npr--2020-05-03--When A Beloved Life Ends, Virtual Hugs Can't Replace Human Touch

I nearly lost it when the number dropped from 50 to 10 .
My mother 's church pastor tried to be steady and consoling , but I could hear the emotion at the edges of his voice .
His news : Instead of the 50 mourners we hoped to host , just 10 people would be allowed to attend her funeral on March 28 , courtesy of the latest social distancing requirements laid down by state and local officials .
Including church staff .
It was unthinkable .
My mother , Carolyn Jean Williams — who had spent 60 years @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Community Church in Gary , Ind.
, who had logged nearly 50 years as a teacher in Gary 's school system , and who had lived in that crumbling steel town since before The Beatles came to America — would not get the public outpouring of love from the places to which she had given most of her life .
The consequences struck me instantly .
Remembering my mother now , what stands out is how much she loved music and singing , her church , her friends in the choir , her @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of that would be stripped away from the bare-bones service we were now allowed to present .
The Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority has a ceremony for their beloved members who have transitioned , called `` Ivy Beyond the Wall '' ; could n't happen .
The church choir has a tradition for how to celebrate the passing of a valued member ; was n't possible .
After a funeral , attendees usually gather elsewhere in the church for a meal called the repast , which normally feeds hundreds of people .
For my @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to go that we had to take somewhere else , gathering privately in a close-knit group , like criminals convening in a secret hideout .
Four days before she died of respiratory failure unrelated to COVID-19 , I was forced to leave my mother 's hospital bedside , thanks to new visitor restrictions .
Now , with this latest news , it felt like we had once again become collateral damage in the war against coronavirus .
This is what happens when a pandemic strikes and institutions that should have spent years preparing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the fly .
It 's like trying to change a tire while the car is still moving .
Families like mine are forced into situations that are more horrific than they would be otherwise .
And , while you struggle to cope with each new disappointment , a question rises in the back of your mind : '' Could n't someone have found a better way ? ''
Already , the pandemic had taken so much .
My mother landed in the hospital after a fall in her apartment ; weakened by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ infections she did n't know she had .
She lay on the floor for hours .
The next day , I was by her side , logging 20-hour stints caring for her , until days later , a nurse told me I had to leave .
It was a surprise because , frankly , I had been helping a lot .
When my mother was left in a drafty holding area after being sedated for a bone marrow biopsy , I asked someone to get her out before she got sicker .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alarms which would sound when her intravenous line would get kinked up , because the nurses could take long minutes to answer and the noise was maddening .
But the hospital 's visitation policies had been tightening for days , as the nation began to grapple with the pandemic in mid-March .
And like a frog sitting in a pot of slowly heating water , I had barely noticed .
A security guard broke up a prayer session involving my mom , her pastor and three friends , because the hospital had begun @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next couple of days , only one guest was allowed in the room at a time , requiring me to leave whenever someone else came in .
Then , with little warning , I was told to leave , too .
Everyone was apologetic .
A beefy security guard came to deliver the news , talking incessantly about how sorry he was .
After a few minutes , I realized his words were n't for me ; he was soothing himself by trying to assure me , somehow , that it was n't @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it was entirely personal .
Just that morning , my mother had shown more energy than I 'd seen in days , joking wearily with the nurses and doctors , who by then had become an endless procession of people poking and examining her .
Now , she was pleading with them and the guard , tears welling in her eyes , as I assured her that I 'd call soon and I 'd be back before long .
I was afraid , too ; worried that the tiny bit of hope @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by this latest indignity .
I know all the reasons why the hospital made its decisions .
I heard rumors they were caring for patients who had the COVID-19 virus , and they were rightfully worried about infection spread .
But there was also a constant sense the hospital was making decisions in the moment that could change from day-to-day .
Visitors and patients had no idea what might come next and little confidence that any changes came from following a careful plan .
As I sat in my mother 's home , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the hospital to look in on her , I wondered about all the seriously ill patients not yet at death 's door , now deprived of the soothing , inspirational presence of those they love most .
How many more might recover , if they had a loved one by their side while fighting for life ?
Even in my mother 's final hours , odd things happened .
The doctor who talked with me about moving her to hospice care – he was essentially telling me she was going to die — @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I had to remind him , thanks to the current coronavirus guidelines , we were not allowed to touch in that way .
Twice .
Finally , the hospital relented and allowed me to see her again .
I knew it was because she did n't have much time ; I raced to be by her side , and about 14 hours later , at 10:02 p.m. on March 22 , she was gone .
I looked at her lifeless body , unable to fully process what happened .
And before I left @ @ @ @ @ @ @ surfaced : Was a funeral even possible ?
As I tried to plan , it felt like she was being victimized again — robbed of the public outpouring of grief , love and respect she had earned through 81 years of life , much of it spent in the service of others .
We managed to pull together a wonderful service at St. Timothy .
My mother 's friends , who were also choir members , were among the 10 allowed inside and could sing my mother 's favorite songs .
The choir @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not long after my mother did nearly 60 years ago , provided recordings of her soaring solos during spirituals like `` God Is ... '' A projector screen at the back of the sanctuary played a slideshow of photos from her life .
And there were heartfelt eulogies from her friends , her pastor and me .
But I , Carolyn Williams ' only child , was the only blood relative in the cavernous sanctuary – a space that could have held hundreds of mourners .
( backed by my mother 's friends @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who lives in Wisconsin and drove five hours to reach my mother 's Indiana home . )
During a visitation before the funeral , one mourner , a fellow teacher and choir member who had known my mother for longer than I have been alive , just stood in front of me , feet of space between us , shaking with emotion as tears rose in his eyes .
We needed desperately to hug each other and let the sorrow pass between us .
But all we could do is stare and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ social media posts had told people to connect with the church 's website , where the service would be streamed online .
But as we were leaving the church for the burial site , I passed the volunteer in charge of the technology ; I could hear the sounds of a customer service operator coming from his cellphone .
Sure enough , Comcast had a service outage about 20 minutes into the ceremony .
Friends across the country told me later , the feed cut out mysteriously during my mom 's first song @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of the entire service on YouTube , which you can see here .
< < https : //www.youtube.com/watch ?
v=weu-RVpKOuU & t=27s > > Of course , there are so many who have experienced so much worse .
Families have lost multiple people to the virus .
Healthcare workers who only wanted to treat the sick have become sick themselves , and some have lost their lives .
These shelter-in-place restrictions are key to slowing the spread of a global pandemic .
And , as frustrating as some of my own experiences have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Thankful that I had a job where I could leave with just a few hours ' notice , with no idea when I might come back .
Thankful that my mother was n't suffering for long weeks or months in a hospital bed , unable to take care of herself : a fate she feared most .
Thankful that she or I had n't contracted coronavirus when the visitation rules were more lax and the words `` shelter at home '' were n't quite part of our common lexicon .
But I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hospitals allow at least one highly monitored visitor for seriously sick patients without COVID-19 – so that at least some people , unlucky enough to fall gravely ill during the Age of Coronavirus , do n't have to face death largely alone , surrounded by strangers .
Because , as much as a FaceTime call or ceremony livestream can connect those separated by social distancing and stay-at-home orders , they are a meager substitute for the healing which comes from one person holding another , providing strength and sharing love when it is @ @ @

