your organs?' I'd probably be really bad at that."
And Cooper worries that a punitive approach won't benefit any of the nonprofits doing the work.
"If we solely focus on one piece," Cooper says, "I fear we're going to have more chaos than we're going to have value."
This story comes from NPR's health reporting partnership with Nashville Public Radio and Kaiser Health News.


npr--2020-12-29--How The Pandemic Dented The Popularity Of Germany's Far-Right AfD Party

How The Pandemic Dented The Popularity Of Germany 's Far-Right AfD Party Like many other far-right political parties , Germany 's Alternative for Germany ( AfD ) was founded on outrage .
It began as a response to the anger and fear some Germans felt when their stable and secure currency , the Deutsche Mark , was subsumed by the euro .
It grew in popularity as it shifted its attention to immigration , and peaked when it attacked German Chancellor Angela Merkel 's decision to allow a record number of asylum seekers into Germany .
In 2017 , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ parliament , the Bundestag .
It became the country 's third-largest political party and the official opposition to the centrist coalition government .
The AfD 's supporters and enemies alike expected the party might grow even stronger in the next election , in 2021 .
The pandemic of 2020 changed all that .
After polling around 15 % for most of 2019 , the AfD 's support plummeted this year .
The latest surveys show it polling at around 9 % .
At first glance , this decline has a simple explanation .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ centrist coalition gained support as it confronted the coronavirus .
Public approval of Merkel herself skyrocketed .
Uwe Witt , an AfD member of the Bundestag , tells NPR the government stole the AfD 's thunder .
`` The main topics of the AfD — such as a greater stress on German national interests , closed European external borders , support of local small and medium-sized industry — were temporarily realized by the government during the corona pandemic , '' he says .
`` That is why opposition parties always have polling losses @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is more behind the AfD 's current crisis .
The AfD has made a significant U-turn in its approach to the pandemic .
In March , the party 's parliamentary leader , Alexander Gauland , was complimentary about the Merkel-led government 's handling of the crisis .
`` Government policy contains many insights that we believe are correct and that we share , '' Gauland told the Bundestag .
Seven months later , though , he described the government as a `` corona dictatorship '' with a `` war cabinet '' attacking the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people .
The AfD 's attempts to reposition itself have exposed deep splits in the party and its leadership , and confusion about what its policies really are .
`` Right at the beginning of the pandemic , the AfD even criticized the federal government for not fighting the pandemic consistently enough , '' says political scientist Ursula Münch of Munich University .
`` But since the AfD always strives for a unique selling point in political competition , it quickly decided to take a completely different course . ''
For some AfD @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up to the Querdenker ( `` lateral thinker '' ) movement — a loose grouping of libertarians , vaccination opponents and conspiracy theorists that has steadily gained support for its protest rallies against government health restrictions and lockdowns .
A significant section of the AfD holds similar views .
A recent poll showed that 24 % of AfD supporters believe the `` pandemic is a conspiracy to oppress people . ''
Münch says the embrace of the Querdenker movement has hurt the AfD among its usual supporters .
`` The 'moderate ' former @ @ @ @ @ @ @ party mainly because they rejected Angela Merkel 's refugee policy , are obviously not looking to be ruled by populist gamblers , '' she says .
Undeterred , some AfD members have continued to push the new agenda , encouraging supporters to describe face coverings as `` a muzzle '' and attacking government health restrictions as arbitrary and inconsistent .
Some data on the spread of the virus suggests Germany 's recent spike in COVID-19 infections is particularly severe in areas with a high proportion of AfD voters , although health experts caution @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more research .
Matters came to a head in November , while the Bundestag discussed the government 's latest legislation aimed at controlling the pandemic as protesters tussled with police outside the parliament .
Two AfD representatives invited some militant `` guests '' into the building , who then harassed and harangued other members of the Bundestag , including ministers .
The episode was condemned by all the other parties and led to a rare apology from the AfD leadership .
During the AfD 's convention , also in November , its co-leader @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the party , its proximity to the Querdenker movement and use of the term `` corona dictatorship . ''
Gauland later claimed that Meuthen had rejected half the party with his speech .
At this point , there are two wings of the AfD fighting each other , says Münch .
`` Some want to get out of the ungrateful role of the opposition and participate in government , '' she explains .
`` The others despise this accommodation of the system they hate and want to become more radical . ''
Münch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in next fall 's election than it did in 2017 .
`` Although the relatively small group of hardcore AfD supporters remains set , '' she says , `` more moderate voters could be deterred by the party 's quarrels and self-centeredness . ''

How The Pandemic Dented The Popularity Of Germany's Far-Right AfD Party
Enlarge this image toggle caption Sascha Schuermann/Getty Images Sascha Schuermann/Getty Images
Like many other far-right political parties, Germany's Alternative for Germany (AfD) was founded on outrage. It began as a response to the anger and fear some Germans felt when their stable and secure currency, the Deutsche Mark, was subsumed by the euro. It grew in popularity as it shifted its attention to immigration, and peaked when it attacked German Chancellor Angela Merkel's decision to allow a record number of asylum seekers into Germany.
In 2017, the AfD won 94 seats in the German parliament, the Bundestag. It became the country's third-largest political party and the official opposition to the centrist coalition government. The AfD's supporters and enemies alike expected the party might grow even stronger in the next election, in 2021.
The pandemic of 2020 changed all that.
After polling around 15% for most of 2019, the AfD's support plummeted this year. The latest surveys show it polling at around 9%.
At first glance, this decline has a simple explanation. Like governments elsewhere, Germany's ruling centrist coalition gained support as it confronted the coronavirus. Public approval of Merkel herself skyrocketed.
Uwe Witt, an AfD member of the Bundestag, tells NPR the government stole the AfD's thunder.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Maja Hitij/Getty Images Maja Hitij/Getty Images
"The main topics of the AfD — such as a greater stress on German national interests, closed European external borders, support of local small and medium-sized industry — were temporarily realized by the government during the corona pandemic," he says. "That is why opposition parties always have polling losses in a crisis."
But there is more behind the AfD's current crisis.
The AfD has made a significant U-turn in its approach to the pandemic. In March, the party's parliamentary leader, Alexander Gauland, was complimentary about the Merkel-led government's handling of the crisis. "Government policy contains many insights that we believe are correct and that we share," Gauland told the Bundestag. Seven months later, though, he described the government as a "corona dictatorship" with a "war cabinet" attacking the basic rights and freedoms of the German people.
The AfD's attempts to reposition itself have exposed deep splits in the party and its leadership, and confusion about what its policies really are.
"Right at the beginning of the pandemic, the AfD even criticized the federal government for not fighting the pandemic consistently enough," says political scientist Ursula Münch of Munich University. "But since the AfD always strives for a unique selling point in political competition, it quickly decided to take a completely different course."
For some AfD members, that new course meant cozying up to the Querdenker ("lateral thinker") movement — a loose grouping of libertarians, vaccination opponents and conspiracy theorists that has steadily gained support for its protest rallies against government health restrictions and lockdowns.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Fabian Strauch/picture alliance via Getty Images Fabian Strauch/picture alliance via Getty Images
A significant section of the AfD holds similar views. A recent poll showed that 24% of AfD supporters believe the "pandemic is a conspiracy to oppress people."
Münch says the embrace of the Querdenker movement has hurt the AfD among its usual supporters. "The 'moderate' former AfD voters, who voted for the party mainly because they rejected Angela Merkel's refugee policy, are obviously not looking to be ruled by populist gamblers," she says.
Undeterred, some AfD members have continued to push the new agenda, encouraging supporters to describe face coverings as "a muzzle" and attacking government health restrictions as arbitrary and inconsistent. Some data on the spread of the virus suggests Germany's recent spike in COVID-19 infections is particularly severe in areas with a high proportion of AfD voters, although health experts caution that any apparent link needs a lot more research.
Matters came to a head in November, while the Bundestag discussed the government's latest legislation aimed at controlling the pandemic as protesters tussled with police outside the parliament. Two AfD representatives invited some militant "guests" into the building, who then harassed and harangued other members of the Bundestag, including ministers.
The episode was condemned by all the other parties and led to a rare apology from the AfD leadership.
During the AfD's convention, also in November, its co-leader Jörg Meuthen criticized the right wing of the party, its proximity to the Querdenker movement and use of the term "corona dictatorship." Gauland later claimed that Meuthen had rejected half the party with his speech.
At this point, there are two wings of the AfD fighting each other, says Münch. "Some want to get out of the ungrateful role of the opposition and participate in government," she explains. "The others despise this accommodation of the system they hate and want to become more radical."
Münch predicts the AfD will perform significantly worse in next fall's election than it did in 2017.
"Although the relatively small group of hardcore AfD supporters remains set," she says, "more moderate voters could be deterred by the party's quarrels and self-centeredness."