When A Beloved Life Ends, Virtual Hugs Can't Replace Human Touch
Enlarge this image Sara Wong for NPR Sara Wong for NPR
I nearly lost it when the number dropped from 50 to 10.
My mother's church pastor tried to be steady and consoling, but I could hear the emotion at the edges of his voice. His news: Instead of the 50 mourners we hoped to host, just 10 people would be allowed to attend her funeral on March 28, courtesy of the latest social distancing requirements laid down by state and local officials. Including church staff.
It was unthinkable. My mother, Carolyn Jean Williams — who had spent 60 years singing in the choir at St. Timothy Community Church in Gary, Ind., who had logged nearly 50 years as a teacher in Gary's school system, and who had lived in that crumbling steel town since before The Beatles came to America — would not get the public outpouring of love from the places to which she had given most of her life.
The consequences struck me instantly. Remembering my mother now, what stands out is how much she loved music and singing, her church, her friends in the choir, her sorority and me. But so much of that would be stripped away from the bare-bones service we were now allowed to present.
The Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority has a ceremony for their beloved members who have transitioned, called "Ivy Beyond the Wall"; couldn't happen. The church choir has a tradition for how to celebrate the passing of a valued member; wasn't possible.
After a funeral, attendees usually gather elsewhere in the church for a meal called the repast, which normally feeds hundreds of people. For my mother, the church would prepare food to go that we had to take somewhere else, gathering privately in a close-knit group, like criminals convening in a secret hideout.
Four days before she died of respiratory failure unrelated to COVID-19, I was forced to leave my mother's hospital bedside, thanks to new visitor restrictions. Now, with this latest news, it felt like we had once again become collateral damage in the war against coronavirus.
This is what happens when a pandemic strikes and institutions that should have spent years preparing are instead making policies, seemingly, on the fly. It's like trying to change a tire while the car is still moving.
Families like mine are forced into situations that are more horrific than they would be otherwise. And, while you struggle to cope with each new disappointment, a question rises in the back of your mind:
"Couldn't someone have found a better way?"
Enlarge this image toggle caption Eric Deggans Eric Deggans
Already, the pandemic had taken so much.
My mother landed in the hospital after a fall in her apartment; weakened by a just-finished round of chemotherapy and two infections she didn't know she had. She lay on the floor for hours. The next day, I was by her side, logging 20-hour stints caring for her, until days later, a nurse told me I had to leave.
It was a surprise because, frankly, I had been helping a lot. When my mother was left in a drafty holding area after being sedated for a bone marrow biopsy, I asked someone to get her out before she got sicker. I eventually learned how to turn off the alarms which would sound when her intravenous line would get kinked up, because the nurses could take long minutes to answer and the noise was maddening.
But the hospital's visitation policies had been tightening for days, as the nation began to grapple with the pandemic in mid-March. And like a frog sitting in a pot of slowly heating water, I had barely noticed.
A security guard broke up a prayer session involving my mom, her pastor and three friends, because the hospital had begun banning groups of visitors. Over the next couple of days, only one guest was allowed in the room at a time, requiring me to leave whenever someone else came in.
Then, with little warning, I was told to leave, too. Everyone was apologetic. A beefy security guard came to deliver the news, talking incessantly about how sorry he was. After a few minutes, I realized his words weren't for me; he was soothing himself by trying to assure me, somehow, that it wasn't personal.
Of course, for us, it was entirely personal.
Just that morning, my mother had shown more energy than I'd seen in days, joking wearily with the nurses and doctors, who by then had become an endless procession of people poking and examining her. Now, she was pleading with them and the guard, tears welling in her eyes, as I assured her that I'd call soon and I'd be back before long. I was afraid, too; worried that the tiny bit of hope I'd seen would be snuffed out by this latest indignity.
I know all the reasons why the hospital made its decisions. I heard rumors they were caring for patients who had the COVID-19 virus, and they were rightfully worried about infection spread.
But there was also a constant sense the hospital was making decisions in the moment that could change from day-to-day. Visitors and patients had no idea what might come next and little confidence that any changes came from following a careful plan.
As I sat in my mother's home, urging friends from church who worked at the hospital to look in on her, I wondered about all the seriously ill patients not yet at death's door, now deprived of the soothing, inspirational presence of those they love most. How many more might recover, if they had a loved one by their side while fighting for life?
Even in my mother's final hours, odd things happened. The doctor who talked with me about moving her to hospice care – he was essentially telling me she was going to die — kept trying to shake my hand. I had to remind him, thanks to the current coronavirus guidelines, we were not allowed to touch in that way. Twice.
Finally, the hospital relented and allowed me to see her again. I knew it was because she didn't have much time; I raced to be by her side, and about 14 hours later, at 10:02 p.m. on March 22, she was gone.
I looked at her lifeless body, unable to fully process what happened. And before I left her hospital room, a troubling thought surfaced:
Was a funeral even possible?
As I tried to plan, it felt like she was being victimized again — robbed of the public outpouring of grief, love and respect she had earned through 81 years of life, much of it spent in the service of others.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Eric Deggans Eric Deggans
We managed to pull together a wonderful service at St. Timothy. My mother's friends, who were also choir members, were among the 10 allowed inside and could sing my mother's favorite songs. The choir director, who had joined the church not long after my mother did nearly 60 years ago, provided recordings of her soaring solos during spirituals like "God Is..."
A projector screen at the back of the sanctuary played a slideshow of photos from her life. And there were heartfelt eulogies from her friends, her pastor and me.
But I, Carolyn Williams' only child, was the only blood relative in the cavernous sanctuary – a space that could have held hundreds of mourners. (backed by my mother's friends, her sister-in-law and my wonderful girlfriend, who lives in Wisconsin and drove five hours to reach my mother's Indiana home.)
During a visitation before the funeral, one mourner, a fellow teacher and choir member who had known my mother for longer than I have been alive, just stood in front of me, feet of space between us, shaking with emotion as tears rose in his eyes. We needed desperately to hug each other and let the sorrow pass between us. But all we could do is stare and tremble.
The newspaper obituary and my social media posts had told people to connect with the church's website, where the service would be streamed online. But as we were leaving the church for the burial site, I passed the volunteer in charge of the technology; I could hear the sounds of a customer service operator coming from his cellphone.
That's not a good sign, I thought.
Sure enough, Comcast had a service outage about 20 minutes into the ceremony. Friends across the country told me later, the feed cut out mysteriously during my mom's first song. Fortunately, the church posted video of the entire service on YouTube, which you can see here.
Of course, there are so many who have experienced so much worse. Families have lost multiple people to the virus. Healthcare workers who only wanted to treat the sick have become sick themselves, and some have lost their lives. These shelter-in-place restrictions are key to slowing the spread of a global pandemic.
And, as frustrating as some of my own experiences have been, I am also very thankful.
Thankful that I had a job where I could leave with just a few hours' notice, with no idea when I might come back. Thankful that my mother wasn't suffering for long weeks or months in a hospital bed, unable to take care of herself: a fate she feared most. Thankful that she or I hadn't contracted coronavirus when the visitation rules were more lax and the words "shelter at home" weren't quite part of our common lexicon.
But I'll be even more grateful when most hospitals allow at least one highly monitored visitor for seriously sick patients without COVID-19 – so that at least some people, unlucky enough to fall gravely ill during the Age of Coronavirus, don't have to face death largely alone, surrounded by strangers.
Because, as much as a FaceTime call or ceremony livestream can connect those separated by social distancing and stay-at-home orders, they are a meager substitute for the healing which comes from one person holding another, providing strength and sharing love when it is needed most.


npr--2020-05-03--California's Coronavirus Testing Still A Frustrating Patchwork Of Haves And Have-Nots