npr--2020-12-30--Coronavirus Is Surging: How Severe Is Your State's Outbreak?

Coronavirus Is Surging : How Severe Is Your State 's Outbreak ?
More than 19 million people in the U.S. have had confirmed coronavirus infections and more than 330,000 have died of COVID-19 .
Tens of thousands of new cases are reported daily nationwide .
In the graphics below , explore the trends in your state .
View the data via a heat map ( immediately below ) , curve charts , a table of state-by-state trends over four weeks , or a map of total cases and deaths .
The map above shows the risk of infection in each @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capita .
The consortium of researchers and public health experts who developed these risk levels advises states in the red category to issue stay-home orders .
They advise orange states to consider stay-home orders , along with increased testing and contact tracing .
Yellow states need to keep up social distancing and mask usage , and all states should continue testing and contact tracing .
To compare state outbreaks , the chart above graphs trend lines for average new daily cases and deaths against each state 's totals to date .
This type @ @ @ @ @ @ @ growth or decline relative to the overall size of its outbreak .
When both new and total case and death counts grow quickly , the curves bend upward .
As new cases and deaths slow , the curves level or bend down .
In New York , the curve rose sharply before reaching over 170,000 total cases in April .
New cases fell from about 10,000 per day in mid-April to under 900 a day most of the summer , before starting to rise in the fall .
Explore the map above to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the country for both new confirmed cases and reported deaths from COVID-19 .
New York was the original epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S. As of mid October , California , Florida and Texas surpass New York for total cases to date , though New York still has the highest death total .
Click here to see a global map of confirmed cases and deaths .
To show trends , the table below shows the change in average new cases per day in each state , week over week for the last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of red have growing outbreaks ; those in shades of green , are declining .
The graphics on this page pull from data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University from several sources , including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ; the World Health Organization ; national , state and local government health departments ; 1point3acres ; and local media reports .
The JHU team automates its data uploads and regularly checks them for anomalies .
This may result in occasional data discrepancies on this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and updates its feeds .
State-by-state recovery data are unavailable at this time .
There may be discrepancies between what you see here and what you see on your local health department 's website .
Figures shown do not include cases on cruise ships .
Fluctuations in the numbers may happen as health authorities review old cases and or update their methodologies .
For example , in early June , Michigan health authorities started including probable cases in its totals .
This resulted in a brief spike in the state 's daily numbers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reconcile the historical data .
On June 25 , New Jersey included 1,854 previously-unreported probable deaths in its totals , resulting in a spike in the state 's daily death numbers .
On Sept. 2 , Massachusetts changed its methodology for counting probable cases , which lowered its overall case and death numbers .
The JHU team maintains a list of such changes .
This story was originally published on March 16 , 2020 .
Elena Renken was a co-author on that version .
Sean McMinn and Audrey Carlsen contributed to this story @ @ @ @ @ @ @

Tracking the coronavirus around the U.S.: See how your state is doing
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Note: This page was last updated on Feb. 1, 2023. It will no longer be updated. For current data on COVID cases and deaths, demographics, and hospitalizations, consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
As of Feb. 1, there have been more than 101 million confirmed coronavirus infections in the U.S. and more than 1 million people have died of COVID-19. In the graphics below, explore the trends in your state.
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The above charts show average new cases per 100,000 people for each state over the last 12 months.
Note: Actual cases may be substantially higher, since many who test positive with at-home tests don't report their cases.
For additional data about COVID-19 in the U.S, including cases and deaths, demographics, and hospitalizations, consult the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website.
To show trends, the table below shows the change in average new cases per day in each state, week over week for the last 28 days. States marked in shades of red have growing outbreaks; those in shades of green, are declining.
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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--2020-12-30--U.K. Approves AstraZeneca-Oxford Coronavirus Vaccine

Health officials in the U.K. authorized the AstraZeneca-Oxford University COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday , giving the nation a second option for inoculation against the coronavirus .
The government will begin rolling out the inexpensive and easy-to-store vaccine beginning Monday .
It has ordered 100 million doses — enough to vaccinate 50 million residents , or three-quarters of the country 's population .
The government has already given first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to more than 600,000 Britons .
U.K. Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock said Wednesday that between the two vaccines , the government will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Approval of the AstraZeneca vaccine comes as the U.K. battles another deadly wave of the virus .
Millions of residents are expected to be placed under strict new lockdown measures after a new variant of the coronavirus spread across England .
So far , the new variant , which contains 17 mutations from the SARS-CoV-2 virus first identified a year ago , appears more transmissible and harder to control .
England reported a new single-day record of new COVID-19 cases , reaching more than 53,000 on Wednesday , according to Johns Hopkins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the vaccine 's approval by Britain 's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority , or MHRA , `` is truly fantastic news . ''
`` We will now move to vaccinate as many people as quickly as possible , '' he said .
The AstraZeneca vaccine , like the Pfizer option , requires two doses to be given to patients .
The second is required to be given 12 weeks after the first .
Pascal Soriot , AstraZeneca 's CEO said in a statement that the vaccine , `` has been shown to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ administer and is supplied by AstraZeneca at no profit . ''

U.K. Approves AstraZeneca-Oxford Coronavirus Vaccine
Enlarge this image toggle caption WPA Pool/Getty Images WPA Pool/Getty Images
Health officials in the U.K. authorized the AstraZeneca-Oxford University COVID-19 vaccine Wednesday, giving the nation a second option for inoculation against the coronavirus.
The government will begin rolling out the inexpensive and easy-to-store vaccine beginning Monday. It has ordered 100 million doses — enough to vaccinate 50 million residents, or three-quarters of the country's population.
The government has already given first doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to more than 600,000 Britons.
U.K. Secretary of State for Health and Social Care Matt Hancock said Wednesday that between the two vaccines, the government will be able to protect the entire population.
Approval of the AstraZeneca vaccine comes as the U.K. battles another deadly wave of the virus. Millions of residents are expected to be placed under strict new lockdown measures after a new variant of the coronavirus spread across England.
So far, the new strain, which contains 17 variants from the SARS-CoV-2 virus first identified a year ago, appears to be more transmissible and harder to control. England reported a new single-day record of new COVID-19 cases, reaching more than 53,000 on Wednesday, according to Johns Hopkins University.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the vaccine's approval by Britain's Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority "is truly fantastic news."
"We will now move to vaccinate as many people as quickly as possible," he said.
The AstraZeneca vaccine, like the Pfizer option, requires two doses to be given to patients. The second is required to be given 12 weeks after the first.
Pascal Soriot, AstraZeneca's CEO, said in a statement that the vaccine "has been shown to be effective, well-tolerated, simple to administer and is supplied by AstraZeneca at no profit."
NPR's London correspondent Frank Langfitt contributed to this story.