California 's Coronavirus Testing Still A Frustrating Patchwork Of Haves And Have-Nots Months into the spread of the novel coronavirus in the United States , widespread diagnostic testing still is n't available .
California offers a sobering view of the dysfunction blocking the way nationally .
It 's hard to overstate how uneven the access to critical test kits remains in the nation 's largest state .
Even as some Southern California counties are opening drive-through sites to make testing available to any resident who wants it , a rural northern county is testing raw sewage to determine whether the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to county , city to city — even hospital to hospital within a city — testing capacity varies widely , as does the definition of who qualifies for testing .
Testing deserts , stemming from an overwhelmed supply chain and a disjointed public health system , have hit hardest in California 's rural north and in lower-income urban neighborhoods with concentrations of residents who already were struggling to get quality medical care , long before the pandemic .
In the absence of a coordinated federal response , local health departments , hospitals and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ competing for the same scarce materials .
Whether they are `` haves '' — or have-nots — is determined largely by how deep their pockets are , their connections to suppliers and how the state is allocating emergency supplies .
Compounding these problems is the lack of a state or federal public health infrastructure empowered to acquire and allocate resources on a grand and equitable scale .
Hospitals and health systems where many people go for care are , by design , set up to focus resources on their own patients and workers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do the community outreach and education that could bring testing to the masses ; nor are they set up to do the contact tracing that ensures that people who have been exposed to COVID-19 patients are tested and monitored .
Those roles typically fall to county health departments , which in much of California operate on bare-bones budgets that make it a struggle to contain perennial STD outbreaks , let alone a deadly pandemic .
Over the past two months , the state has triaged one testing disaster after another , but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tests more widely available , in part by cutting its own deals for supplies and expanding testing sites in underserved areas , said Dr. Bob Kocher , one of three people on a testing task force convened by California Gov .
Gavin Newsom .
But conversations with dozens of local health officials , hospital systems , scientists and elected officials reveal just how complicated a task it will be .
Take Lake County , a recreational mecca just over two hours north of San Francisco .
With 65,000 residents , it has had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resorted to buying swabs on Amazon and pilfering chlamydia testing kits for swabs and the liquid used to transport specimens to labs .
Through what the county has cobbled together , it has identified six cases of COVID-19 , all found via nurses or volunteers who have gone out looking for patients .
`` We 're basically having to do tea leaves to figure out what 's going on , '' said Dr. Gary Pace , the county 's health officer .
Pace knows the county has community transmission , both from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 've started running tests on raw sewage to check for the COVID-19 virus ; samples from four treatment plants have come back positive .
`` It is a way to just get more information because we ca n't do testing , '' he said .
Unlike the diagnostic kits — which make use of supplies every health department in the country is competing for — the sewage sampling is done pro bono by a technology startup .
While announcing an ambitious program to increase testing last week , Newsom highlighted the rural-urban divide @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we have had in the last few weeks of this pandemic is getting to rural and remote parts of this state and getting up testing sites and making them available , '' he said .
Newsom is promising to dramatically increase the level of coronavirus testing , with a focus on rural towns and communities of color .
California currently tests about 25,000 people a day but has a strategy to raise that to 60,000 to 80,000 per day .
The state has opened the first of 86 pop-up testing sites targeted for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a program to train 10,000 workers to serve as temporary disease investigators who can do the contact tracing considered fundamental in stemming the spread of the virus .
Pace said he wrote the governor to ask for one of the pop-up sites .
`` Statewide , there 's a situation where there 's not enough testing , and if you 're trying to demonstrate progress , the way you do that is numbers , '' he said .
`` We are interested in equity , though , and in my view , we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lots of numbers . ''
In Mendocino County , situated along California 's rugged North Coast , officials expressed similar frustration .
In late April , a health center on the Round Valley Indian Reservation got a rapid test machine made by Abbott Laboratories , distributed via the Indian Health Service .
That same day , a tribal member came in feeling sick .
That person tested positive for COVID-19 , as did five family members .
The county previously had identified just five cases , all linked to travel .
Dr. Noemi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ officer , fears a broader outbreak among the six tribes who live on the reservation .
The state since has provided 2,000 test kits for people who live or work around the reservation .
Doohan 's office will have to hire couriers to drive 2½ hours to a public lab in nearby Sonoma County , which also has limited supplies , to get the tests processed .
It 's every lab — and county — for itself A mix of commercial and public labs are responsible for testing in California , and supply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But those with deeper pockets and stronger commercial relationships have been out-competing counties and public labs with limited resources .
Rural Tulare County , spanning the peaks and foothills of the Sierra Nevada , is home to half a million people .
It also has one of the highest per capita death counts of COVID-19 in California .
Until recently , the local public lab was the only place in the county that could test for the disease .
After borrowing staff from another county , buying additional machines , and suspending testing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now able to process 85 tests a day .
Officials also can send specimens to commercial labs in other parts of the state , but say days-long turnarounds create bottlenecks for tracking patients and finding contacts .
Monterey County , in the heart of the state 's `` salad bowl '' coastal farming region , has relied on donations — and horse-trading — to meet demand .
A local hospital found the expensive materials needed to make a missing reagent and mixed a batch for the public lab , said lab director Donna @ @ @ @ @ @ @ county 1,000 swabs , which Ferguson used to barter with Riverside County for extraction kits .
And through the kindness of strangers , she found a stopgap for limits on another important resource : lab workers .
During an interview with a local public radio station in March , Ferguson mused that if one of the three microbiologists working in her lab got sick , it could be disastrous for the county 's ability to process tests .
The next day , she got a call from a graduate student at Stanford 's @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heard the interview .
Could he and his colleagues help ?
The crew of six graduate students from three universities has been volunteering at the lab since , tripling its capacity to 120 tests a day .
Though the supply chain is a concern for labs of all sizes , manufacturers appear to be prioritizing orders from commercial labs and big health systems over public health labs , said Eric Blanks , chief program officer for the Association of Public Health Laboratories , which represents most of the labs run by public health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the medical testing giant headquartered in New Jersey , is running 350,000 coronavirus tests a week in its facilities around the nation .
But it is being inundated with samples from across the country , and even as it has worked to ease backlogs , counties and private hospitals are waiting days for results .
Kaiser Permanente says it can test 2,000 to 2,500 people throughout the state each week .
Sutter Health , a major provider in Northern California , tests around 650 people each day across its hospitals .
CommonSpirit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , says it could process 50,000 samples a week if it had to .
As of last week , Stanford had run more than 20,000 tests for Bay Area residents .
But even the giants do n't have unlimited supplies .
`` It really is the manufacturing lines .
They 're the ones that right now are the limiting factor , '' said Karen Smith , system vice president of laboratory services at CommonSpirit Health .
Moreover , hospitals are not set up to solve the broader issue of statewide disparities in access @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sick enough to seek out their ERs .
But it has n't historically been their role to arrange community-wide supplies and testing .
`` You 're not going to go to an emergency room if you 're asymptomatic .
That 's the last place in the world you want to be right now , '' said Dr. Omid Bakhtar , medical director for outreach laboratory services at Sharp HealthCare in San Diego .
`` It 's frustrating for me .
I have the ability to do more [ specimens ] , but how @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pockets around the state , some counties have been able to stabilize their flow of supplies , in some cases because they have more financial means , in others because of their relationships with major hospital systems and research institutions .
With more confidence in their supply chains , Los Angeles and Riverside counties say they are ready to offer testing to any resident .
Several other counties , including much of the Bay Area , are asking more people — including workers deemed essential who do n't have COVID symptoms — to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have managed to ramp up testing are wrestling with yet another problem : not enough people to test .
The reasons are twofold .
After weeks of being told they should n't go for testing because of shortages , the public seems to be adhering to that message even now that more testing is available .
And the public health workforce tasked with locating those in need of testing is depleted .
San Francisco can test 4,300 people each day in its publicly supported labs but was receiving just 500 samples a day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is testing roughly 10,000 people daily but says it needs to double that to lift the shelter-in-place orders .
Its focus in coming weeks is to increase testing among the uninsured and those in at-risk living environments such as homeless encampments and skilled nursing facilities .
Health officials say part of the challenge is they are n't getting the word out to poorer residents and communities of color , even as those same groups are being hit harder by the virus in many cities .
In San Francisco , for example , Latino @ @ @ @ @ @ @ population but 25 % of COVID-19 cases .
In Los Angeles , black people are 9 % of the county 's population but represent 15 % of the deaths from COVID-19 for which race and ethnicity data is available .
Kocher , of the state testing task force , acknowledged the state has more work to do .
But , he argued , there 's also a sufficient amount of testing capability available today , especially via high-capacity commercial labs where the state says the vast majority of specimens should be processed .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ with not having enough samples collected , '' he said .
When officials do slowly begin to let people return to work and school , experts agree that cases will go up , creating even more need for labs , testing and contact tracers .
Preparing for that future will require even more resources .
`` We need money , '' said Santa Barbara County Health Officer Dr. Henning Ansorg .
`` Lots of money .
Lots and lots of it . ''
Kaiser Health News is a nonprofit , editorially independent program @ @ @ @ @ @ @ is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente .

California's Coronavirus Testing Still A Frustrating Patchwork Of Haves And Have-Nots
Enlarge this image toggle caption Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Months into the spread of the novel coronavirus in the United States, widespread diagnostic testing still isn't available. California offers a sobering view of the dysfunction blocking the way nationally.
It's hard to overstate how uneven the access to critical test kits remains in the nation's largest state. Even as some Southern California counties are opening drive-through sites to make testing available to any resident who wants it, a rural northern county is testing raw sewage to determine whether the coronavirus has infiltrated its communities.
County to county, city to city — even hospital to hospital within a city — testing capacity varies widely, as does the definition of who qualifies for testing.
Testing deserts, stemming from an overwhelmed supply chain and a disjointed public health system, have hit hardest in California's rural north and in lower-income urban neighborhoods with concentrations of residents who already were struggling to get quality medical care, long before the pandemic.
In the absence of a coordinated federal response, local health departments, hospitals and commercial labs across the state have been competing for the same scarce materials. Whether they are "haves" — or have-nots — is determined largely by how deep their pockets are, their connections to suppliers and how the state is allocating emergency supplies.
Compounding these problems is the lack of a state or federal public health infrastructure empowered to acquire and allocate resources on a grand and equitable scale. Hospitals and health systems where many people go for care are, by design, set up to focus resources on their own patients and workers. Their bureaucracies can't readily adapt to do the community outreach and education that could bring testing to the masses; nor are they set up to do the contact tracing that ensures that people who have been exposed to COVID-19 patients are tested and monitored.
Those roles typically fall to county health departments, which in much of California operate on bare-bones budgets that make it a struggle to contain perennial STD outbreaks, let alone a deadly pandemic.
Over the past two months, the state has triaged one testing disaster after another, but it is finally making headway on making tests more widely available, in part by cutting its own deals for supplies and expanding testing sites in underserved areas, said Dr. Bob Kocher, one of three people on a testing task force convened by California Gov. Gavin Newsom.
But conversations with dozens of local health officials, hospital systems, scientists and elected officials reveal just how complicated a task it will be.
Take Lake County, a recreational mecca just over two hours north of San Francisco. With 65,000 residents, it has had so few testing supplies that officials have resorted to buying swabs on Amazon and pilfering chlamydia testing kits for swabs and the liquid used to transport specimens to labs. Through what the county has cobbled together, it has identified six cases of COVID-19, all found via nurses or volunteers who have gone out looking for patients.
"We're basically having to do tea leaves to figure out what's going on," said Dr. Gary Pace, the county's health officer.
Pace knows the county has community transmission, both from the cases they've identified and because they've started running tests on raw sewage to check for the COVID-19 virus; samples from four treatment plants have come back positive. "It is a way to just get more information because we can't do testing," he said. Unlike the diagnostic kits — which make use of supplies every health department in the country is competing for — the sewage sampling is done pro bono by a technology startup.
While announcing an ambitious program to increase testing last week, Newsom highlighted the rural-urban divide. "One of the big struggles we have had in the last few weeks of this pandemic is getting to rural and remote parts of this state and getting up testing sites and making them available," he said.
Newsom is promising to dramatically increase the level of coronavirus testing, with a focus on rural towns and communities of color. California currently tests about 25,000 people a day but has a strategy to raise that to 60,000 to 80,000 per day.
The state has opened the first of 86 pop-up testing sites targeted for areas in need. It is launching a program to train 10,000 workers to serve as temporary disease investigators who can do the contact tracing considered fundamental in stemming the spread of the virus.
Pace said he wrote the governor to ask for one of the pop-up sites. "Statewide, there's a situation where there's not enough testing, and if you're trying to demonstrate progress, the way you do that is numbers," he said. "We are interested in equity, though, and in my view, we need some horizontal coverage instead of just lots of numbers."
In Mendocino County, situated along California's rugged North Coast, officials expressed similar frustration. In late April, a health center on the Round Valley Indian Reservation got a rapid test machine made by Abbott Laboratories, distributed via the Indian Health Service. That same day, a tribal member came in feeling sick. That person tested positive for COVID-19, as did five family members. The county previously had identified just five cases, all linked to travel.
Dr. Noemi Doohan, the Mendocino County public health officer, fears a broader outbreak among the six tribes who live on the reservation. The state since has provided 2,000 test kits for people who live or work around the reservation. Doohan's office will have to hire couriers to drive 2½ hours to a public lab in nearby Sonoma County, which also has limited supplies, to get the tests processed.
It's every lab — and county — for itself
A mix of commercial and public labs are responsible for testing in California, and supply chain limitations have plagued them all. But those with deeper pockets and stronger commercial relationships have been out-competing counties and public labs with limited resources.
Rural Tulare County, spanning the peaks and foothills of the Sierra Nevada, is home to half a million people. It also has one of the highest per capita death counts of COVID-19 in California. Until recently, the local public lab was the only place in the county that could test for the disease. After borrowing staff from another county, buying additional machines, and suspending testing for most other diseases, they are now able to process 85 tests a day. Officials also can send specimens to commercial labs in other parts of the state, but say days-long turnarounds create bottlenecks for tracking patients and finding contacts.
Monterey County, in the heart of the state's "salad bowl" coastal farming region, has relied on donations — and horse-trading — to meet demand. A local hospital found the expensive materials needed to make a missing reagent and mixed a batch for the public lab, said lab director Donna Ferguson. The hospital also gave the county 1,000 swabs, which Ferguson used to barter with Riverside County for extraction kits.
And through the kindness of strangers, she found a stopgap for limits on another important resource: lab workers.
During an interview with a local public radio station in March, Ferguson mused that if one of the three microbiologists working in her lab got sick, it could be disastrous for the county's ability to process tests. The next day, she got a call from a graduate student at Stanford's nearby Hopkins Marine Station. He'd heard the interview. Could he and his colleagues help? The crew of six graduate students from three universities has been volunteering at the lab since, tripling its capacity to 120 tests a day.
Though the supply chain is a concern for labs of all sizes, manufacturers appear to be prioritizing orders from commercial labs and big health systems over public health labs, said Eric Blanks, chief program officer for the Association of Public Health Laboratories, which represents most of the labs run by public health departments in the nation.
Quest Diagnostics, the medical testing giant headquartered in New Jersey, is running 350,000 coronavirus tests a week in its facilities around the nation. But it is being inundated with samples from across the country, and even as it has worked to ease backlogs, counties and private hospitals are waiting days for results.
Kaiser Permanente says it can test 2,000 to 2,500 people throughout the state each day. Sutter Health, a major provider in Northern California, tests around 650 people each day across its hospitals. CommonSpirit Health, which includes Dignity Health hospitals, says it could process 50,000 samples a week if it had to. As of last week, Stanford had run more than 20,000 tests for Bay Area residents.
But even the giants don't have unlimited supplies. "It really is the manufacturing lines. They're the ones that right now are the limiting factor," said Karen Smith, system vice president of laboratory services at CommonSpirit Health.
Moreover, hospitals are not set up to solve the broader issue of statewide disparities in access. They can generally handle the patients sick enough to seek out their ERs. But it hasn't historically been their role to arrange community-wide supplies and testing.
"You're not going to go to an emergency room if you're asymptomatic. That's the last place in the world you want to be right now," said Dr. Omid Bakhtar, medical director for outreach laboratory services at Sharp HealthCare in San Diego. "It's frustrating for me. I have the ability to do more [specimens], but how do I get them?"
Tests but no takers
In pockets around the state, some counties have been able to stabilize their flow of supplies, in some cases because they have more financial means, in others because of their relationships with major hospital systems and research institutions.
With more confidence in their supply chains, Los Angeles and Riverside counties say they are ready to offer testing to any resident. Several other counties, including much of the Bay Area, are asking more people — including workers deemed essential who don't have COVID symptoms — to get tested.
But some counties that have managed to ramp up testing are wrestling with yet another problem: not enough people to test. The reasons are twofold. After weeks of being told they shouldn't go for testing because of shortages, the public seems to be adhering to that message even now that more testing is available. And the public health workforce tasked with locating those in need of testing is depleted.
San Francisco can test 4,300 people each day in its publicly supported labs but was receiving just 500 samples a day as of late April. Los Angeles is testing roughly 10,000 people daily but says it needs to double that to lift the shelter-in-place orders. Its focus in coming weeks is to increase testing among the uninsured and those in at-risk living environments such as homeless encampments and skilled nursing facilities.
Health officials say part of the challenge is they aren't getting the word out to poorer residents and communities of color, even as those same groups are being hit harder by the virus in many cities. In San Francisco, for example, Latino residents make up 16% of the population but 25% of COVID-19 cases. In Los Angeles, black people are 9% of the county's population but represent 15% of the deaths from COVID-19 for which race and ethnicity data is available.
Kocher, of the state testing task force, acknowledged the state has more work to do. But, he argued, there's also a sufficient amount of testing capability available today, especially via high-capacity commercial labs where the state says the vast majority of specimens should be processed.
"Right now, we're concerned with not having enough samples collected," he said.
When officials do slowly begin to let people return to work and school, experts agree that cases will go up, creating even more need for labs, testing and contact tracers. Preparing for that future will require even more resources.
"We need money," said Santa Barbara County Health Officer Dr. Henning Ansorg. "Lots of money. Lots and lots of it."
Kaiser Health News is a nonprofit, editorially independent program of the Kaiser Family Foundation. KHN is not affiliated with Kaiser Permanente.


npr--2020-05-03--Israel's High Court To Decide If Netanyahu Can Form Government

Israel 's High Court To Decide If Netanyahu Can Form Government Israel 's top court is deciding if corruption charges should bar Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from forming a government .
Wearing face masks and separated by dividers , the 11 justices convened Sunday to discuss the fate of Netanyahu .
The long-serving prime minister had recently reached an agreement with his election rival , Benny Gantz , to end a government deadlock .
Opponents of Netanyahu , however , are claiming criminal charges — including bribery , fraud and breach of trust — should prevent him from leading the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to reach a decision this week .
A ruling against Netanyahu would be a serious blow to Israeli governance.Three elections — the most recent in March — have failed to conclusively decide the country 's leadership .
Last month , however , the COVID-19 pandemic forced a deal between Netanyahu and Gantz to form an emergency government .
The deal allows Netanyahu — already Israel 's longest-serving prime minister — to remain in his role through October of next year before handing over leadership to Gantz .
The deal had been supported by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and watchdogs petitioned Israel 's supreme court to block Netanyahu 's leadership as he faced a series of corruption charges .
Israeli law does n't force a sitting prime minister to step down if indicted , though Netanyahu is the first Israeli leader to be indicted while in office .
Netanyahu faces charges in three corruption cases .
The most serious stem from an alleged attempt to garner positive media coverage by promoting regulations that would favor a telecommunications company .
Netanyahu has denied the allegations and said they are politically-motivated .

Israel's High Court To Decide Whether Netanyahu Can Form Government
Enlarge this image toggle caption Gali Tibbon /AFP via Getty Images Gali Tibbon /AFP via Getty Images
Israel's top court is deciding whether corruption charges should bar Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from forming a government.
Wearing face masks and separated by dividers, the 11 justices convened Sunday to discuss the fate of Netanyahu. The long-serving prime minister had recently reached an agreement with his election rival, Benny Gantz, to end a government deadlock. Opponents of Netanyahu, however, are claiming criminal charges — including bribery, fraud and breach of trust — should prevent him from leading the unity government.
The justices are expected to reach a decision this week.
A ruling against Netanyahu would be a serious blow to Israeli governance. Three elections — the most recent in March — have failed to conclusively decide the country's leadership.
Last month, however, the COVID-19 pandemic forced a deal between Netanyahu and Gantz to form an emergency government. The deal allows Netanyahu — already Israel's longest-serving prime minister — to remain in his role through October of next year before handing over leadership to Gantz.
The deal had been supported by Israel's parliament. But opposition parties and watchdogs petitioned Israel's supreme court to block Netanyahu's leadership as he faced a series of corruption charges.
Israeli law doesn't force a sitting prime minister to step down if indicted, though Netanyahu is the first Israeli leader to be indicted while in office.
Netanyahu faces charges in three corruption cases. The most serious stem from an alleged attempt to garner positive media coverage by promoting regulations that would favor a telecommunications company. Netanyahu has denied the allegations and said they are politically motivated.


npr--2020-05-03--Birx On 'Stay-At-Home' Protests: 'Devastatingly Worrisome'

The coordinator for White House coronavirus response efforts says it is `` devastatingly worrisome '' to see crowds of demonstrators protesting stay-at-home orders while also refusing to follow social distancing guidelines or wear masks .
Asked about demonstrations last week where crowds swarmed Michigan 's capitol building — some , brandishing firearms — Dr. Deborah Birx told Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace that protesters may inadvertently jeopardize the health and lives of their family members .
`` It 's devastatingly worrisome to me personally because if they go home and infect their grandmother or their grandfather who has a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or a very — or an unfortunate outcome , they will feel guilty for the rest of our lives , '' said Birx .
Thursday 's protests in Michigan followed the decision by the state 's governor , Democrat Gretchen Whitmer , to extend stay-at-home orders , even as some states have begun the process of re-opening their economies .
Birx said regardless of where states are in their response to the virus , Americans should continue observing the recommendations of public health officials .
`` We also made it very clear to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you need to continue to do to protect yourself .
You need to continue to social distance .
You need to continue to practice scrupulous handwashing , '' Birx said .
In Florida , Gov .
Ron DeSantis , a Republican , issued an executive order to allow restaurants and retail shops in most of the state to re-open Monday — albeit at limited capacity and with social distancing measures .
In Texas , Republican Gov .
Greg Abbott has allowed stores , restaurants and movie theaters to re-open , though in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Dallas County has twice seen its daily tally of new coronavirus cases hit a new high .
Georgia has allowed tattoo parlors , gyms and barber shops to reopen .
On barber shops in particular , Birx said that even with masks , it was still not advisable to get a professional trim .
`` It 's safer but we 've made it clear that that is not a good phase 1 activity , '' Birx said referring to the phased re-opening guidance by the White House for states .
Other states which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ protests , with recent demonstrations in several states including Oregon , Wisconsin and California , where hundreds amassed in Huntington Beach on Friday to protest state-mandated beach closures .
Wallace also asked Birx about statements by President Trump that projections for how many Americans would die from the coronavirus have dropped drastically .
Early projections put the expected number of deaths between 100,000 and 240,000 , but late last month the president put the number lower , saying , `` we 're going toward 50- or 60,000 people . ''
Birx maintained that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 100,000 and 240,000 American lives lost , and that 's with full mitigation and us learning from each other of how to social distance . ''
As of Sunday , more than 67,000 deaths have been recorded in the U.S .

Birx On 'Stay-At-Home' Protests: 'Devastatingly Worrisome'
Enlarge this image toggle caption Alex Brandon/AP Alex Brandon/AP
The coordinator for White House coronavirus response efforts says it is "devastatingly worrisome" to see crowds of demonstrators protesting stay-at-home orders while also refusing to follow social distancing guidelines or wear masks.
Asked about demonstrations last week where crowds swarmed Michigan's capitol building — some, brandishing firearms — Dr. Deborah Birx told Fox News Sunday host Chris Wallace that protesters may inadvertently jeopardize the health and lives of their family members.
"It's devastatingly worrisome to me personally because if they go home and infect their grandmother or their grandfather who has a co-morbid condition and they have a serious or a very — or an unfortunate outcome, they will feel guilty for the rest of our lives," said Birx.
Thursday's protests in Michigan followed the decision by the state's governor, Democrat Gretchen Whitmer, to extend stay-at-home orders, even as some states have begun the process of re-opening their economies.
Birx said regardless of where states are in their response to the virus, Americans should continue observing the recommendations of public health officials.
"We also made it very clear to the American people, this is what you need to continue to do to protect yourself. You need to continue to social distance. You need to continue to practice scrupulous handwashing," Birx said.
In Florida, Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, issued an executive order to allow restaurants and retail shops in most of the state to re-open Monday — albeit at limited capacity and with social distancing measures.
In Texas, Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has allowed stores, restaurants and movie theaters to re-open, though in the six days since that order was announced Dallas County has twice seen its daily tally of new coronavirus cases hit a new high.
Georgia has allowed tattoo parlors, gyms and barber shops to reopen. On barber shops in particular, Birx said that even with masks, it was still not advisable to get a professional trim.
"It's safer but we've made it clear that that is not a good phase 1 activity," Birx said referring to the phased re-opening guidance by the White House for states.
Other states which have been slower to re-open have seen protests, with recent demonstrations in several states including Oregon, Wisconsin and California, where hundreds amassed in Huntington Beach on Friday to protest state-mandated beach closures.
Wallace also asked Birx about statements by President Trump that projections for how many Americans would die from the coronavirus have dropped drastically. Early projections put the expected number of deaths between 100,000 and 240,000, but late last month the president put the number lower, saying, "we're going toward 50- or 60,000 people."
Birx maintained that original projections "have always been between 100,000 and 240,000 American lives lost, and that's with full mitigation and us learning from each other of how to social distance."
As of Sunday, more than 67,000 deaths have been recorded in the U.S.


npr--2020-05-03--Man Arrested For Camping At Abandoned Disney World Island

Disney World has been closed since the middle of March , but that did n't stop a man from camping on an abandoned island at the park .
A 42-year-old Alabama man was arrested on Thursday at Disney World 's Discovery Island , telling deputies he was unaware he was trespassing and called the island a `` tropical paradise , '' according to the Orange County Sheriff 's Office .
Deputies noted there were numerous `` no trespassing '' signs posted .
Authorities charged him with one count of trespassing , a misdemeanor .
He was also banned from all @ @ @ @ @ @ @ report , the man `` stated that he had made entry to the island to go camping on Monday or Tuesday and had planned on staying on the island for approximately one week . ''
Disney security first spotted the man camping on the island , which has been closed to the public since 1999 .
Deputies with the Orange County Sheriff 's Office searched for him with helicopters , boats and on foot .
The man told deputies he did n't hear them calling out to him on a loudspeaker because he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the island .
Discovery Island was originally called Treasure Island and is located in Bay Lake in Disney World .
The 11-acre island opened in 1974 and became a zoo , featuring 130 species of animals .
`` Most are birds , but the park also has Galapagos tortoises and ring-tailed lemurs , '' the Orlando Sentinel reported in 1999 as the park was preparing to close .
The island has sat abandoned for two decades .
Since then , various explorers have made unauthorized trips to see the decaying and overgrown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ online .

Man Arrested For Camping At Abandoned Disney World Island
Enlarge this image toggle caption Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images
Disney World has been closed since the middle of March, but that didn't stop a man from camping on an abandoned island at the park.
A 42-year-old Alabama man was arrested on Thursday at Disney World's Discovery Island, telling deputies he was unaware he was trespassing. He called the island a "tropical paradise," according to the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
Deputies noted there were numerous "no trespassing" signs posted.
Authorities charged him with one count of trespassing, a misdemeanor. He was also banned from all Disney properties.
According to the arrest report, the man "stated that he had made entry to the island to go camping on Monday or Tuesday and had planned on staying on the island for approximately one week."
Disney security first spotted the man camping on the island, which has been closed to the public since 1999. Deputies with the Orange County Sheriff's Office searched for him with helicopters, boats and on foot.
The man told deputies he didn't hear them calling out to him on a loudspeaker because he was sleeping inside one of the buildings on the island.
Discovery Island was originally called Treasure Island and is located in Bay Lake in Disney World.
The 11-acre island opened in 1974 and became a zoo, featuring 130 species of animals. "Most are birds, but the park also has Galapagos tortoises and ring-tailed lemurs," the Orlando Sentinel reported in 1999 as the park was preparing to close.
The island has sat abandoned for two decades. Since then, various explorers have made unauthorized trips to see the decaying and overgrown buildings and posted their videos and photos online.


npr--2020-05-03--U.K.'s Boris Johnson Says His Battle With Coronavirus 'Could Have Gone Either Way'

U.K. 's Boris Johnson Says His Battle With Coronavirus 'Could Have Gone Either Way' U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson opened up about his nearly two-week long battle with coronavirus on Sunday , revealing that at points during his ICU stay doctors were making arrangements for `` what to do if things went badly wrong . ''
`` It was a tough old moment , I wo n't deny it , '' the 55-year-old said in an interview with the British newspaper , The Sun , `` They had a strategy to deal with a 'death of Stalin-type ' scenario .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ ICU at St Thomas ' Hospital in London , where he said medical workers gave him `` liters and liters of oxygen . ''
During that time he said , his health indicators were headed in the wrong direction .
`` It was hard to believe that in just a few days my health had deteriorated to this extent , '' Johnson said , `` I remember feeling frustrated .
I could n't understand why I was n't getting better . ''
`` But the bad moment came when it was 50-50 whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a tube down my windpipe , '' Johnson said , which would 've forced him to go into a medically induced coma .
The prime minister attributed his recovery to United Kingdom National Health Service ( NHS ) doctors and nurses .
Johnson and his fiancée Carrie Symonds , named their newborn son , Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson , in honor of two physicians , Dr. Nick Price and Dr. Nick Hart , whom the prime minister credited with saving his life .
The acknowledgment comes as NHS doctors have called out for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said he wants to prevent people from suffering like he did , but that he is driven by a desire to get the U.K. `` back on its feet . ''
The country has suffered more than 28,000 deaths due to the virus , according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University .
And , at least 183,500 people in the U.K. have tested positive for COVID-19 .
But the country is past the peak of its coronavirus outbreak , the prime minister said .
Last week Johnson promised `` a roadmap , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ steps to lift the lockdown in the coming days .

U.K.'s Boris Johnson Says His Battle With Coronavirus 'Could Have Gone Either Way'
Enlarge this image toggle caption Frank Augstein/AP Frank Augstein/AP
U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson opened up about his nearly two-week-long battle with coronavirus on Sunday, revealing that at points during his ICU stay doctors were making arrangements for "what to do if things went badly wrong."
"It was a tough old moment, I won't deny it," the 55-year-old said in an interview with British newspaper The Sun. "They had a strategy to deal with a 'death of Stalin-type' scenario."
Johnson spent three nights in the ICU at St Thomas' Hospital in London, where he said medical workers gave him "liters and liters of oxygen."
During that time he said, his health indicators were headed in the wrong direction.
"It was hard to believe that in just a few days my health had deteriorated to this extent," Johnson said. "I remember feeling frustrated. I couldn't understand why I wasn't getting better."
"But the bad moment came when it was 50-50 whether they were going to have to put a tube down my windpipe," Johnson said, which would have forced him to go into a medically induced coma.
The prime minister attributed his recovery to National Health Service (NHS) doctors and nurses. Johnson and his fiancée, Carrie Symonds, named their newborn son, Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson, in honor of Nick Price and Nick Hart, the physicians the prime minister credited with saving his life.
The acknowledgment comes as NHS doctors have called out for more personal protective equipment and better pay.
Johnson said he wants to prevent people from suffering like he did, but that he is driven by a desire to get the U.K. "back on its feet."
The country has suffered more than 28,000 deaths due to the virus, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. At least 183,500 people in the U.K. have tested positive for COVID-19.
But the country is past the peak of its coronavirus outbreak, the prime minister said. Last week, Johnson promised "a roadmap, a menu of options" on next steps to lift the lockdown in the coming days.


npr--2020-05-03--Southern Europe Could Lose $22 Billion Fighting Deadly Olive Tree Disease

Federico Manni first noticed something was wrong with his family 's olive trees about six years ago .
It was summer , the cicadas were singing , and Manni and his father , Enzo , were weaving through their olive groves in Puglia , the southern region forming the `` heel '' of Italy 's boot .
They pruned and washed the trees but it did n't help .
Soon more trees shriveled .
Today nearly all are dead .
The Mannis now call the field worked by generations of their family an `` olive-tree cemetery . ''
`` These @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They almost gave us a sense of immortality , '' Enzo says .
`` Now I hold back my tears when I see these extraordinary beauties replaced by lifeless trunks . ''
The tree-killer is a bacterium called xylella fastidiosa .
Since 2013 , it has killed millions of olive trees in Italy and is now threatening those in Spain and Greece .
Together , these countries produce 95 % of Europe 's olive oil .
A recent study projects that southern Europe , already crushed by the coronavirus pandemic , could @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the next 50 years , if xylella spreads .
`` There is no cure , '' says Maria Saponari , a plant virologist at the Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection in Italy , `` and the disease spreads quickly . ''
Saponari compares xylella to the coronavirus .
Just as COVID-19 keeps oxygen from reaching our vital organs , she says , xylella clogs the inside of olive trees so they ca n't absorb water .
`` On the outside , you see the leaves desiccate , you see the wood turn gray @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , '' she says .
Saponari , who has studied xylella for years , says the bacterium came to Italy from the Americas , where it ravaged citrus trees and vineyards .
She says Italy likely imported ornamental coffee plants infected with xylella .
Because it flourishes in warm weather , `` unfortunately it found a very suitable condition to establish here , '' she says .
The pathogen is spread by sap-sucking insects like the spittlebug .
Because there 's no cure , Saponari says farmers must focus on prevention , which @ @ @ @ @ @ @ One method involves weeding and tilling olive groves to kill insect larvae .
Scientists have also suggested trying insect-repelling clays .
Olive farmers in Puglia have tried it all .
They have cleaned infected branches with copper sulphate and fertilized the soil with cow manure .
They have quarantined sick trees and uprooted healthy ones nearby .
But Gianni Cantele , a winemaker , who is part of the local farmers association , says the supply of olive oil has nearly run dry .
`` The production in this area is no more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' he says .
Cantele says that the disease has also hurt local tourism built around those olive trees .
`` We lost a huge historical and cultural treasure , '' he says .
`` Olive trees define the landscape here . ''
In Spain , xylella has mainly affected almond trees and vineyards .
But Blanca Landa , a plant pathologist at the Spanish National Research Council 's Institute for Sustainable Agriculture , warns Spain 's olive farmers to stay vigilant .
`` You never know what can happen , '' she @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and `` introduce something that can be really dangerous and destroy completely the economy of a country . ''
`` If I drive through Andalusia ( in southern Spain ) , I can not imagine not seeing olive trees there , '' she says .
`` Olive oil is on every table .
Olives are offered to visitors in every home . ''
Xylella has so far spared Greece .
`` But we are all on high alert , '' says Antonis Marakakis , head agronomist for olive farmers at Terra Creta , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Crete .
He tells farmers to call him immediately if their trees look sick .
`` I tell them to get samples from the trees so they can be tested right away for signs of xylella , '' he says .
`` We have to catch it before it spreads . ''
Back in southern Italy , Federico and Enzo Manni are now struggling to farm potatoes during a pandemic .
Federico shares old videos of the family harvesting and pressing olives into earthy , slightly spicy olive oil , before xylella turned @ @ @ @ @ @ @ When we lost the trees , '' he says , `` it 's like we lost our house . ''
He says he has n't given up on olives just yet .
Xylella infects the two best-known olive varieties in Puglia — Cellina di Nardò and Ogliarola salentina — but scientists believe other varieties might be resistant to the disease .
Manni wants to try farming those .
`` If we plant 20 % of what we lost , it 's a good number , '' he says .
`` Olives are our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not over . ''

Southern Europe Could Lose $22 Billion Fighting Deadly Olive Tree Disease
Enlarge this image toggle caption Courtesy of Maria Saponari Courtesy of Maria Saponari
Federico Manni first noticed something was wrong with his family's olive trees about six years ago.
It was summer, the cicadas were singing, and Manni and his father, Enzo, were weaving through their olive groves in Puglia, the southern region forming the "heel" of Italy's boot.
They noticed some trees looked burnt.
"Dead branches, brown leaves," Manni says. "Terrible, really terrible."
They pruned and washed the trees but it didn't help. Soon more trees shriveled. Today nearly all are dead.
The Mannis now call the field worked by generations of their family an "olive-tree cemetery."
"These olive trees survived wars and bad weather. They almost gave us a sense of immortality," Enzo says. "Now I hold back my tears when I see these extraordinary beauties replaced by lifeless trunks."
The tree-killer is a bacterium called xylella fastidiosa. Since 2013, it has killed millions of olive trees in Italy and is now threatening those in Spain and Greece. Together, these countries produce 95% of Europe's olive oil. A recent study projects that southern Europe, already crushed by the coronavirus pandemic, could lose at least $22 billion over the next 50 years, if xylella spreads.
"There is no cure," says Maria Saponari, a plant virologist at the Institute for Sustainable Plant Protection in Italy, "and the disease spreads quickly."
Enlarge this image toggle caption Gaetano Lo Porto/AP Gaetano Lo Porto/AP
Saponari compares xylella to the coronavirus. Just as COVID-19 keeps oxygen from reaching our vital organs, she says, xylella clogs the inside of olive trees so they can't absorb water.
"On the outside, you see the leaves desiccate, you see the wood turn gray or brown, and the tree dies," she says.
Saponari, who has studied xylella for years, says the bacterium came to Italy from the Americas, where it ravaged citrus trees and vineyards. She says Italy likely imported ornamental coffee plants infected with xylella. Because it flourishes in warm weather, "unfortunately it found a very suitable condition to establish here," she says.
The pathogen is spread by sap-sucking insects like the spittlebug. Because there's no cure, Saponari says farmers must focus on prevention, which includes keeping spittlebugs away from trees. One method involves weeding and tilling olive groves to kill insect larvae. Scientists have also suggested trying insect-repelling clays.
Olive farmers in Puglia have tried it all. They have cleaned infected branches with copper sulphate and fertilized the soil with cow manure. They have quarantined sick trees and uprooted healthy ones nearby.
But Gianni Cantele, a winemaker, who is part of the local farmers association, says the supply of olive oil has nearly run dry.
"The production in this area is no more than 10% of the original," he says.
Cantele says that the disease has also hurt local tourism built around those olive trees.
"We lost a huge historical and cultural treasure," he says. "Olive trees define the landscape here."
In Spain, xylella has mainly affected almond trees and vineyards. But Blanca Landa, a plant pathologist at the Spanish National Research Council's Institute for Sustainable Agriculture, warns Spain's olive farmers to stay vigilant.
"You never know what can happen," she says, if farmers import unvetted plants and "introduce something that can be really dangerous and destroy completely the economy of a country."
"If I drive through Andalusia (in southern Spain), I cannot imagine not seeing olive trees there," she says. "Olive oil is on every table. Olives are offered to visitors in every home."
Xylella has so far spared Greece. "But we are all on high alert," says Antonis Marakakis, head agronomist for olive farmers at Terra Creta, an olive-oil company on the island of Crete.
He tells farmers to call him immediately if their trees look sick.
"I tell them to get samples from the trees so they can be tested right away for signs of xylella," he says. "We have to catch it before it spreads."
Back in southern Italy, Federico and Enzo Manni are now struggling to farm potatoes during a pandemic.
Federico shares old videos of the family harvesting and pressing olives into earthy, slightly spicy olive oil, before xylella turned their trees into scorched-gray corpses.
"When we lost the trees," he says, "it's like we lost our house."
He says he hasn't given up on olives just yet.
Xylella infects the two best-known olive varieties in Puglia — Cellina di Nardò and Ogliarola salentina — but scientists believe other varieties might be resistant to the disease.
Manni wants to try farming those.
"If we plant 20% of what we lost, it's a good number," he says. "Olives are our story here, and this story is not over."


npr--2020-05-03--North And South Korean Forces Briefly Trade Gunfire Along Border

North and South Korean forces briefly traded gunfire along the country 's heavily-patrolled border on Sunday morning , according to the South 's military .
The government-funded Yonhap News Agency reports that South Korean soldiers heard gunshots around 7:41 a.m. local time and found four bullet holes on a guard post located inside the Demilitarized Zone .
The soldiers fired back — a total of 20 rounds — and broadcast warnings in accordance with military protocols , according to the country 's Joint Chiefs of Staff .
No casualties were reported on the South Korean side and the act did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ provocation , '' the Yonhap goes on to say , citing a military official .
No damage or deaths have been reported by North Korea .
The officer quoted by Yonhap also says the incident occurred in foggy conditions at a time when North Korean soldiers typically rotate shifts .
The source adds that no unusual military movements had been detected ahead of the gunshots .
Prior to Sunday 's morning exchange , no skirmishes have been reported at the shared border the since 2017 when North Korean soldiers fired on one of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Both countries subsequently signed a deal to ease tensions between the two countries in 2018 , but South Korean officials say the exchange violates that agreement and urged their neighbor to abide the accord .
This brief incident also happens after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended the opening of a fertilizer plant on Friday — his first reported public appearance in weeks .
Kim 's apparent absence from the spotlight generated international speculation over his health .

North And South Korean Forces Briefly Trade Gunfire Along Border
Enlarge this image toggle caption Ahn Young-joon/AP Ahn Young-joon/AP
North and South Korean forces briefly traded gunfire along the country's heavily-patrolled border on Sunday morning, according to the South's military.
The government-funded Yonhap News Agency reports that South Korean soldiers heard gunshots around 7:41 a.m. local time and found four bullet holes on a guard post located inside the Demilitarized Zone. The soldiers fired back — a total of 20 rounds — and broadcast warnings in accordance with military protocols, according to the country's Joint Chiefs of Staff.
No casualties were reported on the South Korean side and the act did not appear to be an "intentional provocation," the Yonhap goes on to say, citing a military official. No damage or deaths have been reported by North Korea.
The officer quoted by Yonhap also says the incident occurred in foggy conditions at a time when North Korean soldiers typically rotate shifts. The source adds that no unusual military movements had been detected ahead of the gunshots.
Prior to Sunday's morning exchange, no skirmishes have been reported at the shared border the since 2017 when North Korean soldiers fired on one of their own during a daring defection attempt.
Both countries subsequently signed a deal to ease tensions between the two countries in 2018, but South Korean officials say the exchange violates that agreement and urged their neighbor to abide the accord.
This brief incident also happens after North Korean leader Kim Jong Un attended the opening of a fertilizer plant on Friday — his first reported public appearance in weeks. Kim's apparent absence from the spotlight generated international speculation over his health.


npr--2020-05-03--Tracking The Pandemic: How Quickly Is The Coronavirus Spreading State By State?

Tracking The Pandemic : How Quickly Is The Coronavirus Spreading State By State ?
Since the first coronavirus case was confirmed in the United States on Jan. 21 , over one million people in the U.S. have confirmed cases of COVID-19 .
On April 12 , the U.S. became the nation with the most deaths globally , but there are early signs that the U.S. case and death counts may be leveling off , as the growth of new cases and deaths plateaus .
The pattern is n't consistent across the country , as new hot spots emerge and others @ @ @ @ @ @ @ state 's case count is growing , click here .
Click here to see a global map of confirmed cases and deaths .
In response to mounting cases , state and federal authorities have emphasized a social distancing strategy , widely seen as the best available means to slow the spread of the virus .
Most states have put in place measures such as closing schools and nonessential businesses and ordering citizens to stay home as much as possible .
It 's not clear how long such measures need to be in place @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Wuhan , the city in China where the virus originated , a strictly enforced lockdown and widespread testing have slowed the outbreak dramatically , enough to bring an end to the 76-day lockdown .
A large portion of U.S. cases are centered on New York City .
Since March 20 , New York state , Connecticut and New Jersey have accounted for around 50 % of all U.S. cases .
As of April 9 , nearly 60 % of all deaths from COVID-19 have been in these three states .
While New York @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , as seen below , it notched between 8,000 and 10,000 new cases each day between March 31 and April 12 .
To understand how one state 's outbreak compares with another 's , it 's helpful to look at not just the daily counts but the rate of change day over day .
In the following chart , we display cases on a logarithmic scale , meaning that every axis line is 10 times greater than the previous one .
This type of scale emphasizes the rate of change .
When case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 's curve trends sharply upward , as New York 's does over the first 15 days past 100 cases .
Generally , this is evidence of unbridled community transmission of the disease .
As new cases slow , the curve bends toward horizontal , showing that the state 's outbreak may be leveling off .
This does n't mean the number of cases has stopped growing , but the rate of growth has slowed , which could signify that social distancing measures are having an effect .
In some areas , there are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the earliest outbreaks — such as California and Washington — seem to be having success at suppressing the disease .
The outlook in Washington has improved to the point that the state has returned unused Army hospital beds it had received in preparation for a peak in cases .
Elsewhere , limited access to testing may make the number of cases look smaller than it really is .
As testing becomes more readily available , we are likely to see the number of confirmed cases continue to grow , even if not at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ used here are compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University from several sources , including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ; the World Health Organization ; national , state and local government health departments ; 1point3acres ; and local media reports .
The JHU team automates its data uploads and regularly checks them for anomalies .
State-by-state testing and hospitalization data are still being assessed for reliability .
State-by-state recovery data are unavailable at this time .
There may be discrepancies between what you see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ local health department 's website .
Stephanie Adeline , Alyson Hurt , Connie Hanzhang Jin , Ruth Talbot and Thomas Wilburn 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--2020-05-03--Coronavirus World Map: Tracking The Spread Of The Outbreak

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

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


npr--2020-05-03--Listen Live: Supreme Court Arguments Begin Monday

The Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments remotely for the next two weeks , and for the first time in history , the audio will be available , live , to the public .
The arguments include high-profile cases about birth control access , religious freedom , the Electoral College and President Trump 's financial records .
They are scheduled to take place Monday through Wednesday on the weeks of May 4 and May 11 , beginning at 10 a.m .
ET each day .
You can listen to all of the cases here : For each case , both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time .
Each side will have two minutes of uninterrupted argument at the beginning .
After that , each justice has been allotted two minutes for questioning , with more questions permitted if there is time left at the end of the first round .
Each side has a total of 30 minutes .
The justices will speak in order of seniority : After Chief Justice John Roberts , it will be Justices Clarence Thomas , Ruth Bader Ginsburg , Stephen Breyer , Samuel Alito , Sonia Sotomayor , Elena Kagan , Neil @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
ET : U.S. Patent and Trademark Office v. Booking.com B.V. Generic terms can not be trademarked , but Booking.com wants to trademark its name .
This case is about whether generic terms can become protected trademarks by the addition of a generic `` .com '' domain .
10 a.m..
ET : USAID v. Alliance for Open Society International A new twist on an old case .
In 2013 , the justices said the government had violated the First Amendment by making funding for U.S. nonprofits contingent on those nonprofits trumpeting the government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The case is back , but this time the question before the court is whether it 's unconstitutional if the government makes funding contingent for foreign-based affiliates of those same U.S. nonprofits .
10 a.m .
ET : Little Sisters of the Poor v. Pennsylvania consolidated with Trump v. Pennsylvania The court considers a Trump administration rule that would allow employers with religious or moral objections to birth control to limit their employees ' access to free birth control under the Affordable Care Act .
11 a.m .
ET : Barr v. American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Congress passed a law that prohibits most robocalls .
In 2015 , Congress created an exception for government debt collection .
Political groups , which want to use robocalls to raise money and turn out voters , are challenging the act as a violation of their First Amendment free speech rights .
10 a.m .
ET : McGirt v. Oklahoma On the surface , this case is about whether states , like Oklahoma , can prosecute members of Native American tribes for crimes committed in the historical bounds of tribal land .
But @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thousands of miles of land in Oklahoma that has historically belonged to Creek , Cherokee , Seminole , Chickasaw and Choctaw tribes .
11 a.m .
ET : Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru consolidated with St. James School v. Biel A freedom of religion case that tests whether lay teachers at parochial schools are protected by federal laws barring discrimination based on race , gender , age and disability ; or whether , as the schools here maintain , their lay teachers are exempt from the protection of those laws .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ millions of Americans employed not just by parochial schools but also by religiously affiliated hospitals , charities and universities .
10 a.m .
ET : Trump v. Mazars consolidated with Trump v. Deutsche Bank AG ; Trump v. Vance These cases involve subpoenas for some of Trump 's pre-presidential financial records .
Two consolidated cases — Trump v. Mazars and Trump v. Deutsche Bank — ask whether Congress has the power to subpoena the president 's personal records except during an impeachment proceeding ; Trump v. Vance addresses a New York grand jury @ @ @ @ @ @ @ course of a criminal investigation .
10 a.m .
ET : Chiafalo v. Washington ; Colorado Department of State v. Baca Both cases involve so-called faithless electors — Electoral College delegates who fail to vote for the presidential candidate they were pledged to support .
At issue is whether states can punish or remove such electors in order to ensure that the state 's electors accurately represent the state 's vote .

Audio Archive: Supreme Court Hears Oral Arguments Remotely
Enlarge this image toggle caption Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images Olivier Douliery/AFP via Getty Images
Updated on Wednesday, May 13, at 3:45 p.m. ET
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Supreme Court has over two weeks heard oral arguments remotely, with audio streaming live for the public — a first for the court.
The arguments included high-profile cases about religious freedom, President Trump's financial records and the Electoral College.
For each case, both sides had the same amount of time, beginning with two minutes of uninterrupted argument. Then, each justice was allotted two minutes for questioning.
The justices spoke in order of seniority: After Chief Justice John Roberts, it was Justices Clarence Thomas, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Samuel Alito, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.
You can listen back to all of the historic oral arguments below:
May 13: Faithless electors
Cases: Chiafalo v. Washington; Colorado Department of State v. Baca
Summary: Both cases involve so-called faithless electors — Electoral College delegates who fail to vote for the presidential candidate they were pledged to support. At issue is whether states can punish or remove such electors in order to ensure that the state's electors accurately represent the state's vote.
Listen back to the arguments 2:19:00
Recap: Justices Fear 'Chaos' If Electoral College Delegates Have Free Rein
May 12: Trump finances
Cases: Trump v. Mazars consolidated with Trump v. Deutsche Bank AG; Trump v. Vance
Summary: These cases involve subpoenas for some of Trump's pre-presidential financial records. Two consolidated cases — Trump v. Mazars and Trump v. Deutsche Bank — ask whether Congress has the power to subpoena the president's personal records except during an impeachment proceeding; Trump v. Vance addresses a New York grand jury subpoena for those same records in the course of a criminal investigation.
Listen back to the Mazars, Deutsche Bank arguments 1:36:42
Listen back to the Vance arguments 1:41:15
Recap: Will Supreme Court Bail Out Trump In Subpoenas For Financial Records? Listen · 5:17 5:17
May 11: Native American land; Religious freedom
Case: McGirt v. Oklahoma
Summary: On the surface, this case is about whether states, like Oklahoma, can prosecute members of Native American tribes for crimes committed in the historical bounds of tribal land. But it has implications for state power over thousands of miles of land in Oklahoma that has historically belonged to Creek, Cherokee, Seminole, Chickasaw and Choctaw tribes.
Listen back to the arguments 1:32:00
Cases: Our Lady of Guadalupe School v. Morrissey-Berru consolidated with St. James School v. Biel
Summary: A freedom of religion case that tests whether lay teachers at parochial schools are protected by federal laws barring discrimination based on race, gender, age and disability; or whether, as the schools here maintain, their lay teachers are exempt from the protection of those laws. The case has potential implications for the millions of Americans employed not just by parochial schools but also by religiously affiliated hospitals, charities and universities.
Listen back to the arguments 1:38:27
Recap: Supreme Court Weighs Whether Religious Schools Can Fire Lay Workers Listen · 4:27 4:27
May 6: Birth control access; Robocalls
Cases: Little Sisters of the Poor v. Pennsylvania consolidated with Trump v. Pennsylvania
Summary: The court considers a Trump administration rule that would allow employers with religious or moral objections to birth control to limit their employees' access to free birth control under the Affordable Care Act.
Listen back to the arguments 1:00:40
Recap: Fervor Vs Compromise At Supreme Court Birth Control Arguments Listen · 4:23 4:23
Case: Barr v. American Association of Political Consultants
Summary: In 1991, Congress passed a law that prohibits most robocalls. In 2015, Congress created an exception for government debt collection. Political groups, which want to use robocalls to raise money and turn out voters, are challenging the act as a violation of their First Amendment free speech rights.
Listen back to the arguments 1:00:13
May 5: Aid for HIV program
Case: USAID v. Alliance for Open Society International
Summary: A new twist on an old case. In 2013, the justices said the government had violated the First Amendment by making funding for U.S. nonprofits contingent on those nonprofits trumpeting the government's policy position on key issues. The case is back, but this time the question before the court is whether it's unconstitutional if the government makes funding contingent for foreign-based affiliates of those same U.S. nonprofits.
Listen back to the arguments 1:00:09
Recap: Supreme Court Considers Anti-Prostitution Pledge In HIV/AIDS Funding Case Listen · 3:53 3:53
May 4: Booking.com trademark
Case: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office v. Booking.com B.V.
Summary: Generic terms cannot be trademarked, but Booking.com wants to trademark its name. This case is about whether generic terms can become protected trademarks by the addition of a generic ".com" domain.
Listen back to the arguments 1:00:16